News
South Africa expels Israel's top diplomat in a move that could prompt a strong reaction from the US
4+ hour, 18+ min ago (454+ words) The South African Foreign Ministry said that it was expelling Ariel Seidman, the charg" d'affaires at the Israeli Embassy, and declared him persona non grata " a diplomatic term indicating the person is no longer welcome in a country. Seidman is…...
US faith influencers visit South Africa to highlight and strengthen global health partnerships
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (480+ words) RNS Press Release Distribution Service reaches a niche audience of mainstream and religious press, policymakers, advocacy groups, faith denominations, universities, seminaries, associations, foundations, public relations professionals, book publishers, and more. Paid press releases do not reflect the opinions of Religion…...
In Tanzania, faith leaders who speak out against post-election violence are targeted
2+ mon, 2+ week ago (525+ words) NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) " Some in Tanzania are facing a death sentence for demonstrating against what they see as flawed elections. Some who have been arrested await word on their fate. Hundreds of others died in the protests, according to news…...
The Jew in King Shaka’s court: How a 19th-century castaway shaped a Zulu leader’s legacy
2+ mon, 4+ week ago (757+ words) (The Conversation) " Gales tore at the Mary's sails, and surf crashed across the brig's deck. Seventeen-year-old Nathaniel Isaacs tied himself to a railing to avoid being washed overboard. The Mary's rudder soon splintered against a rocky bar at the entrance…...
Jane Goodall saw nature as a spiritual sanctuary
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (218+ words) (RNS) " In a hall filled with robes and rituals, Jane Goodall was the only one without an institutional affiliation. Yet she was the one who spoke most like a spiritual guide. Others invoked Scripture; she invoked the natural world and…...
As child abductions rise in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado, churches serve as safe spaces
3+ mon, 3+ week ago (982+ words) MAPUTO, Mozambique (RNS) " In the remote villages of Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, fear seems constant. Families say they no longer sleep through the night, children jump at the sound of footsteps and parents clutch their little ones close, terrified they…...
ELCA elects first Black presiding bishop, calls Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide
6+ mon, 2+ day ago (335+ words) (RNS) " The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elected its first Black leader on Wednesday (July 30) at its churchwide assembly meeting in Phoenix. The Rev. Yehiel Curry, bishop of the ELCA's Metropolitan Chicago Synod since 2019, will serve a six-year term as…...
Disputed vote for Harlem’s historic Abyssinian Baptist Church pastor is tested in court
6+ mon, 2+ week ago (909+ words) The suit, filed in October by four current and former church members " C. Vernon Mason Sr., Kevin McGruder, Jasmine McFarlane-White and Clarence Ball III " claims Johnson's election didn't comply with the church's bylaws. The plaintiffs also question whether the pastoral search…...
New York’s Episcopal Diocese launches $1M racial reparations fund
6+ mon, 3+ week ago (512+ words) (RNS) " The Episcopal Diocese of New York will dedicate $1 million to racial reparations efforts within and outside the church, the diocese recently announced." The fund, announced on Juneteenth, will be overseen by the diocese's newly formed Moses Commission, which is…...
Once the church of presidents, the Episcopal Church must now be an engine of resistance
6+ mon, 4+ week ago (624+ words) (RNS) "The reckoning, if we are honest, is long overdue. The post Once the church of presidents, the Episcopal Church must now be an engine of resistance appeared first on RNS. When religious institutions like ours enjoy easy coexistence with…...