While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Peter Smith, The Associated Press.
The scriptural passage that President Donald Trump read Tuesday evening in a livestreamed Bible-reading marathon dates back to the depiction of an ancient event -- but it's one that carries a highly charged significance in the current religious and political climate.
The scriptural passage that President Donald Trump plans to read Tuesday evening in a livestreamed Bible-reading marathon dates back to the depiction of an ancient event -- but it's one that carries a highly charged significance in the current religious and political climate.
On its own, the phrase "Christ is king" sums up a core tenet of the Christian faith, that Jesus is the divine ruler of the universe. Catholics and many Protestants celebrate a Christ the King Sunday each year.
An Orthodox archbishop who exchanged friendly greetings and gifts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska has apologized to "those who have experienced pain, suffering, or confusion because of my actions."
An American Orthodox archbishop's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, in which they exchanged warm greetings and gifts of holy icons -- is drawing a denunciation by Ukrainian Orthodox bishops in the U.S. They called it a "betrayal of Christian witness" in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) -- President Donald Trump's administration and its allies have pushed aggressively for drilling, mining and logging in Alaska.
BETHEL, Alaska (AP) -- Fish camps still dot the banks of the broad Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska. Wooden huts and tarped shelters stand beside drying racks draped with bright red strips of salmon, which Alaska Native families have harvested for generations and preserved for the bitter winters ahead.
The head of the Southern Baptist Convention's policy arm has resigned after nearly four years leading the staunchly conservative agency, which in recent years has fended off critics within the nation's largest Protestant denomination seeking to push it even further to the right.
Southern Baptists meeting this week in Dallas will be asked to approve resolutions calling for a legal ban on pornography and a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court's approval of same-sex marriage.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) -- As the colossal replica of the biblical Noah's Ark rises incongruously from the countryside of northern Kentucky, Ken Ham gives the presentation he's often repeated.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. (AP) -- Some people thought the 1925 Scopes monkey trial marked a cultural defeat for biblical fundamentalism.
White House Faith Office. A Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias. A Religious Liberty Commission.
The Episcopal Church's migration service is refusing a directive from the federal government to help resettle white South Africans granted refugee status, citing the church's longstanding "commitment to racial justice and reconciliation."
As he does one day each month, the Rev. Robert Turner hit the road from his home in Baltimore last week and traveled -- on foot -- 43 miles (69 kilometers) to Washington.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Monday that it is ending a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to serve refugees and migrant children, saying the "heartbreaking" decision follows the Trump administration's abrupt halt to funding.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says it is ending a half-century of partnerships with the federal government to serve refugees and children, saying the "heartbreaking" decision follows the Trump administration's abrupt halt to funding for refugee resettlement.
As many as four in five immigrants at risk of deportation from the United States are Christian, according to a new report that calls on their fellow believers to consider the impact of the Trump administration's aggressive deportation policies.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Pope Francis' criticism of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, without responding to any of its specifics or to the pontiff's apparent criticism of Vance's own deployment of Catholic tradition to justify such policies.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged Pope Francis' criticism of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, without responding to any of its specifics or to the pontiff's apparent criticism of Vance's own deployment of Catholic tradition to justify such policies.
Catholic bishops sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its abrupt halt to funding of refugee resettlement, calling the action unlawful and harmful to newly arrived refugees and to the nation's largest private resettlement program.
Christianity is by far the largest faith in America, and Christian conservatives have a strong grip on the levers of government. That dominance is leaving many to question why President Donald Trump's new task force on eradicating anti-Christian bias is needed.
The sense of Catholic unity didn't last long. Less than a week after Vice President JD Vance shared the inauguration stage with a senior Catholic cardinal, Vance picked a fight with the top American leaders of his church.
It was a history-making event: In a chapel at Fort Liberty, North Carolina, 2nd Lt. Khady Ndiaye stood proudly -- wearing a hijab - as she became the first Muslim woman commissioned by the U.S. Army as a chaplain candidate.
A social-media tribute to Coptic Christians. A billboard in Amish country. A visit to a revered Jewish gravesite.
After former President Donald Trump gave his victory speech early Wednesday, at the Palm Beach Convention Center, dozens of his supporters gathered in a lobby to sing "How Great Thou Art," reciting from memory the words and harmonies of a classic hymn, popular among evangelical Christians.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Nationally, Catholic voters have been closely divided in recent presidential elections. This year, in the vital state of Pennsylvania, they'll likely comprise at least a quarter of the electorate -- and thus play a pivotal role in deciding the overall outcome.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Nationally, Catholic voters have been a crucial swing constituency in recent presidential elections. This year, in the vital state of Pennsylvania, they'll likely comprise at least a quarter of the electorate -- and thus play a pivotal role in deciding the overall outcome.
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) -- On a recent weekday afternoon, an Amish man in a horse-drawn buggy navigated through a busy intersection of auto traffic in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, past a billboard proclaiming: "Pray for God's Mercy for Our Nation."
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) -- The Rev. David Peck knows first-hand how divided communities wracked by violence can be gutted by that repeated devastation.
In under 48 hours, the head of the staunchly conservative public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention rankled fellow Baptists by applauding President Joe Biden's "selfless act" of withdrawing his candidacy for re-election. Then, his agency reported he was fired -- and now they have reaffirmed his leadership.
In under 48 hours, the head of the staunchly conservative public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention rankled fellow Baptists by applauding President Joe Biden's "selfless act" of withdrawing his candidacy for re-election. Then, his agency reported he was fired -- and now they have reaffirmed his leadership.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Even as they prepare to vote on a formal ban on churches with women pastors, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to boot one such church from its ranks.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- More than 10,000 voting representatives gathered Tuesday for the opening of the Southern Baptist Convention's two-day annual meeting, where they will vote on whether to ban churches with women pastors and deliberate yet again on how to respond to sexual abuse within churches.
Thousands will gather in Indianapolis June 11-12 for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.