A film premiering at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts promises to open &#8220;a window into a spiritual awakening&#8221; taking place across the country among America&#8217;s youth.
The Daily Wire can first report that the Washington, D.C., theater will host the red carpet premiere of &#8220;The Revival Generation&#8221; on Wednesday, August 27. The film, produced by the Christian Broadcasting Network, &#8220;showcases the remarkable resurgence of faith among the youth of America,&#8221; the Kennedy Center said in a statement.
&#8220;&#8216;The Revival Generation,&#8217; takes viewers inside a movement where students are being baptized in lakes, fountains, and football stadiums — capturing unforgettable worship moments, and testimonies from prominent Christian voices, including Dr. Ben Carson and Jennie Allen,&#8221; the Kennedy Center said.
The red carpet premiere &#8220;promises to be a historic gathering of worship, testimony, and celebration taking place in America’s cultural center – marking not just a film premiere, but a powerful milestone in a growing movement of faith across the country.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="The Revival Generation - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qA1Oduxyrd0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;The Revival Generation&#8221; tells the story of young people who have rejected &#8220;everything the world has to offer&#8221; and sought meaning in religious faith. At the heart of the story is UniteUS, which describes itself as &#8220;a movement of college students united to lift the name of Jesus.&#8221; The group launched with a September 2023 event at Auburn University, where thousands of students gathered to pray.
Since then, UniteUS has held events on campuses across the country, drawing on and fueling Gen Z&#8217;s thirst for religious faith.
UniteUS founder Tonya Prewett says her <a href="https://www.klove.com/news/faith/auburn-university-coachs-wifes-prayers-lead-to-revival-podcast-49540">journey began</a> while she was mentoring students at Auburn — where her husband was an assistant basketball coach. Realizing that so many of the young women she spoke with battled anxiety and depression, she started a Bible study that eventually grew into the campus revival.
&#8220;As I see the UniteUS story shared in &#8216;The Revival Generation,&#8217; I am reminded that prayer is powerful and great things can happen when we say ‘yes’ to God,&#8221; Prewett said. &#8220;Gen Z is experiencing spiritual revival like never before, and we should be expectant for the ways that God will continue to move among this generation.&#8221;
Prewett&#8217;s husband, Chad, left Auburn after 11 years to work full time in UniteUS&#8217;s ministry.
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Thank you Auburn Family! <a href="https://t.co/rjzHT65dDZ">pic.twitter.com/rjzHT65dDZ</a>
— Chad Prewett (@coach_prewettAU) <a href="https://twitter.com/coach_prewettAU/status/1922797267678830936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“To see a movement that started on college campuses now reaching the national cultural center of the U.S. is nothing short of miraculous,” Prewett&#8217;s daughter, Madison Prewett Troutt, added. “God is moving powerfully in this generation, and the Kennedy Center hosting the UniteUS story is a clear sign that what began in student hearts is now echoing across the nation.
<div id="attachment_959179" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-959179" class="size-large wp-image-959179" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-10-at-11.21.34-AM-1024x568.jpg" alt="The Revival Generation" width="1024" height="568" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-10-at-11.21.34-AM-1024x568.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-10-at-11.21.34-AM-300x166.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-10-at-11.21.34-AM-768x426.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-10-at-11.21.34-AM.jpg 1250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Photo Courtesy of The Kennedy Center</div>
Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell shared his excitement for the premiere, noting his own roots in a previous religious revival.
&#8220;In the early 1900s, my mom’s family was part of the Azusa Street revival in Los Angeles, which helped ignite the Jesus movement of the 1970s,” he explained, referencing African American minister William J. Seymour&#8217;s racially integrated, spontaneous worship event. &#8220;Today, we are on the cusp of another exciting revival in America and this film premiere at our nation’s cultural center highlights some of those beginnings.”
&#8220;The Revival Generation&#8221; premiere is the latest event to showcase the new direction the Kennedy Center has taken under Grenell and President Donald Trump. In June, the Kennedy Center hosted a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-kennedy-center-kicks-off-june-with-sold-out-showings-of-the-king-of-kings?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=The+Kennedy+Center+Kicks+Off+June+With+Sold+Out+Showings+Of+%E2%80%98The+King+Of+Kings%E2%80%99">sold-out premiere</a> of &#8220;The King of Kings,&#8221; an animated account of the life of Jesus. Shortly after taking office, Trump criticized the Kennedy Center for hosting drag shows, and pledged to overhaul the venue&#8217;s offerings with more family-friendly productions.
“For far too long, stories of faith have been sidelined in America’s cultural institutions,&#8221; Kennedy Center Vice President of Public Relations Roma Daravi said. &#8220;Hosting the premiere of &#8216;The Revival Generation&#8217; at the Kennedy Center sends a clear message that America’s cultural center is a place for everyone, and faith belongs in the national spotlight.&#8221;
CBN host Abigail Robertson, who produced the film, said she had no plans for &#8220;The Revival Generation&#8221; to premiere at as august a venue as the Kennedy Center.
&#8220;But God had plans far greater than ours,&#8221; she said.

KC11247274

EXCLUSIVE: Kennedy Center To Host Premiere Of Film On Gen Z Religious Revival

EXCLUSIVE: The Kennedy Center To Host Premiere Of 'The Revival Generation'

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Entertainment

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New Daily Wire host Isabel Brown said on Thursday that when hatred comes for her, it only confirms that she has chosen the right path and is doing the right thing.
Brown explained her position during an event hosted by Young America&#8217;s Foundation, saying that she drew inspiration from the New Testament — where followers of Jesus Christ were warned that they would be hated for following Him and for speaking the Truth.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/theisabelb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theisabelb</a>: We are promised that we will receive MASSIVE backlash for proclaiming the truth.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve come to learn that when you receive that&#8230;hatred&#8230; it is the perfect sign that you are running in the right direction.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/yaf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@yaf</a> <a href="https://t.co/VqjH6WxZGo">pic.twitter.com/VqjH6WxZGo</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1953482412052070657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I believe, as said before, that when we tell the truth to a world rejecting that concept — and I believe truth has a name: Christ — we are promised &#8230; we are promised, guaranteed, that we will receive massive backlash for it,&#8221; she said, and then went directly to the source.
&#8220;Matthew 10:22 says, &#8216;You will be hated by everyone&#8217;  — not just the people who disagree with you, everyone — &#8216;because of me,'&#8221; she continued. &#8220;&#8216;But the one who stands firm until the end will be saved.'&#8221;
&#8220;John chapter 15, verses 18 through 20, Christ reminds us, &#8216;If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you are of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you,'&#8221; she added.
&#8220;I have been called every horrible name in the book,&#8221; Brown said. &#8220;It started as a college campus fun prank when everyone called me Hitler Youth Barbie. That was fun. And transphobic, white supremacist, anti-woman — always by men, which totally makes sense — and I thought &#8216;no uterus, no opinion,&#8217; but I guess men can have a uterus now, so all of that went out the window.&#8221;
Brown went on to list a number of other names she&#8217;d been called — &#8220;anti-everything, you name it&#8221; — and concluded, &#8220;I&#8217;ve come to learn that when you receive that backlash, that hatred, that other-worldly level of distance between yourself and our broken culture, it is the perfect flashing marquee sign, airport traffic control director that you are running in the right direction.&#8221;

Isabel Brown

‘You Will Be Hated By Everyone’: Isabel Brown Reveals How She Knows She Chose The Right Path

'You Will Be Hated By Everyone': Isabel Brown Reveals How She Knows She's Doing The Right Thing

Jesus Christ

Young America's Foundation

Daily Wire host Isabel Brown joined Fox and Friends First Wednesday morning to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6376615015112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explain</a> why Gen Z is shunning remote work in favor of a traditional office setting.
“When you think about culturally the shift that started happening in about 2020, young people had our entire lives thrown into the metaverse against our will,” Brown said. “We started dating online, all of our friendships and relationships took place online, certainly all of our entertainment was digital, and work and school were as well.”
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Gen Z is ditching &#8220;work from home&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/theisabelb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@theisabelb</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@foxandfriends</a> why: &#8220;Young people had our entire lives thrust into the metaverse against our will&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/fuziJxVIhf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/fuziJxVIhf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1953102883244625984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“We constantly were thrust into a disconnected culture where loneliness and mental health problems started to thrive.” The World Health Organization found that anxiety and depression <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> by 25% in the first year of the pandemic, disproportionately affecting young people.
Isabel said that Gen Z is on a “quest to rebuild meaningful connection.”
“I think the easiest button and the easiest way to do that is starting a hybrid work schedule or in person work.”
“You’re starting to see this behavior not just in the workplace but we’re ditching our dating apps and bringing back in person speed dating events in big cities all over the country, you’re looking at people really wanting to build something with their hands, to touch one another, and to have that sense of real connection,” she said.
Brown’s suggestion that Gen Z is looking for connection is supported by a recent Gallup <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/692675/fully-remote-work-least-popular-gen-z.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a>, which found 27% of Gen Zers say they feel lonely doing remote work, while 21% of Millennials, 15% of Gen Xers, and 10% of Boomers say the same.
According to Gallup, only 23% of Gen Zers prefer working from home, compared to 35% of every other generation.
Brown says Gen Z is increasingly disillusioned with social media acting as a replacement for in person contact.
“I think we’ve faced this paradox culturally and it&#8217;s a question left for our generation to answer: how do we responsibly balance the role of technology in connecting us, while also preventing that isolation and loneliness that often is hiding behind the screen?”
“I think this is why you’re watching Gen Z for example lead the religious resurgence happening in America right now, its young people that are flooding church pews on Sunday morning and reviving church communities at Catholic churches across the country and having mass baptism events on our college campuses,” she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Gen Z is ditching &#8220;work from home&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/theisabelb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@theisabelb</a> tells <a href="https://twitter.com/foxandfriends?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@foxandfriends</a> why: &#8220;Young people had our entire lives thrust into the metaverse against our will&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/fuziJxVIhf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/fuziJxVIhf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1953102883244625984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">August 6, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“That real sense of community with the people around you can never be replaced by an algorithm or a social media feed.”
Brown, a leading Gen Z conservative commentator, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-isabel-brown-the-daily-wires-newest-host" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> last month that she was joining The Daily Wire. “The Isabel Brown Show” launches this fall on DailyWire+.

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WATCH: Isabel Brown Explains Why Gen Z is Rejecting Remote Work

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John Thomas Scopes On Trial

A Century Ago, The ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ Shook The Nation. The Stakes Are Just As High Today.

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The Trump administration rolled out new guidance on Monday that makes it clear that federal workers are allowed to invite their co-workers to church and share their religious beliefs with them. 
The <a href="https://www.chcoc.gov/content/reasonable-accommodations-religious-purposes">memo</a> issued by Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor seeks to ensure the protection of religious liberty for federal workers. It provides examples of permitted religious expression in the workplace and specifies that such conversations must remain respectful and not be disruptive. 
“Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” Kupor said. “This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths. Under President Trumpʼs leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.”
The guidance says that federal workers may “engage in conversations regarding religious topics with fellow employees, including attempting to persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views, provided that such efforts are not harassing in nature.”
An example of this kind of religious expression would include one employee trying to persuade another to convert to their faith during a break. 
Federal employees are also free to direct their expressions of faith to members of the public at certain times. Examples given included “a park ranger leading a tour through a national park may join her tour group in prayer,” and “a doctor at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital may pray over his patient for her recovery.”
“An employee’s fundamental rights, as a private citizen, of personal religious expression are not limited by the venue or hearer, or merely because the employee is a government employee, and therefore may not be suppressed due to the religious nature of the expression,” the memo said. “However, when public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties, they are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes, and the Constitution does not insulate their communications from employer discipline.”
The guidance also says that federal employees can display personal religious items like Bibles, artwork, jewelry, mezuzahs, and crosses at their workspace.
The Monday memo followed <a href="https://www.chcoc.gov/content/reasonable-accommodations-religious-purposes">guidance</a> from July 16 that allows for telework at certain times for religious reasons. The memo said that workers should be allowed to request to work remotely for purposes like the Sabbath or religious holidays, scheduled prayers, fasting, or other religious obligations. 
In February, Trump <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/12/2025-02635/establishment-of-the-white-house-faith-office">signed</a> an executive order establishing the White House Faith Office to promote religious liberty throughout his administration.

TOPSHOT-US-VOTE-POLITICS-TRUMP

New Trump Guidance Allows Federal Employees To Debate Religion With Co-Workers

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New York Yankees all-star Aaron Judge this week discussed his faith in God, when asked about money and fame.
Judge was <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMG2BgGg2QU/">asked</a> on Monday by a CBN Sports reporter, &#8220;What would you say to someone who thinks fame and fortune is the answer to all their problems?&#8221;
Judge responded by pointing his fans to Jesus. &#8220;Our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He’s given me this platform, this ability,&#8221; Judge said. &#8220;The fame, getting the chance to do this is great and all, but it’s not fulfilling as much as the relationship I have with Him.&#8221;
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During the MLB All-Star Game on Monday, Judge showcased a bat that featured his daughter’s name, Nora, and a Bible verse reference.
&#8220;For we live by faith, not by sight,&#8221; the verse, 2 Corinthians 5:7, reads. Judge&#8217;s bat says, &#8220;Faith, not sight.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_948589" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-948589" class="wp-image-948589 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224529063-864x576.jpg" alt="The bat of Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees before the Workout during MLB All-Star Week at Truist Park on July 14, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224529063-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224529063-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224529063-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-2224529063.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />New York Yankees/Getty Images</div>
Judge has been open about his Christian faith his whole career. The ball player&#8217;s social media <a href="https://x.com/thejudge44?lang=en">bio</a> reads in part, &#8220;Christian. Faith, Family, then Baseball.&#8221;
The athlete has spoken specifically about his adoptive parents and how their love informs his faith, as well.
&#8220;The position I was in, being adopted by my parents &#8212; for them to pick me, choose me, to put me in their lives, it&#8217;s incredible,&#8221; Judge, who was adopted when he was a one-year-old, <a href="https://sportsspectrum.com/sport/baseball/2025/05/01/yankees-aaron-judge-blistering-start-faith-foundation/">said</a> last year. &#8220;Having His blessings, keeping the faith through good times and bad times, knowing He&#8217;s always with me, that&#8217;s definitely helped me get to this position.&#8221;
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Judge learned he was adopted at age ten. “I knew I didn’t look like them,” he <a href="https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/columnists/bob-klapisch/2017/06/23/klapisch-aaron-judge-never-forgot-his-roots/420872001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NorthJersey.com in 2024. “I finally said, ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ And that’s when they told me.&#8221;
&#8220;I was fine with that, they were the only parents I ever knew,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It actually wasn’t a big deal.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dodgers-ace-clayton-kershaw-adds-bible-reference-to-rainbow-hat-for-pride-night">Dodgers Ace Clayton Kershaw Adds Bible Reference To Rainbow Hat For Pride Night</a>
</div>

Aaron Judge

Yankees All-Star Aaron Judge Asked About Fortune And Fame, Directs Fans To Jesus

Major League Baseball

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The IRS made clear its stance on churches endorsing political candidates in front of their congregations, saying in a court filing on Monday that houses of worship are free to push political candidates from the pulpit without fear of losing their tax-exempt status.
The IRS clarification came in a lawsuit court filing after two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters sued, seeking an exemption from the ban on churches endorsing political candidates, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/us/politics/irs-churches-politics-endorse-candidates.html">reported</a>. While the plaintiffs sought a carve-out for all nonprofits, the IRS agreed in a court filing to allow churches to endorse candidates without penalty.
According to the IRS, the Johnson Amendment — which has been part of the U.S. tax code since 1954 — does not prohibit a church from communicating with its congregants about its preferred political candidates, comparing such endorsements to “a family discussion concerning candidates.”
“Thus, communications from a house of worship to its congregation in connection with religious services through its usual channels of communication on matters of faith do not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment as properly interpreted,” the agency wrote in the <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txed.232590/gov.uscourts.txed.232590.35.0.pdf">court filing</a>.
The IRS added that it has long refrained from enforcing the Johnson Amendment against churches &#8220;for speech concerning electoral politics in the context of worship services.&#8221; For several years, pastors from around the country organized to test the tax code during &#8220;Pulpit Freedom Sunday,&#8221; The Washington Post reported. The IRS only launched one investigation stemming from &#8220;Pulpit Freedom Sunday,&#8221; and the agency did not punish any churches.
The IRS statement will be celebrated by many conservative Christians who have long viewed the prohibition on political endorsements as infringing upon their free speech.
During his first term, President Donald Trump stated that he wanted to &#8220;totally destroy&#8221; the Johnson Amendment, which was introduced by then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson (D-TX) in 1954.
“I will get rid of and totally destroy the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution,” Trump <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-vows-to-totally-destroy-restrictions-on-churches-support-of-candidates/2017/02/02/fed9bad2-e981-11e6-bf6f-301b6b443624_story.html">told</a> Christians at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2017. “I will do that, remember.”
For the Johnson Amendment to be repealed, Congress would have to take action.
Proponents of the Johnson Amendment argue that the tax code is essential for guarding campaign finance laws. If the Johnson Amendment were repealed, some worry that political contributions could be funneled through tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations, and the contributions could remain undisclosed and tax-deductible.

Church

Trump’s IRS Says Churches Can Endorse Political Candidates Without Losing Tax Status

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The Religious Liberty Commission met Monday for the first time at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., to discuss faith policies. The Commission was presided over by Chairman and Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Vice Chairman Dr. Ben Carson.
The commission was first established back in May by an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/establishment-of-the-religious-liberty-commission/">executive order</a> from President Trump. The executive order commissioned a panel of professionals and public religious figures under the Department of Justice and Attorney General Pamela Bondi, who spoke at this first meeting.
Some notable <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/05/president-trump-announces-religious-liberty-commission-members/">members of the commission</a> include Catholic Bishop Robert Barron, the founder of Word on Fire Ministry, and Pastor Paula White, the senior advisor to the White House Faith Office. Pastor Franklin Graham, a well-known Evangelical minister, Dr. Phil McGraw, host of the &#8220;Dr. Phil&#8221; talk show, and Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, a premier Orthodox rabbi based in Manhattan, also serve on the commission.
The commission will run until July 4th, 2026, unless extended by Trump. Over the next year, the commission will meet periodically to hear the testimonies of prominent legal scholars and religious leaders.
Patrick began the meeting by restating the commission&#8217;s purpose, as laid out in its charter. The purpose, he said, was &#8220;to advise and to report to the president&#8221; their findings on the treatment of religion in America.
Carson, who has previously served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the first Trump administration, stated that the commission&#8217;s goal is to promote spirituality among Americans.
&#8220;This commission promotes freedom of beliefs and that spiritual aspect of our existence that advances civilization,&#8221; Carson said. &#8220;We will strive to facilitate the maintenance of one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.&#8221;
Kelly Shackelford, a constitutional scholar and member of the commission, remarked that, as the Founders of America believed, the first battle against dictatorial power would be fought on the grounds of religious freedom. Religious freedom, he said, is the &#8220;precipice of all of our freedoms.&#8221;
Paula White, a member of the commission, leads the first White House Faith Office for the president. White commented, &#8220;The Commission will focus on long-term strategies to secure religious freedom for future generations. We will gather data, conduct legal analysis, hold public hearings to capture the stories of everyday Americans related to religious liberty.&#8221;
Later in the meeting, Attorney General Pam Bondi commented on the Trump administration’s stance toward religious liberty.
&#8220;From the start, the United States of America was envisioned as a place where religious liberty meant the freedom to discern good from evil without the heavy hand of the government weighing in,&#8221; she said.
Bondi condemned the arrests of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-life-activist-sentenced-to-over-four-years-in-prison-over-protest-at-d-c-abortion-facility">pro-life Christians</a>, those who <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYK1XPKdV7M">blocked access to synagogues</a> in antisemitic protests, the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-de-blasio-threatens-to-permanently-close-nyc-churches-if-they-dont-comply-with-social-distancing">prosecution</a> of church gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-declares-easter-sunday-transgender-day-of-visibility">declaration</a> of a transgender day of visibility on Easter in 2024, as well as other anti-religious acts.
Bondi added, &#8220;This president and this administration are fully committed to restoring and defending religious liberty for all Americans. The Religious Liberty Commission will be the tip of the spear. Together we will return America to the vision of our Founders – a nation where faith merely isn’t tolerated but it&#8217;s embraced and celebrated.&#8221;

Last Minute Christmas Shopping in Birmingham

Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission Meets To Discuss Faith Policies

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Pam Bondi

Religious Freedom

Jihadists massacred around 200 Christians in Nigeria last week after storming a predominantly Catholic farming community and setting fire to homes, according to multiple reports.
Last Friday and Saturday, Fulani Jihadist herdsmen targeted the Christians in Yelwata, in Nigeria’s Benue State, according to Catholic news outlet, <a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2025/06/latest-attack-reportedly-kills-nearly-200-people-in-nigeria">Crux</a>. The militants attempted to storm St. Joseph’s Church in Yelwata, which was housing families who had been displaced by previous Fulani Jihadist attacks in other areas, but were repelled by police, according to another report from <a href="https://www.churchinneed.org/nigeria-up-to-200-dead-in-worst-killing-spree/">Church in Need</a>. The militants then attacked the town square, setting fire to buildings and killing people while yelling &#8220;Allahu Akbar.&#8221;
According to eyewitnesses on the ground in the Nigerian community, the Jihadists &#8220;surrounded Yelwata &#8230; and began slaughtering people—mostly women, children, and displaced families who thought they had found safety here.”
“We’re still finding bodies in the bushes,” <a href="https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/fulani-jihadists-massacre-over-200-christians-in-nigeria">said</a> local youth leader Mton Matthias. “The death toll is rising every hour.”
Pope Leo addressed the &#8220;terrible massacre&#8221; on Sunday when he said Christians &#8220;were killed with extreme cruelty, most of whom were internally displaced persons hosted by the local Catholic mission.&#8221;
&#8220;I pray that security, justice, and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country so affected by various forms of violence,&#8221; Pope Leo said before he delivered the Sunday Angelus prayer, Vatican News reported. &#8220;And I pray in a special way for the rural Christian communities in Benue State who have been unceasingly the victims of violence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pope Leo prays for the victims of a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria.
Around 200 people were “brutally killed” in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June, the Pope said, most of them internally displaced persons “sheltered by the… <a href="https://t.co/gOZw8Ny0L2">pic.twitter.com/gOZw8Ny0L2</a>
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/VaticanNews/status/1934238312937537896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The violence against Christians in Nigeria is not new, but last week&#8217;s massacre marks the deadliest atrocity committed against Christians in the country in recent years, according to Church in Need. Fulani herdsman, made up of Muslims, regularly threaten farming communities, made up mostly of Christians, in Benue State. Between 2023 and 2025, more than 1,000 people have been killed as the Jihadists have clashed with farmers and Nigeria&#8217;s security forces, the BBC <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyznnl4mddo">reported</a>.
According to Rev. Fr. Remigius Ihyula — director of the Justice, Peace and Development Foundation (JPDF) — the violence against Christians is part of an effort to clear the land of the Christian inhabitants.
“These Fulani militias are not just killing—they’re clearing land to claim it,” he <a href="https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/fulani-jihadists-massacre-over-200-christians-in-nigeria">said</a>. “And they’re being allowed to do it.”
The Nigerian government, led by Muslims, has been accused of looking the other way while radical Muslims attack and kill Christians.
“The credible evidence of who [the attackers] are is undeniable, so why is the government helpless in securing the safety of its citizens?&#8221; asked Father Moses Aondover Iorapuu, a Parish priest in Makurdi, Nigeria.

Religious cross on a building’s gable

‘Terrible Massacre’: Hundreds Of Christians Killed By Jihadists

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Vice President JD Vance will attend Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s inaugural Mass on Sunday at the Vatican, his office announced.
&#8220;Vice President JD Vance will lead a U.S. Delegation to Vatican City to attend the inaugural Mass of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV,&#8221; the vice president&#8217;s office said in a statement Thursday.
Second Lady Usha Vance will accompany her husband, and so will Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette Rubio. Rubio is also a Catholic.
Vance is the first Catholic convert to serve as vice president, his office noted. He met with the late Pope Francis on Easter Sunday, the day before the pontiff died at age 88.
Back in 2013, Joe Biden, then vice president and also a Catholic, led the delegation to Pope Francis&#8217; inaugural mass.
Pope Leo XIV, who is 69, was elected the first American pope by the conclave of cardinals on May 8.
Leo, who was previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, was born in Chicago and spent much of his priesthood in Peru until 2023, when he was made a cardinal by Pope Francis.
Francis made Prevost the Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, the Vatican official responsible for recommending priests to be made bishops around the world.
Prevost has been strong on Church doctrine, but he is seen as a centrist on political issues.
In February, before becoming pope, Leo <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-leo-twitter-x-trump-vance-criticism-9c311123985ebce282877071f75b6d80" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appears</a> to have shared an article on X from a Catholic outlet with the headline, &#8220;Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn&#8217;t ask us to rank our love for others.&#8221;
The new pope has also previously <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/15/vp-jd-vance-rubio-to-attend-inaugural-mass-of-pope-leo-xiv/83644101007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shared</a> several posts critical of the Trump administration&#8217;s immigration policy.
Despite any political differences, President Trump offered a congratulatory message after Leo was announced as the new pope.
“Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114473380014194441" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on Truth Social.
Trump also attended Francis’ funeral in Rome last month.
Vance congratulated the new pope the day he was elected.
&#8220;Congratulations to Leo XIV, the first American Pope, on his election! I’m sure millions of American Catholics and other Christians will pray for his successful work leading the Church. May God bless him!&#8221; Vance <a href="https://x.com/JDVance/status/1920550545061810261" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X.
During his last visit, Vance and his wife and children attended the Passion of Christ Mass celebrated by a cardinal marking Good Friday at St. Peter&#8217;s Basilica.

U.S. Vice President James David Vance, along with his wife

JD Vance To Attend Pope Leo XIV’s Inaugural Mass In Rome

JD Vance To Attend Pope Leo XIV's Inaugural Mass In Rome

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The world eagerly awaits details about the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, who made history for being the first pontiff to hail from the United States.
Cardinal Robert Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago, and according to one family member, he spent his leisure time doing two things that many Americans will instantly recognize. Pope Leo’s brother, John Provost, said that the newest head of the Catholic Church enjoys playing Wordle and just watched the Academy Award-winning film, “Conclave.”
“First we do Wordle ‘cause this is a regular thing, then we do Words with Friends,” John <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcnews/video/7502211263188225326?_r=1&amp;_t=ZP-8wCYrET9bMl">told</a> NBC News. “It’s something to keep his mind off life in the real world.&#8221;
He continued, referencing the red socks that Catholic cardinals are traditionally required to wear.
 &#8220;And then we talk about what’s going on and I said, ‘Well, do you have your red socks?’ That doesn&#8217;t go over well all the time. And then just that kind of stuff.&#8221;
“And I said, ‘Well are you ready for this?’ I said, ‘Did you watch the movie ‘Conclave’ so you know how to behave?” John said. “And he had just finished watching the movie ‘Conclave.’ So he knew how to behave. So it’s that kind of stuff because I wanted to take his mind off of it. You know, laugh about something because this is now an awesome responsibility.”
“Conclave,” directed by Edward Berger and starring Ralph Fiennes as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, is a political thriller that explores the process of electing a new pope following the sudden death of the previous pontiff. It’s based on a 2016 thriller novel by the same name. 
In the film, the College of Cardinals convenes within the Vatican, and Lawrence uncovers hidden scandals and power struggles among the leading candidates, including revelations of corruption and personal indiscretions. 
Some practicing Catholics have <a href="https://www.missiodeicatholic.org/p/why-as-catholics-we-should-not-support">called the film</a> “blasphemous,” saying it “misaligns with our values” and “mocks the church.”
The real-life conclave began on Wednesday and concluded on Thursday, with Prevost selected as pope. He appeared before the assembled crowd in St. Peter’s Square on Thursday, addressing them in both Italian and Spanish.
&#8220;We still keep in our ears that weak but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome,&#8221; Pope Leo said. &#8220;The Pope who blessed Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world that morning on Easter Sunday.&#8221;

Pope Leo Recently Watched The Movie ‘Conclave,’ His Brother Says

Pope Leo Watched The Movie 'Conclave,' His Brother Claims

President Trump quipped about &#8220;forgetting&#8221; the separation of church and state and declared &#8220;we&#8217;re bringing religion back to our country&#8221; during a National Day of Prayer event on Thursday.
&#8220;They said separation of church and state, they told me. I said, let&#8217;s forget about that for one time. We said, really? Separation? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I&#8217;m not sure,&#8221; Trump remarked during the Rose Garden ceremony.
&#8220;But whether there&#8217;s separation or not, you guys are in the White House where you should be, and you&#8217;re representing our country,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-jokes-his-admin-forget-about-separation-church-state-were-bringing-religion-back">told</a> faith leaders at the event, adding, &#8220;We&#8217;re bringing religion back to our country.&#8221;
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President Trump: &#8220;We&#8217;re bringing back religion in our country. And we&#8217;re bringing it back &#8212; as I say &#8212; bigger and better and stronger than ever before.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/TM0Y0rx9gz">pic.twitter.com/TM0Y0rx9gz</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1917995948401193115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
Trump signed an executive order, first <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/donald-trump-to-establish-religious-liberty-commission?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=Exclusive&amp;elementPosition=24&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Donald+Trump%E2%80%99s+Next+Executive+Order+Will+Establish+Religious+Liberty+Commission">reported</a> by The Daily Wire, establishing the Religious Liberty Commission to be composed of church clergy, legal experts, and other Trump allies tasked with identifying “threats to domestic religious liberty,” such as attacks on houses of worship and First Amendment violations, and recommending protective actions.
During the Rose Garden ceremony, Trump thanked Paula White, White House senior advisor and leader of the White House Faith Office, for her dedication to religious freedom and emphasized the importance of protecting religious expression in American life.
“Prayer is not a religious act, it’s a national necessity,” <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/01/trump-religious-commission-church-state-00321814">said</a> Paula White, later adding asking God in a prayer to grant the president “wisdom beyond human understanding and capability, and … divine dreams.”
“We call for a spiritual reset in our nation, a return to what is right, a reverence for what is sacred, a real alignment with your divine purpose,” she said.
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, vice chairman of the committee, along with former Housing Secretary Ben Carson, was also present at the event, praising the president: “There’s never been a president who’s invoked the name of Jesus more than you.”
Trump’s latest order builds on Trump&#8217;s previous executive action in February, establishing a &#8220;Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,&#8221; which aimed to address what Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-establishes-the-religious-liberty-commission/">described</a> as the Biden administration&#8217;s &#8220;egregious pattern of targeting peaceful Christians, while ignoring violent, anti-Christian offenses.&#8221;
Religious liberty concerns have escalated significantly in recent years, with numerous legal challenges arising across the country involving prayer in schools, religious symbols in public spaces, and faith-based organizations&#8217; hiring practices.
<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/05/establishment-of-the-religious-liberty-commission/">The Religious Liberty Commission</a> is expected to hold its first formal meeting within the next several weeks, with the commission set to &#8220;terminate on July 4, 2026, which marks the 250th anniversary of American Independence, unless extended by the President.&#8221;

Trump Tells Church Leaders ‘We’re Bringing Religion Back’ As New Commission Forms

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