The Rev. John Ortberg preaches at Menlo Church in June 2020. Video screengrab via Menlo Church
Need to know: Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Megachurch pastor John Ortberg kept a family member’s attraction to children secret. Then his son blew the whistle.
The Rev. John Ortberg’s son reportedly confessed he was attracted to children. The megachurch pastor kept that admission secret while his son continued working with kids.
Dakota Access pipeline temporarily shut down in legal and ‘spiritual’ battle
Oil must stop flowing through the Dakota Access pipeline by Aug. 5, according to a decision Monday (July 6) by Judge James E. Boasberg.
As Dalai Lama turns 85, his lineage’s future is as uncertain as Tibet’s
As the Tibetan Buddhist leader ages, a confrontation with China over the legitimacy of his successor looms.
Tony Campolo, beloved pastor and social activist, recovering from stroke
Speaker and pastor Tony Campolo had a stroke that partially paralyzed the left side of his face and body; he is now in recovery at a health center.
Black churches lagged in moving online during COVID
On average, Black Americans face greater barriers to internet access and high-speed connection at home than do white Americans — this disparity extends to Black young adults, writes Erika Gault.
The Muslim bereaved cruelly deprived of closure by coronavirus
Infection risk means families are suffering trauma and guilt by not being able to carry out the Islamic funeral ritual of washing the body.
Latest news from RNS
On July 5, Uighurs remember 2009 violence that set Chinese crackdown in motion
The uprising of July 5, 2009, and ensuing ethnic violence charted the way forward for China’s mass suppression of Uighurs over a decade later.
Some question replacing Mississippi’s Confederate symbol with ‘In God We Trust’
‘In God we trust that we never go back to the Jim Crow laws, that we never go back to the Confederate flag and that every citizen of Mississippi — whether he’s Black or white — will be inclusive,’ said the Rev. Isiac Jackson Jr.
Death of megachurch pastor Darrin Patrick officially ruled a suicide
The cause of death was a gunshot wound and the medical examiner ruled it a suicide, said Franklin County Sheriff Steve Pelton.
More views from RNS
Reading Bible prophecy in a time of pandemic
The 50th anniversary of "The Late Great Planet Earth" reminds me that the world is, once again, in dire straits as it awaits the Second Coming.
American exceptionalism needs a reboot
(RNS) — As individuals, most Christians readily acknowledge we are sinners. Why is it so hard to admit that our nation has also sinned?
An outsider’s encounter with the Psalms
Instead of trying to contextualize it as a scholar, I decided to approach Psalm 133 as a reader and see how it might speak to me, writes Simran Jeet Singh.
