The Christian Century

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) At age 19, Mitt Romney was a typical college student, schmoozing about politics, pulling pranks and sneaking away to see his girlfriend. Then he went on a 30-month Mormon mission in France.

An appeal over Christmas sweets turned bitter in June when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the so-called “Christian candy cane” case. The case from Texas has become a rallying point for conservative Christians concerned about free religious expression in public schools and students’ ability to distribute religious literature.

c. 2012 Religion News Service NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Jerry DeWitt was just a face in the crowd of 325 or so atheists, agnostics, humanists and other nonbelievers gathered here at the recent convention of the American Humanist Association.

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) For the fifth year in a row, the Southern Baptist Convention has seen a drop in its total membership.

The denomination's membership in 2011 was 15,978,112, a drop of nearly 1 percent from the 2010 figure of 16.1 million, the denomination's LifeWay Christian Resources reported Tuesday (June 12).

c. 2012 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) Evangelical activists are pressing Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform plan -- a tricky election-year issue that conservatives' GOP allies have been reluctant to take up.

c. 2012 Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) A former staffer of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has filed suit against the watchdog agency, saying that it rescinded a job offer because she is Muslim and had worked for a Muslim advocacy group.

c. 2012 Religion News Service (RNS) Now that Mitt Romney has sewn up the Republican nomination, the GOP can move beyond a tumultuous primary season. But for some of Romney's fellow Mormons, there's still some anxiety in the air.