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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, shakes hands with co-headliner Jerry Falwell Jr., leader of Liberty University, during a campaign event at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa, on Jan. 31, 2016. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Dave Kaup
Need to know: Monday, April 9, 2018
Liberty U’s Falwell ‘censors’ student newspaper coverage of event organized by critics
The two-day event off campus drew speakers Shane Claiborne, the Rev. William Barber and others critical of university President Jerry Falwell Jr.'s support of President Trump.
Evangelicals are planning a high-profile meeting with Trump
The meeting will fall at a time when some prominent evangelical leaders are nervous that a dramatically lower number of conservative Christian voters will turn out for this fall’s midterm elections. (Subscription may be required.)
The ’Splainer: The YouTube shooter’s Baha’i faith
When news broke that an assailant had shot several people at YouTube’s San Bruno, Calif., headquarters this week, social media were awash with speculation about the alleged shooter, Nasim Aghdam — including her faith.
Modern-day crucifixions
Black men nationwide are still disproportionately killed by police. "Each name turned hashtag reminds us that the scales of justice seem permanently tilted away from black and brown people in the United States," writes the Rev. Jennifer Jones.
In Bukhara, 10,000 Jewish graves but just 150 Jews
Home to one of the world’s oldest and, in centuries past, biggest Jewish communities, the city in central Uzbekistan has a Muslim population of more than 270,000 people but, according to most estimates, only 100 to 150 Jews. (Subscription may be required.)
Celebrating a medieval ‘Miracle of Amsterdam’ in city better known for its vices
Walking quietly past strip clubs, sex shops, restaurants and expensive clothing stores, the writer was struck by the 673-year-old celebration’s endurance and power against all odds.
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Latest news from RNS
Diocese IDs priests, bishop, laypeople in abuse probe
(AP) — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Friday (April 6) made public the names of 34 priests or other members of the clergy who faced credible allegations of sexual abuse or misconduct over the years.
Conservative faith leaders worry Kenya will repeal ban on gay sex
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — While few are actually imprisoned under the law, it has been used as a justification for harassment, violence and discrimination against gay people — at the hands of police, but also relatives who believe a gay person shames a family.
Settlement will prevent illegal NYPD surveillance of Muslims
The agreement ensures surveillance in New Jersey will not be based on religion or ethnicity.
More views from RNS
Another funeral for King
(RNS) — 'Fifty years after Martin Luther King died, America needs to hold a national funeral for King — the faux King we have created — so that we might hear anew the real King calling us to what he called a revolution of values,' writes Raphael G. Warnock, pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church. (Commentary)
Where did Mormon baby blessings come from?
Why do Mormons bless babies, when children can't be officially baptized until age 8? Historian Jonathan Stapley traces the surprising history of a ritual that has changed a great deal over time.
King in Montgomery: A white Southern Baptist minister reflects
(RNS) — If we benefit from the status quo, we can seek to maintain it rather than recognize that a wheel of injustice might be grinding our neighbor down. King shone a light on that injustice and it often made white Christians uncomfortable. His words and legacy, if we listen, still make us uncomfortable today.
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