Mark A. Kellner

‘Holy Troller’ Sean Feucht, Christian rock musician, responds to critics in new book

Sean Feucht, the Christian rocker anointed a "Holy Troller" last month by Rolling Stone magazine, says such brickbats "kind of [get] me excited" because they draw the curious to what he says is just a message of hope.

August 10, 2022

Florida Christian school exempted from Biden LGBTQ rules, will keep federal lunch funding

A religious academy in Florida will continue to receive the federal funding it uses to provide free meals to 56 low-income students despite the school's decision to reject the Biden administration's new LGBTQ-friendly education policies -- including government mandates on hiring, restrooms, dress codes and the use of pronouns.

August 8, 2022

Refusal to hate, engaging with others, drives Sikhs decade after shooting attack

Education, cross-cultural engagement, and refusing to hate are what the 500,000 Sikhs in the United States are doing as they face a grim anniversary -- the spasm of violence that killed six worshipers and wounded four others at a gurdwara, or temple, in a Milwaukee suburb ten years ago, a community leader said.

August 5, 2022

Crypto Catholics? Archdiocese of Washington first to accept cryptocurrency donations

The Archdiocese of Washington says it's happy to accept cryptocurrency donations, even if parishioners can't physically put Bitcoin into a collection plate. It's believed to be the first Catholic diocese in America to announce the capability.

August 4, 2022

Cuba cracks down on religious citizens despite constitutional ‘guarantees,’ experts say

The recent expulsion of a dissident Protestant cleric by Cuba's communist regime is just the latest evidence of a larger crackdown on people of faith in the Caribbean nation, experts at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said this week.

August 3, 2022

Washington state AG targets Christian university in LGBTQ employment probe

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has asked an evangelical university in Seattle to turn over a wide range of documents relating to LGBTQ hiring and alleged discrimination.

August 3, 2022

LDS Church President Nelson to rededicate D.C. temple Aug. 14

Russell M. Nelson, president of the 16.8 million-member Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will lead Aug. 14 ceremonies rededicating the group's temple in Kensington, Maryland, the church said Wednesday.

August 3, 2022

Democratic lawmakers demand IRS probe of Family Research Council’s tax status

The head of the Family Research Council said Tuesday evening that a call by 40 Congressional Democrats for a Treasury Department/IRS investigation of the group's "association of churches" tax-exempt status was "factually challenged" and asserted the organization isn't "trying to hide anything" from the public.

August 2, 2022

Religious persecution overseas threatens U.S. national security, retired general says

Religious persecution overseas is a threat to American security, retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin said in an interview Friday, adding, "it's only going to grow unless we wake up and start taking a very strong stand against this."

August 1, 2022

Vatican office OKs Latin Mass for eight Arlington congregations

Three Arlington Catholic churches have been permitted by the Vatican to continue offering the Traditional Latin Mass for two more years, while five other congregations in the diocese will offer the 1962 rite in other locations.

August 1, 2022

AOC rips Supreme Court’s ‘legitimacy’ after Alito’s swipe at foreign critics

Remarks by a U.S. Supreme Court justice at a religious liberty summit in Rome have sparked condemnation from a New York Democrat.

July 29, 2022

Catholic school guidance counselor’s firing over same-sex marriage is legal, federal court rules

A federal appeals court Thursday sided with a Roman Catholic high school in Indianapolis against a former guidance counselor who sued after losing her job for entering a same-sex marriage.

July 29, 2022

Webb telescope image to make postage stamp debut Sept. 8

An image from the James Webb Space Telescope will soon appear in mailboxes around the world, courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service.

July 26, 2022

Jewish Federations official helps refugees from Ukraine

The woman leading Ukrainian refugee efforts for the Jewish Federations of North America has a personal stake in the monthslong effort.

July 26, 2022

Iran’s media campaign against religious minorities continues, U.S. commission says

Iran's government is continuing its misinformation campaign against minority religions, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a new report Monday.

July 25, 2022

Va. AG ‘reviewing’ complaint Inova rejected ‘multiple’ religious vaccine exemption applications

Inova Health Systems is violating Virginia law by denying "multiple employee requests" for religious and disability exemptions from the firm's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, state attorney general Jason S. Miyares said in a letter Friday.

July 23, 2022

D.C. cardinal limits ‘traditional’ Latin Mass to three churches, cuts long-term favorite

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, said Friday only three "non-parochial" churches will be allowed to offer the Traditional Latin Mass after Sept. 21.

July 22, 2022

Justice Department takes up detention officer’s religious discrimination suit against Michigan city

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a detention officer in Lansing, Michigan, who was fired when her religious observance clashed with city official's scheduling.

July 20, 2022

Elementary school logo evokes Nazi image, critics claim; district halts rollout

A suburban Atlanta school district said it would scrap a proposed elementary school logo whose eagle design critics said evoked images of Nazi insignia. The reversal followed complaints from area Jewish residents, including the executive director of a synagogue across the street from the school.

July 20, 2022

Christian youth workers, chaperones safe in Panama unrest and headed home

Travel arrangements are pending for close to 30 Seventh-day Adventist young people and their escorts after their mission trip to southern Panama was threatened by social unrest in the region. During the past week, social and economic protests have paralyzed ground transportation in the Central American country.

July 16, 2022