The Rev. Suzan Johnson Cook, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, at podium, teaches a Religious Freedom Center class for black theological students on Jan. 8, 2019, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks
Need to know: Friday, January 11, 2019
Black seminarians take first-time religious freedom course
Three dozen students from religious graduate schools at historically black colleges and universities attended a pilot course on religious freedom to learn the lessons and lingo of a field that has traditionally been predominated by white men.
Amazon pulls offensive bathmats with Quranic text
After complaints from Muslim customers, Amazon has removed over 20 product listings that included doormats, bathmats and toilet covers featuring verses from the Quran.
Snake handlers take center stage in new opera at the Kennedy Center
A new opera features the rockabilly music and exuberant worship of Pentecostal serpent handlers.
Methodist university presidents call on denomination to amend LGBTQ policies
The group, which represents presidents of 93 affiliated colleges and universities, urged the denomination to recognize the 'sacred worth' of people regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Where is Christianity headed? The view from 2019
The Western church's powerful shaping of Christianity for the past four centuries is being challenged in ways that may hold the keys to its revitalization, writes Wesley Granberg-Michaelson.
Texas Republicans rally behind Muslim official as some try to oust him over religion
Republicans in the third most-populous county in Texas have been girding themselves for a contentious vote over whether a Muslim, who is a Republican, should remain in a leadership position.
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Muslim civil rights group sues Maryland over Israel boycott ban
The Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit challenging Maryland’s controversial executive order banning state agencies from contracts with businesses that boycott Israel.
Jewish lending groups step in to help their furloughed kin
The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington is hoping its modest interest-free loans will help tide over some Jewish families, at least for a while.
Putin disavows crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses, giving hope to detained
After the arrests of dozens of members of the group, the Russian president's comments seem to challenge a 2017 ruling by the country's Supreme Court marking the church as a terrorist organization.
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Former New York Times reporter slams grand jury report on clerical abuse
(RNS) — Calling the report 'grossly misleading, irresponsible, inaccurate, and unjust,' Peter Steinfels argues that last summer's bombshell charges vastly oversimplify the Catholic bishops' response to the abuse crisis.
What was the president really saying last night?
It's about fear. The worship of fear. It is idolatry, Jeffrey Salkin writes.
Bruce Springsteen’s run for home
With a surprising resort to prayer, the Boss acknowledges that his relentless quest for the American dream can't be separated from tradition, roots, place, a longing for home, and faith, writes John Fea.
