A protestor holds a giant replica of Bolivia’s constitution, wrapped with a black mourning ribbon, in La Paz, Bolivia, on Nov. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Need to know: Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Celebrating new religious freedom law, Bolivian evangelicals push for more
The new law marks a turning point for Protestant denominations that have historically tended to keep their distance from politics.
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.
Investigation reveals Chicago Archdiocese’s financial woes
Six years later, the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago holds just one-third of the money pledged in the 'To Teach Who Christ Is' campaign to save its struggling schools, according to a Chicago Tribune investigation.
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.
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.
Author of Christian relationship guide says he has lost his faith
Joshua Harris says his marriage is over and has apologized to LGBTQ+ people for promoting bigotry.
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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.'
Unmarked buildings, quiet legal help for accused priests
DRYDEN, Mich. (AP) — A secretive network operating out of unmarked buildings in rural Michigan provides money, transportation, shelter and legal assistance to priests accused of abuse.
‘It’s us or no one’: Nonprofit defends LGBTQ students from their universities
Queer students at Christian colleges and other conservative schools often have to deal with isolation and even discipline from the administration, just as many are processing their sexuality themselves. One advocacy group helps them fight back.
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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.
A goodbye to a man who taught us how to look at death
Rob said that being willing to die was different than accepting death. He did not want to make friends with death. Instead, he called it the 'final evil' — which he, as a Christian, was willing to endure, writes Bob Smietana.
