Pastor Greg Laurie defended himself against critics of his who “get upset” when he posts about visiting the White House. Laurie said it is important to pray for our country’s leaders and not to be caught up in “partisan ideas.”

“Whenever I post about the White House or Washington, people love to criticize, but look, this is our capital and the White House is our house. I would go to the White House if any president invited me, regardless if I voted for them or not,” Laurie said in a video posted to his social media accounts on Sunday, May 4. “And if they ask for prayer, I would pray for any president.” 

“We are commanded in Scripture to pray for those that are in leadership over us,” he said. “And I think that sometimes we get so caught up in our partisan ideas that we forget the big picture. We’re talking about prayer, the most important thing we can do for America.”

Every time I visit the White House—which is always an incredible privilege—some people seem to get upset.
Honestly, that’s ridiculous.

The White House is not just the residence of the president. It’s our house. It belongs to the people.

And I would gladly visit it—no matter who… pic.twitter.com/qCXueQl6Do

— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) May 4, 2025

Pastor Greg Laurie Defends Visit to White House

Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship and the founder of Harvest Crusades, which began in 1990 and which millions of people have attended either in person or online. The purpose of Harvest Crusades, according to Harvest’s website, is to “create a welcoming environment to share the life-changing message of the gospel.” 

RELATED: Trump Posts AI-Generated Image of Himself as Pope As Vatican Prepares To Appoint Francis’ Successor

On Monday, May 5, Laurie announced on X that the next Harvest Crusade will take place at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on July 19. 

In October 2024, Laurie appeared at a rally for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump where the pastor encouraged attendees to “vote biblically.” Laurie later defended his decision to appear at the rally, saying, “When I go into settings like this, I go as a representative of God’s kingdom. My primary objective is to point people to Christ.” In February, Laurie praised Trump’s creation of the White House Faith Office as a “long-overdue initiative.”

In his May 4 video, Laurie told his followers that he attended an event at the White House Rose Garden for the National Day of Prayer, which Christians around the country observed on Thursday, May 1.

“It was a fantastic time. There was beautiful worship and prayer for our nation,” said Laurie, “and I appreciate the fact that the White House has been open to people of faith and [that] I and other faith leaders were invited to come and participate in this.”

“And then we had a surprise invitation to go into the Oval Office after we were there in the Rose Garden,” Laurie said, “and we spoke with the president for a few moments, and he gave us all a commemorative coin, and it’s just fantastic.”

President Donald Trump continues to court controversy with jokes about being named pope. On Friday (May 2), Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself in papal regalia. 

The post came less than two weeks after the pope’s death. 

On April 21, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. Known for his informality and emphasis on caring for migrants and the disadvantaged, as well as several reforms to the Catholic Church, Francis was a controversial figure—particularly among American conservatives

The papal conclave, which will select Francis’ successor, is set to convene this week. Until a new pope is appointed, speculation has swirled about what manner of leader will fill the role.

RELATED: Politics Aside for One Day, World Leaders To Gather at Vatican and Mourn Pope Francis

Vice President J.D. Vance, a practicing Catholic, was one of the last world leaders to have an audience with the pope before his passing. While Francis disapproved of the Trump administration’s immigration policies and at one point seemed to publicly criticize Vance’s understanding of Catholic teaching, Vance only expressed deep appreciation for Francis following Francis’ death. 

In a separate instance, President Trump was asked by a reporter for his thoughts on who the next pope might be. Trump responded, “I’d like to be pope. That would be my No. 1 choice.”

“No, I don’t know. I have no preference. I must say, we have a cardinal that happens to be out of a place called New York who’s very good,” Trump went on to say, apparently referring to Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan. “So we’ll see what happens.” 

While Trump was joking, some took offense to his remarks. 

RELATED: ‘We’re Doing It Up Big’—President Trump, Christian Leaders Celebrate National Day of Prayer

Trump was also criticized following the pope’s funeral. Several photographs began circulating online showing Trump wearing a bright blue suit amid several others who wore black. Other pictures showed the president apparently sleeping. 

(RNS) — Surrounded by faith leaders singing praise songs like “Amazing Grace” and “Great Are You Lord,” President Donald Trump presided over a National Day of Prayer ceremony at the White House on Thursday (May 1), which culminated with the president signing an executive order establishing a new national Religious Liberty Commission.

Led by Chairman Dan Patrick, the Republican lieutenant governor of Texas, and Vice Chair Ben Carson, a popular author, surgeon and former Trump administration official, the 13-member commission is charged with creating a report on the “foundations of religious liberty in America” and the impact of religious liberty on American culture. It is also intended to detail “current threats to domestic religious liberty” and create programs to celebrate religious pluralism.

Among the commission’s members are Trump allies, including White House faith adviser Paula White, talk show host and author Eric Metaxas and evangelist Franklin Graham, head of Samaritan’s Purse, along with other faith leaders like Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron of the popular Word on Fire media ministry, Rabbi Meir Soloveichik of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York and talk show host Phil McGraw.

“Mr. President, I can’t tell you, first off, how proud I am to see religion coming back to the White House. God bless you,” McGraw, better known as “Dr. Phil,” told Trump during the White House ceremony. “God bless you.”

According to the executive order, the commission is charged with considering for the report the First Amendment rights of religious leaders and houses of worship, religious rights and vaccine mandates, parental rights in education and “permitting time for voluntary prayer and religious instruction at public schools,” among other topics.

Along with speaking about faith in America on the National Day of Prayer, Trump also repeated his long-held, debunked claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him and told attendees, “We’re bringing religion back to America.”

Recent polling by Pew Research Center found among white evangelicals — a key voting bloc for Trump — almost three-quarters surveyed gave the president high approval ratings for his first 100 days in office. By contrast, 59% of Americans surveyed overall disapproved of his job performance, according to Pew.

Polling by the Public Religion Research Institute found two-thirds of white evangelicals feel that Christians in America face discrimination. Along with the religious liberty commission, the White House has ordered the Justice Department to start a task force on anti-Christian bias.

The Rev. Shannon Fleck, executive director of Faithful America, an online Christian social justice community, criticized the new commission, calling it an attempt to “tear down the wall between church and state.”

“Make no mistake,” Fleck said in a statement, “this new commission will do more to increase bullying in schools, workplace conflict and religious discrimination than it will to protect our constitutional rights or our churches.”

Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of Faith in Action, a network of progressive faith-based community organizations, also criticized the new commission, saying, “Religious freedom is not theirs to wield as a weapon of fear or domination.”

In a post on X, Barron said he was grateful to be appointed to the commission.

Pastor Mike Todd, who has made headlines in the past for his outlandish object lessons, now has some people scratching their heads because of the outfit he wore in his latest sermon on Sunday, April 27. While his attire was not part of a sermon object lesson, some questioned why Todd was dressing like someone’s “auntie.”

“My friend, if you’re gonna talk about discipline, you can’t be up here preaching, man, and looking like an auntie,” said John K. Amanchukwu Sr., an activist and pastor at Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina. “Discipline? And bro, you wearing high-heeled shoes. Discipline?” 

“And you’re looking all soft and effeminate,” Amanchukwu continued. “It makes no sense. Yes, talk about the issues that you’re addressing, but you too my friend need to make sure that you are not being undisciplined in the way that you groom yourself and present yourself.” 

“We have a generation of young people who need to be taught, trained and, yes, disciplined,” said Amanchukwu. “And your image is betraying your message.”

Mike Todd’s ‘Mustard’ Outfit Is Distracting to Some

Mike Todd and his wife, Natalie, co-pastor Transformation Church, a nondenominational megachurch in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The church recently blessed 16 couples with a mass wedding ceremony in order to remove from them the burden of planning and paying for a wedding. The church even provided some marriage counseling for the couples prior to their big day.

RELATED: Mike Todd’s Transformation Church Blesses 16 Couples With Mass Wedding

In March 2023, people were surprised to learn that disgraced former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz had joined the staff at Todd’s church. Lentz later clarified that, despite being hired by the church, he was “no longer in ministry” and said the church had hired him to be a strategist. 

In 2022, Todd made national and international headlines for a sermon illustration he used when preaching on Mark 8:22-30, which describes Jesus healing a blind man by spitting on the blind man’s eyes. For his illustration, Todd coughed up saliva into his hands before turning to his brother, who was onstage with him, and rubbing the spit over his brother’s face.

Todd later apologized, admitting the illustration was a “distraction” and calling it “too extreme and disgusting.” 

The pastor has, however, continued to employ eyebrow-raising sermon illustrations, such as when he cuddled a mannequin in a bed onstage during a late 2022 sermon about relationships and when he poured syrup and whipped cream on a Bible during a sermon in 2024.

(Washington, D.C.) May 2, 2025 – Today, a group of prominent faith leaders sent a letter to President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, urging them to protect Afghan Christians facing the threat of deportation and to sustain the U.S. refugee resettlement program as a lifeline for those fleeing religious persecution.

Prominent signatories to the letter include leaders of conservative Christian organizations such as the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and the Wisconsin Family Council, ministries focused on advocating for international religious freedom such as Open Doors US, Global Christian Relief, Save Armenia: A Judeo-Christian Alliance and the IRF Secretariat, and organizations representing evangelical Christian denominations and congregations such as the National Association of Evangelicals and the Ethics & Religious Freedom Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.

The letter praises the Trump administration’s strong record of advocating for persecuted Christians and for international religious freedom. Given these commitments, the leaders ask President Trump and his administration to ensure individuals who would face persecution for their faith are not deported.

In recent weeks, many individuals who entered the country lawfully with humanitarian parole, including Afghan Christians, received notices that their parole was being terminated and that they should leave the United States “immediately” or face potential criminal prosecution, fines or forced-deportation—which for converts to Christianity from Afghanistan could mean persecution or even death at the hands of the Taliban regime.

“As legitimate reforms to our immigration system are underway, we must make sure to not throw out the baby with the bath water. Humanitarian parole status should be preserved for some of those most in danger, like Muslim-background Christians from Afghanistan, who face death if they are sent home,” said Travis Weber, Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs at the Family Research Council. “Keeping a pathway for persecuted Christians to receive refugee or asylum status is an important part of the United States’ effort to promote religious freedom.”

“President Trump has rightly called attention to anti-Christian bias. One of the areas in which this bias must be rooted out are the refugee and asylum programs of the United States, many other Western countries, and that of the United Nations,” added Weber.

“Afghan Christians living in the United States now face the terrifying prospect of forced return to a country where their faith puts them at daily risk of death,” the letter notes. “Many of these individuals found safety in America only to now be told they must self-deport within a week—an impossible timeline given the grave dangers they would face.”

In addition to noting grave concerns for Afghans already in the United States at risk of deportation, the letter also commends to the president the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which “has offered a lifeline to those escaping religious oppression, from Soviet Jews to Iraqi Yezidis to Christians in countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Burma and other countries that persecute followers of Jesus. It is critical that our nation continue to provide refuge to those whose lives are at risk because of their faith,” the letter says.

President Trump issued an executive order on January 20 suspending refugee resettlement and instituting a 90-day review to determine whether the president will resume refugee resettlement, but the results of that review have not yet been announced.

“The United States has long been a refuge for those fleeing religious persecution. Forcing Afghan Christians to return to a country where their faith puts them at daily risk of death would be a grave moral failure. As people of faith, we must speak out and urge our government to uphold the values of religious freedom and human dignity by offering protection to these vulnerable individuals. We must also ensure that the refugee resettlement program resumes to offer safe haven for those fleeing religious persecution,” said Chelsea Sobolik, Director of Government Relations at World Relief.

“The Unbreakable Boy,” the inspiring true story of Scott and Teresa LeRette, is now available to stream.

This Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate film stars Zachary Levi (“Shazam!,” “Chuck,” “Tangled,” “Thor: The Dark World”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Middle”), Jacob Laval, Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), and Drew Powell (“Gotham,” “Ordinary Angels“).

The film is produced by Kevin Downes, Jon Erwin, Jerilyn Esquibel, Peter Facinelli, and Andrew Erwin.

“The Unbreakable Boy” follows members of the LeRette family as they navigate their son’s autism and brittle bone disease while Scott grapples with addiction.

RELATED: ‘It’s a Beautiful Film’—Zachary Levi, Patricia Heaton, and Jon Gunn Share Why ‘The Unbreakable Boy’ Is a Must-See

Scott LeRette recently shared with ChurchLeaders how amazing it is that his story is enshrined in a film that can help people now and in the future.

“When I’m 80, maybe I can go back and, you know, read my story and just think about how silly something was or something will make me grin,” he said.

“It’s pretty surreal” that God is using LeRette’s story for his purposes, LeRette shared.

“I think ‘perseverance’ can be kind of a code word for faith. You know, my favorite Scripture is 2 Timothy 4:7,” he said. “Its all about keeping the faith, staying the course, and finishing the race. It’s so appropriate for my story.”

RELATED: Zachary Levi Shares What God Taught Him During the Filming of ‘The Unbreakable Boy’

LeRette said that he’s kept that verse close to his heart since high school. In fact, it inspired him to create the mantra: “I know I’ll never fail, as long as I don’t quit.”

Inspired by his 9-year-old son, Pierce, Jacob Robinson created an adventure park where children and their parents can interact with construction equipment.

The park is called Dig World.

Dig World gives families and children the opportunity to operate real, full-size construction equipment that is professionally engineered with safety modifications. Dig World is designed for both fun and education and provides an exhilarating hands-on experience.

Born a healthy baby boy in 2015, Pierce contracted bacterial meningitis in 2017. Robinson told ChurchLeaders that he found his son, unconscious, in the crib on a Saturday morning. Pierce spent the next 75 days in the hospital. “Twelve of those,” Robinson said, “Pierce was in a medically induced coma and he wasn’t supposed to live.”

“But the Lord had different plans,” Robinson said. “We got to see many miracles along the way, but the infection left Pierce profoundly deaf in both ears, mentally handicapped, epileptic, in a wheelchair, and non-verbal.”

RELATED: ‘That’s the Thing With Down Syndrome. It’s a Joy’—Christian Artist Rachael Lampa Opens Up About Son With Special Needs

Despite his condition, Robinson shared that Pierce “is the happiest kid you’ll meet. He sees the world the way that I think Jesus wants us to see the world.”

Robinson explained, “He doesn’t see your skin color. He doesn’t see how much money you make or don’t make. He doesn’t care what car you drive. As long as you hang out with him, you’ve got a friend for life.”

 

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A post shared by Jacob Robinson (@robinsonjacob)

The family’s experience made Robinson and his wife realize that life is short. So they set out to build something that would bring people together.

“Pierce has always loved construction equipment, garbage trucks, trucks—really the whole vein of trucks and equipment,” Robinson shared.

“And so,” he joked, “as any good, arrogant Texan would, we said, ‘Hey, let’s build a theme park. It can’t be that hard.’ And, man, we were a little wrong on that one. But here we are.”

“Pierce is the inspiration behind the park,” he added. “He is the inspiration behind everything that we do, day in and day out.”

Robinson shared how important his faith has been throughout their family’s journey. “I don’t say this flippantly,” he said. “I don’t know how you do it if you don’t have Jesus. If we don’t have a greater hope.”

Nearly three years after beloved Houston Pastor Dr. Ronald K. Mouton Sr. was murdered in an apparent road rage incident, his killer has been convicted. On Thursday (May 1), a jury found Deshawn Longmire guilty after several days of emotional testimony.

Mouton, who had been pastor of East Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Houston for decades, was shot and killed in June 2022 while driving along the Gulf Freeway. 

Roughly one month later, Longmire was arrested after police found that Longmire’s Uber record placed him in the area of the murder at the time of the shooting. Longmire’s vehicle matched the vehicle caught on surveillance footage leaving the scene. 

RELATED: Former Children’s Pastor Sentenced to Nearly 30 Years in Prison for Attempting To Murder His Family

One witness recounted seeing Mouton and Longmire arguing prior to the shooting, and records show that another witness described seeing Longmire stretching his arm out of the window of his car with a pistol and shooting Mouton.

Mouton was 58 years old. He is survived by his wife of nearly 40 years, four children, and 10 grandchildren.

The trial began late last month after having been delayed several times for a combination of reasons—first because of a backlog of cases resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Helene. Most recently, the trial was pushed back because Longmire’s defense attorney was tied up with another case.

During his testimony, Longmire said, “I want you all to know that I love y’all, each and every single one of y’all, and I never meant to hurt anybody.”

“I never meant for any of this to happen and if I could change it I would,” Longmire said.

RELATED: Missionary Wife in Angola Now Formally Charged With Murder of Husband

Despite years of delay, Mouton’s family has expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the trial.

When Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina seven months ago, Sherri Hughes was one of the many residents who lost everything: her apartment, car, clothing, and food. But that was just the latest hardship for Hughes. Five years ago, her adult son had passed away, right before COVID-19 hit and churches shut down.

“By myself, I was having to deal with the death of a child,” she recalled. “I started drinking heavily, for three years. And then the storm.”

After Hurricane Helene hit her town in September 2024, Hughes could see “nothing but water.” Although she had to stay with family and friends—and sometimes at a homeless shelter—Hughes helped deliver food and water to neighbors in need. But despair often surfaced for her, leading to panic attacks and fears of returning to alcohol.

RELATED: The Devastation From Hurricane Helene Is ‘Overwhelming’ but So Is the Neighborly Love

“How can you not praise Him!” Watch as @SamaritansPurse distributed replacement vehicles to victims of Hurricane Helene like Sherri Hughes who had lost theirs in the storm. pic.twitter.com/xdtI84r3AY

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) May 2, 2025

“I felt like I was looking up from the bottom of a deep well, and I couldn’t reach the top,” Hughes explained in a video posted by Samaritan’s Purse. She credited the organization, which provides disaster relief and spiritual care throughout the world, with showing her, “I’m not alone.”

Hurricane Helene Victim Is ‘Blessed Beyond Measure’

Samaritan’s Purse helped Hughes see she was not alone by providing her with a trailer to live in, a brand new car to drive, and a new Bible. A friend had encouraged her to reach out to the North Carolina-based group, and “Before I knew it, y’all showed up,” Hughes recalled. “And the blessings kept flying in.”

When Samaritan’s Purse presented Hughes with the life-changing gifts, she exclaimed, “I can breathe again!” Several times that day, she broke out into song, praising God and singing, “Look what you’ve done for me.”

ROME (RNS) — An advocacy group of survivors of clerical abuse is raising concerns about several cardinals who are buzzed about as papabili, or potential popes.

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests held a press conference Wednesday (April 30) in a hotel next to Pope Francis’ resting place at the Basilica of St. Mary Major to announce new information about prominent cardinals the group accuses of covering up or mishandling sexual abuse cases. In addition to compiling accusations and information for the public, SNAP has filed complaints with the Vatican under Pope Francis’ Vos Estis Lux Mundi (“You are the light of the world”) laws, intended to confront abuse.

Among those named in the group’s complaints are Cardinals Luis Antonio Tagle, Péter Erdő, Robert Prevost and Joseph Tobin. SNAP claimed there is evidence of their ignoring or covering up reports of abuse and seeks full investigations.

RELATED: Is Pope Francis in Heaven? Evangelist Shane Pruitt Offers His Thoughts

On its website, SNAP also accuses Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, another potential papabile who also has the role of announcing the next pope, of participating in the cover-up of abuse by both infamous ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and another prelate Mamberti supervised, although the group has not yet filed a Vos Estis report. Mamberti is one of six cardinals added to the SNAP list in the last two weeks.

“ When the white smoke comes out of the Sistine Chapel, we don’t want another survivor or family member or whistleblower to hear the name of the next pope and think, ‘That’s somebody who’s caused deep harm in my life. That’s somebody who’s been a source of terror and a source of pain,’” said Sarah Pearson, a survivor who leads SNAP’s media and communications.

Pearson referenced the story of an Argentine mother who allegedly went to then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio’s offices to speak about the abuse of her son by a priest and was refused a meeting with the cardinal and taken away by security. In addition to discussing Pope Francis, SNAP survivors at the meeting also brought up allegations that Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II covered up abuse.

The advocacy effort, titled Conclave Watch, also noted cover-up accusations against several men in key leadership roles during the papal transition, including Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo, and Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who is assisting Farrell.

Survivors “meet an extraordinary wall of resistance and obfuscation and deceit and aggression around the world by bishops and church officials,” Isely said.

In addition to sharing information about cardinals who were allegedly negligent about abuse claims, SNAP is pressing all cardinals to back its proposed zero-tolerance law requiring the Catholic Church to permanently remove all abusers from ministry. The proposed church law would also form an independent compliance agency to investigate those in positions of authority who concealed abuse, then require publishing investigations and penalties for church officials found guilty of concealing abuse.

Isely also expressed outrage that while women and married men are barred from being priests, “you can be a child molester and a priest — that you can do under church rules.”

The group also brought up the case of 81-year-old Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, who has participated in pre-conclave meetings even though he is ineligible to vote because of his age. But Cipriani was restricted by the Vatican because of accusations that he had sexually abused minors, yet he appears to be flouting those restrictions in his participation.

“This man has no place there, no place there,” said Pearson. “It’s wildly inappropriate, and this is an example of what happens when a person does not lose their rank and title, from what they have done.”