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Ms. Penny Cost delivers a message during the Hope United Methodist Church virtual service in Bloomington, Illinois, on April 11, 2021. Video screengrab

First drag queen certified as a candidate for United Methodist ministry ‘speaking in a new way to new people’

By Emily McFarlan Miller

(RNS) — Isaac Simmons is the first openly gay man to be certified within the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and, as far as anyone can tell, the first drag queen certified in the United Methodist Church.

Photo: AlexanderJonesi

RNS Weekly News Quiz: April 15, 2021

By Emily Churchill

“Otherwise/Revival,” an exhibit through Bridge Projects, is a group exhibition exploring the Black church’s influence on contemporary artists. The exhibition includes everything from paintings to sculptures to performances that celebrate elements like community and praise. Image courtesy of Robert Wedemeyer

In Los Angeles, a pair of art exhibitions centers the Black worship experience

By Alejandra Molina

Pope Francis delivers a prerecorded talk that was streamed on Oct. 10, 2020. Video screengrab

Pope Francis criticizes ‘paternalism’ of populist politicians

By Claire Giangravé

Opinion

Interfaith campus partnerships are building bridges to overcome our divisions

By Shirley Hoogstra, Eboo Patel

(RNS) — When we listen to those who believe differently, we grow in our own faith.

Is magic immoral? It played a role in the development of early Christianity

By Shaily Shashikant Patel

(The Conversation) — Early Christians worked to distinguish the miracles of Jesus from the magic of local sorcerers.

DMX was my John the Forerunner

By T.C. Moore

(RNS) — DMX pointed me to Jesus not through a sermon or a Bible study, but through his bold faith that didn’t paper over his flaws.

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The Rev. Jason Lydon speaks during a virtual Passover service of Second Unitarian Church of Chicago on March 28, 2021. Video screengrab

Formerly incarcerated, this Unitarian Universalist minister is dedicated to abolishing prisons

The celebration of Nowruz in Tehran, Iran, in 2014. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The story of the Iranian new year, Nowruz, and why its themes of renewal and healing matter

Alicia Jo Rabins, second from right, in a scene from “A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff.” Photo courtesy A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff

‘A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff’: Jewish artist Alicia Jo Rabins turns financial crisis into spiritual film

The World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, England, in 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Convictions upheld for British pagans who trespassed at Stonehenge

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Other Faiths

Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh have bolstered the conservative wing of the Supreme Court. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)

How the Supreme Court found its faith and put ‘religious liberty’ on a winning streak

The Supreme Court is seen at sundown in Washington on Nov. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

High court halts Calif. virus rules limiting home worship

Martin Luther King III, fourth from left, leads the March for Humanity on April 9, 2018, in Atlanta. The march commemorates the funeral procession of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 50 years ago. To the right of King is Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert Kennedy, and Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. To the left is his daughter Yolanda Renee King and Jaclyn Corin, an organizer of March for Our Lives. Behind King is the Rev. Al Sharpton. Three years later, a panel was held including Martin Luther King III discussing voting legislation. (AP Photo/Jonathan Landrum)

Martin Luther King III calls new voting legislation ‘greatest hypocrisy’

The Rev. James Coates preaches at GraceLife church, near Edmonton, Alberta. Video screengrab

Protesters rally to cause of ‘jailed’ Canadian church as pastor awaits trial

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu smiles as he celebrates his 86th birthday in Cape Town, South Africa, on Oct. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Wessels)

New book explores how Desmond Tutu’s Christian mysticism helped unite a nation

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu waits to receive the 2013 Templeton Prize at the Guildhall in central London on May 21, 2013. Photo by Paul Hackett/Reuters

How Tutu’s spirituality incorporated Christian mysticism with the African notion of interdependency

Health & Lifestyle

Muslims pray as they practice social distancing during an evening prayer called tarawih, marking the first eve of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Chicago's Muslim Community Center on April 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)

Ramadan fasting isn’t about hunger. It’s about living mindfully.

Ramadan lanterns are displayed for sale. Photo by Rawan Yasser/Unsplash/Creative Commons

For interfaith couples, Ramadan can deepen ties to faith and each other

Devotees stand behind barricades as they wait for Naga Sadhu or Naked Hindu holy men to arrive for Shahi snan or a Royal bath during Kumbh mela, in Haridwar in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, Monday, April 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Karma Sonam)

Huge gatherings at India’s Hindu festival as virus surges

Ultra-Orthodox Jews, followers of the Hasidic sect of Shomrei Emunim, wearing protective face masks to combat the coronavirus outbreak, attend the funeral of Rabbi Refael Aharon Roth, 72, who died from the virus, in Bnei Brak, Israel, on Aug. 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

I love all Jews — even the ones I don’t like

Instagram posts by the Good Publishing Co. highlight their limited edition, art-inspired NIV Bible. Screengrab

Marketing ploy or sacred art? Bible publishers appeal to millennials with focus on design

Justin Bieber in the video for his song “Holy.” Photo via @justinbieber/Instagram

Justin Bieber’s Easter surprise EP, ‘Freedom,’ adds to his Jesus-filled chapter

What group is least likely to get a vaccine? (AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin)

Black Protestants aren’t least likely to get a vaccine; white evangelicals are

Image by Seanbatty/Pixabay/Creative Commons

In ‘The Salvage Crew,’ a Buddhist AI poet seeks aliens and enlightenment

Photo by Ahna Ziegler/Unsplash/Creative Commons

Celebrating Ash Wednesday in a pandemic? There’s an app for that

Goldziher Prize Expanding for 2019

Luther Bible in the Lutherhaus in Wittenberg, Germany. Photo courtesy of Michael Turtle/German National Tourist Office

Germany’s ‘LutherCountry’ gears up for Reformation 500th anniversary

Dr. Georgia Dunston, Professor of Microbiology and Founding Director, National Human Genome Center, Howard University College of Medicine with Fourth Line Films crew at Howard University College of Medicine.
Photo courtesy of AAAS/Christine A. Scheller

Film series helps seminary students understand scientific thinking

Photo: AlexanderJonesi

RNS Weekly News Quiz: April 15, 2021

The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities and Interfaith Youth Core have launched a partnership in hopes of building new bridges across religious divides. Screenshot from “Christian Leadership in a Multifaith World” by InterfaithYouthCore on YouTube

Interfaith campus partnerships are building bridges to overcome our divisions

“Otherwise/Revival,” an exhibit through Bridge Projects, is a group exhibition exploring the Black church’s influence on contemporary artists. The exhibition includes everything from paintings to sculptures to performances that celebrate elements like community and praise. Image courtesy of Robert Wedemeyer

In Los Angeles, a pair of art exhibitions centers the Black worship experience

Pope Francis delivers a prerecorded talk that was streamed on Oct. 10, 2020. Video screengrab

Pope Francis criticizes ‘paternalism’ of populist politicians

The Rev. Jason Lydon speaks during a virtual Passover service of Second Unitarian Church of Chicago on March 28, 2021. Video screengrab

Formerly incarcerated, this Unitarian Universalist minister is dedicated to abolishing prisons

Ms. Penny Cost delivers a message during the Hope United Methodist Church virtual service in Bloomington, Illinois, on April 11, 2021. Video screengrab

First drag queen certified as a candidate for United Methodist ministry ‘speaking in a new way to new people’

The Rev. James Coates preaches at GraceLife church, near Edmonton, Alberta. Video screengrab

Protesters rally to cause of ‘jailed’ Canadian church as pastor awaits trial

Liberty University's Sparky the Eagle is seen before an NCAA football game on Nov. 14, 2020, at Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Shaban Athuman)

Liberty University shake-ups continue as Falwell Jr.’s son leaves post as VP

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu smiles as he celebrates his 86th birthday in Cape Town, South Africa, on Oct. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Mark Wessels)

New book explores how Desmond Tutu’s Christian mysticism helped unite a nation

Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu waits to receive the 2013 Templeton Prize at the Guildhall in central London on May 21, 2013. Photo by Paul Hackett/Reuters

How Tutu’s spirituality incorporated Christian mysticism with the African notion of interdependency

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RNS Press Releases

IFYC and Fellowship in Prayer launch major ‘Sacred Journey Fellowship’ to support faith leaders in bridge building

Long-term declines in church giving and membership can be addressed

New photography exhibit examines faith during the pandemic