New federal survey data shows a notable decline in the percentage of younger American teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, prompting researchers and commentators to debate what may be driving the change. An analysis of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that the shift was especially pronounced among ninth-grade girls.
Nearly 80,000 people gathered with Pastor Philip Anthony Mitchell and 2819 Church at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday for a large-scale evening of prayer and worship. Ed Newton, senior pastor of Community Bible Church in San Antonio, attended the event, known as “ACCESS — That Powerful Hour of Prayer.” Free tickets for the gathering were claimed within eight hours.
A South Carolina judge is preparing to dismiss lawsuits filed by the United Methodist Church’s South Carolina Conference against nearly 70 congregations seeking to leave the denomination while retaining their properties. The conference said Tuesday that Circuit Court Judge Brian M. Gibbons had informed the parties that he intends to dismiss the cases.
A Christian pastor who has spent years building relationships with Muslims and a historian who has studied Islamic history and doctrine debated whether Islam’s theological and political teachings allow the religion to coexist with Western society. Roberts said he once feared things like Sharia, or Islamic law, but realized the U.S. Constitution wouldn’t allow it.
A Christian teacher with 28 years of experience has filed a discrimination claim against a school in northeast England after being dismissed following a pro-life response to a student’s question about abortion. Anita Meston, 63, is suing Biddick Academy, a state-funded secondary school in Washington, Sunderland, according to ADF International, which is supporting her case.
A Christian pastor is facing a criminal charge after refusing to leave a sidewalk outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington while protesting China’s treatment of religious minorities. The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, leader of the Christian Defense Coalition, said in a Sept. 28 Facebook post that he was “arrested by the United States Secret Service for peacefully praying on a public sidewalk in front of the Chinese Embassy.”
Christian leaders are divided over plans to livestream the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting. Hasan, who served as an Army psychiatrist, represented himself during his 2013 military trial, acknowledged carrying out the attack and was sentenced to death.
A Maryland appeals court has rejected a challenge brought by 37 churches against the United Methodist Church’s Baltimore-Washington Conference over property and financial requirements connected to leaving the denomination. A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Maryland unanimously ruled in 'The Methodist Church of Cape St. Claire et al. v. The Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc., et al.'
U.S. Protestant pastors are delivering somewhat longer sermons than they did several years ago, while most churchgoers remain generally satisfied with the amount of time their pastors spend preaching, according to Lifeway Research. Four in five pastors, or 80%, said their typical sermon lasts less than 40 minutes. About half, or 52%, said they usually preach for under 30 minutes, while 28% reported messages lasting between 30 and 40 minutes.
Christian artists gathered at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for the 57th annual GMA Dove Awards, held under the theme “Together For One,” drawn from Colossians 3:14. The event brought together artists from worship, gospel, contemporary Christian, country and other genres, celebrating both their musical achievements and the Christian faith at the heart of the ceremony.
Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who spent nearly nine months imprisoned in China before being released to the United States in July, is set to receive a human rights award marking one year since his arrest. Jin said he intends to use the recognition to keep drawing attention to eight leaders of Beijing Zion Church who remain in detention.
Multisite churches are expanding rapidly across the United States, attracting nearly one in 10 Protestant churchgoers, but their growth is increasingly outpacing the development of qualified leaders, according to a new national study. The report identified more than 1,800 multisite churches operating over 6,000 campuses nationwide, highlighting the growing influence of congregations that maintain multiple worship locations under a unified organizational structure.
New York Times bestselling author and BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey has drawn mixed reactions from Christians after questioning whether believers should embrace Halloween festivities and consume horror-themed entertainment. During the Oct. 19 episode of her “Relatable” podcast, Stuckey addressed the different ways Christians approach Halloween, acknowledging that the subject involves personal convictions and differing interpretations of Christian freedom.
A federal appeals court has handed a legal victory to churches, synagogues and other religious organizations challenging the Trump administration’s decision to permit immigration enforcement operations at places of worship. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed a lower court’s decision rejecting the religious groups’ request for a preliminary injunction.
Soaring food costs are jeopardizing the health and futures of millions of children worldwide, with families in vulnerable communities increasingly unable to afford nutritious meals, according to a new report from the Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. The report found that approximately 35.5 million children experienced acute malnutrition worldwide in 2025, including nearly 10 million who suffered from severe acute malnutrition.
ChatGPT receives approximately 70 million religion-related requests every week, with questions about Islam accounting for the largest share, followed by Christianity, according to a recent analysis released by OpenAI, the developer of the artificial intelligence chatbot.