RNS Morning Report: Willow Creek resignations; Refugees and worship; Hymns of protest

Willow Creek Community Church lead pastor Heather Larson announces her resignation Aug. 8, 2018, at a “family meeting” at the megachurch’s main campus in South Barrington, Ill. Screen grab via WillowCreek.tv

Need to know: Thursday, August 9, 2018

Willow Creek elders and lead pastor resign in wake of Hybels revelations

"We exhort Bill (Hybels) to acknowledge his sin and publicly apologize," said elder Missy Rasmussen.

At world’s largest refugee camp, trauma victims seek healing in God

"The church gives them new hope, which is important to refugees and any person who has experienced trauma," says a counselor.

As activists rally, hymns of protest rise again

Just like the music of the civil rights movement, old and new songs are often led by people of faith and sometimes refashioned to appeal to people of a range of backgrounds.

Officials hold release of report on clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania

Last-minute legal maneuvering to redact some names in a grand jury report detailing clergy sex abuse claims in six Pennsylvania dioceses may have kept the document from being made public earlier.

A 10-month-old died after her parents refused to get help for religious reasons, police say

In video sermons, the man railed against vaccines, “bad medicine” and doctors whom he deemed to be “priesthoods of the medical cult.” (Subscription may be required)

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Christian heartland opens window into fight for China’s soul

NANYANG, China (AP) — Under President Xi Jinping, China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, believers are seeing their freedoms shrink dramatically even as the country undergoes a religious revival.

Fighting intolerance, Ahmadi Muslims have won unlikely allies

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How would Brett Kavanaugh rule in Supreme Court religion cases?

(RNS) — In the direction of accommodation, but it's hard to say how far.

Ahead of abortion bill vote, Argentina’s Catholic Church moderates its tone

(The Conversation) — The Catholic Church’s response in the face of a groundswell of support from Argentine women seems to be a model for how it is responding to social issues worldwide.

Timing is everything in Pennsylvania’s clergy sexual abuse report

Those deciphering the impending grand jury findings, Tom Reese writes, should focus on when the abuse occurred.