(The Conversation) — Holding pictures of migrant children who have died in U.S. custody and forming a cross with their bodies on the floor of the Russell Senate Office Building, 70 Catholics were arrested in July for obstructing a public place, which is considered a misdemeanor. The protesters hoped that images of 90-year-old nuns and priests in clerical collars being led away in handcuffs would draw attention to their moral horror at the United States’ treatment of undocumented immigrant families. American Catholics, like any religious group, do not fit neatly into left-right political categories. But ever more they are visibly joining the growing ranks of progressive Christians who oppose President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and federal agencies’ negligent, occasionally deadly treatment of immigrants on his orders. Religious activism American Christianity is more often associated with right-wing politics. Conservative Christian groups advocating for … [Read more...]

RNS) — A chain-link fence shrouded with a black tarp surrounds the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh these days. The Jewish community in the city’s east side neighborhood of Squirrel Hill has not yet decided the fate of the building in the wake of the Oct. 27 shooting in which a gunman opened fire as Shabbat services were about to begin, killing 11 worshippers. Many of the survivors — members of three independent Jewish congregations that met in the synagogue — are still coming to terms with the anti-Semitic rampage, considered the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. But the leader of one of those congregations has already formed an opinion about what he knows will transpire in the coming weeks: a decision by federal prosecutors about whether seek the death penalty in the case. And he wants to prevent it. To that end, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman and his wife, Beth Kissileff, recently penned letters to Attorney General William Barr urging him not to seek the death … [Read more...]

(RNS) — A truck attempted to barrel through a group of Jewish protesters who were demonstrating outside a detention center in Rhode Island on Wednesday evening (Aug. 14) in an incident that left five people hospitalized and drew attention to Jewish criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The demonstration, organized by the Jewish group Never Again Action, took place outside the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, R.I. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the center contracts with ICE to house migrants arrested along the U.S.-Mexico border. Organizers say roughly 400 people gathered for the protest and at least 30 formed a human barricade blocking the entrance to the detention center. Lex Rofeberg, a demonstrator who is studying to be a rabbi in the Jewish Renewal Movement, said protesters were singing and chanting when a truck pulled up at about 9:45 p.m. “This truck came and turned directly into the line of protesters,” he said. The … [Read more...]

(RNS) — A dozen United Methodists meeting secretly in Indianapolis earlier this summer have unveiled a blueprint for spinning off one or two new denominations, hoping to put an end to decades of battles over LGBTQ inclusion. The plan would allow the United Methodist Church to create a new, fully independent body for more conservative or traditional churches while preserving the current denomination as centrist/liberal in orientation. Each would have its own structures, policies and finances but share a common Methodist heritage. The group’s members, who first met at an Indianapolis church in late June, started out with a conviction that a split in the 12 million-member global denomination was inevitable. “We began by asking, ‘If a separation is going to occur, how might it occur?’” said Keith Boyette, one of the conveners. Boyette is president of the Wesleyan Covenant Association, a conservative group that supports a ban on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings in the … [Read more...]

FORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — Taste Community Restaurant, located in Fort Worth’s trendy Near Southside, hit Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat for 2019” list earlier this year. That acclaim did not surprise locals or anyone who pays attention to dining in Texas. Opened two years ago, Taste already ranks among the top places to eat in the state. Julie Williams, who serves as the restaurant’s communications director, takes the accolades in stride. “That’s completely God at work,” she said. Besides its good food, what sets Taste Community apart is that it’s a nonprofit, pay-what-you-can, faith-based endeavor. “Our mission is to serve,” said Jeff Williams, Julie’s husband and the restaurant’s CEO, before opening the doors at Taste on a recent day. For a moment, the hustle and bustle of a restaurant getting ready to open quieted down. Jeff, sporting a well-worn green T-shirt that read “#keepfortworthfed,” circled around a long wooden table to pray with the cooks, servers and other … [Read more...]

ROCKVILLE, Md. (RNS) — From the time she arrived in 2013, the Rev. Jill McCrory had seen the congregation at Twinbrook Baptist Church, the progressive Baptist church she pastors, ebb and flow but never reach more than several dozen faithful in the pews that could hold far more. So the multiracial, LGBT-affirming congregation in this Washington suburb made a tough decision: Its church will close. But the more than $1 million from its sale will help 35 religious organizations and other nonprofits meet needs in the community. And the Hispanic congregation that long rented the building has bought it for less than its assessed value. This weekend (Aug. 17-18), Twinbrook will hold a Saturday “legacy service” for the chosen grant recipients — from Baptist organizations such as the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists to a program at a local elementary school that helps feed students who can’t afford a nutritious lunch. McCrory, 63, says her congregants and grant … [Read more...]