Weekly religion news roundup (January 2-8, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
US Christian leaders minister to an anxious diaspora with Venezuela’s future in flux. Faith leaders who minister to Christians in Venezuela and the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States are urging prayers for peace as they attend to congregations roiled by uncertainty and high emotions following the U.S. capture of deposed leader Nicolás Maduro. (Associated Press)
Minneapolis clergy exposed to pepper-spray after rushing to scene of deadly ICE shooting. ‘There was a request for clergy to show up’ at the scene, said one Minneapolis minister. ‘I was out the door.’ (Religion News Service)
Israel bans 37 international aid groups from Gaza. Israel’s decision to ban 37 international aid groups from the West Bank and Gaza will worsen already desperate conditions for more than 1 million Palestinian war victims, a group of nongovernmental organizations warned. (Baptist News Global)
Author Philip Yancey Confesses Affair, Withdraws from Ministry. The writer said he will retire from speaking and writing and grieves “the devastation I have caused.” (Christianity Today)
Why do 250 million Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7? Orthodox and Coptic Christians don’t believe Jesus was born on a different day; they just use a different calendar. (Al Jazeera)
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.
Ancient meditation practices find new life in modern religious communities across America. Christian, Jewish and other religious congregations across America have in recent years been introducing meditation practices from Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, or resurfacing ancient contemplative practices in their own religious traditions, now adapted to the needs of a fast-paced, modern world. (Associated Press)
The making of Islamophobia. The West’s understanding of Islam has been shaped by centuries of superficial, deeply biased Christian teaching. (The Christian Century)
Influential China church reports arrests as crackdown on Christians intensifies. An influential Protestant church in China says prominent leaders have been arrested in what appears to be a growing crackdown on the underground church movement. (BBC News)
Judge rules Americans United can’t intervene in Johnson Amendment case. A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a prominent group defending the separation of church and state can’t take an active role in a case involving political endorsements during sermons. (Episcopal News Service)
Australia to hold wide-ranging inquiry into antisemitism after Bondi attack. Australia will hold a Royal Commission inquiry into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in which 15 were killed, the country's most powerful public inquiry, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. (Reuters)
Hannah Estifanos is the copyeditor 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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