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Covering the world of religion. https://rns.org

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RNS @rns.org · Sep 4

Introducing RNS games! A new, fun way to keep up with the headlines. Start playing today.
rns.newsgames.ai

RNS Games: Puzzles, Play, and a New Way to Follow the News

RNS Games is a new destination that brings puzzles and play to your week. Challenge yourself by playing these free games while engaging with the news in a new and fun way.

rns.newsgames.ai

RNS @rns.org · 2m

OPINION: Let us pray for the success of Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, which has now been agreed to by Israel and Hamas. But let us also take a note of caution from the Book of Jonah, which we Jews read on Yom Kippur.
religionnews.com/2025/10/09/t...

Prophet Jonah was bent on destruction. Does he have a lesson for Gaza's combatants?

(RNS) — A tale of two Ninevehs.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 1h

The assailant in last week’s attack on a synagogue in the northwest of England that left two congregants dead pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, police said Wednesday.
religionnews.com/2025/10/09/m...

Manchester synagogue attacker pledged allegiance to Islamic State group, police say

LONDON (AP) — The attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, called emergency dispatchers during his deadly attack on Oct. 2. to express his commitment to the terror group, Counter Terrorism Policing North West said…

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 2h

Faith is shaping power in new ways. Join us online for God, Government and the Algorithm: The New Rules of Belief and Power - a free, daylong livestream on Oct. 22 exploring how technology, politics and faith are reshaping public life.

👉 Register now: www.eventbrite.com/e/livestream...

Livestream – God, Government & the Algorithm: New Rules of Belief & Power

Join online for a daylong symposium on the forces reshaping belief, power and public life. Register now to watch live!

www.eventbrite.com

RNS @rns.org · 3h

In the first official document of his papacy, Pope Leo placed the poor at the heart of the Catholic Church’s teaching, calling bishops around the world to take on the mantle of social justice in defense of the most vulnerable in society, including migrants.
religionnews.com/2025/10/09/p...

Pope Leo calls on Catholics to care for the poor in first official exhortation

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Leo picks up where Francis left off, when the Latin American pontiff called for a ‘preferential treatment for the poor’ and the need for a ‘poor church for the poor.’

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 4h

“There can be no tolerance for those who sexually prey on children,” said Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. “The victim in this case has waited far too many years for this day.”
religionnews.com/2025/10/03/t...

Texas megachurch founder Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse charges

Robert Preston Morris, 64, entered the pleas before a judge in Oklahoma’s Osage County as part of a plea agreement, according to the state attorney general’s office.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 4h

When Sarah Mullally's appointment was announced, many African women bishops cheered, hoping she will breathe new life into the communion.
religionnews.com/2025/10/03/i...

In Africa, new Canterbury archbishop is celebrated by some, challenged by conservatives

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — When Sarah Mullally's appointment was announced, many African women bishops cheered, hoping she will breathe new life into the communion.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 5h

“Faith has always been central to my life, and to the lives of millions of New Yorkers,” Adams told RNS. “That’s why ... we established the Office of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships to ensure that faith leaders have a seat at the table.”
religionnews.com/2025/10/07/d...

RNS @rns.org · 5h

David Tawil told RNS he feels betrayed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s statement recognizing Palestine and feels like British society has turned on Jews. Starmer was elected last year after working to root out perceived antisemitism from the Labour Party.
religionnews.com/2025/10/01/w...

When it comes to Palestinian statehood, many British Jews recoil

LONDON (RNS) — British Jews feel a strong attachment to Israel, and like most Israelis, have lost faith in the two-state solution.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 5h

Representing approximately a third of Ethiopia’s nearly 130 million population, the Oromo people use this annual festival to preach peace and unity.
religionnews.com/2025/10/06/t...

Thousands celebrate Ethiopia's thanksgiving festival

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Irreecha festival is held to thank God, whom the Oromos call Waaqa. Some still practice the traditional Waaqqeffannaa, which is the worship of Waaqa.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 6h

Pope Leo said that the decision to rename the Department of Defense to the Department of War is representative of a government that “uses force to exert pressure.”
religionnews.com/2025/10/01/p...

Pope Leo XIV enters US political fray, challenging 'inhuman treatment of immigrants'

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The first American pope weighed in on a controversy roiling the Chicago diocese, telling journalists the Catholic Church’s political positions include more than opposing abortion.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 7h

“He is representing a very white denomination as a Black man from the United States. I think it’s a daunting, daunting call,” said the Rev. Leila Ortiz. “I trust him, and I trust God and I can’t wait to watch.”
religionnews.com/2025/10/06/l...

Largest US Lutheran denomination installs Yehiel Curry as its first Black presiding bishop

As leader of the largest American Lutheran Church body, Curry will face challenges common to other mainline Protestant denominations, which in recent years have weathered theological disputes over…

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 7h

OPINION: Neither the goodness of the cause nor the greatness of those pursuing it protects a person from the inevitable errors and transgressions that are part of being human.
religionnews.com/2025/10/01/y...

Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, might also be good news for divided America

(RNS) — Yom Kippur offers a way out of the silos of mutual mistrust and anger that animate not only Jewish communal life but the broader American body politic.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 8h

On this episode, author @mburtwrites.bsky.social joins Katelyn and Roxy to examine James Dobson’s legacy and the broader Christian parenting empire he helped build. Listen now!
religionnews.com/2025/10/02/s...

Spanking Is Not a Love Language: Parenting in a Post-Dobson world + Marissa Franks Burt

If every generation of parents has their anxieties, the post-evangelical Millennial parent is perhaps most angsty about how to raise their kids as Christians — without all the baggage.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 8h

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners — a breakthrough greeted with joy and relief, but also caution.
religionnews.com/2025/10/09/i...

Israel and Hamas will exchange hostages and prisoners after agreeing to a pause in the war in Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects of the plan advanced by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump — such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will…

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 8h

The attack has devastated Britain’s Jewish community and intensified debate about the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism.
religionnews.com/2025/10/06/u...

UK police given more time to question 4 suspects over deadly Manchester synagogue attack

LONDON (AP) — The attack has devastated Britain’s Jewish community and intensified debate about the line between criticism of Israel and antisemitism.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 9h

Pastor Ara Torosian called the action “not only inhumane but also a grave betrayal of America’s longstanding commitment to protect the persecuted."
religionnews.com/2025/10/06/p...

Deportation flight to Iran included Christians at risk

(RNS) — The deportees, who include other minorities, may face harsh penalties for their religious beliefs upon return to the Islamic Republic.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 9h

The pope’s army last Thursday unveiled an additional uniform for nonceremonial, formal occasions, such as a diplomatic reception or official dinner outside the Vatican walls.
religionnews.com/2025/10/03/t...

The Swiss Guards have a new uniform. Don't worry, the iconic one remains

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope’s army on Thursday unveiled an additional uniform for nonceremonial, formal occasions, such as a diplomatic reception or official dinner outside the Vatican walls.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 10h

OPINION: The post-Oct. 7 era of Jewish history has been one of renewed antisemitism of the most savage variety; of a meltdown of American Jewry’s romance with the universities; and of a new confrontation with what it means for a Jewish state to wield military power.
religionnews.com/2025/10/07/t...

On the second anniversary of Oct. 7, hope is messy

(RNS) — To be a Zionist is to live with faith. Even after Oct. 7, even after all the heartbreak, we believe honey can follow ashes, that hope can rise from horror.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 10h

Trump's plan has received wide international backing and raised hopes for an end to a devastating war that has upended global politics, left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and the Gaza Strip in ruins.
religionnews.com/2025/10/07/w...

What to know as key talks to end the war in Gaza begin

CAIRO (AP) — Trump's plan has received wide international backing and raised hopes for an end to a devastating war that has upended global politics, left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and…

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 11h

RNS reporter @jackjenkins.me joins "Complexified" to unpack how Pete Hegseth’s theology of power is reshaping one of America’s most secular institutions, what it reveals about Christian nationalism’s hold and why it matters for our democracy. Listen now!
religionnews.com/2025/10/06/b...

Baptizing the Battlefield: Pete Hegseth’s Holy War at the Pentagon

What happens when the Pentagon becomes a pulpit?

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 11h

Play now at rns.org/games

RNS @rns.org · 21h

Willow Creek changed the face of religion in America. Now the church of the future turns 50.
religionnews.com/2025/10/08/w...

As Willow Creek turns 50, the onetime 'church of the future' redefines success

(RNS) — In the mid-1970s, a group of high schoolers and their former youth pastor started a church in a movie theater and named it Willow Creek. American religion hasn’t been the same since. The…

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 22h

OPINION: The work of protecting libraries, confronting book bans and defeating censorship is aligned with so many faith communities’ dedication to truth, compassion and justice.
religionnews.com/2025/10/08/f...

Faith communities have a critical role in defending our nation’s libraries

(RNS) — The protection of libraries and the stories they hold should be understood as a wider commitment of our communities to religious freedom.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 23h

This week's photo gallery includes the first woman archbishop of Canterbury, the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war and more.
religionnews.com/2025/10/08/p...

Photos of the Week: First woman archbishop of Canterbury, Israel-Hamas war anniversary

(RNS) — This week’s photo gallery includes the first woman archbishop of Canterbury, the second anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war and more.

religionnews.com

RNS @rns.org · 1d

Graham, who leads Samaritan’s Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, withdrew from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability over new standards the group had set for “leader care.”
religionnews.com/2025/10/08/f...

Franklin Graham quits membership in financial accountability group

(RNS) — Graham said the standards mandating a leader care plan 'puts ECFA into the role of trying to be the moral police of the evangelical world.'

religionnews.com