Christianity
Every now and then, a current event comes along that waves a red flag at the mainstream media — warning editors and reporters that there is no way around the religious content in this story. What kind of red flag?
Pope Leo XIV’s first international apostolic journey was clouded by heated disputes with President Donald Trump, criticisms of appearing to appease the Islamist persecution of Christians and ongoing conflicts over homosexuality and polygamy among those who are members of the Catholic Church.
(ANALYSIS) Gen Z is driving a renewed interest in in-person life — from bookstores to churches — as a response to digital isolation. But this revival is fragmented, fueled by online subcultures and personal choice. While community is returning, it’s splintered into niche groups, creating connection within silos rather than a shared cultural or social life.
(ANALYSIS) Pope Leo XIV, during his recent Africa visit, warned Catholics against mixing Christian faith with superstition or other religious practices. He emphasized fidelity to Church teachings amid rapid growth in African churches, while renewed attention to past imagery linked to Pachamama has sparked debate about syncretism and theological clarity.
After several churches and other places of worship were demolished, a public outcry forced Uganda to pause a project that aimed to clean up cities and enforce zoning regulations. But now, government officials say, the project is back on, and more unsanctioned structures might be on the chopping block.
(ANALYSIS) All this has happened even as President Donald Trump has emphasized a particular idea of religious liberty throughout his second term. In his proclamation for Religious Freedom Day in 2026, he emphasized familiar ideas of Americans’ “God-given right to practice their faith, follow their conscience, and worship their God freely and without fear.” But the statement also seemed to reflect a broader project of lending government support to Christianity.
A Christian pro-life pregnancy resource center can fight in federal court the state of New Jersey’s order to submit a broad spectrum of documents including the identity of financial donors, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday.
Are the U.K.’s church pipe organs under threat? A new report from Pipe Up, a charity created in 2022 to save pipe organs from what it calls a “wave of destruction,” claims that Britain’s church organs are heading toward extinction unless action is taken.
(ANALYSIS) Trump claimed the White House Correspondents Dinner attacker “hated Christians,” but reporting indicates the suspect was a believer whose manifesto drew on Christian theology. The discrepancy highlights how Trump’s framing may serve broader political goals, particularly unifying a divided conservative Christian base around perceived religious persecution.
(ANALYSIS) After years of religious decline, it’s understandable that faith leaders would celebrate any indication of renewal. Yet the eagerness to tout young men’s religious interest and relatively muted discussion of young women’s decreased attachment mirrors a current that has washed through many American churches for over a generation.
Up to an inch of rain fell on the Highway 82 wildfire April 26, days after Twin Rivers Baptist Church and others began praying for rain, helping contain the most destructive of the largest blazes burning southeast Georgia.
A Bradenton County, Florida, jury has thrown the book at a former Southern Baptist pastor for sexually abusing a 2-year-old and recording the abuse on his cellphone. Jonathan Edward Elwing received three consecutive life sentences on April 21, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced.
The pursuit of virtue and liberty ought to be at the center of American policymaking. What’s changed — especially among conservative lawmakers — in recent years? Matthew Peterson interviewed Stephanie Slade, senior editor of Reason magazine and author of the upcoming book “Fusionism” to find out.
(ANALYSIS) Texas’ proposed K-12 reading list includes numerous Bible passages, sparking debate over religion in public schools. Supporters cite educational value, while critics argue it violates the First Amendment. Court precedents allow teaching about religion, but not promoting it—raising questions about whether the curriculum crosses constitutional boundaries.
Marilyn Hickey, a Pentecostal televangelist whose ministry reached millions — but who also drew fire for her fundraising methods — died Saturday in Denver. She was 94.
In writings, Cole Tomas Allen thanked his church and argued that his attempt to assassinate Trump administration officials was compatible with his faith.
(ANALYSIS) More questions remain. Will the Vatican seek to impose doctrine, potentially provoking further resistance from the West? Or will it allow a degree of local experimentation, accepting the risk of inconsistency in the name of pastoral responsiveness? Leo’s statements on the issue suggest a preference for the former.
(ANALYSIS) One of the central stories of that work is that white Christianity has become noticeably more conservative. That’s not just the case in white evangelicalism (which most people know about), but it’s also true among white Catholics. It has become increasingly the case that to be white and Christian is to support the Republican Party.
The rise of charismatic Pentecostal churches in Zimbabwe in the last two decades has resulted in the faith groups using open spaces and acquiring stands within residential suburbs to conduct church services. The services include prayer meetings, all-night fellowship and praise and worship concerts.
(ANALYSIS) Knowing what the declaration actually says, and how its first listeners reacted, might not sway Americans at the extremes. It provides evidence for less polarizing, more nuanced views about the founding generation’s convictions and compromises as Americans commemorate their nation’s 250th anniversary.
Praying for rain is ever on the minds of Twin Rivers Baptist Church members in the rural farming community of Hortense. But April 22, the church held an actual “pray for rain” service as the Highway 82 wildfire spread.
In 1968, the three Apollo 8 astronauts, while the world focused on their Christmas Eve effort to orbit the moon, read the opening verses of Genesis, beginning with: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
Lifeway Christian Resources trustees elected Ryan Blackwell as the organization’s 11th president and CEO during a special-called meeting on Wednesday in Nashville.
The Pew Research Center analysis, released on Thursday, based on surveys conducted in 24 countries, examined “religious switching” — when people adopt a different religion than the one in which they were raised. The findings reveal a complex picture within Christianity, particularly between its two largest branches: Catholicism and Protestantism.
(ANALYSIS) It's important to remember that Catholicism is a “Communion,” not a government. Secrecy and dishonesty are even more destructive in sacred communities.
(REVIEW) The film is an example of how Hollywood uses Christian metaphysical assumptions when dealing with non-Christian faiths — all while denying Christianity and promoting these same pre-Christian religions. “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” has nothing remotely to do with Egyptian mythology. But that doesn’t mean it has nothing to say about our modern relationship with faith.
Tucked within the settlement’s remains stands the Jamestown Church Tower, its weathered bricks rising above the landscape like a sentinel. It’s the last visible remnant of a series of churches that once anchored the colony’s spiritual life. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Jamestown is a reminder of what helped to create a new nation.
After the first wave of Bible chatbots, independent developers are now building AI tools to solve problems that arise during live worship, and that can operate despite Nigeria’s spotty internet. However, some groups question just how involved an AI tool should be during Sunday services. Critics have said AI will only help spread misinformation in Nigeria and across Africa.
The Dallas Cup, America’s oldest and best-known international youth soccer tournament, has been held each Easter week since 1980. And for 33 of those years, the DBA has hosted an outreach to minister to players and their families.
The former headquarters of Trinity Broadcasting Network, in Costa Mesa, Calif., was demolished after standing vacant for several years. Construction workers with backhoes knocked down the palatial, 65,6500-square-foot building to make way for 142 new homes. By the mid ‘90s, TBN had 784 broadcast, cable and satellite affiliates. The headquarters, completed in 1998, was designed to showcase that success.