RNS Press Releases
Frederick Buechner, celebrating 90th birthday, publishes new book to reach a new generation of readers
By Religion News LLC — May 31, 2016
As the widely-admired and critically-acclaimed writer Frederick Buechner approaches his 90th birthday on July 11, the new book Buechner 101 seeks to highlight his legacy for a new generation of readers, many of whom already know him from widely shared quotes on social media
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly – May 27, 2016
By Religion News LLC — May 25, 2016
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is a production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Visit www.pbs.org/religionandethics for additional information. Show #1939 will be fed over PBS at 5:00 p.m. EST on May 27, 2016 (check local listings).
Pioneering Episcopal priest, Joan Grimm Fraser dies at 68
By Religion News LLC — May 25, 2016
The Reverend Joan P. Grimm Fraser, one of the first women ordained in the Episcopal Church, and a geologist, has died at the age of 68. Mother Joan, as she was known to parishioners at Holy Trinity Parish in Hicksville, NY where she served as rector since 2004, was admired throughout the Church as a kind and loving priest who blazed a trail for other women.
United in Purpose & My Faith Votes organize “A Conversation with Donald Trump and Ben Carson”
By Religion News LLC — May 25, 2016
United in Purpose and My Faith Votes today jointly announced the collaborative organization of “A Conversation About America’s Future with Donald Trump and Ben Carson,” to be held June 21, 2016 in New York City.
Here’s some Life Lessons
By Religion News LLC — May 24, 2016
Beloved Catholic author and speaker Patrick Madrid has learned many life lessons, often the hard way, he admits. He presents fifty impactful and entertaining lessons he has learned in his life in his latest book, LIFE LESSONS: Fifty Things I Learned in My First Fifty Years.
United Methodists reject Israel divestment and take steps towards a conciliatory stance on Israel and Palestine at General Conference
By Religion News LLC — May 23, 2016
The United Methodist Church ("UMC") soundly rejected divestment from Israel at their General Conference ("GC") in Portland, Oregon and took significant steps towards adopting a moderate and hope-filled approach to the conflict. After being defeated in Legislative Committee the previous week, an attempt to add Israel divestment to a resolution on Sustainable and Responsible Investments failed in plenary on Friday, May 21 by a vote of 77 percent.
Panel at World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul to highlight often overlooked role of faith groups
By Religion News LLC — May 20, 2016
Religious groups and faith-based organizations are now acknowledged as important civil society actors with extensive local networks. However, consultations leading up to the summit have shown that their capacity is seldom effectively engaged by formal humanitarian coordination mechanisms in the aftermath of conflict and natural disasters.
How two Zen monks are changing the way we live and die
By Religion News LLC — May 19, 2016
“The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being. Awake at the Bedside supports this development of love and compassion.” — His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly – May 20, 2016
By Religion News LLC — May 18, 2016
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is a production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. Show #1938 will be fed over PBS at 5:00 p.m. EST on May 20, 2016 (check local listings).
The Museum of the Jewish People receives a major renewal campaign gift from the David Berg Foundation
By Religion News LLC — May 18, 2016
NEW YORK - The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot, located in Tel Aviv, Israel, has been given a $750,000 grant from the New York-based David Berg Foundation. The gift, part of the Museum’s $100 million renewal campaign, supports “Jewish Centers of Antiquity: Babylonia and the Land of Israel,” a gallery in the new core exhibition at the Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
Sacred Space Online Learning re-imagines religious education, spiritual formation, and online connections
By Religion News LLC — May 18, 2016
SSOL is a kind of library and the heart of SSOL is an expansive database with search functionality that allows you to easily locate materials. The materials that make up the database come from a wide range of organizations who create religious, spiritual, or faith-based materials in an interactive and/or on-demand fashion.
News coverage makes violence more likely new study shows
By Religion News LLC — May 17, 2016
Islamophobia is at work in our national media, according to an original content analysis by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker peace and justice organization. The analysis shows a disturbing narrative link between Muslims and extremism, and then over-represents violent responses to politically motivated conflict.
More than 60 national religious leaders speak out in support of LGBTQI United Methodist Clergy
By Religion News LLC — May 16, 2016
A week ago, 111 United Methodist clergy and candidates released a “love letter” in which they came out to their denomination as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex people. Despite the fact that the United Methodist Church’s (UMC) Book of Discipline bans the ordination of “self-avowed practicing homosexuals, they released their letter on the eve of the UMC’s quadrennial General Conference, placing their ministry and livelihood at risk.
The Value of Our Souls
By Religion News LLC — May 16, 2016
Past lives are real! They also are called “reincarnations” and were a common belief in Jesus’ time. Early Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates discussed souls, and Church Fathers such as Origen taught reincarnation. In On First Principles, he wrote, “The soul has neither beginning nor end. [They] come into this world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defeats for their previous lives.” This belief survived in Christian orthodoxy for the Church’s first five centuries.
One million unit first-print run of Sarah Young’s newest release
By Religion News LLC — May 12, 2016
NASHVILLE, Tenn.: The Jesus Calling brand has helped more than 16 million people enjoy a closer relationship with Jesus, from toddlers to teens, graduates to grandparents. Now, more than a decade after the release of the original Jesus Calling devotional by Sarah Young, Thomas Nelson is releasing her new 365-day devotional, Jesus Always™: Embracing Joy in His Presence
