NEWS ANALYSIS
RNS-Pat-Robertson: Pat Robertson turned Christian TV into political power — and blew it up with wacky prophecy
(RNS) — Founding the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1961, the first Christian network in the United States, Robertson shepherded his flock of white evangelicals to a position of unprecedented political influence within the Republican Party. But for many, Robertson will always be remembered for his wacky pronouncements and consigned to the role of what one megachurch pastor called “the crazy uncle in the evangelical attic.” By Mark I. Pinsky. 1,382 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-BlackChurch-Virtual: ‘COVID has been harder on us’: Some Black churches remain hesitant to reopen
(RNS) — While some congregations have been back to worship for weeks and months, sometimes masked and socially distant, some African American clergy report that they continue to hold off on in-person services. Others find that when they do open, most members continue to watch the live-streamed services from home. By Adelle M. Banks. 1,150 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Lindau-RFP-Opener: Hybrid Religions for Peace conference takes focus on climate, conflict, coronavirus
(RNS) — Most of the event’s 1,500 participants are watching from home this year, as some 125 faith leaders from at least 16 countries come together in person to discuss religion’s role in solving some of the world’s biggest problems, including climate change, the conflict in Afghanistan, migration and the pandemic itself. By Eric J. Lyman. 623 words. (category: i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Vatican-Barber: Vatican poverty conference features activist William Barber, message from pope
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis condemned greed and the ruthless pursuit of profit in a message sent to a Vatican conference on poverty Sunday (Oct. 3), offering his spiritual take on economic issues to a group of economists and faith leaders that included prominent U.S. activist the Rev. William Barber II. By Jack Jenkins and Claire Giangrave. 1200 words. (category: i)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Schools-Commission: Catholic, Protestant groups support commission on U.S. Indian boarding school policy
(RNS) — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and the co-chairs of the Congressional Native American Caucus reintroduced the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States Act on Sept. 30, which many observed as a National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Boarding Schools. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 650 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Vatican-Novax: Three Swiss Guards resign following Vatican vaccine mandate
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Three members of the Swiss guards, the armed forces charged with protecting the popes, decided to leave their post after objecting to the Vatican’s vaccine requirement. By Claire Giangravè. 400 Words. (category i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-SBC-Explainer: Why are Southern Baptists fighting over sexual abuse?
(RNS) — A top Southern Baptist Convention committee has deadlocked over how to proceed with an abuse investigation. A look at how a routine set of meetings became an existential crisis for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. By Bob Smietana. 800 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Vatican-Cop26: Pope Francis, faith leaders call for action ahead of COP26 climate summit
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Scientists and religious leaders from all over the world, including Pope Francis, gathered at the Vatican on Monday to present a joint appeal affirming their commitment to protecting the environment and overcoming the divide between faith and science. By Claire Giangravè. 800 words. (category i)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Theoharis-Oped: Why Joe Manchin’s good faith is bad for the poor
(RNS) — Since the Democrats took control of the Senate in January, Manchin has proposed attaching means testing and work requirements to the child tax credit, argued against the For the People Act on voting rights, vowed to defend the Senate’s obstructive filibuster and opposed raising the minimum wage to $15/hour. All of these proposals run counter to the agenda whose popularity led his party to win the majority in the Senate. They also run counter to Manchin’s claims that his Catholic faith informs his politics. By Liz Theoharis. 900 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Reese-Oped: Woe to you, Washington! Woe to you, New York!
(RNS) — As in the Scriptures, prophets warned us that disaster was coming. We did not listen. We did not change our tactics. We ignored corruption. Floods of biblical proportions are coming. Plague, famine and war are forecast. But don’t blame God. We are bringing the Apocalypse on ourselves. When disaster comes, it will not be God’s punishment, it will be our own fault. By Thomas Reese. 541 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: Why calling God ‘They’ shouldn’t upset you
(RNS) — It’s standard Christian theology that God is not a gendered being. As early as the 4th century, the Cappadocian Father St. Gregory of Nazianzus contended that “Father” and “Son” in the Trinity are meant to be understood as metaphors. The current Catholic Catechism teaches the same even as it refers to God with the traditional masculine third-person singular pronoun. By Mark Silk. 620 words. (category: k)
