(RNS) Grace Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul, Minn., took a stand on gay rights, lost most of its congregants and on June 1 may lose its church, too. By Lauren Markoe.

(RNS) The pulpits of the nation's black churches took measure Sunday of President Obama's decision to support gay marriage, and the result was conflicted. By Dennis Cauchon.

(RNS) President Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage opened a torrent of speculation on what his newly enunciated position will mean politically, but the latest polls indicate the public largely backs his views and that his stance won’t hurt him at the ballot box. By David Gibson. About 250. 

RALEIGH, N.C. (RNS) How should we, as people of faith, respond in light of a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage? Now that the people of North Carolina have voted against equality, what should we do? Simple. We vote again. By Hugh Hollowell.

(RNS) Opposition to gay marriage is significantly reduced this election season, compared to the previous two presidential campaigns, a Pew Research Center poll shows. By Adelle M. Banks.

WASHINGTON (RNS) As Pope Benedict XVI marks the seventh anniversary of his papacy with a crackdown on American nuns, many Catholics are wondering if the pontiff is finally becoming the papal enforcer that some feared – and others hoped – he was elected in 2005. By David Gibson.

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (RNS) If there is any Catholic bishop who probably didn't need a bigger platform it would have to be William E. Lori, the hierarchy's high-profile point man in the battle for religious freedom. But now that he's been tapped as the next archbishop of Baltimore, Lori will be closer to the action in a fight that is defining the hierarchy and Lori's career. By David Gibson.

(RNS) Does Rick Santorum's surge also mark the resurrection of the Religious Right? After Santorum's big primary wins in Alabama and Mississippi, the born-again bigwigs who endorsed him last year may be having the last laugh. By David Gibson.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday (March 9) denounced the "powerful political and cultural currents" that are working to "alter the legal definition of marriage" in the United States. By Alessandro Speciale.

(RNS) Rick Santorum's rise as a serious contender for the GOP presidential nomination is thrilling Christian home-schoolers -- a potent and organized political force, particularly in primaries. By Daniel Burke.

(RNS) When the pastor of Grace Community United Church of Christ in St. Paul, Minn., decided to support his denomination's embrace of gay marriage, he lost three-quarters of his church, and learned just how the price can be in supporting progressive causes. By Annalisa Musarra.

WASHINGTON (RNS) As Mitt Romney presses his White House bid, many Americans don't realize that his Mormon faith played an important role as foil in the early days of the GOP, and how its first candidates won by whipping up anti-Mormon sentiments. By Thomas Burr.

(RNS) The question now is whether these breakaway Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian groups signal a seismic shift in American Protestantism, or just a few fissures in the theological terrain. By Daniel Burke.

SPOKANE, Wash. (RNS) Gov. Christine Gregoire was scheduled Monday to sign legislation to make Washington the seventh state to allow same-sex marriage, although opponents promised a high-stakes fight at the ballot box. By Tracy Simmons.