Today

London Evangelist Cleared, Amid Other Religious-Liberty Rulings and 9/11 Reflection

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. Richard Johnson, a 72-year-old Christian evangelist, has been cleared of criminal charges after distributing gospel tracts in London's Soho district, Charisma News reported. The outlet said the case tested whether that neighborhood could be treated as a speech-restricted zone for biblical beliefs, and that Johnson had appeared before the court to answer the charges.

Two other religious-liberty developments were also reported in the United States. Charisma News reported that guards at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico have been cleared to continue using common religious greetings, such as "Have a blessed day," at the installation's gates, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly opposed a group that had sought to stop the practice. Separately, Charisma News reported that the Department of Justice has filed a brief asking the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court ruling that blocked Daniel Grand, an Orthodox Jew in University Heights, Ohio, from suing his city after he was told he could not host a prayer gathering in his home.

In Germany, Religion News Service reported from Wittenberg that the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party had scored what the outlet called a pivotal victory, an outcome German churches had fiercely fought to prevent. Church leaders hope to resist the party's anti-immigrant agenda, the outlet reported, even as its rise exposes what the outlet described as a deeper rift in communities where churches had served as a check on right-wing extremism.

Charisma News also reported that the Global Methodist Church, the conservative denomination formed after the split from the United Methodist Church, is reporting substantial growth. The outlet separately reported that a new computer simulation of the ancient collision believed to have formed the moon offers findings the outlet said echo the Genesis creation account, and that newly studied inscriptions from the ancient city of Akmoneia, in modern-day Turkey, are giving scholars fresh insight into the pagan religious world of the apostle Paul's biblical era. On the Middle East, Charisma News reported weeks of warnings that tension in Judea and Samaria could escalate during the upcoming Jewish holidays, citing reports that Iran has summoned Hamas amid what the outlet described as a desire to ignite a larger conflict in the region.

Ahead of the anniversary, Religion News Service ran a series of pieces on the legacy of September 11: one on the institutions and assumptions that took shape afterward for American Muslims, one on journalist Rozina Ali's new book arguing that Islamophobia predates the attacks, one on an Illinois village and what it says about the country 25 years on, and one on criticism directed at New York Mayor Mamdani over his Muslim faith amid calls that he skip a 9/11 ceremony, which he still plans to attend. The Gospel Coalition published a piece on the new film "The Uprising," calling it a fitting release for the anniversary. And Christianity Today published a historical feature on a 1944 service at an Iowa prisoner-of-war camp, where a church choir, an organist and a minister from Trinity Lutheran Church led worship for German prisoners.

Zoom out: Much of the day's religion coverage was shaped by the approaching 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, with outlets examining its lasting effects on American Muslims, on political life, and on how the country looks back a quarter-century later.

What we're following

Sources

The post-9/11 infrastructure of Islamophobia Religion News Service
Christian Evangelist Learns His Fate After Gospel Tract Lands Him in Court Charisma News
When Nazi Prisoners Worshiped with Iowa Farmers Christianity Today
Why ‘The Uprising’ Is a Fitting September 11 Release The Gospel Coalition
Islamophobia goes back decades, before 9/11, a new book argues Religion News Service
Some critics cite Mamdani’s Muslim faith in demanding he skip 9/11 anniversary ceremony Religion News Service
What an Illinois village says about the US 25 years after 9/11 Religion News Service
What the AfD’s victory means for German churches’ influence Religion News Service
Will a Major War Take Place During the Upcoming Jewish Holidays? Charisma News
Ancient Pagan Cult Discovery Sheds New Light on Apostle Paul’s Biblical World Charisma News
A Methodist Revival? Conservative Denomination Surges After Historic Church Split Charisma News
Scientists Make Stunning Moon Discovery That Echoes the Genesis Creation Account Charisma News
Military Base Guards Cleared to Say ‘Have a Blessed Day’ After Pete Hegseth Steps in to Oppose ‘Radical Anti-Christian’ Group Charisma News
DOJ Files Brief in Support of Man Hosting Prayer Gathering Charisma News