Adelle M. Banks
Adelle M. Banks, production editor and a national reporter, joined RNS in 1995. An award-winning journalist, she previously was the religion reporter at the Orlando Sentinel and a reporter at The Providence Journal and newspapers in the upstate New York communities of Syracuse and Binghamton.
All Stories by Adelle M. Banks
Frederick D. Haynes III on succeeding Jesse Jackson, marching and ‘woke preaching’
By Adelle M. Banks — July 21, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Jesse Jackson has been a mentor for quite some time, so I can't say there's a singular piece of advice because he has given me so much,’ said Haynes.
Texas Baptists affirm women in ‘ministerial’ roles as SBC debate moves to states
By Adelle M. Banks — July 20, 2023
(RNS) — In the same week as the Texas Baptists’ meeting, Black leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention and SBC President Bart Barber met over similar issues in Ridgecrest, North Carolina.
White Texas couple leads ‘Let’s Talk Race’ class to educate churchgoers
By Adelle M. Banks — July 19, 2023
(RNS) — Shelley and David Park recommend books, movies, videos, podcasts and people to follow on social media to ‘expand your echo chamber.’
77 faith groups get total of $92 million for innovative faith programs for children
By Adelle M. Banks — July 18, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Whether it's fragmentation, technological advances or spirituality, we need to refresh the traditional approaches to our faith,’ said one grant recipient.
Jesse Jackson transfers presidency of Rainbow PUSH Coalition to Frederick Haynes III
By Adelle M. Banks — July 17, 2023
(RNS) — ‘I will still be very involved in the organization and am proud that we have chosen Rev. Dr. Haynes as my successor,’ Jackson said.
Police charge 23-year-old with hate crime at historically Black Maryland church
By Adelle M. Banks — June 30, 2023
(RNS) — The police department also announced other arrests in a string of 'recent hate crimes involving vandalism to places of worship.'
Smithsonian Folklife Festival on National Mall explores often-unfamiliar spirituality
By Adelle M. Banks — June 30, 2023
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The lead curator of the 'Creative Encounters' program hopes it will give the public a chance to 'pull back the curtain' on spiritual practices.
The Rev. Amos Brown, vice chair of California’s reparations task force, calls for action
By Adelle M. Banks — June 29, 2023
(RNS) — ‘We’ve got to act and stop just talking, not just saying we are sad,’ Brown said.
Maryland church, with $100,000 in vandalism damage, continues in faith
By Adelle M. Banks — June 27, 2023
(RNS) — On June 8, the red-carpeted sanctuary of the historically Black church was turned into a debris-filled space.
Azza Karam resigns as secretary general of Religions for Peace
By Adelle M. Banks — June 21, 2023
(RNS) — She was elected secretary general at the 10th World Assembly of the global coalition in Lindau, Germany, in 2019, marking the first time a woman and a Muslim was chosen to lead the organization that was founded in 1970.
Southern Baptists start constitutional step naming only men as pastors
By Adelle M. Banks — June 14, 2023
(RNS) — The new language would add that a church ‘affirms, appoints, or employs only men as any kind of pastor or elder as qualified by Scripture.’
Ouster of Saddleback and Fern Creek from SBC over women pastors is affirmed
By Adelle M. Banks and Bob Smietana — June 14, 2023
(RNS) — Saddleback, whose case was argued by founding pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren, had been ousted for naming a woman to its pastoral team.
Rick Warren, other church leaders appeal Southern Baptist ouster at annual meeting
By Adelle M. Banks — June 13, 2023
(RNS) — The historic debate — which has been fought over social media, via documents and through a website campaign spearheaded by Warren — came to the floor of the two-day meeting.
Reparations campaign takes new forms with Bible study, Juneteenth march
By Adelle M. Banks — June 12, 2023
(RNS) — 'The case for restitution and restoration is laid out across the Old Testament and New Testament,' reads the introduction of the National Council of Churches' study.
Three years after George Floyd’s death, faith groups quietly advance racial healing
By Adelle M. Banks — June 9, 2023
(RNS) — A range of Christian groups are working separately to continue to address the often-fraught divisions along racial lines among their members and in the wider society.
