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Articles by Peter SMith
Southern Baptist Convention continues membership slide but grows in attendance, baptisms
Southern Baptist membership sank last year to its lowest level since 1973, even as the U.S.' largest Protestant denomination saw increases in baptisms and attendance at services. Those results for 2025 were released Tuesday by Lifeway Research, the denomination's research affiliate. Membership fell by 3% to 12.3 million, continuing a nearly two-decade decline. At the same time, weekly worship attendance was up by nearly 4% to 4.5 million. The number of baptisms increased 5% to 263,075.
Orthodox Christians in Alaska pray for peace ahead of Trump-Putin summit
ANCHORAGE (AP) — Orthodox Christians across Alaska have been taking part in three days of prayer for peace ahead of Friday's summit there between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will focus on the war in Ukraine. Orthodoxy is the majority religion in both Russia and Ukraine, although the religion has also been a source of controversy.
What is Shavuot? The Jewish festival that started hours after Boulder, Colorado, attack
Sunday afternoon's attack in Boulder, Colorado, took place hours before the start of a major Jewish festival, Shavuot. Authorities say a man used a flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into a group holding one of its regular rallies in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Gaza. Eight people were injured, some with burns. What is Shavuot? Shavuot (pronounced Shah-voo-OTE), Hebrew for “weeks," has been observed since biblical times.
Enjoy Dinner and Support our Veterans
Join us on Thursday, May 29, 2025, for a special all-day dining event at the Dunellen Hotel, where 10% of all purchases will benefit the Central and West Central Veterans Committees. Enjoy a great meal while supporting a great cause that honors those who served. The Dunellen Hotel is located at 120 North Washington Ave, Dunellen, NJ — reservations may be required. For more information, contact Pete Smith at 908-656-4011.
Who are the US cardinals who will vote for the next pope? There are 10, the largest bloc after Italy
The United States is the home country of 10 of the 133 cardinals eligible to vote for the next pope of the Catholic Church. That's more than any nation except Italy, home to 17 of the electors who will gather at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Wednesday for the conclave that will choose a successor to Pope Francis.
Most immigrants at risk of deportation from US are Christian, report finds
As many as four in five immigrants at risk of deportation from the United States are Christian, according to a new report that calls on their fellow believers to consider the impact of the Trump administration's aggressive deportation policies. The report says about 10 million Christians are vulnerable to deportation and 7 million U.S. citizens who are Christian live in households where someone is at risk of deportation.
Saving Torah scrolls and saying prayers, Los Angeles fires leave congregants without worship spaces
Flames were already attacking the campus of Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center when the cantor, Ruth Berman Harris, and three companions rushed in to rescue its sacred Torah scrolls. “There’s absolutely nothing except for a few walls and the empty space,” said the Pasadena Jewish Center’s executive director, Melissa Levy. Nevertheless, hundreds of its congregants have gone to the site “to say, ‘Goodbye’” to the places where they celebrated milestones in their faith and family lives, Levy added.
New SBC President commits to move sex abuse reforms forward
ANAHEIM, California (AP) - The new president of the Southern Baptist Convention said Wednesday he will accelerate sex abuse reforms in the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Texas pastor Bart Barber's first priority: to assemble a panel of people -- Southern Baptist leaders and experts -- to shepherd this work for the whole convention as mandated by thousands of representatives from local SBC churches.
A viral video in which a woman confronts her pastor at an independent Christian church for sexually preying on her when she was a teen. A TV documentary exposing sex abuse of children in Amish and Mennonite communities. You might call it #ChurchToo 2.0. Survivors of sexual assault in church settings and their advocates have been calling on churches for years to admit the extent of abuse in their midst and to implement reforms.
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