Is God They/Them? Church of England considers gender-neutral pronouns.
A spokesperson for the Church of England said “Christians have recognised since ancient times that God is neither male nor female.”
By Annabelle TimsitBeyond the hopeful pope bubble in South Sudan, scenes of despair
While Pope Francis spoke in a conference hall, people five miles away in Juba IDP Camp 3 didn’t have the means to watch.
By Chico HarlanClergy protest legislation targeting transgender children in Missouri
Jewish and Christian clergy have taken an active role in protesting what one advocacy group has called the ‘most dangerous’ session of the Missouri Legislature for the LGBTQ community it has seen in years.
By Emily McFarlan MillerAllan A. Ryan, who hunted down Nazis hiding in America, dies at 77
Mr. Ryan served as director of a Justice Department unit designated to find and expel anyone in the United States who had assisted the Nazis.
By Michael S. RosenwaldNew York debates whether clergy should be required to report abuse
The Child Abuse Reporting Expansion Act, a bill making its way through the New York legislature, would make clergy mandated reporters.
By Kathryn Post‘He Gets Us’ organizers hope to spend $1 billion to promote Jesus. Will anyone care?
This year’s Super Bowl will feature a $20 million pair of pro-Jesus ads promoting the idea that Jesus ‘gets us,’ part of the larger ‘He Gets Us’ campaign. Organizers hope to spend a billion dollars in the next three years to redeem Jesus’ brand.
By Bob SmietanaPope Francis tells leaders of troubled South Sudan: Enough!
For a pope who has prioritized outreach, majority-Catholic South Sudan has long represented an ultimate test in the church’s ability to help in nation-building.
By Chico Harlan and Katharine HoureldA rejuvenated Pope Francis revels in Congo’s energy
The pope led the crowd in song and brought the house down with his condemnation of corruption — a scourge in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
By Chico HarlanOver a million gather in an ecstatic Kinshasa to hear Pope Francis’s Mass
Pope Francis's first stop in his visit to Africa was the DRC, where he gave Mass to thousands of people in Kinshasa.
By Chico Harlan‘Stop choking Africa,’ Pope Francis tells world on trip to DRC and S. Sudan
While the church is often seen as a potential stabilizing force in the heavily Catholic countries, that burden falls principally on Francis's shoulders this week.
By Chico Harlan and Katharine HoureldMoving lessons on forgiveness out of religious spaces and into schools
Forgiving has mental health benefits, and some educators and mental health professionals think kids could benefit. But some clergy object, saying it's their turf.
By Richard SchiffmanTrudeau appoints first representative for fighting Islamophobia
Amira Elghawaby, a journalist and human rights advocate, will act as an adviser to Justin Trudeau's government. Muslims in Canada have been targeted in hate-motivated attacks.
By Niha MasihNational Prayer Breakfast breaks with Christian group that ran it for years
The International Foundation, referred to as “the Family,” will no longer run the event. Instead, the newly created National Prayer Breakfast Foundation will manage it.
By Jack Jenkins and Adelle M. BanksPope criticizes anti-gay laws, says ‘being homosexual is not a crime’
The pope maintained that gay acts are a sin, but told the Associated Press that the Catholic Church must work to end "unjust" anti-gay laws around the world.
By Victoria Bisset and Chico HarlanJohnny Hunt, disgraced former SBC pastor, makes defiant return to the pulpit
Hunt told a Florida megachurch that false allegations had ruined his life but he still has faith in Jesus.
By Bob SmietanaAfter Supreme Court ruling, can jails show Christian television?
A recent ruling leaves appellate judges unable to say whether religious broadcasting violates the U.S. Constitution.
By Rachel WeinerJudge dismisses suit from LGBTQ students who alleged bias at Christian colleges
A judge dismissed a suit from LGBTQ students who sought to end religious exemptions to a civil rights law they say lets Christian colleges discriminate against them.
By Nick AndersonWitches urge alternatives to sage amid concern about appropriation, overharvesting
Witches urge alternatives to sage amid concern about appropriation and overharvesting
By Emily McFarlan MillerDispute over abuse hotline reveals how far the SBC still has to go
A group of Southern Baptist leaders is working to implement a set of reforms to respond better to reports of sexual abuse.
By Bob SmietanaCardinal George Pell, convicted then acquitted of child sex abuse, dies at 81
The sexual assault conviction of the Australian cleric, who was a top adviser to Pope Francis, was overturned after he spent more than a year in prison.
By Rachel Pannett and Frances Vinall