As refugee admissions drop, fewer persecuted Christians admitted to US: World Relief
RNS The number of Christian refugees coming to the United States from the countries where Christians are most persecuted has dropped dramatically under President Trump’s administration. That comes despite the President’s pledge during his first week in office that helping persecuted Christians overseas would be a priority for his administration. Thousands of Syrian refugees walk in order […]
US Labor Department bolsters religious exemptions from nondiscrimination laws
RNS The government has a duty to allow contractors to be excused from federal anti-discrimination laws if they cite a religious reason for doing so, according to a new directive from the US Department of Labor. The order, issued Friday (10th August), is another sign of the Trump administration’s determination to accommodate religious conservatives, who have made […]
US: POLL SUGGESTS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PUSH IS HAVING AN EFFECT
YONAT SHIMRON, of Religion News Service, reports on how the issue of religious freedom is gaining traction in the US…
Military Bible display at centre of religious liberty tussle in US
RNS A Bible placed on a memorial table at a Wyoming Air Force base is at the center of an ongoing battle over what constitutes religious liberty and what violates it. In response to demands by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, Colonel Stacy J Huser, commander of the 90th Missile Wing at FE Warren Air […]
Seeing threat to religious freedom, US Attorney General announces special task force
RNS US Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced during a Department of Justice summit in Washington that he is creating a religious liberty taskforce to challenge what he called a dangerous movement “eroding our great tradition of religious freedom”. Sessions said Monday the task force is an outgrowth of US President Donald Trump’s executive order directing […]
Justices hand down narrow ruling for Christian baker in US wedding cake case
RNS The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Christian baker in Colorado who refused to design a cake for a couple’s same-sex wedding, a controversial case that was widely seen as a standoff between claims of religious liberty and LGBTQ rights. “The Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s consideration of this case was inconsistent with […]
Trump marks National Day of Prayer with new faith initiative
RNS US President Donald Trump marked his second National Day of Prayer at the White House by signing an executive order he said would protect the liberty of religious groups and give them fair access to government funds. The new White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative will foster policies that acknowledge the “vital role of […]
BOOKS: AN INSIGHTFUL LOOK INTO THE CRISIS FACING CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
DAVID ADAMS reads Elizabeth Kendal’s detailed examination of the persecution Christians in the Middle East, After Saturday Comes Sunday…
US: TRUMP’S RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ORDER SLAMMED AS ‘PRETTY MUCH NOTHING’
DAVID GIBSON and ADELLE M BANKS, of Religion News Service, report on reaction to the signing of US President Donald Trump’s executive order on religious liberty…