Pakistani Christians distribute sweets to celebrate the acquittal of Asia Bibi, a Catholic mother of five who has been on death row since 2010 accused of blasphemy, in Multan, Pakistan, on Oct. 31, 2018. (AP Photo/Irum Asim)
Need to know: Thursday, November 1, 2018
Asia Bibi acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan, freed from death row
Hard-line Islamic clerics are furious that the Christian mother who allegedly blasphemed against the Prophet Muhammad was acquitted after spending years on death row.
Christian rock band retells story of Reformation in ‘Luther: The Rock Opera’
This fall, Christian rock band Lost and Found brought performances to five cities across the Midwest leading up to Reformation Sunday.
Jewish groups decry Messianic Jewish rabbi’s prayer at Pence rally
"A basic tenet of Jewish faith, no matter what stream you come from, is that it does not accept that Jesus is the Messiah. Period. The end," a top rabbi explained.
Eastern Orthodoxy risks split over independence for Ukraine’s church
On its face, the dispute is about who can decide whether Ukraine can have its own “autonomous church — the Orthodox world’s spiritual leader in Istanbul or Russian Patriarch Kirill in Moscow.
How pro-lifers can save the Senate and the Supreme Court
To recapture the goodwill necessary for the Supreme Court and the Senate to function, the anti-abortion movement must take a difficult stand, Charlie Camosy says.
How will Pittsburgh’s Jews translate tragedy into action?
The Jewish community disagreed about what to do when President Donald Trump came to town—and how to take action after tragedy.
Latest news from RNS
Trumps pay tribute at synagogue where 11 were fatally shot
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Trump stepped into the role of national consoler, a title he wears uncomfortably, with his visit to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood.
A Vatican opening on sexuality worries conservatives — and cheers reformers
Bishops acknowledge they need to update their understanding of the science of sex and gender, and that means updating the church’s theology on sexuality.
Does Trump encourage white supremacists? Faith groups divided in survey
Three-quarters of black Protestants say Trump’s behavior and decisions are emboldening white supremacists. Slightly more than a quarter of white evangelicals agree with that view.
More views from RNS
A tale of two synagogues
(RNS) — The virulent anti-Semitism that led to the murder of 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue this past weekend shares eerie parallels with 1950s Atlanta.
He’s not a rabbi, and it’s not Judaism
What happened in Pittsburgh was anti-Semitic. What happened in Michigan was anti-Judaism.
The Pittsburgh massacre was about refugees
That fact should not be elided.
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