RNS Morning Report: Background Checks for Church Hires; Democratic Debates; Values at the Border

Members of the Southern Baptist Convention and guests lift their hands in prayer during the SBC’s annual meeting in Birmingham, Ala., on June 11, 2019. RNS Photo by Butch Dill

Need to know: Wednesday, July 31, 2019

More churches are checking the national sex offender registry. Is it helping?

Running potential employees through the national sex offender registry may be useful, but the data it provides is limited. 

5 issues religious liberals will be tuned to in the Democratic debates

Treatment of immigrants, climate change and poverty are among the issues they care about.

How to be Mormon, in just 73 easy steps!

Being Mormon can sometimes feel overwhelming, but Mette Harrison has boiled it down into 73 simple steps. (First rule: stop saying "Mormon.")

The family values we need at the border

I was raised in the United States by Christians who emphasized the family values of Scripture and exhorted me to be vigilant in resisting worldly forces that tear families apart, writes Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.

Why do evangelicals support Trump? Blame the suburbs

Urban evangelicals have some room for political diversity. Suburban and rural evangelicals do not, writes Ryan Burge.

National Cathedral on Trump’s racist comments: ‘Have we no decency?’

Faith leaders said Tuesday that the president’s history of racism and his recent remarks about Baltimore are “a clarion call, and give cover, to white supremacists.”

 


 

Latest news from RNS

Katy Perry stole Christian rapper’s beat for ‘Dark Horse,’ says jury

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury of six women and three men found that pop star Katy Perry and her colleagues copied the bumping beat and riff at the center of a Christian rap song called 'Joyful Noise' for her 2013 hit, 'Dark Horse.'

Indonesian Haul festival recalls pre-Islamic culture

In this small village in Central Java, the end of Ramadan is an auspicious time to honor one's ancestors in a festival called Haul. The celebration is a mix of Islam, Hindu and animist traditions.

The Village Church sued for more than $1 million over alleged abuse at church camp

A young woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a youth minister at a church camp when she was a child is suing the Village Church for more than $1 million for gross negligence and the emotional distress the abuse has caused her.

More views from RNS

Has the time come for America to atone for its original sin?

In one of the most significant developments in religious history, slaves cast aside passivity and servitude using a biblical story that is central to Jewish worship. It's time for America to complete that story with atonement in the public square, writes A. James Rudin.

Death penalty decision answers lingering questions about how Barr’s faith affects his politics

The worry that Barr might impose his private religious views on federal matters has apparently been overblown, writes Charles C. Camosy.

Joshua Harris and the sexual prosperity gospel

Some evangelicals who denounce the prosperity gospel seem to have no problem touting the purity culture that say God will reward those who wait, writes Katelyn Beaty.