American Judaism in in a pretty tight spot thanks to the relentless growth of secularization and those ever-elusive Millennials. Equally as challenging is the freedom of – and from – religion available to Jewish people in the U.S., said Jeffrey…
After shakeup, Religion News Service hires veteran journalist as editor-in-chief
Bob Smietana, a veteran religion reporter who left The Tennessean in 2013 for LifeWay Christian Resources, has been named editor-in-chief of Religion News Service. The hiring, announced Aug. 16, comes four months after the independent non-profit news service fired former…
Columnist Jonathan Merritt latest departure from RNS
Jonathan Merritt, an award-winning religion writer who contributes regularly to national publications including The Atlantic and The Week, has stepped down as senior columnist for Religion News Service, citing “irreconcilable differences” with his publisher and interim editor-in-chief. Merritt, son of…
Editor change, resignations signal shakeup at RNS
Religion News Service — a news service of record for newspapers, magazines, broadcast organizations covering religion, ethics and spirituality around the world — has replaced its editor-in-chief in what appears to be a major shakeup of the award-winning non-profit founded in 1934.
President-elect inspiring more prayer, worship and (social media) fasting
It could be that the election of Donald Trump is having an unintended consequence: Driving more Americans to the practice of fasting. It’s already been reported that prayer and worship attendance among mainline Christians are rising since Election Day. So…
Pope urges Donald Trump to remember the poor, Italian newspaper reports
Pope Francis urged President-elect Donald Trump to remember the poor when he takes office next year. Quoting an Italian daily newspaper, Religion News Service reported today that the pontiff offered no judgment about the reality TV star-turned-commander in chief. “I…
Opponents of new D.C. assisted death law vow appeal to Congress
Washington D.C. has become the sixth jurisdiction in the U.S. to approve so-called death-with-dignity legislation – but opponents vow to keep fighting against it. “We believe in life until natural death and that there is a racist component to it,”…
Types of Christians drawn to Enneagram growing
Michael Sciretti Jr. has spent years teaching about, and guiding students through, the Enneagram, an ancient practice that inspires spiritual growth through personality typing. And Sciretti, who is a Baptist, said he has also learned how important it is that…
Where do Southern Baptists go when they leave? The answer in one chart
Most of the decline in the Southern Baptist Convention is coming because SBC churches are not holding onto those who were raised in their congregations.
Harvard scholar admits ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’ is likely a forgery
If “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” sounds a bit like something out of a Dan Brown novel or an episode of “The X-Files,” that’s because, as the Harvard scholar who introduced it to the world now admits, it likely is…
Neither coronation nor inquisition expected when Trump meets evangelicals
A closed-door meeting between presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and conservative Christians from across the country is being billed as a “conversation.”
A year after the Charleston church shooting, what has changed?
In the wake of the shooting at Emanuel, congregations in the AME and other black churches have ratcheted up security — installing cameras and, in some cases, posting armed ushers. Officers sometimes sit in on Bible study.