Christianity
After biblical protestations, expelled Tennessee lawmakers find support among clergy
By Bob Smietana and Jack Jenkins — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — On Friday, the Poor People's Campaign announced a clergy-led protest to be held in Nashville later this month.
Judge denies most claims against Seattle Pacific University board
By Yonat Shimron — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — Twelve students and faculty sued four members of the university’s board of trustees for refusing to scrap an employment policy that bars the hiring of people in same-sex relationships.
What the Tennessee GOP did is legislative terrorism
By Jemar Tisby — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — Expelling two young Black lawmakers was intended to instill fear, but it backfired.
Guess who’s coming to Easter dinner?
By Flavio Rogerio Hickel Jr., Fanhao Nie, Leah Payne, and Tarah Williams — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — The religiously unaffiliated celebrate Easter more widely than you'd think.
Good Friday and the ‘discipline of staying’
By Adam Bucko — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — To grasp Good Friday is to let go of our self-agency and lay our strengths at the foot of the cross.
Nailed to a cross, Filipino prays for Ukraine war to end
By Jim Gomez — April 7, 2023
SAN PEDRO CUTUD, Philippines (AP) — Eight Filipinos were nailed to crosses to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a gory Good Friday tradition that draws thousands of devotees and tourists to the Philippines despite being rejected by the Catholic church.
Vatican prosecutors to meet with brother of teenage girl who vanished in the 1980s
By Junno Arocho Esteves — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — Interest in the case was reignited by an October 2022 Netflix documentary, 'Vatican Girl,' featuring new testimony from a friend of the missing teen claiming she had revealed that a high-ranking Vatican clergyman had made unwanted sexual advances.
Adult egg hunts and kiddie pools full of gifts: Is Easter the new Christmas?
By Emily McFarlan Miller — April 7, 2023
(RNS) — At a time when fewer people are going to church, events like the Adult Eggstravaganza Egg Hunt hosted by the Itasca Park District and Village of Itasca are taking off.
Resurrection drug? FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan amid opioid crisis
By Kathryn Post — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — ‘I’m afraid that we’re not to a resurrection era for people who use drugs,’ said one harm reduction advocate.
What the Catholic Church could learn about Good Friday from ‘Parade’
By Jim McDermott — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — How can we complicate our understanding of the Passion narrative of the Gospel of John to defuse its antisemitism?
Half online, half in person: The state of Black churches now and possibly on Easter
By Adelle M. Banks — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — As Easter approaches, leaders of Black denominations use cautious language even as they hope for a resurrection in the numbers of people who return to the pews.
Fish sandwiches, Lenten discipline and the spirituality of consumerism
By Jacob Lupfer — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — Lent still has the power to modify some of the most scrupulously managed menus in the sector.
Bob Jones president resigns, accuses board chair of thwarting Title IX complaint
By Bob Smietana — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — President since 2014, Pettit had helped soften some of the school’s rules while maintaining its conservative beliefs. That did not sit well with some board members.
The limits of Mormon obedience
By Jana Riess — April 6, 2023
(RNS) — LDS prophets have been on the wrong side of justice. When it is acceptable to disobey them?
From goddesses and rabbits to theology and ‘Superstar’: 4 essential reads on Easter’s surprisingly complicated history
By Molly Jackson — April 6, 2023
(The Conversation) — Like Halloween and Christmas, today’s Easter traditions are a blend of Christian and non-Christian influences.
