RNS Morning Report: Streetside Blessings in NYC; President LaKeesha Walrond; Catholic School Firings

The Rev. Adrian Dannhauser, left, blesses Russell Lupis outside Church of the Incarnation on Madison Avenue in New York City on June 25, 2019. RNS photo by Yonat Shimron

Need to know: Friday, June 28, 2019

On Madison Avenue, an Episcopal priest blesses passersby

The Rev. Adrian Dannhauser is well aware most of the people she blesses will never enter the 155-year-old Episcopal sanctuary in the Murray Hill neighborhood — let alone sign up for membership. But that's not the point.

LaKeesha Walrond, new black woman seminary president breaking ‘glass ceilings’

The new president of New York Theological Seminary talked about her diverse student body, her concerns about child sexual abuse and her support of open-mindedness among her students.

Why are Catholic schools firing gay teachers — and how can one refuse?

Two Catholic high schools in Indiana have been ordered to fire openly gay teachers. One did; the other vows to carry its protest against the order to the Vatican. What is going on?

Seeing Jesus in the migrants at the border

Jesus saw Óscar and Valeria. Jesus saw the woman and the three little children who died in the desert. He sees all of the crowds of migrants, harassed and helpless and fleeing from a home they can no longer stay in to journey to a place they have never been. He wants us to see them too, writes Alan Cross.

Today’s perfectionists can find healing in the Sacred Heart

Why did some of the best-known saints see meditating on and imitating the heart of Jesus as the key to their victory over perfectionism? Colleen Carroll Campbell writes.

Will young evangelicals come back to church?

The 18-to-29-year-olds missing from predominantly white evangelical churches span two generations. Using the Pew Research Center’s breakdown of U.S. generations, this cohort includes younger millennials and older members of Generation Z.

 


 

Latest news from RNS

Victims question Kamala Harris’ record on clergy abuse

Survivors of clergy abuse and their attorneys complain that Harris was consistently silent on the Catholic Church's abuse scandal — first as district attorney in San Francisco and later as California's attorney general.

Eclectic field could turn first Democratic debate into a faith forum

Tonight's candidates' volubility about faith matters could make the first debate a free-for-all once religion comes up.

Slavery history still affects blacks, half of practicing Christians say in survey

Slightly more than a quarter of both practicing Christians and the general population (28%) say our society has moved past the history of slavery.

More views from RNS

Should Southern Baptist women be preachers? A centuries old controversy finds new life

(RNS) — The Southern Baptist writer and speaker Beth Moore is theologically conservative and doesn’t believe women should be pastors. But her recent tweet renewed a debate that’s been an issue for more than 300 years.

Tony Perkins is the wrong pick to lead religious freedom efforts

While taking up USCIRF's chair position, Perkins remains president of the Family Research Council, sending emails emphasizing how his group's ‘influence is being felt in Washington, D.C. and across our nation,’ Jack Moline writes.

The death of trust and the triumph of suspicion

(RNS) — Unless we build bridges and trust, neither the church nor America has much of a future.