According to the U.S. Census, Idaho continues to be one of the fastest growing states. It’s also highly conservative. Now during the pandemic, some towns are seeing influxes of residents from nearby states seeking more freedom from COVID-19 restrictions on worship.
Read MoreBoko Haram terrorists attacked Christian communities in Northeastern Nigeria on Christmas Eve, burning down many churches and homes. One reverend who refused to convert to Islam was beheaded.
Read MoreDuring a priest shortage deacons in the Catholic Church are playing increasingly important roles. Thomas Jack, a deacon in Steuben County, N.Y., is fielding calls for financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreJust in time for Christmas, archaeologists at the Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP) in Jerusalem have sorted through tons of ancient garbage and landfill to recreate the ornate floor tiles which Jesus trod on when he came on pilgrimage to King Herod’s Second Temple.
Read MoreIndia’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party lost local elections in Jammu and Kashmir Dec. 23 to a rare local political alliance that wants to reverse the sweeping constitutional changes made to the Muslim-majority region that opened it up for greater Hindu settlement, a severe lockdown and arbitrary detentions. Kashmir-based political parties put aside their differences to form the People’s Alliance For Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), explicitly to fight the BJP.
Read MoreAfter three different recent deaths of Muslim leaders in Uganda, some are questioning whether the men died of natural causes or foul play. A dozen sheikhs have been gunned down in the past 10 years, and the police and state have not secured any convictions.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Thousands of Islamic militia members are going to gather outside churches in Indonesia this Christmas week. This sounds like a terrifying scenario, and in parts of the world it certainly would be. But very few, if any, Indonesian Christians are worried. They are more likely to greet the militia members with tea and cake.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Last week, the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court confirmed that it would not go further with the trials for the alleged crimes against the Uyghurs in China. The court does not have jurisdiction over crimes in China, allowing for senior Chinese leaders to continue religious persecution.
Read MoreEnsign Peak Advisors, the investment firm connected to the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints, started filing a quarterly 13F form on Feb. 14, 2010, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates publicly traded companies and other financial firms. Its initial filing revealed EPA had $38 billion in stocks and mutual funds at the end of 2019, including $1.5 billion in Apple and Microsoft. The firm had nearly $1 billion worth of shares in Amazon and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, as well.
Read MoreThe Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan Congressional caucus, held a panel on Dec. 17 to discuss religiously-motivated violence in Nigeria. Hundreds of Christians and Shia Muslims have died or suffered other violence at the hands of Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen. The committee and panelists discussed what the U.S. should do to help in the future.
Read MoreThe Indian government has evicted hundreds of nomadic Muslims living in the forests of Kashmir and cut down their sources of income— their apple orchards. The move comes a year after a court order declaring their occupation of the land illegal, but activists say the Hindu nationalist government is ignoring a law allowing tribal people to live on government land and accusing the government of wanting to change the Muslim character of the region.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh ended on Nov. 9 after Russia brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now Armenian heritage organizations worry historical churches and other religious sites will be destroyed.
Read MoreA collection by the Sassoon family, called the Rothschilds of the East, is going on the auction block at Sotheby’s on Dec. 17. The Sassoon family left Ottoman-controlled Baghdad and built their wealth trading opium and textiles from Bombay, Rangoon, Hong Kong, Singapore and London.
Read MoreNew survey data shows white evangelicals hold very different political views (like believing Donald Trump won the 2020 election) than the so-called evangelical elite that includes evangelical leaders like best-selling Bible study author Beth Moore. The result is the loudest evangelical voices are like generals without an army.
Read More(ANALYSIS) A narrative pushed by Hindu nationalists suggests Muslim men are forcing Hindu women and girls to marry them and convert to Islam. An anti-conversion law that prohibits “love jihad” was passed at the end of November and criminalizes Hindu-Muslim couples.
Read MoreAfter a peaceful pro-Trump prayer rally this weekend, protesters — some identified as Proud Boys— burned Black Lives Matter signs taken from four historic churches in the nation’s capital, including the oldest African American church.
Read MoreThis weekend, thousands of Trump supporters gathered in Washington D.C. for the Jericho March, part of a campaign to expose voter fraud and ensure a second Trump term. The event included several conservative Christian speakers and ended in protests throughout the city.
Read MoreIn remote Nigeria, a pastor and his wife are working against the traditional practice of “money marriage,” in which girls as young as 7 are married to old men and denied a basic education.
Read MoreChristians mourn the death of Dallas Cowboys coach Markus Paul, who was part of five Super Bowl championships.
Read MoreThe coronavirus pandemic has hit churches and prisons exceptionally hard. Still, the program - founded by a former convict after she became a Christian - has found ways to carry on. Past recipients like Kevin Almestica say the Angel Tree program helped him maintain an emotional bond with his mom while she was in prison, and that’s why he volunteers today.
Read More
