The Slingshot: Papal dissenters; Police divestment; Evolution and faith

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Pope Francis sits as he celebrates Mass in the parish church of San Paolo della Croce, in the Corviale neighborhood of Rome, on April 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)


Need to know: Friday, April 20, 2018

A new type of Catholic emerges: the conservative dissenter

Liberal theologians used to argue that popes should govern more collaboratively, but now traditionalist critics have become reluctant to accept papal teaching.

Churches make a pledge in the name of social justice: To stop calling the police

These churches believe the American police system, criticized for its impact especially on people of color, is such a problem that they should wash their hands of it entirely.

5 faith facts about Mike Pompeo: A divisive devotion

His conservative Christian faith undergirds his beliefs, which many say are anti-gay and anti-Muslim.

Kenneth Miller finds good news in evolution

In his new book, "The Human Instinct," the Brown University biologist seeks to counter the message that evolution is depressing and suggests humanity's gift is its consciousness.

Remembering the children of the Warsaw Ghetto on the 75th anniversary of the uprising

While the Warsaw Ghetto uprising provides a small salve for the wounds of the Holocaust, its most iconic photo is of a boy raising his hands in surrender, writes Samantha Baskind.

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Latest news from RNS

Mexican priest stabbed to death in church

(AP) — A Roman Catholic priest has been stabbed to death in his church on the outskirts of Mexico City.

3 men convicted in Kansas plot to bomb Somali refugees

A federal jury on Wednesday found three men guilty of plotting to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali refugees in Kansas.

Still evangelical? Literary festival panelists question label after Trump, #MeToo

More than a year into Trump’s presidency, female Christian writers discussed how it has strained their relationships with American evangelicalism.

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Donald Trump is not a Christian, but he knows what the religious right needs to hear, says historian

Donald Trump is not a Christian, but he understands what white Protestants long for, says historian Matthew Bowman in the new book "Christian: The Politics of a Word in America."

Lay off the ADL!

The attack on the ADL is yet another chapter in a sad pattern that goes back to Karl Marx.

Earth Days past and present

(RNS) — If I had to choose a Bible verse for a sermon I would give on Earth Day this year, it would be Psalm 24, verse 1: 'The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.' And I would encourage our taking an inventory of what is happening in 'the fullness thereof.'

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