The meeting is being held during an election cycle in which rejecting AIPAC support has become a defining issue in Democratic races. It also comes amid concerns from some Jewish Democrats — including ones critical of AIPAC — that the group’s emergence as a bogeyman in American politics is inappropriate or even antisemitic.
Read MoreRobert Morris, former pastor of megachurch Gateway Church in the Dallas area, was released from Osage County Jail in Oklahoma after serving his six-month term for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s.
Read MoreAt least 53 Nigerians were killed in three Palm Sunday attacks in predominantly Christian communities in North Central Nigeria. Not all of the victims were Christians in the deadliest attack when at least 30 people were killed and several others hospitalized, Open Doors UK reported. But all attacks occurred in areas known to be predominantly or significantly Christian, with a Voice of the Martyrs field worker describing the Jos community as “100 percent Christian.”
Read MoreA federal appeals court should have applied a different level of scrutiny to determine whether a Colorado law infringed on a Christian counselor’s protected speech, the Supreme Court ruled in an 8-1 vote. Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor, argued the state’s 2019 Minor Conversion Therapy statute violated her free speech while discussing issues such as same-sex attraction.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In war-torn Iraq, Muslims will join Christians in celebrating Easter every year, fostering a spirit of solidarity and coexistence. The celebrations have gained prominence since ISIS was forced out of major strongholds. Around 140,000 Christians in Baghdad, Mosul, the disputed territory of Nineveh plains celebrate Lent, which culminates with Easter Sunday.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Finland’s Supreme Court convicted Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola over a 2004 booklet on homosexuality, ordering its removal. The ruling, alongside developments in Canada and Iceland, raises concerns about expanding hate speech laws and their impact on religious expression and free speech in Europe and beyond.
Read MoreShe walked for days through jungle mountain paths to escape the Myanmar military's campaign of terror. The medical care she needs is out of reach. What keeps her and the more than 600 people around her alive is a fragile web of church donations, local tithes and the tireless intervention of faith-based organizations — a web now stretched to breaking point.
Read MoreThe text tells the story, or “katha,” of the ritual vow, or “vrata,” that women devotees perform to earn the favor of Swasthani, a local Nepali Hindu goddess.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Supreme Court recently announced a major decision in what seems like a quintessential religious freedom case: A Christian preacher charged with violating a city ordinance for sharing his faith in a public park. But outrageous as it may have been, the preacher’s arrest was not actually at the heart of this case.
Read MorePassover plans this April 1 are a tossup for Israel, including the nation’s 20,000 to 30,000 Christians.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In an era when religious and moral differences often feel like threats to identity, cultivating an individual ethic of pluralism may be one of the most critical civic tasks before us. Pluralism is not who we are by default. But it can be who we become — slowly, deliberately and together.
Read MoreLosing one’s sight can be difficult, but Christians who are blind in Kenya are finding new hope through solar-powered audio Bibles. Koki Ann, who works with the Montana-based “Your Network of Praise” in Nairobi, said: “Getting to reach people who are visually impaired was such a great breakthrough and pure providence.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Cesar Chavez, revered labor leader and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, built a legacy of nonviolent activism rooted in the Catholic faith. New allegations of decades-old sexual abuse now challenge his image, raising questions about power, morality and how society should reassess historical figures and their complicated legacies.
Read MoreKendra Duggar, wife of former “19 Kids and Counting” TV star Joseph Duggar, has been arrested in Arkansas. Both she and her husband are now facing misdemeanor child endangerment and false imprisonment charges.
Read MoreIn the past three years, Bahrain, a small Middle-Eastern country off the coast of the Arab Peninsula, has been promoting women’s empowerment despite its strict religious laws and criticism from religious clerics.
Read MoreA former Ohio worship pastor and American Idol contestant, accused of murdering his wife pleaded not guilty to 11 charges during a March 19 arraignment.
Read MoreSteve Gaines, longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis and a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, died March 20 after a long battle with cancer. He was 68.
Read MoreOn Antarctica’s King George Island, the 22-year-old Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church stands as a striking symbol of faith and craftsmanship. Built in Siberia, shipped across the world and rebuilt near Russia’s Bellingshausen Station, the wooden chapel draws visitors awed by its beauty, resilience and unlikely presence amid ice and penguins.
Read MoreA new report links interfaith cooperation and religious freedom to economic stability. It measures dialogue, workplace inclusion and government support — arguing that cities fostering trust and pluralism attract investment and skilled talent while reducing social tensions that could disrupt long-term economic growth.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Each March, many of the country’s most selective colleges and universities release their admissions decisions, reviving debates over the roles of race, wealth and privilege — and putting Americans’ cultural obsession with rankings back in the spotlight.
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