National
[O]fficials say it came too late to aid a pastor already arrested for hosting church services despite regulations barring large gatherings.
Florida officials: Arrested pastor not exonerated by new order listing religious services as ‘essential’
by: Jack JenkinsApril 1, 2020 (RNS) — When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a 30-day stay-at-home order on Wednesday (April 1) requiring the state’s residents to remain indoors to avoidRead More
The field hospital housed in a series of white tents is intended as a Christian mission.
Franklin Graham on his Central Park field hospital: ‘We don’t discriminate. Period.’
by: Yonat Shimron April 1, 2020 (RNS) — It was a culture clash waiting to happen. Almost as soon as Samaritan’s Purse assembled a 68-bed field hospital in Central Park’sRead More
Editor's Links of Interest... [V]rus was almost certainly transmitted through the air...
A choir decided to go ahead with rehearsal. Now dozens of members have COVID-19 and two are dead – LA Times
The deadly outbreak among members of a choir has stunned health officials, who have concluded that the virus was almost certainly transmitted through the air from one or more peopleRead More
So far, we've seen little evidence of a repentant president,
Opinion: The president, the pandemic and the limits of positive thinking
by: Paul O’Donnell (Mark Mulder) March 30, 2020 (RNS) — It’s fair to say that President Trump makes a lot of dubious statements — more than 16,000 of them overRead More
For more than 50 years, the United Methodist clergyman was involved in advocacy work...
Joseph Lowery, minister, civil rights leader, friend of King, dies at 98
by: Adelle M. Banks March 28, 2020 (RNS) — The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader who worked closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and prayed atRead More
The Urbi et Orbi, meaning to the city and the world, is a blessing usually delivered by the Roman pontiff at Christmas and Easter.
Pope Francis says ‘We are all in the same boat,’ during Urbi et Orbi ceremony
by: Claire Giangravé VATICAN CITY, March 27, 2020 (RNS) — As the world grapples with the spread of the coronavirus, Pope Francis delivered a homily of hope on Friday (MarchRead More
Christian leaders are starting to ask: Is Communion appropriate for cyberspace?
As coronavirus keeps parishioners homebound, Christian clergy debate online Communion
by: Jack Jenkins March 27, 2020 (RNS) — As Christian churches cancel in-person services to avoid contracting or spreading the novel coronavirus, many have rushed to embrace “virtual” Communion: SomeRead More
Congregational leaders find themselves relying on multiple digital tools....
Opinion: COVID-19 could end church as we know it. And I feel fine.
by: Paul O’Donnell (C. Christopher Smith) March 27, 2020 (RNS) — The coronavirus pandemic has quickly swept the globe, throwing just about every human institution into chaos. Faith communities areRead More
“Governors can save hundreds of lives right now by releasing these detainees,” said Elizabeth Weinbloom...
‘Deadly as Dachau’: Activists call for mass decarceration during pandemic
by: Aysha Khan BOSTON, March 25, 2020 (RNS) — If any locals still braving the streets walked past Boston’s John F. Kennedy Federal Building over the weekend, they may haveRead More