Top Story
Greeks bridle at historic deal to split Orthodox church from state
By Nikolia Apostolou — January 18, 2019
ATHENS, Greece (RNS) — Next month, the country's parliament is expected to vote on an agreement to make the Greek state neutral toward religion, ending the primacy of Greek Orthodoxy in the country’s constitution.
Roe v. Wade may be in peril, but future of anti-abortion movement is unclear
By Jack Jenkins — January 18, 2019
WASHINGTON (RNS) — This year's March for Life is being cast as a victory party, but it's less than clear how long it may take to dismantle Roe v. Wade or what would happen afterward.
Dementia and religion: Inside a church’s Alzheimer’s caregiver support group
By Adelle M. Banks — January 17, 2019
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (RNS) — When they shared how they can be angry or wonder why God gave them this situation, a facilitator reminded the group: 'Job also questioned God.'
Dementia and religion: Songs and stuffed animals instead of sermons
By Adelle M. Banks — January 16, 2019
RICHLANDTOWN, Pa. (RNS) — 'Spirit Alive,' a multisensory worship service for people with mid- to late-stage dementia, features a chaplain leading songs, holding up colorful pictures and passing out soft toys.
Faith makes for a good night’s sleep, study says
By Paul O'Donnell — January 16, 2019
(RNS) — Those who trust in God, a new paper in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion holds, are less stressed and sleep longer.
Dementia and religion: ‘What if I forget about God?’
By Adelle M. Banks — January 15, 2019
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (RNS) — It’s a query that reflects the struggles of people facing diseases like Alzheimer’s and gives Louisville geropsychologist Benjamin Mast a chance to explain how workings of the brain can relate to functions of faith.
From the Bible Belt, EWTN shapes world Catholic news
By Jack Jenkins — January 14, 2019
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) — Leaders of the Eternal Word Television Network have spent the better part of four decades quietly building a Catholic media empire that spans the globe.
Israeli Christians protest artwork depicting Ronald McDonald as ‘McJesus’
By Michele Chabin — January 14, 2019
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The controversy has raised questions about the limits of artistic freedom in Israel, which prides itself on being both a progressive country and the home to holy sites of three world religions.
In northern Kenya, al-Shabab militants target Christian teachers
By Doreen Ajiambo — January 14, 2019
WAJIR, Kenya (RNS) — Non-Muslim teachers have long suffered discrimination by the ethnic Somalis in the region, who are accused of helping militants to target Christians.
Photos of the Week
By Kit Doyle — January 12, 2019
(RNS) — This week’s gallery includes Epiphany, Orthodox Christmas, and more.
Resolved to unplug? Films, challenges urge the religious to reflect on digital lives
By Emily McFarlan Miller — January 11, 2019
(RNS) — As filmmaker Jonathan Ignatius Green screens the documentary 'Social Animals,' he's seen how ready people are to reflect on their digital behaviors. Many are bringing their beliefs to that reflection.
Cyntoia Brown: Christian university’s prison program ‘changed my life’
By Bobby Ross Jr. — January 11, 2019
(RNS) — Cyntoia Brown, who was recently granted clemency for a murder she committed as a teenager, says a program run by a Christian college in Nashville, Tenn., helped her turn her life around.
Snake handlers take center stage in new opera at the Kennedy Center
By Julia Duin — January 10, 2019
(RNS) — A new opera features the rockabilly music and exuberant worship of Pentecostal serpent handlers.
Methodist university presidents call on denomination to amend LGBTQ policies
By Yonat Shimron — January 10, 2019
(RNS) — The group, which represents presidents of 93 affiliated colleges and universities, urged the denomination to recognize the 'sacred worth' of people regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Putin disavows crackdown on Jehovah’s Witnesses, giving hope to detained
By Marc Bennetts — January 9, 2019
MOSCOW (RNS) — After the arrests of dozens of members of the group, the Russian president's comments seem to challenge a 2017 ruling by the country's Supreme Court marking the church as a terrorist organization.
