NEWS STORY
RNS-Methodists-Conference: United Methodists reschedule meeting — and decision on splitting — again
(RNS) — The United Methodist Church has once again postponed its quadrennial meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, delaying further a widely anticipated vote by delegates from across the globe on a proposal to split the denomination over the inclusion of LGBTQ members. The United Methodist Church General Conference now is scheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept. 6, 2022, at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 500 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Segura-BLM: Why a Catholic journalist is urging the church to engage with co-founders of Black Lives Matter
(RNS) — In her recently released book, “Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church,” Olga Marina Segura examines the Black Lives Matter movement through a faith lense. Segura highlights how the Black Lives Matter movement ‘is the secular version of our Catholic social teaching’ and provides practical steps the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops should take to reject systemic oppression. By Alejandra Molina. 1,020 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Texas-Mosque: Texas church helps mosque damaged after snowstorms
(RNS) — The oldest mosque in Texas received tens of thousands of dollars in water damage following recent snowstorms in that state. A local Methodist Church launched a GoFundMe to help their neighbors in a time of need. By Joseph Hammond. 400 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Insurrection-Prayers: The insurrectionists’ Senate floor prayer highlights a curious Trumpian ecumenism
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A prayer conducted during the Capitol insurrection highlights a growing spiritual cadre that draws from disparate corners of the America’s religious landscape to forge a common spiritual cause that fuses “conspirituality,” anger, Christian nationalism, and passionate support for Trump. By Jack Jenkins. 2000 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Pagitt-Oped: The creeping radicalization of white evangelicals
(RNS) — In post-9/11 America, the word “radicalization” has usually conjured images of extremists from al-Qaida or ISIS. Yet for those who have observed the steady rise of right-wing extremism in the United States, which boiled over with the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that left five people dead, we need to rethink the term. By Doug Pagitt. 954 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: On Joss Whedon, cancel culture and the Bible
(RNS) — Fans of Joss Whedon have been reeling this month at further allegations about his misogyny and abusive behavior on the sets of some of his beloved television programs and films. It’s acutely painful anytime you realize someone you have admired has hurt people. Is the right next move, then, to “cancel” them? As a Christian, I’ve found guidance about cancel culture from a source both unexpected and zero percent surprising: the Bible. By Jana Riess. 1,075 words. (category: k)