NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Graham-House: Billy Graham’s 1940s home – a country cottage in North Carolina —up for sale
(RNS) — A cottage once owned by famed evangelist Billy Graham is up for sale. Graham and his family owned the North Carolina house during his rise to fame in the 1940s and 1950s.
By Bob Smietana 350 words. (categories: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-ACNA-Abuse: Prominent Anglican bishop takes leave of absence amid ongoing accusations of mishandling abuse allegations
(RNS) — Bishop Stewart Ruch, III, of the Anglican Church in North America’s (ACNA) Upper Midwest Diocese, has taken a leave of absence after admitting he mishandled allegations of abuse. He had known since 2019 that former lay minister Mark Rivera had been charged with felony child sexual abuse but failed to tell people in his diocese about the abuse allegations until last month. At least ten survivors have reported allegations of abuse by Rivera to the diocese since 2019. By Kathryn Post. 1,000 words. (category: a).
NEWS STORY
RNS-JESUIT-Archaeology: Descendants of enslaved people join dig on former Jesuit plantation
(RNS) — Two anthropologist professors invited descendants of people enslaved by Jesuits to join them on a two-week archeological dig in St. Inigoes, Maryland. By Renée Roden. 1,179 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-UK-Synod: Looking for radical solutions to decline, Church of England debates lay-led house churches
LONDON (RNS) — As Britain’s national church prepared to gather for its General Synod, which begins Friday (July 9), one of its most senior clerics submitted a paper for discussion arguing that the future lies not with clergy in the pulpit, but with worshipping communities led by lay people. By Catherine Pepinster. 1,097 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-AME-LGBTQ: AME General Conference votes to form committee to study LGBTQ issues
(RNS) — The African Methodist Episcopal Church General Conference passed a resolution on July 8 to appoint a sexual ethics discernment committee to make recommendations about LGBTQ matters. The vote came a day after the General Conference voted down a bill that would have allowed clergy to perform same-sex marriage. The new committee will examine scripture and doctrine, and will hear testimonies of LGBTQ individuals of African descent. By Kathryn Post. 800 words. (category: a).
NEWS ANALYSIS
RNS-Mainline-Explainer: What is a mainline Christian, anyway?
(RNS) — How exactly do you define a mainline Protestant Christian? Is it a denomination? Is it a set of theological beliefs? Is it the type of church you attend? An examination of the told tradition(s) that polls suggest may be on the rise. By Jack Jenkins. 1224 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: The Baptist insights of the man who wrote ‘Robert’s Rules’
Accounts of Robert’s own service on many boards and in many organizations make clear that he himself worked hard to bring consensus about, and usually succeeded. What his rules aim to do is keep the entity intact and functioning healthily when consensus fails — such as happened in his day when his native South Carolina led the Southern states to secede from the Union. By Mark Silk. 625 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Hammerman-Oped: Inducting a Jewish player into the Hall of Fame on Rosh Hoshanah? What is the MLB thinking?
(RNS) — It was announced last month that Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, normally held in July, has been set for Wednesday, September 8, the second day of Rosh Hashanah. To add insult to injury, one of the honorees is Jewish. By Joshua Hammerman. 987 words. (category: k)