NEWS STORY
RNS-COVID-Collection: Will COVID-19 finally mean the end of the collection plate?
(RNS) — The rise of a cashless society and COVID-19 pandemic may lead to the end of the tradition of passing the plate during services. Instead, giving online has become nearly universal. Bob Smietana 950 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Sultan-Obit: Imam Sohaib Sultan, beloved Muslim chaplain, is dead at 40
(Interfaith America) — Imam Sohaib Nazeer Sultan, Princeton University’s Muslim chaplain and beloved interfaith leader, died Friday (April 16) at sunset after a yearlong battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer at age 40. He was surrounded by his family while hearing recitations of the Quran and prayers offered in his honor. By Silma Suba. 697 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-PRRI-Hesitancy: Survey: Religious leaders key to combating vaccine hesitancy among faith groups — and QAnon believers
(RNS) — A new survey suggests faith leaders are key to combatting vaccine hesitancy or outright anti-vaccine sentiment among religious Americans and QAnon believers, some of whom still voice concerns about getting inoculated against COVID-19. By Jack Jenkins. 1,000 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Pagitt-Oped: How will evangelical schools teach about the Capitol attack?
(RNS) — Efforts to fight radicalization in Muslim communities abroad since the 9/11 attacks have in part focused on the Quranic schools known as madrassas. Evangelicals who wish to stem the tide of extremism in their communities similarly need to grapple with what is being taught to young Christians. By Doug Pagitt. 1,250 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-McDermott-Oped: A plant-based diet is about much more than not harming animals
(RNS) — When it comes to what’s best for slowing climate change and preventing the next pandemic, there’s no getting around the benefits of a plant-based diet. The cause of both crises, at least in part, is a dysfunctional relationship between humans and non-human animals — a relationship that centers on meat eating. By Mat McDermott. 837 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Singh-Oped: Treating the Indianapolis attack as a hate crime will keep us all safer
(RNS) — We have to broaden the legal definition of what constitutes hate. We have to train and equip law enforcement officers to understand the lived experiences of communities of color. And we have to continue pushing political leadership to understand the threat hate poses to everyone. Anything less will cause us to continue missing the point and keep us from saving lives. By Simran Jeet Singh. 1,104 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Henry-Oped: A guilty verdict for Chauvin shouldn’t have required a global uprising
(RNS) — Before we speak of “hope” in the wake of this anomaly of accountability, we should first examine the Chauvin trial as a precedent for handling police violence. If this is success, we are still accepting an incredibly high bar to get the basic accountability we should expect. If this is success, the U.S. criminal justice system’s attitude toward Black Americans remains a hard pill to swallow. By Andre Henry. 533 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: Parent like your religion depends on it
(RNS) — Christian Smith, a sociologist at the University of Notre Dame and my Adamczyk, a professor of sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, combed several national surveys for information and conducted over 200 interviews, resulting in the book “Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation,” out this week from Oxford University Press. By Jana Riess. 1,125 words. (category: k)