Thousands of St. Louis-area families were freed from a major financial burden thanks to a charitable effort that is increasingly popular among churches and other organizations trying to help the needy — eliminating medical debt.

On a morning also filled with prayer and song, more than a hundred people gathered at Greater Tucker Missionary Baptist Church to listen to a leading civil rights activist outline what she called the difficult but necessary work for justice.

My late grandmother, Yvonne Nuhrah, was an Avon lady extraordinaire. She perfected what we kids and grandkids dubbed "the Avon walk."

When you're browsing in a bookstore, I'm sure certain titles grab your attention and you read the back cover because you want to know more about what the book is about.

I went to see "Little Women" the other day without a great deal of hope: Not one of the many film adaptations of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel has been truly faithful to the book. In particular, Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaption might more accurately have been titled "Little Feminists."

The Tennessee chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is requesting the Catholic Church's U.S. governing body investigate of the Diocese of Knoxville for allegedly silencing victims of sexual abuse through a practice outlawed by the church nearly 20 years ago.

Performances, programs and events in the Chattanooga region.

In a bid to solidify his evangelical base, President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to protect prayer in public schools and took new steps to give religious organizations easier access to federal programs.

After months of publicly discrediting and denying sexual abuse allegations against prominent priests and a diocesan employee, documents obtained by the Times Free Press suggest the Diocese of Knoxville may have known about those allegations for almost a year before suspending the accused employee.

Prayer in schools remains a controversial issue here in Chattanooga and surrounding areas.

The "From Script to Scripture" exhibit features rare Bibles and Christian books from around the world.

Ever since Benedict XVI announced he would become the first pope in 600 years to resign, Catholic theologians, canon lawyers and others warned of the potential confusion in having two popes living side by side in the Vatican, one reigning, the other retired but calling himself "emeritus pope" and still wearing the white cassock of the papacy.

People believe many different things about God and spirituality.

I had a unicorn in church today.

Between 1997 and 2016, researchers at an excavation near Ashkelon in Israel examined the remains of more than 100 humans, remains that dated from the 12th to 6th centuries before Christ. The researchers hoped to find human DNA in order to answer an old question: Who were the Philistines? Where did they come from?

Faith-based performances, programs and events in the Chattanooga region.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is part of "Religion: Got questions?," a series answering your biggest religious questions. Each week, we will answer one submitted faith question. To send a submission visit timesfreepress.com/religionquestions or email wmassey@timesfreepress.com.

After years of leading a white supremacist group and the Ku Klux Klan in Germany, TM Garret is in the business of compassion.

The lawyer for a conservative advocacy organization sent a letter Monday to all 95 Tennessee county clerks and the governor arguing they are violating the state's constitution by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

The Samples were a black Chicago family, with six children and few resources. The priest helped them with tuition, clothes, bills. He offered the promise of opportunities — a better life.

In the early 2000s, across the digital and print world of Christian apologetics, the so-called "New Atheism" was a central topic of conversation.

I suppose I knew that I was stressed and in need of a break, but it was not until I sat on the steps overlooking the water, feeling the cool air of the night, that I even began to understand just how fully that was true.

I have a dear friend who is going through some serious health issues, and all who know him are sending up a lot of prayers.