Tom Alexander holds a cross as he prays prior to rulings outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 8, 2020. The Supreme Court is siding with two Catholic schools in a ruling that underscores that certain employees of religious schools, hospitals and social service centers can’t sue for employment discrimination. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Need to know: Thursday, July 9, 2020
Supreme Court broadens scope of ministerial exception
The ruling allows religious schools to include lay teachers as among those subject to an exemption from civil rights laws that give workers the ability to sue for sexual harassment, overtime pay, equal pay and a myriad of other protections.
Breath, the divine metaphor, becomes a hallmark of America’s twin crises
The normally simple, normally unconscious act of drawing breath has come to define the United States’ most pressing problems. What the world’s faith traditions have to say about the meaning of our first act as humans.
Kanye’s running for president — and his platform has a lot of God in it
The rapper hinted that his presidential run may be his most overt fusion of faith and politics yet, with religion impacting everything from his decision to run to his views on vaccines.
Vatican Museums used to be an overcrowded ‘hell,’ say tour guides. COVID-19 may change that.
Guides hope socially distanced tourism will bring an end to overcrowding at Vatican attractions.
As a Sufi singer, I believe the sounds of world religions can cultivate compassion during COVID-19
Intercultural listening cultivates our compassion and humanity during a crisis, writes Shumaila Hemani.
Islamists block construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad
The government hailed the temple as a sign of Pakistan’s growing tolerance under Prime Minister Imran Khan. But pressure from clerics mounted, and the government gave in.
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Court: Some employers can refuse to offer free birth control
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's ruling could leave more than 70,000 women without free contraception.
Willow Creek, Life.Church among churches that received millions in PPP loans
The vast majority of religious organizations listed in the data received between $150,000 and $300,000, but at least two dozen religious organizations received the highest amount of dollars, between $5 million and $10 million.
Wheaton College chaplain fired over allegations of ‘racial and sexual’ comments
The flagship evangelical Christian college announced the Rev. Tim Blackmon’s dismissal Friday (July 3) in an email to the campus community from Wheaton President Philip Ryken.
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President Erdogan, preserve Hagia Sophia as a church
(RNS) — The Quran says that God’s name is extolled abundantly in churches, synagogues and mosques, which is reason enough to protect all such places of worship. But respect for others’ holy places extends deep into Muslim history.
NFL’s ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ plan will profane ‘Black national anthem’
(RNS) — African Americans’ most sacred hymn shouldn’t be desecrated to support the NFL’s attempts to apologize for its misunderstanding of players’ protests against racism.
How coronavirus lockdowns in the US starve vulnerable abroad
More people may die from the lockdown policies designed to stop the virus than from the virus itself, writes Darren Tyler.
