NEWS STORY
RNS-Prayer-Breakfast: Trump takes jabs at political opponents during National Prayer Breakfast
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A noticeably frustrated Donald Trump lashed out during his speech at the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday (Feb 6), using the multifaith religious gathering not only to champion his administration’s achievements on religious matters, but also to chide political opponents who challenged him during the recent impeachment process. By Jack Jenkins. 840 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Love-Enemies: Loving your enemies is not easy, say National Prayer Breakfast speakers
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The recent division in the United States over Trump’s impeachment was on the minds of attendees and organizers alike. Several mentioned the theme of the day was especially timely — and that gathering people together around tables to talk and get to know each other is one way to defuse some of the tensions in the country. By Bob Smietana. 803 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-CAIR-LA: CAIR-LA calls for hate crime investigation for anti-Muslim remarks at public forum
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Los Angeles is calling for a hate crime investigation after a Congressional District candidate forum was disrupted with anti-Muslim remarks. During the forum, a woman confronted a woman wearing a hijab and said, “That is anti-American. This is America. You want to assimilate to America? Take that hijab off and be American.” By Alejandra Molina. 300 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Graham-Cancel: Franklin Graham vows UK tour will go on, after eight venues drop his appearance
(RNS) — Franklin Graham said he will seek out alternative venues for a United Kingdom tour this spring after all eight venues reneged on plans to host the evangelist saying his views on homosexuality and Islam were incompatible with the values of the English people. By Yonat Shimron. 550 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Tebow-Vatican: Tim Tebow and the Vatican join forces to give disabled an epic prom night
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – Perhaps the last thing one would expect booming from the speakers of a Vatican sponsored event is “Scream & Shout” by Will.i.am and Britney Spears. But the Catholic Church teamed up with sports celebrity Tim Tebow on Tuesday night and set formalities aside to give people with special needs a night to remember. By Claire Giangravé. 950 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Religious-Freedom: More than two dozen countries launch new religious freedom alliance
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The State Department announced Wednesday (Feb. 5) that 27 countries have joined the new International Religious Freedom Alliance that seeks to reduce religious persecution across the globe. By Adelle M. Banks. 675 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: When religious conviction trumps politics: The case of Mitt Romney
(RNS) — It is hard to imagine anyone who listened to that interview and watched his Senate speech coming to the conclusion that Romney was guilty of bad faith — anyone, that is, except a dyed-in-the-wool partisan of Trump. That his fellow Republican senators have so far refrained from criticizing him is telling. By Mark Silk. 700 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Burton-Oped: Canceling authors: The debate over who owns our stories
(RNS) — In the age of fan fiction, the age of memes, the age of mashups and YouTube compilations, we no longer take for granted that there is a single, fixed narrative — one that belongs to the author, by virtue of him or her having invented it. Rather, stories are now seen as collective property. This is a religious phenomenon as much as it is a literary one. By Tara Isabella Burton. 1,003 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Kendrick-Oped: Trump, prayer and the faithful voter’s gut check
(RNS) — As Trump addresses the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday (Feb. 6) — the one public event held each year by the high-powered religious and political organization The Fellowship — faithful voters across America are facing a values gut check, one that puts the president’s platitudes and inhumane policies into stark relief. By Eva Kendrick. 715 words. (category: k)
