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        <title>Christian Today | US</title>
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                                                        <item>
                <title><![CDATA[Gateway Church Robert Morris leaves prison]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/gateway-church-robert-morris-leaves-prison</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/gateway-church-robert-morris-leaves-prison</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leonardo Blair]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[robert morris]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Gateway Church) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris speaks on March 21, 2020. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 08:53:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Morris said he was "deeply sorry" for his actions in a statement issued after leaving prison.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Hours after his release from the Osage County Jail in Oklahoma on Tuesday, following his completion of a six-month sentence for sexually abusing Cindy Clemishire for multiple years beginning when she was 12 in the 1980s, Gateway Church founder Robert Morris publicly asked for her forgiveness and reflected on the time he spent behind bars.
In a statement shared with The Christian Post by his attorney, William B. Mateja, the Southlake, Texas, megachurch founder revealed that his time spent in jail helped him realize even more how wrong he was for abusing Clemishire.
“I want to speak directly to Cindy Clemishire and her family. What I did to Cindy decades ago was wrong. There is no other word for it, and there is no excuse for it. I am deeply sorry. I have carried the weight of that wrong for a very long time, and I am grateful — genuinely grateful — that the Clemishires had the courage to bring this into the light,” Morris said in his statement.
“It is only in the light that things can truly be addressed and healed. Many years ago, I sought their forgiveness privately, and as Cindy’s father recently noted, he extended that grace to me — a grace I did not deserve and have never taken for granted. I ask again, publicly, and sincerely, for the forgiveness of Cindy and her entire family. Whatever healing lies ahead for them, I pray for it with all my heart.”
Responding to Morris’ statement Tuesday, Clemishire told CP that she forgave Morris a long time ago and hopes his remorse following his time in jail is genuine.
“I forgave Robert Morris many years ago, and forgiveness is something I continue to walk out — sometimes daily, as needed. Forgiveness, however, does not erase the truth of what happened or the lifelong impact it has had on me,” she said in a written statement.
“His words today are, in many ways, what any victim would hope to hear. But it is still deeply disheartening that those words were not spoken directly to me and my family on October 2nd, when he stood before the court and pleaded guilty. That moment mattered,” she continued.
“While I hope his statement reflects genuine remorse, I cannot know whether those words came from his heart or were carefully prepared for him. What I do know is this: what happened to me on December 25, 1982, when I was 12 years old, was not a relationship — it was a crime. And it changed the course of my life forever.”
Morris was indicted in March 2025 on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child by a multi-county grand jury in Oklahoma in connection with his actions against the now 55-year-old Clemishire, who reported that Morris began sexually abusing her on Dec. 25, 1982, when she was 12, and continued with the abuse for four-and-a-half years after that. At the time, Morris was a traveling evangelist. 
He pleaded guilty last October to accept responsibility, according to his attorney Bill Mateja.
"He simply accepted responsibility for his crime from the mid-1980s and pled guilty. He pled guilty because he wanted to accept responsibility for his conduct. While he believes that he long since accepted responsibility in the eyes of God — and that Gateway Church was a manifestation of that acceptance — he readily accepted responsibility in the eyes of the law by virtue of his guilty plea," Mateja told CP in an earlier statement after Morris was sentenced.
Morris, who was also ordered to pay $270,000 in restitution, still faces an ongoing defamation lawsuit from Clemishire along with Gateway Church.
In her defamation lawsuit, which has been halted pending a mandamus review, Clemishire and her father, Jerry Lee Clemishire, are seeking more than $1 million in damages, alleging that Morris and Gateway Church leaders publicly mischaracterized the abuse she suffered as a consensual "relationship" with a "young lady" instead of the sexual assault of a child after the abuse was made public in 2024.
The petition for mandamus review was filed on Nov. 14 by attorneys for Gateway Church and their independent elders John D. "Tra" Willbanks, Kenneth W. Fambro II and Dane Minor. It came after Dallas County District Court Judge Emily Tobolowsky rejected a motion from the church and elders to dismiss the Clemishires' lawsuit, citing the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which holds that courts lack jurisdiction over matters of religion.
In her statement to CP Tuesday, Clemishire insisted that Morris and Gateway Church profited from the mischaracterization of her abuse.
“For decades, a false narrative was allowed to exist — one that minimized the truth and helped build a platform and following, while my life was left in pieces. That reality cannot be overlooked,” she said.
“My healing journey is ongoing and will be for the rest of my life. But today is not just about me — it is about truth being acknowledged, and about accountability finally taking place.”
She thanked Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, District Attorney Gayland Gieger, and lead investigator Kylie Turner for helping to bring Morris to justice.
“Their commitment ensured that what was hidden for so long was finally brought into the light,” she said. My hope moving forward is that this case helps create space for other survivors to be heard, believed and protected — and that the truth is never again rewritten at the expense of a victim’s life.”
In addition to seeking Clemishire’s forgiveness, the Texas megachurch founder also apologized to the Body of Christ for the “damage” he caused.
“I am sorry for the pain, the confusion and the damage that has come upon so many believers because of my actions. That is a weight I carry, and it is right that I carry it,” Morris wrote.
“I have thought a great deal about what it means that this was brought to a legal resolution. At first, that was a hard thing to handle. But the more time I spent in that jail cell, the more clearly I could see that what the Clemishire family set in motion was an act of integrity, and that it gave me something I needed — a moment of true reckoning in the eyes of the law, not just in my own heart or before God,” Morris continued. “It opened my eyes to things I had not fully seen.”
Morris also expressed thanks to the Osage County Jail staff for treating him with “professionalism, fairness, and genuine decency, as they did for all inmates.”
He also expressed thanks to his support system, including his wife, Debbie.
“As I look ahead, I do not have a grand announcement to make about what comes next. What I have is gratitude — for Debbie, for my family, for those who loved me when I was hardest to love, and for the mercy that I do not deserve but have been given,” he noted.
“I intend to live quietly and with integrity, and to be the kind of husband, father, grandfather, and man who reflects that mercy in how he treats others. Scripture has always been my anchor, and it remains so now. The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians, ‘Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows,’” he added.
“That verse has been with me through these months. The harvest from seeds I sowed long ago in sin was real, and it was just. But I believe equally in what follows — that when we turn, and when we sow differently, a different harvest is possible. That is not wishful thinking. That is the promise of grace. I am counting on it, and I am committed to living up to it.”
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Trump shares letter from Franklin Graham telling him to accept Jesus as his Saviour]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/trump-shares-letter-from-franklin-graham-telling-him-to-accept-jesus-as-his-saviour</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/trump-shares-letter-from-franklin-graham-telling-him-to-accept-jesus-as-his-saviour</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jon Brown]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Donald Trump and Franklin Graham]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Facebook/Franklin Graham) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumb's up beside evangelist Franklin Graham. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Tue, 31 Mar 2026 13:05:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[President Donald Trump shared a letter on Palm Sunday that had been sent to him by evangelist Franklin Graham last October, which urged him to seriously consider his eternal state, accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour and cease trusting in his own works if he hopes to go to Heaven.]]></description>
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President Donald Trump shared a letter on Palm Sunday that had been sent to him by evangelist Franklin Graham last October, which urged him to seriously consider his eternal state, accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour and cease trusting in his own works if he hopes to go to Heaven.
In a letter dated Oct. 15, 2025, Graham congratulated Trump for securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the return of remaining Israeli hostages, which he praised as "incredible accomplishments" and "an answer to prayer" amid Trump's "historic" leadership. He also praised Trump for being a peacemaker, noting that Jesus promised blessing for such figures.
Graham went on to exhort the president to remember that, despite his many accomplishments and apparent blessings, neither he nor anyone else can earn favour before God and salvation from Hell apart from trusting in the righteousness and atoning death of Jesus Christ, performed on their behalf.
"This week you commented to the media that you might not be heaven bound," Graham wrote, referring to remarks Trump made last October, walking back previous comments he made last August suggesting he might earn a place in paradise by inking peace deals.
Trump's initial comments prompted a flurry of theological debate among his Evangelical supporters, many of whom worried that Trump maintained a faulty view of the Gospel, despite hearing it many times and narrowly escaping death multiple times.
"Maybe you responded in jest, but it is an important issue to know for certain that your soul is secure and will spend eternity in the presence of God," Graham told Trump in his letter. "The only One who can save us from Hell is Jesus Christ. You can't save yourself; I can't save myself."
Graham, whose father, the late Rev. Billy Graham, preached in person to more people than anyone in history, warned that "good works, prominence, [and] success" are powerless to gain entry into Heaven, adding, "The only way to Heaven is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ."
Though Graham was accused by some X users and media outlets of promising Trump he was going to Heaven, Graham's letter clearly presented Trump's salvation as conditional upon his faith, which he noted is inextricable with repentance.
"God requires us to turn from our sins and, by faith, believe in our heart that Jesus came to earth, died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and God raised Him to life on the third day," he said.
"If you accept that by faith and invite Him to come into your heart, you ARE heaven bound, I promise you," he added.
Graham closed his letter by promising prayer for Trump and quoting the Gospel message from Romans 10:9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
Trump shared Graham's letter amid concerns even from some of the president's staunchest supporters regarding his increasingly mean-spirited attacks in response to the suffering and death of his enemies.
Trump drew scorn for celebrating the death of former special counsel and FBI Director Robert Mueller earlier this month, provoked Christian rebuke for attacking his political foes during the National Prayer Breakfast in February and prompted two-thirds disapproval from Republicans for mocking the late Hollywood director Rob Reiner after his own son gruesomely murdered him and his wife in December.
During his eulogy for the late Charlie Kirk at his memorial last September, Trump admitted that he "disagreed" with Kirk when it comes to forgiving one's enemies, noting, "I hate my opponent. And I don't want the best for them."
"Erika [Kirk], you can talk to me and the whole group, but maybe they can convince me that that's not right, but I can't stand my opponent," he added to Kirk's widow, who famously forgave her husband's murderer during the same memorial.
Despite some accusations of cynicism from detractors on social media, Graham's letter drew approval from figures such as evangelist and Trump supporter Sean Feucht, who expressed hope last fall that the 79-year-old president's remarks could indicate that he is at least thinking about eternity and questioning where he will spend it.
"He has no shortage of people that have clearly explained to him on phone calls, on conference calls, in person ... about the forgiveness of sins, repentance, by grace alone you can be saved, not by works," Feucht said at the time.
"He's heard it many, many times. However, I do think it is amazing [...] that he is acknowledging now that his good works alone — all his wealth, all his fame, all his stature, all his accolades, all his power — is not enough to get him to Heaven, and he's right. And that takes humility," said Feucht.
"I believe God is moving his heart closer than ever before," he continued, adding that he is praying that Trump would have a public conversion experience before he leaves office.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Trump pastor says Iran war is a 'spiritual obligation']]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/trump-pastor-says-iran-war-is-a-spiritual-obligation</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/trump-pastor-says-iran-war-is-a-spiritual-obligation</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Staff writer]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Tehran, Iran]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: YouTube / Guardian) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ A building in Tehran damaged by an Israeli missile strike. ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 05:57:00 +0100</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[One of Donald Trump’s most vocal Christian supporters has justified the Israeli-US military strike on Iran.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
One of Donald Trump’s most vocal Christian supporters has justified the Israeli-US military strike on Iran, claiming it was akin to preventing a rape.
Pastor Mark Burns, speaking to The Telegraph at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), said, "It’s our obligation, spiritual obligation. If I saw a woman being raped by a man, it’s my spiritual obligation to go over there and to defend that innocent woman.
“There are millions of innocent Iranians that have been held by gunpoint at the hand of this evil dictator, just like what’s happening in Russia, in Ukraine. It is our obligation. We don’t want the fight. We’re not looking for the fight.
“There are millions of Iranians that, again, are shouting thankfulness to [Netanyahu]], thankfulness to President Trump, that this evil regime is now being toppled and being challenged so that they can be free.”
Pastor Burns said that President Trump had received God’s protection from the two attempts on his life, adding that the near miss in 2024 had led Trump to a more serious engagement with his own personal faith.
The current conflict began with a US-Israeli military strike assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and other key leaders. Conflict has been raging ever since, with both sides launching missiles and airstrikes at each other’s territory and proxies.
Both sides have also accused each other of using religious justifications for the current conflict and of attempting to bring on their own religion’s version of the end times.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been accused of comparing Iran to the biblical “Amalek”, a tribe that God orders to be exterminated, while complaints have also been received within the US military about the use of Christianity to justify the war.
One complaint alleges that a commander told soldiers that President Trump was “anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth”.]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Joseph Duggar of '19 Kids and Counting' arrested for child molestation]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/joseph-duggar-of-19-kids-and-counting-arrested-for-child-molestation</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/joseph-duggar-of-19-kids-and-counting-arrested-for-child-molestation</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leonardo Blair]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Joseph Duggar]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: TLC) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Joseph Duggar ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Joseph Duggar, whose older brother Josh Duggar is currently serving time in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Former “19 Kids and Counting” star Joseph Duggar, whose older brother Josh Duggar is currently serving time in prison for receiving and possessing child pornography, has been arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior involving unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office in Panama City, Florida, said in a statement Wednesday night that a 14-year-old girl alleged that Duggar, 31, sexually abused her several times when she was 9. The girl who first made the allegations to the Tontitown Police Department in Arkansas said the abuse allegedly took place during a family vacation in Panama City Beach.
“According to the investigation, the incidents took place in 2020 while the family was staying at a residence on Danny Drive," the Bay County Sheriff’s Office said. 
The teenager said Duggar eventually apologized for his actions and stopped the abuse after the apology.
Investigators said Duggar was confronted about the abuse on Tuesday by the teenager’s father. He confessed to the abuse and was arrested by detectives at the Tontitown Police Department. The confession led to his arrest. He is now awaiting extradition to Bay County.
“19 Kids and Counting,” which aired on TLC from 2008 to 2015, was once one of the most popular reality shows on television. The show focused on the lives of independent Baptists Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 kids in Arkansas.
The show was pulled from TLC in 2015 after the now 38-year-old Josh Duggar, the oldest Duggar child, was accused of molesting his sisters when he was 14 years old, according to a 2006 police report.
Josh Duggar apologized for acting "inexcusably," and his parents framed the time of the allegations as "one of the most difficult times in our lives." In the police report, one of Josh's sisters alleged that he inappropriately touched her when she was about 5. Their parents later stated that, "This was not rape or anything."
Josh Duggar would later be convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography in December 2021.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the former Christian reality star repeatedly downloaded and viewed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, including images of prepubescent children and depictions of sadistic abuse.
“This verdict also demonstrates that no person is above the law," U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes for Western Arkansas said in a statement at the time. "Regardless of wealth, social status, or fame, our office will continue to seek out all individuals who seek to abuse children and victimize them through the downloading, possession, and sharing of child pornography.”
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Most Americans don't believe faith in God is necessary to be moral]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/most-americans-don-t-believe-faith-in-god-is-necessary-to-be-moral</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/most-americans-don-t-believe-faith-in-god-is-necessary-to-be-moral</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leonardo Blair]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[young people friends community relationships]]></media:title>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Sat, 14 Mar 2026 05:02:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[A record majority of Americans now say that it isn’t necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values, but this view is primarily held by individuals who already don't believe in God, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
A record majority of Americans now say that it isn’t necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values, but this view is primarily held by individuals who already don't believe in God, according to new data from the Pew Research Center.
The research, published earlier this month, also highlights a growing share of people around the world who say belief in God isn’t necessary to be moral and have good values.
Data for the United States portion of the research was collected from 3,605 adults between March 24-30, 2025, as part of the American Trends Panel Wave 166 Survey. It shows that the question of whether or not people need God to be moral and have good values was asked 18 times since 2002, and in 2025, 68% of U.S. adults agreed that “It is not necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.”
It's the largest share of U.S. adults to agree with that statement since 2002. In 2014, that share was 58%.
“From 2002 through 2011, Americans were split fairly evenly or tilted toward the view that people need to believe in God to be moral and have good values. Starting in 2014, however, Americans have been more likely to say the opposite — that belief in God is not necessary to be moral,” Jonathan Evans, senior researcher at the Pew Research Center, said in a statement.
The data show that since 2020, approximately two-thirds of U.S. adults have held the position that belief in God isn’t necessary to be moral and have good values.
Researchers also posed the question to adults in 24 other countries from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas in the spring of 2025. Significant majorities in half of those countries, mostly in Europe, agree that belief in God isn’t necessary to be moral and have good values.
Only India and Indonesia saw growth in the share of adults who say it’s necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values.
“Indians today are 6 points more likely than in 2019 (85% vs. 79%) and 15 points more likely than in 2013 (85% vs. 70%) to say belief in God is necessary to be moral,” Evans stated. “In Indonesia, 96% of adults or more have connected belief in God with morality all five times we’ve asked the question since 2007.”
Still, the data show “a strong correlation between believing in God and saying that belief in God is necessary to be moral,” according to Evans.
Unlike many countries in Europe, the research found that in places like Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Turkey, a clear majority of adults linked morality and good values to belief in God.
“In Hungary, for instance, two-thirds of adults who say religion is very important to them also say that belief in God is necessary to be moral,” Evans noted. “Among Hungarians who place less personal importance on religion, by comparison, just 19% connect belief in God with morality.”
The latest findings on America’s ideas on morality come as recent Gallup data show that Americans with no formal religious identity, popularly known as the “nones,” reached a record share of the population in 2025. It also showed that fewer than 50% of U.S. adults say religion is “very important” in their lives.
Less than half (47%) of American adults say religion is “very important” in their lives, while another 25% said it is “fairly important” to them.
The share of Americans who say religion is “very important” in their lives has been in gradual decline from 70% to 75% in the 1950s and 1960s, to 58% in 2012, according to Gallup.
“Americans’ relationship with religion continues to evolve, marked by fewer adults describing religion as central to their lives,” Megan Brenan, a senior editor at Gallup, concluded.
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Religious ‘nones’ reach record high in US]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/religious-nones-reach-record-high-in-us</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/religious-nones-reach-record-high-in-us</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Leonardo Blair]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[american flag]]></media:title>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Only 47% of Americans say religion is ‘very important’.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Americans with no formal religious identity, popularly known as the “nones,” reached a record share of the population in 2025, according to Gallup data that shows fewer than 50% of adults also report that religion is “very important” in their lives.
The findings, based on interviews with more than 13,000 U.S. adults across Gallup’s monthly 2025 surveys, show that the share of Americans identifying as “nones” reached a new high of 24%, up from 21% to 22% over the previous four years. The share of Americans identifying as “nones” has grown steadily from 2% in 1948 to its current record.
In addition to the quarter of American adults identifying as “nones,” some 28% have said religion is “not very important” in their lives, which has remained constant since 2022.
Less than half (47%) of American adults say religion is “very important” in their lives, while another 25% said it is “fairly important” to them.
The share of Americans who say religion is “very important” in their lives has registered below 50% in recent years. It has been in gradual decline from 58% in 2012, and 70% to 75% in the 1950s and 1960s, according to Gallup.
“Americans’ relationship with religion continues to evolve, marked by fewer adults describing religion as central to their lives, rising religious non-affiliation and persistently low levels of religious service attendance,” Megan Brenan, a senior editor at Gallup, concluded.
The survey shows that while a majority of all demographic groups in America said their faith was very important to them from 2001 to 2005, only six groups remain highly religious, well over 50% today. They are: Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Republicans, Protestant or non-denominational Christians, black adults, adults aged 65 and older, and Southerners, said Gallup. Majorities of lower-income Americans, women, and those aged 50 to 64 also report that religion is very important to them.
“While religion remains deeply important to major segments of the population (Republicans, Protestants, Black adults, older Americans, and Southerners in particular), the long-term trajectory shows a steady decline driven largely by generational replacement,” Brennan said. “Younger adults are both less likely to identify with a religion and less likely to attend services, reshaping the nation’s religious landscape as they constitute a growing share of the population.”
In "Breaking Free of the Iron Cage: The Individualization of American Religion," published in the peer-reviewed open-access academic journal Socius last year, researchers suggested that more Americans are leaving organized religion in search of personalized faith perspectives that embrace syncretism — a fusion of different religions.
“Our analysis shows how young people are responding to the bureaucratization and rationalization that [German sociologist Max] Weber predicted would create an ‘iron cage’ in modern institutions, developing new forms of religious and spiritual expression outside formal institutions,” the researchers wrote.
“We bring the iron cage argument back to religion, making the case that rising individualization and autonomy reflected in the 1960s countercultural movement set the stage for a revolution against the bureaucratization and politicization of religion.”
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <title><![CDATA[Francis Chan apologises for past endorsements of fallen ministry leaders]]></title>
                <link>https://www.christiantoday.com/news/francis-chan-apologises-for-past-endorsements-of-fallen-ministry-leaders</link>
                <guid isPermaLink="true">https://www.christiantoday.com/news/francis-chan-apologises-for-past-endorsements-of-fallen-ministry-leaders</guid>
                                                            <dc:creator><![CDATA[Anugrah Kumar]]></dc:creator>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[francis chan]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: YouTube/Moody Bible Institute) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Francis Chan ]]>
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                                                                            <pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 08:20:00 +0000</pubDate>
                <description><![CDATA[Pastor and New York Times–bestselling author Francis Chan has issued a public apology acknowledging that his past endorsements of Mike Bickle and other Christian leaders who were later disgraced by scandal contributed to confusion, hurt and broken trust within the Church.]]></description>
                <content:encoded><![CDATA[
Pastor and New York Times–bestselling author Francis Chan has issued a public apology acknowledging that his past endorsements of Mike Bickle and other Christian leaders who were later disgraced by scandal contributed to confusion, hurt and broken trust within the Church.
In a statement published through his ministry, Crazy Love, Chan said he has been convicted in recent days by biblical passages warning that people will give an account for “every careless word,” prompting him to reflect on his own speech and leadership after more than four decades of teaching the Bible.
The California-based pastor said he has faced criticism for responding slowly or not responding publicly when controversies emerge, stating that his first reactions often include pride, self-preservation, hurt or anger. He said he has tried to restrain those responses and speak only in ways that offer grace to those who hear.
He said he has received repeated requests in recent years to publicly address leaders he once endorsed who were later exposed for wrongdoing.
Over his 40 years in ministry, he said he has seen “hundreds of leaders fall,” with scandals involving immorality, false prophecies and greed.
"Each time, it feels like a kick in the stomach," Chan wrote. "Years of immorality are uncovered, false prophesies are exposed, or greed is brought to light."
Chan said Scripture teaches that when a leader falls, the sin should be exposed publicly so others are not misled. At the same time, he said modern expectations for public denunciations differ from earlier eras of ministry, when it was assumed that prior endorsements no longer applied once wrongdoing became known.
“For the sake of clarity, please know that of course I do not continue to endorse people like Mike Bickle (founder of the International House of Prayer Kansas City) who have been caught in unrepentant immorality,” Chan said. He added that if he issued a public statement each time he realized he had trusted someone wrongly, the list would be “very, very long," adding that he doesn't believe it is a "biblical mandate" for everyone to "weigh in" any time a ministry scandal is exposed.
"I understand that some people see it as apathetic or irresponsible to refrain from commenting on these situations," Chan stated. "But I would ask you to consider that after issues have been disclosed about someone, there may be some of us who remain silent, not because we don't care, but because we believe there is already too much focus and discussion about these people. I've seen leaders get pressured by others to say things that God may not be leading them to say. I have fallen into this trap as well."
Chan acknowledged that his previous support of leaders who later proved untrustworthy contributed to the pain experienced by fellow Christians.
“I know that my endorsements of leaders who have later fallen have added to the hurt and heartbreak experienced by the Body, and for this, I sincerely apologize,” he said.
He addressed a specific remark he made in 2021 defending Bickle, saying he regretted previously calling people “so foolish” for abandoning the leader because they had “heard something from a friend.” Chan said that the comment referred to theological disagreements circulating at the time, but now recognizes it could have discouraged people with legitimate concerns.
A second statement accompanying Chan’s apology came from the network elders of We Are Church, an entity founded by Chan. In that statement, Kevin Kim, Rob Zabala, Sean Brakey and Joe Moore said Chan had no knowledge of hidden moral failure when he associated with or endorsed the leaders involved.
The elders said Chan’s public words carried influence and that some of those statements unintentionally gave credibility to leaders who later proved deeply untrustworthy. They apologized for the confusion, hurt and loss of trust that resulted.
They also acknowledged the victims of abuse connected to those leaders, writing that protecting vulnerable people and confronting abuse must take priority over protecting reputations or institutions.
The statements address questions surrounding Chan’s relationship with Bickle of IHOPKC, which attracted a global following for teachings on prayer and prophetic ministry.
Chan and the elders said that before working with Bickle, Chan had conversations with Bickle’s wife, IHOPKC leaders and other pastors who had known him for decades, and the consistent testimony he received described Bickle as a man of strong character and devotion.
They said Chan also consulted ministry leaders outside the charismatic tradition before agreeing to speak at an IHOPKC event and heard no concerns about Bickle’s character at that time. The elders said they reviewed public criticisms of IHOPKC but found no verifiable evidence of moral misconduct before 2023.
Allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power involving Bickle surfaced in the fall of 2023, leading to investigations and public scrutiny of the ministry.
Bickle acknowledged “inappropriate behavior” in December 2023 while denying more serious sexual allegations. A 68-page report later released by the independent sexual abuse investigation firm Firefly concluded that Bickle used predatory tactics and spiritual manipulation to sexually abuse at least 17 females, including minors.
The report also described sexual misconduct allegations involving other individuals connected to IHOPKC and identified 16 accused staff members implicated in such claims.
Sam Storms, pastor emeritus of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City and a longtime friend of Bickle, publicly apologized in February 2025 for defending the ministry leader over many years.
Storms said he had once considered Bickle one of his closest friends, but changed his view after speaking with Deborah Perkins, one of Bickle’s alleged victims, in August 2023.
Chan said he first heard the allegations about Bickle in 2023 and traveled with Storms to confront him in person, but Bickle refused the meeting. 
© The Christian Post]]></content:encoded>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Dr George Barna]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Arizona Christian University) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Dr George Barna ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[donald trump assassination]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: X) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Donald Trump being bundled away after an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[The Rev Jesse Jackson pauses during an address to black activists, ...]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Christian Today) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The Rev Jesse Jackson pauses during an address to black activists, Christ Church, London, 12 November 2007. ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Bible reading, Bible, Bible study, faith, Christian living, discipleship, life]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Unsplash / Sixteen Miles Out) ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Darlington nurses]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Christian Legal Centre) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ The Darlington nurses outside Parliament. ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[lgbt]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: Getty/iStock) ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Shawna Collins]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: LinkedIn) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Shawna Collins ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Shawn Bolz]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: YouTube/Bethel) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Shawn Bolz speaking and allegedly prophesying at Bethel Church in Redding, California. ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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                <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>
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                            <media:title><![CDATA[Nekima Levy Armstrong]]></media:title>
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                                    <![CDATA[ (Photo: X / Secretary Kristi Noem) ]]>
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                                    <![CDATA[ Nekima Levy Armstrong is one of those charged. ]]>
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                                                                            <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>
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