Religion

Keith Meehan is one of an estimated 1 million Americans who get health care coverage through a health care sharing ministry. After Meehan’s back surgery, Aliera and Trinity HealthShare declined to pay approximately $200,000 in medical bills, saying back pain was a preexisting condition. Todd Bookman/NHPR hide caption Todd Bookman/NHPR Insurance regulators across the country are taking action against a Georgia-based company that markets and administers programs on behalf of health care sharing ministries. State officials in Texas, Colorado, Washington and most recently New…

Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the Supreme Court. They have 27 governorships and governing trifectas in 21 states. But many conservatives — particularly Christian conservatives — believe they’re being routed in the war that matters most: the post-Christian culture war. They see a diverse, secular left winning the future and preparing to eviscerate both Christian practice and traditional mores. And they see themselves as woefully unprepared to respond with the ruthlessness that the moment requires. Enter Donald Trump. Whatever Trump’s moral…

Dolly Parton talks sexual harassment, feminism and why she avoids politics Country legend Dolly Parton is clearing the air, making known her views on the #MeToo movement and feminism in general. Parton said she has experienced sexual harassment but most likely not to the extent as other women who have spoken up had. The country singer also says that she relates to feminists but is hesitant to label herself as one because she never saw herself in that way. Dolly Parton is opening up…

Outrage about rapper Kanye West’s performance for inmates at the Harris County, Texas Sheriff’s Office is founded on nothing but anti-Christian sentiment, Fox Nation host Lawrence Jones said Saturday. Last week the Freedom From Religion Foundation penned a complaint to the Sheriff’s Office. Director of Strategic Response Andrew L. Seidel said that West’s service was a “constitutional violation” which “is particularly egregious because it imposed religion on inmates — literally a captive audience.” KANYE WEST’S SURPRISE GOSPEL-RAP PERFORMANCE AT TEXAS PRISON AN ‘EGREGIOUS’ VIOLATION ATHEIST GROUP COMPLAINS “It is…

A woman who married another woman after she was accepted to a California theological college was expelled, and now she’s suing for alleged discrimination. Plaintiff Joanna Maxon of Fort Worth, Texas said she was kicked out of Fuller Theological Seminary last year where she was studying for a master of arts in theology. “I was approaching the end and looking forward to graduation and all that stuff,” the 53-year-old said. “To have that taken away unexpectedly — I was a really good student —…

Amid reports that fast food chain Chick-fil-A was halting donations to Christian groups, the restaurant’s foundation is maintaining they are philanthropically restructuring, not caving to political correctness in pursuit of higher profits. Reports emerged Monday that after months of consistently negative press coverage related to their long-held views about marriage and human sexuality and donations to like-minded organizations, that the famous chicken sandwich shop was discontinuing their financial contributions to groups characterized as “anti-LGBT.” The Christian Post reached out to Chick-fil-A Monday, asking them…

Perhaps for the first time since the United States was established, a majority of young adults here do not identify as Christian. Only 49 percent of millennials consider themselves Christian, compared with 84 percent of Americans in their mid-70s or older, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. We don’t have good historical data, and the historians I consulted are wary of definitive historical comparisons. But something significant seems to be happening. The share of American adults who regard themselves as…

Supreme Court rejects case of Christian Maryland student forced to write Muslim conversion prayer Maryland high schooler Caleigh Wood’s case made it to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that an assignment to write the Islamic Conversion Prayer did not violate the establishment clause of the first amendment. But the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Should the Supreme Court have reviewed the case, and was the assignment a direct denial of her christian faith? Here to discuss are Richard…

Truett Foster McKeehan, 21, son of Christian rap artist TobyMac, died at his Nashville home Wednesday. The cause of death is unknown, but the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed his date of death to NBC News. A representative for TobyMac, whose real name is Toby McKeehan, also confirmed the death to NBC News. Truett Foster McKeehan was the eldest of TobyMac’s five children and was an aspiring musician. He released music under different names, including Truett Foster, truDog, TRU and Shiloh, according to…

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Reporter | Tuesday, October 08, 2019 Protesters gather during a demonstration against Fulani herdsmen killings, in Abuja, Nigeria March 16, 2017. | (Photo: REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde) Muslim Fulani herdsmen have kidnapped six teenage girls and two staff members at gunpoint from a Christian-run high school in north-central Nigeria amid escalating violence in the region.  Sources told Morning Star News, a nonprofit persecution watchdog outlet, that armed Fulani invaded Engravers’ College in Kakau Daji village, in Chikun County Local Government…

Temple Mount is a hill located in the Holy Land of Jerusalem, which, according to the Bible, was the site of several events in the life of Jesus Christ. The present site is a flat plaza surrounded by retaining walls dominated by three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain, as well as four minarets. In the 12th century, the temple became the headquarters of the Christian Crusaders known as the Knights Templar and, according to archaeologist Dr Shimon…

An activist Christian group has launched a petition drive to get the Virginia Attorney General’s office and the IRS to open criminal investigations into Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. So far Faithful America has collected 10,875 signatures and hopes to reach their goal of 15,000 by this weekend. “The response has been great so far, more than we expected,” said Rev. Nathan Empsall, the organization’s Campaigns Director. “But that shouldn’t come as a surprise given how fed up so many Christians are with…

CHRISTIAN COUNTY (Mo.) KY3 – Dozens of people in Christian County reached out to KY3 News Saturday after they say they didn’t get what they paid for at a local haunted attraction. The Forest of Terror and Haunted River near Nixa had its grand opening on Friday the 13th. The attraction’s website promises guests the most terrifying experience in the Ozarks, but customers said the scariest part of the evening was paying hundreds of dollars for, what they’ve called, false advertising. “It was nothing…

By Jeannie Law, Christian Post Reporter | Saturday, September 14, 2019 Former Maxim/Victoria’s Secret Model turned Christian activist Nicole Weider, 2018. | (Screen Shot: Instagram/NicoleWeider) Former Victoria’s Secret model Nicole Weider walked away from a lucrative modeling career to follow Jesus and help other women see their worth in God. Now the ex-model is producing faith-based films. Weider is the producer of the new film “Catching Faith 2,” in which she also has a starring role as a wedding planner who helps a family…

Newly discovered North Korea propaganda footage sheds light on how the Communist regime trains state security agents on how to identify and silence Christians in the Hermit Kingdom. The video obtained by The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a Christian nonprofit that supports persecuted believers all over the world, was shared with Fox News and translated by VOM-Korea staff. The previously unseen film shows the story of Cha Deoksun, whose life otherwise might not have been known to the world, and her belief in a deity…

Last week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees disavowed the Christian political organization Focus on the Family after facing backlash for appearing in a video supporting one of the socially conservative group’s causes. On Monday, Patriots tight end Ben Watson went on Fox News to defend the group, as well as his former Saints teammate. Brees had recently recorded a video for “Bring Your Bible to School Day,” an initiative sponsored by Focus on the Family. That sparked criticism last week from a local…

A pastor on the China–North Korea border shared his faith with at least 1,000 North Koreans in the Hermit Kingdom before he was assassinated in 2016, a defector claims. Rev. Han Chung-Ryeol, a Chinese pastor of Korean descent, who ministered on the border town of Changbai since the early 1990s, was reportedly on Pyongyang’s most-wanted list as early as 2003 for his faith-based charitable work. NORTH KOREA PRISON CAMP SURVIVOR: ‘AM I A CHRISTIAN? YES. I LOVE JESUS. BUT I DENY IT’ Han fed and sheltered thousands of North…

By Brandon Showalter, CP Reporter | Saturday, August 31, 2019 Catholics hold the holy cross while attending a mass as part of a three-day conclusion to the Holy Year celebrations at the La Vang Basilica, in Vietnam’s central Quang Tri province January 5, 2011. | REUTERS/Kham A 6-year-old Christian girl and her parents were brutally beaten and dragged out of their village in Northern Vietnam because of their conversion to Christianity, Open Doors UK reports.  The family of three was forced out of their…

Todd Starnes and Franklin Graham Todd Starnes speaks with President and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse Franklin Graham about his support for a New Jersey mayor who opposes a law that requires public schools to teach LGBT history. The lead singer of one of the most popular bands in Christian rock music is joining the growing chorus of believers concerned about the dumbing down of the church and the rising influence of so-called “celebrity influencers.” “There’s a problem here,” Skillet lead singer John Cooper said…

Christian leaders in Nepal are issuing pleas for unity against the persecution which is rising to “near-genocide” levels in some parts of the world. Cho Yusang, 73, was arrested on July 23 for allegedly forcefully converting Nepali locals to take Christian literature.  Related articles Christianity at risk: ‘Dramatic decline’ in UK’s Christian identity Christianity crackdown: Worshippers ‘kicked like footballs’ by mob Pastor Sagar Baiju, a senior Christian leader in Nepal warns police and politicians are targeting Christians, he said: “When I travel to foreign counties,…

(RNS) — A Chaldean Christian immigrant who was deported from Michigan to Iraq has reportedly died because he was unable to obtain insulin to treat his diabetes, drawing fire from critics of the Trump administration who charge that the death is a result of disregard for the well-being of deportees. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the man, Jimmy Aldaoud, was deported in June even though he had not lived in Iraq since he was an infant and didn’t speak Arabic. Officials said…

ROME – Back in the late 1970s, James Wuye was a young Nigerian and fervent Christian believer, who converted to Catholicism and later joined the Assemblies of God Pentecostal church amid his country’s first wave of sectarian violence. He watched as bands of Muslim extremists struck Christian targets, burning schools and churches, and felt helpless as local police and security forces did nothing. Eventually Wuye, who grew up a “child of the barracks” as the son of an army officer, decided he was tired…

(RNS) — A group of Christian leaders has condemned Christian nationalism in a new letter, calling it a “persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy.” The letter, published on Monday (July 29), comes from a coalition of largely liberal-leaning Christian leaders and thinkers. Entitled “Christians Against Christian Nationalism,” it calls on religious Americans to push back against fusions of religion and government they say are distortions of their faith. “Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian…

‘American Idol’ judge Katy Perry ‘collapses’ after contestant’s steamy performance ‘American Idol’ judge Katy Perry was blown away by contestant Uche Ndubizu’s steamy performance of Bruno Mars’ ‘Finesse’ Sunday night, so much so that she ‘collapsed’ on the table as fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan pretended to perform CPR. ‘Excuse me, are we allowed to show that performance on television?’ asked Perry during the show. Bryan compared Ndubizu’s performance to something he’s witnessed at a star-studded event. Katy Perry and her collaborators…

South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg blasted “so-called conservative Christian senators” for opposing the minimum wage as Democrats tried to take the moral high ground during the first night of the second round of Democratic presidential primary debates. “The minimum wage is just too low. And so-called conservative Christian senators right now in the Senate are blocking a bill to raise the minimum wage when scripture says that, ‘Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their maker,'” Buttigieg declared in Detroit, Mich. at the Fox Theatre, citing Proverbs…

A former relationship guru and megachurch pastor who advocated premarital purity in his million-selling 1997 book “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” now says he’s “not a Christian” — and he hopes gay people will forgive him for contributing “to a culture of exclusion and bigotry.” “I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus,” Joshua Harris announced. “By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.” Harris posted his explanation Friday on Instagram ,…

Katy Perry is getting in trouble for stealing from music made for the Lord. A jury on Monday found that the pop idol’s 2013 hit “Dark Horse” improperly copied a 2009 Christian rap song. Monday’s decision, setting up arguments over how much the singer and other defendants will owe, was returned by a nine-member federal jury in a Los Angeles courtroom. It came five years after Marcus Gray and two co-authors first sued alleging “Dark Horse” stole from “Joyful Noise,” a song Gray released…

The founder of a charity dedicated to working with military veterans and active-duty members afflicted by combat trauma is claiming an ad for one of his organization’s recent YouTube videos was censored over the weekend for containing the keyword “Christian.” During a phone interview Tuesday with Faithwire, Chad Robichaux, a U.S. Marine veteran and the founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, said his marketing team tried to publish an advertisement Saturday for an episode of the “Mighty Oaks Show,” which often features interviews with veterans…

You are not signed in as a Premium user; we rely on Premium users to support our news reporting. Sign in or Sign up today! ABUJA, Nigeria (ChurchMilitant.com) – While international human rights groups are warning of “genocidal” persecution of Nigeria’s Christians, Nigeria’s Abp. Ignatius Kaigama wants government leaders to stop the violence. Persecution of Nigeria’s Christians by well-armed Muslim Fulani militants is approaching genocidal levels, according to a report filed July 15 titled “Nigeria: The Genocide is Loading” by the international human rights organization Jubilee Campaign (JC). Their report submitted to the International…

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Christian Post Reporter | Wednesday, July 24, 2019 Lee and Shannon Dingle and their six children. | GoFundMe The husband of Christian writer Shannon Dingle and father-of-six died in a “freak accident” on the North Carolina shores last week, sparking an outpouring of support from those in the Christian community. In a blog post, Dingle revealed her husband, Lee Dingle, was playing with his children on Oak Island when a wave hit him so hard he crashed on the sand,…

July 24, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — A YouTube ad for a charity supporting military veterans was suppressed recently because it contained the keyword “Christian,” the charity’s founder says. Chad Robichaux, a U.S. Marine veteran and founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, said his marketing team attempted to publish the ad Saturday for an episode of the “Mighty Oaks Show,” which features interviews with vets and content focused on the veteran community. We ran a @YouTube ad for our veterans ministry outreach for those in need & it…

The next time you walk into a shop with a sign reading “CBD sold here,” you’ll be a lot less likely to find shelves full of Bibles. One of the world’s largest retailers of Christian products, Christian Book Distributors LLC of Peabody, Massachusetts, is changing its branding to become Christianbook Inc., the company quietly announced last month. That’s because the initials by which it has been known for more than 40 years are CBD. Like the cannabis product. And that was confusing for believers…

A doctor has claimed he was sacked because his Christian beliefs stopped him addressing transgender claimants by pronouns relating to their chosen sex. Disability assessor Dr David Mackereth said he wanted “the right to practise medicine as a Christian doctor”. He claims the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) breached the Equality Act and his right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. The DWP said it could not comment due to an ongoing employment tribunal. Speaking outside the tribunal in Birmingham, Dr Mackereth,…

Screenshot/Vimeo MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) has voted to defrock a minister within its denomination and to also expel the church that he leads because of its stance on welcoming homosexuals and transgenders to serve in leadership roles, as well as its willingness to provide wedding services and baptisms to the unrepentant. According to reports, the music minister at First Covenant Church of Minneapolis officiated the “wedding” of two women on the worship team off-site in 2014, and a statement was also…

A Christian social work student at the University of Sheffield has won a legal battle after being thrown off his course for comments made on social media about sexuality. The Court of Appeal has ruled that he was treated unfairly and has ordered a new hearing before a different Fitness to Practice panel. Felix Ngole was studying for a Masters in social work when he commented on a news story on Facebook relating to same sex marriage, saying: “Same sex marriage is a sin…

The president of an organization that reports on the global persecution of Christians recently penned an op-ed in which he lamented the American Church’s lack of interest in the suffering of their brothers and sisters in other countries. David Curry, the president of Open Doors USA, which also publishes an annual World Watch List on the 50 most dangerous places to live as a Christian, noted that hostility against Christians is increasing everywhere in article published by USA Today. Yet, it is ho-hum to…

Photo Credit: Freedom From Religion Foundation WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has wiped out a lower court ruling that found a Florida cross monument unconstitutional and has instructed the court to revisit the case in light of SCOTUS’ other ruling last week upholding a similar cross display. “The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit for further consideration in light of American Legion v. American Humanist Assn.,” the court simply wrote on Friday. As previously…