News
ELCA pastor deported to Colombia
Betty Rendón, who is also a doctoral student at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, was arrested when ICE raided her home.
New Haven mosque struggles to resume Ramadan rituals after arson attack
Diyanet Mosque was set ablaze in broad daylight, destroying much of the ground floor. Attendance has been low at its iftar meals.
Arson in Boston area, Chicago threatens Jewish communities
One location, the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Arlington, Massachusetts—also home to the rabbi’s family—was set on fire twice.
Cairo university renews its claim as arbiter in Islam
The 1,044-year-old Al-Azhar University seeks to reach Muslims globally through its website and social media, combating extremist ideology.
Tangle of church and state splits Ukrainian Orthodox
Across Ukraine congregations are debating whether to join the recently created, independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine—or remain affiliated with the Moscow patriarch.
Ancient neighborhoods in Hindu pilgrimage city flattened by renovations
Varanasi has been defined by its maze of narrow alleyways, palaces, homes, and centuries-old temples.
Burkina Faso churches attacked as violence spikes
Until the past two years, Burkina Faso had long been known for interreligious peaceful co-existence.
Billy Graham archives moving in June from Wheaton College to library in North Carolina
His son Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said moving the materials “is part of our continuing consolidation in Billy Graham’s hometown.”
In northeast Syria, a Christian community struggles to survive
Before the start of Syria’s crisis in 2011, Christians made up 10–12 percent of the country’s 18 million people.
American involvement in organized religion continues to wane
The data on the decline in church membership shares “almost exactly the same pattern of ups and downs” as engagement in secular civil society, said political scientist Robert Putnam.
Rachel Held Evans, Christian writer and speaker, dies at age 37
Evans’s books A Year of Biblical Womanhood, Searching for Sunday, and Inspired traced the evolution of her faith.
UMC court ruling upholds restrictions on LGBTQ clergy and couples
In a separate ruling, the Judicial Council upheld an exit plan that allows churches to leave the denomination with their property.
Sudanese Christians join popular protests, call for religious freedom
Members of Sudan’s Christian minority have taken a prominent role in the demonstrations that began in December.
Response to mass shooting at California synagogue emphasizes shared humanity
“We are all created equal,” said the pastor of the Presbyterian church where the 19-year-old shooter is a member.
Religious services canceled after Sri Lanka church bombings
“What was attacked was Sri Lanka’s strained but still living tradition of inter-religious and inter-ethnic cooperation and friendship,” wrote one NGO leader.
Yazidi boys who survived conscription by ISIS begin path to healing
In camps for displaced people in northern Iraq and a home for survivors in Syria, the staccato testimonies, glazed eyes, and malnourished bodies of boys who left Baghouz in recent weeks hint at the depth of their trauma.
Does Hindu cleric who prays before legislative bodies speak for Hinduism?
Rajan Zed goes by the title of president of the Universal Society of Hinduism. Some other Hindu leaders say they know little about him.
Debate on public prayer renewed after incident in Pennsylvania House
A controversial invocation took place just before the House’s first female Muslim representative was sworn in.
After the catastrophic fire at Notre Dame, what might rebuilding look like?
The 12th-century cathedral was already beginning to crumble.
Three black churches in Louisiana, civil rights center in Tennessee burned down
A 21-year-old white man faces hate crimes and arson charges for the church fires, and a white supremacist symbol was spray-painted at the Highlander Center.