Faith & Culture News
News and commentary on faith, religious freedom, family values, marriage, parenting, and the cultural trends shaping American life.
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opinion
Podcast: Christopher Scalia on the Faith of His Dad, Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia was a towering Supreme Court justice who left an indelible mark on America. But he was also a man of deep faith, and that faith continues on with his children. We discuss that faith with Christopher Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court justice and the co-editor of a new book, “On… -
opinion
‘Tolkien’ Paints Vivid Picture of Writer’s Life, but Ignores His Faith
The new movie depicting the life of writer, poet, and academic J.R.R. Tolkien is a refreshing display of the beauty of friendship and perseverance in adversity. Yet the film fundamentally disappoints by neglecting to include a defining element of Tolkien’s life—his Catholic faith. The film centers on Tolkien’s youth, followed by his coming of age… -
news
James Lankford: Defending Religious Freedom Means Living Your Faith
Not living one’s faith can become a threat to religious liberty, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said while speaking on a panel Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “One of the greatest challenges we have to religious liberty in this modern day is people that actually claim a faith and don’t live a faith,” Lankford… -
opinion
Podcast: ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star Phil Robertson on His Christian Faith
Why did the patriarch of the hit TV show “Duck Dynasty” become a Christian after an early life of sexual hedonism? What’s his advice to parents trying to raise kids who stay Christian? And what does it mean to be a Christian in our current secular culture? Phil Robertson, author of “The Theft of America’s… -
news
Jewish Therapist Sues New York City Over Law Banning Faith-Based LGBT Counseling
Licensed psychotherapist Dr. Dovid Schwartz is suing the city of New York for infringing on his and his patients’ religious faith and freedom of speech by way of a new ordinance imposing limits on counseling services to LGBT patients that the city discredits. Schwartz is a member of the Chabad Lubavitch Orthodox Jewish Community in… -
opinion
Trump Administration Has Sided With a Faith-Based Adoption Provider. Here’s Why That Matters.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that it will grant a waiver to Miracle Hill Ministries, a Christian organization whose programs include adoption services and foster care support. The waiver will allow Miracle Hill to continue to serve families according to its own convictions without the threat of being shut down. This… -
opinion
2 Democrats Are Trying to Trample a Faith-Based Foster Care Provider’s Religious Freedom
We celebrated Jan. 16 as National Religious Freedom Day, an annual reminder of why religious freedom is so important to our country. This fundamental right means that everyone is free to pursue the truth without the threat of government coercion, and everyone is free to live by his or her conscience. This freedom precedes any law… -
news
Ukraine’s Leap of Faith Is a Step Toward Ditching Russian Influence
KYIV, Ukraine—Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar. This year’s holiday was the first for Ukraine’s newly unified, national Orthodox Church, independent from Russian control for the first time since the 17th century. Monday’s milestone marked a major step forward in Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to diminish Russian influence, highlighting an… -
opinion
New York’s War on Faith-Based Adoption Providers Is Only Hurting Children
State officials have issued New Hope Family Services in Syracuse, New York, an ultimatum: Violate your religious beliefs, or stop serving kids in need. Unless the faith-based adoption provider stops placing children only in homes that have a married mother and father, the state has threatened to stop its adoption services immediately. New Hope has… -
opinion
What Faith-Based Efforts Can Do to Help Prevent Veteran Suicide
I don’t often quote sources from The New York Times, but in mid-November, David Brooks wrote a piece called “Fighting the Spiritual Void.” He stated without equivocation that “[t]rauma is a moral and spiritual issue as much as a psychological or chemical one.” He could not be more correct. The Heritage Foundation convened a panel… -
opinion
Liberals Aren’t Losing Faith in Our Constitutional System. They Just Don’t Like Its Results.
In liberals’ imaginations, there are only four ways to lose elections—and none has to do with their leftist turn, their hysterics, or their one-dimensional identity politics. Democrats say they lose because of gerrymandering, voter suppression (sometimes known as asking for ID), Russian mind-control rays deployed by social media, and our antiquated and unfair Constitution. That… -
opinion
The Left’s Response to the Mass Shooting of Jews Was an Act of Bad Faith
After the horrific massacre of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue, many of the same liberals who had recently fought to prop up Iran, the world’s most powerful Jew-hating terror state, lectured us on the importance of combating anti-Semitism. The same Voxers who had long rationalized, romanticized, and excused the Jew-killing terror organization… -
news
Atlanta Paying Fire Chief It Fired Over His Christian Faith $1.2M Settlement
The city of Atlanta said Monday it will pay $1.2 million to a former fire chief following a federal court ruling in December that found some city policies that led to his firing are unconstitutional violations of First Amendment freedoms. Kelvin Cochran, a former fire chief who was fired in 2015, said he was dismissed from his… -
news
‘This Innocent Man of Faith Will Soon Be Home!’: Turkey Releases Jailed Pastor
An American pastor who was held for two years in Turkey for alleged terror and treason charges was released Friday. “Pastor Andrew Brunson is coming home! Thanks to the strong leadership of [President Donald] Trump and the steadfast prayers of millions of Americans, this innocent man of faith will soon be home!” tweeted Vice President… -
opinion
How Faith-Based Organizations Are Helping Communities Recover After Hurricane Florence
Lorraine Jenkins returned to her home of 34 years to find it flooded with 18 inches of water. Thankfully, volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse were nearby and ready to help. While speaking with the president of the organization, Franklin Graham, Jenkins shared her story and mentioned that she “had faith but needed a little more strength.”… -
news
Ben Carson Takes Jab at Andrew Cuomo in Discussing Faith, Poverty, and Opportunity
Up-from-poverty stories such as his own are a rebuke to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statement that America “was never that great,” Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson told an audience of social conservatives. “There are so many people who have forgotten … who don’t cherish the America that we live in,” Carson said… -
opinion
The Daily Signal Podcast: A Faith-Based Alternative to Obamacare
Obamacare’s heavy requirements have hit businesses hard. They’ve also burdened the consciences of religious Americans who cannot in good faith pay for certain drugs and products. It’s no surprise, then, that thousands of Americans are turning to an alternative to mainstream insurance called Liberty HealthShare. We sit down with the founder and chairman of the… -
opinion
I Was Adopted Through a Faith-Based Adoption Provider. LGBT Groups Want Them Shut Down.
When it comes to adoption, I’m incredibly biased. Although I was conceived in rape, my birthmom chose to be stronger than her circumstances. She rejected the further violence of abortion, and gave me life and the gift of adoption. I grew up in a family of 15; nine of my 12 other siblings were also adopted. We were all… -
opinion
A Faith-Based Adoption Agency Helped Me in Crisis. Now, These Agencies Are Under Attack.
The minutes on the hospital clock dwindled as I swaddled my infant daughter one last time before she was placed in the arms of her adoptive parents. In those final moments, I thought my heart might shatter. I was broken. Then I felt a hand placed on top of mine and looked into the face… -
opinion
States Must Stop the War on Faith-Based Adoption Agencies
Yet another adoption agency is closing its doors, at a time when thousands of young victims of the opioid crisis flood America’s foster care system. This time, it’s Catholic Charities of Buffalo, New York. The agency can no longer cooperate with the government there because the state will not allow Catholic Charities to operate consistently…