Gateway Church and its disgraced founder Robert Morris have agreed to arbitration to settle their multimillion-dollar retirement dispute, rather than continue battling in court. Morris, 64, resigned as Gateway’s senior pastor in 2024, after reports surfaced that he had molested 12-year-old Cindy Clemishire in 1982 while a traveling evangelist in Oklahoma. In May 2025, Morris sued Gateway to get millions in retirement benefits.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Abortion has become a defining partisan issue, with Republicans generally anti-abortion and Democrats pro-abortion rights. Yet lawmakers like Charlie Baker, Susan Collins and Bob Casey show exceptions can succeed in some states. At the same time, long-term polling reveals growing support for abortion access across most religious groups.
Read MoreA retired Baptist pastor is the latest Christian convicted for religious activity in an abortion buffer zone in the United Kingdom, this time for holding a church service on the outskirts of a zone.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Russell Brand, the erudite Englishman, is scheduled to stand trial in the U.K. on three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to everything. He has also, in the meantime, become a Christian, moved to Florida and now he wants you to buy his book.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Mother’s Day seems like a strange time to celebrate birth control, which, on its most basic level, is about helping people to not become mothers — or not become mothers again.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The general admonition is the same in many faith communities: Try to marry someone who shares your faith background. That’s certainly a well-established norm in Jewish communities.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Mother’s Day in the U.S. now drives about $34 billion in spending, but its founder, Anna Jarvis, envisioned it as a day honoring mothers’ social and moral influence. From ancient traditions to modern activism, mothers have long been seen as protectors and advocates for peace — a legacy often overshadowed today.
Read MoreIn Zimbabwe, 200 in every 100,000 women die in childbirth — a rate far higher than in many Western countries, and far exceeding international standards. While the focus is always on reducing maternal deaths, some pastors are supporting newly widowed husbands, too.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For those who have been long-time subscribers to this newsletter, you will know that the predominant approach to measuring religion is called “the three B’s.”
Read MoreThe U.S. Supreme Court has stayed a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals nationwide ban on mail-order abortion pills, the main mode of pregnancy termination in the U.S.
Read More(OPINION) In one of those strange turns of life, Christine Powell found herself navigating a world that she had once only observed as a young professional right out of college.
Read MoreA 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.
Read More(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.
Read MoreYazidis in northeast Syria are fleeing yet again as renewed fighting in Aleppo triggers mass displacement, reviving trauma from ISIS’s 2014 genocide. Survivors face deep psychological scars, economic hardship, and persistent insecurity, with many fearing further violence, family separation, and the gradual erosion of their community and identity through repeated upheaval.
Read More(REVIEW) Netflix’s new four-part docuseries “Trust Me: The False Prophet” gives viewers never-before-seen access to the inner workings of a high-control religion and cult. It’s a fascinating true story of danger, moral conviction, sacrifice, redemption and justice. Cult psychology expert and former mainstream Mormon, Christine Marie and her filmmaker husband, Tolga Katas, move to the area to support the FLDS community and document their lives.
Read More(ESSAY) On the plane and at the airport, strangers from different backgrounds offered unexpected compassion and support. Their kindness became a powerful reminder of shared humanity, transcending religion. It was a moment of revelation. Through my tears I offered my thanks and wished them a happy time. And that’s not all.
Read More(ANALYSIS) There is a shift happening among young adults when it comes to church attendance, but it’s not Gen-Z men becoming more religious, as some suggest. Instead, young women are leaving the church in droves — bringing them on par with their male counterparts for the first time in American history.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The manosphere is a catchall term for websites, forums, blogs and influencers promoting hypermasculinity, from the belief that women and feminism are the cause of men’s problems to calls to legalize rape. Groups within it — including pickup artists, men’s rights groups and “involuntary celibate” or “incel” communities — portray themselves as victims of modernity.
Read MoreWhen journalist Hiba Al-Tabai's husband posted a photo of the newlywed couple on Facebook last year, she never imagined it would upend their lives. Within hours of the seemingly innocuous post, Yemeni member of parliament and Muslim cleric Abdullah Al-Odini, who commands over 150,000 followers, condemned the image as "a violation of Islam and societal values.”
Read More(REVIEW) What will the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese add to these depictions of Mary that we haven’t seen before? Frankly, not much.
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