WASHINGTON (RNS) — How does a modern filmmaker with qualms about religion make a movie about the power of an ancient Christian pilgrimage? That’s the dilemma that actor/director Emilio Estevez faced when making “The Way,” a new film that opened…
Fiery, fearless civil rights icon Fred Shuttlesworth dies at 89
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (RNS) — The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, the driving force behind the Birmingham integration efforts that energized the national civil rights movement, died Oct. 5 at age 89. Shuttlesworth said he never feared death, and repeatedly put himself on…
Exiled Libyan Jews look with hope toward homeland
ROME (RNS) — The Jews of old wandered the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. For the exiled Jews of Libya, it’s already been 44. The struggle to reopen a synagogue in Libya, 44 years after the forced…
New California law prohibits circumcision bans
(RNS) — Jews, Muslims and their allies cheered Oct. 2 as California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill prohibiting all local bans on circumcision, making it illegal for local authorities to restrict the medical or religious practice. Anti-circumcision activists had…
Rabbis stand in solidarity with burned mosque
WASHINGTON (RNS) — More than a thousand rabbis from around the world have signed a statement denouncing the burning of an Israeli mosque as police arrested a suspect who is alleged to be a Jewish extremist. “We condemn those in…
In sunset of life, Billy Graham reflects on growing old
(RNS) — For much of his 92 years, Billy Graham has had one main title: evangelist. But in a new memoir set in the twilight of his remarkable life, Graham reveals a lesser-known side of himself: a grieving and ailing…
Pastor on restaurant quest can't live by bread alone
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) — Minister Ray Cannata’s mission is almost complete. Four years ago he set out to eat at every restaurant in New Orleans. By mid-September, he’d already checked 719 eateries off his list and only had 10 meals…
U.S. Christians rally around Iranian pastor
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Religious freedom advocates rallied Sept. 28 around an Iranian pastor who is facing execution because he has refused to recant his Christian faith in the overwhelmingly Muslim country. The British-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide has asked international…
Is there a death penalty-sized hole in Catholicism's 'seamless garment'?
(RNS) — Is Catholic opposition to the death penalty losing traction as opposition to abortion, gay marriage, contraception and other causes become the defining “pro-life” issues for the American hierarchy? That’s what some Catholics are asking after the bishops’ Pro-Life…
Beer, wine not on church's list of immoral investments
BERLIN (RNS) — New guidelines issued by Germany’s largest Protestant body advised parishioners to not invest in companies that make hard liquor, while beer and wine producers are fine. The guidelines, issued by the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church in Germany, are…
New Jersey leads U.S. in 'till death do us part'
(RNS) — Poor New Jersey — derided for “Jersey Shore,” aggressive driving and talking too fast. But when it comes to happily ever after, the Garden State is No. 1. A recent U.S. Census report shows the Northeast — and…
Churches lose fight over Alabama immigration law
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) — A federal judge jolted the national immigration debate on Sept. 28 by approving most parts of Alabama’s aggressive immigration law that religious leaders had called the “meanest” in the nation. In a ruling hailed by many…
Pentagon: Chaplains can celebrate gay marriages
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Military chaplains can lead same-sex marriage ceremonies on and off military bases, the Pentagon announced Sept. 30 in a move that closely followed the repeal of a ban on openly gay service members. “A military chaplain may…
Report says trends for U.S. churches mostly pointing down
(RNS) — American congregations have grown less healthy in the last decade, with fewer people in the pews and aging memberships, according to a new Hartford Seminary study. But there are also “pockets of vitality,” including an increase in minority…
Mother cares for her son's Amish victims
LANCASTER, Pa. (RNS) — Terri Roberts was eating outside with a co-worker on a bright October day when an ambulance wailed nearby and a helicopter swooped overhead. As she often did at a sirens’ sound, Roberts said a quick prayer.…
Supreme Court hears religious hiring case
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday, Oct. 5, on religious exemptions to employment law, and advocates for greater church autonomy say several justices seemed to be on their side. Those justices focused on the motivation…
