Pastors win a round as the New York City Council approves resolution on houses of worship renting from public schools

Senate committee approves immigration bill but House remains skeptical

U.K. same-sex marriage vote coincides with a national decline in Christianity

Do you recall the news about a proposed law in France that would ban the terms “mother” and “father” and replace them with “parents” on official documents? The change was designed to accommodate the redefinition of marriage to include two people of the same sex. I wasn’t surprised. I knew it was a matter of time before I’d be reading about such changes in the United States. But I was wrong. The designations already exist for at least one government agency. In 2011, the

The cleanup begins. Oklahoma officials say they do not expect to find any more bodies or survivors buried in the rubble left by Monday’s deadly EF5 tornado, which pulverized a mile-wide path through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore. The death toll stands at 24, including 10 children. But officials had feared the number of dead could climb as high as 100, based largely on the twister’s complete destruction. Local hospitals treated more than 300 people. Rescue crews pulled more than

Star Trek into Darkness offers a fun summer diversion but in the end will leave you unsatisfied

The State Department on Tuesday released its 2012 International Religious Freedom Report. In particular, the report highlights “undue and inappropriate restrictions” on religious groups and abuse of adherents in China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and elsewhere. The law requires that such countries be designated “countries of particular concern,” which can subject them to sanctions and other penalties. But no country has been designated by the State Department since

The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland approved a motion yesterday to uphold traditional teaching on sexuality while allowing more liberal congregations to ordain as ministers LGBT members in same-sex relationships. The motion still has to earn ratification from the 48 presbyteries that make up the Church. If it passes, it will become official during the 2014 General Assembly. In the meantime, the motion will likely divide the Church even further over an issue that has fueled

Sue the IRS. On Monday, a coalition of conservative groups announced it would file a class action lawsuit against the IRS for what the groups call “illegal and harassing behavior in the handling and processing of their applications for non-profit status.” Mark Meckler, former national coordinator for the Tea Party Patriots, is organizing the lawsuit. Ginny Rapini, president of NorCal Tea Party, is the lead plaintiff. “Neither party in Congress can be relied upon to satisfactorily

I was at the Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry on a recent morning, a beehive of industry and intelligence plopped in the middle of a blighted area where outside the walls are hustlers and addicts and down-and-outers. I got into the elevator with a young industrious-looking man in powder blue scrubs, one of the many bright dental students buzzing around the halls in similar attire. “Is orthodontics on the second floor?” I asked, just to confirm. “Yes,” he said. Then I

Arizona’s ban on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, absent a medical emergency, violates a woman’s constitutionally protected right to kill her unborn baby before it is able to survive outside the womb, a federal court ruled Tuesday, striking down the pro-life law. Judge Marsha Berzon, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel on the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said such bans before “viability” violate a long string of U.S. Supreme Court rulings,

Local churches and other Christian organizations help lead efforts to respond to Oklahoma’s deadly twisters

Two House bills highlight the deep divide in Washington over protecting unborn children

Classified material. A federal appeals court ruled today the government does not have to release 50 images taken of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after his death in 2011. Conservative nonprofit Judicial Watch sued for access to the photos under the Freedom of Information Act. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that releasing the images could cause riots that would put Americans abroad at risk. "It is

The group’s National Council will decide Thursday whether to allow openly gay boys to participate in the organization

Given last week’s revelation that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, it’s worth recalling President Obama’s Ohio State University commencement address. The president decried “voices” warning “that tyranny is always lurking just around the corner.” It’s no longer lurking. It’s here. Testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee by the outgoing acting IRS commissioner, Steve Miller, as well as numerous statements by

Younger listeners, enchanted by the warm and open sounds records offer, are setting aside their iPods and dusting off their parent’s old turntables

“Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die” (2 Samuel 11:14). In this verse you have the nadir of King David’s life, and the most wicked strategy a man ever devised to save his own skin: Put the clueless soldier Uriah on the front line, make him think you are with him and have his back—and then retreat and let the enemy fall on him. I believe this is what happened to abortionist Kermit Gosnell (except that

UPDATE (10:25 a.m.): Officials now say 24 people are confirmed dead after Monday's massive twister. Seven of those are children. The medical examiner blamed higher initial reports on confusion and counting some victims twice. The death toll is expected to rise as crews search for survivors. UPDATE (8:45 a.m.): Oklahoma officials say at least 20 of the 51 people known dead after a massive tornado ripped through the town of Moore are children. Search and rescue teams expect to pull 40

The NBA Playoffs are down to four teams: two superpowers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat, against two upstarts, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers. In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals yesterday, the Spurs pummeled the Grizzlies 105-83, with San Antonio point guard Tony Parker leading the way with 20 points and nine assists. It also helped that the Spurs hit a franchise playoff-record 14 three-pointers. The Heat and Pacers begin their Eastern Conference matchup