Melody Stout, from left, Hannah Payan, Aaliyah Alba, Sherie Gramlich and Laura Barrios comfort each other during a vigil for victims of the shooting on Aug. 3, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. A young gunman opened fire in an El Paso, Texas, shopping area during the busy back-to-school season, leaving multiple people dead and more than two dozen injured. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Need to know: Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Religious leaders react to mass shootings, call for action from Trump, Congress
'We ask God in heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer and we vow to act with urgent resolve,' President Trump said in remarks at the White House.
Senators oppose Trump refugee cuts on religious freedom grounds
The bipartisan group sent a letter to President Trump arguing that reducing the refugee cap to zero would call into question a promise to assist persecuted religious minorities abroad.
North Carolina becomes first Southern state to ban state funding for conversion therapy
No Southern state has enacted laws banning the ex-gay therapies, but North Carolina's executive order bans government support for the practice, mostly used by evangelical ministries dedicated to changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
El Paso and Dayton mass shootings: Christians must act as well as pray
We shouldn't dismiss 'thoughts and prayers' as a response to disasters, as prayer is an important pathway to God. But if no further action is taken, it becomes an empty cliché, writes Jamie D. Aten.
Why we must deflect and debunk hate speech
This weekend's deadly shootings came on the heels of President Trump’s denigration of the city of Baltimore. The two stories have more in common than you might think, writes Georgette Bennett.
What the criminalization of instant divorce means for India’s Muslims
The change has long been sought by women’s groups, but some activists say the move is government interference in Muslim personal law.
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Christian leaders condemn Christian nationalism in new letter
A group of Christian leaders has condemned Christian nationalism in a new letter entitled 'Christians Against Christian Nationalism' that calls on religious Americans to push back against fusions of religion and government they say are distortions of their faith.
Controversial Founders Ministries video leads to board resignations, #MeToo concerns
According to statements from two board members, the inclusion of Rachael Denhollander in the trailer released July 23 appears to have been a particular sore point.
‘Skin’ filmmaker shares story of real-life racism and the road to redemption
'Skin,' inspired by the true story of Bryon Widner’s departure from white supremacy with the help of Daryle Lamont Jenkins of One People’s Project, is, at its core, a story about good and evil and people’s capacity to change.
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Gilroy, El Paso, Dayton, and the normalization of violence
I am afraid that others may soon respond to mass shootings that same way I do, the same way we do to other gun violence—ignore it and move on. No matter how horrible something is, if it is repeated time and time again, we get accustomed to it, writes Thomas Reese.
3 reasons Mormons don’t know what to do with the Apostle Paul
An unauthorized apostle who had anger issues and emphasized radical grace? It's a tough sell for Latter-day Saints, writes Jana Riess.
What did church teach white students posing with guns in front of Emmett Till marker?
(RNS) — What if those young men had been deeply educated by their church about race and racism?
