Weekly religion news roundup (August 15-21, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Pexels
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
Cardinal Zuppi leads seven-hour prayer, naming every child killed in Holy Land war. The head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference took turns with dozens of other members of his diocese reading the names and ages of the 16 Israeli children and the 12,211 Palestinian children who have been killed in the war. (RNS)
When Putin’s in Town, Alaska’s Slavic Christians Keep Praying for Peace. As political leaders meet over the Ukraine war, Orthodox and Protestant congregations gather to ask God to orchestrate an end to the fighting. (Christianity Today)
James Dobson, Focus on the Family founder and key leader on the Christian right, dies at 89. Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson was a child psychologist who launched a radio show to counsel Christians on parenting and started Focus on the Family in 1977. Alongside fundamentalist giants like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, he became a force in the 1980s for pushing conservative Christian ideals in mainstream American politics. (Associated Press)
Dozens dead in flash floods on popular Himalayas pilgrimage route. Flash floods have killed 46 people in a village hosting Hindu pilgrims in Indian-administered Kashmir. (BBC News)
Pastors Unsure If Discipleship Is Really Happening In Their Churches. In the first part of the State of Discipleship study from Lifeway Research, U.S. Protestant pastors shared their understanding of what discipleship means and how it best occurs. The full State of Discipleship will be released over the next year, providing the perspectives of both pastors and churchgoers. (Religion Unplugged)
Each Friday in The Christian Citizen, we publish a Religion News Roundup with summaries of religion news stories and links for those who want to read more.
How Orthodox Jewish families are finding ways to support their trans children. To connect parents and trans children with inclusive synagogues, Eshel, an organization supporting LGBTQ+ people in Orthodox environments, developed a program called “Welcoming Shuls,” where people can confide in spiritual leaders who will treat them with respect. (Associated Press)
Doug Wilson agrees to debate ‘Sons of Patriarchy’ after dueling events in Moscow, Idaho. Pastor Doug Wilson has agreed to a live on-air discussion with the producers of “Sons of Patriarchy,” a podcast dedicated to exposing what it describes as abuse within Wilson’s church, Christ Church, after a confrontation during a weekend of dueling events in Moscow. (RNS)
Once home to a cult, the Chilean tourist village haunted by torture and child abuse. Once known as Colonia Dignidad, it was home to a secretive religious sect founded by a manipulative and abusive leader who collaborated with the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. (BBC News)
Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick threatens to expel those who won’t stand for Christian prayer. As the Texas Senate convened its second special session Aug. 15 — primarily to gerrymander five more Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened to remove anyone who doesn’t stand for the invocation. (Baptist News Global)
‘International Day’ Highlights Rising Global Religious Violence. August 22nd marks the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, a day established by the United Nations General Assembly to condemn acts of violence targeting individuals on the basis of or in the name of religion or belief. (Religion Unplugged)