An Oklahoma company has agreed to settle a federal religious and disability discrimination lawsuit stemming from its firing of unvaccinated employees during the pandemic, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced. AG Equipment Co. in Broken Arrow will pay $4.2…
Median US worship attendance rebounding after pandemic
Median in-person worship attendance in U.S. congregations has increased for the first time in a quarter century as post-pandemic church shows signs of rebounding, according to a new study by Hartford Institute for Religion Research. “What we’re seeing is not…
Under Biden, faith-based office bookended by COVID-19, war in Gaza
Among the achievements of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships during the Biden presidency, the fourth administration to have featured such an office, is its work with faith-based groups on the rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and…
Taking a second COVID-era loan is proving costly to some faith groups
A dispute over a single word in a COVID-era relief law — and the political divides over Israel – have cost a Jewish advocacy group dearly.
Churches must preach the truth on vaccines
One simple way churches could proclaim truth in an era of Trumpian disinformation is to speak plainly about the importance of vaccines. At the height of the COVID pandemic, as many Americans were resistant to what they considered an untested…
Trump and Vance ‘willfully antagonized the pro-life movement,’ Tim Alberta says
Donald Trump and JD Vance have “willfully antagonized the pro-life movement” out of fear of losing suburban female voters in key states, political reporter and bestselling author Tim Alberta said at Baylor University Sept. 4. Albert, author of The Kingdom,…
World leaders are too slow in preparing for another pandemic, report warns
In the last four years since COVID 19 struck and devastated the world, a rash of measures have been proposed by health authorities in different countries aimed at curtailing the virus and averting new ones. Now, some experts say the…
Florida surgeon general spreads more doubts about COVID vaccines
Florida’s controversial surgeon general — who has said his religious faith inspires his opposition to COVID vaccines — began the new year by warning mRNA coronavirus vaccines could contaminate patients’ DNA. That conspiracy theory has been roundly debunked by the…
Like the Good Samaritan, loving neighbors requires centering, cost and courage, Duke professor explains
When COVID-19 started to spread, epidemiologist Emily Smith expected the pandemic would provide an opportunity for Christians to shine the light of compassion into the lives of hurting people. But when Smith began writing a blog to help focus that…
John MacArthur’s film glorifies pastors who defied COVID mandates
When COVID-19 turned the world upside down in 2020, many U.S. churches followed government policies and switched to online services, while others met on a limited scale with social distancing and masks. A smaller group of churches opposed official mandates,…
From isolation to ministerial pasta: How summer camp has changed since COVID showed up
Is the end of COVID as an official public health emergency good news for summer youth camps? Or are dangers still lurking behind every tree and campsite? After the May 11 declaration that COVID-19 is no longer a public health…
How to fix anemic U.S. rural health care? Learn from Africa and look to the churches, Birx says
Deborah Birx knows how to solve America’s rural health care crisis, and it involves faith leaders and congregations. How does she know? Because she fixed Africa’s rural health care problem during the height of the AIDS pandemic, relying every step…