Orthodox

National Council of Churches elects all-female officers, approves NRSV update

By Adelle M. Banks — October 14, 2021

(RNS) — ‘At this pivotal time in the life of the church in the United States, it is noteworthy that the NCC is modeling inclusiveness in selecting its leaders,’ said its new chair.

Study: Attendance hemorrhaging at small and midsize US congregations

By Yonat Shimron — October 14, 2021

Families of different faiths swap houses, lives in Ava DuVernay’s ‘Home Sweet Home’

By Emily McFarlan Miller — October 11, 2021

Led by ‘Father Revolutionary,’ Indigenous Guatemalans turn to Orthodox Christianity

By David I. Klein — September 27, 2021

(RNS) — Spurred by the conversion of a beloved former Catholic priest, Orthodox Christian communities have popped up in some 120 villages across northern Guatemala and southern Mexico.

Albert Raboteau, expert on African American religious history, dead at 78

By Adelle M. Banks — September 24, 2021

(RNS) — The scholar ‘was the Godfather of Afro-American Religious Studies & the North Star of deep Christian political sensibilities!’ said colleague Cornel West.

Poet Cavafy remains an unlikely symbol of Greek culture in Egypt

By Joseph Hammond — September 20, 2021

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (RNS) — He was born and died in Alexandria, Egypt, then home to a large Greek community that began immigrating to Egypt in the 19th century. Writing primarily in Greek and little published during his lifetime, Cavafy's works have been translated into more than 40 languages.

9/11 became a catalyst for interfaith relations and cooperation

By Adelle M. Banks — September 9, 2021

(RNS) — Though anti-Muslim sentiments grew in the wake of 9/11, another legacy of that historic day is the evolution and advancement of interfaith cooperation in the United States.

Greek Orthodox Church at ground zero still unfinished, 20 years later

By Karen Matthews — September 9, 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — Slated for completion next year, the church is surrounded by a small public park and features a Byzantine-style dome and marble cladding that can be lit from within.

Greece begins giving COVID-19 vaccines outside churches

By Idyli Tsakiri — September 7, 2021

ARCHANES, Greece (AP) — Greece has begun administering vaccinations for COVID-19 outside churches in a pilot program recently announced by the government as a means of encouraging more people to get the shots.

With black flags, Sri Lanka Christians protest bombing probe

By Associated Press — August 23, 2021

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka’s Christian community hoisted black flags on Saturday to protest the investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks, which killed 269 people.

Fate of rock churches of Lalibela raises concerns among US Ethiopians

By Joseph Hammond — August 20, 2021

(RNS) — 'My heart is broken for us Ethiopians in America and around the world. Our life is dismantled,' said Kesis Asteraye Tsige, an Ethiopian priest in Kansas City.

Study: Gen Z doubles down on spirituality, combining tarot and traditional faith

By Heather Greene — August 11, 2021

(RNS) — ‘Crystals are like ‘saints’ for young people and spirituals,’ wrote a survey respondent. ‘Sometimes you just need something or someone that is rooted in courage.’