U.S.
Missouri boarding school closes as state agency examines how it responded to abuse claims
By Jim Salter — March 28, 2024
(AP) — The allegations are the latest against people associated with Christian boarding schools in Missouri.
Black pastors see popular Easter services as an opportunity to rebuild in-person worship attendance
By Darren Sands — March 28, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — This Easter is an opportunity for Black churches to welcome more visitors to their pews and try to begin reversing attendance trends
Study: Unaffiliated Americans are the only growing religious group
By Yonat Shimron — March 27, 2024
(RNS) — The Catholic Church saw the largest decline in religious affiliation of any religious group in 2023.
Staying awake to the threat of Christian nationalism
By Nathan Empsall — March 27, 2024
(RNS) — Some Christians are asleep to the machinations of political actors who are hijacking their faith.
Feds say California’s facial hair ban for prison guards amounts to religious discrimination
By Associated Press — March 27, 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The civil rights complaint filed Monday by the U.S. Justice Department says the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's prohibition on facial hair denies on-the-job accommodations for officers of various religions.
More than 140 global Christian leaders call for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — March 26, 2024
(RNS) — ‘We repent of the ways we have not stood alongside our Palestinian siblings in faithful witness in the midst of their grief, agony, and sorrow,’ the leaders wrote.
A century ago, one state tried to close religious schools − a far cry from today, with controversial plans in place for the nation’s first faith-based charter school
By Charles J. Russo — March 26, 2024
(The Conversation) — In 1922, Oregon voters approved an initiative to require public school for most students ages 8-16 − but it didn’t hold up in court.
US Jews upset with Trump’s latest rhetoric say he doesn’t get to tell them how to be Jewish
By Peter Smith and Tiffany Stanley — March 26, 2024
(AP) – This week, Trump charged that Jewish Democrats were being disloyal to their faith and to Israel.
Gallup poll: More than half of Americans rarely go to church
By Bob Smietana — March 25, 2024
(RNS) — The percentage of Americans who never attend services outnumbers those who go every week, according to a new Gallup report.
Sandra Crouch, influential musician, minister, sister of Andraé Crouch, dead at 81
By Adelle M. Banks — March 25, 2024
(RNS) — ‘You don’t get a driver’s license to learn how to drive,’ she said of her controversial ordination. ‘You get a license because you know how to drive.’
In suburban Washington, a new ISKCON temple marks a new beginning for devotees
By Richa Karmarkar — March 25, 2024
POTOMAC, Maryland (RNS) — Growing from a small ashram in the 1970s, the D.C. branch of the movement formerly known as Hare Krishnas opened an 11,000-square-foot house of worship on Saturday (March 23).
Polling places inside synagogues are being moved for Pennsylvania’s April primary during Passover
By Mark Scolforo — March 25, 2024
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, election officials relocated 16 polling places from six locations — synagogues as well as a Jewish community center
Religious affairs expert Thomas Bowen moves from city of Washington to White House
By Adelle M. Banks — March 22, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — While shifting to national and international issues, he will still be acting as a clergyperson in the city that he has long served.
The politics of this Easter season
By Phyllis Zagano — March 22, 2024
(RNS) — The Christian celebration of new life comes as the world is flooded with ideas of death.
African spiritualities are attracting Black Americans as a source of pride and identity
By Fiona André — March 21, 2024
(RNS) — Ancestral veneration, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candomblé, Cuban Santería and Ifá have gained attention among Black adults, who see it as an occasion to reconnect with their heritage and celebrate their Blackness.
