This Week in Religion - How taxpayers are helping Christian schools

Lead story Editor's note: Scholarships from taxpayers are helping classical Christian school leaders reshape American education Classical Christian schools are booming in the U.S., driven partly by conservatives joining forces to use new taxpayer-funded scholarships.  Classical Christian education blends rhetoric and Western history with a Christian worldview. Supporters include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and controversial pastor Doug Wilson, founder of the Association of Classical Christian Schools – an early leader in the movement. The association recently joined Turning Point Education and the Heritage Foundation in a coalition seeking to create 5,000 new classical Christian schools over the next decade.  The Associated Press’ Tiffany Stanley interviewed more than 30 ACCS leaders and parents, along with more than a dozen other experts and advocates. Critics warn that the movement could harm public schools and raise church-state concerns. Supporters see a chance to secure public funding and educate future Christian leaders.

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Religion News As Texas Gov. Abbott targets Muslim groups, his PAC receives millions from Muslim oil exec While Abbott has been a vocal opponent of what he calls the 'Islamification' of Texas, he also has received more than $15 million in donations from S. Javaid Anwar, a philanthropist and oil industry exec. By Ulaa Kuziez/Religion News Service America's politically divided Jewish community braces for Israel's elections Jewish Americans have a lot at stake in next week's contentious election in Israel. But they are sharply divided along political, religious and often generational lines on the preferred outcome. By Giovanna Dell’Orto/The Associated Press How an Orthodox Jewish scholar found an unexpected home among the Amish 'They know that there is electricity and internet and smartphones and that they could drive, but they choose not to,' Rivka Neriya-Ben Shahar said of the Amish. 'When you talk with them, they look at you, they listen to you, they wait before they respond.' By Michele Chabin/Religion News Service Faith leaders unite across religions to counter voter intimidation on Election Day Poll chaplains and lay peacekeepers have maintained a calm presence over the last few election cycles. This year, Faiths United in Saving Democracy is mobilizing hundreds to deploy to battleground states. By Deepa Bharath/The Associated Press Pastor who led Kenyan cult is convicted of 191 murders after ordering followers to starve The leader of a Kenyan doomsday cult was convicted of murdering 190 children and one adult after ordering followers to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus. By Evelyne Musambi/The Associated Press

Commentary and Analysis What the failed attack on an Illinois temple reveals about anti-Hindu hate in the United States

Hostility toward Hindu worship practices draws on a long history of prejudice portraying the faith’s followers as idolaters, argues a scholar of Hindu studies. By Arun Brahmbhatt for The Conversation Belonging and belief: Why evangelical churches draw many migrants in the US Many migrants find community in evangelical churches in the U.S. – part of wider shifts in the country’s religious landscape. By Johanna Bard Richlin for The Conversation An attack on the Hindu temple and the growing politics of places of worship An attempted terrorist attack against a Hindu temple near Chicago shows the growing prominence of minority places of worship in the West. That prominence brings greater visibility and new risks. By Tilak Parekh/Religion News Service Today's irreverent politics ignore ancient wisdom: The need to know your limits Many Americans have decried today's politics as 'shameless.' The antidote, a political philosopher argues, may be more reverence – awe at just how difficult democracy is. By Robert A. Ballingall for The Conversation Photos of the Week: Peruvian procession, Dalai Lama and more Devotees attend a procession marking the feast day of Peru's patron saint, The Lord of Miracles, in Lima, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) About the Global Religion Journalism Initiative

This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S. The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith. The Conversation U.S.'s daily and weekly newsletters The Associated Press Newsletter Hub Religion News Service newsletter sign-up page