(RNS) — A new report from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that strong majorities within all religious groups, including white evangelicals and Jehovah’s Witnesses, show sustained support for LGBT nondiscrimination policies. The newly released data from PRRI’s 2018 American Values Atlas, an annual survey of more than 40,000 Americans, showed that 69 percent of all Americans are in favor of enacting laws shielding LGBT people from discrimination in jobs, public accommodations and housing. The two faith groups least likely to support these policies, according to the survey, were white evangelical Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but even they were in favor of laws protecting LGBT people by small majorities, at 54 percent for white evangelicals and 53 percent for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Especially in these times and with this sort of politically charged issue, to see this level of agreement is actually pretty striking,” said Maxine Najle, a research associate at … [Read more...]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (RNS) — Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry spent the evening of Ash Wednesday at a Baptist church, preaching a Lenten message focused on love and selflessness. “When love breaks out, we all get set free,” he said to an applauding crowd gathered at Harvest Assembly Baptist Church. The bishop, who preached on the importance of love at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last year in a sermon watched by some 29 million people, continued that theme across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital. “Imagine the White House — help me, Jesus,” he preached, “imagine the White House, the United Nations, the nations of the world if love was the law of our hearts and our land.” He noted that in the New Testament passage from 1 Corinthians, often cited in weddings, that speaks of “faith, hope and love,” the Apostle Paul also warns that love “is not selfish.” “The truth is the essence of sin is self-centeredness,” he said. “And when God is … [Read more...]

(RNS) — A recent meeting of United Methodists in St. Louis caught the attention of everyone from Westboro Baptist Church, which picketed outside the meeting, to the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who recognized “these costly struggles are familiar from our own recent history.” The special session of the United Methodist Church General Conference met Feb. 23-26 at the Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis to consider several plans to move the denomination forward despite deep divisions over the inclusion of its LGBTQ members. In the end, the General Conference approved the “Traditional Plan,” which continues the denomination’s ban on the ordination and marriage of LGBTQ United Methodists. Still, not even everyone at the meeting is clear on what happened at the special session and what it means for the future of the denomination. Let us ’Splain … Why were United Methodists holding a General Conference this year? The meeting was a special … [Read more...]

LONDON (RNS) — Three bishops from the Episcopal Diocese of New York have written an open letter to their clergy and parishioners to express their dismay at a request by the archbishop of Canterbury that two gay bishops not bring their spouses to the Anglican Communion’s Lambeth Conference in July of 2020. The letter also explains why, despite consideration of boycotting the meeting, all three New York bishops will attend. “We have concluded that we cannot in conscience remove the voice of the Diocese of New York from the larger conversations at Lambeth,” the letter reads, “regarding sexuality and the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the full sacramental life of the church.” The Lambeth Conference convenes bishops from the worldwide Anglican Communion once a decade in Canterbury, England. The issue of homosexuality has dominated the last two gatherings, exposing deep differences between bishops from the global South and the U.S. and Canada. One of the two sitting bishops affected … [Read more...]

CHICAGO (RNS) — The allegations of “sexually inappropriate words and actions” by Bill Hybels, the founder of Willow Creek Community Church, are credible, according to an independent group of Christian leaders advising the church. Hybels’ alleged behavior, directed mostly at women connected to the Chicago-area megachurch, took place at various points during his more than four decades of leadership. “The credibility of the allegations would have been sufficient for Willow Creek Community Church to initiate disciplinary action if Bill Hybels had continued as pastor of the church,” according to the report by the Willow Creek Independent Advisory Group. The group’s report was posted online Thursday (Feb. 28) by Willow Creek Community Church and the Willow Creek Association. Hybels stepped down from his roles with both the church and association early last year after allegations of misconduct surfaced against him. He has publicly and privately denied allegations of … [Read more...]