Nation

Already heavy-laden with the turmoil of a global COVID-19 pandemic, residents in several Southern states suffered the added burden of a string of tornadoes Easter Sunday that killed at least 27 people, destroyed hundreds of homes and left more than a million in the dark.

As state and local officials across the country ban churches — like other groups — from holding gatherings of more than 10 people, and church services already sparking numerous coronavirus hotspots across the country, some politicians in Kansas have invoked Easter in a partisan fight over gubernatorial power.

Throughout polling history, Democrats have been more likely than Republicans to hold a positive view of the U.N., but the approval gap between parties has narrowed significantly in recent years. Currently more than half of all U.S. adults poll feel the U.N. is doing a poor job.

Some Kentucky churches held Palm Sunday services in defiance of Gov. Andy Beshear’s warning against in-person worship.

GuideStone's legal team, led by Chief Legal Officer Harold R. Loftin, has created a Q&A document to provide general information on the March 27 stimulus package law and how it relates to churches and ministers.

All 2.9 million Kansas residents were under a stay-at-home order Monday imposed by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. It helped her case with the Republican-controlled Legislature that the exceptions for "essential" outside-the-home activities include religious worship and buying, selling, and manufacturing guns and ammunition.

The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader who worked closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and prayed at President Obama’s first inauguration, died on Friday (March 27).

The nation’s top doctor urged faith leaders to follow federal guidelines and partner with local health officials as they learn new ways to lead congregants coping with the coronavirus pandemic in a two-day summit releasing videos on topics ranging from advocacy for the vulnerable to crisis communications.

The White House held calls with religious leaders last week to encourage their support of its guidelines for addressing the coronavirus, gathering more than a thousand people on three phone calls. When Trump briefly took part in the Friday call, he addressed the pending election as well as the pandemic.

As in-person worship services are canceled or downsized amid the coronavirus outbreak, some churches across the U.S. are bracing for a painful drop in weekly contributions and possible cutbacks in programs and staff.