Category: News affecting the Church

Christian aid groups respond as Colombia quake toll feared to rise

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Hundreds of people have died in a devastating earthquake in Colombia this month, and officials fear the death toll will increase.

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake caused buildings to collapse and badly damaged infrastructure across the affected region. The Colombian Geological Service said it was the strongest earthquake recorded in the country since 2000. The quake was followed by several strong aftershocks.

Operation Blessing quickly began providing aid after the earthquake. The relief effort has included hygiene kits, food, clean water, solar lanterns and other emergency supplies for people affected by the disaster. Operation Blessing already has teams working in Venezuela, continuing to assist with earthquake relief efforts there, and the organization said that work will continue uninterrupted even as it responds in Colombia.

The organization’s president Drew Friedrich said the it’s first priority is to get involved as quickly as possible and provide aid wherever it is needed. “Whenever disaster strikes, our first priority is to get on the ground, understand the needs and determine where we can make the greatest difference. As our work continues in Venezuela, we are now mobilizing an additional team to Colombia to stand alongside families there and provide practical help and hope during an incredibly difficult time.”

Report finds shift in Hispanic Americans’ religious identity

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

The share of Hispanic Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated rose from 18% in 2013 to 23% in 2025, according to Axios, which cited a review of data from the Public Religion Research Institute.

A later PRRI summary added detail to that trend, showing the unaffiliated share climbed to 25% in 2024 before slipping back to 23% in 2025. The increase from 2013 to 2025 was not a steady, uninterrupted rise each year.

Separately, Pew Research Center found that the share of Latino adults identifying as Catholic fell from 67% in 2010 to 43% in 2022. Pew described the share of Latino adults identifying as Protestant as relatively stable over that period, standing at 21% in 2022.

One dead after tent collapses during Craguns performance in Moneta, Virginia

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

STEVE MORGAN, SPECIAL FOR TEXAS GOSPEL

MONETA, Va. — A sudden, powerful wind gust collapsed a large commercial tent during an outdoor celebration at Eastlake Community Church on the evening of June 13, killing one person and injuring several others.

The church was marking its 20th anniversary with an outdoor service featuring The Craguns when the wind struck without warning, according to witnesses and a statement released by the group.

The victim has been identified by witnesses as Bob Stouffer, a longtime member of the church congregation.

A witness at the event said the wind lifted the tent into the air, estimating it rose roughly 100 feet before crashing back down on the crowd below. The witness said the church’s pastor, sensing the danger, tried to warn attendees to get to their cars, but the wind hit before he could finish delivering the warning.

The number of people injured in the collapse has not been confirmed.

The Craguns, who were performing under the tent at the time, said in a statement posted online that their family was unharmed.

“Tonight while singing outdoors (under a large commercial tent) celebrating the 20th anniversary of Eastlake Community Church in Moneta, Virginia, a VERY strong wind came through suddenly and without warning and blew the tent down,” the group wrote. “We are thankful to report that our entire family is safe and unharmed. However, there were multiple injuries and at least one fatality (that we are aware of).”

The group said they released the statement after receiving hundreds of messages asking about their safety, noting the incident had become national news.

“We ask that you help us pray for everyone who is injured, the church staff and all of the precious souls who attend this church,” the statement continued. “They are hurting tonight and they need our love and prayer support. Eastlake Community Church is a wonderful, God honoring church. After 20 great years, they will have a few hard weeks ahead.”

The Craguns expressed confidence that the church and its members would recover from the tragedy.

“But based on God’s word, we know that somehow, someway, God is working all things together for good to those who love him… and by God’s grace we believe brighter days are ahead,” the statement read. “Thank you for your prayers.”

Services for Mr. Stouffer were held June 20, 2026 at the EastLake Community Church.

Televangelist James Robison, founder of LIFE Outreach International, dies at 82

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

Ronald Stone

James Robison, the Texas-born televangelist who spent more than five decades bringing his Christian message to stadiums, living rooms, and relief camps around the world, has died. He was 82.

LIFE Outreach International, the ministry Robison founded, announced his passing but did not release a cause of death.

Robison began his preaching career in 1968, and what followed was a ministry of remarkable reach. His organization says his message found its way to more than one billion people worldwide, delivered across more than 600 cities. For many of those years, he shared that platform with his wife Betty on the television program LIFE Today, a show the couple co-hosted together and that became a fixture in Christian broadcasting households.

Born in Pasadena, Texas, Robison channelled his faith into multiple ventures over the decades. He authored several Christian books and, in 2015, launched The Stream, a Christian news platform that added a digital dimension to a ministry already operating on multiple fronts. Together, he and Betty raised three children and were surrounded by 11 grandchildren.

In a statement posted to social media, the LIFE Outreach International board described a man defined by his sense of calling.

“James devoted his life to sharing the Gospel and bringing hope, help, and healing to those in need around the world,” the statement read, adding that the ministry he built “has touched countless lives and will continue impacting generations to come.”

The organization said it would carry on Robison’s core mission: delivering food, clean water, and what the ministry described as the hope of Christ to communities in need. It asked supporters to pray for Betty Robison and the broader ministry family in the days ahead.

The board closed its tribute with a verse from Matthew: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Retired pastor convicted for preaching near hospital buffer zone sparks free speech debate

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

TEXAS GOSPEL STAFF

A 78-year-old retired pastor with no prior criminal record has been convicted and fined in Northern Ireland after preaching a sermon near a hospital abortion buffer zone, a case that has drawn international attention and renewed debate over the limits of free speech and religious expression.

Clive Johnston, a former president of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, was found guilty on two counts by a district judge following a July 2024 open-air service he held on a public sidewalk across from Causeway Hospital. He was fined £450.

Prosecutors argued Johnston had conducted a protest capable of influencing a “protected person” near the edge of a hospital buffer zone, and that he failed to comply with police orders to leave the area.

Johnston and his legal team at The Christian Institute maintain the conviction was unjust. They say he carried no banners or placards, made no mention of abortion, and delivered a sermon drawn from John 3:16, one of the most familiar passages in Christian scripture.

“It was a small open-air Sunday service near a hospital,” Johnston said. “I did not harass, threaten, or verbally attack anyone.”

Johnston said police video evidence supports his account, and he described the conviction as deeply troubling given what he called an overly broad application of the buffer zone law.

The Christian Institute plans to appeal the ruling.

US evangelist Franklin Graham drew wider attention to the case through a post on Facebook, saying Johnston had simply preached the Gospel without any reference to abortion. Graham said he hoped the legal team would succeed on appeal.