RNS Updated Budget—November 20, 2020

The Rev. Adam Taylor, executive director of the Christian social justice advocacy organization, has been named to succeed Sojourner’s founder, the Rev. Jim Wallis, who will join the faculty of Georgetown University. The move was announced to coincide with Sojourners’ 50th anniversary. […]

NEWS STORY
RNS-Sojourners-Taylor: Adam Taylor succeeds Jim Wallis as Sojourners president
(RNS) — The Rev. Adam Taylor, executive director of the Christian social justice advocacy organization, has been named to succeed Sojourner’s founder, the Rev. Jim Wallis, who will join the faculty of Georgetown University. The move was announced to coincide with Sojourners’ 50th anniversary. By Bob Smietana. 980 words. (category: a)

NEWS STORY
RNS-Lentz-GMA: Ranin Karim, woman in Carl Lentz’s alleged affair, seeks ‘closure’ in GMA interview
(RNS) — The woman who confessed to a five-month affair with the disgraced Hillsong NYC pastor appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America Friday (Nov. 20) wearing a necklace she said Lentz gave her. “When you give somebody so much power, they become God to people,” said Karim. “People forgot the concept of religion and beliefs, and people look at Carl like he’s God.” By Paul O’Donnell. 560 words. (category: a)

NEWS STORY
RNS-HURRICANE-HONDURAS: As hurricanes belt Honduras, Christian aid group fights not just water but corruption
(RNS) — Two Category 4 hurricanes have hit Central America, coming ashore within 15 miles and 13 days of each other in Nicaragua and killing several people across the region. The Association for a More Just Society, a Christian nonprofit in Honduras and the United States, has already been working with local Honduran groups to help residents find shelter and provide them with monetary assistance, but is looking at the bigger picture. By Alejandra Molina. 745 words. (category: a, i)


NEWS STORY
RNS-Vatican-Anti-Semitism: Vatican and US join to condemn rising anti-Semitism
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — With anti-Semitism on the rise globally, the Vatican and the United States partnered at a virtual conference on Thursday (Nov. 19) to condemn hate crimes and violence against Jews in both Europe and the U.S. and to reaffirm their support of the state of Israel. By Claire Giangravé. 700 words. (category: a, i)

NEWS STORY
RNS-CMDA-COVID: Stay home, evangelical medical organization tells churches as COVID spreads
(RNS) — The Christian Medical and Dental Association’s statement mentions government restrictions in passing, but it focuses on the duty that congregations have to love their neighbors. “Voluntarily choosing not to gather allows us to make a statement that is not overshadowed by a government restriction,” the group said on Friday (Nov. 20). By Bob Smietana. 522 words. (category: a)

NEWS STORY
RNS-LUTHER-PANDEMIC: Martin Luther’s pandemic advice goes viral — 500 years later
CHICAGO (RNS) — It’s been more than 500 years since the German monk’s words first went viral, sparking the Protestant Reformation. But a letter Luther penned during the 1527 pandemic is now making the rounds as COVID-19 ravages the globe. So what would Luther do in a pandemic? By Emily McFarlan Miller. 600 words. (category: a)

COMMENTARY
RNS-Reese-Oped: US Catholic bishops’ response to McCarrick report is sad but predictable
(RNS) — The discussion of the Vatican report on ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick by the U.S. bishops at their annual fall meeting was sad but predictable — sad because the bishops failed to communicate that they understood the report’s implications; predictable in that some bishops defended John Paul II against the report’s finding that the pontiff shared culpability in the McCarrick case. By Thomas Reese. 1,100 words. (category: k)

COMMENTARY
RNS-Schonfeld-Oped: Faith leaders can help end COVID-19 pandemic by promoting vaccination
(RNS) — The miracle of a COVID-19 vaccine is too much for many to comprehend, and some surveys show as many as 50% of Americans will hesitate to get inoculated. Testimony from scientists alone will not rid Americans of their doubts. Faith leaders need to overcome their doubts and their practical obstacles to getting the vaccine when it comes. By Julie Schonfeld. 630 words. (category: k)