Sept. 19 Easter will be celebrated on the same day in 2025 by Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians in a year that is also the 1700-year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea — an “important sign,” said Pope Francis, that “must not be allowed to pass by in vain.” Eastern and Western Christians calculate the date of Easter differently, and they coincide less than 1/3 of the time. The remarks highlight a growing trend for international ecumenical unity among Christians, as in the upcoming Gather25. (Aleteia)

Sept. 19 The Vatican approved Marian devotion at a popular shrine in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, following 40 years of analysis and deliberation. Visions of the Virgin began occurring at the site in 1981, and its popularity grew to receive 3 million visitors per year prior to COVID. The Church remains ambivalent about the reality of the visions, but acknowledged the “abundant spiritual fruits received at the Sanctuary.” (Religion News Service)

Sept. 19 Ahead of the Fourth Lausanne Congress next week, many Christian organizations have made North Korea a priority for missionary and humanitarian work. The country, ranked highest in the world for Christian persecution, has been almost entirely closed off due to U.S. restrictions and COVID-era border closures. Still, some Christian nonprofits are hopeful for future opportunities to serve the isolated nation. (Christianity Today)

Sept. 18 An ancient mosaic that adorned one of the earliest Christian prayer halls is now on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. through July 2025. The Megiddo Mosaic had to be painstakingly recreated at the museum after traveling from Israel. It includes images of a fish, a Greek inscription reading “To God Jesus Christ,” the names of five women (perhaps leaders of the local faith community) and the name of the Roman officer who funded it. (Christian Today)

Sept. 17 An Oregon town will have to pay $400,000 to a local church for violating their religious freedom. St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church fought back against a city ordinance preventing them from carrying out their ministry of feeding and caring for the town’s homeless population. The settlement will cover the church’s legal fees, plus a donation to the Oregon Justice Resource Center. (The Christian Century)

Sept. 17 Gen Z are significantly more likely to have poor mental health (19%) than older generations (7%), reports the State of the Bible survey in their latest chapter. But Bible engagement can help. Bible-engaged Gen Z scored 3.4 on the anxiety scale, compared with more than twice that (7.1) for their Bible-disengaged peers. These and similar findings in the report can help inform ministry outreach. (Baptist Press, from State of the Bible)

Sept. 16 An American pastor who was detained in China for nearly 20 years was released and has returned home. David Lin, 68, frequently traveled to China to spread the gospel throughout the 1990s and 2000s until he was detained for “contract fraud” (a common charge against Christians unregistered with the government) in 2006. Lin’s family expressed joy and gratitude: “God did it!!!” his daughter said. (Religion News Service)

Sept. 13 With Pope Francis safely back from the longest journey of his pontificate across southeast Asia, you can view a gallery of his many visits, which included some of the poorest and richest countries in the world, the largest Muslim country, and the one with the highest percentage of Catholics after the Vatican (East Timor, which saw nearly half of its entire population show up to celebrate Mass with him. (AP News)

Sept. 12 New research indicates that nearly 1 in 5 Protestant U.S. pastors has contemplated suicide or self-harm in the past year. The finding sheds light on the difficulties pastors face in bringing spiritual care to struggling congregations, and the importance of addressing their own wellbeing — not neglecting the “as yourself” part of the Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28-34). (Barna Group) Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available. Dial or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7.

Sept. 12 An incredibly rare and beautiful Hebrew Bible written and decorated by a 14th-century Spanish rabbi sold at auction for $6.9 million. The 1312 Shem Tov Bible “led a peripatetic and almost miraculous existence, surviving countless wars and upheavals on its travels to Jerusalem, Baghdad, Tripoli, London and Geneva over the course of seven centuries.” (The Guardian)

Sept. 12 Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I (representative leader of Eastern Orthodoxy) expressed hope that Pope Francis will participate in a joint ceremony next year on the 1,700-year anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. While the Pope himself has not announced any plans, he has affirmed his desire the visit the area in 2025. Such a meeting would be a profound gesture of peace between the 1,000-year rivals. (Aleteia)

Sept. 12 A new documentary film called Join or Die encourages everyone (especially young people) to join a club — or a church. The film highlights declining church membership across nearly every demographic and denomination as part of the disintegration of civil society — not to mention a spiritual threat that renders our faith unaccountable to anyone except ourselves. (The Gospel Coalition)

Sept. 12 Based on their findings in the Philistine region of Gath (see below) researchers believe they have identified the location of the town of Ziklag, which was gifted to David by King Achish when David was on the run from Saul (1Sam. 27). Not everyone is convinced of the theory, saying the town may not be far enough south to qualify, but radiocarbon dating indicates the time frame at least is correct. (Biblical Archaeology Society)

Sept. 11 “Philistine” has long been a byword for an uncouth and barbaric people (Goliath, anyone?) — but recent archaeological findings suggest it’s a misnomer. Rather than conquering the Levant as was previously supposed, it appears they integrated with the local population over time, existing as mostly peaceful rivals with Judah until the time of Hazael (cf. 2 Kings 8). (Biblical Archaeology Society)

Sept. 11 A former first responder at Ground Zero in New York City shared how a Bible he was gifted that day has been bringing comfort to victims of tragedies across the U.S. ever since. Dennis McKenna revealed that a visiting police chaplain offered him the tiny Bible while he was crying in the rubble on 9/11. He later began sending it to families of victims in Aurora, CO; Sandy Hook, CT; Las Vegas, NV; and elsewhere. (New York Post)

Sept. 9 Christians across the UK are preparing for a National Week of Prayer, to be held October 12-20, 2024. The ecumenical effort is backed by Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, and Catholic leaders and organizations — on the right and the left — who are calling all professed UK-based Christians to gather and pray for their nation, whether independently or as part of a regional prayer event. (Christian Today)

Sept. 9 Apollo Quiboloy, the leader of a wealthy Filipino megachurch, has been arrested on multiple charges of sexual abuse and human trafficking from both Filipino and American authorities. Quiboloy went into hiding last month after his 75-acre compound (connected by networks of underground tunnels) was raided by police, but surrendered peacefully after receiving an ultimatum from the Philippine National Police. (Religion News Service)

Sept. 6 The National Baptist Convention, U.S.A (NBCUSA) — the largest historically African American church in America and the second largest Baptist denomination — voted to elect their new president, Rev. Boise Kimber of Connecticut. In an unusual election, Kimber ran unopposed, with detractors allowed a “no” vote, but won with 69% approving and hoping the younger pastor can inject new life into the convention. (Religion News Service)

Sept. 6 A group of physicists and theologians met at the Vatican to find common ground in approaching life’s biggest questions. The conference, which included the father of string theory and the inventor of the microprocessor, presented their dialogue — not a debate — in an academic book that also discusses artificial intelligence and the development of new cultural understandings of time and eternity. (Religion News Service)

Sept. 5 What’s the smallest Christian denomination? There are exactly two Shakers left at Sabbathday Lake in Maine, U.S.A. The denomination — known for its utopian egalitarianism; asceticism (including strict celibacy); and especially its unique, high-quality woodworking — began in 1774 and once counted tens of thousands in their numbers. Today Brother Arnold and Sister June run a small farm and museum. (The New York Times, paywalled)

Sept. 4 Five years after the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire, another historic French church burned from suspected arson this week. As firefighters fought the blaze at Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint-Omer, the parish priest, Father Sébastien Roussel, dashed through the sanctuary to recover the eucharist and “some 20 other religious artifacts.” No casualties were reported. (Catholic News Agency)

Sept. 4 College football kicked off this week in the United States, and at The Ohio State University students are lining up to watch their favorite players… preach? That’s right: three Buckeye players started the semester with an outdoor service that attracted nearly 1,000 students and led to more than 60 baptisms. (RELEVANT)

Sept. 4 An Italian Catholic priest who has been combating mafia influence in Rome for decades recently suffered a violent attack. Don Antonio Coluccia was pelted with planks, bottles, and sticks during an anti-crime march — the latest attack in a longstanding feud between antimafia clergy and the mob. Undeterred, Coluccia promises he will return and is “committed to serving the city,” come what may. (The Guardian)

Sept. 2 According to a new report by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), nearly 17,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria over the past four years — more than half at the hands of extremist Muslim groups. These groups aren’t only targeting Christians, though: over 6,000 Muslims have been killed as well. ORFA calls on the international community to “fully understand the scale of the challenge.” (Christian Today)

Sept. 2 Pope Francis is embarking on his longest international trip yet: 12 days covering nearly 20,000 miles around Southeast Asia. The 88-year-old pontiff will navigate enormous religious, economic, and environmental variety — from wealthy, urban countries like Singapore to poor, undeveloped ones like Papua New Guinea — and engage in interfaith dialogue with Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists, animists and more. (Aleteia)

September 1 How faith sustained an octogenarian prisoner of Al Qaeda for seven years; how the Salvation Army transformed the Beatles’ Strawberry Field into a faith-based tourist attraction; how two British churches finally reopened after the other pandemic (the Black Death); how Lutherans and Orthodox reconciled nearly a millennium after the Great Schism: catch up on all of last month’s biggest, strangest, and most inspiring Bible and church news stories.