Coronavirus
Imbolc’s celebration of hearth and home resonates with Pagans in a pandemic year
By Emily McFarlan Miller — February 1, 2021
(RNS) — Many Imbolc traditions revolve around the Celtic goddess Brigid, who shares the sabbat's associations with transformation, inspiration, wisdom, fertility and the hearth fire, among other things.
Cardinal Parolin addresses financial scandals, China and Iraq in new interview
By Claire Giangravé — January 29, 2021
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The cardinal, who is the secretary of state at the Vatican, said the world is undergoing massive crises that underline the need to come together in solidarity and dialogue.
Black clergy offer churches as COVID-19 vaccination sites, roll up their sleeves
By Adelle M. Banks — January 29, 2021
(RNS) — An Oklahoma church, whose name means ‘stone of help,' is preparing to provide the second of the two-part vaccine.
Ultra-Orthodox unrest threatens Netanyahu re-election hopes
By Josef Federman — January 28, 2021
(AP) — Netanyahu has watched his political partners undermine the country's war against the virus and spark a public backlash that threatens him at the ballot box.
Evangelical Christian and Orthodox Jewish leaders offer spaces for vaccine distribution
By Jack Jenkins — January 27, 2021
(RNS) — Getting a shot in familiar terrain ‘could help minimize vaccine hesitancy,’ said Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union.
Survey: Americans most likely to say pandemic has boosted their faith
By Yonat Shimron — January 27, 2021
(RNS) — Nearly half of white evangelicals in the U.S. (49%) said their faith grew stronger due to the coronavirus outbreak — more than any other group, according to a new Pew Research survey.
For many schools, the Master of Divinity degree is moving online for good
By Yonat Shimron — January 26, 2021
(RNS) — Duke Divinity School will begin offering a hybrid Master of Divinity degree with online classes and one-week in-person intensives — cementing what has become a growing trend among most free-standing seminaries.
Faith and the COVID-19 vaccine: ‘Using the Black church to get the word out’
By Julie Schonfeld — January 26, 2021
(RNS) — The Rev. Jacques Andre DeGraff of Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem talks about how Black communities are overcoming distrust of the medical community.
With vaccinations, an army of gray volunteers is coming
By Thomas Reese — January 25, 2021
(RNS) — With older people being vaccinated first, they will be free to volunteer for meaningful work while younger people are still at risk.
Faith and the COVID-19 vaccine: ‘Muslims were among the first to believe in vaccines’
By Julie Schonfeld — January 21, 2021
(RNS) — A conversation with Imam Mohamed Magid on the safety and theological underpinning of taking the vaccine.
Central American caravan is ‘first moral test for Biden,’ say activists
By Alejandra Molina — January 20, 2021
(RNS) — A coalition of more than 300 grassroots and faith-based organizations from Central America, Mexico and the U.S. is urging President Joe Biden to shift away from hard-line policies in Central America and instead address factors causing migration.
Top Mormon leaders get Covid vaccine and urge church members to do the same. Will they?
By Jana Riess — January 20, 2021
Some members are not happy that the LDS Church is taking a very public stand in favor of Covid-19 vaccinations.
Joe Biden’s family Bible anchors faith-infused inaugural events
By Adelle M. Banks — January 19, 2021
(RNS) — Beyond the invocation and benediction at the inauguration itself, unofficial events will mostly be online and far different from the festivities of previous years.
Martin Luther King Jr. faith events continue in time of COVID-19 and Capitol chaos
By Adelle M. Banks and Alejandra Molina — January 15, 2021
(RNS) — Many online gatherings that mark King's birthday and the holiday in his honor will apply his messages to the current crises the country is facing.
2021 might be unpredictable, but don’t ditch your datebook. Planning can be a spiritual exercise
By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 15, 2021
(RNS) — The beginning of another pandemic year largely locked down at home, the future still uncertain, may be the perfect time to flip the page in a new planner.
