Mainline
Judge dismisses lawsuit by 36 United Methodist churches
By Yonat Shimron — March 21, 2023
(RNS) — The North Carolina churches sued in state courts to leave a denomination they view as having strayed from its theological moorings on LGBTQ issues.
Bitter infighting threatens Kenya’s Methodist Church
By Fredrick Nzwili — March 20, 2023
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — At the center of a controversy that has been unfolding since 2015 is Presiding Bishop Joseph Ntombura.
Another religious leader marks 10 years of trying to find peace on LGBTQ
By Jacob Lupfer — March 17, 2023
(RNS) — Can the Archbishop of Canterbury hold the Anglican Communion together?
Divine dilemma: Who gets God’s nod in March Madness?
By Mark I. Pinsky and Rusty Wright — March 16, 2023
(RNS) — If two Christian schools’ fans pray for victory, which one gets God’s favor?
For United Methodists’ top court, 2024 is the new 2020
By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 15, 2023
(RNS) — Three of the most recent decisions released by the Judicial Council dealt with resolutions that annual and jurisdictional conferences have approved regarding the denomination’s stance on LGBTQ inclusion.
Americans like Jews, Catholics and mainline Protestants. Evangelicals, not so much.
By Yonat Shimron — March 15, 2023
(RNS) — A new Pew Research poll finds that only 18% of nonevangelical Americans had favorable opinions of evangelicals; 32% had somewhat unfavorable views.
How a little-known editor made God a bestseller by helping Americans let go of religion
By Bob Smietana — March 13, 2023
(RNS) — A chance encounter at a party led religion professor Stephen Prothero to rediscover the story of Eugene Exman, a longtime book publisher who helped transform American religion.
Why the pronouns used for God matter
By Annie Selak — March 13, 2023
(The Conversation) — With the Church of England considering gender-neutral language to refer to God, a feminist theologian explains how Christianity has historically recognized many pronouns to refer to the divine.
Former Bishop Megan Rohrer, forced to resign over Latino pastor’s removal, sues ELCA
By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 9, 2023
(RNS) — Rohrer is suing the denomination, claiming he was ‘scapegoated’ and cast as racist for following orders when he removed the pastor of a Latino congregation on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In North Idaho, religious and secular activists work to fight Christian nationalism
By Jack Jenkins — March 8, 2023
(RNS) — In a recent editorial, Episcopal Bishop Gretchen Rehberg decried Christian nationalism as ‘heresy for Christians and dangerous rhetoric for all Americans.’
‘Resistance’ is not just a buzzword in Kaitlin Curtice’s new book
By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 7, 2023
(RNS) — In ‘Living Resistance,’ Curtice shares essays about what resistance can look like, touching on topics such as prayer and protecting the land and even child care.
Frank Griswold, who led Episcopal Church through tumultuous times, dies at 85
By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 6, 2023
(RNS) — Griswold led the mainline denomination through the ordination of its first openly gay bishop.
Meet the organization preserving and promoting the stories of Black Methodists
By Emily McFarlan Miller — March 1, 2023
(RNS) — After funding from the United Methodist Church General Conference ended and in-person events were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AAMHC is looking for donations in order to continue its work.
For many congregations, wiping out medical debt has become a popular calling
By Yonat Shimron — March 1, 2023
DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — While donations from religious groups constitute less than 20% of RIP Medical Debt's overall revenue, they are becoming an increasingly common way for congregations to do social justice.
Faith leaders urge Biden to sign executive order for reparations study by Juneteenth
By Adelle M. Banks — March 1, 2023
(RNS) — They urged Biden to base an order on the structure of H.R. 40, legislation proposed for decades that has yet to pass on Capitol Hill.
