With Mosul’s Christians gone, Islamic State troops take over 4th-century monastery
ERBIL, Iraq (RNS) A day after most of Mosul’s Christians fled, Islamic State fighters stormed the fourth-century Mar Behnam Monastery near the city...
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Rockets or not, Birthright still going to Israel
(RNS) Rocket fire from terrorists in Gaza may have scared off U.S. and European airlines, but Taglit-Birthright Israel is still sending thousands..
Nursing home evangelism: Preaching at the last ‘bus stop to eternity’
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (RNS) Rhonda Rowe and her team gathered around a diagram of the nursing home’s floor plan and determined how to split up..
Political and religious leaders denounce European anti-Jewish outbursts tied to Gaza
PARIS (RNS) Amid mounting protests in Europe against the Gaza conflict, political and religious leaders in the region have sharply denounced anti-Semitism..
A ban on new church construction angers Sudanese Christians
(RNS) Christians in Sudan frequently face arrests, impromptu questioning and expulsion. But this month, conditions worsened after the government announced a ban..
Did Obama finally thread the needle on gay rights and religious freedom? (analysis)
(RNS) One of the toughest political calculations in Washington is balancing competing claims of gay rights with the traditional prerogatives of religious freedom...
IRS agrees to monitor churches for electioneering
(RNS) The Internal Revenue Service said it will monitor churches and other houses of worship for electioneering in a settlement reached with an atheist..
Faith communities are dumping their fossil fuel investments
(RNS) Worried about global warming, a growing number of churches and other faith groups are divesting their holdings in fossil fuel companies, which release large amounts..
Interfaith leaders launch daylong unity fast for Mideast peace
(RNS) While the violence escalates in Israel and Gaza, a movement is taking hold that unites Jews, Muslims and others in a..
Pope Francis raises eyebrows by saying pedophile priests include ‘bishops and cardinals’
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis has provoked a debate within the Catholic Church after being quoted as saying that one in 50 Catholic..
Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey supports assisted suicide bill
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) Three leading Anglicans have entered an explosive debate about whether it is permissible for Christians to allow doctors in..
Church of England approves women bishops in historic vote
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) After 20 years of turmoil and angry debate, on Monday (July 14) the General Synod of the Church of..
Humanists win right to solemnize their own weddings in Indiana
(RNS) A federal court has ruled that humanist couples in Indiana can be married by their own “secular celebrants,” something that until..
Why are evangelicals supporting immigration reform? Q&A with filmmaker Linda Midgett
(RNS) The Evangelical Immigration Table commissioned the documentary “The Stranger” to foster evangelical support for immigration reform. Linda Midgett, a graduate of evangelical..
Pope sends delegation to Paraguay to investigate Pa. priest accused of molesting boys
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Francis is sending a cardinal and a bishop to Paraguay to investigate the activities of a priest previously..
Judge approves settlement in Baptist children’s home case
(RNS) A federal judge has approved a settlement in a 14-year legal battle over government funding of Baptist homes for children in..
Obama’s faith-based advisers divided over religious exemption for anti-gay discrimination
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama’s faith-based advisers are coming down on different sides of a debate over a pending executive order that would..
In Kenya, a pastor with disabilities breaks barriers for others
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) On a Sunday at the Presbyterian church in the Bahati neighborhood, a young woman haltingly approaches the pulpit with..
Not just theology: Catholic seminarians go to summer school to learn management skills
RADNOR, Pa. (RNS) “How many of you have ever studied a parish budget?” the Rev. David Couturier asked the 11 Catholic priests-in-training seated..
Wheaton College gets a pass from Supreme Court on contraception mandate
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Supreme Court offered a further sign that it favors letting employers with religious objections avoid the Obama administration’s so-called..
Supreme Court rules for Hobby Lobby
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Supreme Court on Monday(June 30) sided with the evangelical owners of Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., ruling 5-4 that the arts-and-crafts chain does not..
Moravians in 13 states vote to ordain gay clergy
(RNS) The Moravian Church’s Northern Province approved a proposal to allow gays and lesbians to be ordained and to create a religious..
World Vision, recovering from gay policy shift, tries to shore up its evangelical base
(RNS) World Vision tested evangelical boundaries three months ago when it announced it would allow its employees to be in same-sex marriages. The policy was short-lived;..
United Methodist pastor Frank Schaefer reinstated on appeal
(RNS) In a surprising reversal, a Pennsylvania pastor who was defrocked last year for violating United Methodist law after he officiated at..
Wild Goose Festival puts spotlight on visual arts
(RNS) Words and music are the stock-in-trade at most Christian festivals, but the Wild Goose Festival is adding another component: the visual..