People
Munib Younan, Palestinian Lutheran bishop, passes torch to Sani Ibrahim Azar
Before his consecration as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, Azar was a pastor in Jerusalem's Old City for three decades.
Wyatt Tee Walker, MLK confidant and civil rights leader, dies
Walker was "a legend in his own right," said the current president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Walker also led.
George Manneh Weah takes helm in Liberia from fellow Methodist president
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf handed over power in the West African nation's first peaceful transition in decades.
George Lindbeck, a founder of postliberal theology, dies at age 94
He is best known for his 1984 book The Nature of Doctrine and his engagement in the ecumenical movement.
Harvey Guthrie Jr., leader during historic period for Episcopalians, dies
“He was a tireless advocate of racial and gender justice in the church,” a colleague said, “often at great cost to his own career.”
Jonathan Z. Smith, religion scholar, dies at age 79
Smith raised fundamental questions about the nature of religion.
Traci Blackmon, UCC national officer, honored by African American newspaper
The executive minister of justice and witness ministries was named 2017 Person of the Year.
Wilmot Collins, who came to U.S. as a refugee, begins work as mayor of Helena, Montana
“He feels he can make a difference, and I think he can,” said a fellow member of Covenant United Methodist Church.
Black liberation theologian James Cone wins 2018 Grawemeyer Award in religion
The award honors his book The Cross and the Lynching Tree, which shows how white supremacy has affected dominant views in the church.
HIV-positive pastor and his wife speak out about AIDS in East Africa
Samson Mulinge Mutuse and Evelyn Mueni Mulinge are among 260,000 Kenyan married couples where one spouse is HIV-positive and one HIV-negative.
Anne Dyer to serve as first woman bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church
Dyer was also among the first group of women ordained as Scottish Episcopal deacon and then priest.
Daniil Islamov, Jehovah’s Witness, remains imprisoned in Tajikistan
The 18-year-old was conscripted into the military, but refused to wear a military uniform or take an oath of service.
Tabitha Isner, a Disciples minister, runs for a seat in the U.S. House
Pastoral care is at the heart of a representative's job, says Isner, who is campaigning in Alabama's second congressional district.
Milwaukee pastor leads ministry linking inner-city workers with jobs outside the city
Jerome Smith Sr. runs the Joseph Project, an effort to address two big problems: high urban unemployment and the distance between where the jobless live and where jobs are.
Emanuel AME pastor Eric Manning shows solidarity with Sutherland Springs
“Though the motives may be different the result is the same: you have now two congregations who have gone through a tremendous amount of hatred and evil within their sacred spaces.”
Yousef Sadaka HaCohen, a Samaritan priest, looks to the past and future
HaCohen is one of only 802 Samaritans in the world.
David Bartlett, who sought to revitalize the Bible for liberal churches, dies at age 76
Bartlett was both pastor and professor, “a single career that integrated the two roles,” a colleague observed.
Brian Scroggins, disaster manager, cares for Las Vegas survivors
Since the day after the mass shooting, Scroggins has organized donations, kept track of the 500 wounded, and organized the services of ministers.
Civil rights leader Gil Caldwell calls on Duke Divinity to confront its past
More than 60 years ago, the divinity school denied Caldwell admission because he is black.
William Barber and Liz Theoharis take the Poor People’s Campaign on the road
The campaign is confronting four interlocking issues: systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, and ecological devastation.