Tuesday’s News & Ideas - 8/12/2025
- Trust in churches rises, still low
- Being honest in church
- Trump’s religious policies
- Spanish officials condemn ban
- World Vision wins case
- Israel targets & kills journalist
Study says Americans’ trust in the church rebounds slightly
Religion Unplugged: For the past three years, the percentage of U.S. adults who said they had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the church or organized religion has hovered near record lows.
How am I? Bad!*
Christianity Today: Church isn’t a place for forced smiles and pat assurances.
Trump energizes conservative Christians with new religious policies
The Associated Press: In his first half-year in office — amid his tariff campaign, government-slashing moves and immigration crackdown — President Donald Trump has also repeatedly delivered for conservative Christians, who form the bedrock of his Republican support.
Spanish officials condemn city’s ban on religious events as ‘racist’*
The New York Times: A leader in the conservative party says a measure does not “single anyone out for their beliefs,” but a branch of the far-right Vox party praised it for “banning Islamic celebrations.”
World Vision wins sex discrimination case in appeals court
Religion News Service: The ruling overturned a decision by a lower court where a plaintiff argued World Vision had discriminated against her marital status, sex and sexual orientation.
The Spark
Israel targets and kills Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza as journalist toll grows
The military has previously said it targeted individuals it described as Hamas militants posing as reporters. Observers have called this the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times, The Associated Press says.
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