EDS: BIDEN-UIGHURS will not be coming today.
NEWS STORY
RNS-Hillsong-Apology: Brian Houston apologizes for Hillsong NYC’s ‘failings,’ promises whistleblower policy
(RNS) — The founder of Hillsong apologized Thursday (March 4) for the leadership crisis at the global evangelical church’s New York outpost resulting from an adulterous affair carried on by its now former pastor, Carl Lentz. Hillsong also promised to institute sexual harassment training and a mechanism for anonymous reporting of misconduct. By Paul O’Donnell. 850 words. (category: a, i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-SECULAR-HEALTH: Being ‘Godless’ might be good for your health, new study finds
(RNS) – In recent decades, a number of studies have found that being religious is good for your health. But several new studies that looked at the health of atheists and other non-believers have challenged that idea. By Bob Smietana. 750 words. (categories: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-AntiSemitism-Definition: This rabbi got Kentucky to adopt an anti-Semitism resolution. But not all Jews are happy.
(RNS) — Rabbi Shlomo Litvin helped Kentucky legislators draft a resolution condemning anti-Semitic acts and statements as “hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.” But the resolution, signed by the governor last week, also commits to a controversial definition of anti-Semitism that has divided the American Jewish community. By Yonat Shimron. 900 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-ELCA-Citizenship: ELCA leaders call on Congress to pass U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 in new letter
(RNS) — A letter published Thursday (March 4) by leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America called on Congress to support the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. The letter was initiated by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and signed by 568 clergy, including Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 350 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Norton-Documentary: ‘The Witch of Kings Cross’ finds the woman behind the scandal
(RNS) — The artist and self-professed witch Rosaleen Norton rose to infamy in the 1950s in Australia, after a series of lurid public scandals in which she was accused of participating in orgies and satanic rituals. But a new documentary shows that scandal isn’t really the heart of Norton’s story. By Antonio Pagliarulo. 1.010 words. (category: a, i)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Butler-Oped: Bethany Christian Services’ decision on gay adoption makes the church shine brighter
(RNS) — Bethany Christian Services, the country’s largest evangelical Christian adoption and foster care service provider, announced last week that it would begin placing children with LGBTQ parents nationwide, abandoning a discriminatory policy that the religious right puts so much capital into defending. by Jennifer Butler. 570 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Salkin-Oped: If we ‘canceled’ anti-Semitism
(RNS) — Cries of cancel culture accompanied the decision by Dr. Seuss’ estate to withdraw some titles by the children’s book author for their racial content. “Even Dr. Seuss! Is nothing and no one off-limits?” we might say, but it’s worth revisiting even the classics for their racial and anti-Semitic themes. By Jeffrey Salkin. 1,140 words. (category: k)