Religion

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DREAMSTIME/TNS

Florida Muslim group expands mental health outreach to tackle stigma around suicide

Religion / Religious News /

MIAMI -- Mental health is not easy for anyone to discuss openly. But, in some religious communities, there is an added stigma that may hinder an open dialogue — and that’s particularly true in the Islamic faith.

The South Florida Muslim Federation (SoFlo Muslims), an umbrella organization representing over 40 mosques and Islamic ...Read more

Courtesy The Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church/TNS/TNS

Missouri church 'takes a stand' by taking over anti-racism billboard near Confederate flag

Religion / Religious News /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In 2021, Amanda Burrows had an answer to a giant Confederate flag that was erected along a popular route to the Lake of the Ozarks: a billboard with the anti-racist message, “EQUALITY BIGGER THAN HATE.”

She raised money through GoFundMe to lease the billboard so visitors would not leave with the impression that the area...Read more

Carl Juste/Miami Herald/TNS

This Miami church's new home is in a high-rise condo. You enter through the coffee shop

Religion / Religious News /

MIAMI -- Corner Coffee is not your typical coffee shop.

All the the usual suspects are offered: espresso, cold brews, pastries. But the distinct interior design offers some clues as to what is also on the menu: A ceiling mobile made of religious stained glass hangs over a seating area. A bronze sculpture of a life-size Homeless Jesus sleeping ...Read more

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Maryland Supreme Court to hear argument over Child Victims Act: 'This is what it means'

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — A priest lured 9-year-old David Schappelle into a private area of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Gaithersburg decades ago under the guise of teaching him about confession.

Father Wayland Brown proceeded to masturbate under his “ceremonial robe,” withdraw his hand when he was finished and tell the boy that “God will be ...Read more

Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Survivors call for expediency in sex abuse investigations of 2 Catholic dioceses

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — Survivors of child sexual abuse in Maryland on Wednesday demanded expediency from the state attorney general in its investigations of the Catholic dioceses of Washington and Wilmington, Delaware.

Members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, told reporters at a news conference that they hoped the Maryland ...Read more

Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Downtown LA church keeps the city's mayhem at bay -- one service at a time

Religion / Religious News /

LOS ANGELES — South Hope Street is quiet on a Sunday morning. Five blocks over in Skid Row, police are investigating a shooting, but in the Financial District, calm prevails.

Parking lots are nearly empty. Guests at the Sheraton are checking out early. The unhoused have mostly left their sidewalk beds, and Jeffrey Taylor and Deborah Johnson ...Read more

James Hartley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS

Woman sues Gateway Church, alleging she was sexually abused at 13 by youth group member

Religion / Religious News /

FORT WORTH, Texas — A woman and her parents are suing Gateway Church and a former youth group attendee, alleging she was sexually assaulted and groomed by a high school senior when she was 13 years old.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in a Tarrant County District Court. The plaintiffs are seeking more than $1 million in damages.

The ...Read more

James Hartley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS

Gateway Church cancels annual conference due to ousted pastor's sexual abuse of child

Religion / Religious News /

FORT WORTH, Texas — Gateway Church has canceled its annual conference in the aftermath of its founder and head pastor resigning after admitting he sexually abused a 12-year-old girl in the 1980s.

The church announced the cancellation of the conference on the event website.

“We’re continuing to pursue truth, and we’re filled with hope ...Read more

Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Would Tim Walz be the first Lutheran VP? It just depends on how you count it

Religion / Religious News /

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s vibe has been defined by the internet as “Midwestern dad,” but Minnesotans know their governor as something more specific: a “Minnesota Lutheran” dad.

If elected alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, who herself is Baptist, he could be the first — or second — Lutheran vice ...Read more

Michelle Baruchman/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Atlanta pastor leans on personal story to fight for LGBTQ equality, social justice

Religion / Religious News /

ATLANTA — As a teenager, the Rev. Andi Woodworth spoke out against the lack of racial diversity at a Christian youth camp.

Decades later Woodworth is still speaking on that and a broader range of issues including support of the LGBTQ community, reproductive rights and social justice.

She’s speaking out at a time when state lawmakers around...Read more

Tzogia Kappatou/Dreamstime/TNS

Editorial: Religious freedom under attack in Oklahoma schools

Religion / Religious News /

For people who supposedly revere the Founding Fathers, some Christian conservatives seem to have no problem ignoring one of their most abiding principles: the separation of church and state. Now the chief of schools in Oklahoma is demanding that all public schools teach the Bible from grades 5 through 12, saying it is necessary for an ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Commentary: Are women in the pulpit the reason mainline Christians are leaving the pews?

Religion / Religious News /

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the ordination of 11 women as priests in the Episcopal Church, and the milestone is being cited by some commentators as the beginning of the decline of the denomination.

As an Episcopal priest and a student of American religious history, I heartily disagree.

On July 29, 1974, amid threats of violence, ...Read more

Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/TNS

LA council members drop plan for $2 million in security grants for religious institutions

Religion / Religious News /

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles City Council members Katy Yaroslavsky and Bob Blumenfield withdrew their proposal to provide city funding for security at synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions on Wednesday, saying state funds are now available to cover such expenses.

Yaroslavsky and Blumenfield proposed the creation of a $2 million ...Read more

Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Judge sends Archdiocese of Baltimore bankruptcy to critical mediation phase

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — Mediation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case will “begin as soon as reasonably possible,” a judge has ruled, thrusting the proceeding into its most critical phase.

During the forthcoming negotiations, attorneys and mediators will work together to determine how much money the diocese and its insurers have to ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Bankruptcy judge considering deal on mediation in Archdiocese of Baltimore case

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — A judge is set to decide whether to approve an agreement for the terms of mediation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner is considering a proposed order for mediation crafted by attorneys for the Catholic church, a committee of sex abuse survivors and the archdiocese’s ...Read more

Elias Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News/TNS

Gateway Church introduces interim pastors, gives update on child sex abuse investigation

Religion / Religious News /

Two well-known evangelical leaders will serve as interim pastors of Gateway Church after its founder and senior pastor, Robert Morris, resigned following revelations of child sexual abuse.

Max Lucado, a charismatic evangelical author and San Antonio pastor, and Joakim Lundqvist, a leader of an megachurch in Sweden, will share the ...Read more

Judge rules in Colorado church's favor in fight with town over shelter for homeless families in parking lot

Religion / Religious News /

DENVER — Castle Rock’s attempts to stop a church from housing homeless families in vehicles in its parking lot is a violation of the church’s practice of religious freedom, a federal court has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico issued a preliminary injunction late last week that stops the Douglas County town from using its land ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Baltimore archdiocese bankruptcy nears critical mediation phase following last-minute deal with insurers

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case moved closer to the critical mediation phase Monday, as attorneys for the Catholic Church, its insurance carriers and a committee of sex abuse survivors reached a tentative agreement on the terms for upcoming negotiations.

The agreement is tentative because the lawyers still need ...Read more

Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

As critics decry religion in classrooms, some fear how far Florida will go

Religion / Religious News /

Oklahoma is mandating Bible lessons in public schools. Louisiana is requiring display of the 10 commandments in classrooms.

As the national debate churns over the role of religion in public schools, Florida, too, stands near the center of the storm.

Its law to permit chaplains in classrooms, which took effect July 1, has gained wide attention ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

New sex abuse allegations surface against ex-KCK priest who did prison time years ago

Religion / Religious News /

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — New substantiated sexual abuse allegations have surfaced against a former priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas who served prison time after being convicted in 2002 of indecent liberties with a child, church officials say.

“With deep sorrow for the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse, the Archdiocese...Read more