Nation

Prominent faith leaders are condemning the apprehension of an undocumented immigrant on church grounds by federal officials, arguing the action violates a government policy that discourages agents from raiding “sensitive locations” such as churches, hospitals, and schools.

Community and religious leaders in Springfield, Missouri, gathered downtown Saturday (Sept. 19) for a soil collection ceremony to honor three innocent Black men lynched there in 1906.

An Idaho church plans to reopen in person despite its pastor being hospitalized for COVID-19. Candlelight Christian Fellowship in Coeur d’Alene posted a notice on the church website with an update on the condition of its pastor and his wife. Both have been recovering from COVID-19.

The head of the Federal Election Commission chastised Catholic bishops during a pair of interviews this week, accusing church hierarchy of “hiding behind” their nonprofit status and declaring that this year’s U.S. election amounts to a “spiritual war” that threatens the country’s “Christian moral principles.” 

When the Chicago Marathon was canceled due to coronavirus, Sister Stephanie Baliga decided to put on her sneakers and run the standard 26.2 miles — in her convent’s basement. 

Leaders of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the pastor of an AME congregation in Wilmington, Delaware, are condemning a Trump-Pence campaign ad that uses footage of Joe Biden kneeling in the sanctuary of a Black church, describing it as racist and demanding an apology.

President Donald Trump’s campaign released a digital advertisement late Wednesday (Sept. 9) extending its argument that Americans “won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America” with images of angry or violent protest — and Biden peacefully meeting with people in a Black church.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction Thursday (Sept. 10) against Grace Community Church, prohibiting Pastor John MacArthur from holding indoor worship services. 

Soon after Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris as his running mate, some conservatives began trying to portray her as anti-Catholic — a line of attack that President Donald Trump’s campaign continues to amplify as Democrats court Roman Catholic voters.

A battle of wills between a California musician known for a series of open-air Christian worship concerts around the country and the city of Seattle, Washington, which denied him a park venue for a Labor Day concert, ended with a two-hour “worship protest” being held one block north of the park.