Abortion Spa Seeks to De-stygmatize Procedure  —  Carafem is a new abortion-pill clinic in Montgomery County that promises a “spa-like” experience for women with a open and unabashed approach to pregnancy termination

Trying to Sort Out the Indiana RFRA  —  This update offers some background and discussion on why the Indiana Restoration of Religious Freedom Act is drawing attention. This report compares the Indiana law with recent legislation in Utah and other states’ efforts to manage the concerns of both religious groups and advocates for same-sex marriage.  […]

From the Internat’l Desk: Chinese Pastor Jailed Over Cross on Church  —  A Christian pastor who defended local churches when the Chinese authorities removed church crosses was sentenced to one year in prison by a court in Zhejiang Province.  An internal government policy paper made it clear that the local government wanted to crack down […]

Bob Jones Chancellor Apologies for Gay Remarks in 1980  —  The chancellor of Bob Jones University on Saturday apologized for a statement he made in 1980, while president of the university, that gay people should be stoned to death.

Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Church Real Estate  —  Veteran religion reporter Richard Ostling confesses he totally missed the eye-popping claim last year that the Anglican Church in North America has spent more than $40 million on lawsuits to win ownership of the dropouts’ buildings, properties, and liquid assets. If that’s anywhere near accurate it surely sets […]

Kara Tippetts, Who Wrote to Brittany Maynard, Now Dying  —  This Christian author and 38-old mother of four, diagnosed two years ago with stage four breast cancer, tried to convince Brittany Maynard to reconsider her November decision to die through doctor-assisted suicide.  Tippetts is facing her own death.

Sheriff Bans Sex Offenders From Church  —  The sheriff of Graham County, North Carolina, told registered sex offenders they can’t go to church, citing a state law meant to keep them from day-care centers and schools according to a letter the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times.

Oklahoma Bill to Abolish Marriage Licenses  —  The Oklahoma House of Representatives has passed, 67-24, a bill that would abolish government-issued Oklahoma marriage license. The bill will now go to the Senate for consideration.

Supreme Court Orders New Look at Notre Dame Birth Control Case  —  The federal appeals court in Chicago ruled against Notre Dame’s challenge to the ACA’s compromise for faith-based organizations, but that occurred before the Supreme Court decided the Hobby Lobby case in favor of corporations with similar objections.

Latest Trends in Hostilities Involving Religion  —  This year’s Pew Research study finds that the share of countries with high or very high levels of social hostilities involving religion dropped from 33% in 2012 to 27% in 2013, the most recent year for which data are available.