Barack Obama
Obama was right: It’s time for Christians to reflect
By Jonathan Merritt — February 12, 2015
The president's comments at the National Prayer Breakfast infuriated some conservative Christians, but most of their denunciations ignore or even twist the facts. When our anger burns against others we should pause to reflect on our own evil impulses and behaviors.
Trip Lee: Inside the mind of a misfit Christian rapper
By Jonathan Merritt — February 4, 2015
Trip Lee is part of a new slew of rappers who don't shy away from God-talk in their songs. They are making music in a genre that isn’t exactly known for faith-friendly themes and of which Christians have traditionally been wary.
Persecution of Christians reached record high in 2014. Will 2015 be worse?
By Jonathan Merritt — January 7, 2015
100 million Christians worldwide now face persecution because of their faith. Some blame the rise of Islamic radicalism and inaction by the Obama administration.
Pope Francis takes a victory lap after brokering US-Cuba breakthrough
By Josephine McKenna — December 18, 2014
VATICAN CITY (RNS) “The Holy See takes the long view," one Vatican source said. "There is a lot of quiet diplomacy going on.”
When will Aung San Suu Kyi break her calculated silence on Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis?
By Brian Pellot — December 3, 2014
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is pushing 70. Her hopes for a shot at Myanmar’s presidency next year seem lost. Will Aung San Suu Kyi finally speak up for her country’s persecuted and stateless Rohingya minority in 2015?
James Foley and Steven Sotloff were martyrs for freedom, not faith
By Brian Pellot — September 4, 2014
The Islamic State beheaded freelance journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff for their American passports and media credentials, not for their faiths. Falsely portraying the men as religious martyrs cheapens their legacies as truthseekers.
Hillary disses Obama’s Golden Rule
By Mark Silk — August 13, 2014
In her shot-at-Obama heard 'round the world, Hillary Clinton told the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, “Great nations need organizing principles, and ‘Don’t do stupid stuff’ is not an organizing principle.” It isn't?
Elton John: Jesus would support gay marriage
By Laura Turner — June 30, 2014
In a recent interview, Elton John said he believed if Jesus were alive today, he would support same-sex marriage. He's not the only one.
Britain’s Baroness Berridge seeks global coalition on religious freedom
By Brian Pellot — April 23, 2014
Baroness Elizabeth Berridge, chair of the U.K. All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Religious Freedom, explains why she's working with allies in the U.S., Brazil, South Africa and beyond to promote global religious freedom.
President Obama mourns Kansas tragedy: ‘We’re all children of God’
By Adelle M. Banks — April 14, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) “We’re all children of God. We’re all made in his image, all worthy of his love and dignity,” President Obama said at his annual Easter prayer breakfast, adding that religious-fueled violence has "no place in our society.”
Just how crazy is Saudi Arabia? 9 WTF headlines from March alone
By Brian Pellot — March 28, 2014
As President Obama visits the land of cheap oil and oppression today, he needs to know one thing. On the nutty scale between Charlie Sheen and Amanda Bynes, Saudi Arabia is off-the-charts Dennis Rodman insane. Here’s a quick rundown of this month’s most absurd Saudi headlines showing just how crazy crazy can be.
Nick Sagan on ‘Cosmos,’ Carl, and his “strange childhood”
By Chris Stedman — March 16, 2014
Carl Sagan's son Nick talks with RNS about his father's impact, memories from his "strange" and "surreal" childhood, the new "Cosmos," and what it was like to record a greeting for potential extraterrestrials at six years old.
USCIRF Vice Chair Katrina Lantos Swett calls for a global coalition on religious freedom
By Brian Pellot — March 5, 2014
Katrina Lantos Swett, vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, says religious liberty is a canary in the coal mine, one we ignore at our own peril.
Banned Valentines * Gay love * Hindu censors: Religious Freedom Recap: Feb. 10 – 17
By Brian Pellot — February 17, 2014
Valentine’s Day courts controversy in Tajikistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia. A flurry of states debate same-sex love and marriage. And a publisher in India pulls a prominent book on Hinduism after religious feelings are hurt. Don’t go breaking my heart.
Obama alludes to atheists, gays at National Prayer Breakfast speech on religious freedom
By Brian Pellot — February 6, 2014
President Barack Obama’s National Prayer Breakfast speech packed a world of religious freedom woes into 12 short minutes. Here’s what you missed, and what it all meant, written in about the same time it took him to deliver the speech.
