U.S. Catholic bishops grapple with adapting their agenda to Pope Francis’ priorities
BALTIMORE (RNS) With a controversial Vatican summit on family life just concluded and a papal visit to the U.S. expected in less..
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General Theological Seminary resolves faculty dispute, but future is unclear
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Online, offline faith go hand in hand
(RNS) God bless online media. Almost half of U.S. adults (46 percent) say they saw someone sharing “something about their faith” on the Internet in..
Conservative Christians packed an electoral punch, but can they do it again in 2016?
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Why Mark Driscoll’s fall and Mars Hill’s breakup issues a warning for megastar pastors
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Pastor who took a bullet paves her own way to Ferguson’s frontline
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (RNS) The first time the public heard the name Renita Lamkin was probably the day she was shot. In..
Russell Moore, Rick Warren to join Vatican conference on marriage and family life
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Brittany Maynard, face of right-to-die movement, died as she planned
(RNS) Brittany Maynard, the 29-year-old suffering with an aggressive brain tumor, died Saturday — as she said she would. Sean Crowley, spokesman..
Human trafficking survivors offered full scholarship at Christian university
(RNS) Point Loma Nazarene University wants to offer human trafficking survivors who want to earn a college degree a full-ride scholarship. PLNU, a..
Houston withdraws pastors’ subpoenas
(RNS) The mayor of Houston on Wednesday withdrew the subpoenas of sermons from five pastors who opposed an ordinance banning discrimination against..
Negotiations with Boko Haram a farce, says Catholic priest
NAIROBI, Kenya ( RNS) While the Nigerian government negotiates with the Islamic militant group Boko Haram for the release of 200 abducted..
An eerie calm: Iraqi Christians anxiously ponder their future
ALQOSH, Iraq (RNS) Basima al-Safar retouches a picture of Jesus on an easel outside her house overlooking the flat Nineveh plains, 30 miles..
Frank Schaefer wins final reinstatement with Methodists
(RNS) Seven years after officiating at the wedding of his gay son, the Rev. Frank Schaefer has been reinstated as a clergyman..
Idaho city: Chapel owners exempt from discrimination law
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Is California forcing churches to pay for abortions?
(RNS) Religious groups are battling the state of California over whether employee health insurance plans require them to pay for abortions and some..
Secularism grows as more U.S. Christians turn ‘churchless’
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Pope Francis blasts supermax prisons as ‘torture’
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis said Thursday (Oct. 23) that keeping inmates isolated in maximum security prisons is “a form of torture,”..
7 lessons from the Vatican’s wild and crazy Synod on the Family
(RNS) Pope Francis and senior Catholic leaders wrapped up their two-week Vatican summit on the challenges of modern family life on Sunday..
Greek Orthodox launch rebuilding of St. Nicholas, the only church destroyed on 9/11
NEW YORK (RNS) Leaders of a Greek Orthodox church that was destroyed during the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center broke..
Orphans abandoned, shunned in Africa’s Ebola crisis
MONROVIA, Liberia (RNS) Ever since Frank Mulbah’s mother died of Ebola in August, no one will go near him. “I went to..
Pope Francis lends friendly support to Anglican Church in North America
(RNS) Pope Francis stepped slightly outside of ecumenical protocol when he sent his support and congratulations to the new leader of a..
Ebola prompts hands-off Mass in Fort Worth, Texas
(RNS) The Blood of Christ will not be offered during Mass. The Host will be placed in the hands, not on the tongue. And the..
Mark Driscoll resigns from Mars Hill Church
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Victoria Osteen
(RNS) “When you come to church, when you worship him, you’re not doing it for God really. You’re doing it for yourself,..
Houston subpoenas pastors’ sermons in gay rights ordinance case
(RNS) Evangelical leaders are angry after city officials in Houston subpoenaed sermons given by local pastors who oppose an equal rights ordinance that provides protections to..