social issues

GUEST COMMENTARY: Presbyterians on the precipice (again)

By Noam E. Marans — June 19, 2012

NEW YORK (RNS) Regardless of whether the Presbyterian Church (USA) decides to reopen the fight over divesting from Israel, the fact that so much time and energy are expended threatens interfaith comity, and not only between Jews and Presbyterians. By Noam E. Marans.

Is homeless crackdown a sign of compassion fatigue?

By Yamiche Alcindor — June 18, 2012

(RNS) A growing number of ordinances are pitting city officials against homeless advocates. City leaders say they want to improve the lives of homeless people and ensure public safety, while supporters of the homeless argue that such regulations criminalize homelessness. By Yamiche Alcindor.

Missionary mom returns home with unexpected ‘gift’

By Adriana Janovich — June 13, 2012

(RNS) Most international adoptions are arranged through licensed agencies. Becky Morlock's situation was different; her son was given to her directly by his biological mother, and the case left her stranded in India as a missionary-turned-mom for almost four years. By Adriana Janovich

COMMENTARY: There’s no winning in whining

By Tom Ehrich — June 12, 2012

NEW YORK (RNS) Ours has become a culture of whining. People bristle at the slightest discomfort or shortcoming. Do we all feel that helpless? Is our addiction to control so granular that we cannot tolerate anything out of order? By Tom Ehrich.

Commentary: Becoming unglued (in a good way)

By Tom Ehrich — June 5, 2012

SOUTH PASADENA, Calif. (RNS) The answer to escaping stuckness isn't technology or youth or brilliant presentations. It's the will to embrace change and the courage to face down those who profit from dysfunction. By Tom Ehrich.

Black preachers divided on same-sex marriage, not Obama

By Lauren Markoe — June 1, 2012

WASHINGTON (RNS) While many black pastors do not like President Obama's recent embrace of gay marriage, they still plan to vote for him and expect other African-Americans to follow their lead. By Lauren Markoe.

Is Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng pro-life?

By David Gibson — May 30, 2012

(RNS) During the dramatic diplomatic negotiations over blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, anti-abortion groups in the U.S. hailed Chen as one of their own. But Chen is now in the U.S., and he may not be as ``pro-life'' as some of his American supporters assumed. By David Gibson.

Commentary: Profiles in cowardice

By Tom Ehrich — May 8, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) I hope the signs I am seeing don't add up to this doomsday scenario. I hope wiser and cooler heads prevail. I hope a rising tide of vigilante violence, hateful campaigns and criminalizing the "other'' wake us up. But I am less optimistic than I was. By Tom Ehrich.

Guest commentary: 20 years after Bosnia, finding meaning after terror

By Julia Lieblich — May 4, 2012

(RNS) Esad Boskailo is a Bosnian Muslim and I am a Jew, but when we decided to write a book together about finding meaning after terror, we were determined to avoid easy answers about suffering and religious language. By Julia Lieblich.

Pentagon probes training course on Islam

By Omar Sacirbey — April 27, 2012

(RNS) The Pentagon is investigating whether military officials ignored complaints from senior officers about a course that was found to have inflammatory and inaccurate content about Islam. By Omar Sacirbey.

Sidebar: Professionalizing Human Trafficking Activism

By Kevin Eckstrom — April 26, 2012
(RNS) Human trafficking, with images of child laborers and sex slaves, is ready-made for the kind of sharing and conversation that characterizes social media. However, the recent popularity and subsequent controversy of Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 video is cited by critics who fault social media activism as “slacktivism”—an ineffective and easy form of social justice […]

College activists draw on faith traditions to fight human trafficking

By Kevin Eckstrom — April 26, 2012
(RNS) For two years of her life, Louise Allison says she looked and felt like trash. She was a straggly-haired teenager sold for sex on Dallas streets. Her traffickers often drugged her and dumped her in a park to await customers. Allison is one of millions of people who have been trafficked—or sold into slavery—for […]

Sikhs launch mobile app to report profiling

By Omar Sacirbey — April 26, 2012

Sikh civil rights activists will unveil a mobile phone application next week that they say allows air travelers who believe they have been profiled by TSA airport screeners to file complaints directly from their phones. By Omar Sacirbey.

Obama invokes Holocaust to confront Syria, Iran

By Adelle M. Banks — April 23, 2012

WASHINGTON (RNS) In the wake of Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Obama pledged to put actions behind the words ``never again’’ to fight human atrocities across the globe in countries like Syria and Iran. By Adelle M. Banks.

London mayor axes ads that suggests homosexuality can be cured

By Al Webb — April 13, 2012

LONDON (RNS) London's mayor has axed an ad campaign spearheaded by two conservative Christian groups because their ads suggest homosexuality is a disease that can be cured through prayer. By Al Webb.

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