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Resigned president is suing Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for defamation

Religion / Religious News /

FORT WORTH, Texas — The former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth is suing the theological institute he used to lead over allegations of defamation following his resignation, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court.

Adam Greenway, the president of the seminary from 2019 to 2022, alleges in the lawsuit ...Read more

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Muslim civil rights group demands apology after being forced to pray, break fast outside City Hall in San Bruno, California

Religion / Religious News /

The nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization is demanding action and an apology from the city of San Bruno, California, after Muslim constituents were not allowed to break fast or pray inside San Bruno City Hall while attending a City Council meeting.

The San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued...Read more

JOHN WALKER/The Fresno Bee/TNS

Christian group is 'luring' students with free pizza at lunch, some California parents say

Religion / Religious News /

FRESNO, Calif. — Some Clovis parents say a Christian group is trying to indoctrinate their children during lunchtime, lured to pray and talk about Jesus Christ by being offered free pizza.

Three parents with children attending Reyburn Intermediate and Clovis East High schools said their children were offered free pizza to go to the lecture ...Read more

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Survivors can testify in Baltimore Archdiocese bankruptcy case, judge rules

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — Survivors of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore will be able to testify about their torment during two hearings in April and May, a judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner granted a request by the committee representing survivors in the bankruptcy case to allow victims to speak for two hours ...Read more

Algerina Perna/The Baltimore Sun/TNS

Baltimore Archbishop Lori commits 'to hear directly from the survivors' in court

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — If survivors of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Baltimore have the opportunity to testify at two hearings in bankruptcy court about their torment, Archbishop William Lori will be there to listen.

Lori, leader of America’s oldest archdiocese, “will personally attend on both occasions to hear directly from the ...Read more

Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun/Algerina Perna

Catholic abuse survivors: Baltimore archbishop to listen in court if victims testify

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — Survivors of sexual abuse committed by clergy in the Archdiocese of Baltimore may have an opportunity to describe their suffering in bankruptcy court, and say they struck an agreement with the church to have Archbishop William Lori there to hear them.

The committee assigned to represent all survivors of clergy abuse in the diocese...Read more

Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Israel's religious right has a clear plan for Gaza: 'We are occupying, deporting and settling'

Religion / Religious News /

YITZHAR, West Bank — Carrying planks of plywood, a group of Israeli settlers pushed past soldiers guarding the barrier surrounding the Gaza Strip and quickly got to work. Within minutes, the young men had erected two small buildings — outposts, they said, of a future Jewish settlement in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

Their movement had...Read more

Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Sex abuse victims seek to testify in Baltimore Catholic archdiocese bankruptcy case

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — The committee representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s bankruptcy case is seeking to give victims an opportunity to tell their stories in court.

In a legal brief filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Baltimore, attorneys for the group of survivors representing all of the diocese’s ...Read more

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Ministry leader in Texas used Bible to normalize sexual abuse of blind student, lawsuit says

Religion / Religious News /

A ministry group leader is accused of using religion to groom and normalize the sexual abuse of a blind college student, a Texas lawsuit says.

Daniel Savala has a history of sexual abuse accusations dating back to the 1990s and has registered as a sex offender since 2013, according to the lawsuit filed this week.

Savala is currently in a ...Read more

Kansas considers requiring church leaders to report suspected child abuse in most cases

Religion / Religious News /

When Joe Cheray wanted to escape the horrific abuse she suffered at the hands of a relative, she said she turned to church leaders for help. And then nothing happened.

Cheray’s abuser was heavily involved in and a large financial contributor to a church located in northeast Kansas. But behind closed doors, Cheray said he was her worst ...Read more

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Ukraine's top diplomat pushes back at Pope's peace talks remark

Religion / Religious News /

Ukrainian top diplomat pushed back on Pope Francis’ call for his country to show “the courage of the white flag” and enter negotiations with Russia, a remark that fueled outrage among Ukrainians and condemnation from some foreign allies.

“Our flag is a yellow and blue one,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Sunday on X, formerly ...Read more

Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/TNS

A difficult choice for Baltimore: Which Catholic churches will close?

Religion / Religious News /

BALTIMORE — A clap of thunder sounded across Baltimore on a rainy Saturday morning in 2020. The lockdown associated with the early days of the COVID pandemic was in place and the city seemed eerily quiet until the fire sirens began to wail.

During that early spring squall, a bolt of lightning struck an East Baltimore church. Soon the steeple ...Read more

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Fed up with Florida legislators, faith leaders create Black history program for churches

Religion / Religious News /

MIAMI — At New Generation Missionary Baptist Church in Opa-locka, a new class has gained popularity with younger congregants — and it’s not your typical Bible study or Sunday school.

Since last year, the church has been teaching classes about African American history using a program created by leaders from Faith in Florida, a coalition of...Read more

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Commentary: Alabama, religious freedom and frozen embryos

Religion / Religious News /

The Alabama Constitution provides that "no religion shall be established by law" and that "the civil rights, privileges, and capacities of any citizen shall not be in any manner affected by his religious principles." Those prohibitions were forcefully reinforced in a 1998 Religious Freedom Amendment. Like similar provisions of the First ...Read more

Natrice Miller/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Religious rights bill advances through Georgia Senate

Religion / Religious News /

ATLANTA — A bill that would expand religious rights passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday over objections that it could lead to discrimination against gay people.

The Senate voted along party lines, 33-19, to approve the religious rights legislation, which would limit the government’s ability to enforce laws that conflict with religious ...Read more

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Seattle is the least-religious large metro area in the U.S.

Religion / Religious News /

Americans have grown less religious over the past couple of decades, and attendance at religious services is down across the country. Of course, some parts of the country are a lot less religious than others. New survey data shows Seattle is one of those places.

A clear majority of adults in the Seattle area — around 64% — never attend ...Read more

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Notre Dame's tiny namesake shows plight of religious colleges

Religion / Religious News /

Times are hard on the campus of Notre Dame.

Not the famous University of Notre Dame, home to Fighting Irish football and more than 13,000 students — little Notre Dame College, a less prestigious Roman Catholic school in the Midwest.

Over the past decade, the 102-year-old private college with about 1,400 students, located in South Euclid, ...Read more

Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS

Catholic group asks Maryland attorney general to end investigation of Catholic Church abuse

Religion / Religious News /

A Catholic advocacy group called on Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to halt investigations into child sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, in a letter Tuesday.

Bill Donahue, president of the national Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, wrote that it was “exasperating” that ...Read more

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NC pastor says rape suspects aren't guilty if victims wore shorts, prompting outrage

Religion / Religious News /

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Anger welled in Charlotte mom Crystal Nichole as she watched a North Carolina pastor’s sermon.

He would find a rape suspect not guilty if the victim wore shorts or a short dress, the Rev. Bobby Leonard of Bible Baptist Tabernacle in Monroe said in the sermon.

“If you dress like that and you get raped and I’m on the ...Read more

NATRICE MILLER/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS

Religious rights bill clears Georgia Senate committee

Religion / Religious News /

Georgia senators revived a bill to increase legal protections for religion, a long-sought Republican goal that is opposed by gay rights advocates who say it could lead to discrimination.

The proposal passed the Senate Judiciary on a partisan vote Thursday, with six Republicans in favor and three Democrats against. Senate Bill 180 could receive...Read more