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Defense Department slashes its religious designations list from more than 200 choices to 31

The Defense Department has announced a significant reduction in the number of religious affiliations it officially recognizes.

 

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Thousands flocked to the National Mall in Washington for an America-themed prayer rally

Thousands of people have streamed onto the National Mall in Washington for a daylong prayer rally. The event Sunday is billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation under God.”

 

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Takeaways from AP’s profile of a Christian IVF doctor

IVF presents challenges for some anti-abortion Christians who believe life begins at fertilization. Dr. John Gordon is a Christian IVF doctor.

 

A crisis of conscience spurred this Christian IVF doctor’s career pivot

A Tennessee doctor is practicing reproductive medicine aligned with his Christian faith. Dr. John Gordon’s Knoxville clinic limits how many embryos it creates and does not discard viable embryos, genetically test them or donate them to science.

 

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At Pentagon Christian service, Hegseth prays for violence ‘against those who deserve no mercy’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has hosted a monthly Christian prayer and worship service at the Pentagon, the first since the Iran war began.

 

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Pete Hegseth’s Christian rhetoric draws renewed scrutiny after the US goes to war with Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brings Christian language into the Pentagon as the U.S. and Israel wage war against Iran.

 

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Buddhist monks draw thousands to Lincoln Memorial on final day of their 15-week journey from Texas

A group of Buddhist monks has completed a 108-day Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington, bringing its message to the nation’s capital.

 

Buddhist monks’ 15-week walk for peace ends in Washington, DC

A group of Buddhist monks has finally reached Washington, D.C., after completing a 15-week trek from Texas that captivated the country.

 

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Protests inside churches are unusual despite long history of civil disobedience in the US

American religious history is rife with protest movements. Yet political protests inside a house of worship are unusual.

 

New DHS rule aims to shorten visa wait times abroad for religious workers serving US congregations

The Department of Homeland Security is making it easier for visa-holding religious workers to serve U.S. congregations with less disruption.

 

US faith leaders supporting targeted immigrants brace for a tough year ahead

Faith leaders across the United States face challenges as they support anxious immigrants. Haitians, Afghans, and Somali Americans fear policy changes under the Trump administration.

 

Trump’s comments about Fuentes and Carlson could prolong a Republican rift over antisemitism

President Donald Trump is facing criticism for not condemning antisemitism within the conservative movement.

 

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US bishops officially ban gender-affirming care at Catholic hospitals

U.S. Catholic bishops have voted to make official a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender patients at Catholic hospitals.

 

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US Catholic bishops select conservative culture warrior to lead them during Trump’s second term

U.S. Catholic bishops have elected Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley as their new president, choosing a conservative culture warrior to lead during President Donald Trump’s second term.

 

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Immigration crackdown stokes fear and solidarity at a Catholic church in DC

The Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a Catholic church a short drive from the White House, was intended to be a sanctuary for worshippers.

 

Fear and vigilance rise as attacks on houses of worship intensify worldwide

Statistically, attending a weekly worship service is a remarkably safe thing to do. Global annual attendance totals many billions; the number of people killed in attacks on individual houses of worship in any given year is generally less than a few hundred.

 

Largest US Lutheran denomination installs Yehiel Curry as its first Black presiding bishop

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America installed the Rev. Yehiel Curry as its first Black presiding bishop on Saturday, marking a historic moment for the predominantly white denomination.

 

It’s déjà vu for Muslim Americans as anti-Muslim playbook follows Zohran Mamdani’s success

Zohran Mamdani’s rise in New York City’s mayoral race has brought him national prominence and a surge of anti-Muslim vitriol, including from elected officials and prominent conservatives.

 

A once-fringe Christian leader gets a warm welcome in Trump’s Washington

Doug Wilson was once a fringe pastor in Idaho and is now a significant voice in the Christian right.

 

Inevitable ‘thoughts and prayers’ fight follows Minneapolis shooting

“Thoughts and prayers.” The phrase appears after every mass shooting. So does the backlash. It happened again after an assailant shot and killed two Catholic school students and wounded 18 other people Wednesday in Minneapolis.

 

Can empathy lead to sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can

Some voices on the Christian right are arguing the virtue of empathy has become a vice. Those Christians claim empathy can manipulate people into accepting what they see as sins, like abortion access and LGBTQ+ rights.

 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth belongs to an archconservative church network. Here’s what to know

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has expressed pride in being part of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a conservative Christian network.

 

With growing urgency, more US Jews urge Israel to ensure ample food deliveries to Gaza

A growing number of Jewish Americans are urging Israel to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza, though the ongoing war with Hamas remains a tension point.

 

Influential evangelical preacher John MacArthur dies at 86

The Rev. John MacArthur, an influential and exacting evangelical preacher, has died at the age of 86.

 

Falling birth rates? US adults are much more worried about childcare costs, AP-NORC survey finds

A new AP-NORC poll finds most Americans do not want the government to focus on increasing birth rates, despite efforts by the Trump administration to make this a priority.

 

Meet the men who just became Catholic priests in Virginia

The U.S. Catholic Church is grappling with a severe priest shortage. So it’s noteworthy that the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, recently ordained 12 new priests in a single, joyful Mass at its cathedral.

 

A US diocese defies trends and ordains its largest class of Catholic priests in decades

The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, recently ordained 12 new Catholic priests in a joyful Mass at its cathedral.

 

Takeaways from AP’s report on Afghan refugees in Virginia

Religious groups have long been at the heart of U.S. refugee resettlement work that is now in peril.

 

In Virginia, a military stronghold becomes a haven for Afghan refugees

The Trump administration’s suspension of the federal refugee program has upended the lives of many Afghans who worked with the United States during wartime.

 

From the left and right, US Catholics hope new pope fulfills their hopes

News that the global Catholic church would get its first-ever U.S.-born pope was welcomed by Catholics across the ideological spectrum in Pope Leo XIV’s homeland, raising the question of whether he might be able to ease some of the deep divisions within its ranks.

 

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