Weekly religion news roundup (September 12-18, 2025)
Photograph by Utsav Srestha via Unsplash
Rev. Dr. Anna Piela
Pope Leo calls out ‘unacceptable conditions’ for Palestinians as Israel advances in Gaza City. The pope’s appeals have become increasingly adamant as the humanitarian situation worsens in the Holy Land. (Religion News Service)
Palestinian Christians have a warning for American Church. The conference “Church at the Crossroads” was convened to encourage American evangelicals to listen to Palestinian Christians and to confront and correct those who use scripture to “justify war, occupation, or silence” in the face of the escalating violence in Israel and Palestine. (Sojourners)
Department of War quotes Bible on social media. Some link it to Christian nationalism. ‘Those verses were not about the United States military,’ said Brian Kaylor, a Baptist minister and author. ‘They weren't really even about any imperial military force, and quite the opposite.’ (RNS)
Appeals court: Trump can halt refugee admissions but must serve those already here. Ahead of a formal opinion, a federal appeals court temporarily ruled September 12 that the Trump administration can suspend refugee admissions, staying previous legal decisions that had required the administration to admit some refugees who already had travel plans to the US before the suspension was announced. (Christian Century)
Even before Kirk murder, conservatives were blaming the Left. Even before Charlie Kirk’s murder in Utah, which has led conservatives to declare war on “the left” as the source of all the nation’s problems, evangelical leaders were blaming transgender people as the source of evil. (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.
How religious is Illinois? New report ranks which states are the most faith-based in 2025. As politics grow more and more divided in the U.S., one key idea remains at the core of many Americans' belief systems – religion. From lifestyle to culture to politics, faith influences millions of people's decisions every single day. (The State Journal-Register)
Lawsuits accuse former California megachurch pastor of child sex abuse in Bucharest. A former Riverside megachurch pastor has been accused of sexually abusing and trafficking children for years at a shelter he ran in Bucharest, according to lawsuits filed by two Romanian men in U.S. District Court in California. (Associated Press)
South Korean investigators seek arrest of leader of Unification Church in probe of ex-first lady. South Korean investigators said Thursday that they have requested an arrest warrant for the leader of the Unification Church. The announcement came a day after they questioned her about allegations that the church bribed the wife of jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol and a conservative lawmaker. (Associated Press)
Spurgeon’s College taking bids on its assets, some historical. The joint administrators of Spurgeon’s College are liquidating the school’s assets, including several of historical significance. (Baptist News Global)
Gunmen kill 22 after shooting at baptism ceremony in Niger – reports. Gunmen on motorbikes have shot dead 22 people, most of them attending a baptism ceremony, in an attack on a village in western Niger, reports say. (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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