RNS Morning Report: Churches Weigh Reopening; ‘Trump Bump’ Ends; Singer Charles Billingsley

Pastor Bill Bailey preaches to his congregation during a drive-in Easter service at the Happy Gospel Center Church in Bradenton, Florida, Sunday, April 12, 2020. As states begin to end lockdowns, churches are figuring out what that means for them. Hundreds of pastors joined a video conference call organized by the Florida Family Policy Council on Thursday to discuss how to reopen services to potentially thousands of people. That includes asking people to cover their faces for a baptism or limiting the number of people at a funeral. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)

Need to know: Monday, May 4, 2020

As states ease lockdown restrictions, churches must decide when — and how — to reopen

For now, many are choosing to stay closed, even as they try to make plans for what a reopening will look like.

Poll: The ‘Trump bump’ is over, especially among white Christians

Among white evangelicals, Trump’s favorability ratings fell to 66% from a high of 77% in March when the coronavirus first began spreading across the country.

Singer Charles Billingsley, COVID-19 survivor, on worship in the hardest times

The worship songwriter said ‘for several weeks there, every time I'd try to sing, I would cough.’

Unequal suffering: Here’s how Congress should help

While each of us has borne a variety of new burdens and dangers during this pandemic, those burdens are by no means distributed equally, writes Jim Wallis.

Ramadan in the quiet spaces

We don’t need a crowd and we don’t need the vast expanse of the prayer hall. God is with us wherever we pray, writes Ruth Nasrullah.

Why singling out a Hasidic funeral won’t make the community healthier

A crowded funeral that violated social distancing rules is itself a symptom of bigger issues in the community that are getting overlooked.

 


 

Latest news from RNS

Black churches, via phones and Facebook, bridging digital divide amid COVID-19

‘This is definitely new territory,’ said an associate minister in rural South Carolina. ‘We’ve learned to do things that we never thought we’d do.’

Meet Muslim, a new online publication for the Gen Z ummah

Last week, student journalist and internet culture obsessive Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh launched Muslim, a digital publication for Muslim teens and young adults.

Pope Francis helps a small trans community financially struggling due to the pandemic

Many of the transgender women are sex workers and have been left with no income to pay rent or bills since Italy enacted a national quarantine in early March.

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Weekend Plug-in: May 1, 2020

(RNS) — Analysis, insights and the week's top headlines from the world of faith, from Religion Unplugged.

Even if I’m not a believing Mormon anymore, family will be forever

"Family is family," says guest blogger Mette Harrison. "And even if I’m not a believing Mormon anymore, family will be forever."

Mayor de Blasio and ‘the Jewish community’

The mayor's angry tweet raises the question of whether there actually is a Jewish community, writes Mark Silk.