I’m Still Saying Her Name
Today I remember my friend Cynthia Wesley and the three other girls who died during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing 57 years ago. Read full piece
Pro-Trump Evangelical Punches Protester & Runs Away
On Thursday, pro-Trump writer and talk radio host Eric Metaxas was among the roughly 1,500 attendees at Trump’s Republican National Convention speech on the White House lawn. Then he punched a protester. Read full piece
Why Cops Attack Racial Justice Protesters
I took part in a racial justice protest in New York City. It was lively and joyous and passionate — until police ran up from behind, cornered a group of us and detained us, assaulting people in the process.
Houses of Worship Attacked with Deadly Frequency in 2019
The slaughter at a Protestant church in Burkina Faso earlier this month gained brief reports by international news outlets, then quickly faded from the spotlight — not surprising in a year where attacks on places of worship occurred with relentless frequency.
The F.B.I.’s New Approach to Combating Domestic Terrorism: Straight Talk
FBI agents are speaking fmore frankly at churches and other religious spaces about politically motivated violence.
Religious Freedom Summit Opens with Stories of Religious Violence and Resilience
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A rabbi, Muslim man and Christian spoke at the opening of the State Department's second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom on Tuesday (July 16). They shared first-person stories of violence against houses of worship — and resilience of survivors.
Nigeria Violence Draws Joint Religious Liberty Cry
ABUJA, Nigeria (BP) -- Escalating violence that has killed thousands of Christians in Central Nigeria must be addressed by the international Christian community and a Nigerian government that has harassed victims, a global religious liberty coalition noted after its 2019 consultation in Abuja
Sowing Division, Islamists Target Christians in Burkina Faso
(RNS) — A rash of attacks on churches in Burkina Faso is exposing the growing challenge of containing Islamist violence across Africa’s Sahel region.
Accused Synagogue Shooter Spouted Both Racist Conspiracy and Grace Doctrine
Revelations that the accused gunman in a deadly synagogue shooting in California was a church-going Presbyterian prompted response from a small denomination that is part of the “young, restless and reformed” family tree.
Ancient Hatreds, Modern Methods: How Social Media and Political Division Feed Attacks on Sacred Spaces
Inspired by the devastating impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and enabled by the largely unchecked freedoms of social media, individual extremists have launched a steady series of assaults on religious institutions around the world, the latest at a California synagogue.