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Why we must deflect and debunk hate speech
By Georgette Bennett — August 5, 2019
(RNS) — This weekend's deadly shootings came on the heels of President Trump’s denigration of the city of Baltimore. The two stories have more in common than you might think.
Religious leaders react to mass shootings, call for action from Trump, Congress
By Adelle M. Banks — August 5, 2019
(RNS) — 'We ask God in heaven to ease the anguish of those who suffer and we vow to act with urgent resolve,' President Trump said in remarks at the White House.
Photos of the Week
By Kit Doyle — August 2, 2019
(RNS) — This week’s gallery includes the funeral of a beloved Cuban Cardinal, preparations for Eid al-Adha, and more.
Christian leaders condemn Christian nationalism in new letter
By Jack Jenkins — August 2, 2019
(RNS) — A group of Christian leaders has condemned Christian nationalism in a new letter entitled 'Christians Against Christian Nationalism' that calls on religious Americans to push back against fusions of religion and government they say are distortions of their faith.
Controversial Founders Ministries video leads to board resignations, #MeToo concerns
By Adelle M. Banks — August 2, 2019
(RNS) — According to statements from two board members, the inclusion of Rachael Denhollander in the trailer released July 23 appears to have been a particular sore point.
What did church teach white students posing with guns in front of Emmett Till marker?
By Jemar Tisby — August 2, 2019
(RNS) — What if those young men had been deeply educated by their church about race and racism?
In Cameroon, religious freedom can’t be separated from politics
By R. Drew Smith — August 2, 2019
(RNS) — Religion has been more closely tied to politics and politics more closely tied to religion than most care to admit. And yet, advocates for international religious freedom often treat religious freedom and political freedom as totally separate and distinct domains.
‘Skin’ filmmaker shares story of real-life racism and the road to redemption
By Emily McFarlan Miller — August 2, 2019
(RNS) — 'Skin,' inspired by the true story of Bryon Widner’s departure from white supremacy with the help of Daryle Lamont Jenkins of One People’s Project, is, at its core, a story about good and evil and people’s capacity to change.
From New York to Alabama, blacks worshipped in own spaces before slavery’s end
By Adelle M. Banks — August 1, 2019
NEW YORK (RNS) — As the nation marks the 400th anniversary of the forced arrival of Africans in Virginia, a Harlem church joins others that have represented the enduring faith of slaves, free blacks and their descendants.
Montgomery, Ala., churches part of city’s 200-year history of slavery, civil rights
By Adelle M. Banks — August 1, 2019
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (RNS) — 'It is the cradle of the Confederacy and the birthplace of the modern civil rights movement,' said a local church historian.
Angela, a First African, tells her story in Jamestown, but her faith is a mystery
By Adelle M. Banks — August 1, 2019
JAMESTOWN, Va. (RNS) — An interpreter attempts to fill in the gaps even as she and scholars of the 400-year history of enslaved Africans say they believe this particular woman was nevertheless a believer of some sort.
Babylon Bee, Snopes feud over fact-checking satire
By Jack Jenkins — July 31, 2019
(RNS) — The popular fact-checking site Snopes and the Babylon Bee, a religious humor site, have feuded online over the difference between 'fake news' and satire.
Will the Catholic Church self-destruct or bridge the partisan divide?
By Thomas Reese — July 31, 2019
(RNS) — American Catholics are almost evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, which means the church can either self-destruct or bridge the partisan divide.
SC Protestant-only ministry changes course, opens its doors to Catholics
By Yonat Shimron — July 31, 2019
(RNS) — Earlier this month, Miracle Hill Ministries announced it would allow Catholics to serve as parents to foster children in its government-funded foster care agency.
More churches are checking the national sex offender registry. Is it helping?
By Yonat Shimron — July 30, 2019
(RNS) — Running potential employees through the national sex offender registry may be useful, but the data it provides is limited.
