Leonardo Blair

Latest

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  Apr 21, 2026

  Minn. DHS gave $2.5M to church run by felon, now suing for misuse of grants

  The Minnesota Department of Human Services has filed a lawsuit against Zion Baptist Church in Minneapolis, led by former Minneapolis City Council member and convicted felon Brian Herron Sr., alleging the church misused $2.5 million in grants meant to provide mental health, substance abuse, violence prevention, and other services to the local community.

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  Apr 20, 2026

  Two-time MLB draft pick, former minor leaguer Brian Kirby dies on church roof

  Former Minor League Baseball player and two-time MLB draft choice Brian Kirby died Wednesday while working as an HVAC technician on the roof of a church in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He was 46.

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  Apr 20, 2026

  Faith advocates tell Congress AI shouldn’t be allowed to kill without human intervention

  Citing the increasing use of artificial intelligence tools in the military, a coalition of leaders from several multifaith organizations urged Congress on Friday to take steps to prevent the use of AI-powered autonomous weapons from being used for killing without human intervention.

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  Apr 19, 2026

  Share of young men attending church is on the rise in a trend driven by Republicans, Gallup finds

  In a shift that may be driven by political identity, the share of young adult men who report attending a religious service at least monthly is now the highest it has been in more than a decade, according to a new report from Gallup.

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  Apr 17, 2026

  Bishop William Barber rebukes President Trump for ‘heresy’ over AI Jesus rendering

  MacArthur "genius" fellowship winner and well-known social justice advocate Rev. William J. Barber II has rebuked President Donald Trump for what he described as “heresy” and “war on divinity,” for sharing an AI-generated image of himself on social media, many say, presents him as Jesus.

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  Apr 16, 2026

  Harvest says lawyer for child sex abuse claimants obtained 200K confidential church files

  Harvest Christian Fellowship in California, along with its founder and lead pastor, Greg Laurie, has accused the attorney for some 22 men and women, who allege they were sexually abused and trafficked as minors while living in Harvest-run homes in Romania, of acquiring more than 200,000 confidential Harvest documents from a former employee not authorized to have them.

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  Apr 15, 2026

  Embezzlement case against JD Hall is dismissed; court seals files

  An embezzlement case against once popular polemics blogger Jordan Daniel "J.D." Hall, who served as pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Sidney, Montana, has been dismissed, and his court files sealed after his successful fulfillment of a deferred sentencing agreement, court records show.

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  Apr 15, 2026

  Business manager admits to stealing over $82K from 2 New York churches

  An Arizona man who served as the former business manager for two Roman Catholic parishes in New York could now face up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing more than $82,000 from the Erie County churches.

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  Apr 15, 2026

  Fount Church NYC pastors did not engage in fraud, investigation finds

  An independent investigation conducted by global law firm Dentons has cleared founding pastors of Fount Church in New York City of allegations that they racked up $1.4 million in transactions on a church credit card after a former board member made that claim, the church’s board of directors has announced.

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  Apr 15, 2026

  Pastor Tammy McCollum’s husband begged for God’s help after confessing to her fatal shooting

  Eddie McCollum, who has been charged with the murder of his wife, Pastor Tammy McCollum, was shocked, hysterical and pleaded for God’s help after telling authorities that he fatally shot her during an argument inside their North Carolina home, 911 records show.