NEWS STORY
RNS-Refugees-Injunction: Federal judge blocks executive order on refugees in lawsuit by three faith-based organizations
(RNS) — A federal judge in Maryland has blocked President Donald Trump’s recent executive order allowing state and local officials to block refugee resettlement. The preliminary injunction is part of HIAS v. Trump, a lawsuit by three faith-based organizations against the U.S. government over the order. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 500 words (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Abuse-Muslims: ‘A long time coming’: These Muslims are bringing sex abuse by sheikhs out of the shadows
(RNS) – Over the past two to three years, scholars and advocates say, North American Muslims have risen up in an unprecedented movement to openly confront sexual and spiritual abuse perpetrated by Muslim religious leaders. By Aysha Khan. 2,000 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Open-Doors: Open Doors warns of ‘rise of the surveillance state’ as North Korea tops watch list again
(RNS) — This year, Christian watchdog organization Open Doors is highlighting the “rise of the surveillance state” and its impact on Christians and Muslims in China along with its 2019 World Watch List, released Wednesday (Jan. 15). Still, China is not among the top 10 in Open Doors’ ranking of the countries where Christians faced the most persecution for their faith in 2019. North Korea leads the organization’s annual World Watch List for the 18th straight year. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 771 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Suleiman-Oped: Texas’ misguided decision on refugees is state-sponsored Islamophobia
(RNS) — Many Christian critics have excoriated Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to opt out of the United States refugee resettlement program on biblical moral grounds. But perhaps more importantly we need to examine the decision in light of the state’s persistent casual and official Islamophobia. By Omar Suleiman. 800 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Reese-Oped: Baptism for mission, not only the remission of sins
(RNS) — In Catholic church’s catechism and perhaps for John the Baptist, baptism has always been for the remission of sins. There is nothing wrong with this description, as far as it goes, but baptism is also a commission that shows how we continue the mission of Jesus. By Thomas Reese. 858 words. (category: k)
