NEWS STORY
RNS-Patterson-Newbell: SBC sources: Paige Patterson made ‘black girl’ comments cited in Russell Moore letter
(RNS) — Longtime SBC leader Paige Patterson, who was fired for mishandling abuse claims, labeled author and speaker Trillia Newbell as “that black girl” in an incident recounted in a letter from former Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore. By Bob Smietana. 500 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Calvin-Murashima: Calvin University’s first gay student body president paves a path
(RNS) — Calvin University is affiliated with the small Christian Reformed Church which holds that “homosexual practice … is incompatible with obedience to the will of God as revealed in Scripture.” But this fall it graduated its first queer student body president, a North Carolina resident who took a principled stand while seeking out the respect of her elders and peers. By Yonat Shimron. 1,200 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Green-Fluff: ‘Green fluff’ brings the taste of church potlucks home during a pandemic year
(RNS) — Green fluff and its many-hued counterparts have been a church potluck staple for generations, most recently putting the “comfort” in “comfort food” for those struggling or unable to gather with others through a tough pandemic year. Here’s a brief history of and recipe for the ubiquitous pastel-colored dish. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 800 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Young-Buddhists: ‘We’ve been here all along:’ Author pushes back against erasure of young Asian American Buddhists
(RNS) — In her debut book, “Be the Refuge” author and former Buddhist chaplain Chenxing Han documents how generations of Asian Americans are reclaiming and evolving the Buddhism of their parents. She highlights the challenges they face in remaining rooted in Buddhism practices that lack English-language material and the pressures they face in an Asian American landscape where Christianity is so prevalent. By Alejandra Molina. 950 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Patel-Oped: Interfaith ‘vaccine ambassadors’ take up Biden’s Month of Action
(RNS) — These Faith in the Vaccine Ambassadors, as we call them, are based on the community health worker model, proven to be effective from Haiti to Bangladesh, and are trained to engage people through their religious and ethnic communities. By Eboo Patel, Mary Ellen Giess, Paul Brandeis Raushenbush. 820 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Lin-Oped: American Christians must humbly look to global church for solutions to decline
(RNS) — Thirty-five percent of Gen Z students are atheists, agnostic or have no religious belief. As the president of a campus ministry serving students and faculty, I regularly hear their reasons why. The church in North America is starting to erode. Thankfully, however, the center of the church is not in North America. By Tom Lin. 1,150 words. (category: k)