Leonardo Blair

Latest

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  Apr 21, 2023

  Archdiocese of Philadelphia accused of covering up former singing priest’s alleged sexual abuse

  A Virginia woman has filed a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for covering up the sexual abuse she and multiple women allegedly suffered at the hands of former priest Kevin Barry McGoldrick for more than 10 years.

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  Apr 21, 2023

  Pastor Franklyn Richardson: ‘Black Church cannot be understood separately from civil rights movement’

  W. Franklyn Richardson, senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in the City of Mount Vernon, N.Y., and chairman of the board of the Rev. Al Sharpton's civil rights organization, National Action Network, suggested that the “Black Church cannot be understood separately from the civil rights movement” because faith leaders and “The Church” are key drivers of the movement.

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  Apr 20, 2023

  Pastor taught teen, family member to use sex toys to cope with ‘urges’: police

  A family member of a Las Vegas pastor who was indicted on multiple charges of sexual assault, child abuse and other crimes earlier this month, was among his victims and she alleges he taught her how to use sex toys after telling her they would stop her from giving in to her sexual urges while she was a high school student.

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  Apr 20, 2023

  Transformation Church claims 500 people turned to Jesus during ‘blasphemous’ Easter show

  Michael Todd’s Transformation Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, claims some 500 people “gave their lives to Christ” after his congregation hosted an edgy play called “Ransom” that appears to replace the traditional retelling of the Easter story that Christian critics blasted as “demonic” and “blasphemous.”

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  Apr 19, 2023

  Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston pleads guilty to DUI, gets probation, other penalties

  Days after pleading “not guilty” to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or more, Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston pled “guilty” to the charges and was sentenced to three years’ probation, a $140 fine and other penalties.

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  Apr 19, 2023

  Energy company cuts power for Baltimore church as pastor insists $30K bill is incorrect

  In the last 34 years that he has operated his 800-member Friendship Baptist Church at 6004 Loch Raven Boulevard in Baltimore, Maryland, Rev. Alvin Gwynn, Sr., says his average monthly energy bill has hovered around “maybe $1,200.”

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  Apr 18, 2023

  Ralph Yarl, teen shot in head by homeowner, gets outpouring of love and over $2.9M in donations

  More than $2.9 million in donations and thousands of prayers and well-wishes have poured in from across the world through a GoFundMe campaign for Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black teenager who survived being shot twice by a white homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri, after he rang his doorbell by mistake and tried to open the door last Thursday night.

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  Apr 18, 2023

  84-year-old white man charged with shooting black teen who rang doorbell by mistake

  Andrew D. Lester, a white 84-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, homeowner who shot Ralph Yarl, a black 16-year-old twice after he mistakenly rang his doorbell last Thursday, has been charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

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  Apr 18, 2023

  Youth pastor, 6th grade teacher used church Wi-Fi to download child porn: police

  A youth pastor at Palatka Baptist Temple in Florida, who downloaded pornography images from using the church's Wi-Fi and uploaded images of himself and shared them with underage victims on several popular social media platforms, has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and using a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

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  Apr 18, 2023

  More Christians turning to predatory payday loans that some find helpful: study

  While more than 75% of self-identified Christians in 27 states with no meaningful regulation of payday loans believe it is a sin to lend money in a way that harms the borrower financially, more than a third of them say they have obtained such loans, which an increasing number of borrowers also find helpful, a new Lifeway research study shows.