Bob Smietana
Bob Smietana is a veteran religion writer and national reporter for Religion News Service.
All Stories by Bob Smietana
Art Simon, founder of Christian anti-hunger group Bread for the World, dies at 93
By Adelle M. Banks and Bob Smietana — November 17, 2023
(RNS) — ‘We can be accidental accomplices in keeping people poor,’ TV travel host Rick Steves said he learned from Simon.
‘No Small Endeavor’ host Lee Camp searches for the good life on the radio
By Bob Smietana — November 16, 2023
(RNS) — Once a Nashville-based variety show, the podcast has evolved into a conversation about the meaning of life. The show currently airs on a handful of public radio stations, with aspirations of going national.
Pastor and author Scott Sauls has resigned from Nashville megachurch
By Bob Smietana — November 13, 2023
(RNS) — Sauls, a protege of the late Tim Keller, was placed on indefinite leave this past spring after apologizing for an unhealthy leadership style.
Colleagues mourn the loss of Richard Gustav Niebuhr, religion journalist and professor
By Bob Smietana — November 10, 2023
(RNS) — A former national religion reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times, Niebuhr is remembered as a careful reporter and generous colleague.
How a bucolic Tennessee suburb became a hotbed of ‘Christian Nashville-ism’
By Bob Smietana — November 8, 2023
(RNS) — The mix of religion, power, money and influence around Nashville and its suburbs makes it fertile ground for a Southern evangelical take on Christian nationalism.
Mike Bickle, leader of IHOP movement, accused of sexual abuse
By Bob Smietana — October 29, 2023
(RNS) — Former IHOP leaders say several women have credibly accused Bickle of clergy sexual abuse. Leaders of the Kansas City-based prayer group say they are aware of the allegations.
Chaos erupts over SBC legal filing in Louisville abuse lawsuit
By Bob Smietana — October 26, 2023
(RNS) — A friend-of-the-court filing has led to questions of whether the Southern Baptist Convention has changed its ways in dealing with abuse.
In tough times, churches can’t afford to go it alone, new book advises
By Bob Smietana — October 20, 2023
(RNS) — Samford University sociologist Jennifer McClure Haraway looks at the way congregations in Alabama work together — and what congregations around the country can learn from them.
Islamic Relief, other charities call for cease-fire to allow aid to reach Gaza
By Bob Smietana — October 19, 2023
(RNS) — Aid groups are doing what they can but worry that time is running out to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Want to fix America’s woes? Start by getting to know your neighbors, researcher says
By Bob Smietana — October 18, 2023
(RNS) — Seth Kaplan, a researcher at Johns Hopkins who studies fragile states around the world, argues that rebuilding social capital— including religious congregations — can help address some of the more pressing social problems.
In new letter, US evangelical leaders support Israel’s right to self-defense
By Bob Smietana — October 11, 2023
(RNS) — Southern Baptists and other evangelical leaders call on policymakers to protect the lives of innocents and say Hamas is the enemy, not Palestinians.
Is religion good for you? The answer is complicated, new global Gallup report finds.
By Bob Smietana — October 10, 2023
(RNS) — A review of 10 years of global polling looks at the complicated connection between spirituality and health.
In ‘My Body, Their Baby,’ a scholar explores the theology of surrogacy
By Bob Smietana — October 6, 2023
(RNS) — In her new book, Grace Kao, a Christian ethicist, recounts carrying a child for friends — and how that experience shaped her theology.
In ‘We of Little Faith,’ Kate Cohen celebrates the meaning of life as an atheist
By Bob Smietana — October 3, 2023
(RNS) — Part memoir, part guide to a meaningful life without God, 'We of Little Faith' imagines the possibilities that arise when people are honest about what they believe and what they don't believe.
In Starfield, players choose their own adventure — and religion
By Bob Smietana — September 28, 2023
(RNS) — In a major new video game, players can search for enlightenment while exploring the stars.
