Newsmakers

Actor Kirk Cameron previews his See You at the Library event and explains why he believes Christians can learn something from Donald Trump and Joe Rogan.

A persecution watchdog is sounding the alarm as the situation in Syria appears to be deteriorating for minority groups like the Druze and Alawites.

Joel Veldkamp, head of international communications at Christian Solidarity International (CSI), told CBN News that Syrian government forces have gone after these groups, killing innocents in the process.

The most recent incursion unfolded last week and had deadly consequences. A pastor was also killed.

Cara Kernodle faced every mother’s worst nightmare on Nov. 13, 2022, when her daughter, Xana, was one of four University of Idaho students murdered in an off-campus home.

Reaching a state of peace certainly wasn’t easy for Kernodle. She revealed how she was in a “bad place” after Xana’s murder, struggling with drugs and substances.

“And bad went to worse after it happened,” Kernodle said. “I wish I could say that that was my ‘aha moment,’ that that is when I ran towards Christ, but I ran towards drugs and alcohol instead and ended up getting to a place where I knew that I was either going to die living the way that I was or I could draw close to Jesus, and surrender, and change my life — and hopefully be able to show others Christ through this trauma that I’ve experienced.”

Despite facing time in jail after Xana’s death, Kernodle said she found Jesus and is now walking with the Lord, experiencing a radically changed life.

Christopher Gunderson spent the first 16 years of his life unable to eat and in desperate need of medical intervention for survival. But Gunderson, who was born with chronic pseudo-obstruction syndrome — an ailment in which the gastrointestinal tracts can't appropriately absorb food — experienced a miracle that changed everything.

Here's his story.

It's been two years since social media influencer Oli London officially detransitioned and embarked on a faith-filled journey toward true peace and joy. "Life has changed very dramatically," he recently told CBN News. "I wake up every day with a sense of purpose, a sense of duty ... I feel a lot happier every single day." London, who has openly spoken about his Christian faith, said it has been "exciting" exploring his newfound belief in God. Raised as an atheist, he said he wasn't "too familiar with Christianity."

But since detransitioning two years ago, he spent a lot of time in Christian spaces. "I've been going to a lot of Christian events, been going to churches, connecting with people in the Christian community and elsewhere," he said, noting he's now trying to live out Jesus' example. "And I've been tremendously happy since then." But it's not just faith that has been the centerpiece of London's changed life. He's now become an advocate speaking out to help others struggling with the issues that once dominated his own life.

"Since ... I detransitioned, I've also been trying to use my platform now to try and do good in the world," he said. "And try to spread faith as well to the Generation Z audience." Considering London's own back story, he expressed a passion for young people "being led astray" today. "They are not connecting with God," he said of youths. "God is being taken out of classrooms in some places, and ... I think it's something that the young generation is missing." London has been open over the past two years about the detransition process, reaffirming past expressions that it wasn't the easiest of journeys, especially after years of attempting to present as a female.

"I underwent a lot of surgeries over a period of 10 years," he said. "I was going through an identity crisis, so I did spend several hundred thousand on the surgeries, the looks ... the clothes, all the fillers, the makeup, everything like that." London continued, "And ... it is something I regret, but, at the end of the day, I think ... it is a lesson. You can't dwell on these regrets, you can't dwell on the past." Ultimately, he said he tries to focus now on the positive, despite wishing these weren't decisions he had made. As for his transition, which he said has made him 10 times happier than before, London said at the start there wasn't much information or resources.

Listen to him tell his story.

Olympic silver medalist MyKayla Skinner Harmer is speaking out in defense of women's sports, backing activist and former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines' opposition to biological men competing in women's sports. Harmer's position was made clear after she made headlines in recent weeks for claiming former teammate Simone Biles "belittled, dismissed and ostracized" her.

An ex-LGBT activist in Malta who reportedly faces potential prison time after sharing his testimony of leaving behind a gay lifestyle to follow Christ continues to face his years-long court battle.

Matthew Grech told CBN News he is heading back to court July 16 to continue his quest to avoid a potential five-month jail sentence and fines after being accused of "advertising so-called conversion practices."

A head-turning CNN analysis article warning that "prophecy, not politics, may also shape America’s clash with Iran" was published this week, seemingly taking aim at evangelicals who believe in various end times theological constructs. From the Rapture – the notion Christians will be taken up to heaven before or during the Tribulation period — to positions on Israel, the piece in question struck some critics as strange, incomplete, and even leading.

Shawn Marcell, co-founder of LifeSurge, joined Billy Hallowell to discuss the faith-based movement sweeping across the nation—and how it's playing out not just in churches, but in the marketplace. LifeSurge aims to equip believers to steward their resources for God’s kingdom, helping people identify their “why” when it comes to wealth creation and influence. At the heart of the mission is a call to merge faith with practical action, especially in how Christians show up professionally, financially, and spiritually in their day-to-day lives.

Marcell describes a growing spiritual hunger he’s witnessing at LifeSurge’s large-scale events.

Actor Kirk Cameron believes many pastors and Christians today can learn a lesson or two from individuals like President Donald Trump and radio host Joe Rogan.