Christianity

A lone cross inside Balsora Baptist Church was seen standing after the church burned down Friday.

The vote on sex-abuse reforms, just weeks after the release of a report on the long-simmering scandal, fell short of what some abuse survivors in Southern Baptist churches sought.

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention said they will release a secret list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse.

Pastor John Lowe II received a standing ovation after he confessed. But then a woman stepped forward and told him, "You are not the victim here."

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades, according to an independent report.

Orthodox Christianity is a relatively small faith tradition in the U.S., but in recent years it has expanded to new regions. Some new converts are using the religion to spread white nationalist views.

Debates about abortion often center around the issue of when life begins. Some religions say it's at conception. Another says it's with the baby's first breath.

The unanimous decision was sufficiently narrow that other cities, indeed Boston itself, could construct rules that would limit flag flying to government-approved messages.

Activist Chaz Stevens says the book isn't age appropriate and contains references to rape and bestiality. It's a not-so-subtle dig at Florida's recent efforts to ban books.

The court's liberal wing has no desire to overturn the court's precedents, but its conservatives want to focus on accommodating religion in public schools and other public institutions.