Weekly religion news roundup (January 30-February 5, 2026)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Hannah Estifanos
UN chief urges Gaza aid as Israel blocks most medical evacuees at Rafah. Al-Shifa Hospital director says blocking medical evacuations through Rafah crossing could be ‘death sentence’ for many. (Al Jazeera)
At the Grammys, faith and politics collide with Bad Bunny, Jelly Roll and the Dalai Lama. The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism won the Grammy over comedian Trevor Noah and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (Religion News Service)
Congressmen call for expelling Muslims from America. Republican members of Congress have called for Muslims to be expelled from America, have claimed Islam is incompatible with American culture and government and have denied Islam is a religion deserving Constitutional protection. (Baptist News Global)
Nigeria sets up new military operation after deadly attack, while abducted Christians return home. The Nigerian government has announced a military operation to tackle Islamic militants following the killing of scores of people, likely all Muslims, while some 183 Christians abducted last month are finally home. (Associated Press)
Evangelicals divided over what faith demands as immigration tensions deepen. Evangelical responses to immigrants and refugees vary even within the same church. For example, while one of the pastors at Cities Church, a St. Paul Southern Baptist congregation targeted by activists, works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that church has also been involved in welcoming refugees. (The Christian Century)
Each week 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.
From southern India to Canada's far north: New archbishop serves Indigenous Catholics. In a ceremony punctuated by traditional drumming — as well as songs and prayers in an unusual combination of Cree, Dene, English, French, Oji-Cree and his native Tamil — Susai Jesu was consecrated archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas. (Religion News Service)
Groups call for boycott of National Prayer Breakfast. When the National Prayer Breakfast takes place in Washington, D.C., Thursday morning, some people of faith will be missing on purpose. And they hope others will join them in boycotting the annual exercise in civil religion. (Baptist News Global)
Bracing for ICE Raids, Haitians Get Temporary Reprieve. A federal judge on Monday extended deportation protections for Haitian immigrants. While they waited for the ruling, pastors in Springfield, Ohio, gathered and prayed. (Christianity Today)
New PBS docuseries examines the ‘interwoven history’ of Black and Jewish Americans. A new four-part PBS documentary series traces the history between Black and Jewish Americans, examining their connection through shared experiences of persecution and how they’ve navigated political tests to the relationship. (The Christian Century)
For 2026 Super Bowl, ‘He Gets Us’ Jesus ad goes more personal, less political. The billion-dollar ads have been criticized by some conservative Christians as being too “woke” in the past. A new take on the campaign will focus on dealing with the struggles of life, rather than social conflicts. (Salt Lake Tribune)
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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