NEWS STORY
RNS-Prison-Chaplains: Anxiety, loneliness and spiritual isolation characterize life in prison during pandemic
NEW YORK (RNS) — Religious practices of all sorts are fixtures of community for those inside — and all have been stymied by the pandemic lockdowns. In many prisons, volunteer chaplains are not allowed to contact the incarcerated people they have relationships with: no visits, no phone calls, no Zooms, no letters, no emails. By Lyra Walsh Fuchs. 1,737 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Budddhism-Covid: Stressed by COVID, online seekers discover Buddhism’s calming practice
(RNS) — Teachers from a variety of the faith’s traditions say they’re seeing a surge of interest in Buddhist practices, driven both by the stress many have encountered in the pandemic and the nation’s switch to online programming, which has allowed greater access to Buddhist teachings and practices than ever before. By Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil. By 895 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Jackson-Obit: Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., Trump evangelical adviser, has died
(RNS) — Bishop Harry Jackson Jr., a prominent Black conservative pastor, died Monday (Nov. 9). The 67-year-old Jackson was the long-time pastor of a multiethnic megachurch outside of D.C. and served as an advisor to President Trump. By Adelle M. Banks, Bob Smietana, and Emily McFarlan Miller 1,100 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-McCarrick-Report: Vatican’s McCarrick report: three popes looked the other way on sex abuse claims
(RNS) – A long-awaited Vatican report shows every pope who McCarrick came in touch with was unable to directly address the mounting allegations against him, contributing to his rise as one of the most prominent prelates in the United States for nearly six decades. By Claire Giangravè. 1,000 words. (category: i)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Claiborne-Oped: The 2020 election was a referendum on race and Christian faith
(RNS) — This election saw many people stand up for faith over fear, for love over hatred and for hope over despair. We saw new factions of pro-life evangelicals stand out in their courageous support for change in Washington while not compromising their convictions on abortion or other issues they hold dear. By Shane Claiborne. 915 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Salkin-Oped: Rabbi Jonathan Sacks taught Judaism to the world
(RNS) — Sacks, who died Saturday (Nov. 7), retired in 2013 as chief rabbi of the United Kingdom, but his authority by that point needed no title. It came from his moral suasion, his sheer intellectual heft, his broad cultural literacy and his elegance of language and bearing. Sacks was that absolute rarity: a true public intellectual of the Jewish people. By Jeffrey Salkin. 1,130 words. (category: k)