Tenn. Man Charged with 4 Church Arsons, Burglaries, Theft
NASHVILLE (BP) -- A Nashville man confessed to setting fires at four area churches, including two Southern Baptist congregations, authorities said Wednesday (June 26).
U.S. “Gag Rule” on Aid Linked to 40% Jump in Abortions in Parts of Africa
LONDON (Reuters) - A decades-old U.S. government policy reinstated by President Donald Trump in 2017 that restricts international aid to NGOs that support abortion is linked to a 40% rise in abortions in some parts of sub-Saharan African, a study showed on Thursday (June 27).
Will Young Evangelicals Come Back to Church?
The 18-to-29-year-olds missing from predominantly white evangelical churches span two generations. While some of these young people do eventually return, two-thirds of young adults go missing, some for more than a decade.
Slavery History Still Affects Blacks, Half of Practicing Christians Say in Survey
(RNS) — Fifty percent of practicing Christians say the history of American slavery continues to significantly affect the African-American community today, a Barna study shows.
Tony Perkins is the Wrong Pick to Lead Religious Freedom Efforts
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, was recently elected chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. "He has no place on a commission designed to protect religious freedom at home or abroad," says Rabbi Jack Moline, president of the Interfaith Alliance.
Internet Church Sues Tennessee Over Restrictions for Online Ordained
The Universal Life Church Monastery, an Internet church that ordains ministers online, is suing Tennessee over a new law that would bar ministers ordained electronically from performing weddings in the state.
Support Grows in U.S. for Religiously Based Service Refusals
A growing number of U.S. adults believe small-business owners should be able to refuse service based on their religious beliefs, according to a Public Religion Research Institute report published June 25.
Supreme Court Gets Its Logic Crossed
Last week, a majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court decided to flip to a calendar in their quest to discover truth. Well, they didn’t admit that, but that’s essentially what they did in the case of the 94-year-old cross in Bladensburg, Md.
Supreme Court Determines Cross on Maryland Highway Can Stay
WASHINGTON (RNS) — In a 7-2 decision, the high court determined June 20 that the World War I monument known as the Bladensburg Cross, erected by the American Legion in 1925, does not violate the Constitution’s establishment clause.
The Supreme Court Made the Bladensburg Cross a Special Case. Let’s Keep it That Way
(RNS) - For many court watchers, including BJC, it is difficult to reconcile the promise of religious liberty for all with the constitutionality of a massive Latin cross sponsored by the government. One takeaway from this case could be that an unconstitutional establishment can become