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
#blacklivesmatter in Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s ‘A.D.’
By Adelle M. Banks — April 1, 2015
(RNS) Mark Burnett and Roma Downey's "The Bible" miniseries was criticized as too white. Now they're back with "A.D.," and the cast is more multicultural than you might imagine.
Black lesbian bishop Yvette Flunder is ‘using my energy to find peace’
By Adelle M. Banks — March 20, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) While strangers paint her as a one-issue woman, Bishop Yvette Flunder has been hailed by those who know her as a leader with a “radically inclusive” agenda of compassion, aimed at getting everyone -- gay, straight, black, white, immigrant and native -- at the table.
The road from Selma was paved with the blood of four unsung martyrs
By Adelle M. Banks — March 5, 2015
(RNS) A Baptist deacon, a minister, a Unitarian laywoman and an Episcopal seminarian sacrificed their lives in connection with the Alabama voting rights protests.
Southern Baptists urge Obama to defend ‘the least of these’ against ISIS
By Adelle M. Banks — March 2, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) Southern Baptist Convention President Ronnie Floyd and former leaders of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination on Monday (March 2) called on President Obama to defend “the least of these” against the Islamic State, the militant Islamist group that’s also known as ISIS or ISIL. “Since ISIS is a continuing threat to world peace […]
Southern Baptists urge Obama to defend ‘the least of these’ against ISIS
By Adelle M. Banks — March 2, 2015
(RNS) “The world will applaud your courage and compassion as you defend those that Scripture calls 'the least of these,'" they wrote.
From competition to compassion, a university president leads the way
By Adelle M. Banks — February 25, 2015
(RNS) “Each of the world’s religions has some variation of the golden rule,” she said in an interview. “I really see that the greatest part of education is to recognize that in many important ways you are me and I am you.”
Family Christian Stores seeks bankruptcy protection
By Adelle M. Banks — February 19, 2015
(RNS) The chain, which has stores in 36 states, had $230 million in sales in 2014, down from $305 million in 2008.
Churches on alcohol and leadership: A sampling
By Adelle M. Banks — February 12, 2015
(RNS) How do some of the nation’s Christian denominations address alcoholism among their leaders? Here’s a sampling.
Obama condemns ‘distorted’ faith at National Prayer Breakfast
By Adelle M. Banks — February 5, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) “As people of faith we are summoned to push back against those who try to distort our religion -- any religion -- for their own nihilistic ends,” Obama said.
Religious college presidents agree on ‘calling’ and common threats to their schools
By Adelle M. Banks — February 3, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) The top officials of Baylor University, Catholic University of America and Yeshiva University will lead a discussion in Washington on the “calling” of faith-based universities.
Religious and secular advocates urge IRS to clarify rules on political endorsements from the pulpit
By Adelle M. Banks — January 29, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) Current IRS rules, dating to 1954, permit clergy to address issues but prohibit candidate endorsements. But those rules are routinely broken with little or no consequence.
Priced out of New York, American Bible Society decamps to Philadelphia
By Adelle M. Banks — January 28, 2015
(RNS) The society, which supports Bible reading and seeks to have the sacred text translated into all the world’s languages, expects to have a staff of more than 200 in Philadelphia.
Most Americans are clueless about Sikhs
By Adelle M. Banks — January 26, 2015
WASHINGTON (RNS) The survey found that 11 percent of Americans said they were close friends with a Sikh person; 31 percent said they had never interacted with a Sikh.
Jimmy Carter, Russell Moore and Harry Jackson: Bridging the racial divide
By Adelle M. Banks — January 23, 2015
(RNS) Officials who spearheaded three church-based gatherings on race relations commented on the root causes of the nation’s racial divides and possible next steps.
Baptist college president Ergun Caner resigns, citing son’s suicide
By Adelle M. Banks — January 21, 2015
(RNS) Caner served previously as dean of Liberty University's seminary, where he faced questions about whether he exaggerated the story of his conversion from Islam to Christianity.
