RNS Morning Report: Rebuilding Timbuktu; Barbecue Baptist Church; Grace Community Church Defies Bans

Zakiyyah Ali, top left, hosts a virtual Rebuilding Timbuktu session featuring playwright Shaun Neblett, bottom left, on July 23, 2020. Video screengrab

Need to know: Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Intergenerational reading group draws on legacy of Timbuktu to ‘rebuild a Black consciousness’

‘It’s imperative for us to start to rebuild libraries in our own homes and our schools so they are reflective of all our intellect and history,’ said educator Zakiyyah Ali, who founded the initiative.

Barbecue Baptist Church delivers meals, a message and a little levity amid pandemic

Barbecue Baptist Church, an outreach of First Baptist Church of Navasota, Texas, is traveling the South with fresh BBQ, a little levity and a reminder that people care.

Pastor John MacArthur, Grace Community Church defy bans on singing, indoor worship

This Sunday service was held amid a new round of closures that are in effect in California as COVID-19 cases have surged.

Black Catholics’ history: Will US Catholic schools teach it?

Top leaders are encouraging Catholic schools to place a new emphasis on teaching about racial justice, as well as the history of Black Catholics.

If you’ve got Jesus in your profile, don’t be nasty on your timeline

As politics replaces religion as the driver of our discourse, we may forget to see the person on the other end of that tweet, writes Daniel Darling.

Christian abortion critics urge Dems to change platform

A group of more than 100 Christian pastors, religion professors and other advocates is urging the Democratic National Committee to adopt a party platform that’s friendlier to abortion opponents.

 


 

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