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..
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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
(RNS) Husband-and-wife Pentecostal ministers who own a wedding chapel in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, refused to marry same-sex couples after a recent court..
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’
(RNS) If you’re dismayed that one in five Americans (20 percent) are “nones” — people who claim no particular religious identity —..
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
(RNS) Mark Driscoll, the larger-than-life megachurch pastor who has been accused of plagiarism, bullying and an unhealthy ego that alienated his most..
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..
‘Spread hummus, not hate’ campaign unites Muslims, Jews
WASHINGTON (RNS) A small band of Jews and Muslims marched through one of the city’s busiest squares Tuesday (Oct. 14) shouting “Spread Hummus! Not Hate!”..
Israeli institute gets $2.2 million to help Christians study Jewish thought
(RNS) A new institute in Jerusalem has been awarded $2.2 million to help Christians and Jews study Jewish texts, launching what’s being..
Declining number of U.S. nuns, even among traditional orders, charted in new study
(RNS) A new report shows that Catholic sisters in the U.S. face a more serious challenge to their existence than the Vatican-led..
Jim Wallis on Ferguson: Repentance has not happened there yet
(RNS) The Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of the Christian magazine Sojourners and a spiritual adviser to President Barack Obama, will be one of the..
Malala Yousafzai: Kids ‘should stand up for their rights’
(RNS) Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi won the 95th Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work promoting education rights for children..
Seminaries awarded $1.5 million to include science in coursework
(RNS) Responding to a real or perceived gap between science and faith, 10 U.S. seminaries will receive a combined $1.5 million in..
Methodists resolve gay marriage complaint against 36 pastors without a trial
(RNS) United Methodists in Pennsylvania have agreed to resolve a complaint filed against three dozen clergy who blessed a gay wedding without taking..
Supreme Court allows gay marriage to expand to 30 states
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Supreme Court refused to get involved in the national debate over same-sex marriage on Monday (Oct. 6), leaving intact lower..
Museum of the Bible aims for timeless name, imagery
WASHINGTON (RNS) Museum of the Bible. That’s it. The name of the museum under construction in Washington, D.C., is official. “We don’t..
Religious leaders try to cope with Islamic State attacks
(RNS) Religious leaders agree the Islamic State — also known as ISIL or ISIS — must be stopped. Their struggle is how..