Christianity
‘Healing the healers’ with the restorative wisdom of the Black church
By Joshua Stanton and Benjamin Spratt — April 11, 2023
(RNS) — The Rev. Jennifer Bailey believes Americans’ divisions are experienced as grief and loss, and looks to provide rituals to help us heal.
Why Christian women are key to ending the criminalization of Black girls in schools
By Emily Jones — April 11, 2023
(RNS) — Historically, Christian women have been particularly vocal advocates in educational spaces.
Pope Benedict ‘closed’ Limbo and no one complained
By Thomas Reese — April 11, 2023
(RNS) — The church can never admit that something it was teaching or doing for centuries was dumb.
There’s a reason every hit worship song sounds the same
By Bob Smietana — April 11, 2023
(RNS) — A new study found that the most popular worship songs come from a handful of megachurches with a knack for writing pop songs about what God will do for you.
Hate crime suspect arrested in vandalism of Los Angeles mosque
By Alejandra Molina — April 11, 2023
(RNS) — ‘The attack was not just on this center or what’s happening in other parts of the world or the country, it’s an attack on our city as a whole,’ said Omar Ricci, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Southern California.
Secular organizers say interfaith spaces should include atheists, nonbelievers
By Alejandra Molina — April 10, 2023
(RNS) — It is perplexing, some say, when interfaith leaders refer to the religious freedom movement as 'radically inclusive' while 'one of the biggest sections of society' is left out of the conversation.
Can a teacher put John 3:16 in email signature? District says no; her lawyers say yes
By Adelle M. Banks — April 10, 2023
(RNS) — An official of a Virginia school district said its ‘determination is not based on any particular religious viewpoint.’
Mexican artisans create ‘Judas’ figures for others to burn
By MarÍa Teresa HernÁndez — April 10, 2023
At the annual “Burning of Judas” celebration, people across Mexico gather in public plazas to destroy colorful figures made as symbolic embodiments of evil. Filled with satirical humor, the festivity is not associated with the Holy Week celebrations led by the Catholic Church in this mostly Catholic country.
Pope renews call to pray for peace celebrating Easter Monday
By Associated Press — April 10, 2023
VATICAN CITY (AP) — At the end of the prayer, the pontiff recalled the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought an end to decades of violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland.
In ‘God on Psychedelics,’ Don Lattin offers a roadmap of congregational tripping
By Yonat Shimron — April 10, 2023
(RNS) — The veteran religion reporter investigates how various religious groups are using psychedelics to inspire chemically induced mystical experiences.
American politics has become positively medieval
By Mark Silk — April 10, 2023
(RNS) — It's crusaders v. jihadis all over again.
This holy season in six faiths is a rebuke to Christian nationalism
By Paul Brandeis Raushenbush — April 10, 2023
(RNS) — If this nation does not provide full rights for believers of all faiths, I don’t want any part of it.
Abortion pill order latest contentious ruling by Texas judge
By Alanna Durkin Richer and Lindsay Whitehurst — April 10, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, on Friday ordered a hold on federal approval of mifepristone in a decision that overruled decades of scientific approval.
Ukrainians celebrate Palm Sunday in church marred by dispute
By Samya Kullab — April 10, 2023
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians marked Palm Sunday in the country’s most revered Orthodox site that has been at the heart of a religious dispute playing out in parallel with Russia's war on Ukraine.
Francis focuses Easter message on hope, with prayers for an end to global conflicts
By Junno Arocho Esteves — April 9, 2023
ROME (RNS) — The proclamation that Christ is 'truly risen' is a reminder that 'our hope is not an illusion, but the truth,' the pope said.
