Window light shines on the empty pews of a church in Kansas City, Mo. Photo by Sally Morrow
Need to know: Friday, March 22, 2019
‘Nones’ now as big as evangelicals, Catholics in the US
"Nones have been on the march for a long time now," Ryan Burge said.
Christian financial planner praised by Robert Jeffress facing Ponzi scheme charges
Neil 'Doc' Gallagher, a Christian radio house and financial planner, claimed he cared for his clients' spiritual well-being and their finances. But federal officials say Gallagher, who was arrested in March, ran a Ponzi scheme.
Unification Church succession case threatens protections for minority religions
If an obscure D.C. court decision about the movement known as 'the Moonies' goes unchallenged, it could weaken religious freedom protections for all Americans, writes Peter Petkoff.
Making ourselves a ‘pontifex’ in the mode of Pope Francis
After meeting with the pope, an evangelical pastor dedicated to multifaith understanding reflected on their shared lessons about peacemaking, writes Bob Roberts.
#MAGA Church: The doomsday prophet who says the Bible predicted Trump
A charismatic pastor in New Jersey (who also calls himself a rabbi) leads a church fixated on end times. Before the apocalypse, however, he’s fitting in a trip to Mar-a-Lago.
Rejecting asylum claim, U.K. quotes Bible to say Christianity is not ‘peaceful’
Britain’s immigration department has been condemned for citing violent Bible passages as the basis to reject an asylum claim by an Iranian national who said he had converted to Christianity because it was a “peaceful” religion.
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LifeWay Christian Resources to close all stores in 2019
LifeWay Christian Resources announced Wednesday (March 20) it will close all of its brick-and-mortar stores this year.
Evangelicals and Muslims see similarities in faiths and favor closer ties, survey says
As a growing movement of evangelical Christian leaders is working to improve Christian-Muslim relations, a new study finds that more than 3 in 4 U.S. evangelicals say they never or infrequently interact with Muslims.
Most US Christians find Trump signing Bibles inappropriate: poll
A Morning Consult poll shows 65 percent of Christians in the U.S. found the president signing Bibles to be inappropriate.
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Taking stock of the clergy sexual abuse crisis: Protecting children
(RNS) — Reading the constant barrage of news stories about abuse in the Catholic Church makes one wonder if any of the reforms is doing any good.
Does Twitter need to become a public utility?
If Twitter really wants to be a neutral space for debate, it can't choose between Silicon Valley's progressive ideology and the religious commitments of Pope Francis, writes Charles C. Camosy.
More than half of U.S. Mormons approve of Trump—but not among women
It's not surprising that more than half of U.S. Mormons approve of Trump, but the age and gender divides within the faith are sharper than expected, writes Jana Riess.
