General story
Amy Coney Barrett nomination fight leaves progressive Catholics feeling unseen
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — This week’s Senate hearings may center Barrett’s conservative faith, which is strongly anti-abortion and opposed to same-sex marriage, as ‘true Catholicism.’
A dissenting Catholic community in California helps Latinos cope with COVID-19’s disparities
Donald Trump’s twisted interpretation of ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ is killing Americans
RNS Opening Budget — Friday, September 18, 2020
NEWS STORY RNS-Sekulow-History: Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow and family hope ‘Bald Beagle’ will teach God and country history (RNS) — A Christian legal nonprofit run by Trump lawyer and his family are planning a Muppets-style kids show to teach they call true U.S. history, which they say is under attack. By Bob Smietana. 600 words. […]
Being a good guy with a gun is what God wants, say ‘sheepdog’ evangelicals
(RNS) — John Correia, a pastor turned security consultant, says that being a good guy with a gun can be a godly way to prevent violence and protect the innocent.
Jim Bakker gets PPP loans to pay employees, despite Morningside’s legal fight on fraud claims
(AP) — When the U.S. government extended pandemic hardship loans to thousands of religious institutions, Jim Bakker and Morningside USA, his ministry in Blue Eye, Missouri, were among the most high-profile recipients. On April 28, the pastor received approval for an amount between $650,000 and $1.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program funds. Weeks before, the Missouri […]
Trump was right. God can be hurt. But not by Biden election, say theologians
(The Conversation) — President Trump claimed recently that the prospect of a Biden presidency would “hurt God.” More specifically, he said, Biden would be “following the radical left agenda, take away your guns, destroy your Second Amendment, no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God. He’s against God. He’s against guns.” With this speech, delivered in […]
How the Black Plague turned the Shroud of Turin into a beloved relic
(RNS) — The Shroud of Turin and other relics have often provided comfort in times of great struggle.
Can a forgotten Mormon leader teach us something about Donald Trump today?
In the 19th century, rival Mormon prophet James Strang manufactured public opinion, manipulated narratives, and offered his downtrodden followers a sense of purpose. Historian Benjamin Park says this sounds like someone we know today.
Pastor John MacArthur, Grace Community Church defy bans on singing, indoor worship
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — This Sunday service was held amid a new round of closures that are in effect in California as COVID-19 cases have surged.
Unspecified changes underway for Mormon temple ceremony
The LDS Church announced changes to its temple endowment ceremony, but has not yet specified what those changes are. One possibility is that they will remove or lessen physical touch in the ritual.
Thou shalt not be comfortable
In our time, the best life goal is to be maladjusted.
RNS Updated Budget—Tuesday, June 2, 2020
EDS: HINDU-TAKEOUT will not be coming today. NEWS STORY RNS-StJohns-Priest: Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John’s church near White House WASHINGTON (RNS) — Early Monday evening (June 1), President Donald Trump stood before the historic St. John’s Episcopal Church in downtown Washington and held aloft a Bible for […]
In Minneapolis, faith groups rush to aid demonstrators as they decry racism
(RNS) — Faith leaders in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are offering aid to demonstrators who have taken to the streets to decry racism and police brutality, working to balance religious calls for justice with an aversion to violence and a desire to prevent the spread of infection during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
RNS Opening Budget—Thursday, May 28, 2020
NEWS STORY RNS-Shavuot-Tech: On the eve of Shavuot, Jews reach across their differences to find community (RNS) — Three North Carolina Jewish synagogues have come together to offer six hours of online Torah teachings on Zoom Thursday (May 28), the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. But some fear that online gatherings created as […]