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SAN ANTONIO, Texas (BP) -- With Skype, Facebook, Zoom, websites and QR codes, Sammy Tippit reaches several million people worldwide each month to advance the Gospel.

Nationalistic tendencies contributed to a noticeable increase in government restriction on religious freedom in 2016, according to a Pew Research Center report released on June 21.

(RNS) — A couple of decades ago, when young adults began showing their dissatisfaction with organized religion by voting with their feet, it was fashionable for pundits to say this was happening because those religions weren’t conservative or demanding enough.

But now the “strict churches” theory is crumbling because some strict denominations are themselves charting losses, or at least slower growth.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Egypt's first World Cup in 28 years has captivated the soccer-crazy nation, with intense focus on the squad and the broader game.

Yet it wasn't an entirely unifying experience. For the country's Christians, about 10 percent of the population, the composition of the team and the way the squad was perceived highlighted what they believe is a problem with the sport in Egypt.

SOUTHBURY, Conn. (BP) -- Hundreds of Southern Baptists from 13 states are helping Connecticut residents after tornadoes destroyed 300 homes there in May, disaster relief (DR) leader Tim Buehner told Baptist Press.

WASHINGTON (USA Today) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a major blow to a California law requiring anti-abortion pregnancy centers to inform women about publicly funded abortion and contraception services.

WASHINGTON (RNS) — A multiracial, intergenerational crowd of social justice activists, union workers and people of faith gathered on the National Mall over the weekend to get marching orders for their next steps in a new Poor People’s Campaign.

DALLAS (BP) -- Engaging the topic of unity within the Southern Baptist Convention, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Jason Allen moderated a panel discussion during the fourth annual For the Church Regional Conference June 12.

A court in the southern city of Karshi, Uzbekistan, has punished four members of a Baptist congregation for meeting for worship without state permission. 

During his trial, the judge admonished: "Do your prayers at home. It is against the law of our state to meet for worship without state registration."

DALLAS (BP) -- Personal belongings are confiscated, and a participant is stripped of his or her individuality. They become a number. Government workers with stern faces instruct them to face forward. No talking.

During this refugee camp simulation, participants are to grab three items from buckets. They haven't been told why. No one tells them where they're going.