NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Gurdwara-Graffiti: Sikh temple under construction vandalized in New Hyde Park
(RNS) — A Nassau County Sikh gurdwara under construction in New Hyde Park was vandalized with graffiti declaring, “Trump 2024 Make America Great Again!,” according to the Sikh Coalition and law enforcement. By Alejandra Molina. 390 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-HolyLand-Sale: Orlando’s Holy Land theme park sold by TBN to healthcare company
(RNS) — Trinity Broadcasting Network, the park’s owner since 2007, sold the roughly 14-acre museum and tourist attraction for a reported $32 million to Adventist Health System Inc. The healthcare company, also known as AdventHealth, was founded by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church “to extend the healing ministry of Christ,” according to their IRS filings. By Renée Roden. 441 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-RZIM-Lawsuit: Class-action lawsuit claims RZIM misled donors, covered up Ravi Zacharias’ abuse
(RNS) — Leaders at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries admitted earlier this year that they failed to investigation their late founder’s abusive behavior. Now a pair of donors have filed a class action lawsuit, saying that the ministry deceived them.By Bob Smietana 1,040 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Women-Bishops: Amid hesitation in African Anglican provinces, Kenya appoints first two women bishops
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — In a predominantly Anglican region of western Kenya, a long-serving female priest has been elected an Anglican bishop, making her the second woman to hold that rank in a country where the consecration of women as bishops is still controversial. Her election, following quickly after Kenya’s first appointment of a female bishop in January, underlines a new trend in Kenya and in Africa, where more women clerics are taking top leadership positions in the church. By Fredrick Nzwili. 748 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-PNBC-Warnock: Warnock, Progressive National Baptists focus on voting rights during annual meeting
(RNS) The Rev. Raphael Warnock urged the Progressive National Baptist Convention to keep fighting to protect voting rights as the historically Black denomination held its annual meeting. The virtual gathering, which concludes Thursday, has featured other discussions about social justice, including concerns about equitable wages and debates about critical race theory. By Adelle M. Banks. 600 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Respect-Hudson: Jennifer Hudson: Mutual faith ‘definitely’ helped her depict Aretha Franklin in ‘Respect’
(RNS) — Singer Jennifer Hudson, who performed an Aretha Franklin song when she auditioned for “American Idol,” is now both an actress and songstress portraying a woman whose career in some ways is mirrored in her own. The two-time Grammy winner, talked to Religion News Service about the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, some of her little-known history and different ways to sing “Amazing Grace.” By Adelle M. Banks. 1,050 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Hovind-Arrest: Kent Hovind, controversial creationist preacher known as ‘Dr. Dino,’ arrested in domestic assault case
(RNS) — A controversial Alabama creationist preacher who recently sued the federal government for half a billion dollars, was arrested in late July for domestic assault. An arrest warrant dated July 19 alleged Rev. Kent Hovind, known as “Dr. Dino,” intentionally threw his estranged wife, Cindi Lincoln, to the ground, causing bodily harm. By Bob Smietana. 500 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Singh-Oped: Samrath Singh, first turbaned Sikh to play NCAA baseball, is more than the challenges he has overcome
(RNS) — The first turbaned Sikh to play NCAA college baseball, Singh has faced his share of discrimination, but he doesn’t want his story to be about that. He focuses less on those negative moments and more on the values that help him navigate and transcend discrimination. By Simran Jeet Singh. 1,011 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Josephs-Oped: The ‘skin gap’ between men and women is on full display at the Olympics
(RNS) — The notion of women covering up has become associated with subjugation when, in fact, many religious women, from Orthodox Jews to Muslims to conservative Christians, find it to be a form of liberation. In contrast, the “skin gap” — the difference in the amount of skin men and women are expected to show in the same social setting in contemporary Western culture — is its own form of subjugation, as we can see in the Olympic’s disparate uniform regulations. By Allison Josephs. 839 words. (category: k)