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
Southern Baptist president: God, not Supreme Court, has ‘final authority’
By Adelle M. Banks — June 16, 2015
(RNS) “The Supreme Court of the United States is not the final authority, nor is the culture itself, but the Bible is God’s final authority about marriage and on this book we stand,” said the Rev. Ronnie Floyd.
Reality TV’s ‘The Briefcase’ looks at line between need, greed
By Adelle M. Banks — June 12, 2015
(RNS) Financially strapped families must decide whether to keep $100,000 all for themselves, or help another family.
Supreme Court’s pending same-sex ruling to dominate Southern Baptist meeting
By Adelle M. Banks — June 11, 2015
(RNS) “(W)e will not honor any decision by the Supreme Court which will force us to violate a clear biblical understanding of marriage as solely the union of one man and one woman,” SBC leaders said in a newspaper ad.
Possible Boy Scout gay leadership change has religious groups weighing options
By Adelle M. Banks — May 29, 2015
(RNS) Catholics and Mormons seem to be taking a wait-and-see attitude, Methodists plan to mull the next steps with BSA officials, and some LGBT-affirming church groups are welcoming the possible change.
Interfaith activists call solitary confinement immoral, ineffective
By Adelle M. Banks — May 13, 2015
(RNS) “Once you’ve stood inside the cell and heard the sounds of an actual solitary confinement unit echoing in your very being, it becomes very hard to forget or to ignore,” said the Rev. Kate Edwards, a Zen Buddhist in Madison, Wis.
Rev. Gil Caldwell, a ‘foot soldier’ for civil rights, turns his eye to LGBT rights
By Adelle M. Banks — May 5, 2015
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) The Rev. Gil Caldwell walked onto the campus of Duke Divinity School, leaning on a cane, alongside thousands of Duke alumni arriving for a reunion. But unlike the others, he wasn’t returning for a stroll down memory lane. He had come here for a glimpse of what might have been. Some 60 […]
THE BEST OF RNS: Gil Caldwell, civil rights leader, turns his eye to LGBT rights
By Adelle M. Banks — May 5, 2015
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) "There is a possibility that on gay rights and marriage equality, God is speaking more through the judiciary than God is speaking through the United Methodist Church,” he says.
5 faith facts about Mike Huckabee: Southern Baptist pastor-turned-politician
By Adelle M. Banks — May 5, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) Being a pastor is “the greatest preparation that a person can have for public service,” Huckabee said in a 2007 interview.
5 faith facts about Ben Carson: retired neurosurgeon, Seventh-day Adventist
By Adelle M. Banks — May 4, 2015
(RNS) Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon once best known for separating conjoined baby twins, announced Monday (May 4) that he will pursue the Republican nomination for U.S. president. Carson is now known as a culture warrior whose criticisms of President Obama have made him a favorite of conservatives. Here are five faith facts about him: […]
Q&A: From Ferguson to Baltimore, black America’s faith is tested
By Adelle M. Banks — May 1, 2015
(RNS) "How do you have an unshattered faith in the face of the death of your son?" said the Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas. "That is what black faith has always been about."
Loretta Lynch supporters hold ‘pray-in’ on Capitol Hill to urge a vote on her confirmation
By Adelle M. Banks — April 15, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) “We call upon our Creator God today to move the stone named Mitch McConnell that stands between Loretta Lynch and her confirmation,” prayed the Rev. Leah Daughtry, CEO of the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
5 takeaways from Tuesday’s White House celebration of gospel music
By Adelle M. Banks — April 14, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) “Gospel music is what fuels my love of music in general,” first lady Michelle Obama said.
4 notable remarks from President Obama’s Easter Prayer Breakfast
By Adelle M. Banks — April 7, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) "Easter is our affirmation that there are better days," the president said.
Gardner C. Taylor, dean of black preachers, dies at 96
By Adelle M. Banks — April 6, 2015
(RNS) Michael Eric Dyson called Taylor's preaching style a blend of brilliant metaphors and an "uncanny sense of rhythmic timing put to dramatic but not crassly theatrical effect.''
An actress playing Judas? Some theaters say yes
By Adelle M. Banks — April 2, 2015
OLNEY, Md. (RNS) Judas was a man, right? Historically, yes, but not always on stage in castings for "Godspell" or "Jesus Christ Superstar."
