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.
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.
Two Republican senators have introduced legislation aimed at protecting students preparing for religious vocations from losing federal financial aid because their chosen careers may lead to lower earnings. Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the Religious Education Fairness Act last week to amend federal higher education law and protect certain theology and religious studies programs from becoming ineligible for Title IV aid based on graduate earnings.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says the 2022 Dobbs ruling that ended the federal constitutional right to abortion was a case that demanded judicial courage, while predicting that the court is unlikely to overturn its 2015 same-sex marriage decision. Alito made the remarks in an interview with CBS News’ Jan Crawford ahead of the release of his book, *So Ordered: An Originalist’s View of the Constitution*, reflecting on major cases from his two decades on the high court.
Religious freedom advocates told a gathering in Texas that armed conflict and state surveillance are undermining the methods Christians have used to defend persecuted believers. They said a divided global church is poorly placed to respond.
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.
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.”
Vice President JD Vance criticized Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton at a campaign rally in Olathe, Kansas, accusing his church of financially supporting a Pride event associated with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.Vance urged voters to back Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who is seeking reelection against Hamilton, pastor of Resurrection, a multi-campus United Methodist congregation in Leawood.
President Donald Trump has nominated Cissie Graham Lynch to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, a State Department position focused on promoting religious liberty abroad. The White House announced that the nomination of Jane Lynch, better known as Cissie Graham Lynch, had been sent to the Senate for consideration.
The Presbyterian Church in America has voted to leave the National Association of Evangelicals due to the ...
The head of LifeWay Christian Resources is urging pastors to adopt the Billy Graham Rule to ensure that they do not fall into moral failure.
A Washington state school district has reached a settlement with a Christian organization that provides off-campus Bible instruction to public school students, agreeing to apologize, revise its policies and pay $275,000 in legal fees following a dispute over religious discrimination. Under the agreement with LifeWise Academy, Everett Public Schools also committed to providing religious liberty training for its school board members and modifying policies governing religious activities.
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.