Iowa pastor says running for office is a test of faith
DES MOINES, Iowa (RNS) — 'It's just a really good experience to know what it's like to be an outsider, to be a stranger, to be asking for people's welcome,' the Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott said.
Multiracial churches growing, but challenging for clergy of color
KELLER, Texas (RNS) — 'Pain is a part of the growth,' said the black pastor of a multiethnic Southern Baptist church in Utah.
Why schism? United Methodist leaders explain proposal to split the denomination
(RNS) — Participants offered a behind-the-scenes look at how they arrived at a proposal, announced earlier this month, that would allow conservative United Methodist churches and conferences to split from the denomination over their beliefs barring LGBTQ United Methodists from ordination and marriage.
Why 'Cats' is a musical for our time
(RNS) — The earnest shlock and high camp of 'Cats' — what else can we call Taylor Swift playing a feline in a pastiche of Eliot's Anglo-Catholic mysticism? — captures our current state of dread.
Why United Methodist Church's plan for separation is good for everyone
(RNS) — For too long, United Methodists have been merely coexisting, without community, and too many congregations have grown accustomed to a theological ambiguity that dishonors our heritage.
Why Jewish mediator Kenneth Feinberg wants to save the United Methodist Church
(RNS) — 'I thought that the church and what it stands for and its impact on the day-to-day lives of people was important and that we should step up and try and preserve that, which hopefully we've done,' says Feinberg.
United Methodist #MeToo complaint against Bud Heckman settled
(RNS) — A United Methodist clergyman accused of sexual misconduct has ‘retired under complaint,’ ending the denomination’s judicial process against the Rev. Donald ‘Bud’ Heckman.
50 years after ‘Black Manifesto,’ religious groups take up reparations again
(RNS) — Five decades later, the reparations debate has reentered the national spotlight, with some religious institutions leading the way.
How to celebrate Christmas: Change the world
(RNS) — How should we celebrate Christmas? Pay off others' debts, for a start, and dismantle and rebuild systems that keep people in poverty.
Keeping the longing for Christ in Christmas
(RNS) — Advent, with its carols and holiday parties, may be the last vestige of a liturgical life lived in common. But even those who want to keep the Christ in Christmas forget that the season is about the hunger that we feel for the redeemed world.
The original ‘Blue Christmas’: New Advent resources focus on grief, justice before celebration
(RNS) — A number of new Advent resources available this year admit a bleak midwinter spirit, drawing attention to grief and injustice.
Postcards from the Protestant decline in America
(RNS) — A weekend trip to my hometown makes the statistics more personal (and painful): Only about 1 in 5 young adults were Protestant in 2018, compared with twice that when I was in high school.
SMU sued as it moves to cut ties with United Methodist Church
(RNS) — Southern Methodist University has moved to cut ties with the United Methodist Church after the denomination voted to strengthen rules barring LGBTQ members from marriage and ordination earlier this year.
Was Mister Rogers the messiah?
(RNS) — Why the explosion of Fred Rogers-mania? Because the children's TV host is the antithesis of everything in this country today.
Faith groups sue Trump administration over refugee resettlement order
(RNS) — Three refugee aid groups argue that a recent executive order granting officials authority to block resettlement inhibits their ability to practice their faith.