Moody Bible Institute will be allowed to participate in Chicago Public Schools’ student teaching program after the college alleged religious freedom violations in being excluded. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) first said Moody couldn’t participate in the student-teacher internship unless the institute abandoned its religious-based hiring practices, but agreed to drop the requirement after Moody filed a federal lawsuit.
Read More(ANALYSIS) For millions of Iranians — especially religious minorities — the central political question is no longer simply whether the Islamic Republic can reform itself. After decades of repression, including the criminalization of peaceful religious expression and the systematic restriction of independent faith communities, the deeper question is what kind of political future could realistically secure freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all Iranians.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Alasdair MacIntyre’s journey from Marxism to Catholicism wasn’t a retreat from critique but its completion. He concluded that moral language collapsed without God, that virtue needs tradition and that societies survive only when they share a vision of what human life is ultimately for.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Our polarized era features unique and quasi-religious devotion toward President Donald Trump from his MAGA base, set against profound hostility from foes of his words and deeds. Church leaders in that second camp, mostly mainline and liberal Protestants, have issued a new plea worth noting for the extent of its supporters and a markedly fierce denunciation of America’s “cruel and oppressive government.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader on Sunday marks a pivotal moment for the country’s political and religious future — and for the religious minorities who have long lived under the constraints of the Islamic Republic’s theocratic government. As the war rages on, it remains to be seen what his elevation means for Iran and the region.
Read More(OPINION) As a journalist, I’ve met thousands of people over more than three decades, and heard a lot of … interesting theories about life, spirituality, current events and so forth.
Read MoreThe Pew Research Center surveyed thousands of adults in 25 countries and found that 53 percent of Americans said their fellow countrymen had “somewhat bad” or “very bad” morals. Those findings broke with the international trend: In every other country surveyed, the majority said that others in their country have “somewhat good” or “very good” morals.
Read MoreThe Rev. Jesse Jackson was honored at the South Carolina Statehouse as national leaders, civil rights veterans and family members paid tribute to his life and legacy. Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden were invited to attend his funeral on Friday in Chicago, an event billed as “The People’s Celebration.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Fifteen years ago, Egyptians from all walks of life took to the street to demand “bread, freedom, social justice.” They were protesting the oppressive 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak. Egypt had been under martial law for 31 years. This meant that political opposition was silenced, and opponents were often imprisoned and tortured. Police brutality was the norm.
Read MoreOn Monday, nearly a dozen abuse survivors and advocates testified before the Georgia House Judiciary Committee in Atlanta. They spoke in support of Trey’s Law, a bill that would prohibit non-disclosure agreements in cases of child sexual abuse.
Read MoreHannibal-LaGrange University settled its lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education after new federal guidance reversed a rule it said violated religious freedom. The challenged regulation had blocked Pell Grants for incarcerated students, costing the university $700,000 and threatening Baptist governance structures nationwide.
Read MoreCatholic pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday to 20 years behind bars in one of the most prominent prosecutions under a China-imposed national security law that has reshaped Hong Kong’s political landscape.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A Roman basilica’s removal of a cherub resembling Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reveals how quickly sacred art can become political symbolism. The controversy highlighted tensions between church and state, revealing how religious spaces amplify power when contemporary political figures become a part of devotional imagery.
Read More(ANALYSIS) As the complexities in Venezuela continue to evolve, President Donald Trump held his first face-to-face meeting with democratic opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Universal consensus says her party won the 2024 presidential vote by two-thirds or better, whereupon dictator Nicolás Maduro, now imprisoned in New York City, stole the office.
Read MoreIn South Africa, a child or woman faces rape or murder every 23 seconds, with perpetrators including pastors and trusted figures. Survivors like Fikile Sondela-Farrow recount lifelong trauma from clerical abuse. Amid several acquittals, thousands have marched, prompting lawmakers to declare gender-based violence a national disaster. Churches are enhancing safeguards.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Maldives, the small South Asian island nation, recently passed a new law to tighten the noose of the media. But this new law also indirectly strengthens the state’s restriction on religious freedom. Under this law, media outlets will be punished if they publish any content that contradicts Islamic principles or that could be seen as offensive to Islamic sentiments.
Read MoreFederal authorities announced arrests after activists disrupted a Minneapolis Southern Baptist church service to protest ICE activities. Civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong and two others were charged under an 1871 conspiracy statute. Church leaders have condemned the protest, while activists called it a peaceful demonstration.
Read More(OPINION) Christians understand what science reveals: masculinity and femininity are fixed moral categories that God has made and declared to be good. When societies reject God’s moral law, anarchy results. God’s people must boldly declare to the world what is true. At the same time, we must communicate the good news of the Gospel to those who disagree.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Where are there lots of evangelical Christians in the United States, and where is it hard to find one? That’s actually a really difficult question to answer from a methodological perspective. Very few surveys offer enough granularity to provide rigorous state-level estimates, let alone data at the county level. But because of the rapid acceleration of Artificial Intelligence, I can actually provide you all with a really good answer now.
Read MoreIndia recorded 1,318 in-person hate speech incidents in 2025, averaging more than three each day and overwhelmingly led by Hindu nationalist groups affiliated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The report supports the inference that a political choice is behind the sustained scale of public incitement, which undermines both the rule of law and the idea of equal citizenship.
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