NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) For the past 24 years, Richard Land has used his folksy charm and fiery rhetoric to become the public face of Southern Baptists. Now his future is in doubt, pending a probe of his remarks about the Trayvon Martin shooting and for alleged plagiarism. By Bob Smietana.

(RNS) Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed a bill preventing judges from considering foreign law in their deliberations, a move that Muslim groups say is a direct and unnecessary assault on Shariah, or Islamic law. By Lauren Markoe.

CLEVELAND (RNS) Catholics are coming together around the country for prayer vigils as a show of support for America's nuns, whom the Vatican accuses of having "serious doctrinal problems." By Michael O'Malley.

(RNS) Atheists and others who don’t adhere to a religion often say they can be good without God. And now, three new studies seem to back them up. By Kimberly Winston.

NEW ORLEANS (RNS) The New Orleans pastor who's poised to become the Southern Baptist Convention's first black president says the denomination shouldn't be defined by its racial history, even as he has concerns about how President Obama has been treated, and the ongoing Trayvon Martin case. By Kim Lawton.

INDIANAPOLIS (RNS) How did we go from building the interstate highway system to not doing anything unless it benefits us? How did the party of Eisenhower degenerate into would-be demagogues defaming anyone who stands between them and power? How did a nation that fought totalitarianism spy on young adults just for questioning Wall Street? By Tom Ehrich.

(RNS) A majority of Southern Baptist pastors surveyed said they think it would be good for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination to be led by an African-American. By Adelle M. Banks.

(RNS) A Southern Baptist leader who works on gay outreach has criticized recent anti-gay comments by North Carolina pastors, saying they “show a complete lack of understanding of how to minister to those struggling with this particular temptation.” By Adelle M. Banks.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (RNS) When Mudita Bahadur started looking for excuses not to take her children on a 45-minute trip to the Hindu temple every Sunday, she knew she had to make a change. So Bahadur and other parents decided to take their children's religious education into their own hands. By Megan Sweas.

NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) Islamic leaders say they are shocked that a review by New Jersey's state Attorney General into the New York Police Department’s secret surveillance operation targeting Muslim businesses and mosques in New Jersey found the NYPD did nothing wrong. By Ted Sherman.