By Lisa Daftari The wife of an American pastor imprisoned in Iran for his Christian beliefs delivered an impassioned plea to foreign diplomats gathered in Geneva, begging them to press the Islamic republic to free her husband. Naghmeh Abedini, whose husband Saeed Abedini is serving an eight-year sentence in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, told members…
By Andrew T. Walker Recent events involving perceived restrictions on religious liberty within the Army, Air Force, and the Pentagon have many concerned about the military’s stance toward people of faith. These concerns have even prompted Members of Congress to send a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, seeking answers and clarifications around such…
By David Roach NASHVILLE (BP) — When natural disasters occur, most Americans take increased interest in God and donate to relief agencies — and they trust faith-based agencies more than their secular counterparts. A third also believe prayer can avert natural disasters. Those are among the findings of a LifeWay Research survey conducted days after…
By Bob Smietana (RNS) For the Rev. Ernest Easley, the decision to cut ties with the Boy Scouts was simple. The Bible says homosexuality is a sin. The Boy Scouts do not. “We are not willing to compromise God’s word,” said Easley, pastor of the 2,300-member Roswell Street Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., which has…
By Morning Star News Expatriate Christians who ran an orphanage in Morocco until they were deported on charges of proselytism said yesterday (June 1) they will take their fight to be reunited with the children to the Supreme Court if necessary. An appellate court earlier this month delivered a verbal ruling in favor of the…
By World Watch Monitor Religious persecution in Eritrea is at its “highest level ever and getting worse”, an Eritrean Christian leader, who cannot be named for security reasons, has told the Christian charity Open Doors International. Thirty-seven Christian students from the College of Arts and Social Sciences in the town of Adi Kihe, and five…
By Lisa Daftari The wife of the Iranian-American pastor held in Iran, along with U.S. attorneys representing the family, have traveled to Geneva and will present his case to the United Nations Human Rights Council Monday, urging the organization to push harder for the pastor’s immediate release. Saeed Abedini, the 33-year-old Idaho resident serving an…
The Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America elected its first openly gay bishop to a six-year term on Friday at an annual assembly in Southern California, officials said. The election of Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin comes after the church’s controversial rule change in 2009 that allowed gays and…
By Christina Fox “Mommy, what’s the matter?” My son can sense it. The tension and worry that saturates my heart oozes from my presence. “I just have so much on my mind. I forgot to do something, that’s all,” I replied. But that’s not all. I say it like it’s not a big deal. But…
By Christina Ng A number of churches that previously sponsored Boy Scout troops have said they plan to sever ties to the organization following its decision to lift a longtime national ban on admitting openly gay Scouts. Openly gay adults will still be barred from leadership roles in the organization. “I think I can say…