interfaith
NEWS STORY: Pope to issue statement on Holocaust, but no encyclical
By RNS Blog Editor — April 11, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS)-Pope John Paul II appears close to delivering on a 1987 pledge that the Vatican would assess Catholic treatment of Jews during the Holocaust and church teaching that some contend fostered anti-Semitism. The tract on one of the most sensitive and complicated issues confronting the church is being […]
TOP STORY: THE CHURCH IN TRANSITION: World Council of Churches leader on a mission of ecumenism
By Carl Anderson — April 10, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service NEW YORK (RNS)-It’s unlikely that the Rev. Konrad Raiser, the soft-spoken general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), will ever become a household name. But the 58-year-old Raiser, a tall, slim former university professor and pastor to factory workers in Germany, may, more than most people, shape the […]
COMMENTARY: Home-grown terrorists
By James Rudin — April 5, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.) (RNS)-A nervous America will mark the first anniversary of the bombing of Oklahoma City’s federal building on April 19, a terrorist attack that killed 167 people. And the current siege by federal law enforcement officials of the […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — April 3, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service Christians appeal for Mideast peace, opening of West Bank and Gaza (RNS)-As the final days before the celebration of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Easter unfolded, Christian leaders in the Middle East and the United States appealed for peace among Jews and Palestinians and for an opening of the closed […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 30, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service Reform rabbis seek to tighten patrilineal descent policy (RNS)-Reform Judaism’s rabbinic body is undertaking a review of its controversial policy of patrilineal descent because of concerns it has been misunderstood by the laity. Patrilineal descent is the acceptance of a Jewish father’s children as Jews, even if the mother is […]
COMMENTARY: In America, there’s room for all religions
By James Rudin — March 29, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.) (RNS)-A new report by the U.S. Census Bureau offers powerful evidence that America is undergoing a profound demographic shift, which promises to transform not only the social, political and economic landscape, but religious communities as well. Today, […]
NEWS FEATURE: Reform Jewish leaders increasingly concerned by interfaith marriages
By Ira Rifkin — March 28, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (RNS)-Reform Judaism-the faith’s largest branch in North America with some 1.4-million members-has long been characterized by its liberal approach to interfaith marriages, accepting them as a fact of life in an open society. Currently, about 60 percent of Reform Jews are marrying non-Jews. In some southern and western states, the […]
COMMENTARY: Memories of two Seders, bitter and sweet
By James Rudin — March 20, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.) (RNS)-I always look forward to the Passover Seder and to the stories, prayers, foods and songs of this festive family meal. But when Passover begins on Wednesday evening (April 3), I will be looking back. The year […]
RNS Daily Digest
By Carl Anderson — March 15, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service Evangelical leader optimistic about New Era settlement (RNS)-A spokesman for evangelical ministries hit last year by a scandal involving the now-bankrupt Foundation for New Era Philanthropy is optimistic that a settlement can be reached that will prevent years of litigation.”We believe we have an agreement in principle which must now […]
TOP STORY: JUDAISM: Jewish outreach joins the Exodus as a Passover topic this year
By Ira Rifkin — March 14, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (RNS)-This Passover, Susan V. Gelmis-the daughter of a Catholic father and a Jewish mother who raised her as a Christian-will again host a Seder at her home in Berkeley, Calif. As always, she will make it a point to invite Jewish friends who have little connection to their religious roots. […]
COMMENTARY: A squandered opportunity for leadership
By James Rudin — March 8, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (Rabbi Rudin is the national interreligious affairs director of the American Jewish Committee.) (RNS)-During last October’s Million Man March in Washington, I heard several black Christian ministers suggest that Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan had”reformed”and become a”serious leader of Black America.” Any hope for Farrakhan to remake himself into […]
TOP STORY: THE TEMPLETON PRIZE: Campus Crusade founder wins $1 million prize
By Adelle M. Banks — March 7, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (RNS)-Bill Bright, who founded Campus Crusade for Christ 45 years ago and turned it into an evangelical ministry in 165 countries, won the 1996 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion Wednesday (March 6). The prize is valued at more than $1 million. Bright, 74, a former oil and specialty-foods executive, […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 5, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service Cardinal John Krol, confidant of pope, dies at 85 (RNS)-Pope John Paul II, in a telegram Monday (March 4) expressing condolences at the death of retired Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia, singled out for special praise Krol’s personal faithfulness to him during his papacy. Krol, 85, died Sunday (March 3) […]
A look at two ecumenical initiatives
By RNS Blog Editor — March 2, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (RNS)-These are the major ecumenism proposals to be acted on before the end of 1997: Nine denominations, organized into a group called the Consultation on Church Union, plan to form a Church of Christ Uniting (COCU). Highlights of the plan commit the churches to: -Recognize each other as legitimate churches. […]
TOP STORY: THE CHURCH IN TRANSITION: New spirit of ecumenism taking hold among U.S. churches
By Carl Anderson — March 2, 1996
c. 1996 Religion News Service (RNS)-United Church of Christ minister Tim Downs remembers the day he suggested to a friend-the pastor of a neighboring Lutheran church in New England-that the two bring their congregations together for a joint Holy Communion service. The idea seemed logical to Downs. Both the UCC and Lutheran congregations believe in […]
