Nearly half of all American school-age children will soon live in states that provide public funding for private education. Texas has become the newest state to join the movement, setting aside one billion dollars to fund private and religious school scholarships as well as homeschooling costs starting this fall. Beginning next year, the federal government plans to offer incentives to encourage private school scholarship programs in states that have not previously had them. The shift is being driven in part by parents who want to remove their children from public schools due to concerns over issues including transgenderism and reading materials they consider inappropriate. Religious schools have emerged as a major beneficiary, with many families turning to them in search of a stronger educational environment.
A small community in Texas finds itself in an unusual standoff with a major religious institution. The town of Fairview is asking the Mormon Church to voluntarily scale back the steeple on its planned Fairview Temple — from 120 feet down to 100 feet. Town officials have described the request as a goodwill gesture toward the church’s surrounding neighbors. Fairview already went to court in an attempt to require the shorter steeple and lost that legal battle. The town council is now seeking a direct conversation with Mormon leadership to find a resolution. When the town previously attempted to use zoning rules to limit the structure, the Church successfully defended itself by invoking the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. The Fairview Temple is projected to be finished in the summer of 2028.
Among the lesser-discussed consequences of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine is the widespread destruction of the country’s historic religious buildings. The latest wave of Russian bombardment targeting Ukraine’s major cities has set fire to a portion of a significant Eastern Orthodox landmark. Church and cultural heritage officials report that the Dormition Cathedral, located within a historic monastery complex in Kyiv, sustained damage this week. The monastery was constructed over a period spanning the 11th through 19th centuries and holds UNESCO World Heritage status. Since Russia launched its invasion in 2022, approximately 740 churches and other religious structures across Ukraine have been either destroyed or seriously damaged. While the majority have been Orthodox sites, Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish buildings have also been hit.
Vice President J.D. Vance, for whom religious faith has played a defining role in his adult life, has authored a new book tracing his personal spiritual path. The book, titled “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” is being viewed by some observers as a potential foundation for a future presidential run. Vance worked on the project during an eventful decade that included a Hollywood film based on his upbringing, a term as a U.S. senator from Ohio, and his current role as vice president alongside Donald Trump. “Communion” functions in part as a statement of beliefs about the place of religion in public life. The book is arriving in stores fewer than five months before the midterm elections.
