Mark Kellner

Catholic bishop leader hits Biden’s claim that pope OKs abortion funding

The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops fired back against President Biden’s claim that some bishops do not want to block taxpayer funding of abortion, while another bishop accused the president of being a “fake” Catholic. “The Catholic…

Religious freedom under threat; summit highlights actions by China, developments in Japan

Religious freedom is not only under growing threat around the globe from China and other totalitarian regimes, dignitaries warned at a summit this week in Washington, but it also faces challenges from leftists in stalwart democracies such as Japan to…

Taiwan legislative leader says island has religious freedom, which China lacks

A top Taiwanese legislator drew a sharp contrast Wednesday between religious freedom on the island democracy compared to the record of the Communist mainland its repression of Uyghur Muslims, Christians and other minority religions. You Si-kun,…

Outpouring of faith support for NFL player confirms usefulness of public prayer, survey reveals

Most Americans believe a public call to prayer is appropriate, particularly during a national tragedy, a poll revealed Tuesday. According to the online survey, conducted Jan. 19-26 for Colorado-based Summit Ministries, 67.3% of voters believe public…

Atheist leader supports protecting religious rights to safeguard nonbelievers

Nonbelievers advocate for religious freedom because the right to believe or not to believe must be protected from regimes that would persecute those who disagree with them, an atheist leader says. “So many of the people who are subjected to the sort…

Israel critic, Anglican priest Stephen Sizer benched for 12 years in antisemitism case

A British Anglican priest whose longtime opposition to Israel’s activities was found to have spilled over into antisemitism will not be allowed to perform clerical duties until 2030, a Church of England tribunal ruled Monday. The Rev. Stephen Sizer…

Christian wireless provider won’t change ways for ‘woke’ police chief, CEO says

Police, pizza, protests — a perfect combination for a woke tempest in a teapot, but Glenn Story, the CEO of the wireless provider in the eye of the storm, says he is undaunted. “We expect the attacks because we stand up for what we believe in,” said…

Religious freedom summit to spotlight global rights

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine threw a spotlight on religious liberty around the world, shifting the discussion from abstract arguments to the front lines of a war that has lasted 11 months with no end in sight, said a co-chairman of next week’s…

Fired gay guidance counselor challenges Catholic school’s religious exemption from employment law

School guidance counselor Shelly Fitzgerald isn’t giving up her court battle against a Roman Catholic high school in Indiana that fired her after learning she was in a same-sex marriage. Ms. Fitzgerald has appealed the dismissal of her lawsuit by a…

Holocaust survivor races time to share her story of surviving Nazi genocide

At age 89, Holocaust survivor Toby Levy knows her time is limited. That’s why she spent the better part of an hour this week explaining her story of surviving the Nazi occupation of Poland as a young Jewish girl for whom discovery would have meant…

Religious liberty attorney Michael Farris joins National Religious Broadcasters as general counsel

Religious liberty attorney Michael Farris has joined the National Religious Broadcasters as general counsel, the evangelical Christian trade group said Tuesday. Mr. Farris, who stepped down last year after five years as president and CEO of Alliance…

National Prayer Breakfast, once a hot-button gathering, to tone it down for 2023, organizer says

The head of a new organization sponsoring next week’s National Prayer Breakfast said the event is returning to its low-key, bipartisan roots. The annual gathering, which began in 1953 with President Eisenhower attending, was sponsored by the…

Hispanic Protestant churches growing in face of overall Christian declines, survey reports

The number of Hispanic Protestant churches in the United States is up sharply over the past 23 years thanks to both immigration and evangelization according to a survey released Tuesday. About 4 out of 5 pastors of these congregations (79%) identify…

Victim sues Denver Catholic archdiocese, claims church knew convicted priest was abuser

A Colorado man who said he was raped and sexually assaulted more than 100 times by a Roman Catholic priest in Colorado between 1998 and 2003 sued the priest, the Archdiocese of Denver and a local parish. Scott Verti, 38, says the church knew Timothy…

Museum exhibit asserts Bible, science not at odds

The Museum of the Bible has launched an exhibit showing how religion and science cooperate, hoping to debunk the “myth” that science and Scripture are at odds. “There’s no central conflict between faith and the study of nature,” said Anthony Schmidt,…

Texas police backpedal after gift certificate from ‘Christian Nationalist’ phone company criticized

A donation of pizzas to a Texas police department triggered an online backlash that caused the cops to “take a knee” instead, the firm offering the gift said Tuesday. Last Thursday, Patriot Mobile, a wireless phone company headquartered in Grapevine,…

‘Holy Land in a box’ subscription brings Israeli products to American homes

Every three months, Israeli entrepreneur Itai Schimmel ships a bit of the Holy Land to thousands of evangelical Christians in America. Artza, the artisanal subscription company he founded in 2020, means “to the land” in Hebrew. Evangelical Christians…

Christian persecution rising in Africa, North Korea, advocacy group says

Persecution of Christians is rising in sub-Saharan Africa, threatening a “vast humanitarian catastrophe” for the continent, a support group for victimized Christians said Tuesday. Open Doors, a non-denominational mission that aids persecuted…

Faith-based schools win as federal court tosses gay students’ lawsuit over Title IX exemptions

Students at colleges and universities operating on religious principles concerning marriage, sexual identity and gender won’t be blocked from receiving federal aid, the U.S. District Court in Oregon ruled this week. The court dismissed a 2021 suit…

Catholic charity asks Wisconsin court to declare it ‘religious’ after labor board says no

A Roman Catholic charity has asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to declare it a religious organization, something the state’s unemployment bureau has fought for several years. The Catholic Charities Bureau in Superior, Wisconsin, sued the state’s…