Lauren Markoe
Lauren Markoe has been a national reporter for RNS since 2011. Previously she covered government and politics as a daily reporter at the Charlotte Observer and The State (Columbia, S.C.)
Jewish and Christian groups at impasse over U.S. aid to Israel
WASHINGTON (RNS) An established interfaith group is in danger of disintegrating as major American Jewish groups and prominent mainline Protestant churches differ over U.S. aid for Israel -- a long-standing argument that the group was established, in part, to diffuse. By Lauren Markoe.
Filmmaker asks whether hell is real, and who goes there
(RNS) The questions posed by the new film "Hellbound?'' -- does hell exist and if so, who goes there? -- are no longer so anxiety-producing for filmmaker Kevin Miller. His faith journey has taken him to embrace a gentler view of hell that isn't a place of eternal torment, and holds that all souls will be saved. By Lauren Markoe.
Survey: Young evangelicals at odds with their political parties
WASHINGTON (RNS) A large majority of young evangelicals see a conflict between their faith and their political party – but Democrats grapple with this disconnect much more than Republicans, according to a new survey. By Lauren Markoe.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Downton Abbey, Evangelical birth control and a new American Catholic Church?
Downton Abbey tackles anti-Catholicism. A coalition of evangelicals pushes for access to birth control. And here's what happens in the American National Catholic Church.
Meet John Q. Nones: A profile of the fast-growing religiously unaffiliated
(RNS) A new study from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life paints a detailed picture of one of the fastest-growing groups on the American religious landscape -- the "nones," or those who have no religious affiliation. Meet John Q. Nones. By Lauren Markoe.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Scientologist dentists. Rising ‘nones.’ Tim Tebow marks game 666.
A dentist gets punished for pushing his religion on an assistant. Pew find fewer Protestants and more "Nones." And Tim Tebow marks the 666th game of Monday Night Football.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Unbiblical dads. Ikea catalogs. And Catholic yoga.
A Baptist seminary professor calls stay-at-home dads unbiblical. Ikea removes women from its Saudi catalogs. And a British priest says no yoga for Catholics.
Jewish groups say conspiracy theory over anti-Islam film won’t die
(RNS) Jewish civil rights groups are concerned that a false report blaming Jews for the anti-Islam film roiling the Muslim world won't die. By Lauren Markoe.
Obama at the U.N.: A new religion doctrine
(RNS) President Obama's forceful speech at the United Nations on Tuesday contained the outlines of what is emerging as his administration's religious doctrine. By Lauren Markoe.
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup: Subway Speech, Gaga and the Pope, and Pastor Trump
Anti-Muslim ads hit the NYC subways. Lady Gaga criticizes the pope's gay marriage stance. And Donald Trump sticks his foot in his mouth at Liberty U.
Report: Restrictions on religious freedom increasing worldwide
(RNS) A rising tide of restrictions face the faithful around the globe, according to a study released Thursday (Sept. 20) by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. By Lauren Markoe.
Thursday’s Religion News Roundup: Unholy hip hop, Chick-fil-A and That Film
A religion professor says hip hip isn't so cool. Chick-fil-A will reportedly stop funding anti-gay groups. And Europeans worry that the battle over that anti-Islamic film is coming to them.
Poll: White working class voters are still looking for a candidate, and still religious
(RNS) Many common perceptions of the white working class are wrong, according to the Public Religion Research Institute, including the idea that the group is turning its back on religion and is very concerned about candidates' stances on abortion, same-sex marriage and other social issues. By Lauren Markoe.
On the Jewish New Year, look who’s blowing the Shofar
(RNS) The blowing of the shofar, the ram's horn that rouses the soul on the Jewish New Year, has traditionally been assigned to an august member of a synagogue. But the art of shofar blowing is now for anyone who can manage to get a sound out of the instrument. By Lauren Markoe.
Rosh Hashanah 101: What you should know about the Jewish New Year
(RNS) The basics of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. By Lauren Markoe.
