The American hikers who spent two years in an Iranian prison are free on bail.
Israel’s finance minister says his country may withhold tax revenue from Palestinians should they persist in pursuing statehood through the United Nations. Meanwhile on the streets of Ramallah, thousands rally in support of the U.N. bid.
The Pope has approved an early retirement for Indianapolis Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, who is ailing.
A retired Lutheran pastor in Tanzania has attracted thousands to his small village for a sip of his miracle cure for everything, a concoction he said was revealed to him by God. Other church leaders and HIV prevention groups in the country say he’s a quack and discourages people from seeking effective treatment.
At least 25 are dead in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Baluchistan after at attack on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Iran.
The Southern Baptist Convention is considering changing its name to something that doesn’t include the word “Southern” in hopes of attracting more people who don’t live in or identify with the South. The largest Protestant denomination in the United States baptized 332,321 last year. That may seem like a lot but it’s the lowest number for the church since the 1950s.
The two-week strike at 17 Catholic high schools in Philadelphia is over.
The study of the day: Fewer people are going to church and church budgets are in rough shape, but not as rough as they used to be, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
NPR reports that a Catholic monastery is closing its ranch in North Dakota for lack of monks with cowboy skills.
Check out these videos of shofar flashmobs, gatherings around the world where Jews are blowing the shofar – a ram’s horn not attached to a ram – to celebrate the upcoming Jewish New Year. Hey, one of those guys has a vuvuzela. I don’t think that counts.
And a big congrats to intrepid RNS reporter Adelle M. Banks, for her third place Religion Reporter of the Year award, given by the Religion Newswriters Association. Here’s one example of her work that impressed the judges.
– Lauren Markoe
