Christians

Adam Hamilton, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kansas and senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, said in resurfaced podcast remarks that belief in the Virgin Birth is not required to be a Christian, calling the doctrine a theological rather than biological claim. He noted the virgin birth appears only in Matthew and Luke's gospels and not elsewhere in the New Testament, arguing insistence on it as a requirement stems from Christian fundamentalism. Hamilton said he personally believes the story but welcomes those who doubt it. He is challenging incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) in a race polling shows as close, with Hamilton previously drawing scrutiny for other unorthodox theological statements and progressive social positions.

Dearborn, Michigan, publicly defended itself against a federal lawsuit accusing the city and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of favoring Muslim holidays over Christian and Jewish observances. The suit, filed by journalist Margot Cleveland of The Federalist, alleges the city spent public funds on Ramadan banners and a crescent-moon display while failing to similarly mark Easter and Passover, and claims Hammoud's rhetoric has left Christians and Jews feeling like "second-class citizens" in the majority Arab American city of over 100,000 residents. It also says her complaints requesting recognition of other holidays were repeatedly ignored.

The complaint seeks unspecified damages and a court ruling that Dearborn violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. It revives tensions from a September 2025 City Council clash between Hammoud and pastor Ted Barham over a street named for Osama Siblani, which sparked a November rally drawing conservative figures including Cam Higby and Jake Lang. The city said it treats all residents "fairly and equitably" and attributed criticism to its "welcoming nature" and diversity. Hammoud has said his earlier comments targeted one individual, not an entire faith.

Dearborn, Michigan officials moved Tuesday's city council meeting to the Henry Ford Centennial Library ahead of a planned "Christian Crusader March," organized by conservative activist Jake Lang and Detroit pastor Lorenzo Sewell. Organizers claim tens of thousands could turn out; Lang and supporters also plan a "pig roast" outside the library before the council session, where they intend to allege discrimination against Christians in Dearborn. The demonstration follows Lang's repeated anti-Islam protests in the city, including a Quran burning in May and an incident during the Arbaeen procession this month where he says he was assaulted.

Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, Police Chief Issa Shahin, and local Christian and Muslim faith leaders held a joint show of unity, rejecting claims of religious discrimination and urging residents to avoid engaging with protesters. Police, backed by Michigan State Police, are preparing heightened security, with warnings that assault, road blockages, or property damage will result in arrests. Hammoud has also asked the state attorney general's hate crime unit to review the situation.

Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court has upheld a lower court ruling blocking the city of Quincy from installing two 10-foot statues of St. Michael and St. Florian, the patron saints of police officers and firefighters, outside its new public safety headquarters. The court found the monuments could improperly signal government support for religion, affirming an October 2025 preliminary injunction.

The lawsuit, filed in Norfolk Superior Court by taxpayers and faith groups represented by the ACLU of Massachusetts, the national ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, argued the statues violate the Massachusetts Constitution's religious neutrality protections. Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch says the statues honor first responders' bravery rather than promote religion, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing the city, called the ruling preliminary rather than final. The case now returns to Superior Court to be litigated on the merits, with both sides vowing to continue the fight.