LDS leaders are poised for a major rollback of secrecy

(OPINION) For the first time, the authoritative Mormon rules guidebook will be available to the public. It will be a historic breakthrough.

Opinion, North America, ReligionRichard OstlingFebruary 14, 2020Religion News Service, Jana Riess, Mormons, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS, LDS Church, Mitt Romney, transparency, financial transparency for religions, Salt Lake Tribune, Richard Ostling, ChristianityComment

Treating congregations like families is one response to the #ChurchToo era

(OPINION) Shifting gender roles and expectations mixed with revelations about sexual misconduct in church communities make relationships in congregations a complicated matter. Adjusting how we divide people in church may help them navigate life better.

Opinion, North AmericaTerry MattinglyFebruary 14, 2020marriage, Marriage & Family, family, Family Life, Bronwyn Lea, sex, fidelity, infidelity, #ChurchToo, Terry Mattingly, Christianity, Gender RolesComment

This veteran religion journalist likes to sing spirituals — but not when she's working

(OPINION) “Weekend Plug-In” is a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith. This week: veteran religion writer Adelle M. Banks reflects on her 25 years with Religion News Service.

Weekend Plug-In, Religion, The State of Journalism, OpinionBobby Ross Jr.February 14, 2020Bobby Ross Jr., Adelle Banks, RNS, Religion reporting, West Freeway Church of Christ, Sexual abuse, spiritual abuse, Primary Feature, Christianity, Texas Church Shooting, GunsComment

'Accept the Call' shows Somali father wrestling with his American son's radicalization

The 2019 documentary, now airing on PBS, follows a Somali father’s quest to understand why his American-born son tried to join ISIS in Syria.

Middle East, North America, Religion, Africa, Film & TV, Culture, OpinionDr. Robert CarleFebruary 13, 2020Accept the Call, PBS, Islam, Islamic State, ISIS, radicalization, extremism, terrorism, Somalia, Sufism, Salafi, Primary Feature, movies, film, Robert Carle, Dr. Robert CarleComment

Pope Francis dampens progressive hopes by refusing to ordain married men in the Amazon

(OPINION) In a surprise move, Francis rejected a proposal on Wednesday that had called for married men in remote areas of the Amazon to serve as priests, a decision widely seen as a victory for conservative Catholics who feared such an exception would eventually lift the celibacy requirement of clergy around the world.

Myanmar's internet shutdowns threaten its Muslim minority's human rights

(OPINION) Denying internet access is becoming more common as a tool for suppressing dissent and violating human rights. It puts entire communities in real danger, as is the case for Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims.

Opinion, AsiaEwelina U. OchabFebruary 7, 2020Rohingya, Muslims, Myanmar, Human Rights Watch, Access Now, Telenor Group, Islam, Human RightsComment

On abortion, Trump and Buttigieg clash with some political allies

(OPINION) The President and one of the leading Democratic candidates have ideological differences with some of their most important potential supporters exposed by their rhetoric about one of the nation’s most divisive issues.

Opinion, Politics, North AmericaTerry MattinglyFebruary 6, 2020Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Pete, Donald Trump, Trump, President Donald Trump, abortion, pro-life, pro-choice, Marist Institute for Public Opinion, March for Life, Terry Mattingly, Abortion, ChristianityComment

Election 2020 coverage needs to look at Catholics as being 'politically homeless'

(OPINION) A few things happened in January that have set the mood for the Iowa caucuses that took place Monday, the official start of the primary season. One of the biggest took place about 1,000 miles east of Des Moines, in Philadelphia, when Archbishop Charles Chaput was replaced by Nelson Perez.

Analysis, North America, Opinion, Politics, Religion, SocietyClemente LisiFebruary 5, 2020Clemente Lisi, religion, Christianity, Catholic, abortion, immigration, Republicans, DemocratsComment

Nigeria is a killing field of defenseless Christians

(NEWS ANALYSIS) A recent report found that Islamic terrorist groups killed at least 1,000 Nigerian Christians last year and displaced many others with land grabs. While the government says it has defeated Boko Haram, killings of Christians have spiked in recent weeks.

West African Christians face Islamic terror as US weighs troop withdrawals

(OPINION) West Africa’s Christians are suffering extraordinary levels of violence at the hands of radical Islamist killers, while the Pentagon is deliberating withdrawing troops from the region.

Newsrooms should learn the denominational complexity of US Christianity

(OPINION) News organizations are trying to catch up to how religion is influencing American politics. Coverage would improve if more reporters understood the subgroups that comprise blanket terms like Protestant and Catholic.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingFebruary 3, 2020journalism, Christianity Today, Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, J. Gordon Melton, Encyclopedia of American Religions, Pew Research Center, Richard Ostling, ChristianityComment

Rabbi Sacks: Anti-semitism is a product of political and digital trends

(OPINION) Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks urged religious and political leaders to understand how current trends feed the scapegoating of a people who have endured persecution throughout history.

Opinion, Europe, North AmericaTerry MattinglyFebruary 3, 2020Andrew Neil, Jeremy Corbyn, Jews and Judaism, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, BBC, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Labour Party, Terry Mattingly, Anti-Semitism, JudaismComment

As anti-semitism increases, let's revisit the fundamentals of Judaism

(OPINION) Jews and non-Jews alike often have varying ideas of what it means to be Jewish. Dennis Prager, the religiously and politically conservative Jewish author and commentator, offers his version of the basics.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingJanuary 31, 2020Judaism, Jewish, anti-semitism, antisemitism, racism, Dennis Prager, Orthodox Judaism, Richard Ostling, Anti-SemitismComment

A journalist's faith: New memoir tells how justice prevailed in civil rights era murders

(OPINION) “Race Against Time,” which hits bookstores Tuesday, reflects the deep Christian faith of veteran Mississippi journalist Jerry Mitchell, whose stories have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. (“Weekend Plug-In” is a column by veteran religion writer Bobby Ross Jr. Look every Friday for analysis, insights and top headlines from the world of faith.)

Two Cheers for Trumpism: R.R. Reno's 'Return of the Strong Gods'

(REVIEW) R.R. Reno is one of America’s most prominent Roman Catholic public intellectuals. In his new book, he writes an eloquent but unAmerican defense of American populism.

Africa’s Young Christians Face Danger from Islamic Extremism

(OPINION) An ongoing Islamic extremist project to exterminate Christians in sub-Saharan Africa is even more brutal and more consequential for the Church than it is in the Middle East. Is anyone paying attention?

Opinion, Politics, Religion, AfricaNina SheaJanuary 29, 2020Nina Shea, Islamic State, Islamic extremism, Africa, Christians in Africa, ISIS, ISIS in Africa, radical Islam, terrorism, Primary Feature, Christianity, Islam Comment

Challenging Holocaust denial is growing ever more important

(OPINION) Social media is forcing a global reckoning over disinformation. Narratives that deny or distort Holocaust history represent some of the gravest consequences of allowing “alternative history” to take root.

Opinion, EuropeEwelina U. OchabJanuary 28, 2020holocaust, Auschwitz, Nazi Germany, Jewish, Judaism, antisemitism, anti-semitism in Europe, Holocaust denial, Anti-Semitism, Ewelina U. Ochab, Holocaust Comment

The fight over gay rights is playing out in a Supreme Court case

(OPINION) Traditional religious institutions are defending their policies on sexuality in two notable cases. One is the lawsuit that is the first of its kind, and the other will see the Supreme Court rule on whether federal prohibitions against sex discrimination can be applied to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Opinion, North AmericaRichard OstlingJanuary 28, 2020Fuller Theological Seminary, American Baptist Churches USA, Supreme Court, gay rights, Nathan Brittsan, gay marriage, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, Richard Ostling, Gay Rights, U.S. Supreme Court, Obama Administration, Judaism, Christianity, IslamComment

The church as a creative minority

(OPINION) There’s an ongoing debate between historians. Can civilizations be restored? Or do they invariably die? Oswald Spengler, a German historian, said all civilizations are born, grow, and then age, decline and die. No exceptions. Arnold Toynbee disagreed. Civilizations have a spiritual dimension. They can be restored. But only a creative minority can do it.

Opinion, North America, EuropeMichael MetzgerJanuary 28, 2020Mike Metzger, church, creativity, innovation in the church, Western civilization, Michael Metzger, ChristianityComment

Ignoring Kobe Bryant's Catholic faith results in incomplete look at his life

(OPINION) All but forgotten — as well as underreported by the news media since Sunday’s tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., that killed Bryant, his daughter and seven others — was his Catholic faith and how getting closer to it made him a better person.

North America, Primary Feature, Religion, OpinionClemente LisiJanuary 27, 2020Catholic, Christianity, Kobe Bryant, basketball, religion, opinion, Clemente Lisi, Primary Feature, primary feature, Opinion, RIP Kobe Bryant Comments

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