Adelle M. Banks
Obama recalls Holy Land at prayer breakfast
As he gathered with clergy at the White House on a Friday in early April, President Obama recounted personal details of his recent Holy Land trip, calling it a chance to experience “the eternal spi...
Melissa Rogers picked for Obama’s faith-based office
Church-state expert Melissa Rogers will be the new director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships....
Statue of Rosa Parks unveiled in Capitol
A bronze statue of civil rights heroine Rosa Parks was recently unveiled at the U.S. Capitol on a day for members of her African Methodist Episcopal Church to celebrate one of their own.
...For aging religious leaders, is it still 'till death us do part'?
When aging religious leaders reach the top echelons of temporal and spiritual power, their followers have a certain expectation: Till death us do part.
...Megachurches are thriving in hard times, survey says
Despite the tough economy, many of the nation’s largest churches are thriving, with increased offerings and plans to hire more staff, a new survey shows.
...Bishop Eddie Long sued over alleged Ponzi scheme
Atlanta megachurch pastor Bishop Eddie Long is facing a suit from former parishioners who say he encouraged them to invest in a company that was operating an alleged Ponzi scheme.
...Religious groups shape Boy Scouts debate
The decision by the Boy Scouts of America to postpone any change in policy about gay membership was fueled by an “outpouring of feedback.” Much of that reaction came from a sector with strength in ...
Children conceived through rape open new front in abortion culture wars
WASHINGTON (RNS) Standing before the throngs at the March for Life on Jan....
Catholic, Reformed agree on approach to baptism
Leaders of Catholic and Reformed churches have signed an agreement to recognize each other’s sacraments of baptism—a public step toward unity among groups that are often divided by doctrine.
...Praying for unity at National Cathedral inaugural service
President Obama started his second term with a traditional worship service and a challenge to help heal the nation’s divides.
...Myrlie Evers-Williams talks about upcoming inaugural invocation
Myrlie Evers-Williams, 79, the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, will be the first laywoman to give an invocation at a presidential inauguration when she prays at President Obama's s...
PBS series depicts American abolitionists as fired by faith
As the nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, PBS premieres "The Abolitionists," a three-part series, on Tuesday (Jan. 8).
...Russell Moore: Why adoption is a 'pro-life' policy for evangelicals
Russell Moore, dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, recently talked with Religion News Service about why adoption has become his personal cause and why more evan...
As bells toll, clergy push Congress on gun control
WASHINGTON (RNS) As bells tolled across the country on Friday (Dec....
Report cites ways for IRS to curb lavish ministries
A special commission created by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability has called for clearer Internal Revenue Service guidance and greater efforts by donors to address “outliers” amo...
Massacre galvanizes 'cross lobby' on gun control
The shooting deaths of 26 children and adults at a Connecticut elementary school has revived religious support for gun control, galvanizing a movement that has struggled to gain traction against th...
At Christmas, the babe in the manger isn't always white
When the Rev. Kip Banks' family pulls out its nativity scene each Christmas, the African features of the baby Jesus provide lessons on both the Bible and self-esteem.
...Update: Evangelical grad student settles with university
A graduate counseling student who was expelled from Eastern Michigan University after citing her faith when she declined to advise a gay client has settled her case with the school.
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