1+ week, 2+ day ago (499+ words) Sixteen years later, Palestinian Christians say the world has changed so dramatically that a new moment of truth has arrived. Hence, the release of Kairos II this week. The updated document states plainly that "we live now in a time of genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement unfolding before the eyes of the world." That recognition, its authors argue, marks a fundamental shift. Kairos II emerges "from the heart of the assault on Gaza " mass displacement, starvation, the destruction of every sector of life, and the burial of families under rubble." It speaks, the authors write, as "a cry of hope in a time of genocide," insisting that faith, hope and love can and must be renewed even in the darkest hour. Lamma Mansour, a policy researcher in Jerusalem, said that Kairos Palestine II is a necessary update to the…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (256+ words) Past winners include AP, Atlantic, CBC, Harper Collins, Los Angeles Times, NBC News, Netflix, NPR, Penguin Random Home, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Religion News Service, RTE, 60 Minutes, and more. After the Wilbur Awards Ceremony, all entrants will receive judges" ballots, with comments and scores on their entry. Each winning entry receives a hand-crafted stained glass award. All entries must be received by January 31, 2026. The award, which is named for the late Marvin C. Wilbur, a pioneer in religious public relations, longtime council leader and former Presbyterian Church executive, will be presented Friday, April 17, in Cincinnati during the RCC"s annual convention, "Coming Together, Charting Our Course." For more information about the 2026 Wilbur Awards, including the entry form, please visit wilbur-awards-entry-form. Questions may be directed to: [email'protected] The Religion Communicators Council has presented Wilbur Awards annually since 1949. Juries of media professionals, coordinated by council…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago (157+ words) As a nation, we have often failed to live up to the ideals of equality and justice that safeguard the foundation of a free society. Yet throughout our history, in periods of great struggle and division, people of faith and good will have come forward to defend the very values that define American democracy. It is from that religious legacy that we speak'today. Our transgender, intersex, and nonbinary beloveds offer a singular gift. They invite us to witness our broken world through the knowledge that, when we lead in truth and love, nothing is beyond'transformation. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President Union for Reform'Judaism The Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk and Executive Director Presbyterian Church'(U.S.A.) The Rev. Teresa "Terri" Hord Owens, General Minister and President Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and'Canada Presiding Bishop Sean W. Rowe The Episcopal'Church The…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (245+ words) Soendker Nicholson, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, has served as a pastor for several congregations in the Missouri Annual Conference, and currently teaches at Saint Paul School of Theology. She anticipates completing a PhD in 2026 at Wesley House Cambridge (UK), where her research focuses on Christian nationalism and public theology. "Trista's deep commitment to connecting theology with the pressing issues of our public life makes her an ideal leader for this next chapter of the Center for Religion in Public Life," said President F. Douglas Powe Jr., PhD. Before entering ordained ministry, Soendker Nicholson worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Ike Skelton, later combining her background in public policy and theology to advocate for faith-based justice initiatives. At Phillips, she will develop and guide programs to help faith leaders, congregations and the community engage…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (596+ words) The study groups consisting of experts, clergy and laypeople were established in March 2024, after the Synod on Synodality, a gathering of bishops and lay Catholics at the Vatican to promote a more welcoming and missionary church. Since then, the groups have worked with the Vatican on implementing decisions made at the synod." The group is also charged with studying the possibility of allowing women to be ordained permanent deacons, which would let them preach the Gospel and lead baptisms, weddings and funerals, but not celebrate Mass or the Eucharist or hear confessions and anoint the sick. In the update, the group said it submitted its findings to the Second Study Commission on the Female Diaconate. It's unclear whether the group's final report will include a pronouncement on female deacons. The Second Study Commission was created by Francis in 2020 and resumed…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (713+ words) COLESHILL, England (RNS) " Richard Gamble's passion for Jesus has always been outsize. Twenty years ago, he said he had a vision from God to drag a 9-foot wooden cross for 77 miles during Holy Week leading up to Easter. After that grueling marathon in 2004, God gave him a bigger, bolder vision: Build a wall that tells a million stories of how God has answered prayer. Last week, Gamble, 56, broke ground on that vision " a 168-foot-tall architectural landmark that is expected to be one of the largest Christian monuments in England, if not the world. (Christ the Redeemer, the iconic statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, is 98 feet.) It is planned to open to the public in 2028. "We live in a country where Christianity has been pretty much put on mute," Gamble said in an interview at the Eternal Wall offices…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (862+ words) VATICAN CITY (RNS) " Pope Leo XIV addressed Artificial Intelligence, polarization and spiritual questions during a live event on Friday (Nov. 21), broadcast to over 16,000 U.S. Catholic teenagers gathered at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the National Catholic Youth Conference. Organizers described the event as the "first digital visit to the United States" by the pontiff, who was born in Chicago, Illinois. Leo could be seen smiling as the roaring crowd welcomed him for the online event. Five young people took turns asking questions to the pope, with Catholic speaker and podcast host Katie Prejean McGrady moderating the conversation. The tone was informal and direct, with the pope even joking that he only wears white socks " a nod to his favorite Chicago baseball team " and that he uses a different opening word for The New York Times Wordle game every…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (350+ words) SEOUL, South Korea (RNS) " At the 14th General Assembly of the World Evangelical Alliance, held here the last week of October, the Rev. Jack Sara pondered what he called a generational and geographical shift in the global evangelical Christian landscape. "It is very clear that the WEA is witnessing change because, firstly, the European and North American leadership is gradually being replaced by Eastern, African and Asian leaders," said Sara, who is president of Bethlehem Bible College and general secretary of the alliance's Middle East and North Africa region. Sara pointed to the appointment in August of the Rev. Botrus Mansour, a resident of Nazareth, in Israel, as the WEA's new secretary general, who oversaw his first WEA conference in his new role. The appointment is a milestone for Palestinian Christians, Sara said, but also puts a new focus on Christian…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (1254+ words) Ten months afterward, in November 2022, Fuentes sat at a Mar-a-Lago dinner with then-former President Donald Trump in the company of Ye, the musician formerly known as Kanye West. Trump's claim of ignorance about Fuentes echoed comments by Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, who in apologizing for his initial defense of Carlson said he "hadn't kept up with the news" and had relied on a script prepared by an aide. He also reportedly told Heritage staffers that he "didn't know much about this Fuentes guy." No one in politics can credibly claim that now. After Roberts' refusal to disavow Carlson's decision to host Fuentes, Robert P. George, a professor at Princeton " and, like Fuentes, a Catholic " resigned on Monday from Heritage's board, donors raised alarms and Roberts admitted he had "made a mess" of the situation and let the institution…...

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (697+ words) ISTANBUL, Turkey (RNS) " Pope Leo XIV removed his shoes and entered Istanbul's Blue Mosque for a moment of silent reflection on Saturday (Nov. 29), accompanied by the head of Turkey's powerful department for religious affairs, the Diyanet, in what observers called a small but necessary step toward deepening dialogue between the Catholic Church and Islam. The pope took the tour of the mosque "in a spirit of reflection and listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer, according to an official Vatican statement. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, large enough to accommodate 10,000 worshippers, is named for a 17th century Ottoman ruler, but is widely referred to as the Blue Mosque for the more than 20,000 brightly colored Iznik tiles that adorn its walls. Built in 1609, it is a monument to the Muslim sultans' dominance…...