Scott Slayton

A Texas church burned to the ground last week, leaving only a four-foot-tall wood cross standing amid the ruins.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a recent spate of violence in Christian villages across Mozambique that claimed the lives of eight people in late May.

Two people are dead, and another is wounded after a gunman opened fire at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Vestavia Hills Thursday night. Police apprehended the “lone suspect” after the shooting, according to Vestavia Hills police Captain Shane Ware.

Chris Evans, who voices the title character in the Pixar movie Lightyear, fired off at critics of a same-sex couple sharing a kiss in the movie’s final cut. “The real truth is that those people are idiots,” Evans told Reuters Television.

The Southern Baptist Convention took another step towards addressing sexual abuse in its churches Tuesday by approving several sex abuse reforms during the first day of the denomination's annual meeting.

Yellowstone National Park closed Monday after rainfall and snowmelt caused “record flooding.” Park Superintendent Cam Sholly said the combination had caused “substantial flooding, rockslides and mudslides on roadways.”

A crowd of nearly 70,000 gathered to hear Franklin Graham preach a message of hope in Rio De Janeiro over the weekend. The event, billed as “Esperanca Rio,” meaning “Hope Rio,” came about through the work of over 4,000 churches.

Comedian John Crist released a new comedy special last week, his first since his Netflix special was canceled three years ago. He recorded the special, “John Crist: What Are We Doing,” at the Lyric Theater in Birmingham, AL.

In late May, Judge Charles Smith of the 26^th Judicial Court in Bossier Parish ordered First Baptist Church Bossier City and their pastor, Brad Jurkovich, to turn over a litany of documents dating back to 2013 after a group seeking to "change the direction" of the Southern Baptist Convention filed a lawsuit against the church.

The PBS series The Black Church recently highlighted the history and the contribution of the Black Church to American life and the broader Christian church. Many Christians do not know the rich history of the Black church, so, in that spirit, this article shares seven Black Christian Leaders you should know about. Each one has made or is making a unique contribution to the larger Christian church.