Christopher Vondracek

Baptist seminary presidents reject Critical Race Theory

The presidents of the six seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) have called critical race theory "incompatible" with the faith's values.

December 2, 2020

Schools mull holding snow days amid online learning

School districts across the country, from skiing hamlets in the Rocky Mountains to the boroughs of New York City, are weighing the pros and cons of weather-related shutdowns this winter. Some school administrators note the mental relief that a snow day can provide for students and teachers alike.

November 30, 2020

Catholic bishops split over abortion, gay marriage in Biden presidency

Catholic bishops appear divided over forming a working group to address the imminent administration of presumptive President-elect Joseph R. Biden, who would be the nation's second Catholic chief executive.

November 25, 2020

Advocacy groups call for teachers to be among first to get coronavirus vaccine

Calls are mounting for teachers to be among the first recipients of coronavirus vaccines when they become available.

November 24, 2020

North Dakota court: Gov. Doug Burgum can’t fill the seat of dead legislator-elect

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum cannot appoint a legislator to fill the seat won by a man who died from COVID-19 a month before the election, the state's highest court said in a unanimous opinion published Tuesday.

November 24, 2020

Thanksgiving travel hits highest level since pandemic began, well below 2019 mark

Americans are still hitting the road and taking to the sky for the Thanksgiving holiday, though in smaller numbers than in years past, amid health officials' warnings about spreading the coronavirus.

November 23, 2020

Texas, Louisiana can end Planned Parenthood funding, federal appeals court rules

A federal appeals court has cleared the way for Texas and Louisiana to cut Medicaid funding to the abortion provider Planned Parenthood.

November 23, 2020

Coronavirus orders without penalties raise questions of compliance, enforcement

State, county and city officials increasingly are ordering residents to wear masks and maintain social distance amid a rise in coronavirus cases across the country.

November 19, 2020

D.C. government sued by pro-life chalk artists

Students who staged a "Black Pre-Born Lives Matter" rally in August have sued the District of Columbia over law enforcement officers shutting down their attempts to paint the slogan on a city street.

November 19, 2020

Catholic bishops wary of Joe Biden undermining church doctrine

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued Tuesday a statement about Joseph R. Biden, saying the presumptive election of the nation's second Catholic president "presents certain opportunities but also certain challenges."

November 17, 2020

Religious liberty ‘cannot be quarantined’ says new study

Nearly two-thirds of respondents say their faith has been important during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a survey by a leading religious liberty firm.

November 17, 2020

McCarrick report takes center stage at U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

U.S. Catholic church leaders met virtually Monday under the "shadow of the coronavirus," according to a top bishop. But it was the shadow of a bombshell report from the Vatican on former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick that took center stage.

November 16, 2020

Methodists on the cusp of divorce

A committee for the United Methodist Church says it will decide soon on a plan to formally separate the denomination.

November 13, 2020

CDC: Rural Americans have bigger risk for high blood pressure

More than 40% of Americans living in rural communities suffer from high blood pressure, while urban dwellers have lower rates, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

November 13, 2020

Sean Patrick O’Malley, Boston archbishop, speaks against Massachusetts abortion amendment

A measure to ease abortion restrictions in Massachusetts has drawn the ire of the state's leading Roman Catholic archbishop.

November 13, 2020

Friday the 13th? Just another day in 2020

In a year in which many days have felt as ominous as Friday the 13th, we now face an actual Friday the 13th — only the second one of 2020.

November 12, 2020

Religious persecution increasing, Pew Research Center report finds

Governments have been cracking down on religious expression more than any other time in recent memory, says a new report on global religious persecution.

November 11, 2020

Theodore McCarrick sexual abuse report faults Pope John Paul II

A Vatican report on sexual abuse allegations against former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick lays some blame on Pope John Paul II for a lapse in oversight of the disgrace former archbishop of Washington.

November 10, 2020

For-profit schools losing influential Education Department friends after election

For-profit colleges never had a better friend in the Cabinet than outgoing Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Michigan Republican fundraiser and investor joined the Trump administration with a history of financing firms that worked with proprietary colleges, and her agency has spent the last four years snipping away regulations the industry found burdensome.

November 9, 2020

Meriden, Connecticut, Justice Department reach mosque agreement

The Justice Department says it has reached agreement with officials in a Connecticut town where a Muslim community's plan to build a mosque in an industrial park was denied.

November 6, 2020