NEWS STORY
RNS-Romney-Impeachment: Romney cites faith as inspiring his vote to convict Trump
(RNS) — Utah senator and Republican Mitt Romney has declared his intention to vote to convict President Donald Trump on an impeachment charge, explaining he is compelled to do so in part by his faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By Jack Jenkins and Emily McFarlan Miller. 729 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-StateOf-Union: Breaking down Trump’s religion-heavy State of the Union
WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Donald Trump delivered a State of the Union address peppered with religious references and ideas on Tuesday evening (Feb. 4), laying out a sweeping vision for the United States that evoked old (and contested) religious ideas and catered directly to conservative Christians who make up his base of support. By Jack Jenkins. 1337 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Belmont-Faculty: Christian university says it is open to hiring non-Christian art faculty in merger
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — A nondenominational Christian university in Nashville says it will consider hiring non-Christian faculty from an art college it recently merged with. A spokesperson for Belmont said Tuesday (Feb. 4) that no decisions have been made about faculty hirings post-merger. The school won’t decide how many staff or faculty it will hire until it knows more details, including how many students will transfer. If there are openings, Watkins staff will be able to apply. By Bob Smietana. 510 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Mural-Blessing: In this LA neighborhood, residents unite to bless one of its most sacred murals
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — On a recent Sunday afternoon, more than 100 people gathered in a north east Los Angeles intersection to honor what some refer to as the neighborhood’s most sacred mural. The mural, “Tenochtitlan: The Wall that Talks,” blends Aztec, Mayan and Native American images in unity with one another. Aztec dancers and healers assembled to bless and protect the mural after word spread about plans to build windows on that particular wall. The mural is on the outside of a building that, in August 2019, sold for $5.8 million, property records show. By Alejandra Molina. 861 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: Donald Trump’s Mormon problem continues, new study shows
(RNS) — Mormons’ lukewarm feelings toward the president have not significantly damaged their overall Republican Party affiliation. Roughly two-thirds of Mormons surveyed say they “identify as Republican or lean toward the Republican party.” This is lower than in past surveys, but not dramatically so. By Jana Riess. 851 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Salkin-Oped: Why do they hate the Jews?
(RNS) — It is a good question, and it is one that haunted one of the most prolific, and one of the most controversial, thinkers in the contemporary world — a man who died just the other day, at the age of 90. I am referring to the late George Steiner — a literary critic, a professor of comparative literature at Oxford and Cambridge, and one of the more original intellectuals in the contemporary cultural landscape. Of all the things Steiner taught in his long and illustrious career, the most tantalizing thing was his answer to that question: “Why do they hate us?” By Jeffrey Salkin. 997 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-MeyaardSchaap-Oped: An open letter from young evangelicals to the National Prayer Breakfast about climate change
(RNS) — To the attendees of the 2020 National Prayer Breakfast: Today, you gather in prayer for our nation and for our world — for the health of our democracy, for the good of our neighbors, for the extension of Christ’s kingdom of justice and peace to the ends of the earth. It is in a spirit of gratitude that we write you today, as young Christians, to implore you to engage the climate crisis with the full and faithful urgency that it requires. By Kyle Meyaard-Schaap. 679 words. (category: k)
