This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWASHINGTON - President Donald Trump triggered sharp condemnation from top religious leaders for the second time in two days on Tuesday, with Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slamming his visit to a D.C. shrine honoring Pope John Paul II.On Monday, Trump's appearance in front of St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House set off a controversy because it involved aggressively clearing peaceful protesters."I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWASHINGTON - President Donald Trump triggered sharp condemnation from top religious leaders for the second time in two days on Tuesday, with Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory slamming his visit to a D.C. shrine honoring Pope John Paul II.On Monday, Trump's appearance in front of St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House set off a controversy because it involved aggressively clearing peaceful protesters."I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA conservative replacement on the Supreme Court for late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, could provide a major boost to religious rights while threatening years of advancements for the LGBTQ community, legal experts and activists say.In cases spanning same-sex marriage rights to workplace protections, the Supreme Court has in recent years delivered landmark victories to gay and transgender Americans. But these watershed rulings have also left unresolved the polarizing conflict between those who want to...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA conservative replacement on the Supreme Court for late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday, could provide a major boost to religious rights while threatening years of advancements for the LGBTQ community, legal experts and activists say.In cases spanning same-sex marriage rights to workplace protections, the Supreme Court has in recent years delivered landmark victories to gay and transgender Americans. But these watershed rulings have also left unresolved the polarizing conflict between those who want to...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFor 2½ years, Giancarlo Granda had been telling his family about the generosity of his business partners. The wealthy couple from out of town had taken him under their wing, he said, rewarding the Miami pool attendant’s ambition with a stake in a multimillion-dollar real estate project. Now he wanted them to meet.In a trendy Italian restaurant inside the South Beach property where he’d become a part owner, Granda introduced his parents and sister to his unlikely benefactors: Jerry and Becki Falwell.Over wine and pasta,...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareFor 2½ years, Giancarlo Granda had been telling his family about the generosity of his business partners. The wealthy couple from out of town had taken him under their wing, he said, rewarding the Miami pool attendant’s ambition with a stake in a multimillion-dollar real estate project. Now he wanted them to meet.In a trendy Italian restaurant inside the South Beach property where he’d become a part owner, Granda introduced his parents and sister to his unlikely benefactors: Jerry and Becki Falwell.Over wine and pasta,...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoGift ShareAlabama state Rep. Will Dismukes (R) said this week that he has no plans to resign from his state legislator position amid national calls for him to step down after he attended a private celebration of the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. On Wednesday night, however, he resigned from his job as a Southern Baptist pastor of a rural church.The national uproar began after that he took part in a celebration of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest the same weekend as ceremonies honoring the life of civil rights leader and...…This article was published more than 2 years agoGift ShareAlabama state Rep. Will Dismukes (R) said this week that he has no plans to resign from his state legislator position amid national calls for him to step down after he attended a private celebration of the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. On Wednesday night, however, he resigned from his job as a Southern Baptist pastor of a rural church.The national uproar began after that he took part in a celebration of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest the same weekend as ceremonies honoring the life of civil rights leader and...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoGift SharePreparing to reopen his church on Sunday, Florida pastor Doug Sides feels heat from two sides.Some of his Southern Baptist parishioners have sent him pictures from the beach and restaurants, while others are remaining isolated in their homes. One person was horrified that Sides did not wear a mask when he preached during drive-in services, even though he stood far away from vehicles as people listened on FM radio.Sides is preparing a list of precautionary measures he plans to give parishioners before Sunday. The building will...…This article was published more than 2 years agoGift SharePreparing to reopen his church on Sunday, Florida pastor Doug Sides feels heat from two sides.Some of his Southern Baptist parishioners have sent him pictures from the beach and restaurants, while others are remaining isolated in their homes. One person was horrified that Sides did not wear a mask when he preached during drive-in services, even though he stood far away from vehicles as people listened on FM radio.Sides is preparing a list of precautionary measures he plans to give parishioners before Sunday. The building will...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareTelevangelist Pat Robertson, one of President Trump’s staunchest backers, on Monday described Trump as “very erratic,” called on him to accept that President-elect Joe Biden won and said the Republican should not consider running again in 2024.The comments marked a sharp turnaround for Robertson, who recently voiced support for Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud and declared before the election that God had told him Trump was going to win.“I think it’s a sideshow,” Robertson said Monday on his television show,...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareTelevangelist Pat Robertson, one of President Trump’s staunchest backers, on Monday described Trump as “very erratic,” called on him to accept that President-elect Joe Biden won and said the Republican should not consider running again in 2024.The comments marked a sharp turnaround for Robertson, who recently voiced support for Trump’s false claims of widespread voter fraud and declared before the election that God had told him Trump was going to win.“I think it’s a sideshow,” Robertson said Monday on his television show,...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareROME — Pope Francis has called in a new documentary for the creation of civil union laws, giving his clearest support to date for the rights of same-sex couples while breaking from the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.“What we have to create is a civil union law,” the pope says in the film, released in Rome on Wednesday. “That way they are legally covered.”Francis’s comment does nothing to alter Catholic doctrine, but it nonetheless represents a remarkable shift for a church that has fought against LGBT...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareROME — Pope Francis has called in a new documentary for the creation of civil union laws, giving his clearest support to date for the rights of same-sex couples while breaking from the official teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.“What we have to create is a civil union law,” the pope says in the film, released in Rome on Wednesday. “That way they are legally covered.”Francis’s comment does nothing to alter Catholic doctrine, but it nonetheless represents a remarkable shift for a church that has fought against LGBT...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoGift ShareFrom his couch in Dallas, Ben Kirby began asking questions about the lifestyles of the rich and famous pastors when he was watching some worship songs on YouTube on a Sunday morning in 2019. While listening to a song by Elevation Worship, a megachurch based in Charlotte the evangelical churchgoer noticed the lead singer’s Yeezy sneakers were worth nearly the amount of his first rent check.Kirby posted to his 400 followers on Instagram, “Hey Elevation Worship, how much you paying your musicians that they can afford $800 kicks? Let...…This article was published more than 1 year agoGift ShareFrom his couch in Dallas, Ben Kirby began asking questions about the lifestyles of the rich and famous pastors when he was watching some worship songs on YouTube on a Sunday morning in 2019. While listening to a song by Elevation Worship, a megachurch based in Charlotte the evangelical churchgoer noticed the lead singer’s Yeezy sneakers were worth nearly the amount of his first rent check.Kirby posted to his 400 followers on Instagram, “Hey Elevation Worship, how much you paying your musicians that they can afford $800 kicks? Let...WW…

ATLANTA - The first spa targeted in the Atlanta-area killings this week was in an area very familiar to accused gunman Robert Aaron Long: It's within a mile of an evangelical treatment facility where he spent time as a patient for what he described as "sex addiction," according to a former roommate.The evangelical facility, HopeQuest in Acworth, Ga., sits in a secluded forest at the end of a residential street about 30 miles outside Atlanta and down the road from Young's Asian Massage. Police say that after killing four people and wounding a fifth there, Long drove 27 miles to two more spas...…ATLANTA - The first spa targeted in the Atlanta-area killings this week was in an area very familiar to accused gunman Robert Aaron Long: It's within a mile of an evangelical treatment facility where he spent time as a patient for what he described as "sex addiction," according to a former roommate.The evangelical facility, HopeQuest in Acworth, Ga., sits in a secluded forest at the end of a residential street about 30 miles outside Atlanta and down the road from Young's Asian Massage. Police say that after killing four people and wounding a fifth there, Long drove 27 miles to two more spas...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoGift ShareKNOXVILLE, TENN. — The new congregation is gathered in a barn in Lenoir City, Tenn., with a roof that has a 60-foot American flag painted on it. And they are praying for a Trump landslide.Standing in a circle, the dozen or so men and women, young and old, lay their hands on their pastor, Ken Peters, as he raises their requests to God.He prays that “communism and socialism and transgenderism and homosexuality and abortion will not have their way in this land.”“Yes, Lord,” someone cries.He prays that the nation’s “Christian roots”...…This article was published more than 2 years agoGift ShareKNOXVILLE, TENN. — The new congregation is gathered in a barn in Lenoir City, Tenn., with a roof that has a 60-foot American flag painted on it. And they are praying for a Trump landslide.Standing in a circle, the dozen or so men and women, young and old, lay their hands on their pastor, Ken Peters, as he raises their requests to God.He prays that “communism and socialism and transgenderism and homosexuality and abortion will not have their way in this land.”“Yes, Lord,” someone cries.He prays that the nation’s “Christian roots”...WW…