A Lifeway Research study, which analyzed church data from 34 Protestant denominations and groups, found that 4,500 churches closed in 2019, while about 3,000 new congregations were started.
Church Worldwide
At its Covenant Annual Connection on June 25 the Evangelical Covenant Church became the latest Protestant denomination in the United States to repudiate the doctrine that provided a theological justification for the “discovery” and domination by European Christians of lands already inhabited by Indigenous peoples.
Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court have unanimously sided with a Catholic foster care agency that says its religious views prevent it from working with same-sex couples.
Religious colleges and universities that offer programming within correctional facilities have found ways to stay connected despite pandemic restrictions.
A 1957 plaque honoring missionaries Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming who were killed while attempting to share their Christian faith with the Waorani people in Ecuador contains language now seen as offensive.
Refugee resettlement groups say they welcome the announcement of an increase to the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. The cap is now 62,500 for the remainder of the federal fiscal year.
The Religious Exemption Accountability Project filed a lawsuit March 29. It says the Dept. of Education is complicit in “abuses and unsafe conditions thousands of LGBTQ+ students endure at hundreds of taxpayer-funded, religious colleges and universities.”
An estimated 5,000 people demonstrated in support of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on Sunday, in rallies organized in 14 American cities by the Asian American Christian Collaborative.
A Collaborative that formed just about a year ago denouncing anti-Asian racism at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, has released its second statement. “We call Christians and church leaders to make a clear and urgent response condemning this heinous act of hate.”
Passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 25, the Equality Act aims to provide protection against discrimation for LGBTQ people, but many seek more clarity for protection of religious freedom within the anti-discrimination bill. The Equality Act is now before the Senate.
The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions. They cannot.
Luis Palau, a Christian evangelist known for his CityFest evangelistic festivals, died March 11. He was 86.
The board of Bethany Christian Services approved “a nationwide policy of inclusivity in order to serve all families across Bethany’s core service lines” Jan. 20. It announced the move to staff March 1.
The United Methodist Church, one of the largest denominations in the United States, has once again postponed its quadrennial meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying further a widely anticipated vote by delegates on a proposal to split the denomination.
Following the release of an independent investigation concluding sexual misconduct by international ministry founder Ravi Zacharias, the Christian and Missionary Alliance has revoked his ordination; Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Canada is disbanding.
After a Feb. 5 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court lifted a ban on indoor worship gatherings, some groups are resuming indoor, in-person worship and some continue other options in a state where COVID-19 continues to spread.
The board of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, an organization founded by the now deceased Christian apologist, is making a public apology after an investigation verified allegations of sexual misconduct.
Nearly half of white evangelicals in the U.S. (49%) said their faith grew stronger due to the coronavirus outbreak—more than any other group, according to a new Pew Research survey.
For many schools, including the United Methodist Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., the Master of Divinity degree could be moving online for good.
Open Doors keeps an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most persecution for their faith. North Korea tops the list for the 20th consecutive year.
African American leaders and seminary presidents said they had an ‘honest and open conversation’ during the virtual meeting last week.
‘In this time of uncertainty and fear, Christians around the globe turn to Scripture and turn to song for comfort,’ according to the website Hymnary.org.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder for many Christians that their worship is an in-person experience at its core.
In November, coinciding with the Christian social justice agency’s 50th anniversary, Sojourners named executive director Adam Taylor its new president, succeeding founder Jim Wallis.