NEWS STORY
RNS-Steyer-QA: Democratic presidential hopeful Tom Steyer on faith, climate change and who goes to heaven
(RNS) — Tom Steyer spoke with Religion News Service to discuss his faith, how it intersects with his policy agenda, and the overlap between religion and politics in the United States. By Jack Jenkins. 1,420 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Steyer-Profile: Tom Steyer and preaching the environmental gospel on the campaign trail
(RNS) — Lots of people see God in nature. But for Tom Steyer, a billionaire environmentalist turned presidential candidate, God is found not only in the environment, but also in those who fight to protect it. By Jack Jenkins. 1,460 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Church-Restart: Let’s try this again: Minnesota church at center of controversy is one of many attempting a restart
(RNS) — Weeks after it first appeared in a St. Paul Pioneer Press article headlined “Cottage Grove church to usher out gray-haired members in effort to attract more young parishioners,” the story of The Grove has been told and told again. But The Grove is not the only church in the country — or even in the region — attempting to make a fresh start amid dwindling mainline church attendance. While painful for many longtime church members, advocates say a restart can be what’s needed to reverse shrinking numbers and breathe new life into congregations. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 1,800 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-CCCU-SexAbuse: Rachael Denhollander: Christian colleges key in addressing ‘evil’ sex abuse
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Abuse survivor and activist Rachael Denhollander brought her advocacy to presidents of evangelical colleges, urging them at their annual conference to not discount sexual abuse but to instead support survivors who report it. By Adelle M. Banks. 600 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-France-Barbarin: French cardinal is acquitted of sex abuse coverup as country faces its own legacy of pedophilia
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – After French civil courts last year convicted Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon for failing to report sexual abuse cases, he was acquitted on appeal on Thursday (Jan. 31). By Claire Giangravè. 862 words. (category: c)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Willow-Search: Senior pastor candidates, interim pastor out at Willow Creek
CHICAGO (RNS) — The search for a new leader at Willow Creek Community Church is back to the drawing board. Elders at the suburban Chicago megachurch announced Thursday (Jan. 30) that they have released the two finalists they were considering for the role of senior pastor from the search process. The elders also announced that acting senior pastor Steve Gillen will step down in March. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 458 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Camosy-Oped: The Focolare have two words for our broken political dialogue: Jesus forsaken
(RNS) — Our public discourse and politics feel like they are about to explode, don’t they? With the fallout from President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial coinciding with the beginning of the 2020 election cycle, the outlook for the future looks positively frightening. But looks can be deceiving. While Congress, the Twitterati and talking heads on cable news are at each other’s throats, the idea that the general public is polarized is, to say the least, overstated. By Charles C. Camosy. 1,016 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: Mormons (and everyone else) will soon have access to the Church’s Handbook
(RNS) — (RNS) — Yesterday the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced it will be combining both of its Handbooks of Instruction into a single volume, which will be made digitally available to the public and updated regularly online. This comes as welcome news to me for several reasons. By Jana Riess. 1,046 words. (category: k)
