NEWS STORY
RNS-Lois-Evans: Tony Evans’ wife’s funeral set for Dallas church where her husband preaches
(RNS)— Lois Evans, the wife of megachurch pastor and radio broadcaster Tony Evans, will be remembered at a funeral Monday (Jan. 6) at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas. Just two months before they were both honored there. By Adelle M. Banks. 800 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Bonnke-Funeral: Memorial for Reinhard Bonnke, ‘the Billy Graham of Africa,’ draws thousands
ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS) — Reinhard Bonnke, the German evangelist known as “The Billy Graham of Africa,” was lauded at a Saturday (Jan. 4) memorial service as “a giant and a general in the army of God.” The Pentecostal pastor died Dec. 7 at the age of 79 in Orlando, where he moved his international ministry, Christ for All Nations, in the early 2000s. During more than four decades of mass crusades in Africa, Bonnke preached in 51 of the continent’s countries and claimed to have converted 79 million people to Christianity. By Mark I. Pinsky. 937 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Trump-Speech: In speech to evangelicals, Trump says God is ‘on our side’
(RNS) — Donald Trump insisted that he is favored by God during a speech to evangelicals on Friday evening (Jan 4), when he also invoked Christian nationalist themes and challenged the faith of his Democratic rivals as he kicked off a new campaign initiative aimed at conservative Christians. By Jack Jenkins. 1200 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-God-Weekend: As Iowa caucus nears, candidates ramp up God-talk
(RNS) — Democratic presidential hopefuls leaned into God-talk while criss-crossing Iowa over the weekend, invoking the Bible and meeting with religious leaders while their Republican opponent President Trump worked to bolster support among evangelical Christians. By Jack Jenkins, 748 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Iranians-Border: Caught in crossfire: After US strike, border stops leave Iranian Americans feeling vulnerable
(RNS) – Amid reports that dozens of Iranian Americans were detained and questioned for hours at the U.S.-Canada border while returning home over the weekend, civil rights experts say they fear an environment of increased scrutiny, surveillance and harassment against Iranian Americans by law enforcement. By Aysha Khan. 1400 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Mental-Health: Faith leaders try to combat stigma of mental illness, suicide
(RNS) — One in five adults in the United States experiences mental illness, and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 34, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Historically, faith traditions have been reluctant to talk about mental health and categorized suicide as a sin, often leaving survivors and family feeling neglected and hurt. That’s starting to change. By Heather Morrison. 1,910 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Proeschold-Bell-Oped: Four steps clergy can take to avoid burnout
(RNS) — Clergy who flourish despite the demands of the job make their well-being a priority while approaching it flexibly. By Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell. 700 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Everett-Oped: God rested. Why can’t clergy take a break?
(RNS) — A doctor should not perform surgery if she is tired. A pilot should not fly if he is tired. Police officers should not be patrolling with guns in hand if they are tired. The church must develop a culture that allows its spiritual leaders to rest without shame. By Laura Everett. 1,025 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Reese-Oped: Two popes and three kings
(RNS) — The first time I watched Netflix’s “The Two Popes,” I hated it. Watching through the eyes of a journalist, I regarded the movie as a total fiction — Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio did not come to Rome to submit his resignation and Pope Benedict XVI did not tell the cardinal he was planning to resign. But as I celebrated Epiphany Sunday (Jan. 5), I reflected on how much the story of the Magi is like the story of the two popes. By Thomas Reese. 1,004 words. (category: k)
