U.S.
Conservative Nebraska lawmakers push bills that would intertwine religion with public education
By Margery A. Beck — February 6, 2024
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — These bills are part of a broader Republican push nationwide to target a variety of culture issues in education, including diversity, equity and inclusion programs and the type of books allowed in school libraries.
Jesuits in US bolster outreach initiative aimed at encouraging LGBTQ+ Catholics
By David Crary — February 6, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — Pope Francis, a Jesuit who has met with Martin and sent letters of support to Outreach, has made clear he favors a more welcoming approach to LGBTQ+ people.
Orthodox Christian radio hosted a panel on female deacons. Then misogyny poured in.
By Meagan Saliashvili — February 5, 2024
(RNS) — Far from clarifying the question of women deacons, the episode added fuel to an already incendiary conversation about women's ordination and the role of women in the church in general.
How Hindu temples can become community pillars in a changing America
By Murali Balaji — February 5, 2024
(RNS) — Temples need to offer more to younger Hindus, whose practice values philosophy and spirituality over ritual.
A Tennessee teen has pleaded guilty in the slaying of a prominent United Methodist Church leader
By Adrian Sainz — February 5, 2024
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The daytime shooting shook United Methodist Church members in Memphis and elsewhere.
Pro-migrant pastors on a bus plan to meet ‘God’s Army’ convoy at Texas border town
By Fiona André — February 2, 2024
(RNS) — Doug Pagitt, a Minnesota pastor who runs the anti-Christian nationalism organization Vote Common Good, hopes to engage the anti-immigrant contingent and convince them it is migrants who are most in danger. 'We're just going to be around and try to humanize the situation,' he said.
With FlashPoint Live, roster of Pentecostal ‘prophets’ hits the road for Trump
By Steve Rabey — February 2, 2024
(RNS) — The tour’s personalities and themes are borrowed from 'FlashPoint,' a Christian current-events program that features Trump and his former officials, members of Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.
At National Prayer Breakfast, Biden speaks of praying, working for peace
By Adelle M. Banks — February 1, 2024
(RNS) — ‘We're all blessed to live in a nation where we can practice our many faiths and practice them freely,’ Biden said at the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
Sikh Americans, citing ‘transnational repression,’ vote for an independent homeland
By Richa Karmarkar — February 1, 2024
(RNS) — More and more Sikh Americans are fearful about an ‘alarming rise’ in transnational repression, according to several Sikh advocacy organizations.
‘Genius: MLK/X’ docudrama depicts the personal lives of the two civil rights activists
By Adelle M. Banks — February 1, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The series includes scenes of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, at home with their families and discussing their faith.
Born in tragedy, Refugee Shabbat honors our 110 million neighbors looking for a home
By Joshua Hammerman — February 1, 2024
(RNS) — The sheer numbers of people displaced should tell us this is a shared problem.
California Gov. Newsom backs dam removal projects to boost salmon. Critics say that’s not enough
By Adam Beam — February 1, 2024
EUREKA, Calif. (AP) — Newsom also pledged to continue to work with native tribes, who often refer to the rivers where salmon live as their church.
CVS employee fired for refusing to sell birth control sues, claiming discrimination
By Fiona André — January 31, 2024
(RNS) — Gunna Kristofersdottir joins three other former CVS nurses who sued the company for religious discrimination after being fired for similar reasons.
Reform Jews support ‘just’ war in Gaza but call for two-state solution
By Yonat Shimron — January 31, 2024
(RNS) — The statement is an attempt to thread the needle. It conveys resolute support for Israel while at the same time criticizing some Israeli proposals for the war's aftermath.
Calling a Black female leader, American Baptists offer a home for progressive Baptists
By Anna Piela — January 31, 2024
(RNS) — The ABCUSA has an opportunity at a time when major shifts are taking place in Baptist faith at large.
