A group of women talks outside The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., after Sunday services on June 3, 2018. RNS photo by Yonat Shimron
Need to know: Monday, February 18, 2019
For Southern Baptists, sex abuse prevention is a local matter
Only larger, better-resourced Southern Baptist churches have policies in place to protect children from abuse.
Historic United Methodist church sees ‘hopeful’ time for LGBTQ Christians
LGBTQ-affirming United Methodists are split over which proposed plan to support at the denomination's special session — and what they'll do if a plan passes that strengthens rules against the full inclusion of LGBTQ people.
Vatican defrocks former US Cardinal McCarrick over sex abuse
Pope Francis has defrocked former U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick after Vatican officials found him guilty of soliciting for sex while hearing confession and sexual crimes against minors and adults, the Holy See said Saturday.
Women wearing tefillin cause a stir in Jerusalem
Women of the Wall is part of an annual campaign spearheaded by American Conservative Jews to encourage women, as well as men, to wear phylacteries during prayer.
Al Vorspan was a Jewish giant of justice
The story Al Vorspan told me fifty years ago, and how it taught me to hear the real music, writes Jeffrey Salkin.
Sociologists study the impact religion has on child development
Do children raised by religious parents have better social and psychological development than those raised in non-religious homes? In a new study, researchers found that religion can be a mixed blessing for children as they get older.
Latest news from RNS
Muslims, Christians in Nigeria pray for peaceful elections, disagree over candidates
(RNS) — As elections approach, Nigeria's Muslims and Christians disagree over which presidential candidate to support, while both faiths pray for peace.
Mormon missionaries can now phone home once a week
New rules allow missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to call weekly. Missionaries are also allowed to text and video chat once a week. Previous rules limited calls between missionaries and their families to a few occasions a year.
Bombshell book alleges a Vatican gay subculture, hypocrisy
Equal parts investigative journalism and salacious gossip, Martel paints a picture of an institution almost at war with itself.
More views from RNS
Mormon temple changes are a step forward for women
"I honestly never thought change would come in my lifetime," says guest blogger Kristin Lowe. But the Mormon temple ceremony did indeed change to be more inclusive of women, which filled her with hope.
What Catholics and Southern Baptists can learn from each other about sex abuse crisis
(RNS) — The scandal over sexual abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention provides no satisfaction to us Catholics, but it does allow us to test our theories about the causes of abuse.
Witchcraft becomes a political stance — and a booming business
Once a fringe spiritual practice, witchcraft has become to a key, and increasingly popular, component of feminist political resistance, writes Tara Isabella Burton.
