Weekly religion news roundup (May 23-29, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
Witnesses in Gaza describe more chaos at food distribution sites. Turmoil has plagued the aid system launched this week by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs three distribution centers in the territory. Israel has slated GHF to take over food distribution in Gaza despite opposition from the United Nations and most humanitarian groups. (Associated Press)
Texas House passes Senate bill requiring display of the Ten Commandments in all public-school classrooms. Senate Bill 10 now goes back to the Senate for concurrence before advancing to Gov. Greg Abbott, who is expected to sign it into law. (Houston Public Media)
Faith leaders decry ‘big beautiful bill’ as immoral and un-Christian. Apart from evangelicals and die-hard Trump supporters, America’s religious leaders find the president’s “big beautiful bill” adopted by the U.S. House of Representatives to be immoral, unkind and un-Christian. (Baptist News Global)
Fuller says some churches allow same-sex marriage. But ban on married gay students remains. The school has cut ties with LGBTQ students and affirming staff in the past. It's unclear if the board's comments about "faithful Christians" who affirm same sex marriage will change anything. (RNS)
As SBC debates authority of women, WMU sets a standard in transparency. An issue many thought was settled 25 years ago just won’t go away for the nation’s largest non-Catholic denomination. In advance of another likely showdown on the convention floor, two groups not controlled by the SBC are drawing attention. (Baptist News Global)
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.
Judge says US effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil on foreign policy grounds is likely unconstitutional. A federal judge said the Trump administration’s effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil because of his pro-Palestinian activism at Columbia University likely violates the Constitution. (Associated Press)
The Supreme Court rejects a plea to block a copper mine on land in Arizona that’s sacred to Apaches. The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from Apaches who are fighting to halt a massive copper mining project on federal land in Arizona that they hold sacred. (Associated Press)
Young US men are joining Russian churches promising 'absurd levels of manliness'. In a YouTube video, a priest is championing a form of virile, unapologetic masculinity. Skinny jeans, crossing your legs, using an iron, shaping your eyebrows, and even eating soup are among the things he derides as too feminine. (BBC News)
On anniversary of the first Council of Nicaea, Christian leaders seek to return to ecumenism. Christian leaders stress that the council and its anniversary still have relevance in the modern day, despite theological divides. (RNS)
Of opium, fire temples, and sarees: A peek into the world of India's dwindling Parsis. Tucked away in a lane in the southern end of India's financial capital, Mumbai, is a museum dedicated to the followers of one of the world's oldest religions, Zoroastrianism. The Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum documents the history and legacy of the ancient Parsi community - a small ethnic group that's fast dwindling and resides largely in India. (BBC News)
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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