RNS Morning Report: Addressing Racial Justice; Pastor John Ortberg Resigns; 40 Days of Teshuvah

People raise their fists during a rally, Friday, June 5, 2020, in Las Vegas, against police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Need to know: Thursday, July 30, 2020

Can churches’ focus on race move from reconciliation to justice?

‘The evangelical pastors that we interviewed, ultimately chose racial reconciliation as their primary frame,’ a scholar said of study of multiracial church leaders.

Embattled megachurch pastor John Ortberg resigns from Menlo Church

The resignation comes after revelations that Ortberg allowed his son, who had admitted being attracted to children, to continue working with kids at the church and in the community.

This Tisha B’Av, American Jews use the day of lament to cry out to God for Black lives

A group of Jews has been gathering daily at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza to lament injustices against Black Americans. It will culminate Thursday (July 30), on Tisha B’Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the Jerusalem Temple.

Chicago’s Soldier Field rolls out blue carpet for drive-in screening of movie ‘Fatima’

‘Just like the churches, we had to pivot, too,’ said Jeanne Berney, chief operating officer of Picturehouse Entertainment, the film’s distributor.

Stella Immanuel’s theories about demons, illness and sex have a long history

Demons appear throughout Jewish and Christian texts, often as evil, supernatural beings that torment people, writes Brandon W. Hawk.

Hundreds of Muslims attend drive-through hajj in Maryland

Muslims living outside Saudi Arabia cannot make the hajj this year because of the coronavirus. One community in Maryland held a drive-through hajj instead.

 


 

Latest news from RNS

Seven years later, still no trace of Jesuit priest kidnapped in Syria

Seven years after the disappearance of an Italian Jesuit priest in Syria, family members and Vatican officials demand the truth about what happened to the thousands who vanished in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

Why is Trump supporter Stella Immanuel talking about demon sex and spiritual warfare? A professor explains

(RNS) — Doctor and preacher Stella Immanuel made headlines this week for her out-of-the-mainstream beliefs about medicine and spirituality.

Islamic holiday Eid comes as families grieve virus victims

(AP) — Marwa Conelly was looking forward to the upcoming Islamic Eid al-Adha holiday this year — then she lost her father to the coronavirus, and less than 24 hours later her mother.

More views from RNS

Federal executions are one more example of Trump administration overreach

This month’s federal executions are the first in 17 years, but may only be the beginning. The next federal execution is scheduled for Aug. 28, and there are 59 more federal inmates facing the death penalty, writes Shane Claiborne.

As an isolated hajj begins, Abraham’s trust in God is ours

(RNS) — This year’s disappointments may mean that Muslims will connect in a unique way this year to Abraham’s story as we celebrate Eid al-Adha.

Time in Coronatide: We’re not actually living in ‘Groundhog Day’

(Sightings) — ‘Coronatide’ has taken on an almost liturgical quality, reshaping our daily lives according to its own dictates. We’re on the virus’s timeline now.