The LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) met Sept. 15-19 in El Paso, Texas — first for its regular quarterly meeting and then for an expanded “Consultation on Immigration Issues.”   At the consultation, the CTCR heard presentations from…

“Family Shield,” a weekly Christian radio program produced by Family Shield Ministries, St. Louis, expanded in September to 49 stations in 25 states.  The program was previously carried on four stations and Internet/satellite sites. The 15-year-old program — formerly an…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case involving three employees who were fired by the Christian humanitarian agency World Vision, allowing the relief group to maintain its mandatory statement of faith for its workers. World Vision…

(RNS) — Why do young Christians leave the church? New research by the Barna Group finds they view churches as judgmental, overprotective, exclusive and unfriendly toward doubters. They also consider congregations antagonistic to science and say their Christian experience has…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — How does a modern filmmaker with qualms about religion make a movie about the power of an ancient Christian pilgrimage? That’s the dilemma that actor/director Emilio Estevez faced when making “The Way,” a new film that opened…

(RNS) — With the 2012 campaign gearing up before an angry and divided electorate, U.S. Catholic bishops on Oct. 4 reminded Catholic voters that they can’t cherry-pick from church teachings to justify their own political preferences, and cautioned both sides…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Washington National Cathedral will need “tens of millions of dollars” over “numerous years” to repair extensive damage to the nation’s second-largest church following an Aug. 23 earthquake, church officials said Oct. 4. The landmark church requires…

(RNS) — Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may be dead, but the power of the Internet means he won’t soon be forgotten. And that, experts say, could make him just as dangerous dead as he was alive. Counterterrorism experts say…

LONDON (RNS) — A major new survey by Britain’s national statistics bureau shows that despite growing immigration and competition from other faiths, nearly seven in 10 Britons still describe themselves as Christian. That doesn’t mean, however, that U.K. Christians actually…

(RNS) — Jews, Muslims and their allies cheered Oct. 2 as California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill prohibiting all local bans on circumcision, making it illegal for local authorities to restrict the medical or religious practice. Anti-circumcision activists had…

ROME (RNS) — The Jews of old wandered the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. For the exiled Jews of Libya, it’s already been 44. The struggle to reopen a synagogue in Libya, 44 years after the forced…

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (RNS) — The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, the driving force behind the Birmingham integration efforts that energized the national civil rights movement, died Oct. 5 at age 89. Shuttlesworth said he never feared death, and repeatedly put himself on…

(RNS) — For much of his 92 years, Billy Graham has had one main title: evangelist. But in a new memoir set in the twilight of his remarkable life, Graham reveals a lesser-known side of himself: a grieving and ailing…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — More than a thousand rabbis from around the world have signed a statement denouncing the burning of an Israeli mosque as police arrested a suspect who is alleged to be a Jewish extremist. “We condemn those in…

WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday, Oct. 5, on religious exemptions to employment law, and advocates for greater church autonomy say several justices seemed to be on their side. Those justices focused on the motivation…

LANCASTER, Pa. (RNS) — Terri Roberts was eating outside with a co-worker on a bright October day when an ambulance wailed nearby and a helicopter swooped overhead. As she often did at a sirens’ sound, Roberts said a quick prayer.…