Protesters against the death penalty gather in Terre Haute, Indiana, on July 15, 2020. Wesley Ira Purkey, convicted of a gruesome 1998 kidnapping and killing, was executed Thursday morning at the federal prison in Terre Haute. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Need to know: Friday, July 17, 2020
Faith leaders blast Trump administration’s renewed use of death penalty
The outcry comes as the U.S. Department of Justice carried out its second execution this week on Thursday morning (July 16) and is scheduled to perform its third on Friday. These constitute the first uses of capital punishment by the federal government since 2003.
Through sci-fi and fantasy, Muslim women authors are building new worlds
In the past few years, Muslim women have quietly taken the speculative fiction publishing industry by storm.
Three California churches sue Gov. Newsom for ban on singing in places of worship
‘Banning singing in California churches is an unconstitutional abuse of power,’ said a lawyer representing three churches.
Khyati Y. Joshi argues equal religious freedom in America is an optical illusion
In her new book, she argues Christianity, especially of the white Protestant variety, undergirds the nation’s institutions and practices and establishes a normative baseline from which all other faiths are seen as abnormal.
From King to Gandhi, racial justice brings faiths together
Racial equity is a movement where people from different faiths meet, are inspired by one another and advance a cause that we view as a sacred command, writes Eboo Patel.
New Vatican guidance urges clergy to report cases of sexual abuse
The Vatican on Wednesday published a handbook for clergy and church lawyers that lays out the steps to follow when investigating and reporting alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors and others by priests, deacons and prelates.
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Nick Cannon apologizes to Jewish community for hurtful words
(AP) — In a podcast episode that aired last month that prompted the TV host's firing by ViacomCBS, Cannon and a guest contended that Black people are the true Hebrews and Jews have usurped that identity.
Suit alleges Southern Baptist church’s negligence led to abuse of teen
Parents allege the church’s ‘malicious, reckless, and willful and wanton’ conduct led to the abuse of their daughter by a man now in prison for sexual battery.
In Los Angeles, Catholic schools plan to resume in-person classes, while public schools go online
‘We cannot eliminate the risk of COVID-19 in our communities, but we can reduce it by being flexible, consistent and vigilant,’ said Paul M. Escala, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
More views from RNS
Anti-maskers: You are the reason we can’t have nice things
(RNS) — Instead of rejoicing that masks give us a safe, cheap and effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19, some Americans are resisting in the name of ‘freedom.’ Freedom for whom?
Faith, hope and creative destruction: religious responses to COVID-19
(RNS) — The better angels of our common humanity are finding voice. In our vulnerability, we are searching for a new moral foundation.
Will the death of George Floyd sway white evangelicals on race?
The future of racial justice could depend on white evangelicals recognizing the extent to which structural racism continues to afflict our country, writes Robert K. Vischer.
