National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School may continue pursuing plans to become the nation’s first religious charter school while its legal challenge to an Oklahoma law moves forward, a federal judge ruled. According to Baptist Press, the National Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School Foundation is challenging provisions of the Oklahoma Charter Schools Act that bar religious organizations from operating publicly funded charter schools because of their religious character.
Former President Joe Biden received an award from Planned Parenthood of Delaware on Thursday and used his remarks to defend his abortion-rights record while encouraging supporters to continue their efforts. Biden spoke at Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s 22nd Annual Chocolate & Champagne Gala in Claymont, where former first lady Jill Biden presented him with the Sonia Schorr Sloan Service Award.
A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators called on President Donald Trump to raise China’s persecution of Christian pastors and other religious minorities during his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington this week. Led by Sens. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., the lawmakers thanked Trump for diplomatic pressure they said helped secure the July 3 release of Beijing Zion Church founder Ezra Jin after 266 days in detention.
Asbury Theological Seminary plans to leave the federal student loan program and stop processing Title IV loans beginning in May 2027. Title IV governs federal student aid under the Higher Education Act. The Kentucky seminary said the move reflects a desire to reduce student debt and concerns that a future administration hostile to its beliefs could use federal funding as leverage against the school.
Algerian special forces raided a Christian worship gathering at a humanitarian shelter on Sept. 4, detaining all 12 people present on suspicion of holding an unauthorized non-Muslim religious service. Police entered the site and transferred the 12 detained Christians to the Bethioua police station.
Nearly 100 students have been baptized during five periodic worship gatherings held at a Christian high school in Colorado after athletic competitions. Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch launched the 5th Quarter gatherings in fall 2024 and holds the student-focused worship and testimony events twice each academic year.
Two United Nations experts have called on Iran to explain the confiscation of St. Peter’s Evangelical Church in Tehran and the eviction of Christian families from the property. Reports emerged in July that Iranian authorities had seized the church, described as the country’s oldest Protestant congregation, and removed Christian residents living on the site.
President Donald Trump used his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to draw attention to the persecution of Christians worldwide, criticizing the U.N. Human Rights Council for giving the issue little attention while condemning some of the world’s most repressive governments. “Christians are being persecuted all over the world; it's not even believable. I never thought I'd say it, but it's been happening for a long time.”
Fulani militia attacks in one county in Plateau state, Nigeria over the weekend killed at least eight Christians, including a Baptist pastor and a church employee on their way to church services on Sunday (Sept. 20), sources said.
Excavations beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem have revealed an ancient garden and burial landscape that archaeologists say is consistent with the description of Jesus’ burial site in the Gospel of John.
The Church of England has withdrawn an interfaith award from a Pakistani Muslim cleric after past comments praising Osama bin Laden resurfaced. Lambeth Palace announced Thursday that it had rescinded the Hubert Walter Award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation presented to Maulana Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sept. 11.
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.
