faith and politics
Our major parties offer no place for a rising moral middle
By Charles C. Camosy — August 27, 2019
(RNS) — Millions of American voters believe that we must uphold the dignity of every human from conception to natural death while ensuring access to food, shelter, education and health care.
Why Trump’s tweets on Omar and Tlaib go to the heart of American Jewish politics
By Noam Pianko — August 26, 2019
(The Conversation) — The president’s recent tweets have capitalized on a tension embedded within two paradigms of the place of Israel in American Jewish life.
Trump steadily fulfills goals on religious right wish list
By David Crary — August 21, 2019
NEW YORK (AP) — Mat Staver, president of the legal advocacy organization Liberty Counsel, said Trump has fulfilled about 90% of the goals on a list that Staver and other conservative leaders compiled.
The maddeningly untraditional and modern faith of Abraham Lincoln
By Stephen Mansfield — August 12, 2019
(RNS) — An atheist, then a seeker, he was convinced of God’s existence but agonized over the meaning of Providence in a tragic world; Lincoln’s faith was much like what we see among millions today.
Anti-Christian attacks in Nigeria threaten precarious balance of faiths
By Anthea Butler — August 8, 2019
(RNS) — In this West African nation, religion stands at the intersection of a divisive colonial history and a current political crisis caused by drought and land scarcity.
Indian celebrities protest attacks on dissent, minorities
By Ashok Sharma — July 25, 2019
NEW DELHI (AP) — Several celebrities protested such killings in 2016 and some of them returned the national awards given to them by the government honoring their works in the field of art and culture.
Trump aims to protect persecuted Christians, but some aren’t sure he’s helping
By Jack Jenkins — July 25, 2019
WASHINGTON (RNS) — An increasingly vocal band of advocates and experts says the Trump administration’s refugee policies are out of sync with its promises to protect religious minorities from persecution, especially Christians, Yazidis and other groups in the Middle East.
It’s time to revive religious civil disobedience
By John Gehring — July 23, 2019
(RNS) — Being a faithful Christian sometimes means breaking the rules. Moral disruption is a sacred act when the status quo is sinful.
In remote Appalachia, liberal Christians gather at Wild Goose to pray — and plan
By Jack Jenkins — July 15, 2019
HOT SPRINGS, N.C. (RNS) — As the religious left exerts an unaccustomed influence on politics, this Christian festival has begun to draw recognizable names, including presidential candidates.
Christian nationalism, the border and Fourth of July church in Dallas
By Angela Denker — July 11, 2019
(RNS) — As the border crisis boiled over last summer, I attended a Southern Baptist megachurch on Fourth of July weekend. I wanted to hear which would speak louder: Jesus or America.
Russian Orthodox Church considers a ban on blessing weapons of mass destruction
By Marc Bennetts — July 9, 2019
MOSCOW (RNS) — The ban would constitute a signal change in the church's official policy regarding Russia’s nuclear arsenal.
Raising a progressive Hindu voice to counter Indian Modi’s increasing power
By Simran Jeet Singh — July 8, 2019
(RNS) — Sunita Viswanath founded Sadhana in 2011 to counter those in India and abroad who she believes are co-opting Hinduism for political gain.
Democratic candidates are hiring faith outreach directors — but outreach for whom?
By Tara Isabella Burton — July 1, 2019
(RNS) — Ultimately, the best work of campaign faith engagement strategists might not be in changing minds but in getting out the existing Democratic vote.
Victims question Kamala Harris’ record on clergy abuse
By Michael Rezendes — June 26, 2019
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Survivors of clergy abuse and their attorneys complain that Harris was consistently silent on the Catholic Church's abuse scandal — first as district attorney in San Francisco and later as California's attorney general.
Eclectic field could turn first Democratic debate into a faith forum
By Jack Jenkins — June 26, 2019
(RNS) — Tonight's candidates' volubility about faith matters could make the first debate a free-for-all once religion comes up.
