Siblings Carson Rodriguez, 3, left, and Madison, 2, participate in Immanuel Lutheran Church’s virtual Vacation Bible School from their home in Merrill, Wisconsin. Photo courtesy of Kyla Rodriguez
Need to know: Monday, June 29, 2020
In a summer of pandemic, Vacation Bible School programs go online and outside
Across denominations, VBS is one of the biggest outreach ministries of the year for many churches and draws a huge number of volunteers from congregations.
‘I have to find the Mecca of my heart’: Muslims grieve as hajj is drastically limited
For many American converts, hajj is more than the fulfillment of a sacred ritual: It’s the first chance to experience a completely Muslim environment.
From farm labor to food trucks, Sikhs adapt langar to serve the masses during a pandemic
Across the country, Sikh gurdwaras are finding new ways to carry out a tradition as old as their religion.
Savor and strategize: The SCOTUS decision to protect DACA
It is moments like this that remind us that change is possible and motivate us to not settle for this partial fix, write Jim Wallis and Sandy Ovalle.
Trump’s popularity eroding in Utah, especially among women
Trump is still likely to win Utah, but given the usual fantastical margins of GOP candidates in this reddest of states, a single-digit lead is a disaster, writes Jana Riess.
Scandals, compensation programs lead Catholic clergy sex abuse complaints to quadruple in 2019
The report released Thursday by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the 2019 report — which covered July 2018 through June 2019 — counted 4,434 allegations of clergy sex abuse against minors.
Latest news from RNS
Rabbi Sandra Lawson on how not to treat Jews of color
“When someone looks different, that is not the time to ask a bunch of personal questions. It’s a time to say, ‘Welcome. Thank you so much for coming,’” says Rabbi Sandra Lawson of Elon University.
‘Your fight is my fight’: Latino clergy and faith leaders rally behind Black Lives Matter
‘We cannot say that immigrant lives matter, if we can’t say that Black Lives Matter.’
How Jesus became white — and why it’s time to cancel that
Nearly a century later, both ‘Head of Christ’ and the criticism of the role it has played in enshrining Jesus as white endure.
More views from RNS
Black children in foster care need relief from systemic racism, too
(RNS) — We need to support Black families to keep them together and prevent generation after generation of children from achieving their full potential.
In an era of disinformation we have to hold The Tennessean to a higher standard
Last Sunday, The Tennessean, a Gannett newspaper, ran a full-page advertisement in its print edition that perpetuated disinformation, aimed at inspiring fear, and ultimately hate, writes Abdou Kattih.
Religious conservatives have lost LGBTQ rights battle. It’s time to surrender.
Jesus recommended negotiation when the odds are against you, and St. Thomas Aquinas said legislating morality is a losing proposition, writes Thomas Reese.
