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Bob Smietana

Bob Smietana is a Religion News Service national reporter.

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An ‘empathy gap’ divides US ahead of midterms, says PRRI report

A new survey from Washington, DC-based Public Religion Research Institute has found a new dividing line among US adults ahead of the 2026 midterm elections: empathy....
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Vanderbilt Divinity School is under receivership. No one seems to know why

One of the nation’s most prestigious divinity schools has been placed in receivership, leading to speculation that the school might close or change drastically....
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DOJ asks appeals court to allow churches to endorse political candidates

Department of Justice lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to overturn a lower court decision that kept an IRS ban on nonprofits endorsing candidates in place—the latest development in a deca...
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US mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce

In late 2009, Daisy Khan and her then-husband hoped to build a place of healing for a city still grieving over the hateful acts of the 9/11 terrorists....
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Samaritan's Purse turns down $300M from State Department for humanitarian relief

Just three weeks ago, the US State Department announced it had a ...
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After cuts, Trump administration gives $2B to Christian groups for global aid

The Trump administration ...
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Survivors demand apology after SBC leaders call abuse crisis a hoax

A group of abuse survivors, advocates, and pastors have called on a pair of Southern Baptist leaders to apologize for calling the denomination’s abuse crisis a hoax....
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Faith-based AI company Gloo faces moment of truth after $48m in losses

Scott Beck has long hoped the faith-based tech company he founded in 2013 would help churches and other Christian groups harness technology to spread God’s word and help save the world....
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Eli Lilly sues church leaders for alleged $200 million 'sham' drug program

A group of leaders in the Church of God in Christ have been accused in a lawsuit of defrauding a major pharmaceutical company out of more than $200 million in rebates for diabetes drugs....
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Church attendance up for the first time in decades, according to new report

The past 25 years have been rough for churches and other houses of worship in the US....

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For 2026 Super Bowl, 'He Gets Us' ad goes more personal, less political

Back in 2021, a group of evangelical families, including the founders of Hobby Lobby, began funding ...
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Evangelicals divided over what faith demands as immigration tensions deepen

For years, leaders of the Evangelical Immigration Table have summed up the Bible’s view of immigration in three words: Welcome the stranger....
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Bible sales keep growing, even as many in the US lose their religion

Many people in the US may have lost faith in organized religion, but according to recent data, they still love the Good Book....
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Churches can endorse politicians, IRS says in court filing

For years, conservative legal groups have argued that an IRS rule barring churches from endorsing candidates was unconstitutional. Now the IRS agrees....
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California congregations vow to help neighbors even as their buildings are lost to fires

Like many of their neighbors, leaders of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center watched in horror this week as wildfires destroyed homes, businesses and entire neighborhoods in Southern California...
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Richard Hays, influential scholar who changed his mind on same-sex marriage, dies at 76

Richard Hays, a renowned New Testament scholar and former dean of Duke Divinity School known for his influential books on Christian ethics and his change of mind about same-sex marriage, died Janua...

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