Mark A. Kellner
Articles by Mark A. Kellner
Globally, people find greatest meaning in family: Pew survey
People around the world find the greatest meaning in their lives in their families, a Pew Research survey says. Published November 22, 2021
HHS reversal on religious adoption agencies draws sharp rebukes
The attorney who spent two years helping promote the rights of religious institutions while at the Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to sue his former agency over its reversal this week of religious-freedom protections granted to child welfare organizations. Published November 19, 2021
Biden administration rolls back Trump-era religious exemptions for adoption agencies
The Biden administration Thursday said it would rescind religious-freedom protections granted to child welfare agencies and require them to place children with LGBTQ families and to people of other faiths. Published November 18, 2021
Historically Black schools aid students’ social mobility, analysis finds
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are remarkably successful at supporting social mobility among their students, according to a report released Thursday by the research arm of the District-based United Negro College Fund. Published November 18, 2021
Religious liberty panel ‘appalled’ as State Department drops Nigeria from violator list
The federal panel that monitors global religious freedom said it was "appalled" by the State Department's Wednesday move dropping Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) on religious freedom violations. Published November 17, 2021
Catholic bishops sidestep denying Communion to pro-abortion politicians
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a long-awaited statement that stops short of denying Communion to politicians who support abortion but presents a basis for bishops to do so. Published November 17, 2021
Americans want ‘fair shake’ for faith-based groups, protection for vaccine refusers, survey suggests
Published November 17, 2021
‘Persecutor of the Year’: Nigeria, Taliban, Kim Jong-un receive dubious honor
Nigeria, the Taliban and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have received the dubious recognition of "Persecutor of the Year" by the research and advocacy group International Christian Concern. Published November 17, 2021
Talking can heal America’s racial divide, Virginia pastor Derek Grier says
The pastor of a 6,000-member church in Dumfries, Virginia, says he's found a first step toward healing America's racial divide: talking to each other and listening to what is said. Published November 17, 2021
Vaccine mandate challenges to be consolidated at 6th Circuit Court
Lawsuits challenging the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for workplaces will be consolidated in the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, a federal judicial panel ruled Tuesday. Published November 16, 2021
Pulpit panic: Half of Protestant clerics looking for exits, survey reports
Whether it's the pandemic, burnout or a feeling of isolation in a job where some expect megachurch performances in a 50-member congregation, many of America's Protestant clergy are thinking about quitting, according to a survey released Tuesday. Published November 16, 2021
Biden administration touts vaccine mandate after court rips it as ‘sledgehammer,’ not ‘scalpel’
The Biden administration on Sunday defended its now-stalled rule requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for employees at businesses with 100 or more workers. Published November 14, 2021
![The courtroom in the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building, New Orleans, La., is shown in this 2014 photo. Photo credit: Carol M. Highsmith. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. [https://www.loc.gov/item/2014649901/]](https://twt-thumbs-staging.washtimes.com/media-staging.washtimes.com/media/image/2021/11/13/Screen_Shot_2021-11-13_at_13.05.26_c0-0-1096-638_s652x380.png?db2e602ca39c070801e9ee149e74abf15aca5b24)
Court rips Biden’s broad vaccine mandate: ‘sledgehammer’ not a ‘scalpel’
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Friday kept in place its stay on the Biden administration's push to require COVID-19 vaccinations for employees at businesses with 100 or more workers effective Jan. 4 of next year, saying it found "a multitude of reasons" to believe a legal challenge is "likely to succeed on the merits." Published November 13, 2021
Black colleges big winners from donor-advised fund allocations, study reveals
America's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and racial-justice organizations saw a 341% increase in donations over the past year from a number of donor-advised funds (DAFs). Published November 11, 2021
Democrats call for Biden administration probe of sex-assault complaints at Liberty University
Four Senate Democrats, including Virginia's Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, have asked the Biden administration's Education Department to investigate the handling of sexual-abuse complaints at Lynchburg's Liberty University. Published November 10, 2021
Navy SEALs cite religious concerns in lawsuit against vaccine mandate
Twenty-six members of the elite Navy SEALs filed a lawsuit sued Tuesday claiming the government is arbitrarily refusing their requests for religious exemptions from the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Published November 9, 2021
Most Protestant churches reopen to worshippers, survey finds
In-person church is back for 98% of Protestant churches in the U.S., a survey from the data-gathering arm of the Southern Baptist Convention revealed, but that doesn't mean the pews are packed. Published November 8, 2021
Religious plaintiffs, others, win stay of Biden’s private-employer vaccine mandate
Siding with religious organizations and other private employers, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Saturday blocked implementation of the Biden Administration's OSHA mandate requiring vaccinations or regular testing at firms with 100 or more workers. Published November 6, 2021
Religious organizations ask federal courts to block Biden’s vaccine mandate
Scores of religious organizations asked federal appeals courts Friday to halt President Biden's vaccine mandate, saying it was an intrusion into their ministries. Published November 5, 2021
Liberty University agrees to independent sex assault probe, advocates claim
Advocates for sexual assault victims at Liberty University announced Thursday that the school's president, Jerry Prevo, agreed to ask the evangelical Christian institution's board of trustees Friday to approve an independent investigation into the school's handling of assault cases. Published November 4, 2021
