John Perkins: On race and the church, authentic friendship, considering heaven
KELLER, Texas (RNS) — The evangelical author and activist who has worked on race relations for decades said "we haven’t found a language of accepting each other."
Tony Evans: On his new Bible and commentary, Kirk Franklin boycott, wife’s health
DALLAS (RNS) — The Dallas pastor says his new study Bible and commentary aim to foster ‘a well-ordered life in a chaotic world.’
Americans to religious organizations: Stay out of politics
(RNS) — The latest Pew Research poll found that 63% of Americans say churches and other houses of worship should keep out of politics, and 76% said religious congregations should not make political endorsements.
Southern Baptist church: Racial prejudice a factor in rejection of black pastor
(RNS) — Pastor Marcus Hayes, a leader of Biltmore Church in Asheville, North Carolina, received 81% of the vote at First Baptist Church Naples in Florida. But an 85% vote was needed for approval.
As Democrats vie for African American votes, the black church is paying attention
(RNS) — Gaining our vote requires gaining more than a cursory understanding of who we are as a people.
Warren, Sanders get personal with young, black Christians
(AP) — Warren and Sanders received warm welcomes, with notable enthusiasm for their proposals to overhaul a criminal justice system both derided as institutionally racist and to eliminate student loan debt that disproportionately affects nonwhites.
Black Mormon pioneer Jane Manning James finally gets her due
Jane Manning James was overlooked for much of Mormon history. Now she's finally getting her due in a feature film and a new biography by historian Quincy Newell.
With Voting Rights Act weakened, black church networks seek more voters
(RNS) — Five years after the Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the act, and with voters in almost two dozen states facing stricter rules, black denominations are working to get more people to the ballot box in November.
A dark horse emerges victorious in Alabama's election: the black voter
(RNS) — In a moment where the foundational fault lines of the American creed have been laid bare by the spilled blood and suffering of my black brothers and sisters, it turns out that black Christians, not white evangelicals, are the story.
US Catholics and Protestants agree: 500 years after Reformation, they have more in common than not
(RNS) — In some cases, U.S. Protestants seemed unaware of the theological differences that split Catholics and Protestants in the 1500s, voicing beliefs that are more traditionally Catholic than they are Protestant.
Real Americans are Christians?
Most evangelicals, black Protestants say being a Christian is important to be truly American.
Black clergy walk a fine line between religious liberty, discrimination
(RNS) Though several black denominations oppose same-sex marriage, many also object to religious exemptions in nondiscrimination laws.
'The New Black' opens new dialogue about LGBT and religion in black community
(RNS) A 2013 documentary is getting new life as a tool to open a dialogue on the African-American church and LGBT rights at historically black colleges and universities.
'Fifty Shades of Grey' gets black marks from bishops, pastors
(RNS) Critics say the movie trailer invites people to a film that, like the books it came from, glamorizes sexual abuse and violence. Nothing Christian -- or moral -- about it.
Black, Hispanic end-of-life views rooted in faith, family -- and mistrust
WASHINGTON (RNS) Race, religion and a sense of the role of the family all play into end-of-life decisions for African-Americans, “and you cannot disentangle them,” said Karen Bullock, a professor and head of the department of social work at North Carolina State University.