(RNS) — The city council of Santa Monica, Calif., has voted to halt unattended, private displays in a public park after a fight last year between atheists and Christians who had erected Nativity scenes for decades. The June 12 vote came…

(RNS) — How much money does the U.S. government forgo by not taxing religious institutions? According to a University of Tampa professor, perhaps as much as $71 billion a year. Ryan Cragun, an assistant professor of sociology, and two students examined…

By Adriane Dorr In the aftermath of the recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) contentious mandate regarding religious organizations’ coverage of contraceptive services, more than 20 religious leaders have signed their names to a letter — drafted by…

(RNS) — In an unexpected blow to the Obama administration and a major boon for America’s Catholic bishops, the influential Catholic Health Association (CHA) June 15 rejected White House proposals aimed at easing faith-based objections to the contraception mandate. “The more…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is urging pastors to seek a common moral ground by uniting under a consistent code of ethics. NAE leaders said the new code will provide uniform guidance to church leaders across the…

(RNS) — For the fifth year in a row, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has seen a drop in its total membership. The denomination’s membership in 2011 was 15,978,112, a drop of nearly 1 percent from the 2010 figure of 16.1…

By Linda C. Hoops The 72 career missionaries who serve The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod by sharing the Gospel message with people in countries around the world have another task: Telling the story of their work — and God’s work — to…

Delegates to the June 11-14 convention of the LCMS Montana District re-elected the Rev. Terry R. Forke as president and passed resolutions emphasizing their commitment to protecting human life. Forke, 56, will serve his third term as district president. He is…

BEIJING (RNS) — A pregnant woman who was dragged to a hospital by authorities and forced to have an abortion has enraged Chinese and sparked an online flurry of debate over whether it is time to end China’s draconian one-child…

The Rev. Dr. Chris C. Wicher of Cheektowaga, N.Y., was elected to his second term as president of the LCMS Eastern District at the district’s 97th Regular Convention, June 15-16 in Amherst, N.Y.  Wicher, 55, was re-elected on the first…

The Rev. Dr. Dean W. Nadasdy is the new president of the LCMS Minnesota South District.  Delegates to the district’s 76th convention, meeting June 14-16 at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minn., elected him president on the second ballot.  As…

The historic Saxon Lutheran Memorial in Frohna, Mo., will host its Second Annual Bluegrass Music Fest on Saturday, June 30. The event starts at 10 a.m. and ends after dark with a fireworks show. Frohna is located in Perry County, Mo.,…

Delegates to the 2012 LCMS Southern District’s 73rd convention re-elected the Rev. Kurtis D. Schultz of Slidell, La., on the first ballot to his fourth three-year term as district president.   The convention, June 14-16 in Metairie, La., had as its…

The Rev. Timothy Yeadon, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Hartford, Conn., since 1985, is the new president of the LCMS New England District. Yeadon, who formerly served as first vice-president of the district, was elected on the first…

Delegates to the LCMS Ohio District’s 20th convention, meeting June 14-16, re-elected the Rev. Terry Cripe as district president and, among major resolutions, made a substantial financial commitment in support of Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Mich. With “Enriched in Every…

Mark Kreklau, husband of Lutheran Women’s Missionary League President Kay Kreklau, died June 13 at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, N.D., with his family by his side. Kreklau, 70, died of recently diagnosed lung cancer. A celebration of his life was held…