For nearly 100 years, the Central Church of Christ preached the Gospel and welcomed the vulnerable. Now, the one-time downtown anchor — founded by A.M. Burton, great-grandfather of Grammy-winning singer Amy Grant — faces an uncertain future. Former members attribute the changes to Shawn Mathis, who became the Central church’s third elder in 2017..
Read MoreAs African migration — driven largely by economic hardship and the search for better opportunities — continues to grow, churches are becoming more than just places of worship. In fact, churches have evolved into spiritual lifelines and vital community hubs that help preserve cultural identity, reinforce moral values and provide a sense of belonging far from home.
Read MoreCalling SBC messengers at the 2025 annual meeting in Dallas to recognize God’s grace this past year, SBC President Clint Pressley said he is “glad to be Southern Baptist” and invited listeners to join in the celebration.
Read More(OPINION) We are all curious to see how Pope Leo XIV will engage with the Trump administration. The Chicago Archdiocese’s upcoming celebration of the pope, an American-Peruvian dual citizen, stands in contrast to the military parade being hosted in Washington, D.C. on the same day. At the same time, the Catholic Church has seen empires rise and fall.
Read MoreOn the day before Southern Baptists convene, SBC Executive Committee members elected new leaders and passed several recommendations for final approval.
Read MoreRobert Morris has pushed back on Gateway’s assertion that it didn’t know the full details of his sexual abuse of Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s, including that she was only 12 when the abuse started.
Read MoreBetween 2010 and 2020, global religious affiliation shifted significantly, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis. While Christianity remains the world’s largest religion, its growth lagged behind overall population growth. Christians increased by 122 million to 2.3 billion, but their share of the global population fell. At the same time, Islam saw a global surge.
Read MoreExploring interfaith dialogue using knitting is the surprising theme of a new touring event taking place around the United Kingdom. It all started when Canadian actor and artist Kirk Dunn developed a passion for knitting. The result is an interfaith look at society, how faith can bring people together for a unique show and the “commonalities and conflicts between the three Abrahamic faiths.”
Read MoreTruett McConnell University President Emir Caner has been placed on administrative leave following a special called meeting of TMU trustees on June 6. The school, affiliated with Georgia Baptists, has been embroiled in controversy following allegations of sexual abuse against a former professor. A growing number of alumni and others associated with the university had been calling for trustees to take action.
Read MoreThe Trump administration has rolled back federal project review deadlines, putting Indigenous nations at risk of losing their voice in the development of infrastructure on their homelands. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is cutting funding for the national THPO program by 94%, leaving many Indigenous nations with limited resources to maintain their historic preservation efforts.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Leo’s elevation broke the longstanding rule of thumb that no American, as a citizen of a superpower, could or even should become pope. But that did not trouble the College of Cardinals in May, and leading up to his election Cardinal Robert Prevost felt free to critique current American policies.
All many journalists want to talk about is “the guys.” That focus on young males swimming the Bosphorus has created plenty of mainstream news reports. This week’s “Crossroads” podcast focused on a BBC feature with this headline: “Young US men are joining Russian churches promising 'absurd levels of manliness'.”
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that a Catholic benevolent ministry qualifies for a tax exemption granted to churches.
Read MoreWhen thinking about the number of people attending their church each week, the experience of the average pastor is vastly different from that of the average churchgoer. The most recent Faith Communities Today study revealed seven in 10 U.S. congregations have 100 or fewer weekly service attendees. The average U.S. congregation sees 65 people gather each week.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There’s a new TikTok trend for Christian influencers: Gluing a small, rectangular box with a scroll inside, marked with a cross, that observers can nail to their door frames. Available to buy on TikTok shop, the boxes — called “Grace Marks” — come in gray-marbled white as well as a “terrazzo” confetti-flecked version.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Houses of worship need social enterprise now more than ever. Churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are facing a dire situation. Up to 100,000 U.S. houses of worship may close over the next decade. The percentage of Americans belonging to a faith institution has plummeted from 70% to 47% over one generation with no sign of abating.
Read MorePolice say there are eight victims ages 52 to 88 who were hospitalized with burns, and another four who suffered minor injuries. The victims were part of Run for Their Lives, a weekly vigil and march for Israeli captives who remain held by Hamas.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I’ve written about this before, but it’s worth repeating here: Whenever I tweet a graph that contains a couple of the largest religious groups (evangelicals, Catholics, nonreligious), the first question that comes in the comments is inevitably, “Where are the Latter-day Saints?”
Read MoreAbout 27% of Christian ministry leaders told MinistryWatch they believe the Trump administration’s policies will have a negative impact on the organization they lead or the work they do. This is an increase from 19% who gave the same answer in our January survey.
Read MoreHow will Leo’s formative three decades in the United States before life in Peru and Rome shape his church of 1.4 billion souls? Yes, the cardinals must be thinking an American could solve the Holy See’s $98 million annual deficit, severely underfunded pensions, and declining donations. They may also hope his solid administrative experience might tame the curia, the Vatican’s notoriously Italianate “deep state.”
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