NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Gugino-Brief: Shoved to the ground, Martin Gugino sues city of Buffalo, mayor and police
(RNS) — A Catholic social justice activist who was knocked to the ground by police during a protest over racism last year has sued the city of Buffalo, its mayor, the police commissioner and several police officers in a civil suit. By Yonat Shimron. 350 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Price-Viewing: Public viewing set for Frederick K.C. Price, televangelist who built LA’s FaithDome
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — The public will have a chance to honor and bid farewell to the late Rev. Frederick K.C. “Fred” Price, a prominent Los Angeles pastor who built one of the largest church buildings in the nation, at a pair of closed casket viewings early March. The public “lying in repose” closed casket viewings will be held March 4 and March 5 at the Crenshaw Christian Center. By Alejandra Molina. 370 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Purim-Covid: It’s the happiest of Jewish holidays. But this Purim many are feeling sad
(RNS) — This year as they mark Purim, a one-day holiday that begins Thursday evening (Feb. 25), American Jews are viewing the raucous, rollicking feast with a touch of grief. It was right after the holiday last year that in-person gatherings were cancelled and services moved online. By Yonat Shimron. 650 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Baptist-Meetings: Southern Baptists expel four churches for abuse and LGBTQ membership
(RNS) – Four churches were expelled by the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday (Feb 23.), two for allowing gay members and two for abuse-related issues.By Bob Smietana. 300 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Greear-Speeach: SBC President J.D. Greear: ‘God did not call Southern Baptists to save America’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear called out fellow Baptists on Monday (Feb. 22) who he said were sowing dissension and lies in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.“We are not, at our core, a political activism group,” he said in an address to the SBC’s Executive Committee. By Bob Smietana. 840 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Topps-Ali: New Topps cards focus on Muhammad Ali’s faith
(RNS) — A new sports trading card series includes multiple cards looking at the role of faith in the career of boxer Muhammad Ali. New York based Topps Company, one of the leading manufacturers of sports trading cards began producing “Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ” series in January ahead of Black History Month. By Joseph Hammond. 534 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: The Mormon Jesus can handle your grief and pain
(RNS) — Our religion’s accelerating quest for assimilation, our desire to be perceived as special and admirable in the eyes of the world, means that whatever we experience that is less than perfect needs to be quashed. Unfortunately, there’s signs that this includes our natural feelings of grief and anger. By Jana Riess. 1,354 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Payne-Oped: Carman, beloved by ’90s evangelical kids, was a Pentecostal showman at heart
(RNS) — On Feb. 16, 2021, longtime fans of gospel and contemporary Christian music mourned the death of Carmelo Domenic Licciardello, known to his fans as “Carman.” The artist may have stood out from his CCM peers, but Carman’s over-the-top glitz and glam were right at home in Pentecostal televangelism. And, as a troubadour of the Pentecostal celebrity set, he made an enduring impression on the evangelical landscape. By Leah Payne and Dara Coleby Delgado. 1,245 words. (category: k)