Religions for Peace participants process through Lindau, Germany, to dedicate the Ring for Peace sculpture on Aug. 21, 2019. RNS photo by Adelle M. Banks
Need to know: Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Interfaith group pledges to use religion’s influence to address climate change, poverty
Azza Karam, the newly elected leader of the interfaith group Religions for Peace, urged delegates to the group's recent World Assembly to harness the power of religion to address climate, nuclear arms, and income inequality.
Trailblazing sociologist of religion Wade Clark Roof dies at 80
Despite his seminal book on religion among Baby Boomers, his former students say Roof’s most lasting presence will likely be felt in those he mentored.
Pastor whose child was shot at Texas church runs for office
Frank Pomeroy had not been outspoken politically in the two years since a discharged Air Force airman with a history of violence opened fire in the church where the gunman's wife and mother-in-law attended, killing 22 people.
India ends Kashmir’s separation, giving hope to Hindus looking homeward
In the 1990s, thousands of Pandit homes, businesses and temples were destroyed or occupied, and 350,000 Pandits fled in a mass exodus. So, when earlier this month the Indian government finally abrogated Articles 370 and 35A ... my family celebrated, writes Rajiv Pandit.
Why Trump’s tweets on Omar and Tlaib go to the heart of American Jewish politics
The president’s recent tweets have capitalized on a tension embedded within two paradigms of the place of Israel in American Jewish life, writes Noam Pianko.
A court will decide if a sheriff’s deputy can be fired for refusing to work alone with a woman
A former sheriff’s deputy has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired over objections to training a female employee alone, elevating a practice named after the late evangelical pastor Billy Graham from a cultural battle to a legal one.
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Rev. William Barber calls on Democrats to host debate on poverty, racism
The progressive activist and pastor called on Democratic Party leaders to do more to address the concerns of poor and low-income Americans.
German town welcomes hundreds from different faiths for food, worship and unity
During breaks in their four-day meeting, many delegates to the Religions for Peace global assembly found time to explore the town of about 25,000 people.
Outgoing Religions for Peace leader reflects on decades of interfaith cooperation
Retiring interfaith leader William Vendley says faith leaders must focus on the common good — as well as the interests of their own communities — in order to help address issues like climate change, peace and terrorism.
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Glamour and unattainability is out. Spiritual refreshment is in
Today’s advertisements are designed to evoke different and more numinous emotions: spiritual well-being, an inward journey, a moral sensibility. We’re buying the very things that organized religion used to provide us for free, writes Tara Isabella Burton.
Why Trump — and some of his followers — believe he is the Chosen One
Trump’s two announcements this week reveal why some evangelicals see him as 'God’s Chosen One' — a King Cyrus-like figure, anointed by God to save America from cultural collapse, writes Anthea Butler.
American Jews are loyal to the vision of America
Politically speaking, this has been the most dangerous week in American Jewish history.
