Looking ahead at coverage in 2020. Image by Gerd Altmann/Pixabay/Creative Commons
Need to know: Thursday, January 2, 2020
RNS reporters look ahead at 2020
As we enter the new year, we asked Religion News Service's reporters to give us a glimpse into the stories they'll be following in 2020.
Texas church grieves, prays, sings after deadly shooting
'There is evil in this world, and evil took two of my dear friends yesterday,' minister Britt Farmer told congregants Monday. 'Not a bullet from a gun — evil. Not ideology — evil.'
50 years after ‘Black Manifesto,’ religious groups take up reparations again
Five decades later, the reparations debate has reentered the national spotlight, with some religious institutions leading the way.
At Gallaudet University, deaf culture and faith mix to create something new
Religious students say the language shift is but a small window into the subtle ways their communities intertwine deaf culture with theology to produce uncommon expressions of faith and activism.
5 stabbed at rabbi’s house on Hanukkah; suspect in custody
Grafton E. Thomas, 37, of Greenwood Lake, New York, will face five counts of attempted murder and one count of burglary, according to Police Chief Brad Weidel.
7 top Mormon news stories from 2019
From vaping (and green tea!) restrictions to a $100 billion nest egg, 2019 was a big year in Mormon news, writes Jana Riess.
Texas church shooting victim’s daughter says she forgives killer
Tiffany Wallace’s father, Anton “Tony” Wallace, died when a gunman opened fire at West Freeway Church of Christ in White Settlement on Sunday.
Latest news from RNS
Pope: Sorry I lost patience with hand-shaker who yanked me
VATICAN CITY (AP) — 'So many times we lose patience. Me, too,' said Francis.
They made a mark on the religious scene this decade; some rose, others fell
(RNS) — This list of 12 — drawn from stories RNS has covered between 2010 and 2019 — offers a one-time retrospective of the personalities (and not a few of the issues) that dominated the religious scene this past decade.
RNS 2019 in Review: A year full of grief, scandals, fire and the perseverance of faith
2019 was a year full of losses, scandals and tragedies, from the deaths of author Rachel Held Evans and pastor Jarrid Wilson to the attacks on houses of worship from New Zealand to California and continued revelations of abuse in religious institutions. And yet faith persists in the midst of a changing religious landscape.
More views from RNS
Trump’s tweets and actions aren’t good fruit — or moral
A recent essay by theologian Wayne Grudem lists 20 achievements that he believes reflect well on the president’s character. It's also possible in a few of these achievements to see corruption, writes Matthew Arbo.
Stop blaming ‘them’ for antisemitism
(RNS) — This “new” Jew hatred is neither from the left or the right. It’s far more complicated than that.
McCarrick gifts for bosses expose flaws of Vatican practice
(RNS) — Gifts that Theodore McCarrick made to Vatican officials raise questions about whether the donations were buying access or protection.
