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An ecumenical group of African-American clergy gathers outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 18, 2017, in opposition to the proposed budget and the health care bill. RNS photo by Madeleine Buckley
Need to know: Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Black clergy arrested while protesting Trump administration policies
Sixteen protesters organized by the National African American Clergy Network were arrested on charges of “crowding, obstructing or incommoding” while trying to raise awareness of what they said was unjust legislation.
Report: Hundreds of boys abused at German choir school
The allegations involve the Domspatzen choir in Regensburg, which was run for 30 years by Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI’s elder brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger.
Saudi woman in miniskirt video arrested after public outcry
The furor over the video, taken in a historic fort, and the woman’s subsequent arrest reveal how powerful and widespread conservative views are in the kingdom, despite recent moves by Saudi Arabia to modernize and loosen some rules.
Metal detectors at Jerusalem shrine trigger new tensions
Israel says they're needed after a Palestinian attack. Palestinians claim Israel is trying to expand control over the Muslim-run site that is also holy to Jews.
After leading LDS congregations and designing Mormon temples, this Utah dad is building a new life — as a woman
In her mind, she faces an impossible choice: Return to living as a man or resign her membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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Latest news from RNS
Proposed budget bill would add teeth to Trump’s Johnson Amendment order
(RNS) — The U.S. House Appropriations Committee voted last week to keep language in the proposed budget bill that would add teeth to President Trump's May 4 executive order asking the IRS not to enforce the Johnson Amendment.
Vatican trial dawns for alleged misuse of hospital donations
A 3,230-square-foot apartment belonging to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s second-in-command got a $481,000 face-lift. A trial of past Vatican hospital officials begins today.
Mormonism’s Russia dilemma: How to grow a fledgling faith without preaching or proselytizing
SALT LAKE CITY — A year ago this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a stringent anti-terrorism law that severely limited outreach of youthful Mormons serving across the country.
More views from RNS
Louis C.K.: America’s unlikely conscience on abortion?
(RNS) — The comedian somehow found a way to get his young D.C. audience to a place where he could confront (and even mock) people's problematic views. That's an absolutely astonishing achievement.
In the fight to preserve health care, we have to lay our bodies on the line
(RNS) — In the fight to ensure that more than 20 million Americans don’t lose the lifesaving care they so desperately need, people of faith have to be willing to put their bodies on the line.
How the social gospel movement explains the roots of today’s religious left
The social gospel movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries has had a particularly significant impact on the development of the religious left.
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Bonus tracks
- ‘We’re headed toward one of the greatest divisions in the history of the Jewish people’
- Jesus is king for Poland’s new rulers
- Could a $10 sale mean no more taxes for Noah’s Ark theme park?
- Why Iran broke its strict hijab rules for the ‘Queen of Math’
- Betty Dukes, greeter whose Wal-Mart lawsuit went to the Supreme Court, dies at 67
