CLEVELAND (RNS) — A federal judge Jan. 11 refused to release the leader of an Amish splinter sect from jail on charges he orchestrated the cutting of beards of Amish men over longstanding religious disagreements. Samuel Mullet Sr. and 11…
String of synagogue attacks stirs concern in New Jersey
RUTHERFORD, N.J. (RNS) — An attack early Jan. 11 on a New Jersey synagogue — the fourth such incident in a month — is being investigated as an attempted murder and a bias crime, leading to increased concern and security…
Is Rick Santorum a Catholic or an evangelical? Yes.
NEW YORK (RNS) — Just days after Rick Santorum surged to a virtual tie for first in the Iowa caucuses, conservative activists at an invitation-only summit along the South Carolina coast were buzzing about the former Pennsylvania senator’s sudden and…
Supreme Court sides with churches in employment fights
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 11 unanimously threw its support behind a church school that fired a teacher, using a widely watched church-state case to bolster a legal doctrine that exempts religious institutions from some civil…
Beloved hymns carried King through troubled times
NEW YORK (RNS) — At 87, C.T. Vivian can still recall the moment, decades after the height of the civil rights movement. As he stood to conclude a meeting in his Atlanta home, Martin Luther King Jr. joined his activist…
Virginia judge rules against breakaway Episcopal parishes
NEW YORK (RNS) — Seven congregations that broke with the Episcopal Church in 2006 over its liberal policies on homosexuality are not entitled to keep parish property estimated to be worth millions, a Virginia judge ruled on Jan. 10. The…
Beloved hymns carried King through troubled times
NEW YORK (RNS) — At 87, C.T. Vivian can still recall the moment, decades after the height of the civil rights movement. As he stood to conclude a meeting in his Atlanta home, Martin Luther King Jr. joined his activist…
Traveling repairmen help rebuild Baptist churches
MEMPHIS, N.Y. (RNS) — Brent Howard left his job as a home remodeler in Ohio in 2007, moved his young family into a trailer and began traveling to wherever he was needed. Over the past 4 1/2 years, he has…
Pope tells diplomats that economy needs ‘new rules’
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The world economy needs "new rules" to overcome the current financial crisis and to ensure that "all can lead a dignified life," Pope Benedict XVI told Vatican diplomats on Jan. 9. Benedict's New Year's address to…
Would Mormons try to influence a Romney White House?
c. 2012 Salt Lake Tribune WASHINGTON (RNS) — When Switzerland passed new employment rules that ban foreign religious groups from sending unpaid missionaries, 13 Mormon members of Congress pleaded with the Swiss ambassador for an exception. The Swiss ambassador sent…
Rob Bell says goodbye to Michigan megachurch
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (RNS) — For years, Rob Bell closed his Sunday teachings at Mars Hill Bible Church with a simple statement: "Grace and peace be with you." Thousands would respond in unison: "And also with you." Rob Bell is leaving…
Carter’s new book based on 70 years in Sunday school
Jimmy Carter was president for four years, but his new book is based on a role that he's held for nearly 70 years: Sunday school teacher. Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President, offers…