NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Falwell-Canceled: Jerry Falwell Jr. cancels Liberty graduation party at family farm due to health concerns
(RNS) — Former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. reportedly has canceled the “real” Liberty graduation party he planned to host Saturday (May 8 ) on his family farm. That comes after Falwell reportedly was hospitalized over the weekend for testing related to the blood clots in his lungs he was diagnosed with last year. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 420 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Heschel-Doc: Abraham Joshua Heschel was a spiritual radical. A new documentary shows, he’s more timely than ever
(RNS) — Abraham Joshua Heschel is arguably the most important American Jewish rabbi of the 20th century. But he is also one of the most complicated. Now he is the subject of a 57-minute documentary called “Spiritual Audacity” by filmmaker Martin Doblmeier, known for his public television specials on Reinhold Niebuhr, Howard Thurman and Dorothy Day. A Q&A with Doblmeier. By Yonat Shimron. 1,000 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Nuns-App: Through an app, a group of Latin American nuns tracks mental illness across the US
(RNS) — A network of nuns serving Latino immigrants across the nation, are logging and tracking the number of people they have assisted through an app. The data retrieved from the app, which was launched right before the pandemic struck, has revealed the dire mental health needs of communities disproportionately struck by COVID-19. In 2020, the nuns made connections with more than 18,000 people, and now they’re working to address the mental health needs they’ve documented through the app. By Alejandra Molina. 620 words.
NEWS STORY
RNS-Kumbh-Mela: As COVID-19 swamps India, decision to allow Kumbh Mela’s crowds is scrutinized
MUMBAI (RNS) — As COVID-19 infections rise, the local and national government’s decision to allow the Kumbh Mela is being scrutinized as a sign of the BJP-led government favoring Hindu beliefs over safety. Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival that takes place on the banks of the Ganges River in Haridwar, in the hill state of Uttarakhand, was held through April, with two of its most sacred bathing days attracting millions. By Bhavya Dore. 1,377 words. (Category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Abernethy-Obit: Bob Abernethy, host and founder of ‘Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly,’ dies at 93
(RNS) — Veteran broadcast journalist Bob Abernethy, who founded the PBS program “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly,” has died at the age of 93. Abernethy was a correspondent for NBC News for more than four decades before turning his broadcast expertise to the world of religion. By. Adelle M. Banks. 800 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Brown-Clergy: Ahead of Andrew Brown Jr’s funeral, North Carolina clergy cry out for justice
(RNS) — Many of North Carolina’s prominent clergy have called for police reform and accountability in the wake George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. But the killing of Andrew Brown, Jr., a 42-year-old man shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in eastern North Carolina’s Elizabeth City, a town of 18,000 people on the bend of the Pasquotank River, is personal. By Yonat Shimron. 700 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Lawrence-Oped: ‘Lean in’: sexual harassment where religious communities meet
(RNS) — While abuse within denominations often makes national headlines, the large majority of abuse and harassment in the interfaith sphere goes unreported. This is in part because while many faith-based organizations have worked to ensure proper reporting and investigation of abusive behavior, in the interfaith sphere, such basic steps often take second place to the goal of cooperation. By Azza Karam, Audrey E. Kitagawa, Cassandra Lawrence and Katherine Marshall. 1,000 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Salkin-Oped: Who are the ‘evil doers’ in ‘Shtisel’?
(RNS) — The Haredim portrayed in the Netflix series believe that the secular state of Israel is an abomination. They believe that only the Messiah, as the descendant of King David, can restore Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel. Many “modern” Jews also prefer a “Kumbaya” vision of the world without countries and without the necessity of power. But that country does not exist. By Jeffrey Salkin. 1,120 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Wear-Oped: Philanthropists and politicians: Religion is not a problem to solve, it’s a partnership opportunity
(RNS) — While it is certainly within the rights of philanthropic institutions to “not do religion,” such an approach undermines any meaningful, holistic commitment to community or place-based philanthropy. At best, a categorical rejection of religious engagement amounts to an acknowledgment of an organizational deficiency. At worst, it adds up to a willful act of disruption and disrespect for the values, beliefs and culture of the communities that are “served.” By Michael Wear. 1,172 words. (category: k)