Nation

The U.S. is divided along racial lines regarding the removal of monuments and statues linked to slavery, according to a report from YouGov/The Economist published July 6. Racial differences also emerged in response to the Confederate flag.

A statement opposing the federal government’s plan to execute four inmates was issued July 7. Signed by over 1,000 faith leaders from multiple traditions, it asks the Trump administration to halt the four federal executions scheduled for July and August.

Leaders of 12 Christian organizations on Friday (July 10) urged the Trump administration to rescind a policy requiring international students to leave the U.S. or transfer if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall, saying it “falls short of American ideals.”

The Supreme Court is siding with two Catholic schools in a ruling that underscores that certain employees of religious schools, hospitals and social service centers can’t sue for employment discrimination. The high court's ruling on Wednesday was 7-2.

The paths of two New York City churches diverged this week — one reopened and one stayed closed. But they have shared a tragic fate, together losing at least 134 members of their mostly Hispanic congregations to the coronavirus.

As cases of coronavirus spiked upward in much of the country in June, churches and Christian camps found themselves with outbreaks in their communities. Although many congregations resumed in-person worship in May or June after a couple months of virtual alternatives, some are returning to an online format amid the latest coronavirus surge.

As Californians once again reckon with their statues of Junipero Serra, the 18th-century Franciscan priest who founded what would become 21 missions along the California coast, Native people and Indigenous scholars say it’s time for their voices to be heard and their existence to be recognized.

The next state flag of Mississippi will not include the Confederate battle emblem. But the suggestion that the new flag say “In God We Trust” worries some advocates and watchdog groups who see the phrase often invoked by conservative activists and lawmakers aligned with Christian nationalism. 

A U.S. Supreme Court decision that says states can’t cut religious schools out of programs that send public money to private education could breathe new life into efforts to force Maine and Vermont to help fund religious educations.

Charles L. Burton Jr. doesn’t want to be alone when he dies. He filed suit last year after the state of Alabama denied a Muslim inmate from having an imam serve as a spiritual adviser at his execution, citing state policy that only allowed Christian clergy to serve as chaplains in the death chamber.