Faith
Religious but not spiritual? Meet the skeptics favoring ritual over the supernatural
By Kathryn Post — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — Ten percent of Americans can be categorized as religious but not spiritual, according to a December 2023 study from Pew Research Center.
Support for Israel’s war in Gaza is unraveling among some Jewish groups
By Yonat Shimron — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — J Street, the liberal American Jewish organization dedicated to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, called for an end to the war, the latest American Jewish group to do so.
Agriculture Department, COGIC make plans for funds to add trees to urban centers
By Adelle M. Banks — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said ‘structuring this program so that it's empowering more tree planting and more workforce development gives us the opportunity to partner with the church.’
Latest candidate to head Southern Baptists’ Executive Committee withdraws
By Bob Smietana — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — The Executive Committee, which oversees the SBC's operations between meetings of the convention's governing body, has been without a permanent leader since 2021.
That SuperJew poster from the 1960s
By Jeffrey Salkin — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — A memory of a poster from the 1960s made me think, deeply, about Israel.
Religious donors keep giving to houses of worship and beyond amid inflation
By Adelle M. Banks — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — Most religious donors gave the same amount of money (or more) to their congregations in 2023 as in 2022, a new report finds.
To bless or not to bless?
By Phyllis Zagano — January 23, 2024
(RNS) — Rome's move to allow LGBTQ couples to be blessed has been misunderstood by many, and misrepresented by others.
Churches, temples and monasteries regularly hit by airstrikes in Myanmar, activists say
By Grant Peck — January 23, 2024
BANGKOK (AP) — The 10 reported attacks on churches in the western state of Chin examined by the researchers are part of a broader assault on religious communities across the war-torn nation, other religious and human rights workers said.
A pastor and a small Ohio city tussle over the legality of his 24/7 homeless ministry
By Patrick Orsagos and Mark Scolforo — January 23, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An attorney for Avell and the church, Jeremy Dys, said he thinks city leaders don't want the ministry in the middle of town, describing it as a “not in my backyard” issue and accusing officials of inventing problems.
A Southern Baptist leader hid decades of abuse. Will his fall doom SBC abuse reforms?
By Bob Smietana — January 22, 2024
(RNS) — Revelations about the decadeslong abuse by a prominent SBC leader have led to fears that the denomination's sex-abuse reforms are doomed to fail.
Pope’s comments on surrogacy land ‘like a ton of bricks’ after allowing same-sex blessings
By Claire Giangravé — January 22, 2024
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis said surrogacy is deplorable, but some claim he is missing the context.
The Ram Mandir may offer a way forward for India and South Asia
By Murali Balaji — January 22, 2024
(RNS) — India's prime minister could use the popularity of the mandir to heal the wounds of the past few decades.
Top religious leaders in Haiti denounce kidnapping of nuns and demand government action
By Associated Press — January 22, 2024
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — The Archdiocese, along with the Haitian Conference of the Religious, said in the letter that Haitians are tired of the “reign of terror” imposed by armed groups and called on government officials to protect people and their property.
Jonah is a prophet for today
By Thomas Reese — January 22, 2024
(RNS) — God sending Jonah to Nineveh would be like telling a modern-day rabbi to preach in Iran or Gaza.
Israel’s Supreme Court cracks open door to female participation in state rabbinate
By David I. Klein — January 22, 2024
(RNS) — Women rabbis, common in the United States, have for decades struggled for recognition from the state.
