To save Jewish culture, American Jews turned to summer camp The roots of summer sleep-away camps that revolve around Jewish identity go back to efforts to keep Jewish culture alive after World War II. Deena Prichep
Hajj pilgrimage is exected to be the biggest since COVID pandemic The annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage has begun — drawing around 2 million people to Mecca. Crowd control poses a challenge as pilgrims perform the physically and spiritually demanding journey. Aya Batrawy
He walked away from his evangelical roots to escape feeling suffocated The evangelical movement was Jon Ward's church, his family, his community, his music, and his identity. And then he broke away. Rachel Martin
Hundreds of scientists protest the Indian government's changes made to textbooks Hundreds of scientists in India have expressed concern over the removal of topics like theory of evolution and periodic table from tenth-grade textbooks. Shalu Yadav
Four immigrants who sought sanctuary in churches no longer face deportation Under the settlement with immigration authorities, the four women can apply for asylum. They also no longer face thousands in fines imposed by the former Trump administration. Joel Rose
He saw the ghost of his racist grandfather. It helped lead to meaningful healing John Blake's story is about growing up as a Black kid in West Baltimore in the 1980s, learning painful secrets about his white mother and, as he recalls, a ghost. Rachel Martin
'Still alive,' Pope Francis jokes as he leaves a Rome hospital 9 days after surgery "The pope is well. He's better than before,'' said Dr. Sergio Alfieri, the surgeon who performed the 86-year-old pontiff's operation on June 7. The Associated Press
Southern Baptist leaders voted to further restrict the role of women in ministry Southern Baptist leaders meeting in New Orleans voted to amend their constitution to disallow women from serving as a pastor of any kind. They also extended the work of their sex abuse task force. Jason DeRose
Southern Baptists say no to women pastors, uphold expulsion of Saddleback megachurch The Southern Baptist Convention upheld the removal of two churches for having women as pastors. The nearly 13,000 voters, called "messengers," voted overwhelmingly to uphold the churches' removals. Jason DeRose
Losing his voice gave this singer a new appreciation for God — and being alone Trevor Powers went to the doctor in October 2021 for a minor stomach ache. He was prescribed an over-the-counter medication and expected it to clear up in a couple days. But that's not what happened. Rachel Martin