# religious freedom (news sources) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover religious freedom. Page: Feed: --- ## [10 Ways To Recognize Consumerism In Your Church](https://religionunplugged.com/news/10-ways-to-recognize-consumerism-in-your-church) _2026-08-22 · Chuck Lawless · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) I’ve recently been with believers from another part of the world, and I was again reminded that our brothers and sisters around the world often pay a heavier price than we pay to follow Christ. I don’t want to overstate the case here, but much of North American Christianity seems to be what I call “Convenience Store Christianity.” ## [Why Didn’t You Cover XYZ?](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/why-didnt-you-cover-xyz-journalism-christianity-today/) _2026-08-21 · Bonnie Kristian · Christianity Today_ Why didn’t you cover XYZ? This is a common question for journalists, including at CT. A buzzy news story goes around, perhaps with some connection to Christianity, and our readers wonder—fairly!—why we don’t have the story when other outlets do. In my experience, readers often guess that such a coverage gap is a deliberate, maybe Read more... The post Why Didn’t You Cover XYZ? appeared first on… ## [A Community Mourns Nolan Wells and Declares ‘God Always Reveals the Truth’](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/nolan-wells-mississippi-jamal-bryant-ame-declares-god-always-reveals-the-truth/) _2026-08-21 · Haleluya Hadero · Christianity Today_ Crowds walked through metal detectors and into the navy pews of Greater St. John African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church on Wednesday evening to celebrate what would have been Nolan Wells’s 19th birthday in a service that included worship, prayer, and calls for truth about how the Black teen died. The event drew local residents, Wells’s Read more... The post A Community Mourns Nolan Wells and… ## [️ ‘American Martyr’: Slain Priest’s Canonization Cause Hits The Big Screen](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/21/blessed-stanley-francis-rother-martyr-documentary) _2026-08-21 · Bobby Ross Jr. · Religion Unplugged_ “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” — a new feature-length documentary narrated by actor Martin Sheen — premieres in theaters Aug. 25 and 26 in English and Aug. 27 in Spanish. An Oklahoma farm boy who grew up to become a priest, Rother spent 13 years as a missionary to Guatemala. He died in 1981 at age 46 when three masked assassins entered his rectory during that Central American nation’s… ## [Justin Giboney: ‘Our Allegiance to Jesus Is Bigger Than This’](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/justin-giboney-our-allegiance-to-jesus-is-bigger-than-this-video/) _2026-08-21 · Bonnie Kristian · Christianity Today_ From our member-exclusive livestream on August 6, hosted by CT deputy editor Bonnie Kristian and featuring Justin Giboney. They discuss Justin’s recent article, “Working Out the Grand Experiment,” and explore how the American church can move beyond culture-war gridlock to model genuine unity across political and cultural differences as America marks its 250th anniversary. The post Justin Giboney:… ## [Recovering Catechesis for the Next Generation](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/recovering-catechesis-for-the-next-generation/) _2026-08-21 · tberglund@christianitytoday.com · Christianity Today_ This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Charlotte and Andrew Ollerton, God’s Story, Our Story: A Family Journey Through the Bible (The Good Book Company, 2026) God’s Story, Our Story is a fun and energetic journey through the Bible, designed for parents and children to enjoy together. Starting in Genesis and ending in Read more... The post Recovering Catechesis for the… ## [A Christian Is Suing His Employer over Fossil Fuels in His 401(k). Does He Have a Case?](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/christian-fossil-fuel-401k-lawsuit-thermo-fisher/) _2026-08-21 · jpanyard@christianitytoday.com · Christianity Today_ Andrew Hartley bikes to work, eats a plant-based diet, and involves himself in multiple organizations that help him do what he thinks the Bible tells him to do: care for the Earth. His employer, Hartley argues in a new lawsuit filed last week, does not share his mission. Now he is suing the company in Read more... The post A Christian Is Suing His Employer over Fossil Fuels in His 401(k). Does He… ## [Crossroads Podcast: Why Are There So Few Nuns These Days?](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/21/crossroads-podcast-the-mystery-of-the-missing-nuns) _2026-08-21 · Terry Mattingly · Religion Unplugged_ About 25 years ago, I wrote two columns examining the Church of Rome’s priest shortage — through the eyes of faithful mothers, with the help of a priest who had led a seminary. The headline: “Fathers, mothers & Catholic sons.” I was reminded of themes from those columns during this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. ## [Orthodox Jews Are Scootering To Synagogue: Will Shabbat Ever Be The Same?](https://religionunplugged.com/news/link-relcanonical-hrefhttps/orthodox-jews-are-scootering-to-synagogue-will-shabbat-ever-be-the-same” /> ”) _2026-08-21 · Louis Keene · Religion Unplugged_ For thousands of years, the Jews have walked. Dispatched by God to the promised land of Canaan, Abraham walked. When the Israelites became a nation in the desert, they camped, kvetched, warred, and worshiped, but mostly walked. And on Shabbat, when the Torah forbids riding horses, carriages, trains or cars, observant Jews have walked — but not anymore. ## [Iran Closes Down A Protestant Church. It’s Not The First Time.](https://religionunplugged.com/news/iran-confiscation-of-historic-church-triple-violence-against-religious-minorities) _2026-08-21 · Fred Petrossian · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) The Iranian government recently seized control of an historic church in Tehran, despite repeated warnings from U.N. human rights experts and international Christian organizations, revealing a broader pattern of violence against religious minorities in Iran. Despite recent U.S. airstrikes, this violence isn’t new and dates back to 1979, the start of the Iranian Revolution. ## [ThreatCrush on GitHub (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/wABbjlilctxG) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ View the ThreatCrush listing on the GitHub Marketplace. ## [Federal Appeals Court Upholds Ban on ICE Arrests at Some Houses of Worship](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/federal-court-ruling-immigration-enforcement-churches/) _2026-08-20 · Harvest Prude · Christianity Today_ A day after President Donald Trump took office, the Department of Homeland Security released a memo reversing a policy that had discouraged immigration officials from making arrests “in or near so-called ‘sensitive’ areas”—places that include churches, schools, and hospitals. Concerned about their immigrant members and the threat posed to religious liberty, some religious groups quickly Read… ## [A Bishop’s Open Letter To Pope Leo XIV Asks A Hard Question](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/20/bishop-open-letter-to-pope-leo-xiv-asks-a-hard-question) _2026-08-20 · Terry Mattingly · Religion Unplugged_ In the digital age, one blunt way to reach Pope Leo XIV is to write a candid letter and post it online. That's what Bishop Robert Mutsaerts, an auxiliary bishop in the Netherlands, did recently. “Holy Father,” he began, with “reverence for the office entrusted to you as successor of Saint Peter, and in communion with the Church which Christ built upon the apostles, I address you with this open… ## [The Biggest Group Getting Baptized in the SBC? Older Adults.](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/southern-baptist-convention-baptisms-adult-increase-research/) _2026-08-20 · Emily Belz · Christianity Today_ As baptisms in Southern Baptist congregations increase, a growing percentage of those entering the baptismal pools are adults. In the 2025 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Church Profile (ACP), baptisms grew for the fifth straight year to reach 263,075, the highest total since 2016. This was the first time in 75 years that the SBC saw five consecutive Read more... The post The Biggest Group… ## [Kenyan Christians Debate US-Sponsored Ebola Facility](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/kenyan-christians-debate-us-sponsored-ebola-facility/) _2026-08-20 · Julie Smyth · Christianity Today_ On June 9, 45-year-old Emanuel Kemboi, a long-distance truck driver in Nairobi, Kenya, woke up to see social media exploding about protests in in Nanyuki town. Local media outlets had reported that Kenya and the United States had partnered in building a 50-bed quarantine facility for Ebola patients in Laikipia County—about 185 miles north of Read more... The post Kenyan Christians Debate… ## [Why Nepal’s Political Mood Has Become Religiously Charged](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/20/nepal-political-mood-becoming-religiously-charged) _2026-08-20 · Bal Krishna Sah · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) Nepal underwent major political upheaval just a year ago, toppling the government in a fashion few could have imagined. An even more dramatic development followed. Voters handed a near-supermajority to the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which was founded only four years earlier. Its senior leader, Balendra Shah, became the youngest prime minister in Nepal’s history. ## [As Religious-Based Violence Rises, What Needs To Be Done To Stop It?](https://religionunplugged.com/news/religious-based-violence-rises-what-needs-to-be-done-to-stop-it) _2026-08-20 · Ewelina U. Ochab · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) News from around the world gives little hope for the prospects of addressing violence based on religion or belief — nations need to act now in accordance with UN policies to ensure everyone has freedom of religion. ## [Birmingham Bombing Wasn’t Isolated: Black Churches Were Attacked Across The South](https://religionunplugged.com/news/birmingham-church-bombing-wasnt-isolated-dozens-of-black-churches-were-attacked-during-the-civil-rights-movement) _2026-08-19 · Jason Wollschleger · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) This Sept. 15 marks the anniversary of an infamous terror attack: The 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. On that Sunday morning, members of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group, planted dynamite on the east side of the brown brick building. The bomb went off in the midst of Sunday school, at 10:22 a.m., murdering four girls. ## [How to Forgive Someone Who Isn’t Sorry](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/how-to-forgive-grace-justice-joseph/) _2026-08-19 · Elise Brandon · Christianity Today_ This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here. Someone once came up to me, almost shaking in fear over one of Jesus’ Beatitudes. The one that troubled her was “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7, ESV throughout). Her problem was that she had once experienced what she considered betrayal from Read more... The post How to Forgive Someone Who… ## [Water Filters And The Gospel: Inside The Mission Trip That Sparked A Global Ministry](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/19/from-clean-water-to-living-water-inside-the-mission-trip-that-sparked-a-global-ministry) _2026-08-19 · Kim Roberts · Religion Unplugged_ A 2012 mission trip to the Amazon inspired Christopher Beth to found The Bucket Ministry, providing water filters worldwide while sharing the Gospel. The ministry has since expanded globally, completing major projects like Kibera, Kenya, and combining clean-water access with evangelism, discipleship, transparency, and measurable impact. ## [‘A Sacred Land’: India’s Religious Pluralism Has Deep Historical Roots](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/19/india-hindus-muslims-religious-pluralism-has-deep-historical-roots) _2026-08-19 · Aishwarya Lakshmi · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) India’s religious diversity has deep historical roots, reflected in the experiences of Hindu soldier Sitaram Pande and Muslim poet Mirza Ghalib. Their writings portray sacred landscapes shaped by multiple traditions while revealing identities that crossed religious boundaries, challenging contemporary claims that religious purity justifies anti-minority rhetoric or violence. ## [Privacy-first AI-native browser (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/J813YJBtX85A) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ No telemetry or ads — built on Ungoogled Chromium with a built-in AI sidebar and CLI. ## [Newly Found Augustine Sermons Explore Saul’s Necromancy](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/newly-found-augustine-sermons-king-saul-necromancy-witch-endor/) _2026-08-19 · Cody Benjamin · Christianity Today_ King Saul famously courts a medium in 1 Samuel 28, summoning the ghostly figure of the departed Samuel in a moment of distress and disconnection with God. This summer, German researchers summoned new insight on this mysterious passage after uncovering medieval sermon notes from Augustine of Hippo, one of the defining voices of the early Read more... The post Newly Found Augustine Sermons Explore… ## [Homelessness Is More Than ‘Mascots’](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/homelessness-is-more-than-mascots-addiction-responsibility/) _2026-08-19 · Bonnie Kristian · Christianity Today_ “We need a witness for a hearing. Can you get us a homeless family: mother, father—father out of work in the past four months from an industrial plant?” That’s the question many politicians and journalists addressed to “homeless advocates” in the 1990s, as described by economist Thomas Sowell in his powerful book The Vision of the Anointed. I Read more... The post Homelessness Is More Than… ## [Texas Should Not Define Religion Down](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/texas-should-not-define-religion-down-freedom-worship-dallas-islam/) _2026-08-19 · Bonnie Kristian · Christianity Today_ Religious liberty is for everyone. It is for Christians and Muslims, Jews and Mormons, Wiccans and neopagans and observers of whatever other strange rites people are inventing these days. It is for false religion as well as true, so long as its practitioners do not harm their neighbors. This is a fundamental principle of American society and governance: Read more... The post Texas Should Not… ## [How Catholic Universities Are Confronting Declining Birth Rates](https://religionunplugged.com/news/how-these-catholic-universities-in-latin-america-confront-declining-birth-rates) _2026-08-19 · Graciela Ibáñez · Religion Unplugged_ The falling birth rate across many parts of the world has become an issue that is leading educational institutions around the world to analyze its impact on enrollment. In the United States, some schools have closed their doors because they don’t have enough students. In Latin America, the “demographic cliff” is becoming just as severe. ## [US Missionary Freed After 9 Months Captivity in Niger](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/missionary-kevin-rideout-released-niger-kidnapping/) _2026-08-18 · Angela Fulton · Christianity Today_ Kidnappers released Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot held hostage for nine months in Niger, last Friday, according to his missions agency, Serving in Missions (SIM). Throughout Rideout’s captivity, one missionary familiar with ministry in Niger (we’re leaving out his name to protect his work and will call him M) gathered on Zoom every Wednesday Read more... The post US Missionary Freed… ## [Pastors And Churchgoers Say Their Congregation Is Multigenerational](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/18/pastors-and-churchgoers-say-their-congregation-is-multigenerational) _2026-08-18 · Aaron Earls · Religion Unplugged_ Almost 4 in 5 pastors (78%) and 9 in 10 churchgoers (91%) believe their church is multigenerational, with a good number of active members from all generations, according to Lifeway Research. ## [How Evangelical Apocalypticism Hurts The Planet](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/13/how-evangelical-apocalypticism-hurts-the-planet) _2026-08-18 · Matthew Peterson · Religion Unplugged_ On this week's podcast, anthropologist Susannah Crockford explains why she believes part of the root of climate change may be buried deep inside of evangelical Christianity. ## [Should My Attachment Style Affect My Relationship with God?](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/does-attachment-style-affect-relationship-with-god-faith/) _2026-08-18 · tberglund@christianitytoday.com · Christianity Today_ All of us are experiencing our lives through what we already know. That may seem like a simple statement, but once you start thinking about the complexity of your mind, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by it. If you have raised children or been in a close relationship with a child from a Read more... The post Should My Attachment Style Affect My Relationship with God? appeared first on… ## [Jesus Doesn’t Govern with a Lightning Bolt](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/08/jesus-doesnt-govern-lightning-bolt-ryan-lokkesmoe-accidental-pagans-excerpt/) _2026-08-18 · Bonnie Kristian · Christianity Today_ What is God like? Is he a harmless grandfatherly figure, comfortably reclining on a cloud? A bohemian shouting about love (or wrath) through a megaphone on a street corner? An enigmatic entity who wound up the universe like a clock and now watches, disengaged, from afar? A scowling judge with a gavel? A thunderous tyrant Read more... The post Jesus Doesn’t Govern with a Lightning Bolt appeared… ## [From any door to your door (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/dxmWMMsSChaH) _2026-08-18 · **Sponsored**_ Book rides, errands, deliveries, groceries and home help in one app ## [Belief And Belonging: Which US Racial Group Is The Most Religious?](https://religionunplugged.com/news/2026/8/18/which-racial-group-is-the-most-religious) _2026-08-18 · Ryan Burge · Religion Unplugged_ (ANALYSIS) Religion in the United States “works” differently for Asian Americans compared to African Americans. The average white American doesn’t think about religion the same way, or practice their faith in the same patterns, as Hispanic Americans. Race is a central component of how religion operates in the American context.