Brownback Opens Religious Freedom Summit with Plea to Fight Persecution
WASHINGTON (RNS) — U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback opened a summit at the State Department this week by urging leaders from a
A Campaign to Blitz the Country with ‘In God We Trust’ Laws Takes Root
Laws passed in six states during 2017 and 2018, mostly sponsored by legislative prayer caucuses in about 30 states, were inspired by the foundation’s 2017 manual known as Project Blitz, a 116-page guide for state legislators listing 20 model bills that sponsors claim will protect religious
Nationalism Cited for Uptick in Religious Freedom Restrictions
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.
Baptists Fined, Jailed for Unapproved Worship in Uzbekistan
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
Global Religious Freedom Commission Cites 28 Key Nations for ‘Ongoing Downward Trend’
(RNS) — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom cited more than two dozen countries as main contributors to an “ongoing downward trend” in religious liberty worldwide and
North Korea Is Worst Place for Christian Persecution, Group Says
(RNS) For the 16th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of 50 countries ranked for the worst persecution of Christians in the
Christian Bakers? Atheist Bakers? Cake Meets Faith at the Supreme Court
WASHINGTON (RNS) — At the Supreme Court Tuesday (Dec. 5), the justices lobbed hypothetical after hypothetical at the lawyers representing each side of
Opponents in LGBT Case Agree: It’s Not About Wedding Cake
(AP) — In a legal case with profound implications for LGBT rights and religion's place in public life, the opposing sides agree on this: It's not
5 Faith Facts About Sam Brownback: International Religious Freedom Ambassador Nominee
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, President Trump’s nominee for international religious freedom ambassador, describes religious freedom as “the
The Finger of Suspicion
The only religious reference in the original U.S. Constitution appears in Article VI: “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” Unfortunately, a couple of U.S. Senators recently forgot that civic principle.Brian KaylorDuring