Theodore McCarrick — once one of the Catholic Church's most influential figures in the United States who was later defrocked following a Vatican investigation that found he had abused both adults and minors — has died at age 94. McCarrick, who served as the archbishop of Washington from 2000 to 2006, remains one of the highest-ranking U.S. prelates accused in a sexual abuse scandal.
Read MoreAs executive orders from President Trump, budget slashing by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency and cuts enacted by Cabinet secretaries or the Office of Personnel Management reduce the federal workforce, area Christians and congregations feel the impact.
Read MoreAs more religious scholars and practitioners engage with AI-powered tools, the conversation will likely continue — blending the old with the new in a way that mirrors the very essence of religious progress. Whether as a study aid, a scholarly resource or a spiritual guide, creations like JainGPT represents both the promise and the challenge of faith in the digital age.
Read MoreRome has been all gussied up for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year. An extra 10 million pilgrims are forecast, adding to last year's record of 22 million. More than $8 billion has been spent to refurbish the city’s historic sites with their ancient ruins, spectacular churches and Renaissance fountains. Nothing of the like has taken place in Israel as it also awaits pilgrims.
Read MoreIn many countries around the world, a fifth or more of adults have left the religious group in which they were raised. Christianity and Buddhism have experienced large losses from this “religious switching,” while rising numbers of adults have opted to have no affiliation, according to Pew Research Center surveys of nearly 80,000 people across 36 countries.
Read MoreAmerican men have outpaced women in church attendance, reversing a longstanding trend of more women in the pews that narrowed in 2016, Barna said in its 2025 State of the Church release, created in partnership with Gloo. Women had outpaced men in attendance since 2000, then at 47 percent to 38 percent, before men began outpacing women in 2022.
Read MoreFor centuries, churches have used different methods to calculate the date of Easter. Rarely do they coincide. The search for a common date has also been one of the main issues of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, whose 1,700th anniversary is being celebrated this year. As a result, this could be a year that marks a turning point in the relationship between Eastern and Western churches.
Read MoreThey lined up on March 2, ready to enter the baptistry at First Southern Baptist Church. College athletes, all of them. Emerging from the water symbolized a new start for them. The pastor’s name is Doyle Pryor. Imagine what a guy named Doyle Pryor would look, sound and be like. Odds are you imagine a preacher with a big personality and even bigger desire to do whatever it takes to reach others for Christ.
Read MoreMana Nutrition, a ministry supported by Churches of Christ and used in global relief efforts, is among a host of nonprofits worldwide that receive grants from USAID and had their contracts terminated through DOGE spending cuts. For Mana, contracts were later restored, but disruptions were felt.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Freedom of religion means that religious beliefs, or irreligious ones, can be criticized, even mocked, as happens frequently in Sweden to, for example, Christian sentiments. In an open society, people of different faiths — Christians, Muslims, Jews, agnostics and secular humanists — must be able to live side by side in freedom and security. But they may be critically scrutinized, even ridiculed.
Read MorePresident Donald Trump is calling for federal prosecutors to push for the death penalty in capital cases involving undocumented people. The move was one of dozens of executive orders the president signed on day one of his second term. The order encourages the Justice Department to pursue the death penalty and prioritizes two sets of cases: Those involving the murder of a law enforcement officer and those for crimes for which the death penalty is an option and the defendant is undocumented.
Read MoreThe church’s initiatives involve venturing into coffee farming to transform unused land into productive agricultural spaces, mass registration of untitled church land, issuing spiritual warnings and pursuing legal action against land grabbers. The plan will safeguard property and contribute to economic growth — ensuring that church land remains a valuable resource for future generations.
Read MoreThe partisan divide between how Americans view family and the importance of marriage is growing — although most agree that economic challenges continue to be a major concern, a new survey reveals. The annual American Family Survey found that 71% of respondents identified the economy as one of the most important issues affecting families today.
Read MoreTen Catholic priests and a seminarian were murdered during the six-year term of former Mexican President López Obrador that ended Sept. 30, the Catholic Multimedia Center said in its 2024 annual report.
Read MoreMinnesota Christian parents are challenging a state law that blocks certain Christian colleges from a program that allows colleges to enroll high schoolers in tuition-free college credit courses.
Read MoreDuring another divisive political season, preachers across the nation are expressing messages that put “politics in perspective.” While many permit or even encourage participation in the political process, they advise church members to measure their political beliefs against the Gospel.
Read MoreLocal residents and the Catholic order have engaged in a years-long court battle after the church tried to evict them from their ancestral land on the outskirts of the capital Harare. The more than 1,000 families, however, were relieved when a court agreed to halt, for now, a move by the Jesuits to evict them from their land that the church wants to turn into an urban residential area.
Read More(EXPLAINER) Riots have erupted across the United Kingdom over the past week as far-right groups launched attacks against hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques. A heavy security presence on Wednesday and a series of arrests across Britain has prevented a repeat of widespread rioting involving racist attacks targeting Muslims and other migrants that started late last month.
Read MoreA specified Protestant version of the Ten Commandments must be displayed in all public schools in Louisiana by January 2025, the mandate of a bill Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law on June 19.
Read MoreAccording to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, conditions for Christians and Christian ministries in India have worsened over the last several years. It recommends the United States designate India as a “country of particular concern” because of its “systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.”
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