[ad_1] (RNS) — A Church of the Nazarene court has found one of its most prominent theologians guilty of affirming and advocating for the inclusion of LGBTQ members, contrary to the church’s teachings. After delivering the verdict on Saturday evening (July 28) against the Rev. Thomas Jay Oord of Nampa, Idaho, the court stripped Oord […]

[ad_1] “Hey, I saw your kid on TV!” The voice reached me from behind as I walked down the corridor of my Scientology Church. During the split second that elapsed between hearing the voice and turning around to see its source, the thought flashed: “That sounds familiar, but is it anyone I know?” Then I […]

[ad_1]  With the threat of a right-wing anti-democratic impulse strengthened by conservative extremist policies, campaigns, and rhetoric on the rise, the preservation and protection of our democracy is more critical now than ever. Wajahat Ali is a leader in this fight, engaging the anti-democratic movement head-on and pushing back against Christian nationalism, racism, bigotry, […]

[ad_1] The first time you crack open your high school yearbook should be the first of decades of doing the same, lingering over photos that evoke cherished memories of a past time of growth and wonder. However, for the Jewish Student Union (JSU) members of East Brunswick High School in central New Jersey, opening their […]

[ad_1] (RNS) — Richard Land, who led the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for a quarter-century, said he would often remind his staff that if they did their job right, they’d eventually end up in hot water. “Sooner or later, we’re going to make everyone in the convention mad,” Land recalled in […]

[ad_1] “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist,” the mob chanted. “This is your chance to get out.” No one on the crowded New York subway car dared to move. After a moment, a man from the mob shouted, “Okay, no Zionists here. We’re good.” The antisemitic incident happened on June 10 at the 14th […]

[ad_1] WASHINGTON (RNS) — Thousands of people protested and several were arrested in and around the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday (July 24), with many voicing frustration and outrage at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed a joint session of Congress. The tone was very different in the U.S. Capitol itself, where Netanyahu spoke […]

[ad_1] “We are going to burn you alive!” Sherly Norzéus, together with her three children and the two children of her sister who died in childbirth, was trapped, her car surrounded by 20 armed thugs—part of a gang that terrorized her neighborhood since before dawn, setting fire to homes and randomly shooting people. Norzéus responded […]

[ad_1] WASHINGTON (RNS) — Hundreds of Jewish demonstrators descended on Capitol Hill on Tuesday (July 23) to call on the U.S. to stop sending arms to Israel, insisting Israeli forces are perpetrating a genocide against the Palestinian people as a monthslong military assault into the Gaza Strip continues. The demonstrators, organized by the anti-Zionist activist […]

[ad_1] FORT WORTH, Texas (RNS) — After the fire that all but destroyed the historic chapel at First Baptist Dallas on Friday (July 19), senior pastor Robert Jeffress promised congregants that the church will rebuild. “It’s not the building, it’s what that building represents: It represented the bedrock foundation of God’s Word that never changes,” […]