The Rev. Maurice Lawson, left, and Aretha Denard, right, change the jacket shoulder insignia for Chaplain (Col.) Monica R. Lawson, center, during her promotion ceremony to colonel on Sept. 2, 2020, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Photo courtesy of USACHCS
Need to know: Friday, September 4, 2020
Army makes history promoting Black woman chaplain to colonel
Chaplain (Col.) Monica R. Lawson said: ‘just in case you didn’t figure it out, it took us 245 years for this moment to happen.’
Kenosha prayer vigil at ELCA church calls for confession, lament and justice for Jacob Blake
About 200 people — including the head of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States — gathered Wednesday (Sept. 2) at a prayer vigil in Kenosha to confess and lament the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Shofar lessons are becoming a pre-holiday necessity in the age of coronavirus
Jewish law requires that the shofar be heard in person. But with synagogues shuttered because of the coronavirus, many Jews are dusting off old ritual objects and taking online lessons.
‘Kayak Church’ gathers Pennsylvania church in person — and on the water — amid pandemic
More than two dozen people joined a brightly colored flotilla for Kayak Church on Sunday (Aug. 30) as Faith United Church of Christ.
Biden, in Kenosha, says U.S. confronting ‘original sin’
"We're finally now getting to the point where we're going to be addressing the original sin of this country, 400 years old … slavery and all the vestiges of it," Biden said at Grace Lutheran Church, where he met with community leaders.
Voter guides show the power and duplicity of American evangelicalism
At one point, conservative political outreach to pastors may have led with church teachings or Bible passages. But it’s clear that conservatives are seeking engagement simply in order to make Christians more conservative, writes Angela Denker.
Latest news from RNS
Former Catholic brother returned to face Mississippi charges
(AP) — Two men have accused Paul A. West, once a Franciscan Friar and fourth-grade teacher, of molesting them in Mississippi, Wisconsin and New York while they were elementary school students.
600 faith leaders sign letter urging California governor to stop transfer of incarcerated people to ICE
Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity said Gov. Gavin Newsom can stop the transfers of detainees from state prisons to immigration detention facilities by issuing an executive order.
World Vision convenes yearlong racial justice initiative for church staffers
More than 950 individuals have registered to attend free monthly sessions that will feature Asian, Black and Latina experts on cross-cultural and multiethnic relations.
More views from RNS
Joy Reid is plain wrong. Muslims are some of our most peaceful citizens.
(RNS) — The media is where most Americans learn about Muslims. Instead of reinforcing stereotypes, MSNBC’s Joy Reid can help tell the real story about Muslims and violence.
We need to declare a national emergency on deadly policing
This country’s anti-Black narrative threatens the lives of not only the 13% of this country’s population who are targeted by it; it threatens the survival of the nation itself, writes Kelly Brown Douglas.
Nike, don’t make me choose between Liverpool FC and the Uighurs
There is a saying, or hadith, from the Prophet Muhammad on the tiered approaches we are obligated to take when confronted with evil. Identifying Liverpool’s malfeasance is only a start, writes Jalal Baig.
