President Donald Trump during a summit at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Dec. 19, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Need to know: Friday, December 20, 2019
Christianity Today editor argues morally compromised Trump should be removed from office
'It's just an unambiguous moment in which it is absolutely clear that there's just no question what (Trump) was trying to do,' Mark Galli said.
Northern California church makes headlines as it prays to resurrect girl from the dead
Bethel Church in Northern California is praying for the resurrection of a 2-year-old who was recently pronounced dead. The girl's mother is a ministry leader at the church.
What lifting pontifical secrecy for clergy abuse cases will change for victims
'This is a tremendous step forward in transparency' and for the rights of victims and the accused, said a veteran canon lawyer.
Despite whistleblower complaint, experts say IRS backlash to Mormon group unlikely
Legal experts are skeptical the complaint will trigger an investigation from the IRS, and they note that the LDS church’s tradition of aggressive saving dates back decades.
Amy Grant was the soundtrack to our home-schooled teenage lives
In my house, growing up, Amy Grant wasn’t a Christmas queen. She was just a queen, writes Tyler Huckabee.
`Tsunami of cases’: Clergy abuse strains secretive tribunal
The Vatican office responsible for processing clergy sex abuse complaints has seen a record 1,000 cases reported from around the world this year, including from countries it had not heard from before — suggesting that the worst may be yet to come in a crisis that has plagued the Catholic Church.
Latest news from RNS
As impeachment looms, evangelicals defend Trump but pass on debating the issues
Twenty-one years ago, when President Bill Clinton was impeached, evangelicals debated the substance of allegations against him. Far fewer evangelicals are speaking to the issues at the heart of the Trump impeachment.
Religious freedom watchdog, facing recent controversy, awaits reauthorization
USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins told Religion News Service that the commissioners are satisfied with the current proposed language but all of them considered the earlier proposal to be 'very problematic.'
Federal Bureau of Prisons loosens limits on Muslim inmates’ prayer
The agency has issued new national guidelines recommending accommodation of group prayer for Muslim prisoners after a Muslim inmate’s lawsuit challenging restrictions at a Kentucky prison.
More views from RNS
When pastors were spies
(RNS) — The East German secret police used a network of Christian pastors and theologians as informants. Forty years later their stories are coming to light.
Evangelism and religious supremacy
(RNS) — Historically, the 'gift' of salvation has been weaponized time and time again to justify intervention and conquest.
The SBC’s same-sex abuse problem
If our zeal for a biblical view of sexuality outshines our desire to protect the people in our churches, something has gone very, very wrong, writes Russell L. Meek.
