Mark A. Kellner

Santa’s tomb? Researcher says Church in Turkey burial place for original St. Nick

Renovations at a church in Demre, Turkey, uncovered what a local preservationist said is the burial place of St. Nicholas, the local bishop who became known throughout the world as "Santa Claus," a Turkish news agency reported.

October 19, 2022

Catholic priests worry about bishops’ support in event of false abuse accusations: study

Catholic priests in the United States worry about false accusations of abuse and how much their bishops would support them if that were to happen, according to the largest survey of its kind in more than 50 years.

October 19, 2022

Baltimore regulations violate abortion protester’s First Amendment rights, lawsuit says

A Maryland man has sued the city of Baltimore claiming violations of his rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion.

October 14, 2022

Ivanka Trump volunteers for Christian group cooking meals for hurricane relief workers in Florida

First responders cleaning up after Hurricane Ian in Florida received hot meals Wednesday from volunteers with CityServe, a Christian organization that supports local churches in meeting human needs.

October 14, 2022

Court says no free lunch for homeless, Good Samaritans must register before sharing food

A three-member panel of federal judges says no free lunch for the homeless in St. Louis until churches register and pay a $50 fee for permits before handing out sandwiches.

October 13, 2022

Sikhs’ appeal to start boot camp with beards, long hair, turbans gains sympathy at D.C. hearing

Three Sikhs who want to keep their religiously mandated uncut hair, beards and turbans during Marine Corps basic training brought their case to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Tuesday afternoon.

October 12, 2022

Inflation hitting America’s churches hard, pastors say in new survey

More than half of American pastors surveyed last month said inflation is hitting their churches in the balance sheet, despite "stable" giving patterns.

October 12, 2022

Vatican II impact still felt 60 years later as generation that participated passes

Six decades have passed since Pope Saint John XXIII announced his intention to "open the windows" of the Roman Catholic Church by convening a gathering of bishops known as the Second Vatican Council.

October 11, 2022

Southern Baptist leader’s remarks on church sex-abuse cases fall far short, says survivor

The new president of the Southern Baptist Convention should have spoken out more forcefully on widespread charges of abuse and sexual misconduct by church figures in the organization on Sunday's "60 Minutes," says an abuse survivor.

October 10, 2022

Postal Service files plans to raise first-class letters to 63 cents come January 2023

The U.S. Postal Service announced a parcel of rate increases Friday afternoon, the latest in a series of semi-annual rate hikes officials say the quasi-governmental corporation needs to keep pace with inflation and maintain a balanced budget.

October 7, 2022

West Virginia’s top court upholds private school scholarships in victory for parents, advocates say

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is lauding a state Supreme Court ruling that upholds the state's Hope Scholarship Act, a year-old law allowing parents to send children to private and often faith-based schools.

October 7, 2022

End is near, new Bible prophecy books assert as market demand surges

Two noted Christian writers this week released new books claiming we're at the end of time. Neither the Rev. Michael Youssef nor the Rev. David Jeremiah -- both evangelical pastors with large television and radio teaching ministries -- suggest it's time to max out the credit cards. Still, each is unusually concerned about present trends.

October 6, 2022

70 years later, ‘Power of Positive Thinking’ finds new generation of readers

A folksy self-help book that drew derision when it was first released has survived in print for seven decades and now is finding a new generation of readers.

October 6, 2022

AOC, five other N.Y. Dems call on Orthodox Jewish university to recognize gay student group

New York's Yeshiva University should "recognize" a gay student group, a group of congressional lawmakers including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told the orthodox Jewish school in a two-page letter recently.

October 4, 2022

Donations not needed for Yom Kippur observance at Bethesda Chabad, rabbi says

No ticket, or annual donation, is required to worship on Yom Kippur with Chabad of Bethesda, Rabbi Sender Geisinsky said Tuesday.

October 4, 2022

Christian network TBN to feature weekly news/analysis show from Jerusalem

Beginning Thursday, Trinity Broadcasting Network will air a new weekly news and analysis program from Jerusalem hosted by evangelical author Joel C. Rosenberg.

October 4, 2022

Catholic school can fire guidance counselor in same-sex marriage, federal district court rules

Religious schools have the right to require that their teachers should reflect the values of the institution, a federal judge in Indiana ruled Friday, rejecting a discrimination lawsuit filed by a gay teacher fired by a Roman Catholic high school.

October 3, 2022

Mormon leader, 98, acknowledges aging as he sits at podium during two-day event

Russell M. Nelson, the 98-year-old president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced plans for 18 new temples to be constructed across the globe, including five new U.S. locations, at the group's biannual General Conference Sunday afternoon in Salt Lake City.

October 2, 2022

LDS Church leader, 98, decries abuse in global talk, but turns heads for sitting at the podium

Russell M. Nelson, the 98-year-old president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, decried sexual abuse in a brief message to the group's biannual General Conference Saturday in Salt Lake City.

October 1, 2022

Newsom’s pro-choice billboards citing Bible verse draw rebukes from religious leaders

Gov. Gavin Newsom's inclusion of a Bible verse on two billboards in conservative-led states advertising California as an abortion sanctuary is drawing sharp denunciations from religious leaders on the right.

September 30, 2022