Mark A. Kellner
Articles by Mark A. Kellner
Independent report blasts Southern Baptist leaders for sexual abuse cover-ups
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, were accused Sunday of a decades-long cover-up of sexual abuse within the group. Published May 22, 2022
Unvaccinated cadets will graduate, but won’t receive commissions, Air Force Academy says
Three U.S. Air Force Academy cadets whose refusal to get COVID-19 vaccines threatened their May 25 graduation -- along with the risk of a repayment demand for six-figure tuition costs -- will be awarded their degrees, officials said Saturday. Published May 21, 2022
McLean Bible Church to vote on do-over after 2021 election roiled congregation
Executives at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, hope a yearlong battle over church elections will begin to resolve Sunday as the congregation votes on a new plan to elect its board of elders. Published May 20, 2022
Steelworker sues for firing after calling gay pride rainbow symbol ‘abomination’
A 10-year employee of steelmaker Arconic has sued the Pittsburgh-based firm after he was fired last year for writing on an internal company web survey that the use of a rainbow to symbolize Gay Pride Month is "an abomination to God." Published May 20, 2022
Ministry of disgraced Christian evangelical figure can be sued for donation refunds, court says
The organization founded by disgraced evangelical Christian minister Ravi Zacharias can be sued by donors seeking a refund of their contributions, a federal district judge in Georgia has ruled. Published May 19, 2022
Air Force Academy cadets face expulsion, repayment demand over vaccine refusal
More than a dozen cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, face expulsion -- and potential six-figure bills for their otherwise-free education -- after refusing vaccination against COVID-19 on religious grounds. Published May 18, 2022
Paper yields to digital as Sunday School curriculum goes high-tech
The paper-only Sunday school quarterly is going digital with a goal of daily involvement by children and parents. One of the country's oldest evangelical Christian curriculum publishers, David C Cook, is launching a digital initiative aimed at children and their families. Published May 18, 2022
Flight attendants sue Alaska Airlines, union over religious message board comments
Two fired Alaska Airlines flight attendants sued the carrier -- and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA union -- Tuesday, claiming they were discriminated against for posting "biblically based" comments to a company message board. Published May 17, 2022
Federal judge blocks Biden admin. rule requiring religious employers to pay for gender transitions
A federal district court in North Dakota hit the brakes on a Biden administration rule that religious employers -- for-profit and non-profit -- must pay for and/or perform "gender transition services," even if such care violates the employer's or provider's religious beliefs. Published May 16, 2022
Rock music can have a Christian soul, evangelist Greg Laurie says in new book
Will John Lennon, the ex-Beatle famous for imploring fans to "imagine there's no heaven," greet fans when they enter the Pearly Gates? Published May 16, 2022
Catholic school asserts ‘ministerial exemption’ in lawsuit over firing of gay guidance counselor
Attorneys for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis told the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Monday that a guidance counselor's job fits the "ministerial exemption" allowing religious employers to demand conformity with a church's doctrine in their private life. Published May 16, 2022
Pope names 10 new saints, including priest-journalist killed by Nazis and Indian convert
Pope Francis told a crowd of more than 50,000 gathered in St. Peter's Square Sunday that the 10 Roman Catholics newly canonized as saints can teach believers about humility, service and the way of peacemaking. Published May 15, 2022
Southern Baptists say giving, baptisms up in 2021, but attendance, number of churches down
The nation's largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, saw an increase in the number of baptisms last year along with a rise in donations. Published May 12, 2022
Colorado church: City’s RV ban is a violation of religious freedom
A Colorado pastor says allowing traveling ministers to park their RVs in his church parking lot and connect to utilities there is part of his congregation's "hospitality ministry" in place for more than 30 years. Published May 12, 2022
Retired Roman Catholic Cardinal, other pro-democracy activists released after arrest in Hong Kong
Cardinal Joseph Zen, a 90-year-old retired Roman Catholic bishop and critic of China's communist regime, was among several pro-democracy advocates arrested by Hong Kong police Wednesday and released on bail late at night. Published May 11, 2022
Hong Kong police arrest retired Catholic cardinal on national security charges, release him on bail
Hong Kong police on Wednesday arrested a retired Roman Catholic cardinal who had served as the city's bishop and at least three others on charges of "colluding with foreign forces to endanger China's national security," according to media reports. Published May 11, 2022
Nobel physics laureate Frank Wilczek wins Templeton Prize for work on science, spirituality links
Frank Wilczek, winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics, has been awarded the 2022 Templeton Prize for work that reveals "a vision of a universe that he regards as embodying mathematical beauty at the scales of the magnificently large and unimaginably small," the Pennsylvania-based John Templeton Foundation announced Wednesday. Published May 11, 2022
Survey: 70% of Americans approve of shift from ‘Judeo-Christian’ nation to ‘multifaith’
A majority of Americans said they are "proud" to be in a more religiously diverse nation than the traditional "Judeo-Christian" description has suggested, a new survey revealed Tuesday. Published May 10, 2022
Satanic Temple joins pro-choice movement, demands ‘religious abortion access’ if Roe reversed
The Satanic Temple has vowed to pursue 'religious abortion access' rights if the Supreme Court overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a right to the procedure. Published May 10, 2022
Catholic bishops set day of fasting, prayer to overturn Roe v. Wade
America's Roman Catholic bishops are asking the faithful to fast and pray on Friday to overturn the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States. Published May 10, 2022
