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A strong majority of U.S. adults believe religion is losing its influence in public life, a new Pew Research Center survey found. Overall, 80 percent of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking, “a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been,” according to the poll report. Nearly half (49 percent) say the decline of religious influence in public life is a “bad thing.” Eight percent say religious influence is “growing and this is good.” Only 6 percent say religious influence is “growing and this is bad,” and 13 percent say religious influence is “shrinking and this...

I am writing as a Christian pastor — a Baptist, no less — serving churches for the past 52 years. Of course, I favor Christianity. And in my ministry, I invite persons to consider faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it may seem surprising that I am a leader of an effort in Kansas City during this election year to resist White Christian nationalism. White Christian nationalism does not invite people into faith, but rather seeks to dominate, control and coerce not only individuals, but society.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral says it was duped into hosting a “sacrilegious” funeral for a transgender activist on Thursday, which left church brass outraged after she was eulogized as “St. Cecilia, mother of all whores.” More than 1,000 mourners, many of whom were transgender or clad in flashy outfits, packed into the iconic cathedral to celebrate the life of Cecilia Gentili — a high-profile activist who advocated for the trans community, sex workers and HIV/AIDS patients, the New York Times reported. Many of the attendees donned miniskirts and fishnet stockings while others wore halter tops and high-heel shoes during a sometimes...

We've discussed the frustrating, borderline heretical, and highly politicized pontificate of Pope Francis at length here at Twitchy. So when we saw these comments, we were both shocked and not shocked at all: NEW - Pope: Marxists and Christians have a "common mission." pic.twitter.com/Tr0NVbzX0t — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 13, 2024 Oh really? Well, the Catholic News Agency elborates: Pope Francis this week called for cooperation between Christians and Marxists as a way to achieve greater “dialogue” and help in the search for the “common good.” “I thank you for your commitment to dialogue,” the pope said in a private meeting...

As the Episcopal Church consecrated Gene Robinson the 9th bishop of New Hampshire in November 2003, he wore the customary vestments. He was also wearing a bullet-proof vest. What made the occasion controversial, indeed historic, was the Church's acceptance of Gene Robinson as the first openly-gay bishop in all of Christendom. Robinson is quick to point out that there have always been gay bishops in the Episcopal Church. "There have been a lot of us, let's just be clear," he said. "I'm just the first openly-gay one." Almost certainly the first Episcopal Bishop with purple nail polish. This was, of...

In an interview with Mexican television N+, Pope Francis revealed that he will not be buried inside the Vatican, but that he asked to be buried in the royal church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is located near Rome’s main railway station Termini. In this church is the Byzantine icon of the Virgin Salus Populi Romani, “for the salvation of the Roman people”, in front of which the Pope kneels and prays when he returns from every trip.

An online Christian preacher has been ordered by a Washington County judge in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to stay silent on social media for five years after he expressed his moral and religious concerns in posts about a church that endorses same-sex marriage and a public drag queen performance in front of children. A team of attorneys with The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties organization, has stepped in to help Rich Penkoski. They're asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to overturn the five-year restraining order against him, denouncing it as excessive and a clear violation of the pastor's First Amendment rights to...

JERUSALEM — The Greek Orthodox Church on Wednesday accused Israeli police of infringing on the freedom of worshippers with “heavy-handed” restrictions on how many pilgrims can attend the “Holy Fire” ceremony amid soaring tensions. Israeli police said the limits are needed for safety during Saturday’s celebration at the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the 12th-century holy site where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, buried and resurrected. Saturday’s “Holy Fire” celebration comes during an unusual spate of violence in the Old City, touched off by an Israeli police raid on Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site, the compound that’s...

The Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday ousted its second-largest congregation — Saddleback Church, the renowned California megachurch founded by pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren — for having a woman pastor.

Cardinal George Pell had told friends of his desire to spend his final years in Australia, but in the end, he would spend some of his last days furiously working on a fierce criticism of the Vatican.Only after his death have his recent critical writings of the church and its leader been revealed, including claims he anonymously published scathing pieces under a pseudonym."The most recent articles that have come out that have been critical, quite critical of the Francis papacy," Elise Anne Allen, from the Catholic news site the Crux, told the ABC."One thing Pope Francis appreciated about him at...

Vatican journalists are reporting Australia’s most senior Catholic, Cardinal George Pell, has died following complications from hip replacement surgery. The Herald Sun has sought confirmation from a number of Cardinal Pell’s representatives. He was 81. Since being acquitted of child sexual abuse offences by the High Court in 2020 Pell had spent time between Rome and Sydney. Despite having convictions on five child sexual abuse charges over the abuse of two choir boys quashed by the High Court, the Cardinal was being sued by the father of one of the boys. The boy died of a heroin overdose in 2014...

American Catholic priests are becoming more conservative, even as their flocks are becoming more liberal. U.S. Catholic bishops elected conservative leaders last month, continuing to resist a push from Pope Francis to put social issues such as climate change and poverty on par with the bishops’ declared priority of opposing abortion. The U.S. hierarchy’s orientation reflects the wider trend of an American clergy with values at odds with those of an increasingly liberal laity and a pope who has encouraged the questioning of once-taboo subjects and leniency on some teachings of sexual morality. A spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he is seeking to ban all religions with ties to Russia under a new law. He claims the move is needed to “guarantee spiritual independence to Ukraine.” The measure will target millions of Ukrainians who identify as Russian Orthodox. During his nightly address on Thursday, Zelensky announced he was introducing legislation that would eliminate religious organizations affiliated with Russia from operating in Ukraine. He said this will make “it impossible for religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation to operate in Ukraine.” The Ukrainian leader said it was necessary to purge...

Billy Graham, the influential evangelist who died on Wednesday at the age of 99, used his charisma to spread the word of Christianity to millions worldwide. It also earned him friends among the world’s rich and powerful — even among royalty. Graham, the son of a North Carolina farmer, began his worldwide mission in London in the 1950s, and it was here that he met with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The pair developed an unlikely friendship, visiting one another multiple times over the following decades; on Easter Sunday 1995, Graham gave the sermon in the royal family’s private chapel,...

An Orthodox Jewish university has suspended all student club activities following the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of a temporary order sparing the institution from having to approve the establishment of an on-campus LGBT organization while its case is adjudicated. Yeshiva University told students in an email Friday that it would "hold off on all undergraduate club activities while it immediately takes steps to follow the roadmap provided by the U.S. Supreme Court to protect YU's religious freedom." A spokesperson for Yeshiva University told The Christian Post in a Monday statement that the institution filed briefs on Friday, as instructed by...

Here is just one excerpt of many that tells you everything ....."The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), in partnership with the Washington Interfaith Staff Community (WISC), held a Prayer Service for members of Congress, their staffs, and all who work at and protect the U.S. Capitol building. The Prayer Service was organized to bear witness to the trauma and destruction caused by the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and, through compassionate interfaith sharing and mutual support, to bring comfort and hope to all who work at the Capitol complex."

French bishops conclude synod by sending petition to Rome calling for female deacons, married priestsThe whole synodal exercise in France rested on the shoulders of a national team surrounding Bishop Alexandre Joly and locally appointed regulators of discussion groups; and the 150,000 or so Catholics who voiced their opinions. ANALYSISFrance (LifeSiteNews) — The French bishops’ conference has decided to send a national synthesis of synodal consultations that were held throughout the country since October to Rome without modifying some of its most revolutionary aspects. Pleas for the recognition of women’s work within the church, including by the ordination of a...

New report finds Shroud of Turin dates back to the era of the earthly ministry of Jesus, contradicting 1988 evidence dating cloth as being centuries newer. New scientific procedures says fabric in the shroud is about 2,000 years old. The study also analyzed traces of pollen on the shroud. “The pollen samples gathered are from plants that are native to not just the Middle East, but specifically the area around Judea, Palestine, and Syria within that time period,” said Brian Hyland, curator at Museum of the Bible. “There’s also pollen from the area around Constantinople. There’s a lot of pollen...

‘One of the most recent cultural challenges to the Sixth Commandment and to the reality and integrity of the human person is the transgender ideology,’ Fr. Terrance Chartier said. BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (LifeSiteNews) – A Franciscan priest said that transgender ideology is an affront to at least four Commandments. “One of the most recent cultural challenges to the Sixth Commandment and to the reality and integrity of the human person is the transgender ideology,” Fr. Terrance Chartier of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate said during his homily on May 30 at the friary in Bloomington. Lying to someone and telling...

Last year, the United Methodist Church accepted Isaac Simmons, who regularly preaches dressed as a drag queen under the name Ms. Penny Cost, as a candidate for ordination. Since that time, Simmons, who serves as an associate pastor at Hope United Methodist Church in Bloomington, Illinois, has challenged basic theological concepts, projecting a worldview where divinity rests not in God but in queerness. In a church preparing to split over LGBTQ issues, the drag queen pastor, who embraces queer theology while barely attempting to plaster on the basic tenets of Christian theology, has become a lightning rod. Conservatives argue that...