NEWS STORY
RNS-Tarrio-Sentencing: Proud Boys leader sentenced to five months for burning church banner
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The leader of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys has been sentenced for 5 months in jail for setting a historic Black church’s Black Lives Matter banner on fire in December and possessing high-capacity firearm magazines when he returned to Washington days before the January 6 insurrection. By Jack Jenkins. 800 words. (category, a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-ELCA-BolzWeber: Nadia Bolz-Weber installed as ELCA’s first pastor of public witness
(RNS) — Her work, which is self-funded, won’t look any different from what she has been doing since leaving the church she founded: writing books and an email newsletter, hosting a popular podcast and leading an experimental online gathering called “The Chapel.” By Emily McFarlan Miller. 760 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Refugee-Sponsorship: ‘Our work changed really overnight’: Community groups aid SIV hopefuls awaiting evacuation
(RNS) — Community organizations in New York pivot from their daily operations of resettling refugees and community support to help Afghans applying for Special Immigrant Visas with chasing down the necessary paperwork and overcoming bureaucratic hurdles. By Renée Roden. 900 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Atheist-Aliens: For atheists, the idea of aliens seems real. Religious people doubt it.
(RNS) — A new survey found that nonreligious Americans are more open to the idea that alien life is out there than their religious neighbors are. For some atheists, not believing in the idea of creation opens them up to the wonder of the universe and the possibility that other intelligent life is out there. By Bob Smietana. 1,000 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Jackson-Covid: Jesse Jackson and wife Jacqueline hospitalized with COVID-19
(RNS) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, have been hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, according to a statement released on Saturday (Aug. 21). By Jack Jenkins. 330 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: The fundamentalist who created today’s conservative template
(RNS) — Well before the emergence of the religious right, Carl McIntire insisted that Christians needed to be involved in politics. McIntire emphasized grassroots pressure via demonstrations, rallies and petitions. These he promoted through a dozen books, his Christian Beacon newspaper and his daily radio show, which aired on as many as 600 stations during the 1960s. By Mark Silk. 448 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Riess-Oped: New Mormon YA novel explores both faith and feminism
(RNS) — ”Beyond the Mapped Stars” is the story of a young LDS woman in pioneer Utah whose heart is telling her she’s supposed to become an astronomer, but whose family and church are telling her to get married and curtail her education. How can she stay true to her faith and family while also honoring her love of science and learning? A Q&A with author Rosalyn Eves. By Jana Riess. 1,080 words. (category: k)
