News
US Catholic bishops revise policies for abuse cases, but laity input not required
Victims’ advocates say stronger measures are needed.
Revival of religion in Cuba reaches public square
Religious diversity and participation have flourished in Cuba since the country loosened restrictions. Christians are aiding their neighbors—and testing possibilities for political dissent.
Congo churches continue work to stop Ebola despite attacks by militants
A Methodist church-based messaging platform has sent hundreds of texts to people’s phones about how to prevent Ebola transmission.
Faith-based activists win fight to clean up Los Angeles drilling site
The oil drilling facility is 130 feet from a church and 730 feet from an elementary school, reported a local coalition fighting for regulation of such sites.
Southern Baptist seminary nixes idea of reparations to black Baptist college
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has acknowledged that it benefited from the slave trade. A clergy group encouraged the school to give part of its endowment to a college started by people who had been enslaved.
Botswana overturns law criminalizing gay and lesbian sexual relationships
Botswana, like dozens of countries worldwide, inherited its law on gay sex from the British Empire. In recent years momentum has been building to repeal those laws.
30 years after Tiananmen Square, China still restricting freedoms
Yan Xiong, who was a student leader at the 1989 demonstrations, sees Chinese people increasingly becoming disillusioned. Authorities have arrested pastors and placed more than 1 million Uighur Muslims into internment camps.
Churches in Europe act to shield migrants from deportation
In several nations, congregations have opened their doors to asylum seekers as government leaders have hardened policies.
Louisiana antiabortion groups seek to ‘change heart and minds’ even amid wave of strict laws
Antiabortion activists have trained advocates to frame their cause as supporting women. And they’ve helped push state legislatures to pass hundreds of restrictive measures in hope of Roe’s repeal.
Study suggests more acceptance for nones in Canada than in the United States
The big difference, researchers concluded, is that the decline in religious affiliation started earlier in Canada.
ELCA pastor deported to Colombia
Betty Rendón, who is also a doctoral student at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, was arrested when ICE raided her home.
New Haven mosque struggles to resume Ramadan rituals after arson attack
Diyanet Mosque was set ablaze in broad daylight, destroying much of the ground floor. Attendance has been low at its iftar meals.
Arson in Boston area, Chicago threatens Jewish communities
One location, the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Arlington, Massachusetts—also home to the rabbi’s family—was set on fire twice.
Cairo university renews its claim as arbiter in Islam
The 1,044-year-old Al-Azhar University seeks to reach Muslims globally through its website and social media, combating extremist ideology.
Tangle of church and state splits Ukrainian Orthodox
Across Ukraine congregations are debating whether to join the recently created, independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine—or remain affiliated with the Moscow patriarch.
Ancient neighborhoods in Hindu pilgrimage city flattened by renovations
Varanasi has been defined by its maze of narrow alleyways, palaces, homes, and centuries-old temples.
Burkina Faso churches attacked as violence spikes
Until the past two years, Burkina Faso had long been known for interreligious peaceful co-existence.
Billy Graham archives moving in June from Wheaton College to library in North Carolina
His son Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said moving the materials “is part of our continuing consolidation in Billy Graham’s hometown.”
In northeast Syria, a Christian community struggles to survive
Before the start of Syria’s crisis in 2011, Christians made up 10–12 percent of the country’s 18 million people.
American involvement in organized religion continues to wane
The data on the decline in church membership shares “almost exactly the same pattern of ups and downs” as engagement in secular civil society, said political scientist Robert Putnam.