Weekly religion news roundup (December 12-18, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
Accused gunman in Bondi Beach shooting charged with 15 counts of murder. The charges include one count of murder for each fatality and one count of committing a terrorist act, police said. (RNS)
Millions are pledged to a Syrian Australian man who stopped a gunman and became a national hero. Ahmed Al Ahmed, who is married with two young daughters, faces a long struggle ahead, those who have spoken to him since Sunday’s massacre say. (RNS)
Israel fires mortar into Gaza residential area, wounding at least 10. Israeli troops fired a mortar shell over the ceasefire line into a Palestinian residential area in the Gaza Strip, in the latest incident to rock the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas. Health officials said at least 10 people were wounded, and the army said it was investigating. (AP News)
Flag linked to Christian nationalism, Jan. 6 hung at Education Dept. The agency’s union said the department ‘has no place for symbols that were carried by insurrectionists.’ (USA Today)
At Pentagon Christmas Service, Franklin Graham Praises ‘God of War’. Speaking at a “Christmas Worship Service” at the Pentagon on Wednesday (Dec. 17), evangelist Franklin Graham celebrated that God is not just a God of love but also of hate and war. (Public Witness)
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.
Oklahoma Supreme Court invalidates Bible-based standards. Oklahoma’s Bible-based K-12 social studies standards are invalid because the state Board of Education violated open meetings statutes in adopting the curriculum in February, the state Supreme Court ruled Dec. 16. (Baptist News Global)
In recorded message, Rob Reiner urges resiliency for Holocaust survivors at Hanukkah event. In a video message recorded weeks before he was killed, Hollywood icon Rob Reiner urged Holocaust survivors participating in a Hanukkah ceremony on Thursday to “be resilient” during difficult times. (AP News)
Muslim group sues DeSantis over his executive order. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis violated the U.S. and state constitutions with an executive order labeling the Council on American-Islamic Relations a terrorist organization, the Muslim civil rights group says in a new federal lawsuit. (Baptist News Global)
New York is set to legalize medically assisted suicide with ‘guardrails,’ governor says. New York is set to become the latest state to legalize medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill under a deal reached between the governor and state legislative leaders announced Wednesday. (AP News)
Now some conservatives think Chick-fil-A has gone ‘woke’. First, Chick-fil-A was the target of a boycott by the gay community for allegedly funding anti-gay efforts through its WinShape Foundation. Now, some evangelicals claim the chicken chain is too gay friendly. (Baptist News Global)
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela is senior writer at American Baptist Home Mission Societies and assistant editor of The Christian Citizen.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
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