Latest Church Headlines

All the headlines from our Church Topic Page, ordered by recency.

4 Men Sue Boy Scouts, LDS Church in Idaho

Jun 26 2013 // Four men are suing the Mormon church and Boy Scouts of America in federal court, saying they were sexually abused while attending scouting functions in Idaho.Attorneys Gilion Dumas, Andrew Chasan and Timothy Walton filed...

Church Mutual Insurance Hires Names as Chief Information Officer

Jun 21 2013 // Scott Names has been hired as vice president — chief information officer (CIO) at Merrill, Wisc.-based Church Mutual Insurance Co.Former CIO Chris Graham has been named vice president — chief technology officer. He has...

After Blast, Texas Town Fights to Keep its Residents

Jun 7 2013 // John Crowder stood on the gray concrete slab where his house once was in West, Texas, pointing out one spot after another. There was the garage where an overflow of guests would eat their Christmas dinner. There was the...

South Carolina Copper Thefts Continue Despite Tougher Laws

Apr 9 2013 // Although tougher laws have been passed, officials in South Carolina say metal robbers continue to plague homeowners, churches, government agencies and utilities.The Greenville News reported that thefts continue despite a...

1980s Computer Monitor Blamed For Utah Church Fire

Mar 25 2013 // Investigators are blaming a 1980s-era computer monitor for a fire that ravaged a Clearfield church this week.The Standard-Examiner reports the old monitor had overheated and sparked the Tuesday afternoon blaze in the...

Company Settles Oklahoma Man’s Employment Discrimination Lawsuit

Mar 21 2013 // A Nebraska-based company accused of refusing to hire an Oklahoma man because of his religious beliefs has settled a discrimination lawsuit in the case.Voss Lighting agreed to pay $82,500 to former job candidate Edward...

From Rubble to Renewal: Kentucky Town Responds to Last Year’s Tornado

Mar 5 2013 // Tax preparer Betty Helton no longer meets her customers at a park bench in this tornado-ravaged Appalachian town. Hungry customers are back ordering burgers and shakes at Freezer Fresh. A bank moved out of a grocery store...

‘Devil’s Tooth Exorcism’ Results in $3.7M Claim Against Tennessee Church

Feb 26 2013 // A Tennessee pastor said he cast out a parishioner’s demon, but a lawsuit contends that only the plaintiff’s tooth was exorcised.According to The Mountain Press, Andrew Byrd filed a $3.7 million lawsuit against...

Fired Coach Sues Northern California Diocese

Feb 22 2013 // A former Catholic high school coach is suing the Diocese of Sacramento in Northern California claiming he was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual hazing by his players. Officials at Vallejo’s St. Patrick-St....

Former Oregon Resident Files $16M Sex-Abuse Suit Against Church

Feb 19 2013 // A 34-year-old woman who was raised near Portland, Ore. has filed a $16 million lawsuit, alleging she was the victim of sexual abuse as a teenager.The Oregonian newspaper reported that Cristie Prasnikar, who now lives out...

Catholic Bishops Urge Birth Control Reprieve in Fiscal Bills

Feb 18 2013 // U.S. Roman Catholic bishops stepped up their battle against President Obama’s contraceptives policy on Friday by urging Congress to use its fiscal debate to free religious employers from a mandate requiring insurance...

Catholic Bishops Reject Obama Compromise on Contraception Coverage

Feb 8 2013 // U.S. Roman Catholic bishops on Thursday rejected the Obama Administration’s latest bid for compromise over a hotly disputed health policy that requires employees at religiously affiliated institutions to have access...

Obama Offers Compromise on Birth Control Insurance Coverage

Feb 4 2013 // The Obama administration on Friday sought to settle a dispute with religious leaders over whether employees at faith-affiliated universities, hospitals and other institutions should have access to health insurance coverage...

Florida Marks I-75 Crash Anniversary; Tragedy Triggers Safety Measures, Lawsuits

Jan 29 2013 // The pre-dawn traffic moved fast on Interstate 75 through Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park outside Gainesville. The highway had been closed for hours after thick fog combined with smoke from a nearby wildfire reduced...

Lawsuits Against Birth Control Benefit Appear Supreme Court Bound

Jan 28 2013 // The legal challenges over religious freedom and the birth control coverage requirement in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul appear to be moving toward the U.S. Supreme Court.Faith-affiliated charities,...

Arkansas Lawmakers Advance Guns in Church Bill Minus Insurance Provision

Jan 25 2013 // An Arkansas Senate panel advanced a proposal this week to allow concealed handguns in churches, but rejected an amendment to require places of worship to carry more insurance if firearms are permitted.A House committee...

Catholic Hospital Claims Fetus Not Person in Colorado Malpractice Defense

Jan 25 2013 // Three Colorado bishops said on Thursday they will review a Catholic Church hospital’s defense of a lawsuit that argues fetuses do not have legal status – apparently contradicting the Church’s teaching on...

Insurance Settlement Dispute Delays Rebuilding of Massachusetts School

Jan 15 2013 // An insurance settlement dispute is delaying the rebuilding of a Roman Catholic school in Springfield, Mass., that was damaged by a tornado in June 2011.The Republican of Springfield reports the Diocese of Springfield and...

Alabama Officials Assessing Christmas Day Storm Damage

Dec 27 2012 // Authorities were getting a clearer picture of the damage done by storms in Alabama as daylight revealed the extent of the destruction.In Mobile’s downtown area, a school, church and several homes were damaged by a...

Mediation In Montana Church Abuse Lawsuits Set For April

Dec 6 2012 // Attorneys for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, a Montana order of nuns and hundreds of alleged sex-abuse victims said this week they will try to hammer out a settlement during a mediation conference in April,...