Religion News Service | Religion and Faith

For clergy, lost faith can lead to lost family, jobs

Kimberly Winston | Apr 30, 2012

BETHESDA, Md. (RNS) The goal of the Clergy Project is not to pull pastors from the pulpit, but to provide those who have already lost their faith with a safe place to anonymously discuss what what’s next. By Kimberly Winston.
More | Comments (2)

Utah storehouse at top of Mormon food chain

Brooke Adams/Salt Lake Tribune | Apr 27, 2012

SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) The massive new Utah Bishops' Central Storehouse is the centerpiece of the Mormons' intricate network for taking care of its members and lending a hand to others in times of natural disasters. Holding a can of peaches grown on church-owned orchards, manager Richard Humpherys says, it's "the best food money can't buy." By Brooke Adams.
More | Comments (1)

United Methodists to debate allowing gay clergy and same-sex marriage

Daniel Burke | Apr 25, 2012

(RNS) As nearly 1,000 delegates from across the world gather in Tampa, Fla., for the United Methodist Church's General Conference, gay and lesbian activists have printed pamphlets promoting their cause in five languages, including Portuguese and Swahili. By Daniel Burke.
More | Comments (12)

Tough-minded Cleveland woman fights her Catholic bishop, and wins

Michael O'Malley | Apr 25, 2012

CLEVELAND (RNS) When Bishop Richard Lennon began closing 50 Catholic churches three years ago, the bulk of the faithful quietly moved on. But Patricia Schulte-Singleton was not intimidated by a Roman collar, a bishop's edict or the raised eyebrows of the obedient. By Michael O'Malley.
More | Comments (0)

Chuck Colson to be buried at Quantico

Adelle M. Banks | Apr 24, 2012

(RNS) Prison Fellowship founder and Watergate figure Chuck Colson will be buried privately with full military honors at Quantico National Cemetery and a public service is expected later at Washington National Cathedral. By Adelle M. Banks.
More | Comments (1)

Pro-Tutu petitions flood Gonzaga

Tracy Simmons | Apr 23, 2012

(RNS) After nearly 700 people tried to push Gonzaga University to rescind its commencement speaker's invitation to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, supporters of the anti-apartheid hero responded with 11,000 signatures of their own. By Tracy Simmons.
More | Comments (0)

Nixon felon and evangelical icon Charles Colson dies at 80

David Mark and Adelle M. Banks | Apr 21, 2012

In many ways, Chuck Colson's life personified the evangelical ethos of a sinner in search of redemption after a dramatic personal encounter with Jesus. He also embodied the evangelical movement's embrace of conservative social issues, although often as a happy warrior.
More | Comments (0)

More churches turning to high-tech outreach

Cathy Lynn Grossman / USA Today | Apr 20, 2012

(RNS) Christ Fellowship in McKinney, Texas, offers worshippers a Facebook page, online sermons, live chats, QR codes — things that signal ``a willingness to meet new challenges,'' expert Scott Thumma says, as churches aim to expand their reach by using cutting-edge technology. By Cathy Lynn Grossman/USA Today.
More | Comments (0)

After pope’s trip, Catholic bishops seek end to Cuba embargo

Annalisa Musarra | Apr 19, 2012

WASHINGTON (RNS) Following Pope Benedict XVI's recent trip to Cuba, U.S. Catholic bishops urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to lift the 50-year U.S. embargo on the island nation in order to provide better assistance to the Cuban people. By Annalisa Musarra.
More | Comments (1)

Analysis: Is Pope Ratzinger suffering from the 7-year itch?

David Gibson | Apr 19, 2012

WASHINGTON (RNS) As Pope Benedict XVI marks the seventh anniversary of his papacy with a crackdown on American nuns, many Catholics are wondering if the pontiff is finally becoming the papal enforcer that some feared – and others hoped – he was elected in 2005. By David Gibson.
More | Comments (2)