President Barack Obama
Obama recalls Holy Land trip at Easter Prayer Breakfast
By Adelle M. Banks — April 5, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) As he gathered with clergy at the White House Friday, President Obama recounted personal details of his recent Holy Land trip, calling it a chance to experience “the eternal spirit of Easter” and feel closer to Jesus.
President Obama’s Easter statement
By Daniel Burke — March 29, 2013
(RNS) On Friday, the White House released this statement from President Obama about Easter.
‘The Bible’ producers deny their Satan resembles Obama
By Caleb K. Bell — March 19, 2013
(RNS) The producers of History channel’s “The Bible” fended off claims Monday (March 18) that the actor who plays Satan in the miniseries resembles President Barack Obama.
White House takes stance against gay-marriage ban
By Richard Wolf — March 1, 2013
(WASHINGTON) The Obama administration came out forcefully Thursday against California's ban on same-sex marriage and, by extension, implicated similar bans in 37 other states.
Rosa Parks statue unveiled at Capitol, celebrated by AME Church
By Adelle M. Banks — February 27, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) A bronze statue of civil rights heroine Rosa Parks was unveiled Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol, a day for fellow members of her African Methodist Episcopal Church to celebrate one of their own among the pantheon of American heroes.
Scholars seek to reclaim a dirty word: secularism
By Kimberly Winston — February 22, 2013
(RNS) A conference at Georgetown University this week focused on cleaning up what many Americans consider a dirty word: secularism. The goal of the "Secularism on the Edge" conference was, in part, to define what secularism is and what it is not.
Christian left sees optimism in Obama’s second term
By Chris Herlinger — February 8, 2013
(RNS) Heartened by his inaugural calls for gay rights and for bold action on climate change, those on the U.S. Christian left are confident that Barack Obama will now claim the progressive legacy they believe he craves.
Catholic bishops reject new contraception proposals
By David Gibson — February 7, 2013
(RNS) The nation’s Catholic bishops on Thursday (Feb. 7) rejected the Obama administration’s latest proposals to broaden the religious exemptions and accommodations in regulations that will require insurance companies or employers to provide free birth control coverage.
READ: Obama’s remarks at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast
By Daniel Burke — February 7, 2013
(RNS) President Obama addressed the National Prayer Breakfast this morning in Washington.
Mr. President, leave your Bibles at home
By A. James Rudin — January 17, 2013
(RNS) It's the constitutionally mandated oath of office, not the pair of historic Bibles, that is both necessary and sufficient for President Obama to begin his second term. Linking that oath to any religious text does not add to its efficacy. By A. James Rudin.
Myrlie Evers-Williams: Inauguration timing is a `miracle’
By Adelle M. Banks — January 14, 2013
(RNS) Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, will be the first laywoman to give an invocation at a presidential inauguration when she prays at President Obama’s swearing-in on Jan. 21. By Adelle M. Banks.
Pastor pulls out of inauguration over anti-gay sermon
By David Gibson — January 10, 2013
(RNS) The evangelical pastor that President Obama picked to deliver the benediction at his inauguration ceremonies withdrew from the high-profile assignment on Thursday following a furor over a sermon from the mid-1990s in which he denounced the gay rights movement and advocated efforts to turn gays straight. By David Gibson.
Activists mobilize around White House’s Catholic ‘hate group’ petition
By David Gibson — January 7, 2013
(RNS) The White House’s online petition service features a bid to designate the Catholic Church as a hate group for its opposition to gay rights, and has generated almost as many press releases as signatures. By David Gibson.
The seven most provocative religious videos of 2012
By Daniel Burke — December 27, 2012
2012 might be dubbed the Year of YouTube - and that's especially true on the religion beat. Religious videos sparked international riots, stirred up the U.S. presidential campaign and called young believers to the front lines in battles over homosexuality and church culture. Here are seven religious videos that made news in 2012.
Both sides brace for Supreme Court battle on gay marriage
By Richard Wolf — December 10, 2012
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Supreme Court's long-awaited decisions to hear challenges to the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage move the issue to the top of the national agenda following a year in which advocates scored major legal and political victories. By Richard Wolf / USA Today.
