Christopher Vondracek

Jehovah’s Witness Sergey Filatov 6-year prison sentence in Crimea condemned by rights groups

Religious liberty groups expressed alarm Thursday that a Russian pressure campaign against the Jehovah's Witnesses was expanding, after a member of the faith was sentenced to six years in a penal camp in the former Ukrainian region of Crimea.

March 5, 2020

South Dakota becomes fourth state to ban faculty unions at public colleges

South Dakota lawmakers have approved a ban on faculty unions at public universities, a move which would make the state the fourth to outlaw collective bargaining at public colleges.

March 4, 2020

Congregations alter religious practices amid concerns over coronavirus spread

Houses of worship across the country are encouraging celebrants to bump elbows instead of shake hands, altering Communion practices and recalling missionaries from overseas amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

March 3, 2020

Phil Vischer creates ‘Laugh and Learn Bible for Kids’ to simplify Scripture for children

A collection of Bible stories for children, as told by the creator of the Christian-themed "VeggieTales" cartoon series, addresses a uniquely modern problem: the hunger for meaningful narrative, says its author.

March 2, 2020

Parental watchdog calls for new oversight board for children’s content on television

A parental watchdog group is calling for the end of a federally supported board that is supposed to keep harmful television content from children but is dogged by criticism of being a shill for the entertainment industry.

March 1, 2020

CPAC: Young conservatives urge GOP to take lead on climate change

A group of young Republicans at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) advised attendees Thursday to take the lead on climate change -- or else watch Democrats enact new rules of the road.

February 27, 2020

DOJ backs photographer who refuses gay marriage jobs

The Justice Department on Thursday filed a statement of interest in a federal lawsuit in which a Kentucky photographer claims a Louisville ordinance forces her to take pictures of same-sex weddings.

February 27, 2020

Pennsylvania shooting suspect held in solitary for refusal to cut dreadlocks sues to get out

A county jail in central Pennsylvania has kept a shooting suspect in solitary confinement for more than a year because he refuses to cut his dreadlocks. Jail officials say his hair can conceal weapons, but the inmate says his hair ensures his entrance into the afterlife, as a Rastafarian.

February 26, 2020

University of Louisville student barred from contacting LGBTQ studies class

Administrators at the University of Louisville have barred a student from contacting participants in an LGBTQ studies class where the student had distributed anti-gay literature.

February 25, 2020

Supreme Court won’t hear Walgreens religious liberty case

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will not hear a religious liberty lawsuit brought by a longtime Walgreens employee who was fired for not showing up to work on his Sabbath.

February 24, 2020

Supreme Court to take on LGBTQ foster care case

The Supreme Court announced Monday it will hear a case next term involving the city of Philadelphia's decision to no longer work with foster care agencies that refuse to place children with married, same-sex couples.

February 24, 2020

DOJ sues Nebraska reservation town over restrictions on evangelical church

Federal prosecutors slapped a lawsuit on a small, mostly American Indian community in northeastern Nebraska for allegedly unduly restricting the construction of a church for an evangelical congregation.

February 21, 2020

David Daleiden, pro-life activist, to plead not guilty to criminal charges

The undercover videographer who surreptitiously shot video of Planned Parenthood officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue plans to plead not guilty Friday to criminal charges in California.

February 21, 2020

Minnesota parents spar over rainbow flag display in middle school cafeteria

Parents in southwest Minnesota are at odds with a public middle school that is displaying a rainbow flag in its cafeteria, saying the banner for LGBTQ people doesn't represent their beliefs.

February 20, 2020

Iowa lawmakers renew push for 72-hour abortion waiting period

Two years after the Iowa Supreme Court struck down a 72-hour waiting period for abortions, state lawmakers are trying again to pass the same legislation, hoping a newly conservative court will boost the chances of the law surviving a legal challenge.

February 19, 2020

Boy Scouts file for bankruptcy due to sex-abuse lawsuits

The Boy Scouts of America declared bankruptcy Tuesday amid an ever-shrinking membership and a host of lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct by thousands of Scouting workers or volunteers over several decades.

February 18, 2020

Jehovah’s Witness tortured in Russian prison, group says

Russian officers applied electric shocks to a captive Jehovah's Witness this week, a spokesman for the World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witness in New York said.

February 14, 2020

Duquesne University in Pittsburgh not required to recognize labor union, federal judge rules

A federal appeals court ruling that a Catholic university in Pittsburgh does not have to recognize a faculty union has sparked concern about collective bargaining agreements for faculty and staff at Catholic colleges across the country.

February 13, 2020

Operation Lady Justice aims to help solve epidemic of murdered, missing indigenous women

American Indian leaders on Wednesday told emotional stories of missing loved ones and delivered practical steps to Trump administration officials during the first listening session of a newly created federal task force to combat the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women.

February 12, 2020

Betsy DeVos urges American Indians to pursue school choice

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told a gathering of the National Congress of American Indians on Wednesday that native communities should pursue school choice, noting the high federal costs to educate Indian children and low performance at schools.