Lead story
Editor's note:
Since the start of the Iran war, religious language has been in the spotlight, from Pope Leo’s criticism to Pentagon prayer services. Some American pastors have drawn on evangelical ideas about the end times to interpret the conflict, saying it’s part of a divine plan.
This kind of apocalyptic framing is not new; in the U.S., it's been popular in some Christian circles since the 1970s. In fact, for years a handful of evangelical satellite TV networks have broadcast messages about the Middle East and biblical prophecy into Iran itself, historian Febe Armanios explains.
The Islamic Republic allows Armenian and Assyrian Christians to practice their faiths in their own languages, but it has strict restrictions on Protestant activities in Persian. Since the early 2000s, satellite channels based in the U.S. and Europe have attempted to bypass those limits to reach Iranian evangelicals and potential converts.
By viewing events through an end-times lens, focused on Jesus’ second coming, these stations positioned the region “at the center of a long-running ‘faith war,’” Armanios writes.
Religion News
Texas can require public schools to display Ten Commandments in classrooms, court rules
Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, a U.S. appeals court ruled, in a victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into classrooms. By Jamie Stengle/The Associated Press
Pope Francis' legacy in time, one year after his death
A year after Pope Francis’ death, the enduring mark of his papacy is how he changed the church’s understanding of itself – and its place in the world. By Claire Giangravé/Religion News Service
Trump and other top Republicans read passages in a marathon Bible event
Many of his leading Christian supporters are taking part this week in a marathon reading of the Bible, in an America 250-themed event billed as encouraging a 'return to the spiritual foundation that has shaped our country.' By Peter Smith/The Associated Press
Pope Leo XIV urged Equatorial Guinea to work for justice and to close the gap 'between the privileged and the disadvantaged,' as he drew attention to the vast income inequalities and human rights abuses in the Central African country. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
A TPUSA tour stop triggered a pro-LGBTQ event at Baylor. Then came the Baptist blowback.
In response to the ‘All Are Neighbors’ event, the Baptist General Convention of Texas will revisit its relationship with the Christian university. By Kathryn Post/Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
Topics such as sexual assault have been difficult for survivors and historians to write about, even decades after the war. By Chad Gibbs for The Conversation
Most past disagreements between popes and presidents have happened during times of high suspicion regarding the Catholic Church. Each case is different from what we are seeing today. By Karen E. Park/Religion News Service
For Madison, religious freedom was not a tool for political domination. Rather, he saw it as a constitutional safeguard for liberty and democracy. By Corey D. B. Walker for The Conversation
Negative portrayals of Muslims shape public attitudes and lead to increased discrimination, often resulting in hate crimes and psychological harm. By Anisah Bagasra for The Conversation
Pope Leo XIV is cheered by faithful while visiting a nursing home in Saurimo, Angola, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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