Growing up, I learned a certain version of our country’s history. At my Catholic school in the Midwest, I was taught that we were the birthplace of democracy, that we won wars against evil empires and that we were respected…
Johnson gives ‘glory to God’ for Trump’s big bill but others say God is mocked
While Speaker of the House Mike Johnson gave glory to God for final passage of the “big beautiful bill,” other religious leaders decried the legislation as un-Christian, un-American, evil and dangerous. On July 3, after the House passed the bill…
Faith leaders, health care advocates arrested while protesting GOP budget bill in Capitol
A group of clergy, faith-based protesters and disability advocates were once again arrested in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Monday (June 2) while praying against the Republican-led federal budget bill, including a wheelchair user who said potential cuts to health…
Why defunding NPR and PBS hurts every American
Public broadcasting is not just media — it’s a lifeline, especially for millions of Americans who are not wealthy, politically connected or part of elite circles. Right now, that lifeline is under threat. National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting…
America stands at a moral crossroads, faith leaders warn
The nation is at a political and moral crossroads with the fate of its most vulnerable communities hanging in the balance, according to Vashti McKenzie, president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches. McKenzie participated in a recent…
Matt Gaetz is a Southern Baptist who appears to get a free pass
One of President-elect Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet nominees is a Southern Baptist. Matt Gaetz, who abruptly resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives last week just days before a House Ethics Committee was to release its investigation…
Senators grill social media execs about child safety ‘crisis’
Republicans and Democrats came together Wednesday to criticize executives from Meta, X, TikTok, Snap and Discord for creating a nationwide “crisis” by putting profits ahead of protecting children and teens from bullying, harassment, exploitation, mental illness, sexual trafficking and even…
As Trump stokes more fear, immigration advocates plead with Biden administration not to succumb
Human rights advocates are pleading with the Biden administration to take legal action to block new Texas laws designed to counter illegal border crossings and to give state law enforcement officers the right to arrest undocumented immigrants. Gov. Greg Abbott…
BJC leader warns — again — of Christian nationalism in Congressional testimony
Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, warned members of Congress that attacks against faith freedom at home and abroad present a threat to national security and to American democracy. “Religious freedom is at a crossroads…
Republicans, Democrats, PHNs and cutting the baby in half
I don’t think I have the passage right. But first, let me explain. The Republican House leadership fell at the beginning of the month when the House approved Matt Gaetz’s motion to vacate the position of speaker of the House….
Bipartisan coalition once again urges Republicans to stop blocking Afghan Adjustment Act
Refugee advocates are pulling out the stops to pressure Congress and the White House to pass legislation granting permanent legal status to more than 70,000 war-ravaged Afghans evacuated to the U.S. in 2021. Proponents of the Afghan Adjustment Act used…
Human rights and advocacy groups call on Congress to stop using white supremacist language
More than 160 U.S. human rights and immigration advocacy groups are calling on some members of Congress to stop espousing the white supremacist rhetoric that inspired a gunman to target Hispanics in a mass shooting in El Paso on Aug….