The number of Latin Americans who say they are not affiliated with a religion has long been steadily increasing.

And over the past decade, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, the percentage of those known as “nones” roughly doubled in Argentina (to 24 percent in 2024), Brazil (15 percent) and Chile (33 percent); tripled in Mexico (20 percent) and Peru (12 percent); and almost quadrupled in Colombia (23 percent).

But for many, that label doesn’t mean a rejection of faith. Across Brazil, Colombia, and beyond, people continue to pray, meditate, and participate in rituals drawing from Christian, Indigenous, African, and Eastern traditions in deeply personal ways, so-called nones told RNS. 

Their beliefs and practices may reveal a blind spot of such surveys in how they rely on Christian and Western frameworks to define what counts as religion. 

Mixed religious practice

For Camile Coutinho, a 28-year-old dietitian who lives near Rio de Janeiro, a typical week involves attending a Sunday service at a Baptist church, taking part in ritual baths and cowrie-shell divination with an Umbanda priestess, and going to Deeksha meditation gatherings. 

She recites the Hail Mary and Our Father Catholic prayers and uses Japamala prayer beads. She keeps incense and crystals in her home to attempt to cleanse negative energy. However, she identifies as religiously unaffiliated.

“I believe in the Bible, in Christianity,” she said, “but today I also believe in spiritism and in Umbanda. I’ve been studying these traditions a lot.”

Coutinho grew up in a typical Catholic Latin American religious environment. Her parents were Catholic—“though not very practicing,” she said. But when she fell ill, her mother would often take her to see a traditional folk healer who prayed over people, known in Brazil as a rezadeira.

In her teenage years, Coutinho converted to evangelical Christianity, and her family followed. In more recent years, however, she began to distance herself from her church as political polarization intensified in the country. 

The church’s support for right-wing politics—especially its alignment with former President Jair Bolsonaro—along with witnessing increasingly homophobic discourse there, pushed her away, even as her parents chose to stay, she said. 

Coutinho fits into a category of nones encompassing far more than only atheists or agnostics, and which is especially prevalent in Latin America. 

Her experiences also echo a broader pattern in many traditional cultures, including Latin American Indigenous ones, where spiritual beliefs are inseparable from everyday life, social organization, and community practices, said Gustavo Morello, a sociologist of religion at Boston College in Massachusetts.

Less institutional spirituality

After Catholicism was introduced to Latin America by European colonizers, many regions did not have enough priests to sustain it on an institutional level. While colonial-era cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, and Lima had a regular clerical presence, vast rural areas did not, and religious life was maintained by the communities, Morello said. 

This opened space for practices that diverged from official Catholic orthodoxy and incorporated Afro-descendant and Indigenous spiritualities. As a result, many people came to describe their faith in personal terms, often combining multiple spiritual traditions while still identifying as Catholic.

“For the last 100 years, 9 in 10 Latin Americans believe in something,” Morello said. “The idea that you are only one religion is very North Atlantic.” 

In surveys, this complexity is rarely visible. And until well into the 20th century, Morello said, one was typically either Catholic or outside the cultural mainstream altogether.

In Brazil and Colombia, more religiously unaffiliated people say they believe in God, pray daily, and consider religion very important in their lives than do those who identify as Christians in European countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom, and France, according to Pew.

“Europe represents a practice grounded in doctrine, in belief and formal religious practice, whereas here [in Latin America] we have an effervescence of religious experiences that goes far beyond a purely rational adherence to religious content,” said Flavio Senra, a religious studies professor at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. 

That could be because the region’s culture emphasizes believing in something beyond the material world, Morello said. “People in Latin America do believe in this enchanted reality—that there is a dimension in life we cannot explain with what we see only,” he continued.  

Both scholars said rather than thinking of the trend toward religious disaffiliation as secularization, in which religious beliefs diminish within the culture, the shift is better viewed as a change in how people approach belief.

“The idea of enchanted modernity explains better what we see in Latin America,” Morello said, “because we are looking at a vibrant spiritual and religious society that does things to engage with this other world.”

Freedom from commitment

At the same time, the number of atheists and agnostics is not growing in the region and remains a small percentage of the population, both scholars explained. That also suggests the growth of the nones category instead reflects weaker ties to religious institutions and greater freedom today to shop across the religious market.

“A context of greater religious, political, and cultural plurality creates an environment of greater freedom for people to express their beliefs without being judged as harshly as they were in the past,” Senra said.

Juan Guevara, a 35-year-old high school philosophy teacher from Bogotá, was raised in an observant Catholic household. However, as a teenager, he began encountering other belief systems, particularly Buddhism, and started questioning his family’s religion, he told RNS. 

The discovery planted a lasting doubt: If there were many ways of understanding the world, why should one claim exclusive truth?

Class differences and injustice also weighed on his decision. “It started to bother me a great deal to see that the people who were particularly devout—those who professed their beliefs with special fervor—did not strike me as good people,” he said.

Guevara’s academic training in philosophy pushed him toward broader intellectual and spiritual exploration, but Buddhism remained a recurring reference point. He participated in Soto Zen and Vipassana meditation retreats and was drawn in by what he described as their internal coherence and lack of institutional demands. 

“There was a lot of consistency there,” he said. “No one was asking me for a sacrament or a promise I would stay forever.”

He also took part in ceremonies involving ayahuasca, often organized by or in dialogue with Indigenous groups in Colombia. These experiences carried religious elements and were also deeply ethical, cultural, and communal, he said. But the freedom to engage without lifelong commitment was, for him, essential. 

An imperfect mix

Coutinho’s experience is similar in that way. She consults with a mãe de santo priestess in the Umbanda tradition and attends rituals but deliberately avoids formal initiation. “I don’t want to go through the initiation process,” she said. 

“I know that being part of Umbanda, for example, demands a much greater devotion than I’m willing to give. Even so, I feel close to the practices.”

But she described moments of confusion, too. “Sometimes I get confused trying to understand where the stories fit,” she said. “Where is Jesus in the stories of the Orixás (divine spirits)?”

Still, she continues to engage with various traditions: “I find a lot of beauty and strength in these stories, so I keep believing and studying.”

In experiencing different faith practices, this growing group of believers often gathers traces and memories, taking what they believe is good from each faith and leaving aside what does not resonate. 

“The religion may not be the religiosity that Catholic leaders expect, nor the one Pentecostal pastors want,” Morello said. “But it is what the people do. It’s mixed, it’s not pure, it’s imperfect, it’s not orthodox—but it is what people are practicing.” 

Donovan Martin is celebrating 10 years as senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Ropes in Ropesville. Martin was called to the church in February 2016. Previously, he ministered as an interim student pastor for 23 years and served as a sergeant in the United States Air Force. Martin and his wife Kristi have three daughters.

Dustin Slaton is celebrating five years as senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Round Rock. Slaton began pastoring First Baptist Church of Round Rock in January 2021. Slaton earned his doctorate in church revitalization from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Slaton and his wife Melody have four children.

Brad and Suzanne Holmes to Mandarin Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., from First Baptist Church in Amarillo, where he was minister to young adults and she was associate minister to young adults and connections. Brad was called to serve Mandarin Baptist Church as pastor.

Milfred Minatrea to retire from Grandview Baptist Church in Mesquite, where he was senior pastor.

Wade Owens to First Woodway Baptist Church in Woodway as lead pastor, from The Church at Nolensville in Nolensville, Tenn., where he was campus and teaching pastor.

Jordan Washer to First Baptist Church in Amarillo, where she has been an active member, as associate minister to senior adults, starting March 1.

A new report from Pew Research found white Christians, who played a key role in returning Donald Trump to the White House, are losing confidence in President Trump’s policies.

Just over half (58 percent) of white evangelicals said they support most or all of Trump’s policies, down from 66 percent when he took office in 2025. 

Similar declines were seen among white Catholics, who dropped from 51 percent last year to 46 percent this year, and white Protestants who are not evangelical, who dropped from 46 percent to 33 percent, according to the report, released Feb. 9.

Based on a survey of 8,512 Americans conducted Jan. 20-26, the report also found white Christians are less confident Trump acts ethically in office than they were a year ago. 

Less than half (40 percent) of white evangelicals have confidence Trump acts ethically, down from 55 percent in 2025. White Catholic confidence in Trump’s ethics dropped from 39 percent to 34 percent, while white nonevangelical Protestants’ confidence dropped from 38 percent to 26 percent.

White Christians in all three groups are still more likely to support Trump’s policies than Americans overall (27 percent). They also have more confidence in his ethics than Americans overall (21 percent). 

Hispanic Catholics (18 percent), the religiously unaffiliated (13 percent), and Black Protestants (6 percent) were least likely to support Trump’s policies. Those groups were also least likely to have confidence in Trump’s ethics.

Because of their presence in swing states, white Catholics and white non-evangelical Protestants played a key role in the 2024 presidential election. More than half (58 percent) of white nonevangelical Protestants voted for Trump, as did 62 percent of white Catholics and 81 percent of white evangelicals, according to Pew Research data.

Pew’s most recent report found white Christians remain strong supporters of Trump, though support has declined. Sixty-nine percent of white evangelicals said they approve of how Trump is handling his job, down from 78 percent last year. 

Just over half (52 percent) of white Catholics approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 59 percent last year, while 46 percent of nonevangelical white Protestants approved, down from 57 percent. The unaffiliated (24 percent), Hispanic Catholics (23 percent), and Black Protestants (12 percent) are least likely to approve of Trump’s job performance.

Overall, 37 percent of Americans approve of how Trump is handling his job.

The difference among faith groups reflects the partisan divide among American Christians, with white Protestants and white Catholics more likely to side with the GOP, while Christians of color, the unaffiliated, and people of other faiths are more likely to side with Democrats.

BUENA PARK, Calif. (BP)—Wiley Drake, a self-proclaimed “champion of the little guy” known for his perennial presence at Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting microphones, died Jan. 27. He was 82.

Over the past three decades Drake spoke more than 70 times from the SBC annual meeting floor, becoming a legend among convention insiders and occasionally drawing cheers from messengers as soon as he announced his name and church.

He helped launch the convention’s boycott of the Walt Disney Corporation in 1997 and served as SBC second vice president in 2006–2007.

“Wiley Drake is the SBC,” Texas pastor Bart Barber posted on social media a few years ago. “He’s the guy who isn’t the president, and isn’t going to become the president, who is passionate about the convention and wants it to be the very best that it can be. So, instead of carping and complaining, he gets involved.”

Pastor and advocate in southern California

Pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park, Calif., for more than 25 years, Drake was known in his Southern California community as a friend to the needy.

He engaged in a years-long legal battle with local authorities over his desire to use the church building as a homeless shelter.

In 1997, he was convicted of violating building and property codes with a ministry that housed up to 70 people per night and distributed 30,000 pounds of food monthly.

“As long as I am pastor, we will provide shelter, food, and love to the homeless,” he told The New York Times at the time. In 2017, the city condemned his church’s shelter.

Drake told The Dallas Morning News in 2007 he was a “champion of the little guy.”

At times, Drake sparked controversy with his public comments on an array of topics. He received a cease-and-desist letter from the SBC Executive Committee in 2006 after endorsing a U.S. Senate candidate on letterhead identifying Drake as SBC second vice president.

He claimed to be among founders of the so-called “birther” movement and filed a 2008 lawsuit claiming Barack Obama was ineligible to serve as president because he was not a natural-born U.S. citizen. Drake also said he prayed imprecatory prayers against Obama.

At SBC annual meetings, messengers wondered what Drake would propose at the next introduction of new business.

He set his sights on Disney in the mid-1990s as the family entertainment giant promoted homosexuality and other unbiblical lifestyles.

In 1996, he successfully amended a resolution urging “prayerful consideration” before purchasing Disney products to add warning of a boycott if Disney continued its “anti-Christian and antifamily trend.”

The next year, Drake submitted a resolution to the SBC Resolutions Committee that eventuated in the official Disney boycott.

Leadership and SBC service

Following an unsuccessful run for second vice president in 2005, he was nominated again the following year and won on the first ballot over three other candidates, including future SBC president J.D. Greear.

In nominating Drake, Kentucky pastor Bill Dodson called him “a foot soldier” in the SBC’s return to theological conservatism who “represents those like you and me.”

As pastor of a church with fewer than 100 active members, Drake fought to enable other small church leaders to pursue SBC offices. During the annual meeting concluding his vice-presidential service, Drake moved that the convention cover “reasonable” travel expenses for SBC officers.

He told The Dallas Morning News the expense of attending SBC events played a role in his decision not to seek a second term since his church couldn’t afford to help him travel.

The following year, the SBC Executive Committee responded to his motion by agreeing to pay travel expenses for future officers whose churches didn’t have funds for convention-related travel.

Twice Drake was nominated for the SBC presidency—once by himself—though he never won the office.

He ventured into secular politics in 2008, running for vice president of the United States with American Independent Party presidential candidate Alan Keyes.

He ran for president in 2012 and 2016 as an Independent, saying, “It’s time we got back to our history of ministers of the Gospel running for office without a party.”

But for many Southern Baptists, Drake’s most memorable venture into presidential politics came in 2015, when he made a motion at the SBC annual meeting requesting that then-convention president Ronnie Floyd run for president of the United States.

The motion was ruled out of order.

A native of Arkansas, Drake dropped out of school in the ninth grade to enter the circus and rodeo, he told Baptist Press in 2008. Sidelined by a bull-riding injury, he worked on a crew building missile silos before he joined the U.S. Navy.

During a tour of duty in Vietnam, he accepted Christ as Savior. Drake attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary among other schools.

He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara. He is survived by five siblings, four adult children, 12 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren with one on the way.

A 2025 Lifeway Research article indicated while only 1 percent of protestant pastors on average decide to step down from ministry each year, the reasons for them stepping down are dynamic, with pastors facing many unique challenges and uncertainties. 

The research highlighted a change in calling as the primary reason pastors step down from the pulpit, with 40 percent of pastors across four denominations citing this in connection with leaving the ministry. 

Among other leading causes are burnout (16 percent), family issues (10 percent), and finances (10 percent). A separate study based on 2022 post-pandemic Barna research recognized burnout and overwhelming stress as a major factor driving pastors to quit ministry. 

Burnout, stress, and isolation

Fifty-six percent of study respondents cited burnout and stress as their primary reason for stepping down. The study also linked increased burnout in 2022 to shifting church structures resulting from the pandemic, such as navigating the growing use of social media and complex organizational dynamics. 

Beyond an increasingly digital, on-demand cultural context, pastors are routinely subject to stress resulting from the nature of their positions. In an interview with Baptist Standard, David Bowman, executive director of Tarrant Baptist Association in Fort Worth, described this issue. 

“[Pastors] are overwhelmed with all the work they have to do. It never ends. You take care of details all day at the office, … you come home and you’re having dinner with your family [when] the phone rings and somebody is either seriously ill or there’s been a death,” Bowman said. 

Bowman described the pastor’s role as a leader and the toll it takes: “There are [many] leadership demands on a pastor. If a church is in a building program or relocation or something, … that requires extra time and energy you never get back.” 

Pastors, who are expected to balance the demands of spiritual leadership within their communities, suffer as a result of isolation and loneliness associated with bearing the weight of a congregation’s needs. A 2024 Barna study claimed nearly 1 in 5 U.S. pastors contemplated self-harm or suicide within the past year. 

“One of our adversary’s favorite schemes is to isolate us,” Bowman said. “Pastors often feel like they’re the only one carrying that load. … They’re not really good at sharing [it.] They don’t trust that other people can help them. … So, they get isolated.”

Physical, emotional, and mental health among pastors was recorded as lower than the general population, with researchers observing a strong link between a pastor’s reduced conviction in their vocational calling and a drop in their overall well-being. 

The significance of sabbatical rest

The National Association of Evangelicals conducted a survey on pastor sabbaticals, concluding 63 percent of evangelical pastors have a church sabbatical policy, but many churches do not prioritize sabbaticals. Church policies surrounding sabbaticals vary significantly.

Larry Floyd, executive director of missions for El Paso Baptist Association, explained many pastors do not use sabbatical leave for necessary rest, resulting in burnout: “As directors of missions, we are to promote the health of the pastor. Otherwise, we won’t [have] a pastor.”

“Sabbaticals should be more often and for rest,” Floyd said. “Six weeks off every five years, not including vacation. Too many times, it isn’t really a sabbatical since many pastors [continue] to work on their Ph.D. or still entertain phone calls.” 

A 2022 Lifeway Research article connected an increase in pastor burnout to a lack of proper sabbatical rest. Sabbaticals were highlighted as a valuable time of reset for pastors, providing them with renewed energy and vision during a season of ministry burnout.

Age is an additional factor

A 2022 Barna research survey noted finding younger pastors is becoming a challenge. As of 2022, only 16 percent of Protestant senior pastors are 40 years old or younger, and the average age of pastors is 52. 

Younger pastors also suffer from higher rates of burnout than their older colleagues, compounding the age issue, the research found. 

Floyd emphasized age as a major factor influencing pastor’s decisions to step down: “Too many older pastors stay way too long in their retirement years out of necessity or obligation. This creates a dying church and a church who doesn’t have a succession plan.”

Research suggests the age issue could result in a succession crisis, with many churches unprepared for the transition. Four in five pastors (79 percent) agree churches are not taking initiative to raise up the next generation of pastors. 

Polarization in the modern church era 

In the 2025 Lifeway research study, 18 percent of Protestant pastors linked church conflict to their decision to leave ministry. Roughly 27 percent of this conflict revolved around national or local politics or doctrinal differences. 

Amid growing fears of ICE, many churches are locking their doors or holding online services to avoid potential detainment of congregants with or without legal status. 

Following the disrupted church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., by anti-immigration protesters, faith leaders called for the urgent protection of worshipers and compassion for migrants, with some churches posting notices on their doors saying no ICE or U.S. Border Patrol agents are allowed inside. 

When asked about polarization in recent ministry, Bowman discussed the growing significance of immigration-related issues and the division it has caused within churches.

“I write a daily devotional for a small mailing list. Anytime I talk about immigrant issues and how God loves immigrants as much as he loves me, I lose readers,” he said. 

Growing tensions in evangelical churches have left many churches divided on immigration reform, resulting in political and cultural polarization among congregations. 

“If a pastor stands up and says, ‘Jesus loves everybody, and so should we,’ including [people] you want to deport, … he’s going to have some conflict [come] from that,” Bowman said. 

“If a pastor is trying to preach the truth in love, … [trying] to talk about hot button issues from a place that’s not aligned with either political party, but aligned with what God tells us, that pastor [will] stay in trouble,” Bowman continued. 

“People just have strong opinions about certain issues, and they’re going to let their pastor know about it.” 

Help the church help the pastor

When asked how churches can serve pastors in need, Bowman prioritized the power of prayer: “One of the best things we ever did in the last church I served was called Pastor’s Prayer Partners. We had a hundred people every day who were praying for the church.

“They were praying for the staff. They were praying for our ministries, those kinds of things. That is huge. And, you know, people need to befriend their pastors and their families,” Bowman continued. 

Bowman expressed how hope for the future of ministry is vested in God’s love for the world: “God really does love this world. He’s given us the church to bring people to salvation, to continuing growth and development in their relationship with our Father.”

“There are seasons where the church seems like it’s the adversary of everything, … but the church is God’s plan for the world to know him, experience him, and enter into the deep and abiding walk he wants for [every believer.] God will continue raising up those leaders necessary to do the work and to help folks learn how to do their own work,” Bowman continued. 

“He is going to renew [people] serving in the churches right now, who are feeling the pressures of our age, the pains and problems we have, and when he renews them, that will contribute to the renewal of the church.” 

Buckner International is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its ministry in Kenya. Buckner International leaders noted the ministry’s start with support and involvement from Park Cities Baptist Church, Hardin-Simmons University, and Baptist World Alliance. The ministry launched in collaboration with Park Cities Baptist Church, the Kenya Baptist Convention, and missionaries with the Southern Baptist Convention’s International Mission Board when Buckner was asked to assume operations of the Baptist Children’s Centre in Nairobi. Participating in the cake-cutting ceremony were Teresa Wamalwa, Nairobi Family Hope Center manager; Lynet Aoko, Nairobi Family Hope Center school deputy headteacher; Dickson Masindano, Buckner Kenya country director; Albert Reyes, Buckner International president; Jane Mwangi, Buckner Kenya board chairperson; Tim Lancaster, Buckner International board chairman; and Shem Nyakutu, secretary to the directorate of children services.

The national Woman’s Missionary Union has selected four young women to serve on the 2026 National Acteens Panel. Alexis Andrade of Freeman Heights Baptist Church in Garland; Hannah Cooke of Harp’s Crossing Baptist Church in Fayetteville, Ga.; Abigail Howard of Casey First Baptist Church in Casey, Ill.; and Jamila Toya of Jemez Valley Baptist Church in Jemez Pueblo, N.M., were chosen for the panel, which focuses on missions discipleship and leadership development for teen girls.

Wayland Baptist University held its commencement, Feb. 6, in San Antonio, marking a milestone as the university celebrates the first graduates of its new International Program. Ten students were in the inaugural graduating class. The International Program currently offers master of science degrees in business analytics and management information systems with a new STEM-designated MBA launching this fall. A new enterprise systems specialization within the doctoral program is scheduled to begin in fall 2026.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor is excited to announce plans to build a new 56,032-square-foot science lab facility located on the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and College Street. Construction could begin as early as summer 2026 with the goal of opening in January 2028.

Houston Christian University’s Archie W. Dunham College of Business has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs following a rigorous three-year review process. The accreditation marks a significant milestone for the college and affirms its commitment to teaching excellence, student learning outcomes and faith-informed leadership. Robert Sloan, HCU president, noted the achievement reflects years of thoughtful work by faculty, staff, and administrators who evaluated programs honestly, aligned their efforts with the university’s mission, and continually asked how the institution could better serve students and society.

Baylor University was named one of the nation’s top 10 producers of Fulbright U.S. students, the Fulbright Program announced Feb. 5, after a record 24 students and recent alumni earned the award to study, conduct research, and teach English abroad during the 2025-2026 academic year.

East Texas Baptist University will present the Good Samaritan Award to Rush Harris, executive director of Marshall Economic Development, during the Good Samaritan Award and ETBU scholarship dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the Great Commission Center. ETBU invites community members to join in celebrating.

John Litzler challenged Howard Payne University students to recognize and defend the Christian’s historic and ongoing role in protecting religious liberty.

Litzler was the featured speaker at the 18th annual Currie-Strickland Distinguished Lectures in Christian Ethics hosted by HPU.

Litzler, director for public policy at Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission and general counsel for Texas Baptists, addressed students during HPU’s chapel service on Wednesday, Feb. 4, and those who attended the lecture series Thursday evening, Feb. 5.

Campus challenge

Speaking from the theme, “The Modern Challenge of Religious Liberty: Protecting a Baptist Distinction from Extinction,” Litzler urged students to understand how Christian convictions have shaped religious liberty and to engage thoughtfully in public policy and advocacy.

“For the rest of this week—for the next couple of days—would you wrestle with the concept of religious liberty? Will you challenge

yourself on this topic in some way?” Litzler asked, speaking to students, faculty, and staff during chapel.

“That might mean finding one of your friends from another country—maybe an international student—and asking them what it’s like to live under different laws and the tension between following their country’s laws and God’s law,” Litzler continued.

“Or it might be spending time in prayer and reflection, asking yourself some challenging, introspective questions, like, ‘Would my views on religious liberty be different if I were part of a minority faith instead of a majority faith?’” Litzler added.

Litzler made a reference to Matthew 22:15, in which religious leaders attempted to trap Jesus by asking whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar.

He explained the question was designed to force Jesus to choose between Roman law and God’s law, illustrating the tension believers can face between earthly governments and divine authority.

Litzler described Jesus’ response as a framework for navigating dual citizenship in earthly kingdoms and the kingdom of God, arguing it highlights the importance of distinguishing between government authority and God’s authority.

Evening lecture

During the Thursday evening lecture, Litzler walked visitors and guests through the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, focusing on religious liberty.

Religious liberty, a historic Baptist distinctive, is being weakened when political leaders create carve-outs that limit how faith-based beliefs can be expressed in public life, Litzler contended.

“When people become deeply committed to a particular cause, religious liberty can quickly be treated as an obstacle,” Litzler said.

He said the First Amendment’s free exercise and establishment clauses were designed to protect all faiths and nonreligious beliefs, not only Christianity.

Litzler pointed to recent federal and state debates as evidence that both Democrats and Republicans have attempted to weaken religious liberty protections when they conflict with political priorities, including efforts to limit how religious freedom laws apply to issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion.

Litzler also cautioned Christians not to confuse the loss of cultural privilege with genuine religious persecution, noting Christians in other parts of the world face far more severe restrictions.

Texas Baptists’ Christian Life Commission and other Texas Baptists’ ministry leaders condemned a racist online post depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.

The Associated Press and other outlets reported the posted video portrayed the former president and first lady as primates in a jungle setting.

The post to current President Donald Trump’s Truth Social feed at 9:44 p.m., Feb. 5, was removed Feb. 6 shortly before noon after multiple Republican leaders and online users criticized it.

The Associated Press reported a White House staffer posted the video in error.

A spokesperson for Obama has not issued a statement.

CLC statement

In a written statement posted on social media Feb. 6, the CLC encouraged all Texas Baptists to speak out against racism.

“The Christian Life Commission calls on all Texas Baptists to speak out against racism, build relationships, listen to others, provide education, promote understanding and earnestly pray that we do not allow division in the midst of our God-given diversity,” the statement reads.

Throughout the day Feb. 6, many Texas Baptists took to social media to express their condemnation of racism and the content of the Truth Social post.

Stating “all humans are created in the image of God,” in reference to Genesis 1:26-27, the statement declares, “These racist depictions are a blatant challenge to the Christian belief and experience.”

Noting the timing—the video was posted near the beginning of Black History Month—the statement acknowledges, “We place an added emphasis on celebrating the accomplishments, experiences and history of Black Americans” during this time.

The statement addresses “the pain and harm caused by racism in all its forms” and expresses the desire for “the day when all ethnicities and tongues gather around the throne and praise God.”

However, “while on this earth, our brothers and sisters in Christ still face racist tropes and depictions entering public discussion,” the statement acknowledges.

“We denounce and repudiate every form of racial and ethnic hatred as a scheme of the devil intended to inflict suffering and bring division to the church and our society. This includes racist posts or videos on social media, regardless of who does it,” the statement reads.

Shiloh Baptist Church held its first worship service at its new facility, 2525 N. Buckner Blvd., on Sunday, Feb. 1. Ronald Session, senior pastor, said the move to East Dallas gives the church an opportunity to rethink and reimagine its history. The congregation previously met in Garland for 77 years.

First Baptist Church of San Antonio celebrated its 165th anniversary on Jan. 18, marking more than a century and a half of ministry in downtown San Antonio. The church was founded Jan. 20, 1861. Chris Johnson is the senior pastor.

David Butts is retiring after 44 years in ministry serving the Lord, children, and their families. He spent the last 23 years at First Baptist Church in Arlington. Butts will retire Sunday, Feb. 8. He came to the church in 2002 and previously served as an intern there while attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1988. Before returning to First Baptist Arlington, he served at Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas. Butts is married to Lori. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.

Texas Baptists has realigned the Center for Cultural Engagement as part of its GC2 Strong strategy to better equip churches for Great Commandment and Great Commission faithfulness.

The changes, effective Feb. 1, redistributed the center’s ministries across the organization to provide churches with more direct access to resources for church, minister, and missions support.

As part of the realignment, affinity ministries, chaplaincy relations, and the Christian Life Commission will now operate within separate teams to allow for greater focus and clearer alignment with Texas Baptists’ GC2 Strong priorities.

Affinity ministries—which serve and support cultural churches across Texas Baptists—will now be housed within the Relational Development/GC2 team.

These ministries include African American Ministries, Texas Baptists en Español, Intercultural Ministries, and Western Heritage. Together, affinity ministries represent nearly 48 percent of Texas Baptists churches.

“This move is taking place because we want to make sure that our GC2 Strong strategy is contextualized for all of our affinity groups through the Relational Development Team,” said Julio Guarneri, executive director of Texas Baptists.

“We want our cultural groups to be involved at every level of ministry across Texas Baptists,” he stated.

Affinity Ministries

The Relational Development/GC2 team, led by Sergio Ramos, connects with conventions, churches, and institutions across the state.

Carlos Francis, current director of African American Ministries, will assume a new role as director of Affinity Relations/GC2 Support. He will continue to lead African American Ministries and will also serve on the Texas Baptists Leadership Team, providing direct input to staff leadership.

“Our affinity ministries represent nearly 48 percent of our churches and play a tremendous role in advancing the GC2 initiative. Their impact is essential to who we are and where we are going,” Ramos, senior director of Relational Development/GC2 Initiative, said.

Guarneri emphasized the realignment is not a move away from cultural engagement, but rather a way to give each ministry greater focus.

“We are intentionally giving the Christian Life Commission, chaplaincy relations, and affinity groups more focus,” Guarneri said.

“Affinity groups can serve cultural churches by focusing on relational development and GC2 faithfulness. Chaplaincy relations will continue to endorse and resource chaplains, and the CLC can focus on engaging issues of advocacy and justice with the objective of serving churches,” Guarneri continued.

Christian Life Commission

The Christian Life Commission will return to its historic role as a stand-alone ministry focused on ethics and justice, advocacy, and public policy.

The CLC remains under the leadership of Katie Frugé, who will continue to serve on the Texas Baptists Leadership Team. Rebecca Treviño has transitioned from her role with the Center for Cultural Engagement to serve as policy analyst for the CLC.

Plans are underway for the CLC to produce new resources for churches in key areas.

“This realignment is an opportunity to support churches and ministers through clear access to key resources in the areas of affinity ministries, ethics and advocacy, and chaplaincy,” Guarneri said.

Frugé expressed confidence in the changes and the future of the CLC.

“I’m confident that each ministry is positioned well to continue the important work they have done so ably for Texas Baptists,” Frugé said.

Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy Relations has transitioned under the Office of the Associate Executive Director on an interim basis.

This ministry endorses chaplains serving in a variety of fields, including military, business, prisons, and hospitals.

Under the leadership of Todd Combee, chaplaincy will work with Craig Christina, associate executive director, to continue supporting chaplains in their ministry roles.

Future changes

Guarneri said there are no immediate plans to realign other ministry centers, including the Center for Church Health, Center for Ministerial Health, Center for Missional Engagement and Center for Collegiate Ministry.

However, he noted Texas Baptists leadership is continuing to evaluate how all ministries align with GC2 Strong.

“As part of the GC2 Strong strategy, every convention ministry will prioritize equipping churches for Great Commandment and Great Commission faithfulness,” Guarneri said.

“While there are no plans to realign other ministry centers at this time, there may be progressive changes over the next few months as we take a closer look at how every ministry supports the GC2 Strong strategy. Ultimately, we want to ensure that ministries are appropriately aligned to strengthen churches, ministers, and missions into the future,” he said.

Guarneri also noted the realignment will enhance the work of leaders within Intercultural Ministries.

“Mark Heavener, Rolando Rodriguez, and James ‘Mac’ McLeod, under the leadership of Carlos Francis, will be able to be involved in the GC2 Strong strategy and contextualize it to serve their churches in a more effective way,” Guarneri said.

“It will be a positive thing for these cultural groups, and they are all on board. First and foremost, we are making this move to equip churches for Great Commandment, Great Commission faithfulness.”

Back in 2021, a group of evangelical families, including the founders of Hobby Lobby, began funding a new ad campaign, hoping to help skeptical Americans give Jesus a second look and to convince people to be a little kinder to one another.

The website for the campaign describes the mission this way: “Our hope was that more people could encounter love. More joy. More peace. A greater sense of purpose.”

Jesus’ humanity a key focus 

Known as “He Gets Us,” the campaign, which launched in 2022, focused on the human side of the Christian Messiah, with billboards and black-and-white video ads showing people with loneliness, anxiety, and other struggles, and ending with the claim Jesus understood those struggles. 

Other ads showed Jesus as an immigrant or a rebel against the status quo, who loved those he disagreed with.

An ad for the 2023 Super Bowl, titled “Love Your Enemies,” featured images of Americans at each other’s throats and in each other’s faces, as English singer Rag’n’Bone Man’s hit song “Human” played.

“Jesus loved the people we hate,” the ad claimed.

For the 2024 Super Bowl, “He Gets Us” offered an ad with a series of foot-washing tableaus, each featuring an unexpected pairing: an older woman washing the feet of a young girl, a cowboy the feet of an Indian, and a white Catholic priest the feet of a queer Black person.

Last year’s Super Bowl ad continued the “let’s all get along” theme, showing Americans from different walks of life helping each other, including a man in a John 3:16 hat embracing another man at a Pride march, with the tagline “Jesus showed us what greatness was.” The ad also featured Johnny Cash’s cover of “Personal Jesus.”

Americans still polarized

Yet four years—and more than $700 million—after the launch of the ad campaign, Americans remain just as polarized. Few seem convinced Jesus can bring the country together or feel a need to love their political enemies. 

And while the decline in religion in America has paused for now, that decline will likely be short-lived, according to long-term polling data.

That reality, along with pushback from evangelicals claiming the ad campaigns were too “woke,” has led the “He Gets Us” campaign, now run by a nonprofit called Come Near, to shift course.

In the last few months, and leading up to the 2026 Super Bowl, a new set of ads, known as “Loaded Words,” focuses less on social conflicts and more on the pressures and noise of modern life. One online ad, called “Don’t,” which has been viewed more than 68 million times, starts with a close-up on a newborn, with a mother’s voice saying, “Don’t be afraid.”

That’s followed by a host of other voices, giving warnings like “don’t mess up,” “don’t make a scene,” and “don’t you dare let us down.”

“What if the only expectation was love?” the ad asks. “Jesus doesn’t expect us to earn it.”

Another ad, called “Do,” looks at the pressure to do it all—to be popular, to be beautiful, to be a team player, to be the best. 

Ads use a ‘neighbor-led’ approach

Simon Armour, creative director for Come Near, told RNS in an interview the ads were developed using what he called a “neighbor-led” approach, built on research that asked Americans about their spiritual needs and life experience.

That research, said Armour, revealed Americans felt pressured to be busier, to acquire more stuff, to gain more recognition, so life would then be meaningful.

“What we kept hearing was that was failing them. Their life is not turning out how they wanted,” he said. “They’re in this place where the noise is constant, with digital media, social media, and our phones.”

Adweek, an industry publication, summed up the new take on “He Gets Us” this way: “In its fourth Super Bowl appearance, He Gets Us is getting personal.”

Campaign generates billions of views 

In the four years since “He Gets Us” launched its first campaign, the videos have been viewed nearly 10 billion times, while 56 million visitors have clicked on the HeGetsUs.com website, which has averaged about 700,000 visits a week since the “Loaded Words” campaign launched in December.

This year’s Super Bowl Ad, titled “More,” takes on the noise of modern life, with images of online influencers taking selfies and of a race car driving in circles and getting nowhere.

“The spot is really showing the thing we all feel, which is the absurdity of where things are at,” Armour said. “We’re chasing our tails, we’re going fast, but going nowhere.”

Armour hopes the new ads will connect with the spiritual needs of viewers.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, where you’re at in a spiritual journey,” he said. “Jesus has something relevant for you. He gets you. He sees you. He knows you.”

For the campaign’s fourth Super Bowl, Armour said, the “He Gets Us” ads were due for a new direction. He said brands often evolve. Otherwise, the message gets stale.

“After a period of time, people can see it coming,” he said. “It’s less surprising. It doesn’t cut through as much.”

The “He Gets Us” ad isn’t the only faith-based message that will air at the Super Bowl. The Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, a campaign to combat antisemitism and other forms of religious-based hatred, will also air an ad, called “Sticky Note,” during the NFL championship. 

  The campaign was founded by Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots. The Patriots will play the Seattle Seahawks for the Super Bowl title on Sunday, Feb. 8. 

Project sparks controversy

The “He Gets Us” ads have been controversial from the start, in part because the project was funded through The Signatry Foundation, a Christian donor-advised fund which has also donated to anti-abortion and anti-LGBT groups and had ties to conservative donors. 

Conservative critics, including the late Charlie Kirk, claimed the ads presented a distorted version of a Jesus who didn’t care about politics or who tolerated sinners, or the ads were too weak and woke.

“The marketing group behind ‘He Gets Us’ has done one of the worst services to Christianity in the modern era,” Kirk said in 2023, after the foot-washing Super Bowl ad aired that year. “The Green family are decent wonderful people who have been taken for a ride by these woke tricksters. So sad!”

Millions invested into the ad campaign

The ads have been costly.

According to disclosures filed with the IRS, the Signatry Foundation spent $429.8 million on “He Gets Us” from 2021 to 2024. Come Near, the nonprofit that took over the project in 2024, is organized as a church and does not disclose its finances. 

However, the nonprofit projected it would spend $345 million on the campaign between July 2024 and June 2026, when it applied for tax-exempt status. A spokesperson for Come Near said those figures “represented a reasonable and good faith projection of future finances.”  

Organizers told RNS in the past the goal was to spend a billion dollars on the campaign. 

Ads intended to speak to outsiders 

Nicole Martin, a member of the Come Near board of directors, said “people have a lot of opinions” about the “He Gets Us” ads. She said the ads aren’t aimed at people who already believe in Jesus and go to church. Instead, she said, they are meant to speak to outsiders.

“This is for people who just need to believe in something, and Jesus is the way to reach them,” she told RNS in an interview. “That’s why I am involved.”

Martin, who was recently named president and CEO of Christianity Today, a prominent evangelical publication, said the ad campaign has made Jesus part of the public conversation around the Super Bowl. 

That’s especially important in a time when religion in America has been on the decline, and many young people don’t know as much about Christianity.

“I think the goal is to try and shift that trend by a few degrees, so there would be a generation who wouldn’t grow up without knowing Jesus. That’s what I think they’re trying to do,” Martin said.

She hopes the new ad will remind people there’s more to life than the noise of social media and online debates. And to take a break from the hectic pace of life.

“I’m hoping this commercial will give us a chance to breathe,” she said.