After decades of decline, church attendance is ticking up in the U.S. — but unevenly. Researchers call it a “recalibration,” not a revival. Clergy: are you seeing this in your congregation? bit.ly/4vNxXa8 #ReligionNews #ChurchTrends

During a news conference on April 24, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called the U.S. war in Iran a “gift to the world.”

There’s a lot of conversation in Spokane right now about The Pursuit’s expansion and its ties to Christian nationalism. We partnered with Range on this analysis — and it’s sparking some real discussion. Curious how others are thinking about this: bit.ly/4e56Ilc #Spokane #ReligionNews

A travel writer and a bishop walk into a conversation about Christian nationalism. No, really. I love this story — and the kind of dialogue it's sparking across Washington. Worth a read: bit.ly/4t8w6dH #ChristianNationalism #ReligionNews #WashingtonState #FaithAndPolitics

A 59-year-old woman w/ terminal cancer didn't feel comfortable walking into a church to be baptized — so she did it in a park, watching the sun set from a tub on wheels. 🚐✝️ An Oregon church's mobile baptism truck is bringing the ritual beyond church walls. bit.ly/4twY8R6 #ReligionNews #Christianity

I've been covering Sravasti Abbey for years and it never stops impressing me. This weekend they're offering a 4-day compassion training — secular, science-backed, free — open to anyone regardless of faith. Registration required. Space is limited. bit.ly/4toLW4P #SravastitAbbey #ReligionNews #PNW

FāVS News is expanding statewide across Washington. We cover faith, religion & spirituality across the state. Know a faith leader or community we should cover? Tag them 👇 Follow for statewide religion news. favs.news

A columnist responds to Christ Church's patriarchal theology with a tour of the Bible's strongest, most independent women — and Sophia, Wisdom herself. bit.ly/41B7MFU #ReligionNews #ChristianNationalism #bible

An AI image portraying Trump as a miracle-working savior sparked backlash across Christian leaders — some calling it blasphemous. Becky Tallent says the controversy reveals deeper tensions between faith & power. bit.ly/4cKZbqn #FaithAndPolitics #ReligionNews #Christianity #AI #Trump #MediaEthics

What does "catholic" (small c) actually mean? Our columnist explores the Greek roots of the word — and asks whether Christianity can return to its universal roots. bit.ly/4en3KbD #Catholic #Christianity #FaVSNews #ReligionNews

"I haven't been able to find anyone who makes traditional broth like this within 300 miles." The Spokane Buddhist Temple just served its 38th annual Ramen Fest — and sold out. 🍜 bit.ly/3OoodSN #Spokane #Buddhism #ReligionNews #LocalNews

Big news: FāVS News is expanding across Washington state! We’re looking for story ideas, opinion writers, freelancers & faith communities to connect with statewide. If you care about faith, ethics & community we’d love to hear from you. bit.ly/3NViMLa #WashingtonState #ReligionNews #FaithNews

A Seattle nonprofit is reimagining the #Muslim prayer rug as a "living artifact" of #Indigenous land — centered on Mt. Rainier/Tahoma and rooted in 500+ years of shared history between Muslim & Native communities in the Americas. 🕌🏔️ favs.news | bit.ly/3Oqdx6c #ReligionNews #PNW

Bad apples don't grow from a healthy tree. Sarah Henn Hayward's latest column connects the Epstein files, the Pelicot case and police violence to ask the harder question: what's wrong with the tree? bit.ly/4cjWko4 #ReligionNews #Opinion

We're giving away books by our own writers this Local News Day. Today we're featuring the Finleys — two of FāVS's most beloved Catholic columnists. Check it out. bit.ly/4lZ7T7z #LocalNewsDay #LocalJournalism #CatholicBooks #CatholicSpirituality #InlandNorthwest #Spokane #SupportLocalNews

Elders tried to fire him. His wife accused him of rape. A Bible school he ran shut down amid abuse allegations. Now he's associate pastor of one of eastern Washington's largest churches. 🔗 bit.ly/41zWwJI #ReligionNews #ChurchAbuse #Spokane

More than a quarter of Idaho's foreign-born Catholic priests risk losing their legal status within four years. Here's what's being done — and what still needs to change. bit.ly/4sxVo59 #Idaho #ReligionNews #Immigration

175 Spokane students took to the streets Saturday demanding ICE out of their community — and they're just getting started. "This is a humanity issue..it's not political." Read their story: bit.ly/4d3megQ #Spokane #StudentActivism #ImmigrationRights #ICE #HumanDecency #NoKings #SayItSaturday

I'm looking to hire a freelance religion reporter in Central Washington. If that's you, or you know someone, please contact me! [email protected] #journalism #freelance

Kings send troops to war. St. Joseph fled as a refugee to protect his family. A FāVS column for the feast day. #StJosephDay #FaithAndValues bit.ly/4rKDTxw

With little notice and no public hearings, a half-million square feet of warehouse space initially intended to be commercial property outside Atlanta is now set to become an ICE “regional processing facility.” https://cnn.it/4cRBptl

Train Dreams" quietly insists on the presence of people of color — and the actors and crew say that intentionality makes the storytelling stronger. Our reporter talked with the cinematographer and an actress about why representation matters. favs.news/traindreams #Oscars #TrainDreams bit.ly/4usBudk

Idaho lawmakers advanced a bill Monday creating criminal penalties for people who trespass to disrupt church services. bit.ly/4s4TSqX #IdahoPolitics #IdahoLegislature #FaithNews

"This year, many refugee women in our community do not feel safe gathering to celebrate." The IRC in Spokane is adapting its International Women's Day events — and inviting the public to learn how to help. bit.ly/4by5exV #Spokane #RefugeeWomen #InternationalWomensDay

Two Indigenous authors use Coyote — teacher, trickster, healer — to explore trauma, family and identity in their new books. A FāVS read worth your time. bit.ly/4umKtgg #IndigenousAuthors #ReligionNews #BookRecommendations

Holden Village, which welcomes up to 5,000 guests a year, faces a $20M road repair and potential closure through late 2027 after December mudslides cut off the only land route. Here's the story. bit.ly/3MXfeHJ #Lutheran #PNW #FaithNews

During Lent, activists unveiled new billboards in Spokane Valley and Spokane quoting Matthew 25:40, depicting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent and migrant family to call Christians to repentance and reflection. Story: bit.ly/4s36dvD #Lent #Spokane #Immigration #FaithInAction

A hidden window, 150+ hours of building, and one iconic Spokane cathedral — in LEGO. 🧱⛪ This story is as delightful as it sounds. Read more: bit.ly/3OLuU12 #Spokane #LEGO #LocalNews #Architecture #FaithNews

Yay! Bishop Gretchen Rehberg of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane is now an official FāVS News columnist! 🎉 Her first piece: "Sing every day, and dance once a week for the next six months" as a practice for bridging divisions. Read more: bit.ly/3MkY0Ul #Spokane #Episcopal #FaithJournalism #Religion

“For the women in the group, healing means both recovering from what happened and ensuring others know the truth about their experiences. The community they’ve built offers what Vision of Hope never did: genuine support, validation, and hope for recovery.” – @reportertracy.bsky.social

Powerful column from one of our FāVS writers: "Misogyny is the original sin and even just a smidge of misogyny is a gateway to hate." A provocative argument about bigotry, humanity, and why loving women might be the cure for what ails us. bit.ly/4thMnOz #Misogyny #Feminism #ReligiousCommentary

Jess Walter's new novel mentions a bathroom at Spokane's West Central Abbey — but there isn't one. Now he's helping raise funds to make his fiction a reality. Writers for West Central reading Feb. 6 features Walter, Thom Caraway and Leyna Krow. bit.ly/4k9DHFE #Spokane #JessWalter #SpokaneWriters

A man arrested after crashing his car into the Chabad Lubavitch world headquarters in New York City had “recently connected” with the Hasidic community and this month attended an event at the revered Jewish site.

Reflection from Sarah Henn Hayward on connection over confrontation: "I've changed fundamental ways of seeing the world...none of those changes was brought about by someone else belittling me, judging me, or screaming in my face." Worth reading as we navigate these tense times. bit.ly/3Z3sugk

Less than half of Americans say they have confidence in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). More information from the 2025 PRRI American Values Survey:

This is worth a read. Appreciate this reporting on how #Catholics in #Greenland are feeling about all this. www.ncronline.org/news/greenla...

The home of Hannah Natanson, a Washington Post reporter, was searched by the FBI. Her devices were seized. Maddy Crowell speaks with Runa Sandvik whose life’s work is protecting journalists’ digital security, to assess the damage—and what news organizations need to know. www.cjr.org/news/hannah-...

NEW from me: In MN, George Floyd-era faith networks have reignited after Renee Good's killing by ICE. They often partner w/others: last night, a church, brewery & bookstore hosted an event. If you showed up w/a whistle (to warn people of ICE), you got a free drink. religionnews.com/2026/01/11/i...

Israel’s decision to deny registrations to 37 aid groups comes at a perilous time for Palestinians in the occupied territories and especially in Gaza. religionnews.com/2026/01/02/i...

This column means the world to me. 💛 Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron shares why @favsnews.bsky.social — and our shared values across faiths — matter so much right now. Read & support: bit.ly/4pgJGtq #FAVSNews #ValuesMatter #Interfaith

With food insecurity rising, Feed Spokane with their network of volunteers & partners is redistributing over 1 million pounds of food a year across Eastern Wash. 🎧 Listen to and read the story: bit.ly/3Lb20pL From - @favsnews.bsky.social #FoodInsecurity #FoodRescue #Spokane #EasternWA

Are Jesus’ words in Matthew 25 “liberal”? In this commentary, Mark Griswold wrestles with faith, politics, personal responsibility & what it means to care for “the least of these.” A timely reflection for Advent & beyond. 🔗 bit.ly/4pFubvV #FaithAndPolitics #Matthew25 #ChristianEthics #Advent

Spokane Public Schools has a new board president. Jenny Slagle (Yakama Nation) is the first Indigenous woman to hold the role, centering belonging and community voice. By Matthew Kincanon | @favsnews.bsky.social News 🔗 bit.ly/4pJCuXK #SpokaneSchools #IndigenousLeadership #NativeEducation

So proud of the incredible reporting from @favsnews.bsky.social reporters. This collaborative piece with RANGE Media examines the rhetoric around Christian nationalism locally and its real-world impact. Worth the read. bit.ly/3MVuzYI #Spokane #Journalism #ReligionNews #ChristianNationalism

This is one of my favorite features on @favsnews.bsky.social - Ask a Buddhist. What questions do you have? bit.ly/3XJYAx0 #buddhism #religion #interfaith

Church shopping as a Buddhist journalist about to become a parent wasn’t on my bingo card — but here we are. A new column on values, faith, and the search for spiritual community in a complicated world. 🍼🙏 bit.ly/4rJzwDT #Religion #Parenthood #FaithJourney #Journalism

The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House this week underwent thorough vetting by counterterrorism authorities before entering the U.S., according to people with direct knowledge of the case.

I love love love running a nonprofit newsroom - except this time of year when we have to ask for money. So please, if you value religion coverage donate what you can! It will help us pay our deserving reporters favs.news/fund-indepen... #nonprofit #localnews #religion #journalism

After Fox News’ pollsters found that Trump’s job approval had plummeted, the network buried the results while puffing up the president as the “ultimate dealmaker” who is doing “incredible things” and promising that “the whole world” will soon “come kiss the ring of the king.”

Refugee moms arriving in Spokane are finding support and celebration through World Relief’s baby showers. Read more: bit.ly/43D7DDo #Spokane #RefugeesWelcome #WorldRelief