NEWS STORY
RNS-DriveIn-Church: Churches go back to the future with drive-in services in the time of the coronavirus
(RNS) — Some drive-in theaters — a fad in the 1950s, but more recently seen as novelties — are reporting a swell of popularity during the coronavirus pandemic as people look for entertainment that gets them out of their houses but also keeps them a safe distance from others. And some churches have been inspired to adapt the drive-in model for their services. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 1,200 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Saint-Corona: Is St. Corona the patron saint of pandemics?
(RNS) — Were you — out of quarantine boredom perhaps — to Google “patron saint of pandemics,” you might be surprised by the results. “It’s incredible but it’s seemingly true – there is a Saint Corona and she is one of the patrons of pandemics,” according to the website of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lansing, Michigan. Even more incredible, according to the diocese, the remains of the second-century saint are in northern Italy, the epicenter of the recent outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe. One scholar says that’s not quite true. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 500 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Burke-COVID19: Catholic Cardinal says faithful should attend mass despite coronavirus
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – In an online statement, conservative Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke said that access to mass and the sacraments must not be denied even as the world faces the coronavirus pandemic. By Claire Giangravè. 576 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Pope-Indulgence: Pope Francis will offer plenary indulgence in response to coronavirus
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – Pope Francis announced on Sunday (March 22) that he will be delivering an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing and indulgence due to the coronavirus pandemic that has been disrupting the world and has had its largest outbreak in Italy. By Claire Giangravè. 608 words. (category: i)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Baggett-Oped: Dear Liberty University board: Please stop Jerry Falwell Jr. before it’s too late
(RNS) — Jerry Falwell, Jr. is about to make a terrible mistake. Although Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s ban on gatherings of more than 100 people forced Falwell to cancel residential classes at Liberty University, the campus remains open, with students set to return to dorms early next week either to live out the semester or to clean out their rooms. It’s time for the Liberty University board to stop him and shut the campus down before it’s too late. By Marybeth Davis Baggett. 1,085 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Smietana-Oped: Tom Brady’s leap of faith
(RNS) — Brady’s off to Tampa Bay on a quest to continue his football journey and embrace his new role as the Tim Tebow of pliability and avocado ice cream. Belichick can get back to football. By Bob Smietana. 912 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: Why some keep believing when Trumpian prophecy fails
(RNS) — Groups with powerful convictions won’t abandon their commitments just because the empirical evidence says them nay — be they Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses or Trump evangelicals. By Mark Silk. 550 words. (categories: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Martin-Oped: Conservative churches need to get the social distancing memo
(RNS) — Some conservative churches are staying open because they believe that God not only desires your worship, but demands it, and in return will keep you safe. They need to trust that closing our churches is not about fear, it’s about love. By Colby Martin. 888 words. (category: k)
