Christian nationalism, at least in its official Trump-inspired manifestations in Washington, D.C., may have been handed a significant setback in the midterm elections. Democrat James Talarico’s 55%-43% trouncing of Ken Paxton in Texas’ U.S. Senate race, together with the victory…
What’s in Ten Thousand Names? 250 Years of the Faithful Fight Against Religious Establishment
In a day before the United States, when we had a king in Virginia, our forebears were responding to an awakening. They were risking persecution at the hands of the authorities, at the hands of fellow Christians who used the…
Baptists should be burdened about world freedoms
The older I become, the more I appreciate and reaffirm that my baptistic theology is one that offers the world — beginning with America — solid principles by which to live respectfully with neighbor. Even if only the four foundational…
Coalition urges care for freedom of religion and speech
Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are deeply interwoven, and a threat to one is a danger to the other, representatives from more than 20 faith and civil rights organizations said. “We come together as librarians, diverse clergy, constitutional…
Before Xi Jinping’s US visit, Brownback says China ‘at war with faith’
Days before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned visit to Washington, D.C., former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback told a gathering of religious freedom advocates the Chinese government is “at war with faith.” Brownback said the Sept. 16…
Chicago pastors speak out on Lee Man-hee’s detention
An unseasonably humid, gray Thursday morning on Chicago’s South Side was the setting for a unique gathering of faithful souls, and one deceptively simple proposition: Religious liberty is not what its name suggests if it applies only to the familiar,…
A book for those who care about religious freedom
There is a new book for anyone who still believes in religious freedom, separation of church and state and is concerned about growing radicalism within this nation. Jared Huffman, a U.S. representative from California, has written a book church leaders…
The Religious Freedom Showdown at a Nude Spa in Seattle
The water of the soaking pool I’d chosen at the Olympus Spa was pretty perfect: 104 degrees and gently bubbling with hot tub jets. It was delightful, but I was exhausted, jet-lagged from a redeye flight, and in the heat…
Muslims were part of America’s story long before the republic began
In the 1520s and 1530s, a man named Esteban de Dorantes, known as Estevanico, walked across the deserts of what is now Texas, New Mexico and Arizona – decades before the English founded Jamestown in 1607 and a full century…
Religious Freedom Faces Growing Pressures Worldwide
A sharp increase in religiously motivated harassment and violence pushed the number of countries dealing with high levels of social hostilities involving faith to its highest point in more than a decade, according to a Pew Research Center study released…
For 2 centuries, Latter‑day Saints have revered religious freedom – but their definition is evolving
On July 5, 2026, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is encouraging its American members to participate in a special fast: a day to “express gratitude for religious liberty and to pray that it be strengthened throughout the world,”…
Nicaragua reportedly restricting Baptists and Bibles
The Nicaraguan government is ramping up its persecution of Baptist and other religious organizations and restricting the use and possession of Bibles, according to the international human and religious rights group CSW. Formerly known as Christian Solidarity Worldwide, CSW said…