All posts tagged: pastor

Pastor charged with manslaughter after 61-year-old drowns during baptism | UK | News

Pastor charged with manslaughter after 61-year-old drowns during baptism | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Pastor Cheryl Bartley, 48, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter following the drowning of a 61-year-old man at a baptism ceremony in Birmingham in 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service said. Robert Smith, from Brixton in south London, died at an address in Erdington on October 8, 2023. Malcolm McHaffie, head of the special crime division, said: “We have decided to prosecute Cheryl Bartley, 48, with one count of gross negligence manslaughter in relation to her role as a pastor during a baptism. “This follows the death of 61-year-old Robert Smith from Brixton in south London, who died from drowning at an address in Slade Road, Erdington on October 8, 2023. Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. “We have worked closely with West Midlands Police as it has carried out its investigation. “We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against this defendant are active and that she has the right to a …

Hungary’s Orbán is selling Christian nationalism. His former pastor isn’t buying it. – POLITICO

Hungary’s Orbán is selling Christian nationalism. His former pastor isn’t buying it. – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

According to Iványi, it was Orbán’s political maneuvering that drove them apart, as the pastor remained committed to progressive liberal values while Orbán moved to the right to consolidate political support. The moment their relationship broke down came during Orbán’s second premiership in 2010, when he asked Iványi to publicly endorse him and have their photo taken together. Iványi refused, as he supported an opposition party. “I was promised extra financial support for that photo,” he said. And when he refused, “I was told [Orbán] was absolutely offended by that.” From then on, Iványi’s Hungarian Evangelical Fellowship — a prominent religious dissident movement he founded under Communism — began facing problems. In 2011, a new church law stripped the congregation of its official church status — a move the congregation is still fighting today, as it helped the authorities stir up financial and legal problems. As a result, the organization now has fewer resources and has had to close some of its schools and shelters. Iványi recalled when a young Orbán, in 1989, stood in …

Iranian evangelicals are staying put, tentative but hopeful, says pastor

Iranian evangelicals are staying put, tentative but hopeful, says pastor

Published by Sam Flores

ISTANBUL (RNS) — Hormoz Shariat preaches to a congregation of millions of Iranian Christians around the world, those who have scattered because of repression at home and those who, having stayed, have long been the target of arrest by Iranian authorities, frequently accused of being tools of Western powers. The Tehran-born, now Texas-based founder of Iran Alive Ministries runs an online ministry that streams 24 hours a day, sharing the gospel in Farsi, the language of Iran. Shariat also organizes a network of Iranian Christian leaders both in Iran and in the diaspora. In an interview with Religion News Service on Sunday, Shariat said since the news that Ayatollah Khamenei had been killed in a strike Saturday, plans for escape and emigration are being put on hold in the hopes that a brighter future may be dawning. “This is a day of rejoicing and hope for the people of Iran, who have suffered for so long over the years,” Shariat told Religion News Service Sunday. “With this death of the supreme leader, everybody is firstly …

American Idol star and former pastor arrested for murder of ‘Carrie Underwood lookalike’ wife

American Idol star and former pastor arrested for murder of ‘Carrie Underwood lookalike’ wife

Published by Daniella Wilson

Caleb Flynn, who auditioned for the 2013 season of American Idol and a former music pastor, has been arrested for the murder of his wife Ashley. The 39-year-old, from Ohio, was arrested Thursday, February 19, and charged with murder and two counts each of felonious assault and tampering with evidence. He pleaded not guilty Friday in a video-arraignment from Miami County Jail. Ashley, 37, was shot with a 9mm handgun in the early hours of Monday February 16. Around 2.30am that morning, Caleb called 911 to report his wife had been shot, and that he feared a home intruder may still be in the house. Law enforcement officials indicated in their report that signs of forced entry appeared “staged”. The Flynns’ two young daughters were home asleep at the time and had not been harmed. Mugshot of Caleb Flynn “Somebody broke into my home and killed my wife,” the caller, identified as Caleb, tells the operator during the nearly eight-minute call. “She’s got three shots to her and blood everywhere,” the caller continues. “Ashley, baby, baby …

Inspired by Catholic nuns, Kenyan Lutheran pastor becomes church’s first female presiding bishop

Inspired by Catholic nuns, Kenyan Lutheran pastor becomes church’s first female presiding bishop

Published by Sam Flores

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — A Lutheran pastor inspired in her youth by a Catholic priest and nuns is set to become the first female presiding bishop of the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Rev. Catherine Ngina Musau, a 55-year-old mother of two adult children, was elected on Nov. 28 at the church’s general assembly in Malindi and will be installed in June. “This was by the grace of God because it came at the time God needed me to serve his church in this capacity,” Musau told Religion News Service. RELATED: Women ministers resist misogyny with mentors, training, resilience, study finds The bishop-elect will lead the 50,000-member Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church, a Bible-based Protestant denomination with missions in eastern and southern Kenya, where it has a strong following among the Masai ethnic community, near the Tanzania border. It’s known for its relief work, especially flood, hunger and poverty response, care of orphans, HIV and AIDS interventions and the fight for gender justice. The first female pastor in the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church when she was …

Bay Area pastor, shot with a pepper round, files M claim against federal government

Bay Area pastor, shot with a pepper round, files $5M claim against federal government

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Last October, the Rev. Jorge Bautista was standing at the one-road entrance to a California military base, protesting the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, when he saw a masked federal agent approach, weapon raised. Moments later, the agent fired a pepper round from just a few feet away that struck Bautista in the face, engulfing the pastor’s head and neck in a plume of acrid yellow powder. Bloody and breathless, Bautista said he feared he could asphyxiate and die.  Today, the Oakland pastor says his injuries have healed, but the incident has left him with psychological trauma. On Jan. 27, he took legal action, filing a federal tort claim against the federal government, seeking $5 million in damages.  “Reverend Bautista was, by all accounts, not ‘disorderly,’ not ‘violent,’” EmilyRose Johns, his attorney, said in an interview with Religion News Service. “He was standing peacefully, unmoved, holding a sign.”  “There has to be accountability,” said Bautista in explaining why he is taking legal action.  Asked about the filing, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland …

‘Good Progress’ in U.S.-Iran Talks, Iranian Official Says

‘Good Progress’ in U.S.-Iran Talks, Iranian Official Says

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: ‘Good Progress’ in U.S.-Iran Talks, Iranian Official Says transcript Back transcript ‘Good Progress’ in U.S.-Iran Talks, Iranian Official Says Indirect talks between American and Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday ended with the two sides agreeing to “a set of guiding principles,” according to the Iranian foreign minister. “So I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly. And they’ll be very important. We’ll see what can happen. It’s been typically — Iran’s a very tough negotiator. “We’ve been told that a deal is next to impossible.” “No, no. I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.” Indirect talks between American and Iranian officials in Geneva on Tuesday ended with the two sides agreeing to “a set of guiding principles,” according to the Iranian foreign minister. By Monika Cvorak and Jamie Leventhal February 17, 2026 Source link

Jesse Jackson, pastor and civil rights icon, dies at 84

Jesse Jackson, pastor and civil rights icon, dies at 84

Published by Sam Flores

American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson during a ceremony honoring US Army pilot Robert O. Goodman (left), captured in Syria, whose release Jackson had negotiated, Washington, January 4, 1984. Behind him, US President Ronald Reagan. LARRY DOWNING/SYGMA VIA GETTY IMAGES He received a final standing ovation on August 20, 2024, in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention at which Kamala Harris was nominated as the first Black woman presidential candidate in US history. Weakened by nearly a decade of Parkinson’s disease, which confined him to a wheelchair, Jesse Jackson could only respond to the applause with smiles and waves. His powerful oratory, which had propelled him to the forefront of the Democratic Party four decades earlier, was a thing of the past. Jackson died at the age of 84, his family announced on Tuesday, February 17, in a statement. “His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity,” the family said, adding that he died “peacefully… surrounded by his family.” Jesse Jackson was born on October …

Amid ICE raids, Minneapolis rabbi and pastor show solidarity in action

Amid ICE raids, Minneapolis rabbi and pastor show solidarity in action

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Amid a massive immigration crackdown in Minneapolis these past two months, hundreds of clergy joined crowds of demonstrators to protest the violent arrests and detentions of thousands of the city’s immigrants as well as the killing of two U.S. citizens. But apart from the demonstrations — often met with smoke grenades, tear gas and bullets lobbed by federal immigration agents in military gear — a Reform rabbi and a Lutheran pastor of a mostly Latino church found another way to resist federal immigration officers — by deepening their partnership, building relationships and extending solidarity. Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg and Pastor Hierald Osorto were out on the streets demonstrating too. But in the wake of the deployment of as many 3,000 immigration enforcement agents in their city, they moved beyond public declarations. Over the past few weeks, they’ve held two joint prayer services — one at her synagogue, the other at his church. They are writing a play together. Last week, the two congregations announced they are jointly raising $1 million by Sunday (Feb. 22) …

Wiley Drake, pastor who championed 1990s SBC Disney boycott, has died

Wiley Drake, pastor who championed 1990s SBC Disney boycott, has died

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Wiley Drake, a California pastor who rallied Southern Baptists to boycott Disney in the 1990s, has died. Drake, 82, died on Jan. 27. The Southern Baptist Convention announced his death on Tuesday (Feb. 10). A longtime pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, California — not far from Disneyland — was a self-styled “champion of the little guy,” known for his outspoken opinions at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meetings. His enthusiasm for speaking at meetings as a church delegate, known as a messenger, and for having his say about the direction of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination was an example of what makes the convention work, said former SBC President Bart Barber.  “Wiley Drake rightly believed that any simple, faithful messenger could go to the microphone at the Southern Baptist Convention and do something that made an eternal difference,” Barber, a Texas pastor, told RNS. “In a nonhierarchical family of churches like the Southern Baptist Convention, that confidence, exemplified by Wiley Drake, makes everything run.” Born Nov. 23, 1943, in …