Independent presidential hopeful Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent and chief policy director for the House Republican Conference, spoke with The Christian Post about religious liberty, Donald Trump, his Mormon faith, and the challenge of getting his name on state ballots.

On August 8, McMullin garnered national headlines when he announced that he was going to run for president, arguing in an open letter that Americans deserve a better choice than either Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton or Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"Like millions of Americans, I had hoped this year would bring us better nominees who, despite party differences, could offer compelling visions of a better future," stated McMullin. "Instead, we have been left with two candidates who are fundamentally unfit for the profound responsibilities they seek." more >>

Christian historians and philosophers are calling into question some of Donald Trump's recent theological and political statements, noting that salvation and Christian success does not necessarily look like increased influence in politics.

At a gathering Thursday in Orlando sponsored by the American Renewal Project, the Republican presidential nominee told evangelical Christian leaders in attendance that he would work to repeal the 1954 Johnson amendment which prohibits churches and nonprofit ministries from endorsing candidates. He told them "you've been silenced" and that their voice in government would increase in a Trump administration; he further contended that if he is elected, church attendance would also rise.

In a statement Monday to The Christian Post, Thomas Kidd, professor of history and director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University, said "with each passing day, it becomes more difficult to discern what Trump's 'actual' beliefs are on any subject, including theology or political policy." more >>

A Satanic invocation kicked off a local assembly meeting in an Alaskan borough last week, sparking debate about whether the assembly should do away with its tradition of opening meetings with prayer.

According to the Alaska Dispatch News, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting last Tuesday was opened up with a prayer from local resident Iris Fontana, a member of a local Satanic Temple.

Although Iris proclaimed "Hail Satan" at the end of her invocation, her invocation appeared to be mostly a call for people to turn against their religious beliefs and embrace agnosticism. more >>

Religious freedom violation around the world is growing, with nearly 1 in 4 countries having laws directly attacking this freedom, according to a new State Department report released Tuesday.

David Saperstein, U.S. Ambassdor-at-Large for Religious Freedom, said Tuesday at a special briefing releasing the 2015 Annual Report on International Freedom in Washington, D.C. that 24 percent of nations —where 74 percent of the world's population live — have blasphemy laws or other harsh statutes on the books against religious freedom.

The Christian Post asked the Hudson Institute's Nina Shea, who has been an international human rights lawyer for over 30 years, what is driving this heightened regulatory approach to religious faith. more >>

Eight children from a village in Uganda were beaten by their Muslim families and cast away as "infidels" after giving their lives to Jesus Christ. Additionally, the pastor who led them to Christ is now facing death threats.

According to the Christian persecution watchdog Morning Star News, the children come from four different Muslim families who live in Busalamu village in the country's southwestern Luuka district and range in age from 9 to 16 years old.

The children converted to Christianity after meeting with 29-year-old Pastor Brian Mukisa from the Power Gates Church. more >>

Bestselling author Eric Metaxas has responded to Hillary Clinton's recent claim that she has worked for years to defend religious liberty by saying that if ever there was an enemy to religious liberty, the former Secretary of State would be it.

Metaxas, who authored a number of books including one on the "forgotten promise of American liberty" and one on prominent religious freedom advocate Dietrich Bonhoeffer, appeared on Fox News Thursday to comment on the Democratic presidential nominee's recent op-ed in a Mormon-operated newspaper in which she claimed that she is the best candidate for religious freedom voters in the 2016 election.

"I've been fighting to defend religious freedom for years," Clinton wrote for the Utah-based Deseret News this week. "As secretary of state, I made it a cornerstone of our foreign policy to protect the rights of religious minorities around the world — from Coptic Christians in Egypt to Buddhists in Tibet." more >>