A pastor in Detroit is being called a hero after successfully de-escalating a harrowing situation when a crazed man pulled a gun in the middle of a funeral and pointed it at the minister. The alarming situation even ended with 10 people coming to faith in Jesus. Darthanian Nichols, pastor of Breaking Chains Outreach Ministries, was officiating a funeral service in late March for a teenager who reportedly died by gun violence when a man entered the New McFall Brothers Funeral Home at around 11 a.m. and began shouting obscenities before pulling out a firearm. “If I’m being honest,” Nichols, a licensed social worker, wrote in a Facebook post, “I braced myself. I just knew I was going to be shot.” Reflecting back on the ordeal, the preacher said God gave him “peace in the middle of panic.” “While I was officiating a funeral service,” he wrote, “I asked the room to clear the floor just in case of an emergency, just trying to keep everyone safe. In that moment, a man began yelling obscenities, pulled out a gun, and pointed it toward me, threatening to hurt me if I didn’t stop speaking.” The room, he reflected, “went into chaos.” But he stayed calm — supernaturally calm. “I grabbed the microphone and calmly instructed everyone to leave in an orderly way,” he wrote. “I made sure my wife and kids were removed to safety. And even in that moment, as a trained clinician, I recognized this wasn’t just anger this was grief speaking loudly. So I began to pray!!!” Police confirmed Monday no shots were fired, according to WJBK-TV. After Nichols de-escalated the situation and police arrived on the scene, one man was taken into custody. Soon thereafter, four others were arrested for various weapons offenses. Detroit Police Department Capt. John Stewart credited the pastor for his calm handling of the situation, calling Nichols “a hero.” Nichols, though, is crediting God. “He gave me wisdom when I needed it, peace when I shouldn’t have had it, clarity when everything was chaotic, and courage when fear was present,” he wrote. “The Bible says: ‘And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ Today, that wasn’t for money or provision, [b]ut for strength, discernment, and grace under pressure.” And after everything was done, Nichols revealed he was able to lead 10 people to salvation. “And even after all of that, God still moved,” he wrote. “I was still able to minister to the family and the young people… and 10 people gave their lives to Christ. That’s the kind of God we serve.” Please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.

(LifeSiteNews) — Vaccine producers Pfizer and BioNTech abandoned a trial for their updated COVID-19 vaccine after the Big Pharma giants were unable to attract enough U.S. trial participants. The move comes as the public’s trust in vaccines has hit an all-time low while demand for COVID-19 vaccines has cratered.   Pfizer and BioNTech cited challenges in reaching their target of roughly ⁠25,000 to 30,000 participants in the 50-64 age group, according to Reuters.  Moderna is reportedly facing similar recruitment challenges testing its COVID-19 booster.  “This study is not ending as a result of any safety or benefit-risk concerns. We intend to stop the study due to slow enrollment and therefore the inability ​to generate relevant post-marketing data,” the two companies told the news service. “This is a very difficult population to recruit,” said one executive at a contract research organization involved in the trial who spoke to Reuters. “Even when ​patients are willing to participate in COVID ​studies, more than 80% fail at pre-screening ⁠because they don’t meet the health criteria. It’s been a real challenge to enroll enough patients, particularly given the scale of these trials,” the executive said. National interest in COVID-19 vaccines has plummeted Overall, only about 18% of Americans received COVID-19 booster shots during the 2025-2026 season, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). That represents a huge decline from early 2022 when 47.5% — nearly half of America’s adult population — submitted to COVID-19 boosters. “In the wake of COVID, we are left with an undeniable crisis in health,” radiologist and political commentator Dr. Scott Atlas explained in April 2025. “Trust in health guidance has plummeted more rapidly since 2019 than any other government institution, with almost two-thirds now rating the FDA and the CDC as ‘only fair or poor.’” “Half of America no longer has much confidence in science itself,” Atlas said. “Trust in our doctors and hospitals dropped from 71 percent in 2019 to 40 percent in 2024.” “Vaccines have become a divisive issue in American politics, but there is one thing all parties can agree on: The U.S. faces a crisis of public trust,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared not long after taking office. “Whether toward health agencies, pharmaceutical companies or vaccines themselves, public confidence is waning.” RFK Jr. said that the industry and the government health agencies that regulate them “needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.”  “In the 1960s, the world sought guidance from America’s health regulators, who had a reputation for integrity, scientific impartiality and zealous defense of patient welfare,” the HHS Secretary said. “Public trust has since collapsed.” “We will earn it back,” he promised. 

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, April 02, 2026UFC fighter Joe Pyfer discusses how he almost took his own life before finding faith in God following a UFC fight, March 28, 2026. | Screenshot/YouTube/UFC and UFC on Paramount+Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Joe Pyfer is crediting God with preventing him from carrying out a suicide attempt and says a recent encounter with Jesus Christ transformed his life.  In a postgame interview following his victory in a UFC fight Saturday, Pyfer emotionally recalled how “I almost took my own life, like, a couple weeks ago, and I found God." "God restored me, baby. That’s the only reason I’m here,” he declared. When he was asked a question about his performance, Pyfer said he was giving “all glory to God for this win,” adding that were it not for God, “I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere.” In an earlier interview ahead of the fight, Pyfer said he's had “a complete resurgence” and “life change 360 as far as my faith and God and Jesus Christ.”Pyfer added, “I feel like I had an out-of-body experience with something that happened in my life where I was able to see who I was, and I was pretty disappointed. And I feel like God gave me a direction and gave me a chance to change my life, and it’s the craziest presence I’ve ever felt in my life.”“I feel like everything’s different,” he continued. “The main change is like actually having direction and understanding how to live.”Pyfer said he has a new mindset, one that is “part of being a believer, part of being a true Christian [and] following the commandments that we’re called to do.”He acknowledged that “I’m going to fall short” but added that “the point of prayer is for forgiveness and then also to repent and change your ways.” Pyfer also spoke about his girlfriend, Ashlyn, and how they have been in a relationship for over six years, noting that he is “envisioning marriage and a family [and] serving her as my wife, as my significant other and my partner.”Another goal he has is to refocus on God and put his trust in Him as he moves forward with his life. “Before, I thought that this was all or nothing, and I didn’t know who I was outside of fighting,” he said. “I think if you had taken this away from me, I would have self-destructed and not realizing what kind of fragile state I was really in.”Pyfer detailed how he had an addiction to “the sins of the world,” including “temptation” and “lust,” which he maintained were “destroying me from the inside out.” He also thanked God for putting his girlfriend in his life, whom he described as “the only person at an intimate level that has ever come into my life and loved me through anything and everything and still accepted me in the end.” “I’m in a rebuilding phase in my life. I’m a baby Christian, but I feel like a born-again believer, and I feel like it’s very important for me to talk about it. So I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. For the ones who don’t believe, give yourself a chance because … it’s true freedom.” Pyfer shared how “I feel like God called on me in a dream, where I was able to have this out of body experience and take Jesus’ hand and actually change.” He characterized his ongoing faith journey as “the hardest road I’ve ever taken” and “the hardest road to live.”“It’s true respect. It’s the true meaning of what it is to be a man,” he insisted. “It’s given me true freedom.”Outlining how his priorities have changed, Pyfer said “fighting was number one at the top,” but now his life has been reoriented so that “it’s probably third or fourth.” He named God as the most important priority in his life, followed by his girlfriend and his children, once he decides to have them. Pyfer also suggested that his faith has made him “more powerful” because he’s “not stressed about this week or anything to do with the fight.” “I truly, truly believe, bro, that whatever God has planned with me, I can’t be upset at the result. I feel like it frees me from trying to control ‘I got to win, I got to win, I got to win.’”After vowing to “go out there and compete,” he cited the possibility of a win as “what God wills” as a reward, while a loss would indicate “I have things to work on.”During a lengthy postgame interview over the weekend, Pyfer expressed confidence that “there’s eternity and peace and happiness and God chose me and saved my life.” He suggested that “it could have been anybody else to fight the greatest middleweight of all time, but God chose me.” Provided additional details about his transformation, he said, “I broke down and just bawled my eyes out and … I had a dream that night that I went to sleep and I woke up and everything was different.” Even after his life-changing dream, Pyfer said it took him an additional week to “pray for forgiveness and truly repent and change,” adding, “I feel like my soul’s been cleansed where I can’t even remember how I used to talk, how I used to act, how I used to think.” Reflecting on the fight, Pyfer explained that “every time I questioned something, I just prayed and I just asked God to give me the strength, asked God to be in my life, just asked God to give me this opportunity, and He did. I had no fear and I walked out there and I faced my fate, whatever God’s plan was, and God granted me victory.” 

By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Thursday, April 02, 2026Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan perform on "American Idol" in Hollywood, California, on March 30, 2026. | Courtesy of American IdolHOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Country star and “American Idol” judge Luke Bryan opened up about how his roots in the church not only shaped his faith but also helped define his career: from small-town choirs to one of television’s biggest stages.Bryan, one of country music’s most commercially successful artists of the past two decades, has scored more than two dozen No. 1 hits, including songs like “Country Girl (Shake It for Me),” “Play It Again” and “Drunk on You.” A five-time Entertainer of the Year winner, earning top honors from both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, the 49-year-old singer has sold millions of albums worldwide. Since joining “American Idol” as a judge in 2018, Bryan, a Leesburg, Georgia native, husband and father of two, has helped usher in a new generation of artists with his signature blend of Southern charm and industry expertise. Speaking to The Christian Post after the show’s “Songs of Faith” night on Monday, Bryan reflected on how growing up in a Southern Baptist community laid the foundation for both his music and his perspective on the industry.“I could take a baseball step out my door and hit my Baptist church,” Bryan said. “Waking up on Sunday mornings and hearing the Gospel … hearing a Southern Baptist preacher deliver the sermons really shaped a lot of things in my life.”That early exposure, he said, extended beyond listening to sermons. Even as his career began to take him into honky-tonks and country bars, Bryan said he never left those influences behind.“Singing in the choir, going to youth group on Wednesday nights, that really shaped me as a young person, a young man and a young singer,” Bryan said.“I’d go play honky tonks, and then I’d go play country bars, and I’d do Christian songs in these honky tonks,” he said. “Some people go, ‘Why do you do that?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know. Why not?’”For Bryan, growing up in the church was a “blessing,” one he said has consistently helped him navigate the pressures of the music business.“Growing up with so much history in the church has really been a blessing in my life, certainly getting through the music business,” he said.That perspective was on display during “American Idol’s” faith-themed episode Monday night, which featured contestants performing songs centered on faith, worship and personal testimony, along with moments of prayer and overt references to Jesus. Many of this year’s contestants are outspoken Christians, including Hannah Harper and Nashville church music director Jordan McCullough.Bryan said the night stands out not only for its explicitly faith-centered performances, but for how audiences respond.“It’s an amazing step when we’re able to put this show in front of so many viewers, and the viewers really, really respond, because they love this night,” he said.He pointed in part to fellow judge Carrie Underwood, whose openness about her faith has helped shape the tone of the episode for the last two years.“When you look at Carrie Underwood and how she has really vocalized her faith … I think she’s very inspiring in that,” Bryan said. “When you hear people praising Jesus in this light, it’s something that I feel like maybe the country’s gotten away from for many, many years. So it’s a great platform.”He added that the theme often brings out a different level of performance from contestants; some of the night’s explicitly gospel-centered songs included Brandon Lake’s “Graitutde” and “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” as well as Maverck City Music’s “Jireh” and the classic hymn “Nothing but the Blood.”“These kids … I really enjoy watching them sing with even more emotion,” Bryan said. “They’re singing with more emotion, more fire, more passion.”“It’s a special night, because [the Holy Spirit was moving],” he said. “You could feel it. I mean, I felt it in the room quite a bit.”

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, April 02, 2026The shuttered Green Mountain College campus in Poultney, Vt. | greenmountaincollegerfp.comAfter a failed attempt to settle an ongoing dispute with the Town of Poultney in Vermont over the tax bill for the 115-acre campus of the former Green Mountain College, WhistlePig Whiskey founder and businessman Raj Bhakta is offering to bequeath the property to new owners who will dedicate it to the “spiritual revival of our Christian faith.”“We wish to bequeath this unique — beautiful and intact — New England college campus to the right beneficiary. The right beneficiary has a vision aligned with the revival of the United States and Western Civilization,” a website seeking requests for proposals in a process that closed on Tuesday says. “They would also recognize this must first begin with the spiritual revival of our Christian faith. It will be upon coherence with this mission that candidates will be judged.” Green Mountain College was originally founded by Methodists in 1834, but it has functioned as a non-sectarian liberal arts college for most of its modern history before closing in 2019 due to financial issues.The property is currently zoned to be used as a college campus or mixed-use. It consists of academic buildings, renovated dormitories, administrative offices, athletic fields, and other facilities, including a gymnasium, pool, commercial kitchen and dining spaces. In addition to having a qualifying vision for the campus, prospective new owners of the property will need to demonstrate that they have sufficient resources to cover $1.5 million in annual costs to maintain the property, including about $500,000 in deferred maintenance costs.Just before he bought the former college campus for $4.8 million in 2020,  Bhakta was ousted from Whistlepig due to allegations of fraud, Vermont Public reported.He now runs a new business called Bhakta Spirits, but told The Christian Post’s Billy Hallowell that he hopes his possible gifting of the college would help spark a revival of Christian values.“When we look at what's happening in our country today, in the Western world, what we used to call Christendom, it really, I think, pretty clearly stems back from a collapse of our moral order, a collapse of the idea of the absolute nature of truth,” Bhakta, who is a professing Catholic, said.“It's not relative. I don't have a personal truth. You don't have a personal truth; it is true, or it's not. And truth comes from God. And, you know, the most apparent, bitter fruits of that is what we see in, like, wokeism, where everything is relative,” he said. “I can be a pink flamingo or a woman or an elephant, and whatever I decide I'm going to be, which is patently insane to anybody, almost in any other period of time.”Bhakta said more than 100 proposals have been submitted, but only a small and meaningful percentage are real.His spokesperson, Andrew Lohse, told VTDigger they had about 30 active applications as of mid-March from universities and religious organizations, including at least one from Vermont. Several applications also came from New England. Lohse further stated that Bhakta had not ruled out granting multiple groups parcels of the property to ensure the gift is financially viable.A shortlist of grantees will be announced on April 8, and interviews will take place from April 8-15. The selected application will be announced on April  20.“The tide, I think, is turning. I do believe that we're in the early stages of another great awakening in this country,” Bhakta said.“What will come will come, and maybe there are some dark days that we're going to have to endure, and perhaps our children, and maybe even our grandchildren, may have to endure. But so long as that flame, the light of truth and revival remains alive within our civilization and our culture, there is no setback that we cannot overcome,” he added.  “There is no defeat that is final so long as the flame remains alive, and hopefully this campus can be brought back to its original idea.”

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, April 02, 2026A rendering of the future Bringmann Center at Austin Christian University in Georgetown, Texas. The $50 million facility will serve as a central hub for campus life, student services, and major events. | Austin Christian UniversityRoger Bringmann, a longtime executive at technology giant Nvidia, has donated $50 million to the new Austin Christian University in Georgetown, Texas, which was launched to develop “Christ-centered entrepreneurs who will transform the marketplace and expand God's kingdom through business, innovation and servant leadership.”The announcement was made last Friday during a groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new Bringmann Center, which will include a 750-seat auditorium and serve as a central hub for campus activities and student services, according to PR Newswire. When complete, the center will serve as a new home for the school's signature all-hands weekly "Fellow Friday" assemblies and other major campus and public events. While the university currently has fewer than 100 students enrolled, the school has a strategic goal to grow to 1,600 students, according to Servant."God put us on a path where the resources he blessed us with, we want to use for God's kingdom," Bringmann, who is also a current board member of the university, said of his family’s decision to fund the building. "I think it's important to have schools like Austin Christian University that allow us to create amazing future business leaders, entrepreneurs, and theologians who will help spread God's Kingdom."Roger Bringmann is vice president of software - compilers at NVIDIA. | YouTube/Gabe LyonsAustin Christian University was founded in 2023 by Connor Champion, who serves as its current president. Champion, who reportedly played a role in the development of NFL quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Jayden Daniels while serving on the coaching staff at Mississippi State and Arizona State, respectively, said he followed God’s call to apply his talent to school leadership."Austin Christian exists to prepare leaders not just for Sunday mornings, but for everyday influence. While the Church has done a great job developing people for Sunday, we are called to equip them for the rest of the week,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “Austin Christian aims to be the place where faith meets cultural influence in everyday life, building Kingdom-minded leaders and businesses from local Main Street to global moonshots.”The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Bringmann Center was headlined by leadership expert and bestselling author John C. Maxwell, who endorsed the school’s mission."At Austin Christian University, we are not just building a campus; we are building a legacy of Kingdom leaders," he said. "By grounding students in biblical truth and equipping them with practical excellence, Austin Christian is preparing the next generation to influence industry, transform culture, and add value to everyone they lead."

 Photo by Judith Chambers / Unsplash The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary has reached more than 1,200 churches and trained about 6,000 pastors and lay leaders in the first year of a nationwide initiative aimed at supporting rural congregations in the United States, according to a recent report by AG News. The effort, known as the Rural Church Ministry Partnership, is funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. and focuses on equipping churches in towns of 10,000 or fewer residents with resources, training and connections tailored to their context. The initiative has engaged congregations across 31 states in its first year. According to AG News, the partnership brings together denominational leaders, educational institutions and ministry organizations to develop training opportunities, internships and a centralized resource hub designed to address challenges commonly faced by rural pastors and churches. Keith Jones, director for the Rural Grant Partnership, said the initiative seeks to strengthen the role of churches within their communities. “AGTS wants to see healthy, vibrant churches equipped to be resource centers within their communities, providing an anchor of real hope and assistance,” Jones said. Partners in the initiative include the Assemblies of God USA, Rural Compassion, Trinity Bible College & Graduate School and Rural Advancement, along with 13 regional Assemblies of God network partners that help connect local churches with available resources. The partnership aims to reach 6,040 churches by the end of 2029. The first year’s engagement represents roughly 20% of that target, according to the report. Christopher L. Coble, vice president for religion at Lilly Endowment, said the initiative addresses gaps in support for rural congregations. “Rural and small-town congregations play critical roles in supporting the vitality of their local communities,” Coble said. “Yet many resources available to support congregations do not adequately address the particular challenges faced by churches in rural settings. “Our hope is that these grants will provide much-needed resources and support to rural and small-town churches to help them address their challenges and enhance and extend the many ways they serve their communities.” The update on rural ministry efforts comes as the Assemblies of God USA reports broader growth trends in recent decades. According to its 2024 Annual Church Ministries Report, average church worship attendance increased 6.2% compared to 2023. The number of adherents in the United States has more than doubled since 1975, rising from 1.2 million to more than 3 million. The denomination has also become more diverse. Churches identified as primarily ethnic minority or immigrant congregations grew from 2,260 in 1989 to 5,081 in 2024 and now account for about 40% of all Assemblies of God congregations in the United States.

Punjab Assembly building in Lahore, Pakistan. Sunni Person, Creative Commons A Christian lawmaker on Tuesday (March 31) introduced a bill in the Punjab Assembly seeking to criminalize forced religious conversions with penalties of up to five years in prison, Falbous Christopher, chairman of the assembly’s Standing Committee on Minority Affairs, submitted the Punjab Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill 2026 in a renewed attempt to address a long-standing human rights challenge affecting Pakistan’s religious minorities, particularly Christian and Hindu women and underage girls. The bill aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework to curb forced conversions, forced marriages and systemic discrimination against minority communities. It comes amid heightened scrutiny following cases such as that of Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Christian girl whose abduction and forced conversion/marriage sparked nationwide protests and renewed calls for stronger legal safeguards for vulnerable minority girls. Under the proposed legislation, anyone who “compels or attempts to compel” a person belonging to a religious minority to convert through threats, coercion or undue influence would face up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine. The bill clearly distinguishes between forced and voluntary conversions, excluding the latter from punishment. Christopher said the formal recognition of forced conversion as a specific crime could help address longstanding gaps in Pakistan’s legal framework, where such cases are often pursued under broader provisions that do not explicitly address religious coercion. “While legislation is essential, its real impact will depend on effective implementation, coordination among institutions and protection mechanisms for vulnerable individuals, especially women and girls,” Christopher told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Beyond criminal penalties, the bill grants courts expanded authority to intervene in cases involving forced marriages of religious minorities in the 96-percent Muslim country. Judges would be empowered to issue protection orders and conduct independent inquiries, ensuring that victims are not pressured into remaining in abusive or unlawful relationships. The proposed law stipulates that marriages involving minorities can only be declared void through court orders, aligning such decisions with existing marriage, child protection and guardianship laws. It also classifies offenses motivated by religious hatred as aggravated crimes, requiring courts to consider such motives during sentencing. Christopher said these provisions are intended to address recurring patterns seen in previous cases, where girls have struggled to access timely legal remedies or adequate protection from kidnappers. Systemic Discrimination The legislation extends beyond forced conversions to tackle broader structural discrimination faced by minority communities in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province and home to a significant Christian population. It proposes a prohibition on religious bias in employment, education, access to public services and entry to public spaces, while mandating state protection of minority places of worship and religious property. “No person shall damage, desecrate or unlawfully occupy any place of worship or religious property belonging to a religious minority,” the bill states. In addition, the proposed law calls for a review of educational curricula to remove material that promotes hatred, intolerance or discrimination, an issue frequently highlighted by rights groups as a key driver of societal prejudice. Christopher emphasized that legal reform must be accompanied by broader societal change. “We must also address the root causes of intolerance through education reform and community engagement to build a more inclusive and peaceful society,” he said. Introduction of the bill follows a series of controversial cases involving the alleged forced conversion of minority girls, particularly from Christian and Hindu communities. The case of Maria Shahbaz drew widespread attention after rights groups alleged that the Christian teenager had been abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man twice her age. Courts, including the Federal Constitutional Court, upheld the marriage, prompting outrage among the Christian community and activists who argued that questions of coercion and age determination were not adequately examined. Such cases have become emblematic of broader concerns about the vulnerability of minority women and girls, who advocacy groups say are often targeted due to socio-economic marginalization and weak legal protections. History of Opposition Efforts to enact laws against forced conversions in Pakistan have historically faced strong political and religious opposition. In 2021, a federal bill aimed at preventing forced conversions was effectively shelved following resistance from Islamist parties during the government of former prime minister Imran Khan. Critics argued that the proposed legislation could be misused or infringe upon religious freedoms, while supporters maintained it was necessary to protect vulnerable minorities. The Council of Islamic Ideology, which advises the government on religious matters, and various religious groups raised objections to provisions such as minimum age requirements for conversion and mandatory judicial oversight, contributing to the bill’s withdrawal before it could be passed. The Punjab bill will now be referred to the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs for review and deliberation. If approved, it will be tabled in the provincial assembly for debate and a vote. If enacted, the legislation would represent one of the most comprehensive provincial frameworks aimed at protecting religious minorities in Pakistan addressing not only forced conversions but also discrimination, hate-motivated offenses and the protection of religious sites. Rights advocates, however, caution that legislation alone will not be sufficient to bring meaningful change. “The real test will be implementation,” said prominent Christian attorney Lazar Allah Rakha, noting that police inaction, social pressures and prolonged legal proceedings have historically undermined protections for minority victims. International advocacy groups continue to highlight the challenges faced by religious minorities in Pakistan. In its 2026 World Watch List, Open Doors ranked Pakistan eighth among the 50 countries where it is most difficult to practice Christianity, underscoring the urgency of legal and institutional reforms.

“The Quiet Revival,” a report by the British Bible Society, claimed that church attendance in England and Wales was surging, especially among young men aged 18 to 24, where monthly attendance appeared to have quadrupled from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024. That report has now been withdrawn. Zbynek Pospisil/Getty Images Last week, the British Bible Society quietly withdrew one of the most celebrated religious data stories of recent years. Its April 2025 report, “The Quiet Revival,” had claimed that church attendance in England and Wales was surging, especially among young men aged 18 to 24, where monthly attendance appeared to have quadrupled from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024. The story spread rapidly, was embraced by evangelical commentators and media outlets worldwide, and was treated as a counternarrative to the long-documented decline of Christianity in the West. It was too good to be true. It was too good to be true. And it was. YouGov, which conducted the surveys, has now admitted that the 2024 data sample contained fraudulent responses and that key anti-fraud quality controls had not been activated. YouGov’s CEO issued a public apology and accepted full responsibility. The Bible Society pulled the report. The “quiet revival” never happened, at least not in the way the data claimed. This episode is instructive on several levels. But its lessons apply more broadly than to Christians alone. The methodology problem nobody wanted to see The first lesson is about method. The Quiet Revival relied on opt-in online polling, a technique long known to be vulnerable to panel contamination, particularly when studying hard-to-reach or socially desirable groups. Pew Research Center raised concerns about the methodology almost immediately after the report was published. Humanists UK and leading demographers, including UCL’s David Voas, called attention to the implausibility of the findings months before the retraction. Objective records from the Church of England and the Catholic Church showed no corresponding growth. Objective records from the Church of England and the Catholic Church showed no corresponding growth. And yet for nearly a year, the Bible Society vigorously defended the report, repeatedly seeking and receiving assurances from YouGov. The problem was not just that the method was flawed. The problem was that very few people asked hard questions about it, because the conclusion was so welcome. Confirmation bias runs in both directions It confirmed what many Christians hoped was true. This brings us to the second and more uncomfortable lesson. The quiet revival narrative spread fast not because the evidence was strong, but because it confirmed what many Christians hoped was true. The story resonated emotionally. It was shared, celebrated, and cited in sermons and strategy documents across denominations. Some church leaders used it to push back against what they saw as the relentlessly negative narrative of secularization research. When data confirms our hopes, we treat it as evidence; when it challenges them, we question the method. Even now, after the retraction, the Bible Society’s CEO has insisted there is “other evidence” that more people are finding faith, and that the wider story of spiritual renewal remains valid. That may or may not be true. But it illustrates a recurring pattern: when data confirms our hopes, we treat it as evidence; when it challenges them, we question the method. The problem, however, is not uniquely Christian. Supporters of secularization theory are equally susceptible. In August 2025, a study published in Nature Communications by Stolz, de Graaf, Hackett, and colleagues proposed a three-stage model of religious decline, tested across 111 countries: first participation declines, then the personal importance of religion, and finally religious belonging. The study received enormous attention, covered widely by outlets including Religion News Service and Pew Research Center, and was widely read as a definitive vindication of classic secularization theory. But the authors themselves urge caution, noting that “we recommend caution in interpreting longitudinal claims, due to limited data.” More importantly, the model has a structural problem. When a theory can absorb any counterevidence by reclassifying it as a temporary deviation, it risks becoming unfalsifiable. It treats every counterexample, whether Eastern Europe, Israel, or the Pentecostal and Islamic revivals, as countries either at an early stage of the transition or as exceptions requiring further investigation. When a theory can absorb any counterevidence by reclassifying it as a temporary deviation, it risks becoming unfalsifiable. That is not a strength of the model. It is a warning sign. Steve Bruce and Tony Glendinning made a related move in their 2023 article in the journal Religions, titled “Secularization Vindicated,” arguing that the accumulated evidence now decisively supports the secularization thesis for the West. That may well be right for the specific Western contexts they examine. But declaring the debate settled, and extrapolating the conclusion globally, is a different claim, and one the data does not yet fully support. Both sides, in other words, are reading the data they want to see. Christians seized on a flawed poll to announce a revival. Secularization theorists have been too quick to declare religion’s global retreat inevitable and irreversible. Neither position is well supported by the evidence as it currently stands. What the data actually tells us There is no credible evidence of a Christian revival in the West. The honest summary is more modest than either camp would like. There is no credible evidence of a Christian revival in the West. Long-term survey data, church attendance records, and generational trends all point in the opposite direction. The Quiet Revival was a story people wanted to believe, and that desire made them appear too ready to believe anything that confirmed their hopes. There is equally no credible evidence that religion is disappearing globally. But there is equally no credible evidence that religion is disappearing globally. Religious vitality in the Global South, the persistence of faith even in highly modernized societies, and the ongoing role of religion in political and social life across Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia all complicate any simple narrative of irreversible decline. The secularization thesis, even in its more sophisticated sequenced forms, still struggles to account for these realities without special pleading. What the data tells us is that religious change is real, uneven, context-dependent, and poorly served by grand unified theories. What this means for religious freedom research For those of us who work at the intersection of religion, data, and advocacy, the Quiet Revival episode is a useful case study. It illustrates three dynamics we should guard against regardless of our priors. A compelling narrative. First, the seduction of a good story. A revival among young men is a compelling narrative, just as the inevitable march of secularization is a compelling narrative. Both have cultural traction. Neither should substitute for rigorous evidence. Inconvenient evidence. Second, the slow response to inconvenient evidence. Pew flagged problems with the Quiet Revival data early. UCL’s David Voas raised questions publicly, as did NatCen’s John Curtice. The British Social Attitudes Survey showed continued decline. It still took nearly a year for the retraction to happen. Institutions are not neutral processors of evidence; they have interests, donors, and constituencies. That applies to Christian organizations and to secular research institutions alike. Residual belief. Third, the residual belief after refutation. Even after withdrawing the report, the Bible Society maintained that a revival may still be occurring, citing Bible sales and baptism numbers. Secularization theorists, similarly, tend to fold counterexamples into their models rather than question the models themselves. In both cases, the theory survives contact with disconfirming evidence a little too easily. Reliable data about religion is not just an academic concern. It shapes policy, informs advocacy, and influences how governments and institutions respond to the needs of religious communities. The standard we apply to evidence should not depend on whether we like the conclusion. That is true for Christians hoping for revival. It is equally true for researchers hoping to have solved the secularization debate. Caution and nuance are not signs of weakness. They are what good scholarship looks like. Originally published by Five4Faith Substack. Republished with permission. Dennis P. Petri, PhD is the International Director of the International Institute for Religious Freedom and Founder and scholar-at-large of the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Latin America. He is a Professor in International Relations at the Latin American University of Science and Technology. He is the author of The Specific Vulnerability of Religious Minorities, a book on undetected religious freedom challenges in Latin America. The International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) was founded in 2005 with the mission to promote religious freedom for all faiths from an academic perspective. The IIRF aspires to be an authoritative voice on religious freedom. They provide reliable and unbiased data on religious freedom—beyond anecdotal evidence—to strengthen academic research on the topic and to inform public policy at all levels. The IIRF's research results are disseminated through the International Journal for Religious Freedom and other publications. A particular emphasis of the IIRF is to encourage the study of religious freedom in tertiary institutions through its inclusion in educational curricula and by supporting postgraduate students with research projects.

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnagagwa at the 391st Ordinary Session of the ZANU (PF) Politburo at Party Headquarters in Harare. A proposed legislation could extend presidential and parliamentary terms, delay elections, and reshape how leaders are chosen. President Mnagangwa Facebook Churches in Zimbabwe’s Mudzi district were told to suspend worship services on Sunday, March 29, and attend a ruling ZANU-PF political rally, placing them at the center of a growing political storm. The instruction, contained in a letter dated March 25 and addressed to local pastors, called on churches to cancel services so congregants could participate in a party meeting at Kotwa High School.  “In light of this important meeting, you are kindly encouraged to suspend church service on that day to allow congregants to attend,” the letter stated.  In a formal statement dated March 28, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches issued a direct response. “The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) expresses its deep concern, strong displeasure and profound dismay at a communication issued in Mudzi District… encouraging churches to suspend worship services… to attend a political party meeting.” “This development is unacceptable and a direct affront to religious freedom, particularly as it coincides with Palm Sunday… the most solemn and spiritually important season for Christians worldwide.” The council said the Church exists as a sacred place for worship, spiritual growth and moral guidance, and should never be placed under partisan political influence. It added that any effort to disrupt or interfere with church life threatens both religious freedom and the dignity of citizens.  The council also pointed to Section 60 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, emphasizing that freedom of conscience, religion and belief is a fundamental right that must be protected at all times without exception. “We therefore encourage all Christians to continue to observe Palm Sunday and Holy Week faithfully, without fear or intimidation,” their statement concluded.  The rally was part of an ongoing campaign to build support for Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, a controversial proposal that has triggered widespread concern among church leaders and civil society groups. Reports indicate the proposed legislation could extend presidential and parliamentary terms, delay elections, and reshape how leaders are chosen.  For many believers, the timing of the directive was especially troubling. The affected Sunday coincided with Palm Sunday, a central moment in the Christian calendar marking the beginning of Holy Week. The disruption of worship on such a significant day has raised deep concerns about religious freedom and the relationship between church and state in Zimbabwe. The incident in Mudzi does not stand alone. It unfolds against a broader national debate over constitutional changes that church leaders have already warned could alter Zimbabwe’s democratic foundations. Earlier in March, a coalition of Christian bodies under the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations issued a strong warning about the proposed amendment. “The proposed constitutional amendments raise serious concerns about the protection of democratic principles and the will of the people,” the church leaders said in a pastoral statement.  They cautioned that the reforms could weaken accountability and reduce citizen participation, particularly if changes affect how presidents are elected and how long they remain in office. “Parliament is a sacred trust intended to serve the collective good of the nation,” the statement said. “It must not become an instrument for extending political power.”  The proposed bill includes provisions that would shift presidential elections from a direct public vote to a parliamentary process and extend the election cycle from five years to seven. Church leaders warned that such changes risk undermining the principle that political authority flows from the people. “The constitution is the people’s covenant,” the statement said. “Any amendments must reflect the will of the citizens.”  These concerns have intensified in recent days as political mobilization efforts have reached into spaces traditionally reserved for worship and spiritual life. For many Christians in Zimbabwe, the reported instruction to halt church services represents more than a logistical disruption. It is seen as a direct challenge to the independence of the church and the sanctity of worship. The church has historically played a significant role in Zimbabwe’s public life, including during the formation of the 2013 Constitution, which emphasized fundamental rights and democratic governance.  That history has shaped the current response, with religious leaders framing the issue not only as political, but as moral and spiritual. The attempt to redirect worshippers from church gatherings to a political rally has been widely interpreted as an encroachment into sacred space. As Zimbabwe debates constitutional reform, the events in Mudzi have sharpened a more urgent question about the limits of political power and the protection of religious freedom.

If I say I’ll pick you up from the airport, I’ll be there on time. If you ask me to make something for your party, consider it done! If you ask me to help watch your kids while you run out, I’ll be there when you need me! As a writer, I value the power words hold. A phrase I use often is, “Words matter.” If I say I’m going to do something, I mean it. It’s not just because I’m a writer that I mean what I say, but because I want to be known as trustworthy. If I say something is true, you can be sure that I have hours of research or experience to back it up! If someone asks me to do something, I want them to have complete confidence that my yes is a guarantee (barring any extenuating circumstances). In Luke 7:1-10, we read about the faith of the Roman officer. His beloved slave was sick and near death, so he sent out some respected Jewish elders to beg Jesus to heal the man. Jesus went to meet the officer, but the officer sent someone ahead to tell Jesus that he didn’t think he was worthy of the honor of having Jesus in his home, saying, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it” (Luke 7:6-8). The Roman officer trusted that Jesus’ word was good as done. He knew the authority Jesus held and respected His word as complete. He trusted that, on Jesus’ command, his slave would be healed. If Jesus said it, he was fully confident that it was a guarantee. The officer’s faith knew that nothing could stop Jesus’ word from coming to fulfillment. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed. (Luke 7:9-10) With Jesus, words matter. We can be assured that whatever He says will be done. When we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that there is new life in Christ, you can be sure that "the old life is gone; a new life has begun!" When Jesus says don’t worry about your needs, God will provide, He means it. (Matthew 6:31-33). In fact, all of God’s promises are yes in Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 1:20: For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. Are you weary? Jesus promises rest in Matthew 11:28-30. Do you want eternal life? Jesus promises eternal life with the Father for those who believe in Him in John 4:14 and that He would return for us in John 14:2-3. Do you feel alone? Jesus promised a Helper by way of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:8. Jesus’ words are yes and amen! Whatever He says will be done. We can count on that. With Jesus, His Words always matter! King Jesus, thank You for always being true to Your Word. Thank You for leaving us with these beautiful promises to rest in on this side of heaven. Help us to mirror Your trustworthiness in our lives; let us be the type of people who do exactly what they say they’re going to do. Amen! ~ Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

(LifeSiteNews) – Pope Leo XIV will commemorate the first Good Friday of his pontificate by carrying the cross for all 14 stations during the customary “Via Crucis” (Way of the Cross) at the Roman Colosseum himself. Pope Leo will notably be the first pontiff since Pope John XXIII revived the practice of celebrating the Via Crucis inside the Colosseum more than 60 years ago to carry the cross himself for each station, per Vatican News. While each pope since Paul VI has continued the custom of leading the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum on Good Friday, most have carried the cross for some of the stations, whereas Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, did not carry it at all. The meditations for this year’s Way of the Cross will be written by Father Francesco Patton, OFM, who served as Custodian of the Holy Land from 2016 to 2025 and is known for speaking out on the suffering of the faithful in Gaza. The late Pope Francis had prepared the meditations for the previous two Good Friday services, though he was unable to attend last year’s due to health issues in the final days of his life. Celebrating the Via Crucis in the Colosseum dates back to the 18th century when Pope Benedict XIV approved Saint Leonardo da Porto Maurizio’s request to build stations inside the former arena. The Way of the Cross inside the Colosseum quickly became a popular practice; however, it fell out of favor after the Colosseum’s cross was removed in the 1870s. READ: We cannot follow Christ without sharing in His suffering The practice was restored in the Colosseum in 1959 by Pope John XXIII, and Pope Paul VI made it a custom to pray the stations each Good Friday at sunset. However, recent pontiffs such as Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI would typically only carry the cross themselves at the beginning and end of the Viva Crucis. 🇮🇹 This year will be Pope Leo XIV’s first as pope He will take part in the Via Crucis at the Colosseum, as Pope Benedict XVI can be seen doing in 2006 pic.twitter.com/CQyZa0cHY8 — Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) March 22, 2026 Pope Francis, however, had not carried the cross himself at all during his 12-year pontificate, only presiding over the Good Friday Way of the Cross, making Leo’s decision to carry the cross for all 14 stations a clear contrast from his predecessor’s customs. The late Argentine pontiff was also unable to attend last year’s stations during the final days of his life as he dealt with health issues. Cardinal Baldassarre Reina, the cardinal Vicar of the Diocese of Rome, had presided instead. Pope Leo has made another significant break from his predecessor’s Holy Week customs, restoring the tradition of washing the feet of 12 priests on Holy Thursday in the Basilica of St. John Lateran. READ: Pope Leo XIV restores Holy Thursday tradition of washing priests’ feet after 14-year break Francis had broken with tradition by celebrating the Holy Thursday Mass in alternative locations such as prisons and migrant reception centers, and by regularly washing the feet of laypeople rather than priests. LifeSiteNews has previously reconstructed the full chronology of all the foot‑washing ceremonies performed by Francis.

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: – Luke 24:6

CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — Organizers behind a petition calling for a referendum to make Alberta its own nation say they now have enough signatures to legally force a vote later next year.  On Wednesday, Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) legal counsel Jeffrey Rath said that 177,000 people have signed a petition that is enough to trigger a referendum under Alberta’s new Citizen Initiative Act. The petition will still need to be approved by Elections Alberta. Alberta’s new Citizen Initiative Act states that at least 10 percent of eligible voters need to sign the petition in order for it to go ahead. The petition needs to be sent to Elections Alberta by May 2. The question on the proposed referendum asks: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state?” Should enough of the signatures be verified and validated, the above question will be considered but not guaranteed to be put to a province-wide referendum on October 19. The APP bills itself as a sovereignty advocacy group. As reported by LifeSiteNews, about three-in-10 Albertans have said they are open to separating from Canada, with the majority of support coming from young citizens. As reported by LifeSiteNews, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her conservative government will allow but not support a citizen-led referendum on independence. Last year, thousands of Albertans marched on the province’s capital of Edmonton in the “I Am Alberta Rally,” calling for the province to immediately secede from Canada in light of increasing frustration with the Liberal federal government. The calls for Alberta’s independence have grown since Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney defeated Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre, who also lost his seat in Parliament in the 2025 federal election. In Alberta, almost all of the seats except two went to conservatives. Carney, like former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be unleashed. Also, his green agenda, like Trudeau’s, is at odds with Alberta’s main economic driver, its oil and gas industry.

"I remember there's a point in time when it was East Coast, West Coast, every church, every, name it, and I would be afraid at some point to go to visit churches because right in the middle of the service, they said, Lionel, would you come and join the choir? And I said, you know, 'I'll just sit and listen' because everyone takes it to another level. But to do it on American Idol was such an honor," he told CBN News' Studio 5.    During the event, American Idol Judge Carrie Underwood performed the famous hymn "How Great Thou Art" with 2025 American Idol contestants Filo, Canaan James Hill, and Kolbi Jordan. She described the emotions behind performing it   "I mean, more than anything, it's joyful. It is having that... We get so wrapped up in our day to day and our frustrations and our lives, and I feel like we're really good at getting distracted. And that's a tool. That's a tool of the devil. So just to be able to have a moment to say, 'I think of all the things that You've made, how great Thou art,' how great is that? How wonderful," she told CBN News' Studio 5. American Idol contestant Kyndal Inskeep shared with CBN News' Studio 5 what was happening inside for her during the event.   Kyndal said, "I was weeping every other sentence and every other song, and I really just felt like the Holy Spirit just moved tonight."   American Idol Host Ryan Seacrest shared his thoughts on the event, too. "I look forward to this, starting with the Faith Night. And I look forward to this. My mother looks forward to this... Yes, what a twist. At the end, I was reaching for the results card, and they said, we're going to have to postpone it. With so many votes coming. So, we got to get it right. It's a live show, that's what happens."   The elimination results will be revealed next Monday, April 6th.