General story
LGBTQI+ South Africans struggle to fund higher education
By Pollen Eixab — January 5, 2018
CAPE TOWN -- Amid social and religious discrimination, sexual and gender minorities are often shunned by traditional support networks and struggle to access higher education.
Sex workers balance risk and reward in Lesotho
By Majara Molupe — January 2, 2018
MASERU, Lesotho -- Following a recent police raid and facing serious legal and health risks, sex work provides financial reward and opportunity to some women in this Southern African nation.
In Mauritius, transgender women fight prejudice and find themselves
By Martine Luchmun — December 23, 2017
PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (RNS) -- Fear of losing one's job or being ridiculed by friends and family often pushes transgender people to hide their feelings and identities on the African island nation.
Iraq patriarch looks to life after war with ISIS
By Cathy Lynn Grossman — December 20, 2017
Without security and stability Christians are not going back home, he said.
A ray of hope in chaotic times
By Marc Gregory and Monte Leach — December 19, 2017
Even in these chaotic and perilous times, there is reason for hope. Humanity finds itself at a major crossroads: Do we choose the path of selfish separatism and inequality based on greed and competition, leading to the destruction of ourselves and planet Earth; or the path of cooperation and sharing leading to global peace and […]
Evangelicals support Trump’s Jerusalem decision because we care about the Palestinians
By Johnnie Moore — December 18, 2017
JERUSALEM (RNS) — "We did not support the President’s decision because we favor Jews over Arabs nor for any obscure theological reasons like those speculated about, reported upon and sensationalized in recent days," writes Johnnie Moore. (COMMENTARY)
Chinese Muslims shackled by police state, high-tech surveillance
By Gerry Shih — December 17, 2017
KORLA, China (AP) — Thousands — possibly tens of thousands — are thought to have been spirited without trial into secretive detention camps for alleged political crimes that range from having extremist thoughts to merely traveling or studying abroad, an AP investigative report found.
Suicide bombers attack church in Pakistan, killing 9
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 17, 2017
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Hundreds of worshippers were attending services ahead of Christmas when the bombers appeared in the city of Quetta and clashed with security forces.
Vatican issues new rules for relics in saint-making process
By Nicole Winfield — December 16, 2017
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The instructions explicitly rule out selling the hair strands, hands, teeth and other body parts of saints that often fetch high prices in online auctions.
A dark horse emerges victorious in Alabama’s election: the black voter
By Larycia Hawkins — December 15, 2017
(RNS) — In a moment where the foundational fault lines of the American creed have been laid bare by the spilled blood and suffering of my black brothers and sisters, it turns out that black Christians, not white evangelicals, are the story.
Church-politics provision removed from tax bill
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 15, 2017
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic senator taking part in talks on the GOP tax package says a provision allowing churches to endorse political candidates and still keep their tax-free status won't be in the final bill.
Comment about Jews by Roy Moore’s wife sparks new ridicule
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 12, 2017
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) — Speaking at a campaign rally, Kayla Moore declared that 'one of our attorneys is a Jew.' People immediately reacted online, some expressing anger but many others making jokes.
Jack Jenkins to join Religion News Service as national reporter
By Ron Ribiat — December 11, 2017
Religion News Service is pleased to announce the hire of top-notch religion reporter Jack Jenkins.
Jenkins will join the staff in the role of National Reporter effective Jan. 2, 2018. He will cover the Catholic beat and the major religion stories of the day.
Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem excites apocalyptic fervor
By Matthew Gabriele — December 11, 2017
(RNS) — Some evangelical Christian leaders have greeted it as the beginning of a final battle between good and evil, writes Matthew Gabriele. (COMMENTARY)
Angry protests across Muslim world over Trump decision on Jerusalem
By Jerome Socolovsky — December 8, 2017
JERUSALEM (AP) — Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches, some stomping on posters of Donald Trump or burning American flags in the largest outpouring of anger yet at the U.S. president's recognition of bitterly contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
