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How Black clergy are reframing approach on abortion with congregations
For the Rev. Irene Prince, discussions around reproductive choice start in Bible study.
First female Muslim chaplain commissioned by the U.S. military
The U.S. Air Force commissioned its first Muslim woman chaplain candidate last month, marking the first time the U.S. military will have a female chaplain of the Islamic faith.
Justice Clarence Thomas talks about his faith in new documentary
U.S. Supreme Court Jus- tice Clarence Thomas, who is known for his reticence, speaks for much of a new two-hour documentary about his life.
’You can’t just jump to hope’
The weekend before Election Day, Bishop Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, led an interfaith prayer service live streamed from Washington National Cathedral in the nation’s capital.
Excavation of graves begins at site of Colonial Black church
Archaeologists in Virginia began excavating three suspected graves at the original site of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches on July 18, 2022, commencing a month's long effort to learn who was buried there and how they lived.
‘Blessing of Elders’ lauds 7 Black Christian luminaries at Museum of the Bible
Well-known names from the world of gospel music and the Black church gathered at the Museum of the Bible to hail the contributions of African-American churches and to call for continued efforts toward building unity and bridging divides.
Report disputes N.C. pastor’s claim of ties to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee
The Washington Post Fact Checker is challenging claims that the Rev. Robert W. “Rob” Lee IV, a North Carolina pastor and social justice activist, is a descendent of Robert E. Lee, arguing they could not find evidence to support his repeated assertion that he is related to the Confederate army general.
Rare ‘Slave Bible’ exhibition offers glimpse of Christianity’s role in slavery
On display on the ground floor of the Museum of the Bible is a lone volume that stands out from the many versions of the Bible shown in the building devoted to the holy book. It’s a small set of Scriptures whose title page reads “Parts of the Holy Bible, selected for the use of the Negro Slaves, in the British West-India Islands.”
Veterans Administration revises policy on religious displays
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision permitting a cross to remain on a public highway, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has revised its policies on religious symbols in displays at VA facilities.
250 years later, ‘Amazing Grace’ has filled churches, concerts, even commercials
James Walvin, a former Church of England choirboy and professor of history at the University of York, doesn’t remember encountering “Amazing Grace,” in song or in his hymnal. It wasn’t until he traveled to the United States to research the history of slavery that he came upon the hymn introduced by John Newton, a former slave trader, in 1773.
‘Honk for Jesus’ a wild ride that drives home paradox of faith in the Black church
“If you can’t say ‘amen,’ then say ‘ouch.’” If you’ve spent any considerable length of time in a traditional Black church context, you’ve heard this. It’s usually said by a preacher when they know a sermon is hitting a little too close to home and the typical “Preach, Bishop!” or “Take your time, pastor!” call-and-response has gone silent.
Harvard Divinity School selects first Black woman as dean
A cultural anthropologist of the Black religious experience has been named dean of the Harvard Divinity School, effective Jan. 1.
Black clergy offer churches as COVID-19 vaccination sites
After more than 1,100 people received the coronavirus vaccine in the fellowship hall of a Black church in Oklahoma City, its pastor credited trust and teamwork for the accom- plishment.
Princeton University scraps exhibit of Jewish American artists with Confederate ties
Last summer, Princeton University agreed to organize an exhibit of works by American Jewish artists in the second half of the 19th century.
Montgomery's churches part of city's 200-year history of slavery, civil rights
Connections between Christianity, Confederacy and civil rights — and the history of slavery — are in plain sight in Alabama’s capital.
Frank Lloyd Wright synagogue continues 60 years later as work of art
Sixty years ago, just before the Jewish High Holy Days, members of a Conservative synagogue processed into their new sanctuary, marking a new era in their congregational life and in modern religious architecture.
Trump pledges to prevent 'unacceptable' repression of school prayer
President Trump, surrounded by schoolchildren of a variety of faiths, announced what he called “historic steps to protect the First Amendment right to pray in the public schools.”
Human Rights Campaign kicks off election focus on LGBTQ, religious relations
The Human Rights Campaign, which works to promote LGBTQ equality, has started an election season tour in which its president will visit houses of worship of different faiths to build relations between the religious and the gay communities.
History of enslaved sold for Georgetown University detailed in new genealogical website
A genealogical association has launched a new website detailing the family histories of enslaved people who were sold to keep Catholic-run Georgetown University from going bankrupt in the 1800s.
Baltimore cemetery offers Easter sunrise dramatization of the resurrection
Just before he started practicing his exit from a replica of Jesus’ tomb, Andre Roberson admitted that, at first, playing the key role in a cemetery’s dramatization of the resurrection was just “something to do.”
