Religion

Religion News Service reports: The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for separation of state and church and for nontheism, is experiencing what its co-president calls a “Trump bump.”  The American Humanist Association, a nonprofit that promotes secular humanism, reported a 68% rise in donations since Trump won the 2024 election — and a 77% increase since …

Jackson, Tennessee’s ABC affiliate reports: In June 2024, then 39-year-old Ryan McElrath, a former youth pastor at Fellowship Bible Church in Jackson, was booked into the Madison County jail on charges involving inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor. In February 2025, McElrath pled guilty to “use of a facility and means of interstate commerce to persuade, induce, entice a minor …

Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate reports: A Burlington County man is facing multiple charges for allegedly having sex with a child multiple times. On Friday, police announced the arrest of 44-year-old Shawn Tracey of Mount Holly. Detectives say Tracey had sex with a girl under the age of 13 over a two-year period at multiple locations in Burlington County. Tracey was arrested …

The Midland Daily News reports: A former leader at Midland Baptist Church and Coleman’s Grace Baptist Church, Scott Haught, 54, was sentenced to serve up to 25 years in prison for sexually abusing two of his daughters. A jury found Haught, 54, of Saginaw, guilty of nine felony criminal sexual conduct charges after a two-and-a-half-day trial in March. He was …

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: A former North Texas pastor and elementary school volunteer faces charges related to possession of material depicting the sexual abuse of children, officials said. Lewisville police issued arrest warrants for Jim Mustain on April 23, the department said in a statement. Mustain, former community pastor at Frisco’s Preston Trail Community Church, was extradited to North …

The Associated Press reports: Mariann Budde, Bishop of Washington, on Wednesday decried leaders “trying to turn back the clock” on LGBTQ+ rights and urged people to embrace hope and joy amid hardship as they come to the nation’s capital for World Pride during a time of mounting political anxiety for LGBTQ+ Americans. “We’re not in the 1960’s and 70’s anymore,” …

Wausau’s CBS affiliate reports: A former Wisconsin Rapids youth pastor will spend 10 years in prison and 5 years on extended supervision for sexually assaulting a child while working as a youth pastor in 2003. James Lane, 53, pleaded guilty to the charge in April and was convicted as a result. Attorney General Josh Kaul and Wood County District Attorney …

Winston-Salem’s NBC affiliate reports: A Siler City pastor accused of possessing child pornography is facing multiple charges, according to the Siler City Police Department. Nelson Chay, 57, is charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. In April, the department received an online tip about Chay, a pastor at Casa de Dios. Chay is accused of using …

Wichita Falls’ NBC affiliate reports: According to DPS Sgt. Juan Gutierrez, Texas Rangers served a warrant and arrested 31-year-old Nathan Patrick Roach Friday, May 30, 2025, for child grooming, a third-degree felony. He was then booked into the Archer County jail. According to a release, Rangers were called on March 18th to assist the Holliday Police Department with the allegation …

The Christian Post reports: The head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm is calling for the complete abolition of the pornography industry. Brent Leatherwood, president of the SBC’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), published a statement this week on the ERLC website titled “Outlaw pornography now,” citing a New York Times report revealing Pornhub’s alleged complicity in …

Greenville, South Carolina’s NBC affiliate reports: A pastor at a Greenville County, South Carolina, church is facing numerous child sex charges, and his wife has also been arrested, according to deputies. Myron Chorbajian is a pastor at 1st Southern Methodist Church on Fork Shoals Road, according to the church’s Facebook page. Myron and his wife, Kathleen, were arrested on fugitive …

The Independent reports: A Florida youth pastor faces over 20 charges of sexual abuse of foster children in his care, including a six-year-old girl who he allegedly abused “for years.” Daniel R. Lamppin also used his role as an employee at a local branch of Chick-fil-A to gain access to youngsters, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. Lamppin, 40, …

Phoenix’s NBC affiliate reports: A Phoenix pastor and his church are among 22 defendants charged in what the Arizona attorney general’s office says is one of the largest fraud cases to date in the ongoing sober-living homes scandal. The alleged $60 million fraud diverted millions of dollars to the owners of a behavioral health business; to the Hope Of Life …

The Associated Press reports: The Archdiocese of New Orleans agreed to pay nearly $180 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse under a settlement announced Wednesday, the latest in a string of settlements by the Catholic Church. The archdiocese, its parishes and several insurers will pay $179.2 million into a trust to benefit survivors, according to a statement by the …

The Livingston Post reports: William Eugene Johnson, 38, of Howell — fired from 2|42 Church in Brighton in September 2024 after placing a video recording device inside a unisex restroom — was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 68 months and a maximum of 20 years in prison by Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Matthew McGiveny. In April, Johnson pleaded …

From the Justice Department: A former youth pastor was sentenced today for Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor and Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge John F. Heil, III, sentenced Chaz Chinsethagid, 34, of Jenks, to serve 168 months imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervised release. Upon his release, Chinsethagid will also be required …

The Hill reports: Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance met Pope Leo XIV while in Vatican City for the pontiff’s inauguration mass on Sunday. Before exiting St. Peter’s Square, the vice president and second lady greeted Pope Leo XIV, a spokesperson for the vice president said. Vance and the first American pope shook hands and appeared to briefly …

The Christian Post reports: Disgraced Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, who resigned from the Southlake, Texas, megachurch last June after he was accused of child sex abuse, demanded a million dollars upfront plus hundreds of thousands more annually in retirement compensation shortly after his exit, but the church refused. The revelation was made in documents filed by the church in …

Bloomberg News reports: Vice President JD Vance will attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV following the pontiff’s historic election as the first American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Vance, the highest-ranking Catholic in the US government, heads to Italy and the Vatican for the second time in as many months after attending Holy Week services in Rome. …

The Santa Barbara Independent reports: Sheriff’s detectives arrested a Goleta man for several alleged felony child sex crimes on Friday, May 9. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is now “reaching out to the public to identify additional survivors and provide safety information for parents monitoring children’s social media,” it said in a statement on Monday. Detectives identified Shaun Donald …