Mark A. Kellner

How locations fell into place for ‘The Chosen,’ a viral series on Christ

Lt. Col. Randall Raymer, a 40-year Salvation Army officer, as pastors in the denomination are called, needed a miracle.

July 7, 2021

‘The Chosen,’ dramatic TV series about Jesus, ends second season with 200 million total online views

"The Chosen," the crowdfunded TV series that found a new way to tell a familiar story, wrapped its second viewing season Sunday after exceeding its creator's expectations on several fronts. The episode centered on what led up to the Sermon on the Mount and what happened afterward.

July 7, 2021

Before and after: Photos chronicle an ex-heroin addict’s triumph over adversity

Once addicted to heroin, and with 17 felony convictions on her record, Ginny Burton of Rochester, a rural Washington state town, has a message for those battling addiction or other life issues: It's never too late to change.

July 6, 2021

‘Church planting’ network boasts growth in new churches in midst of pandemic

A "church planting" network has launched 25 churches -- 18 of them in the U.S. -- in the past year amid a global pandemic that forced millions of believers to forgo weekly religious services, often by government order.

July 4, 2021

Gay men not qualified for ministry, Presbyterian Church in America votes

The conservative Presbyterian Church in America voted Thursday to disqualify all gay men from serving in its ministry.

July 2, 2021

Southern Baptist leader Ed Litton faces more questions on plagiarism allegations

Southern Baptist Church pastor Ed Litton, elected June 15 as president of the nation's largest Protestant denomination, is expected to be in the hot seat Friday over questions of alleged sermon plagiarizing and exactly which of the veteran preacher's messages are still available online.

July 1, 2021

Biden’s 2020 margins came from atheists, agnostics; Trump’s White evangelical backing rose: Study

People who don't believe in God gave President Biden the winning edge in the 2020 popular vote, a Pew Research Study released this week revealed.

July 1, 2021

New Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton greeted with baptism by fire

Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking for anyone, but for Rev. Ed Litton, just elected president of the 14 million-member Southern Baptist Convention, his first two weeks on the job could perhaps best be described as a baptism by fire.

June 29, 2021

President Biden’s parish in D.C. won’t restrict Communion

A D.C. Catholic church frequently attended by President Biden won't deny the chief executive -- or anyone else -- the sacrament of Holy Communion based on political opinions, according to a statement released Tuesday.

June 29, 2021

D.C. area church members help cancel $9 million in medical debts

Members of eight United Church of Christ (UCC) congregations in and around the District of Columbia have enough money to cancel $9 million in medical debt for people in four states. More than 7,800 families in Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and New Jersey will benefit from the fundraising drive, church officials said Tuesday.

June 29, 2021

Ex-HHS official Severino predicts decade of religious liberty wins following Fulton ruling

A former Trump administration official says religious liberty advocates will see a decade of court victories in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent ruling for a Catholic foster care agency.

June 28, 2021

Trump supporter Pastor Robert Jeffress: Biden has ‘kept’ his promises as ‘pro-abortion president’

Robert Jeffress, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, had an unexpected assessment of President Biden, who on Jan. 20 succeeded Donald Trump, the president Mr. Jeffress avidly supported for four years.

June 26, 2021

Army won’t reprimand chaplain who expressed concern over proposed transgender rules

The Army said Thursday it will not reprimand a decorated chaplain for comments he posted on Facebook questioning Biden administration proposals to change the military's policy on transgender troops.

June 24, 2021

Pompeo to Christian broadcasters: Pray for me to be ‘in the right place’

Five months after leaving office, former Secretary of State -- and potential 2024 GOP presidential hopeful -- Mike Pompeo Thursday asked hundreds of Christian broadcasters to pray that he is in "the right place for me to be able to listen to the Lord, to surrender myself to the Lord, so that I can listen well."

June 24, 2021

Salvation Army going ‘woke’ with anti-racism document

The Salvation Army, best known for its red kettle donation stands at Christmas, has released a racial reconciliation curriculum urging its members to apologize for past racial misdeeds.

June 24, 2021

Pat Boone, 87, tells of God’s grace in ‘The Mulligan,’ Christian feature due 2022

Pat Boone balked at playing Marilyn Monroe's on-screen love interest. He sang his heart out in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "State Fair." And he was a bobbysoxer heartthrob who out-polled Elvis Presley as a teen favorite in 1957, when each had chart-topping songs.

June 23, 2021

Few voters support forcing churches to hire workers opposing religious tenets in Equality Act: Poll

Fewer than one-quarter of likely U.S. voters support key elements of the proposed federal Equality Act, which would require businesses and faith-based institutions to hire individuals who do not necessarily share their religious beliefs.

June 22, 2021

Catholic leader retreats on Communion document aimed at Biden, Dems supporting abortion

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops late Monday appeared to waver on what a teaching document on the Holy Communion -- voted on last week by the group's members with a draft due in November -- will say about whether Catholic politicians such as President Biden, who support abortion rights, can receive the sacrament.

June 21, 2021

Evangelical-Jewish author Rosenberg sees room for optimism in Biden, Bennett pairing

Novelist, journalist, and political insider Joel C. Rosenberg, whose Middle East connections extend from the top echelons of Israeli governments to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, believes there is room for optimism over U.S.-Israeli relations despite changes in administrations in Washington and Jerusalem.

June 21, 2021

Christian broadcasters claim year of advancement amid pandemic

Representatives of the nation's more than 4,000 Christian radio and television stations gather Monday to note a year of advancement in the face of a pandemic whose lockdowns have decimated tens of thousands of secular businesses.

June 20, 2021