<rss
xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"
><channel>
        <title>Christian Today | US</title>
        <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/us</link>
        <description><![CDATA[]]></description>
        <image>
            <title>Christian Today | US</title>
            <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/us</link>
            <url>https://www.christiantoday.com/assets/images/icon/CT_logo.svg</url>
        </image>
        <copyright>Christian Today © 2026</copyright>
        <language>en-gb</language>
        <lastBuildDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2026 02:51:48 +0000</lastBuildDate>
        <atom:link href="https://www.christiantoday.com/us?format=xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
        <atom:link href="https://www.christiantoday.com/us" rel="alternate" type="text/html"/>
        <generator>CT</generator>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Is the Gen Z 'revival' in the US skin deep?]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/is-the-gen-z-revival-in-the-us-skin-deep</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/is-the-gen-z-revival-in-the-us-skin-deep</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/86/98660.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Dr George Barna]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Arizona Christian University) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Dr George Barna ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 08:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Even if they're coming to church, do they have a Christian worldview?]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk last year, anecdotes began pouring in of churches filled with young men and more and more Bibles being sold. Now, however, veteran researcher Dr George Barna has questioned whether what looked like the beginnings of spiritual revival may have been only skin deep.
Dr Barna, of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, said that his own research suggests there are no signs that a biblical worldview has started to take root in America.
Just four per cent of Americans have what Dr Barna described as a “biblical worldview”, down from six per cent in 2020 and 12 per cent in 1994. When looking at Generation Z, the group that is supposedly flocking to church, the figure is just one per cent.
Even among churchgoers the numbers with a biblical worldview are low, with only 11 per cent of adults at evangelical churches qualifying (down from 21 per cent in 2020) and 12 per cent of born-again Christians (down from 19 per cent in 2020).
Dr Barna said he believed the numbers were unlikely to go any lower and that therefore the only way is up – if American churches take worldview formation seriously.
“People begin forming their worldview very early in life (at about 18 months), establish it before their teen years, then refine it throughout their 20s," he explained.
"Worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual filter through which we interpret reality - and it becomes the basis of every decision we make. It is perhaps the most critical factor influencing character, values, and lifestyle, and it is central to biblical discipleship.
“Despite its importance to our nation’s spiritual health, worldview formation continues to be overlooked in many churches—and the research reflects the consequences of that neglect.”
He added, “Revival and national spiritual renewal are possible, but neither will happen without commitment to worldview development.”]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Trump is '100 per cent' more spiritual after assassination attempt, says pastor friend]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/trump-is-100-per-cent-more-spiritual-after-assassination-attempt-says-pastor-friend</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/trump-is-100-per-cent-more-spiritual-after-assassination-attempt-says-pastor-friend</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Duncan Williams]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/71/97180.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[donald trump assassination]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: X) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Donald Trump being bundled away after an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2026 05:44:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Trump's pastor and friend Mark Burns said the US President knows "the hand of God' was on him when he survived the 2024 assassination attempt.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
In the aftermath of the 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump, his longtime pastor has offered a rare and candid insight into how the experience reshaped the President’s understanding of faith, survival and divine purpose.
Speaking to GB News during a Shrove Tuesday discussion on Christianity in Britain, Pastor Mark Burns of the Harvest Praise and Worship Centre in South Carolina was asked whether the near-fatal shooting had made the President a more spiritual man.
“He knows, without a shadow of doubt, that the hand of God was - is - upon his life,” Burns said.
The pastor described the moment not as luck or coincidence, but as divine intervention.
“It was the hand of God that moved that bullet just sheer millimetres” away from the President’s head, he added.
The attack took place on 13 July 2024 as Mr Trump campaigned at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Twenty-year-old Thomas Crooks fired eight rounds from a semi-automatic rifle. 
One bullet grazed the President’s ear, while another killed audience member Corey Comperatore. 
Images of Mr Trump moments later, blood visible on his face as he raised his fist and shouted “fight, fight, fight”, quickly went viral worldwide.
Burns suggested the nation had narrowly avoided witnessing a far greater tragedy. “That was what we were supposed to witness: a JFK part two, live on television,” he said.
Reflecting on the personal impact of the attempt, the evangelical pastor said the experience had profoundly altered the President’s spiritual outlook. “So when you talk about: ‘Is he more spiritual?’ 100 per cent,” Burns said.
The pastor has since thrown his support behind a project to memorialise the moment in the form of a 22-foot statue depicting the President raising his fist after being shot. 
“This group of American patriots has come together, raised the funds themselves, and they’re going to be dedicating this beautiful statue,” Pastor Burns said. 
Cast in bronze and finished with gold leaf, the statue is set to be installed in Doral, Florida, home to one of Mr Trump’s golf resorts.
“It symbolises when he was shot in the ear and how he defiantly raised his fist with the blood coming down the side of his face, telling the whole world ‘fight, fight, fight’,” the pastor added.
White House schedulers are reported to be “actively looking” for a date when the President can attend the statue’s official unveiling. For many believers in the United States and elsewhere, Donald Trump is regarded as divinely appointed to serve as President and leader of the free world.
Trump made $300,000 (£273,000) during the year of his assassination attempt from a range of bespoke Bibles. ]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Civil rights leader Rev Jesse Jackson dies at 84]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/civil-rights-leader-rev-jesse-jackson-dies-at-84</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/civil-rights-leader-rev-jesse-jackson-dies-at-84</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Gryboski]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/0/75/7550.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[The Rev Jesse Jackson pauses during an address to black activists, ...]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Christian Today) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ The Rev Jesse Jackson pauses during an address to black activists, Christ Church, London, 12 November 2007. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights activist and former presidential candidate who garnered controversy over his political activism and personal misconduct, has died at age 84.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights activist and former presidential candidate who garnered controversy over his political activism and personal misconduct, has died at age 84.
The Jackson family released a statement announcing that the Baptist minister died on Tuesday morning, being survived by his wife, six children and multiple grandchildren.
"Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” stated the Jackson family.
“We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”
The Rev. Jamal Bryant, senior pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church of Stonecrest, Georgia, called Jackson "my superhero" in an emailed statement.
"While other boys my age wanted to be Michael Jordan, I wanted to be Jesse Jackson,” Bryant added. “His poise, passion and purpose was my blueprint. In 6th grade I wore a Jackson for president button every day and haven't turned back since.”
Jesse Louis Jackson was born Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina. The son of a single teenage mother, Jackson was an honor student in high school and later earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina in 1964. He completed graduate work at the Chicago Theological Seminary in the 1960s and later received an honorary master’s degree from the institution.
Jackson first engaged as an activist while a student at CTS when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. came to Chicago to launch a northern chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
While Jackson rose through the ranks of the movement, he and King did not always get along, according to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research & Education Institute at Stanford.
“Despite King’s praises of Jackson’s work, a few days before King’s assassination he criticized Jackson for following his own agenda rather than supporting the group,” explained the Institute.
“Jackson, hurt by his mentor’s disapproval, told him, ‘Everything’s going to be all right’ … King angrily replied that everything was not going to be alright and that he needed Jackson and all of the SCLC staff to work toward a common vision for America.”
The two eventually reconciled. Jackson was talking with King at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when the famous civil rights leader was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Like King, Jackson was ordained a Baptist minister. He left the SCLC in 1971 to found his own civil rights advocacy group, People United to Save Humanity.
Jackson founded the National Rainbow Coalition in 1984, which merged with PUSH in the 1990s to form the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. He would also launch a minority economic opportunity group called the Wall Street Project.
In 1984 and 1988, Jackson launched campaigns to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Though he failed both times, each effort received substantial support.
“Until 1984, no black person had ever launched a major campaign for President of the United States,” wrote Kimberly Anne Powell of Northern Illinois University in 1989.
“In 1984 Jesse Jackson's campaign was one of symbolic protest. In 1988 his campaign was a serious bid for the presidency, which challenged the established stereotype of presidential candidates.”
In January 2001, Jackson admitted having had an extramarital affair with a Rainbow/PUSH staffer, which resulted in him fathering a child. 
"This is no time for evasions, denials or alibis," stated Jackson at the time, as reported by ABC News. "I fully accept responsibility and I am truly sorry for my actions."
Jackson went on to state that he would provide "emotional and financial" support to the child.
Another family scandal hit in 2013 when his son, former member of Congress Jesse Louis Jackson Jr., pled guilty to conspiring to defraud his reelection campaigns of approximately $750,000, which he used to pay for personal expenses, like jewelry, fur capes, celebrity memorabilia, and a home renovation project. He received a 30-month sentence.
In November 2017, Jackson announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, having seen early symptoms of the neurological illness a couple of years earlier.
“After a battery of tests, my physicians identified the issue as Parkinson’s disease, a disease that bested my father,” Jackson said at the time, as quoted by CNN, adding that the “recognition of the effects of this disease on me has been painful.”
In April, Jackson was reportedly diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a neurological disorder related to Parkinson’s that also hinders mobility and speech.
Because of his health issues, Jackson reduced his public appearances, though he was a delegate at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, representing Illinois, where he was honored by attendees.
The then-82-year-old Jackson, who came on stage in a wheelchair, did not address the 2024 DNC. Rather, he gave two thumbs up to the cheering crowd.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Fewer than 1 in 3 churchgoers read the Bible daily]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/fewer-than-1-in-3-churchgoers-read-the-bible-daily</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/fewer-than-1-in-3-churchgoers-read-the-bible-daily</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Lifeway Research]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/85/98595.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Bible reading, Bible, Bible study, faith, Christian living, discipleship, life]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Unsplash / Sixteen Miles Out) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2026 05:18:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Among U.S. Protestant churchgoers, most say they read Scripture regularly, but just 31% say Bible reading is a daily habit.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Most churchgoers place a high value on the Bible, but only about a third commit to reading it every day.
The Lifeway Research State of Discipleship study found Bible engagement to be one among eight signposts measuring distinct characteristics for believers progressing in their spiritual maturity. On a scale of 0 to 100, the average churchgoer scores 69.8 on Bible engagement, placing it fifth among the signposts.
Among U.S. Protestant churchgoers, most say they read Scripture regularly, but just 31% say Bible reading is a daily habit.
“Protestant churchgoers overall report they are engaging the Bible, but on any specific question as many as 1 in 5 say they are not following Jesus Christ in that way,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. “This reflects an overall pattern in assessments of churchgoers where the direction is often good but far from the standard seen in Scripture.”
Bible reading levels
According to the State of Discipleship study, around 3 in 5 Americans who attend religious services at least once a month (61%) regularly read the Bible, including 31% who read every day and 30% who do so a few times a week. Some engage once a week (14%) or a few times a month (11%). Few say they read Scripture only once a month (5%), while 1 in 10 (9%) do so rarely or never.
Reading frequencies have remained mostly steady since 2019, when Lifeway Research found 59% were regular Bible readers. Personal Bible engagement has increased, however, since previous studies. In 2012, 46% regularly read the Bible, including 19% who did so every day. Five years earlier, in 2007, only 36% of churchgoers were regular Bible readers, with just 16% who read daily.
“The portion of churchgoers reading the Bible a few times a week or more on their own has leveled off recently after rising dramatically since 2007, but the churchgoer population was also changing during this period,” said McConnell,
“A lower percentage of Americans attend a Protestant church once a month today than when this series of studies began. Clearly, the remnant of Americans attending church each month are more willing to regularly read the Bible on their own than when churches were more populated.”
A recent Lifeway Research study found 9 in 10 Americans have read at least some of the Bible, but just 22% have finished the book at least once. Churchgoers were more likely than others to have read larger percentages of the Bible. Even among those who attend church services more than once a week, around 3 in 5 (59%) say they’ve read the entire Bible at least once.
While the State of Discipleship found Bible engagement to be a positive factor for adults’ spiritual growth, previous Lifeway Research studies have shown the importance of Bible reading for the next generation. The biggest predictor of whether a child becomes a faithful believer as a young adult is whether or not they regularly read the Bible growing up.
Additionally, while 66% of churchgoing teenagers stop attending when they become young adults, those who spend time regularly reading the Bible are 1.23 times less likely to drop out compared to those who do not spend personal time in Scripture.
Skipping Scripture
When U.S. Protestant churchgoers miss time in their Bible, many say it has a negative impact, but not everyone feels the absence in the same way.
Three in 5 (62%) say they desperately miss the time with God if they go several days without reading the Bible, while 21% are unsure and 17% disagree. Similarly, 3 in 5 (58%) say they find themselves unfulfilled if they go several days without reading their Bible, while 21% aren’t sure and 21% disagree.
Yet even among those who say they notice when they aren’t engaged with the Bible, that sentiment isn’t always strong. Three in 10 (30%) strongly agree they desperately miss personal time with God when they go several days without reading the Bible, and 26% strongly agree they find themselves unfulfilled in that situation.
“Most of those engaging the Bible regularly are doing so because they enjoy what the practice brings to their lives,” said McConnell. “Movement toward more Bible engagement requires intentionality, but movement away from this devotion can start out as a slow drift. However, a moment of reflection among those who have experienced the value of engaging the Bible reminds them of what they are missing.”
Compared to 2019, churchgoers have similar overall attitudes. Seven years ago, almost 3 in 5 (58%) said they desperately missed the time with God when they went several days without reading the Bible, while 22% weren’t sure and 20% disagreed. At that time, however, 33% strongly agreed and 25% somewhat agreed.
Attitudes toward the Bible
As expected, U.S. Protestant churchgoers hold Scripture in high regard, but not always in the highest regard.
Around 3 in 4 (74%) say the Bible has authority over every area of their lives, with 15% unsure and 11% disagreeing. However, only 40% strongly agree, leaving 3 in 5 with at least some doubts about the authority of Scripture.
Similarly, more than 7 in 10 (72%) find themselves thinking about biblical truths throughout the day, while 19% aren’t sure and 10% disagree. Yet just 31% strongly agree that’s regularly the case for them. Those percentages are similar to 2019, when 69% agreed, 20% weren’t sure and 12% disagreed.
“The Bible can’t have full authority in someone’s life if they don’t know what it says or aren’t considering what it says about the specific things they are facing in life,” said McConnell. “The Bible makes the appeal, ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God’ (Romans 12:2b, CSB).”
For more information, view the complete report.
© Lifeway Research]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Darlington Nurses, Päivi Räsänen warn US about declining freedom in Britain and Europe]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/darlington-nurses-paivi-rasanen-warn-us-about-declining-freedom-in-britain-and-europe</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/darlington-nurses-paivi-rasanen-warn-us-about-declining-freedom-in-britain-and-europe</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/77/97776.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Darlington nurses]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Christian Legal Centre) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ The Darlington nurses outside Parliament. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 02:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Darlington Nurses may have won their fight, but Päivi Räsänen's ordeal is still ongoing.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The US government has made it clear that it concerned about the decline of freedom of speech in Britain and Europe, with both the State Department raising the “concerning” case of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a woman charged for silently praying in an abortion buffer zone.
Now US politicians are set to hear from others who have fallen foul of “woke” policies, with visits from one of the Darlington Nurses who recently won a landmark judgment defending single-sex spaces, and from Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen who has been dragged repeatedly before the courts over a biblical tweet.
Bethany Hutchison, president of the Darlington Nursing Union, is in Washington DC for meetings on Wednesday, accompanied by Andrea Williams, CEO of the Christian Legal Centre, which supported the Darlington Nurses in their successful legal challenge. 
The nurses had protested about being required to share changing facilities with a biological male who identified as a female. When complaints were made, the male colleague is alleged to have offered to help educate the nurses as to why they should be willing to get undressed in front of him.
On 16 January the nurses won their case, which alleged unlawful harassment, direct sex discrimination, and a violation of their dignity and safety.
Hutchison and Williams will be speaking at a 'She Leads the Nations' Global Summit on Capitol Hill. As part of their visit they will be talking with US politicians about the Darlington case and the general state of freedom of speech and Christian liberty in Britain.
Also visiting the US this week is Päivi Räsänen, who has been at the centre of a years-long legal battle over a single tweet in which she quoted the book of Romans about homosexuality.
Despite previously being acquitted of any wrongdoing, Finnish prosecutors have sought to escalate the matter, taking it all the way to the country’s Supreme Court.
ADF International, which has been supporting Räsänen, said her case was “one of Europe’s most prominent examples of the criminalization of speech”. She will be speaking at a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee.
ADF said it wished to “warn [US] lawmakers of Europe’s expanding speech restrictions, including criminal prosecutions for peaceful expression".
"These restrictions pose serious threats to fundamental freedoms and risk being exported beyond Europe to the United States," it said. ]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[New church movement seeks to overturn landmark gay marriage ruling]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/new-church-movement-seeks-to-overturn-landmark-gay-marriage-ruling</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/new-church-movement-seeks-to-overturn-landmark-gay-marriage-ruling</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Gryboski]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/63/96328.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[lgbt]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Getty/iStock) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2026 06:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A coalition of Christian conservative organizations and leaders has joined a new campaign seeking to mobilize churches to push for the overturning of the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A coalition of Christian conservative organizations and leaders has joined a new campaign seeking to mobilize churches to push for the overturning of the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Known as the Greater Than campaign, the effort is spearheaded by the advocacy group Them Before Us and includes among its supporters Focus on the Family, Live Action, the Colson Center, Word on Fire, the American Family Association and Citizens for Renewing America.
The ultimate goal is to get the Supreme Court to overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which held that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects same-sex marriage.
Greater Than describes itself as a "coalition of parents, students, researchers, think tanks, influencers, and citizens who are willing to state the self-evident but costly truth: children need, deserve, and have a right to their mother and father."
Individuals expressing their support for the campaign include pro-life activist Lila Rose, The Blaze talk show host Steve Deace, Princeton University Professor Robert P. George, and author and speaker Heidi St. John.
“When marriage was redefined in 2015, parenthood was too. Once husbands and wives became optional, mothers and fathers became replaceable,” states the campaign’s website.
“But for a child, their mother and father are never optional; they are essential. Children need both a mother and a father to provide stability, guidance, and the unique love only a man and woman can give. No adult desire or ideology can change that.”
Katy Faust, founder and president of Them Before Us, told The Christian Post in an interview Thursday that her group was inspired to launch the campaign last year as the country neared the 10-year anniversary of the decision. 
"It dawned on us: has anybody really, really put together an effort to overturn this?" Faust recalled. "I kept thinking, another organization that has more legal chops than we do was ultimately going to do it. But it dawned on us leading up to the 10-year anniversary that no, this is probably something that we need to do."
"We can pull in a lot of other wonderful, faithful, grounded, virtuous, clear-eyed organizations into the mix, because there's a lot of people that have been steadfast before Obergefell and ... I think are ready to really make an effort to take it down."
The campaign has three components, Faust said. The first is "a judicial strategy" that she believes "has the possibility and I would say likelihood of success."
The second component is an effort at "changing public opinion," with Faust saying "Americans need to understand the threat that gay marriage poses to children and that natural marriage is directly connected to children protection."
The third component involves mobilizing churches, which Faust hopes to transform into "a child-centered fighting force." The campaign plans to develop "materials that both Protestants and Catholics can use to understand why natural marriage is God's plan A for child protection," Faust said. 
Released on June 26, 2015, the 5-4 Obergefell decision struck down state-level constitutional bans on same-sex marriage, with Justice Anthony Kennedy authoring the majority opinion.
"The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their identity," wrote Kennedy.
"The petitioners in these cases seek to find that liberty by marrying someone of the same sex and having their marriages deemed lawful on the same terms and conditions as marriages between persons of the opposite sex."
In 2022, the Obergefell ruling was federally codified when a Democratic-controlled United States Congress passed bipartisan-supported legislation, which then-President Joe Biden signed into law.
Recently, social conservatives have tried to advance legal challenges in the hopes that the more right-leaning modern-day Supreme Court will overturn the 2015 decision.
Last November, however, the high court denied without comment a petition filed by former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis to reconsider the 2015 ruling. 
Faust told CP that she was "actually glad they didn't take up the case," as she believed that Davis "was the wrong victim and she was asking the wrong questions."
"Children have lost their mother or father. They are being commodified. Parental rights themselves are being weakened because of gay marriage," Faust said. 
"The real question before the court is not 'does gay marriage provide some kind of inconvenience for Christian adults?' The question before the court needs to be 'do children need, benefit from, deserve and have a right to their own mother and father?'"
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Staff member at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church killed in plane crash]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/staff-member-at-joel-osteen-s-lakewood-church-killed-in-plane-crash</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/staff-member-at-joel-osteen-s-lakewood-church-killed-in-plane-crash</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Gryboski]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/85/98567.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Shawna Collins]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: LinkedIn) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Shawna Collins ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 13:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Lakewood Church described the staff member killed in the Maine plane crash as a "light that brightened our days".]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A staff member at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, was among those who died in the Bangor, Maine, airplane crash on Sunday. 
In a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Wednesday, Lakewood Church confirmed that Shawna Collins was killed in the crash along with three other passengers and two flight crew members.
“We can confirm with great sadness that a beloved member of our church staff and treasured friend, Shawna Collins, was on the plane that crashed in Maine on Sunday evening,” stated the church.
“She was a light that brightened our days, and she possessed a beautiful spirit that lifted everyone she met. We loved Shawna dearly, and we will miss her more than words can express. We pray for her entire family and offer them our love and support during this difficult time.”
A church spokesperson also told CP that Collins “was traveling for personal business outside of Lakewood.”
On Sunday, a Bombardier Challenger 600 private aircraft that was carrying six people crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m.
The plane was described by The Associated Press as “a wide-bodied business jet” that can have up to 11 passengers and is known to be a “popular charter option.”
The crash occurred as the East Coast was experiencing a winter storm, leading to widespread flight cancellations and several power outages.
Approximately 12,000 flights across several cities and multiple states were canceled on Sunday due to the storm system, with an estimated 20,000 flights delayed, the AP reported.
Collins was a Houston-based event planner. Her daughter told ABC 13 in Houston that her mother was excited about a business trip to Europe. 
At least three others confirmed to have died in the Sunday plane crash have been identified.
Forty-seven-year-old pilot Jacob Hosmer was a licensed flight instructor and the managing member of Platinum Skies Aviation LLC. Attorney Tara Arnold is the wife of Arnold & Itkin founding partner Kurt Arnold. Nick Mastrascusa, an executive at a luxury travel company owned by the Arnold family, was most recently identified as a crash victim by his family, according to a Wednesday update from KTRK. 
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the accident. A preliminary report states that the plane “crashed under unknown circumstances on departure, came to rest inverted and caught on fire." 
Bangor International Airport Director Jose Saavedra said during a press conference on Wednesday that weather conditions are impacting the investigation. He was questioned why the plane took off during the snowstorm. 
"There were planes landing and departing around that time and we had crews on site responding to the ongoing storm that we had," Saavedra said, according to WMTW. "We have crews on site that respond to storms and we prepare for this on a regular basis. This is normal for us, to deal with weather events, and we had crews on site to address the weather event that we had ongoing."
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Bethel Church admits failures after exposé alleges prophetic deception, sexual abuse]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/bethel-church-admits-failures-after-expose-alleges-prophetic-deception-sexual-abuse</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/bethel-church-admits-failures-after-expose-alleges-prophetic-deception-sexual-abuse</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leah MarieAnn Klett]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/85/98554.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Shawn Bolz]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: YouTube/Bethel) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Shawn Bolz speaking and allegedly prophesying at Bethel Church in Redding, California. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 28 Jan 2026 08:27:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A nearly six-hour investigation released by Christian apologist Mike Winger sent shockwaves through charismatic Christian circles, raising allegations of deception, sexual misconduct and institutional failure centered on prophetic minister Shawn Bolz — and prompting a response from Bethel Church leadership.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A nearly six-hour investigation released by Christian apologist Mike Winger sent shockwaves through charismatic Christian circles, raising allegations of deception, sexual misconduct and institutional failure centered on prophetic minister Shawn Bolz — and prompting a response from Bethel Church leadership.
In the video, “The Skeletons in Bethel’s Closet are Now Going to Speak,” Winger details what he describes as a decade-long pattern of fraudulent prophetic practices and sexually inappropriate behavior by Bolz, claims of which he said are backed up by interviews with former employees, ministry associates and insiders. 
Winger also accused prominent church leaders of failing to warn congregants and the global Christian community after learning of allegations years earlier.
“This is cover-up culture,” he said. “The elites all knew about it. … I'm doing [this video] for the benefit and blessings of the Charismatic Church. I'm exposing a whole bunch of corruption inside the Charismatic Church. It has to be done.”
Winger’s investigation focuses first on Bolz’s public prophetic ministry, which for years drew large crowds through highly specific “words of knowledge,” including birth dates, addresses, family names and personal details, delivered as divine revelation.
According to Winger, former insiders alleged Bolz obtained such information through natural means, particularly social media, and then presented it as supernatural insight.
“I started to get birth dates and anniversary dates of strangers, grounding them in the knowledge that God knows them and cares about what they care about,” Bolz himself said in a 2016 interview cited by Winger. “I began to hear where people went to school and the types of careers they had, right, almost like it was information on their ‘about’ tab.”
Winger said the pattern intensified after 2013, coinciding with the widespread adoption of social media platforms. He described the practice as a deliberate strategy that allowed Bolz to deliver increasingly detailed prophetic words with minimal risk of being exposed.
Winger stressed that the description closely mirrored online research rather than prophetic revelation, adding: “Almost like he was reading them off of something like Facebook.”
More seriously, Winger said multiple former employees and associates accused Bolz of sexually inappropriate and abusive behavior spanning more than a decade.
“What these guys describe is sexually domineering behavior,” Winger said. “I would call it grooming. I think it qualifies as sexual deviancy that disqualifies a person from ministry. … it's sick and dark.”
According to Winger, witnesses described repeated incidents of Bolz's nudity in front of younger men and his self-gratification in front of subordinates, often during ministry travel in hotel rooms or vehicles.
“This is the pattern, ongoing, continual behavior in trapped conditions without consent,” Winger said. “Consent wouldn't make it OK; it would still be morally wrong. But it is different.”
Winger said some alleged victims described long-term psychological harm, including suicidal ideation and symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“One of the men told me this led him to suicidal ideation and PTSD episodes,” Winger said.
Winger emphasized he interviewed witnesses separately and said their accounts corroborated one another across different time periods and locations.
A major portion of Winger’s investigation centers on the role of church leadership, particularly Bethel Church, a globally influential charismatic congregation in Redding, California, that platformed Bolz for years. He alleged that Bethel Church leadership was aware of sexual allegations against Bolz for years but failed to act publicly.
“Bethel leadership knew about this for nearly five years, at least,” Winger said.
He criticized what he described as a pattern of quiet distancing rather than public accountability, emphasizing that such an approach left congregants and ministry participants vulnerable.
“Discernment kills momentum,” Winger said. 
In a Jan. 25 statement in response to Winger’s video, Bethel Church leadership publicly acknowledged failures in how it handled allegations involving Bolz, admitting the church did not act with sufficient clarity, urgency or transparency.
"We take responsibility for the fact that we did not properly and fully bring discipline, closure, or clear and timely communication regarding the gravity of our concerns with Shawn Bolz,” the statement said. 
“The truth is, we have hurt and scared people because we did not tell the truth enough, early enough, long enough, or loud enough, and this is a just criticism. Our hearts are grieved, and embarrassed.”
The statement was signed by senior leaders Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton and Dann Farrelly, who said Bolz had been platformed to preach and prophesy at Bethel and with its teams on multiple occasions until 2019.
According to Vallotton, Bethel leaders first received allegations of sexual harassment in 2019 from a former member of Bolz’s team. He said subsequent conversations with three former team members corroborated the claims and revealed what he described as a problematic culture within Bolz’s ministry.
“We platformed him because we believed in him,” Vallotton said. “And when he failed, and failed to repent, it was our responsibility to tell people that we no longer trusted him in order to protect them. That was my decision to not communicate more widely, and my error in judgement.”
Bethel leaders also said they received evidence Bolz had used social media to obtain personal information presented as prophetic revelation.
“We believe that Shawn was not truthful in how he received his words of knowledge and prophetic words,” the statement said.
At the conclusion of the statement, Bethel leadership said it no longer endorses Bolz’s ministry and warned others to consider its position.
“We also acknowledge our belief that he engaged in sexually explicit and harassing behavior towards some members of his staff,” the statement said. “We do not condone his actions, or endorse his ministry. We strongly advise you to take our position into account if you choose to interact with his materials.”
Bethel leaders said the church has since implemented additional accountability measures, including a third-party Safe Church reporting system and expanded leadership oversight. The church invited anyone affected by Bolz’s prophetic words or alleged misconduct to seek support through counseling and pastoral care.
“I showed mercy in one area and not the other,” Johnson said in a separate message included in the statement. “And that seriously affected those who should not have been traumatized any more than they were.”
Johnson acknowledged that his reluctance to confront Bolz publicly delayed accountability and contributed to further harm.
“It was incredibly careless. I realize now that I contributed to their trauma, and I am deeply grieved by this and am sorry. Sometimes it is your action, and sometimes, your lack of action, that causes harm, and I know that I failed.”
In his video, Winger framed the Bolz case as emblematic of a wider problem within certain Charismatic movements, one he said rewards spectacle, suppresses discernment and minimizes accountability. Still, he stressed his goal was not to attack charismatic Christianity as a whole, but to call for reform.
“I'm doing this for the Charismatic Church. I love you guys. I believe in the gifts,” he said. “ I'm hoping to bring positive reform into the charismatic church. … please consider how to stop this stuff from happening again inside your own fellowships and to your own people, because it's not worth revival culture to victimize your own people and put them in front of fake prophets and tell them about fake healings and all this other stuff. It has to stop, and it has to stop now.”
Bolz was contacted for comment regarding the allegations raised in Winger’s investigation, but did not respond by time of publication.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Anti-ICE protesters who disrupted Cities Church service are arrested and charged]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/anti-ice-protesters-who-disrupted-cities-church-service-are-arrested-and-charged</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/anti-ice-protesters-who-disrupted-cities-church-service-are-arrested-and-charged</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Brown]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/85/98545.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nekima Levy Armstrong]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: X / Secretary Kristi Noem) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Nekima Levy Armstrong is one of those charged. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2026 04:41:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that federal agents arrested three activists involved in an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a worship service last Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that federal agents arrested three activists involved in an anti-ICE protest that disrupted a worship service last Sunday at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel announced that activists Nekima Levy Armstrong and Chauntyll Louisa Allen had been charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994, which prohibits "intentionally injuring, intimidating, or interfering with ... [anyone] seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship."
"Minutes ago at my direction, [Homeland Security Investigations] and FBI agents executed an arrest in Minnesota. So far, we have arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, who allegedly played a key role in organizing the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. We will share more updates as they become available," Bondi posted to X at around 9:30 a.m. EST.
"Listen loud and clear: WE DO NOT TOLERATE ATTACKS ON PLACES OF WORSHIP," she added.
An hour later, Bondi announced that a second arrest had been made related to the incident and issued a warning against disrupting religious services in the U.S.
"Chauntyll Louisa Allen has been taken into custody. More to come. WE WILL PROTECT OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP," she said.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted a photo of Armstrong being led away in handcuffs, noting she would be charged under 18 U.S. Code § 241.
Known as "Conspiracy against rights," the law prohibits "two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person ... in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States."
"Religious freedom is the bedrock of the United States — there is no first amendment right to obstruct someone from practicing their religion," Noem said.
The arrests come as Vice President JD Vance is traveling to Minnesota on Thursday amid ongoing unrest in the state.
Later on Thursday, Bondi also announced the arrest of William Kelly, who was seen on video haranguing churchgoers and vulgarly mocking them as "fake Christians."
"Our nation was settled and founded by people fleeing religious persecution. Religious freedom is the bedrock of this country. We will protect our pastors. We will protect our churches. We will protect Americans of faith," Bondi said.
A federal magistrate judge in Minnesota refused to sign a complaint charging Lemon, according to CBS News.
Armstrong, Allen and Kelly were part of a group of left-wing agitators associated with the Racial Justice Network that stormed Cities Church, a Southern Baptist congregation, during their service last Sunday, forcing the Sunday service to end early after screaming at churchgoers. 
The group, which was accompanied by former CNN host Don Lemon, was protesting that the Rev. David Easterwood, one of the pastors, also serves as the acting director of the ICE St. Paul field office. They called on him to resign amid ICE's crackdown on illegal immigration in Minnesota's capital region, which has led to two ICE-involved shootings in recent weeks, including the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent during an altercation involving her vehicle, which was blocking a road ICE agents were traveling on.
Armstrong, the founder and CEO of a cannabis company called Dope Roots, has made more $1 million over six years while serving as executive director of the Wayfinder Foundation, a Minneapolis-based civil rights nonprofit that received money from the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, reports Fox News.
Allen, who openly boasted about organizing the protests, is a Black Lives Matter leader and member of the Saint Paul Public Schools Board of Education. The daughter of a female minister, Allen compared her actions last Sunday to Jesus Christ cleansing the temple.
"I grew up in the church and one of the things that I remember about Jesus Christ is that when things weren’t going right in the church, he went in and he flipped tables," she told TMZ earlier this week.
Lemon, who has distanced himself from the protesters amid the federal investigation despite filming his own participation, also recently likened storming the church to Jesus clearing the temple of the moneychangers. Many Christian commentators agree that Jesus cleansing of the Court of the Gentiles, which was the court furthest from the temple, was a unique task suited only to Jesus that affirmed His authority while symbolizing His eventual grafting in of the Gentiles.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has defended the church protesters, telling Lemon in an interview earlier this week that their actions were protected under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
"Chanting cannot be a crime; it's freedom of expression," Ellison said.
A GiveSendGo fundraiser for Cities Church started by conservative podcast Benny Johnson with the permission of Parnell has raised more than $40,000 of its $100,000 goal, as of Thursday morning.
The U.S. Department of Justice under the Biden administration used the FACE Act, which also prohibits such behavior at abortion clinics, to prosecute pro-life protesters such as Mark Houck, a Catholic pro-life advocate and father of seven who faced 11 years in prison after he shoved a pro-abortion demonstrator who accosted his 12-year-old son during demonstrations outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic in 2021.
The Biden Justice Department also charged several other anti-abortion demonstrators with FACE Act charges. In January, Trump pardoned about two dozen pro-life protesters prosecuted for unlawfully protesting at abortion clinics.
"The Biden DOJ used the Klan Act conspiracy charges tacked onto the FACE Act in the case of protests outside abortion clinics to bring much longer sentences," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said in an interview this week. "So, there are a number of tools available to us." 
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[More Protestant churches closed than opened in the US in 2024, new analysis finds]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/more-protestant-churches-closed-than-opened-in-the-us-in-2024-new-analysis-finds</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/more-protestant-churches-closed-than-opened-in-the-us-in-2024-new-analysis-finds</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Obianuju Mbah]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/85/98520.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[pews, church, church attendance]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Getty/iStock) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:32:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The closures have served to highlight the importance of church planting, say researchers.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The number of Protestant churches in the US declined in 2024, as closures outpaced new congregational starts, according to a new analysis by Lifeway Research.
Researchers estimate that around 3,800 new Protestant churches were launched nationwide in 2024, while approximately 4,000 congregations shut down, resulting in a net loss of about 200 churches.
The findings are based on data supplied by 35 denominations and faith bodies, covering about 58 per cent of Protestant congregations nationwide, with the remaining figures extrapolated from that sample.
The figures reflect a continued reshaping of the American religious landscape, marked by long-term declines in Christian identification and church attendance.
However, researchers note that the 200-church gap between church openings and closures has narrowed significantly compared with previous years.
In 2019, for example, the net loss stood at around 1,500 churches, while a decade earlier more congregations were opening than closing. Five years ago, an estimated 4,500 Protestant churches shut their doors, compared with just 3,000 new starts.
Executive director of Lifeway Research Scott McConnell said the data points to both resilience and fragility within US Protestantism.
While many congregations remain open despite shrinking attendance, he noted that the average church today is smaller and often operates with fewer resources than in past generations.
Based on estimates from the US Religion Census 2020, which places the total number of Protestant congregations at roughly 293,000, the 2024 closures represent just over 1% of all Protestant churches nationwide.
The analysis also examined trends within the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s biggest Protestant denomination.
Between 2023 and 2024, 1.4% of Southern Baptist churches ceased operating, while a further 0.4% separated from the convention.
Despite the losses, new church plants and incoming congregations meant the denomination recorded a net decline of just 183 churches year on year.
While the total number of Southern Baptist congregations has fallen annually since peaking in 2017, Lifeway Research said the number of closures in 2024 marked the smallest annual drop during that period.
Author and dean of the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University Ed Stetzer said church planting remains critical to sustaining Protestant Christianity in the US.
“Simply put, without church planting, every denomination that’s growing would be shrinking and every denomination that’s shrinking would be shrinking more,” he said. “Church planting is the most significant engine for evangelistic growth that we have in the world today.”
Despite the overall trend, most pastors do not expect their churches to close in the near future.
A separate Lifeway Research survey found that 94% of Protestant pastors expect their churches to remain open a decade from now, though confidence is lower among leaders of smaller congregations.
Pastors serving churches with fewer than 50 regular worshippers were the most likely to express concern about long-term viability.
The research also found that over a third of Protestant churches have been involved in church planting in some form, most commonly through training (42%), mentoring (38%) or assessments for prospective planters (30%).
Only 2%, however, have taken on primary financial sponsorship for starting a new congregation.
Newer churches continue to show stronger growth than older ones.
Within the Southern Baptist Convention, congregations founded since 2000 were the only group to record overall membership growth by 12% in the past five years, while churches established earlier all experienced declines.
McConnell said the findings highlight a slow but ongoing transition rather than sudden collapse.
He stated: “While the American church landscape changes slowly, it is not standing still.
“The future of Protestant churches in America lies in reaching new people with the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.
"Most growth in the US happens in new communities. Church planting is vital to share the gospel in these new communities as well as communities in which the population is changing or previous churches have closed.”]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Franklin Graham asks for prayers for US amid ICE tensions]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/franklin-graham-asks-for-prayers-for-us-amid-ice-tensions</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/franklin-graham-asks-for-prayers-for-us-amid-ice-tensions</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ryan Foley]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/21/92141.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Franklin Graham]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Facebook/Franklin Graham) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Rev Franklin Graham ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2026 06:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Rev Franklin Graham is calling on Americans to join him in a “time of prayer and repentance” this week, warning that “our nation is in trouble” amid a volatile political climate. ]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The Rev Franklin Graham is calling on Americans to join him in a “time of prayer and repentance” this week, warning that “our nation is in trouble” amid a volatile political climate. 
In a social media post on Monday, Graham, the CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, announced what he called "a time of prayer and repentance" scheduled for Wednesday at noon ET. 
“If you think our nation is in trouble now, just wait," Graham, the 73-year-old son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, asked. “As our streets boil over with hate, anger, crime, drugs, and just sheer hopelessness, is there something we can do?”
“You bet there is,” he responded. “As a nation, our sins are so great. We have increasingly turned our backs on God and His commands, embracing godless secularism. We need to ask His forgiveness and seek His face.”
Amid protests in the aftermath of the shooting of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week, Graham urged Americans to “pray for our leaders, and pray that God would bring calm to our streets."
“There are many who would like to stir things up — there are even those who would like to destroy this great country," Graham added. “Pray that these efforts would be thwarted and their plans would be brought into confusion. Ask God to use His church to be instruments of peace in this time of great uncertainty.” 
Graham concluded his post by reiterating his call to “stop and pray” on Wednesday at noon.
“Millions of people remembering our sins and asking for forgiveness, repenting and seeking His face will make a difference," he wrote.
Graham’s call for a nationwide “time of prayer and repentance” comes just days after the Evangelical leader asserted in a Facebook post that protests happening across the country against immigration law enforcement operations are "underpinned by the radical socialist left, whose goal is to make the United States like Venezuela, ultimately destroying the America we know.”
He decried protesters chanting "unbelievable" things like "Save a life, kill ICE!" or calling for the hanging of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
“Lying, stealing, cheating — nothing is out of bounds in order to grab power,” he warned. “Unfortunately, many people joining these protests have no clue that they are just being used as pawns.”
Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last Wednesday. While the Trump administration maintains that the shooting was justified self-defense, pointing to video footage that appears to show Good driving forward toward an ICE agent, critics contend that the shooting was an unnecessary use of force and allege that Good posed no threat to the agent.
Graham weighed in on the Good shooting in a statement published Thursday.
“It is tragic that Renee Good was killed in Minneapolis yesterday. Pray for her family and loved ones,” he wrote. “This incident serves as a strong reminder that everyone needs to obey law enforcement. If they tell you to raise your hands, raise your hands; if they tell you to get out of the car, get out of the car. Argue with them in court and let a judge decide who is right or wrong, but you should not take a chance of getting hurt.”
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Donnie McClurkin denies rape claims from former parishioner]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/donnie-mcclurkin-denies-rape-claims-from-former-parishioner</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/donnie-mcclurkin-denies-rape-claims-from-former-parishioner</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leonardo Blair]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/6/70/67042.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Donnie McClurkin]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Facebook/Donnie McClurkin) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Pastor Donnie McClurkin denies the accusations. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2026 03:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Popular gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin said recent claims of rape and sexual assault from a man who served as a personal assistant at his church are “contrived and untrue." Believing he “will be vindicated," he asked for prayers for his accuser.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Popular gospel singer and pastor Donnie McClurkin said recent claims of rape and sexual assault from a man who served as a personal assistant at his church are “contrived and untrue." Believing he “will be vindicated," he asked for prayers for his accuser.
“Many of you are aware of the profane allegations of sexual assault/rape and coercion that have been recently lodged against me. I want to state clearly and unequivocally that these allegations are contrived and untrue!” the Grammy Award-winning “We Fall Down” singer, who has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, wrote in a statement posted on social media Wednesday.
“I understand the weight of such false claims, especially in our community rooted in faith, trust, and the teachings of Jesus Christ. And Sexual violence, in any form, is a real and painful reality for many and not to be used frivolously.”
McClurkin, 66, who built a ministry and church on his testimony of being delivered from a life of abuse and homosexuality, was accused in a lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York last Friday of repeatedly sexually assaulting and raping 43-year-old Giuseppe Corletto beginning when the accuser was about 21.
In addition to being a former member of McClurkin’s Perfecting Faith Church in Freeport, New York, Corletto says he was also employed as McClurkin’s personal assistant when some of the alleged assaults occurred.
In his statement on Wednesday, McClurkin claimed that Corletto isn’t the "survivor" he presents himself to be.
“True Survivors deserve to be heard, protected, and supported! At the same time, the TRUTH matters! And the TRUTH has not been told! And though I know many have already formed their opinions based on initial belief and controversy as we are apt to do with something of this false nature … I ask that this community exercises patience and trust in God’s timing for the truth to fully come to light,” McClurkin said.
“I have always sought to conduct myself with integrity, transparency, godly care, and responsibility in the fulfillment of my Christian life and duties. This accusation of salacious engagement or ANY misconduct that harmed, exploited, or took advantage of anyone and misused my position, leadership, or influence in any way in these false accusations is emphatically untrue.”
In his lawsuit, Corletto claims he first attended McClurkin’s church in August 2003, when he was just 21, after reading the singer’s 2001 book, Eternal Victim, Eternal Victor.  In the book, McClurkin shares his testimony about being delivered from homosexuality.
Corletto claims he sought out McClurkin’s ministry for “guidance” because he was “struggling with the acceptance of his sexuality in light of his religious beliefs.” The filing claims that Corletto became a target for grooming and predation by McClurkin and at least one other member of his team, who began making sexual advances within three weeks of Corletto starting to attend the church.
“After the service on or about August 3, 2003, plaintiff was brought to meet defendant MCCLURKIN, who prayed with him and assured him that defendant would help deliver him from homosexuality,” the lawsuit notes. “Shortly thereafter, one of defendant’s ministers, who confessed to plaintiff that he, too, was struggling with his homosexuality, began persistently contacting plaintiff, showing up to plaintiff’s home unannounced, and even making sexual advances toward plaintiff.”
Corletto said he considered leaving the church after the sexual advances until he was directly contacted by McClurkin, who reassured him that the harassing minister was being “dealt with” and that the sexual harassment was just a “test from God,” which he passed.
He subsequently developed a mentor-mentee relationship with McClurkin and was soon hired as the gospel star’s personal assistant.
The mentor-mentee relationship would later become confusing for the young Corletto. He claims McClurkin began groping his genitals “without his consent” during “‘pray the gay away’ spiritual sessions.”
“Plaintiff struggled to process these incidents of sexual abuse, as defendant was both his mentor and employer, making it difficult for him to speak out about the abuse he had suffered,” the lawsuit notes.
Corletto further alleged in graphic detail multiple instances over the next decade of McClurkin forcing him to engage in sexual acts against his will. These include an encounter at a hotel in Niagara Falls, New York, on June 28, 2013.
Corletto claims that after that incident, McClurkin wrote him an email apologizing for his behavior in which he described himself as “the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man.’”
“I want to apologize for all of my behavior that has been wrong and put you in a wrong place I am the actual epitome of a desperate dirty ‘old man’ ... pawning and groping a young man who is just looking for a friendship and close plutonic relationship with someone he wants looks to for help, guidance and spirituality,” McClurkin allegedly wrote in a copy of the email shared in the lawsuit.
“I was trying to go to a realm of sexuality that wasn't right and wasn't right FOR YOU~! (or me, for that matter). I feel so foul ... so stupid. I'm old enough to be your father and want to be something else to you. you [sic]don't have that desire for me and I shouldn't have it for you,” it continues. “I forced myself on you ... groping on you ... and when I think about it ... you never really touched me like that at all .... just wanted to sleep together and hug occasionally. … I am really embarrassed at how I am and how I acted.”
The lawsuit further states that Corletto returned to McClurkin's church in November 2015 to seek guidance while he "was experiencing mental health struggles," and he claims to have been assaulted again.
"Therein, Defendant MCCLURKIN engaged in further sexual misconduct against Plaintiff, taking advantage of Plaintiff’s vulnerability and currently fragile mental state," the lawsuit adds. 
In his statement on Wednesday, McClurkin asked his more than 2 million Facebook followers to pray for him and his accuser while insisting he would be vindicated.
“My love for and walk with Christ means everything to me and is deeply sensitive and sacred. … I live to please Him ... which is why it is essential that the facts be established carefully, responsibly, and fairly. Although I have NOT yet been SERVED with the official legal complaint, I am proactively cooperating fully with the appropriate processes and will vigorously defend to the fullest against this defamatory and baseless lawsuit. I am confident that when the truth is fully known, I will be vindicated,” he said. “Please pray for the accuser, as well … seriously and sincerely! I thank everyone for their continued prayers, support, and faith. God bless you all.”
Responding to the question of why he is just now coming forward with his claims against McClurkin after more than two decades, Corletto said it was not until he found “communications” from 2013 that the “full scope of the situation became clear.”
“Seeking justice is a deeply personal and difficult journey. For many years, I carried the weight of my experiences in silence, focusing on my mental health and my life. It was only RECENTLY, upon the discovery of specific, documented communications from 2013, that the full scope of the situation became clear and the path to legal accountability became possible,” Corletto wrote on Facebook.
“The 'WHY NOW' is simple: the truth has its own timing. While I cannot discuss the specific details of the ongoing litigation at this time, I am standing firm in my truth and looking forward to the legal process bringing this matter to a just conclusion. I appreciate those who have offered their support and ask for respect and kindness and privacy if that's possible, as I focus on this journey toward healing and accountability.”
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[US carries out strikes on Islamic State in Nigeria over violence against Christians]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/us-carries-out-strikes-on-islamic-state-in-nigeria-over-violence-against-christians</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/us-carries-out-strikes-on-islamic-state-in-nigeria-over-violence-against-christians</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/84/98464.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nigeria]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: X/DepartmentofWar) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Video released by U.S. Command shows missiles launched from a U.S. warship during strikes against Islamic State targets in Nigeria on Dec. 25, 2025. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2025 07:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The US military has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Nigeria over the violent "targeting" of Christians. ]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The US military has conducted airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Nigeria over the violent "targeting" of Christians. 
The strikes were carried out in northwestern Nigeria on Christmas Day. 
Christmas has become a tense time of year for the Christians across Nigeria's central and northern states due to the threat of attacks by Islamist extremists. 
The New York Times reports that the strikes targeted two IS camps in Sokoto State. The strikes involved missiles and drones, and were based on shared intelligence. The US military's Africa Command said on X that they took place "in coordination with Nigerian authorities". 
President Donald Trump publicly announced the operation on his Truth Social platform and said it was a response to ongoing attacks by IS-linked militants against Christian communities in Nigeria.
“Tonight, at my direction as commander in chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against Isis terrorist scum in north-west Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing – primarily innocent Christian – at levels not seen for many years, and even centuries," he said. 
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth commented on the strikes on X, saying, "The President was clear last month: the killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria (and elsewhere) must end. The Department of War is always ready, so ISIS found out tonight — on Christmas."
He added that there was "more to come". 
The Nigerian government and authorities have long been accused of inaction over the years-long targeting of Christians.
Some voices have tried to play down the targeting of Christians or frame them as herder-farmer clashes. Christian religious liberty groups disagree with this assessment.
Estimates vary but Open Doors believes that this year alone 3,100 Christians have been killed for their faith in Nigeria, out of 4,476 Christians globally. Nigeria is currently ranked 7th on the Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 worst countries for persecution of Christians. According to Open Doors, Nigeria also leads the world in the numbers of Christians abducted for their faith, with 2,830 out of 3,775 worldwide.
The Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, which monitors violence against Christians in Nigeria, thinks that as many as 7,000 Christians may have been killed in the country this year. 
In the last two months of the year, hundreds of staff and pupils were abducted from a Catholic school. They were eventually freed - or escaped - with the last few being released just before Christmas. Dozens more Christians have been kidnapped in recent months from Nigerian churches.
In recent months, Trump had warned that the US was prepared to take military action over the plight of the Nigeria's Christians, and last month the US redesignated it a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) - having been removed from the CPC list by the previous administration.
At the time, Trump said, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter." 
Open Doors was among the Christian groups to welcome Nigeria's return to the list.
“For too long the specific targeting of Christian communities have continued with impunity," a spokesperson for the organisation said. 
“The move by the Trump administration might not be the immediate fix of the complex root causes of the problem.
"However, it is an acknowledgement that the problem is large-scale and serious, and an important symbolic recognition to the tremendous suffering of the most vulnerable in parts of Nigeria."
Mervyn Thomas, founder president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, warned in November that Nigerian Christians are “under increasing siege” and that the violence is often being carried out with impunity. He said there was an "urgent need for the government of Nigeria to respond decisively to both terrorist violence and systematic repression". ]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[ACNA panel recommends archbishop stand trial]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/acna-panel-recommends-archbishop-stand-trial</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/acna-panel-recommends-archbishop-stand-trial</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Michael Gryboski]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/83/98300.png">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Archbishop Steve Wood]]></media:title>
                                                            <media:credit role="author" scheme="urn:ebu">
                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: YouTube/Christchurch Montgomery) ]]>
                                </media:credit>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ The Most Rev. Stephen D. Wood, archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, preaching a sermon at Christchurch Anglican in Montgomery, Alabama, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 10:34:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[The Board of Inquiry issued a short statement on Friday stating that there was “probable cause to present” ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood “for trial for violation of Canon 2 of this Title.”]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
The head of the Anglican Church in North America should be put on trial for allegedly violating ordination vows and for sexual immorality, a denominational investigative body has concluded.  
The Board of Inquiry issued a short statement on Friday stating that there was “probable cause to present” ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood “for trial for violation of Canon 2 of this Title.”
According to the board, Wood should be charged with “Violation of Ordination Vows,” “Conduct giving just cause for scandal or offense, including the abuse of ecclesiastical power” and “Sexual Immorality.”
The Board of Inquiry will refer its decision to The Court for the Trial of a Bishop, a seven-member ACNA court that oversees proceedings against bishops.
In October, The Washington Post published allegations that Wood had engaged in sexual misconduct and abuse of power while serving as rector at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
Claire Buxton, a divorced mother of three and former children's ministry director at St. Andrew's, alleged that Wood had touched her head and tried to kiss her while in his office in April 2024.
Buxton also claimed that Wood had given her thousands of dollars in unexpected payments that had come from congregation funds before he had allegedly made advances toward her.
Four presbyters and seven laity filed a formal complaint known as a presentment in response to the allegations leveled against Wood, with an inquiry board investigating the accusations.
Last month, the Most Rev. Ray Sutton released an official letter announcing that Wood was taking a voluntary leave of absence. Sutton was appointed to oversee the archbishop's office for the time being.
"The Provincial staff remains committed to serving the province. They will work to advance the Church's mission and priorities as outlined by Archbishop Wood during his absence," wrote Sutton.
"Please hold all these matters in your prayers. Finally let us keep in mind that God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)."
After Wood voluntarily took a leave of absence, ACNA officials released a Notice of Inhibition suspending Wood from ordained ministry for 60 days "unless extended or otherwise superseded by" church law.
The Right Rev. Julian M. Dobbs, dean of the ACNA Province, stated last month that the suspension "does not determine guilt or innocence, nor does it pre-judge any allegation or future proceeding."
Five senior bishops gave their consent to the inhibition: the Right Rev. Alberto Morales, the Most Rev. Foley Beach, the Right Rev. Eric Menees, the Right Rev. Kenneth Ross and the Right Rev. Clark Lowenfield.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Televangelist Benny Hinn and wife, Suzanne, finalize divorce for a second time]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/televangelist-benny-hinn-and-wife-suzanne-finalize-divorce-for-a-second-time</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/televangelist-benny-hinn-and-wife-suzanne-finalize-divorce-for-a-second-time</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leonardo Blair]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/14/91459.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Benny Hinn]]></media:title>
                                                                                        <media:description type="plain">
                                    <![CDATA[ Benny Hinn has publicly renounced prosperity teaching ]]>
                                </media:description>
                                                    </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[More than a year after she filed for divorce from televangelist Benny Hinn, Suzanne Hinn's marriage to the popular faith-healer is now officially over for a second time in 46 years.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
More than a year after she filed for divorce from televangelist Benny Hinn, Suzanne Hinn's marriage to the popular faith-healer is now officially over for a second time in 46 years.
Records from the Hillsborough County Court in Florida, first cited by the Trinity Foundation, show the Hinns' marriage ended in an uncontested divorce on Nov. 19.
When Suzanne Hinn filed for divorce in the summer of 2024, the former couple had been living in separate homes more than 60 miles apart.
Matthew Wilson, Suzanne Hinn's attorney who works with the Anton Garcia Law firm in Tampa, declined to comment when contacted by The Christian Post on Wednesday.
When asked for a statement, Benny Hinn's attorney, Damon Chase, said his client was not the one who requested the divorce, but the case was settled amicably, claiming they are still very much in love with each other.
"Benny Hinn and Suzanne Hinn still love each other with a deep, profound soulmate type of love, and they always have for years and years and years. They just got divorced. It was personal feelings. It was something personal to them, but they did what they felt was right," Chase said. "They're still very much in each other's lives. And will always be in each other's lives."
Chase insisted the divorce was for undisclosed personal reasons, saying the couple still prays together and remains committed to Christian ministry.
"There is no end of the relationship. They both love each other very much," Chase told CP.
"As you can see from reviewing the file, it was extremely amicable. They both will always be in each other's lives, and like, always, they're very, very close. They love each other a lot, both of them. And that was clear all through [the process]. This was not like some contentious divorce or anything like that."
The court filings in the matter are not currently available for public viewing.
In February 2010, Suzanne Hinn served her husband with divorce papers in California's Orange County Superior Court, citing "irreconcilable differences" after 30 years of marriage. They were first married on Aug. 4, 1979, and have four children together.
In the summer of 2010, the National Enquirer photographed Hinn leaving a hotel room with fellow televangelist Paula White, reports Charisma. The Enquirer report claimed that Hinn and White had spent three nights in a five-star hotel that the televangelist booked under an alias.
Hinn later said that he and White had a "friendship" that he ended after the National Enquirer report was published and denied allegations of an "affair." 
"No immorality whatsoever. These people out there are making it sound like we had an affair. That's a lie," Hinn told followers at a crusade in California.
Hinn claimed the Vatican had made him a Patron of the Arts, and he took White to Rome because he wanted her to become a donor to help maintain the Vatican's art collections.
"I let her come with me to Rome so she can donate money," Hinn said. "That was stupid on my part. And for that, I do ask forgiveness."
In 2012, the Hinns announced their reconciliation. Benny Hinn also claimed that their divorce was triggered by Suzanne Hinn's addiction to prescription drugs.
"Suzanne started taking certain prescription medications to help her cope with some of her personal struggles. She became dependent on those for nearly 15 years, and those medications made her behave erratically at times," Hinn wrote in a message on his ministry's website at the time. "As her husband, I did not know the extent of her reliance on these medications, nor did I fully understand just how much harm they were causing to her, physically and emotionally."
The couple remarried in 2013 at the Holyland Experience in Orlando, Florida, before an audience of 1,000.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Liberty University expands into Europe in response to growing secularism]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/liberty-university-expands-into-europe-in-response-to-growing-secularism</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/liberty-university-expands-into-europe-in-response-to-growing-secularism</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Eyte]]></dc:creator>
                                                                                                                            <media:content  url="https://www.christiantoday.com/media/original/img/9/46/94623.jpg">
                            <media:title><![CDATA[Liberty University]]></media:title>
                                                                                </media:content>
                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2025 06:41:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA["In the long term, secularism grows in Europe because we're not investing in teenagers and the next generation with Christian values," said Lucian Mustata, who is working with the university on its digital expansion into the region.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Liberty University, a large, private, non-profit evangelical Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia, is now offering 600 online degrees to students in Europe and actively exploring the possibility of establishing a physical campus in the future.
The university collaborated with marketing expert Lucian Mustata as its European representative for the project.
Commenting to Christian Daily International into reasons why the American higher education facility is extending its reach across the Atlantic, Mustata said Liberty seeks to meet a critical need for students who want to pursue ordinary careers while grounding their education in Christian faith-based learning.
Liberty’s move specifically intends to counter the rise in secularism in Europe, he said.
"Europe is growing very heavily in secularism," Mustata explained, "and technology very heavily impacts the next generation. We face a challenge: we have a shortage of education with Christian content-based faith."
Mustata said students go to university to secure a secular job, such as becoming a medical doctor. However, theology-based colleges only prepare them for careers as church pastors or similar roles, failing to train them for occupations within the wider secularist sphere.
He cited the example of his home country Romania, where some 20 high schools lead academic ratings in the country, but the most academically successful students come from Christian schools. In fact, he opined that students from non-faith schools are not achieving as well, which creates a growing societal problem if students fail to achieve the grades needed to progress into careers that benefit wider society.
Mustata also believed that parents prioritize their children receiving an education that exists "in a safe environment," free from issues involving drugs or violence. 
"They want safety, most importantly, not if they're the best. And parents want to enroll them all in a Christian school, even secular [non-believing] parents, because they feel safe."
The issue for this "movement in Europe," however, is that no space currently exists in Europe, Mustata opined, for a Christian university that offers courses such as law or medicine, with Christian faith content.
Mustata talked to Liberty about the issue, and they told him of their interest to invest in higher education in Europe to provide such a wider career platform at the university level.
"We would like to give the opportunity to European Christians," Mustata said, outlining how Liberty runs large campuses in the U.S. with tremendous facilities and resources they could leverage for Europe. He cautioned, however, that the project would unfold at a slow pace.
Even so, "we need to invest in the next generation. In the long term, secularism grows in Europe because we're not investing in teenagers and the next generation with Christian values. It's very important to have Christian education in Europe," Mustata explained. 
“Liberty is coming in to see if they can cover these needs. But it's a step, it's a process, and we would like to test this space with European people. From homeschooling to PhD's, Liberty runs the biggest campus Christian university in the world."
Mustata said his own motivation is not financial gain, even though he runs the marketing company involved, but because he passionately believes in the value of Christian education for Europe.
"I'm not doing this for money. I'm doing this because I believe in encouraging Christian education in Europe. We need to do something for the continent. We face a big problem in that not everyone wants to be pastoring or doing social work, but if they want to study in a Christian space and be anything they want to be in the world [career-wise], they can have the opportunity to study in a faith-content based context.”
Mustata became involved in the project through his friendship with Dr. Dondi Costin, the president of Liberty. Conversations about "Heartbeats," the large Christian music festival and outreach ministry Mustata founded, led to a wider conversation about the condition of Christian education in Europe.
“To be honest, I didn’t know anything about education,” Mustata said, arguably downplaying his own brave battle as an orphan found abandoned in a litter bin as a baby who fought his way through the Romanian orphanage system to become a successful businessman.
The Liberty president informed Mustata about the university’s methods, and that sparked Mustata’s interest in pursuing something similar in Europe.
From that moment, he became the official representative of the ongoing project on the continent.
“Liberty has now opened a big door to Europe, and they now have a heart for Europe,” Mustata said. “And they would love to invest in this, just as they did in America 50 years ago.
“But this isn’t about Liberty; it’s about wanting to do something for Christian education. And Liberty is the institution that can offer to cover this need.”
Practically, Mustata said Liberty is currently offering its presence to European students online with an organic structure that they can shape in the future to become a physical presence—a campus—depending on the project’s growth.
Some people prefer online learning, and others prefer a physical educational experience, Mustata elaborated, recalling how many paradigms changed after COVID-19.
“The pandemic changed the world, and this now makes sense for people.”
Mustata said Liberty will intentionally offer its online programs in the online space with appropriate European accreditations.
“They are going to be more intentional to see the need and if they can open a school in Europe.”
Many people in Europe are unaware of the American Christian university, so Mustata viewed his role as marketing the education they offer.
As a Romanian national, he considered his own country, which has the largest evangelical community on the continent, a priority in terms of raising awareness.
“We have many Christians, and they don’t know about Liberty’s programs. So it makes sense to start marketing in Romania because we are the biggest community for them.”
Mustata has been marketing Liberty’s move on social media channels and other media through his marketing company, Lucian and Partners.  This has involved special financial offers for prospective students and organizing web webinars to teach people.
“We want to see if a big demand exists to open a college or university in Europe,” he added.
© Christian Daily International]]></content:encoded>
            </item>
            </channel>
</rss>