Latest news with #evangelical
Fox News
2 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Justice Department takes on small Idaho town in religious freedom battle over church permit
The Justice Department accused a small city in northern Idaho of religious discrimination after it denied a zoning permit to a local evangelical church seeking to hold worship services. The DOJ announced on May 20 it had filed a lawsuit alleging the city of Troy, Idaho, violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) after it denied a conditional use permit to Christ Church to hold services in its downtown C-1 zoning district, where nonreligious assembly uses such as clubs, museums, auditoriums, and art galleries were allowed. The RLUIPA is federal legislation passed in 2000 that's intended to "protect individuals, houses of worship, and other religious institutions from discrimination in zoning and landmarking laws," the DOJ states. According to the lawsuit, Christ Church, a small but quickly growing evangelical church based in Moscow, Idaho, sought to accommodate its growth in September 2022 by establishing another church campus in the neighboring town of Troy. The conservative, evangelical church faced opposition from some in the Moscow community over the years because of its beliefs and influence in the liberal college town, with some residents boycotting businesses tied to the church, according to the Spokesman-Review. The church made national headlines in September 2020 after a few of its members were arrested for not wearing masks at an outside worship service protesting the city's mask mandate during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Pastor Douglas Wilson faced criticism for his provocative writings and allegations he wants to make America a "Christian theocracy," according to a recent article from Politico. Christ Church allegedly reached out to various locations in Troy to rent on weekends for services, without success. In November 2022, Matt Meyer, an elder at the church and Troy resident, purchased a vacant, former bank in the city's downtown business district with the intention of converting part of the property into a space to be used by the church for worship services and church meetings, while the other part of the property would be rented out as an event space for the community. Meyer applied for a conditional use permit and told the city he failed to find another suitable space to hold services in Troy. In his application, he said there would be little impact on the surrounding businesses and his purchase of the vacant building would bring in property tax revenue for the city. After holding a public hearing on the matter where locals expressed strong opposition to the permit request, the Troy City Council rejected the church's application in March of that year. According to the DOJ, the city council denied the permit on the basis that the church "did not enhance the commercial district." Furthermore, the city council argued the majority of locals were against granting the church a permit in this zone and the decision would burden residents and businesses by creating traffic and parking issues in the city, whose population is fewer than 1,000 people. In their lawsuit filed on Christ Church's behalf, the DOJ questioned how the city justified the denial on the basis of several of its arguments. The lawsuit questioned why the city told Meyer he could use the building for other community events, which had no retail purpose, and these would be considered to "enhance the commercial district" and be allowed under the city's zoning law. They claimed the city did not conduct a traffic study, or offer conditions that could be imposed on the church to ameliorate the traffic and parking concerns. Many of the public comments at the public hearing demonstrated "animus and discrimination against Christ Church, its members, and their religious beliefs," the lawsuit also claimed. The DOJ lawsuit accuses the city of Troy of violating RLUIPA by not treating Christ Church on "equal treatment" with nonreligious assemblies through its zoning code, by imposing a "substantial burden" on the church's religious exercise and by discriminating against Christ Church on the "basis of religion." City of Troy attorney Todd Richardson rejected the DOJ's discrimination allegations in an interview with Fox News Digital. He said they've allowed Christ Church to hold services in the building for the past two years, while the investigation has been ongoing, and they have cooperated fully with federal investigators. The city attorney accused the Justice Department of using "bullying tactics" to try to force their hand. The case isn't about religion, he said, but about the city preserving the two-block downtown area as a commercial district and resisting the influx of as many as 15% of its population gathering at one location and putting a "strain on the city's limited resources." "We have no complaints about Christ Church being in town. We have concerns about overwhelming that zone," he said. Matt Meyer, the elder at Christ Church who filed a complaint with the DOJ over the dispute, told Fox News Digital that the church would be happy to work with the city to accommodate any of its concerns, such as parking restrictions, but city leaders "have never asked us for any sort of conditions" to do so. He found the city's allegations about parking and impacting businesses unfounded, saying many of the buildings in this downtown area are vacant, and the town is "largely empty" on Sunday mornings. Meyer attended the public hearing where many residents spoke out against the church permit being granted. He referred to the hostile comments made by some in the community toward the church, as mentioned in the DOJ lawsuit, to argue they likely played a role in the city council's decision. "It seems logical that elected officials could be influenced by a vocal group of residents even if that group is a minority, but I can't read the mind of the city council," he said. In April 2025, Troy passed an interim zoning ordinance that changed many of the previously permitted uses in the business district to "not permitted," including auditoriums, community centers, civic and fraternal organizations, parks, playgrounds, schools, museums, libraries, and movie theaters, and prohibits churches as a conditional use, according to the lawsuit. In its press release, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said, "RLUIPA unequivocally forbids local governments from deciding zoning matters based on their dislike of certain religious groups. The Department of Justice will not hesitate to file suit against jurisdictions that discriminate in land use matters on the basis of the applicants' religious beliefs." Christ Church pastor Douglas Wilson told Fox News Digital that public backlash to his opinions shouldn't be a factor in how city leaders treat his church. "The content of things that I say should have nothing to do with whether a church is allowed to meet. You don't approve a religious assembly based upon your disagreement with certain views expressed." The Justice Department told Fox News Digital it did not have further comment on the matter.
Washington Post
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
How Evangelical pastors provide spiritual comfort in crisis-hit Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela — 'Can I bring my gun into the worship service?' The question presented Venezuelan pastor Fernanda Eglé with a dilemma. Agreeing might have endangered parishioners at her evangelical church in Caracas. But what if dismissing the gang member pulled him farther from God? 'It was risky, but this was God's plan,' Eglé said. 'He knew these people's hearts, their need for change. So I created a 'service for criminals,' intending they would come.' Many pastors like Eglé provide spiritual guidance in Venezuelan slums affected by crime, drug addiction and gangs . Their task has proven challenging amid the 12-year crisis that stemmed from a drop in oil prices , corruption and government mismanagement . The economic collapse has forced millions to emigrate since Nicolás Maduro took power in 2013. And despite official claims of decreasing inflation levels in 2024, he declared an 'economic emergency' in April, granting himself powers to implement extraordinary measures. 'Working in these communities has been difficult,' Eglé said. 'But we need to keep up our work.' Reliable statistics are hard to come by since official figures have not been issued in more than a decade, but academic experts and community members contend the number of evangelicals in Venezuela has grown in recent decades, just as it has in other Latin American countries. The region's string of social, political and economic crises is a key driver of that growth, said David Smilde, professor of sociology at Tulane University in New Orleans. The second issue driving communities to evangelical churches might be the Catholic Church's priest shortage, which means fewer faith leaders are now serving larger groups of people, said Smilde. With less stringent rules for clergy, evangelical churches can more quickly step into that void. As for Venezuelans, many find themselves on the margins of survival. 'This is a context in which participation in evangelical churches can provide strength, focus and a social network for mutual support,' Smilde said. Despite the statistical void, the U.S. State Department's 2023 report on religious freedom estimated that 96% of the Venezuelan population is Catholic — though that may not reflect the rise in evangelicals. Sociologist Enrique Alí González estimates that the current religious affiliation would be 82%-84% Catholic and 10%-12% evangelical with other faiths accounting for the rest. He based those numbers on his own field work and data from one of the most recent demographic assessments, which was led by the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas in 2016. Like Eglé, pastor José Luis Villamizar encourages Venezuelans to embrace the Gospel as a path to change course. 'We have managed to get people who used to be hitmen away from that lifestyle,' Villamizar said. Also based in Caracas, Villamizar founded his evangelical church at his house during the pandemic. At first he ministered from a window. As lockdown receded, he took his work to the streets. Both he and Eglé visit elderly people and Venezuelans lacking basic care on a regular basis. Mostly dependent on donations or their savings, they deliver food, medicines and clothing. Prayers and religious lectures are followed by recreational activities, financial workshops and barbershop days. 'We joke around, we paint the women's nails, we try everything to make life a little easier,' Eglé said. 'To lift some of the burden of loneliness and depression.' At Eglé's sanctuary, gang members eventually agreed to leave their weapons at the entrance. 'I spoke to many of them and asked: What led you to this life?' Eglé said. 'And when they told me their stories, I wept with them.' Villamizar's congregation finds temporary homes for those willing to start over and embrace the Gospel. His team monitors their behavior. And like Eglé, he offers support until they find a job and regain self-reliance. 'If we don't help them get out of their situation, they'll end up in the same circumstances,' he said. In 2023, the president launched a program called 'My well-equipped church' to improve evangelical churches with government funding. Some pastors accept the help. Others prefer to find their own means. Eglé recalled a contribution that helped her acquire chairs and a house that she later turned into a sanctuary. Villamizar opted to remain fully independent. 'They have offered us help, but if the church of God gets tangled in politics, one ends up in debt,' he said. 'I prefer Him to provide and, to this day, He has fulfilled.' Maduro's outreach to evangelical groups has had little effect on gaining the president more supporters, said Smilde. Politicians are mistaken if they think the structure of independent evangelical churches mirror the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church, he added. 'The possibilities for politically mobilizing evangelicals is widely misunderstood in Venezuela and consistently overestimated,' Smilde said. 'A year ago there was a lot of concern in Venezuela about Maduro's outreach to evangelicals being a factor in the election , but it was not, despite considerable effort on his part.' Israel Guerra was raised Catholic, but a spiritual crisis led him to become evangelical. 'I made the transition because in Catholicism I never felt supported nor that God loved me,' said Guerra, who attends a Caracas megachurch. He, too, has noticed the expansion of evangelical churches in Venezuela and says people find them approachable. 'More than being places listing rules to enter heaven, they're a place of refuge,' he said. 'They are safe places for the poor and the rich alike, for former gang members and entrepreneurs.' Not all congregations are as open or welcoming, said Génesis Díaz, born to evangelical pastors in a church requiring its members to follow strict rules. But their proliferation is nonetheless evident to her. As a missionary and Christian content creator visiting Caracas congregations on a regular basis, Díaz said she has seen up to 20 evangelical churches in neighborhoods where a single Catholic church stands. 'Venezuela is a Christian, religious country,' she said. 'While there are things we have forgotten and bad people are around, there is a very strong awakening towards God.' ____ María Teresa Hernández reported from Mexico City. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
How Evangelical pastors provide spiritual comfort in crisis-hit Venezuela
'Can I bring my gun into the worship service?' The question presented Venezuelan pastor Fernanda Eglé with a dilemma. Agreeing might have endangered parishioners at her evangelical church in Caracas. But what if dismissing the gang member pulled him farther from God? 'It was risky, but this was God's plan,' Eglé said. 'He knew these people's hearts, their need for change. So I created a 'service for criminals,' intending they would come.' Many pastors like Eglé provide spiritual guidance in Venezuelan slums affected by crime, drug addiction and gangs. Their task has proven challenging amid the 12-year crisis that stemmed from a drop in oil prices, corruption and government mismanagement. The economic collapse has forced millions to emigrate since Nicolás Maduro took power in 2013. And despite official claims of decreasing inflation levels in 2024, he declared an 'economic emergency' in April, granting himself powers to implement extraordinary measures. 'Working in these communities has been difficult,' Eglé said. 'But we need to keep up our work.' How big is the evangelical community in Venezuela? Reliable statistics are hard to come by since official figures have not been issued in more than a decade, but academic experts and community members contend the number of evangelicals in Venezuela has grown in recent decades, just as it has in other Latin American countries. The region's string of social, political and economic crises is a key driver of that growth, said David Smilde, professor of sociology at Tulane University in New Orleans. The second issue driving communities to evangelical churches might be the Catholic Church's priest shortage, which means fewer faith leaders are now serving larger groups of people, said Smilde. With less stringent rules for clergy, evangelical churches can more quickly step into that void. As for Venezuelans, many find themselves on the margins of survival. 'This is a context in which participation in evangelical churches can provide strength, focus and a social network for mutual support,' Smilde said. Despite the statistical void, the U.S. State Department's 2023 report on religious freedom estimated that 96% of the Venezuelan population is Catholic — though that may not reflect the rise in evangelicals. Sociologist Enrique Alí González estimates that the current religious affiliation would be 82%-84% Catholic and 10%-12% evangelical with other faiths accounting for the rest. He based those numbers on his own field work and data from one of the most recent demographic assessments, which was led by the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas in 2016. A pastor's role among the people Like Eglé, pastor José Luis Villamizar encourages Venezuelans to embrace the Gospel as a path to change course. 'We have managed to get people who used to be hitmen away from that lifestyle,' Villamizar said. Also based in Caracas, Villamizar founded his evangelical church at his house during the pandemic. At first he ministered from a window. As lockdown receded, he took his work to the streets. Both he and Eglé visit elderly people and Venezuelans lacking basic care on a regular basis. Mostly dependent on donations or their savings, they deliver food, medicines and clothing. Prayers and religious lectures are followed by recreational activities, financial workshops and barbershop days. 'We joke around, we paint the women's nails, we try everything to make life a little easier,' Eglé said. 'To lift some of the burden of loneliness and depression.' A welcoming church At Eglé's sanctuary, gang members eventually agreed to leave their weapons at the entrance. 'I spoke to many of them and asked: What led you to this life?' Eglé said. 'And when they told me their stories, I wept with them.' Villamizar's congregation finds temporary homes for those willing to start over and embrace the Gospel. His team monitors their behavior. And like Eglé, he offers support until they find a job and regain self-reliance. 'If we don't help them get out of their situation, they'll end up in the same circumstances,' he said. Maduro has openly associated with evangelicals In 2023, the president launched a program called 'My well-equipped church' to improve evangelical churches with government funding. Some pastors accept the help. Others prefer to find their own means. Eglé recalled a contribution that helped her acquire chairs and a house that she later turned into a sanctuary. Villamizar opted to remain fully independent. 'They have offered us help, but if the church of God gets tangled in politics, one ends up in debt,' he said. 'I prefer Him to provide and, to this day, He has fulfilled.' Maduro's outreach to evangelical groups has had little effect on gaining the president more supporters, said Smilde. Politicians are mistaken if they think the structure of independent evangelical churches mirror the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church, he added. 'The possibilities for politically mobilizing evangelicals is widely misunderstood in Venezuela and consistently overestimated,' Smilde said. 'A year ago there was a lot of concern in Venezuela about Maduro's outreach to evangelicals being a factor in the election, but it was not, despite considerable effort on his part.' What Venezuelans find in their evangelical church Israel Guerra was raised Catholic, but a spiritual crisis led him to become evangelical. 'I made the transition because in Catholicism I never felt supported nor that God loved me,' said Guerra, who attends a Caracas megachurch. He, too, has noticed the expansion of evangelical churches in Venezuela and says people find them approachable. 'More than being places listing rules to enter heaven, they're a place of refuge,' he said. 'They are safe places for the poor and the rich alike, for former gang members and entrepreneurs.' Not all congregations are as open or welcoming, said Génesis Díaz, born to evangelical pastors in a church requiring its members to follow strict rules. But their proliferation is nonetheless evident to her. As a missionary and Christian content creator visiting Caracas congregations on a regular basis, Díaz said she has seen up to 20 evangelical churches in neighborhoods where a single Catholic church stands. 'Venezuela is a Christian, religious country,' she said. 'While there are things we have forgotten and bad people are around, there is a very strong awakening towards God.' ____ María Teresa Hernández reported from Mexico City. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Associated Press
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
How Evangelical pastors provide spiritual comfort in crisis-hit Venezuela
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — 'Can I bring my gun into the worship service?' The question presented Venezuelan pastor Fernanda Eglé with a dilemma. Agreeing might have endangered parishioners at her evangelical church in Caracas. But what if dismissing the gang member pulled him farther from God? 'It was risky, but this was God's plan,' Eglé said. 'He knew these people's hearts, their need for change. So I created a 'service for criminals,' intending they would come.' Many pastors like Eglé provide spiritual guidance in Venezuelan slums affected by crime, drug addiction and gangs. Their task has proven challenging amid the 12-year crisis that stemmed from a drop in oil prices, corruption and government mismanagement. The economic collapse has forced millions to emigrate since Nicolás Maduro took power in 2013. And despite official claims of decreasing inflation levels in 2024, he declared an 'economic emergency' in April, granting himself powers to implement extraordinary measures. 'Working in these communities has been difficult,' Eglé said. 'But we need to keep up our work.' How big is the evangelical community in Venezuela? Reliable statistics are hard to come by since official figures have not been issued in more than a decade, but academic experts and community members contend the number of evangelicals in Venezuela has grown in recent decades, just as it has in other Latin American countries. The region's string of social, political and economic crises is a key driver of that growth, said David Smilde, professor of sociology at Tulane University in New Orleans. The second issue driving communities to evangelical churches might be the Catholic Church's priest shortage, which means fewer faith leaders are now serving larger groups of people, said Smilde. With less stringent rules for clergy, evangelical churches can more quickly step into that void. As for Venezuelans, many find themselves on the margins of survival. 'This is a context in which participation in evangelical churches can provide strength, focus and a social network for mutual support,' Smilde said. Despite the statistical void, the U.S. State Department's 2023 report on religious freedom estimated that 96% of the Venezuelan population is Catholic — though that may not reflect the rise in evangelicals. Sociologist Enrique Alí González estimates that the current religious affiliation would be 82%-84% Catholic and 10%-12% evangelical with other faiths accounting for the rest. He based those numbers on his own field work and data from one of the most recent demographic assessments, which was led by the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas in 2016. A pastor's role among the people Like Eglé, pastor José Luis Villamizar encourages Venezuelans to embrace the Gospel as a path to change course. 'We have managed to get people who used to be hitmen away from that lifestyle,' Villamizar said. Also based in Caracas, Villamizar founded his evangelical church at his house during the pandemic. At first he ministered from a window. As lockdown receded, he took his work to the streets. Both he and Eglé visit elderly people and Venezuelans lacking basic care on a regular basis. Mostly dependent on donations or their savings, they deliver food, medicines and clothing. Prayers and religious lectures are followed by recreational activities, financial workshops and barbershop days. 'We joke around, we paint the women's nails, we try everything to make life a little easier,' Eglé said. 'To lift some of the burden of loneliness and depression.' A welcoming church At Eglé's sanctuary, gang members eventually agreed to leave their weapons at the entrance. 'I spoke to many of them and asked: What led you to this life?' Eglé said. 'And when they told me their stories, I wept with them.' Villamizar's congregation finds temporary homes for those willing to start over and embrace the Gospel. His team monitors their behavior. And like Eglé, he offers support until they find a job and regain self-reliance. 'If we don't help them get out of their situation, they'll end up in the same circumstances,' he said. Maduro has openly associated with evangelicals In 2023, the president launched a program called 'My well-equipped church' to improve evangelical churches with government funding. Some pastors accept the help. Others prefer to find their own means. Eglé recalled a contribution that helped her acquire chairs and a house that she later turned into a sanctuary. Villamizar opted to remain fully independent. 'They have offered us help, but if the church of God gets tangled in politics, one ends up in debt,' he said. 'I prefer Him to provide and, to this day, He has fulfilled.' Maduro's outreach to evangelical groups has had little effect on gaining the president more supporters, said Smilde. Politicians are mistaken if they think the structure of independent evangelical churches mirror the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church, he added. 'The possibilities for politically mobilizing evangelicals is widely misunderstood in Venezuela and consistently overestimated,' Smilde said. 'A year ago there was a lot of concern in Venezuela about Maduro's outreach to evangelicals being a factor in the election, but it was not, despite considerable effort on his part.' What Venezuelans find in their evangelical church Israel Guerra was raised Catholic, but a spiritual crisis led him to become evangelical. 'I made the transition because in Catholicism I never felt supported nor that God loved me,' said Guerra, who attends a Caracas megachurch. He, too, has noticed the expansion of evangelical churches in Venezuela and says people find them approachable. 'More than being places listing rules to enter heaven, they're a place of refuge,' he said. 'They are safe places for the poor and the rich alike, for former gang members and entrepreneurs.' Not all congregations are as open or welcoming, said Génesis Díaz, born to evangelical pastors in a church requiring its members to follow strict rules. But their proliferation is nonetheless evident to her. As a missionary and Christian content creator visiting Caracas congregations on a regular basis, Díaz said she has seen up to 20 evangelical churches in neighborhoods where a single Catholic church stands. 'Venezuela is a Christian, religious country,' she said. 'While there are things we have forgotten and bad people are around, there is a very strong awakening towards God.' ____ María Teresa Hernández reported from Mexico City. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Evangelical Trump-ally issues chilling prophecy about America's future
An evangelical MAGA Christian preacher has warned about a 'great event' that will strike the United States and 'render two groups of people obsolete.' Mario Murillo - who famously endorsed Donald Trump and claimed Kamala Harris' campaign was 'demonic' - made the bizarre and vague warning which took aim at atheists and churches that don't believe in the supernatural. The outspoken preacher made the chilling prediction at the Living Proof Crusade in Texas this week. 'A great event is coming to the United States,' he proclaimed. 'It'll be unlike anything America has ever seen. It will top all of the epochal things that have happened to our country. And when it comes, and it will, it is going to render two groups of people obsolete. They will no longer be in business. They will be out of business.' Murillo went on to insist the event would be 'so stupendous, so monumental that it is very difficult for me to find the words to adequately describe it.' The pastor often boasts of performing miracles on his supporters, healing various ailments and illnesses. He warned that the unnamed event would tear open the 'very thin veil' between the natural and supernatural. 'It will be generally accepted that the supernatural is real. The psychiatric community is going to admit that it's real.' He asked: 'Are you listening to what I'm saying? Medical doctors will admit that it's real.' Simultaneously, 'demonic' events will begin occurring alongside spiritual events, likely on university campuses and for the news media to see. In a warning to 'non-supernatural churches', Murillo said: 'You better bring back speaking in tongues. You better bring back prophecy. You better bring back casting out the devil. You better bring back laying hands on the sick.' Murillo then shifted to politics, warning 'The nations of the world are going to gang up on us. And do everything in their power to single out conservatives, Christians, and patriots. God revealed that the Church has three and a half years to wake up, unify, get on fire, and begin speaking out. Men and women of God who preach the truth are the heroes of this era right now.' Ahead of the election, he took part in a four-day sermon also attended by JD Vance about the future of America. 'I don't want a devil in the White House,' Murillo said, speaking of Harris. 'God is saying to the Church, Will you wake up and realize that I'm giving you the authority to stop this thing?'' he said. 'You have the authority.' He sensationally claimed the Secret Service 'wanted' Trump to be assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania, and urged followers: 'We gotta stop the insanity going on in the United States.'
