Blacked out Instagram posts on Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Screengrab
Need to know: Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Black activists to learn from on Blackout Tuesday
As artists and celebrities black out their social media profiles in honor of George Floyd, take the opportunity to learn from these black racial justice advocates.
Southern Baptist Convention president’s church policies questioned
J.D. Greear said his church found that Bryan Loritts ‘did not attempt to protect the abuser or discourage victims from pursuing justice’ at another church.
Christian leaders link the fires of protest and Pentecost in weekend messages
Many Christians pointed out a resonance with Pentecost in the protests that unfolded across the United States this weekend, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Why I resigned from Liberty University: Because Black Lives Matter
Liberty’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., used anti-Black images in a public spat with the governor of Virginia, at the expense of Black people, writes Christopher A. House.
There are few gatherings more appropriate to Pentecost than protest
To imagine that a church could be desecrated by political protest against inequality is to catastrophically misunderstand the message both of Pentecost and of Christianity as a whole, writes Tara Isabella Burton.
The Power Worshippers: A look inside the American religious right
An insight into the history and present of Christian nationalism, the movement behind Donald Trump's religious support.
Latest news from RNS
Ahead of Trump Bible photo op, police forcibly expel priest from St. John’s church near White House
An Episcopal priest tells RNS she was driven from church grounds ahead of Trump's staged photo with a Bible.
Trump’s Bible walk to church was an act of ‘sacrilege,’ says former Bush advisor
After calling for governors to call out the National Guard, President Trump walked to St. John's church, where a fire had been set during unrest. Before the president left the White House, law enforcement broke up a peaceful protest with tear gas.
Faith at the barricades: A weekend of religious protest and prayer in photos
A look at moments of faith during demonstrations to honor George Floyd and oppose racial injustice this weekend.
More views from RNS
At St. John Paul II shrine, Trump’s use of religion goes from bad to ugly
Disciples’ deliberate manipulation of religious settings, themes and objects revealed Trumpworld’s cynical and shameless approach to faith, writes Jacob Lupfer.
With Bibles and flash grenades, Trump walks the Christian nationalist walk
(RNS) — It won’t be in spite of authoritarian bluster that many white Christians support Donald Trump. It will be because of it.
Trump makes Nixon look good
(RNS) — A tale of two presidential ventures out of a White House under siege.
