RNS Morning Report: Rev. David Kennedy on Film; London’s New Faith Hub; Elizabeth Warren’s Pastor

Michael Burden, left, and the Rev. David Kennedy stand in front of Echo Theater in Laurens, South Carolina. The theater formerly housed the Redneck Shop, a white supremacist store and meeting place, which closed in 2012. Photo courtesy of 101 Studios

Need to know: Thursday, February 27, 2020

South Carolina minister who fought Klan shop and preaches love now depicted in movie

‘When racism raises its ugly head, we must fight,’ the Rev. David Kennedy said in an interview. ‘As we fight, we must love.’

London’s new Faith hub is building young Muslims a bridge back to the mosque

Faith is a gathering space for those who have felt neglected by traditional Islamic spaces — especially women.

Meet the pastor who prays over Elizabeth Warren before every debate

'I will let you in on a little secret: If you think I do all right in the debates, it’s because Rev. Culpepper prays over me before I go out,’ Warren, a Methodist, told a group of faith leaders.

Study: Trump’s support among GOP, white evangelicals ‘remarkably stable’

Among the groups that viewed the president unfavorably were African Americans, Hispanics, non-Christian religious Americans and religiously unaffiliated Americans.

Jean Vanier and the corrupting power of sexual sin

If Jean Vanier is not good — indeed, far from it — who can be good? Charles C. Camosy asks.

Sip from the common cup? On Ash Wednesday, coronavirus and the flu have religious leaders tweaking rituals.

Ash Wednesday is a chance for clergy to remind Christians of their mortality, often with a swipe of thumb-to-forehead ashes. But this year, the holy day came one day after federal health officials said the country should brace for an “inevitable” spread of coronavirus.

 


 

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Death toll rises to 22 from Delhi riots during Trump trip

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President Trump has made freedom of religion a focus of his administration. In his India visit, he may find that India’s religious minorities have their own stories to tell about an increasingly hostile environment, if he will only listen, writes Ellis Heasley.