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
Ralph Abernathy: Martin Luther King Jr.’s overlooked ‘civil rights twin’
By Adelle M. Banks — January 15, 2015
(RNS) “They used to call them the civil rights twins -- he and Dr. King,” recalled Terrie Randolph, who was Ralph Abernathy’s secretary when he became president of SCLC after King’s death. “You wouldn’t see one without the other."
Contemporary gospel music pioneer Andrae Crouch dead at 72
By Adelle M. Banks — January 9, 2015
(RNS) Andrae Crouch, a Grammy-winning gospel composer and singer whose music remains a staple in many church hymnals, died Thursday (Jan. 8). He was 72 and had been sick for many years. Among his most well-known compositions is “My Tribute,” whose chorus begins “To God be the glory.” Others include “Take Me Back,” “Soon and […]
Police chief to black churches: ‘We can’t do this without you guys’
By Adelle M. Banks — January 9, 2015
(RNS) As racial tensions continue to simmer in the wake of the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of white officers in Ferguson, Mo., New York City and elsewhere, churches have offered themselves up as trusted go-betweens for the police and angry residents, particularly in black communities.
Contemporary gospel music pioneer Andrae Crouch dead at 72
By Adelle M. Banks — January 9, 2015
(RNS) Among his most well-known compositions is “My Tribute,” whose chorus begins “To God be the glory.” Others include “Take Me Back,” “Soon and Very Soon,” “Jesus Is the Answer” and “Through It All.”
Black churches are no longer ground zero for civil rights activism
By Adelle M. Banks — December 18, 2014
(RNS) “The church is jumping in to lend its support -- not to lead it -- which is a different place from where the black church has been historically," said Baltimore pastor Jamal-Harrison Bryant.
300 years after his birth, Whitefield has staying power with evangelicals
By Adelle M. Banks — December 16, 2014
(RNS) Future evangelists -- most notably Billy Graham -- followed a pattern set by Whitefield of making the most of the media available in their time.
After Ferguson and Eric Garner decisions, white Christians say it’s time to stand with blacks
By Adelle M. Banks — December 4, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) “’Love your neighbor as yourself’ means you picture yourself being choked and surrounded by five men while you say, ‘I can't breathe,’” said Scott Slayton, a white Southern Baptist pastor in Chelsea, Ala.
Evangelicals add support for EPA plan to cut coal pollution
By Adelle M. Banks — December 2, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) More than 100,000 "pro-life" evangelicals support the EPA's plan to limit carbon pollution, citing concerns about children's health and changes to the environment.
Hobby Lobby president’s Bible curriculum shelved by Oklahoma school district
By Adelle M. Banks — November 26, 2014
(RNS) "In summary, the topic of a Bible course in the Mustang School District is no longer a discussion item nor is there a plan to provide such a course in the foreseeable future," Mustang Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel said.
Evangelicals a mixed bag on Obama’s immigration move
By Adelle M. Banks — November 20, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) Evangelicals are a key voting bloc for the GOP, but on immigration some are taking a pragmatic step away from the party.
Faith leaders join consumer advocates to push for lower payday loan rates
By Adelle M. Banks — November 19, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) Dozens of faith leaders and consumer advocates are urging members of Congress to create a national 36 percent interest rate cap for payday lenders instead of the three-digit rates currently charged to people in several states.
Welton Gaddy retires from Interfaith Alliance but keeps his Louisiana pulpit
By Adelle M. Banks — November 19, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) For 16 years, the Rev. C. Welton Gaddy has split his time between advocating for religious freedom in Washington and preaching on Sundays in Louisiana. Starting next month, he'll only have one job.
Navy faces suit over denying humanist chaplain
By Adelle M. Banks — November 6, 2014
(RNS) The suit charges that the Navy inconsistently requires accommodation of religious practices for sailors while not permitting a humanist chaplain because “the Navy does not consider Humanism to be a religion.”
FEATURED VIDEO: 2,300 pipe organ in home for sale
By Adelle M. Banks — November 6, 2014
For only $129,900, you could own a home in Grand Rapids, Mich., complete with a huge pipe organ.
Evangelicals boost clinics to help immigrants navigate legal headaches
By Adelle M. Banks — October 23, 2014
(RNS) As President Obama considers executive action that could change immigration policy, alliance leaders hope to increase the number of clinics they have provided at churches from the current 29 to 1,000 by 2017.
