Bill Gothard abuse survivors still seek justice

‘A deal with the devil’: Religion motivates data center opponents in Texas
The Texas Tribune: Some see the AI facilities as a sign of the apocalypse, others see an opportunity to advocate for environmental stewardship.

 

‘Blessed’: Frederick Haynes, pastor and candidate, on his politics, faith and health
Religion News Service: “The church has been so supportive that, I mean, they’ve been more excited about my campaign than I have,” Haynes said of his historically Black Dallas megachurch.

 

A rickety closet
ARC: Evangelical legend Elisabeth Elliot may have had a gay relationship. And that matters.

 

Bill Gothard abuse survivors still seek justice, healing as they reckon with his legacy
Religion News Service: Gothard, subject of “Shiny Happy People,” has been in a coma since June. At 91, the disgraced ministry leader is also named in an ongoing Texas lawsuit.

 

The US has acknowledged Bears Ears and Grand Staircase as sacred for over a century, but keeps stripping away protections
The Conversation: President Donald Trump signed proclamations on July 13, 2026, cutting the size of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments by roughly 90%.

South Texas nun still at risk of third-country removal following ICE check-in

South Texas nun still at risk of third-country removal following ICE check-in, attorney says

After a July 28 check-in with ICE officials, Sister Leticia Ugboaja’s lawyer told reporters gathered outside the ICE field office that the possibility of third-country removal “is very concerning.”

Bishop calls for week of prayer for victims of fireworks explosion in Mexico

During a fireworks display last weekend, a stray rocket set off the fireworks stored for the rest of the show, killing four people and injuring 12.

White House marks 45th anniversary of martyrdom of Blessed Stanley Rother

The White House has issued a string of statements acknowledging prominent Catholic feast days and observances.

Forest fires in Spain: ‘Providence is taking super good care of us,’ priest says

Amid the destructive forest fires in central Spain, the Catholic Church is ministering to the evacuees, providing material aid, shelter, a listening ear, and the sacraments.

'Ave Maria' Anime/Manga

  

Inspired by Japanese manga and the timeless prayer of the Ave Maria, this design portrays the Madonna and Child through a uniquely Japanese lens. Just as Christians have depicted Mary through their own cultures for centuries, this artwork reminds us that the Gospel transcends every nation and generation. In every language and land, Mary still leads hearts to her Son.

covenantchurchsd 07.26.2026

 

 We call this SoNoGo - South Park-North Park-Golden Hill & Our Mission: to see the baptized who live in SoNoGo worship in SoNoGo

Covenant Presbyterian Church

What is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church?

Covenant Church at 30th & Howard  is a Christian church in the tradition of the Protestant Reformation and allied with the EPC [The Evangelical Presbyterian Church] We believe the Scriptures to be the infallible Word of God and our final authority in faith and practice, and we find the historic creeds of the early church (the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed) to be vital expressions of the most important tenets of the global church universal. When the EPC started in 1981, we determined that we would not disagree on the basic essentials of the Christian faith, but on anything that was not essential—such as the issue of ordaining women as officers or practicing charismatic gifts—we would give each other liberty. Above all, we committed ourselves to loving each other and not engaging in quarrels and strife. The result is that when we get together in our regional and national meetings, we spend most of our time in worship and fellowship and almost none in arguing with each other.

We Went Looking for Britain's Lost Christian Soul

 

Jul 21, 2026

In this documentary, we travel across Britain in search of the Christian vision that once shaped our world — a land where the lives of the saints pointed beyond themselves, where creation spoke of its Creator, and where the ordinary was alive with the presence of God. We visit places like Iona, Lindisfarne, Whitby and Walsingham to see if that way of seeing can still be recovered today. Or has modernity left us as tourists amongst the ruins of a world long gone? Back into Enchantment is part travel documentary, part pilgrimage, and part personal exploration of faith. Along the way we visit the landscapes of St Cuthbert, St Aidan, St Hilda, St Columba and the Shrines of Our Lady of Walsingham, asking what they might still have to teach us about following Christ in the twenty-first century. Whether you’re a Christian, or fascinated by history, symbolism, pilgrimage, and the spiritual heritage of Britain, I hope this film gives you something to think about.

‘The Chosen’ unveils emotional Season 6 trailer depicting Christ’s passion

‘The Chosen’ unveils emotional Season 6 trailer depicting Christ’s passion

Season 6 of “The Chosen” will be released on Prime Video beginning Nov. 15.

U.S. moves to revoke citizenship of Mexican friar convicted of child abuse

In 2018 when the allegations first came to light, Friar Urbano Vázquez was removed from ministry by the Archdiocese of Washington. He was convicted of child sexual abuse in 2019.

Macron commemorates French priest killed by Islamic extremists 10 years ago

“His memory places a duty upon us. It compels us to tirelessly defend the freedom of conscience that the Republic guarantees and protects,” the French president said.

Miami archbishop calls for ‘compassionate’ protections for Haitians ahead of TPS deadline

Catholic Health Services, one of the Archdiocese of Miami’s largest ministries, faces losing an estimated 40 to 50 employees, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said.

Forget optimism — choose hope By Norman Wirzba

Building hope over time By Mycal X. Brickhouse

‘Looking Up: A Birder’s Guide to Hope Through Grief’ By Courtney Ellis

Belonging could remake the world By Erin Weber-Johnson

Inside the parish-led fight against a $123M ICE facility in Texas

Inside the parish-led fight against a $123M ICE facility in Texas
Religion News Service: The parishes that won Socorro, Texas, running water in the 1980s are now fighting ICE’s plan to convert warehouses into a mega detention center. And the town’s water system is at issue again.

 

This historic divinity school is offering the first doctoral degree in ‘AI and Moral Agency’
Religion News Service: Shaw University Divinity School hopes to be the first theological school accredited by the Association of Theological Schools to offer a doctoral degree in AI. Its first cohort begins in January.

 

Booted from evangelicalism, a progressive, ‘post-evangelical’ church blooms in Texas
Religion News Service: Led by Zach Lambert, Restore church is part of a small but growing countertrend.

 

Justice Gorsuch calls out conservatives for pushing myth of white, Christian founding
HuffPost: “It’s demonstrably not true that we came from the same religion,” Gorsuch said.

 

Religion isn’t just for the right: Five ways progressives are invoking ‘religious freedom’ laws
The Guardian: Progressive faith communities are increasingly leveraging religious freedom laws to protect civil liberties across the US.

Jesus feeds the 5,000 in Matthew 14

 The feeding of the 5,000 in Matthew is much briefer than in the other gospels. But he draws extensively on images from the Old Testament, and focuses on Jesus, the one who invites us, provides for us, and invites us to follow him.

The Sunday lectionary reading for the Trinity 9 in Year A is Matt 14.13–21.

The epistle is the fascinating and pivotal passage in Paul, Romans 9.1–5 (though you need to read on to the next couple of verses). The video discussion of that passage can be found here, and is also linked at the end of this article.

We have now moved beyond the third section of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew, on the kingdom of heaven in chapter 13, and are immersed once more in Jesus’ ministry and engagement with those around him, which extends to the end of chapter 17, before we reach the fourth section of teaching in chapter 18.

Peter Thiel and the New Antichrist

 

Written by Paul Chu

Over the past years, the billionaire Peter Thiel has written and spoken widely – at a four-lecture series in San Francisco in 2025; in an interview with Ross Douthat in the New York Times; perhaps most prominently at an invitation-only conference in Rome, mere blocks from the Vatican, and most recently through a co-written article in First Things – about his concerns regarding the advent of the Antichrist in the world. Thiel warns against transnational entities exercising quasi-statelike power worldwide, especially those proposing to regulate technological development; he views with the utmost suspicion proposals and promises of peace and harmony; he sees in all these trends the harbinger of a figure who achieves world domination through promises of peace and safety will initiate the end times.

The secular response has been divided between amusement and alarm at the outré notions and outsized leverage of an unimaginably wealthy eccentric; the ecclesial response, specifically the article in Le Grand Continent from Fr. Paolo Benanti, advisor to the Holy See on AI ethics, was in many ways incisive, particularly in its explanation of Thiel’s theories of business and culture and their relation to elements in the thought of the billionaire’s former professor and philosophical inspiration, the French-American sociologist René Girard. An (excellent) article in Wired expands the circle of Thiel’s known intellectual influences and dialogue partners, making it clear that, whatever Thiel is thinking or doing regarding the Antichrist, it is neither a new nor a superficial fascination. To my knowledge, however, no mainstream media sources have precisely explained a burning question here: From whence does all this come? Where did this preoccupation begin? Why the Antichrist?