News
Churches use advocacy, small loans to fight predatory lending
Frederick Douglass Haynes III, a pastor in Dallas, saw two dozen payday loan and car-title loan stores open in a five-mile radius in his community.
Sanctuary church, supporters resist arrest and deportation of congregant
Samuel Oliver-Bruno was tackled by ICE agents while at a government office applying to stay in the U.S. on humanitarian grounds—and deported a week later.
Crisis in Yemen shaped by unique religious and political factors
How did Yemen arrive at this point?
India’s Statue of Unity is latest venture of Hindu nationalist leaders
The statue depicts Sardar Patel, an icon of India’s independence—whom the Bharatiya Janata Party has claimed as one of its own.
White House expands birth control exemptions for employers, schools
The new rules extend to institutions with religious or moral objections to providing insurance that covers contraception—but not to publicly traded businesses, government agencies, or government-funded health centers.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad, leader of Muslim minority group, visits faithful in U.S.
Globally, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community includes 10 to 20 million people with a message of “love for all, hatred for none.”
Asia Bibi, Pakistani woman charged with blasphemy, freed
“She appears to be a person, in the words of Shakespeare’s King Lear, ‘more sinned against than sinning,’” the Supreme Court wrote in its ruling.
Egyptian Copts angry at authorities’ broken promises after pilgrims massacred
Copts, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt’s population, have seen increasing violence against them since 2013.
Thomas Keating, who developed centering prayer, dies at age 95
Keating was also known for his engagement in interreligious dialogue.
Aid agencies denied travel to North Korea, blocking humanitarian relief
Faith-based groups have spent years building relationships in North Korea with efforts such as improving farming or providing health care. Now the U.S. State Department has a visa embargo.
Palestinian candidate in East Jerusalem defies voting boycott
Ramadan Dabash sought to be the first East Jerusalem resident to serve on the city council since 1967.
Report details trends for U.S. women clergy
Among mainline denominations, women are half of the total clergy only in the United Church of Christ, Eileen R. Campbell-Reed’s research shows.
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting strikes at vibrant Jewish community
The neighborhood’s unity has been evident in the wake of the murders during sabbath services.
South Sudan faith leaders pray for peace agreement
The latest treaty is the second attempt for South Sudan to find peace after it became independent from Sudan in 2011.
Dead Sea Scroll fragments at Museum of the Bible found to be forged
Close to 70 items that have come on the market since 2002 as Dead Sea Scroll fragments appear to be suspect, one scholar said.
Eugene Peterson, author of The Message and pastor to pastors, dies at age 85
“I’ve loved being a pastor, almost every minute of it,” Peterson once told the Century.
Robert Wood Lynn, leader in religion scholarship, dies at age 93
In 15 years at the Lilly Endowment, he went beyond merely giving grants, fostering study of core issues in American religious life.
Hurricane-struck churches apply for FEMA aid
The possibility of federal funds paying to restore sanctuaries is a change from previous FEMA policy.
Pope accepts Washington cardinal Donald Wuerl’s resignation
Wuerl is one of the most prominent leaders affected in the clergy sexual abuse crisis roiling the Catholic Church.
Rohingya Muslims deported from India to Myanmar despite persecution fears
An estimated 700,000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh to escape brutal violence by Myanmar’s military. Another 40,000 have taken refuge in India.