RNS Morning Report: Southbound caravan; Prison partnerships; Faith in fiction

Rabbi Josh Whinston speaks with a group of activists during a stop of the “Let Our Families Go” caravan. RNS photo by Eric Berger

Need to know: Thursday, November 15, 2018

As immigrants come north, ‘Let Our Families Go’ caravan heads for border tent city

The goal of the trip, an organizer said, is to 'raise our voices and ensure that indefinite detention of asylum seekers does not happen.'

Bishops angered by scandal involving ex-Cardinal McCarrick

The country's Catholic bishops called Wednesday for a formal repudiation of the disgraced cardinal facing allegations of sexual misconduct over a long stretch of his career.

Seminaries partner with prisons to offer inmates new life as ministers

Evangelical schools such as Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary offer inmates a free, on-site college degree if they promise they'll minister to other inmates once they graduate.

Close encounters of the God kind: Scalzi, others mix religion in science fiction

Religion often makes an appearance in best-selling, Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi’s works of science fiction — including his latest, 'The Consuming Fire.' And that’s not unique to Scalzi.

No cheeks left to turn: The double persecution of Africa’s largest church

Weary of attacks by Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen, Christians in Nigeria ask how long they’re supposed to “count it all joy."

Latest news from RNS

Vatican instructs U.S. bishops to halt voting on sex abuse measures

But Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, citing the urgency of the abuse crisis for the American church, urged that the bishops still discuss the "action items."

Notre Dame students cite faith as they kneel during national anthem to protest racism

The students argued their demonstration was in the spirit of Notre Dame's former president, the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, who protested with Martin Luther King Jr.

Welcoming veterans to belated college careers with yoga and a dose of Taoism

The Manhattan College program seeks to help veterans reintegrate into civilian and academic life after being separated from both for years of isolating service.

More views from RNS

How to talk about racism in the church without becoming bitter

Unfortunately, many predominantly white Christian outlets and organizations prove extremely hostile to any anti-racist messages. But those particular places do not represent the church as a whole.

Undoing the culture of Mormon judgmentalism—Or, I am not a “tare”

I'm getting tired of the way some Mormons throw around the "wheat and the tares" analogy to dismiss anyone who disagrees with them. A culture of judgmentalism has consequences, and they're not good.

FBI’s new hate crime report captures an America changed by hate

The official statistics reflect a climate of growing hate that is emboldened and indeed enacted by those at the top, writes Simran Jeet Singh.

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