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BYU’s LGBTQ students spotlighted in new grassroots documentary

March 14, 2024

(RNS) — When, in 2020, Brigham Young University’s Provo, Utah, campus erupted in rainbow-colored protests after the school quietly removed — then reaffirmed — its ban on “homosexual behavior,” David Sant was a closeted queer BYU student afraid to join the fray.

But now, as the director of the new documentary “A Long Way From Heaven,” Sant is spotlighting BYU’s treatment of LGBTQ students who, like him, felt pressured to stifle parts of their identity at the flagship school of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Source: https://religionnews.com/2024...

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Many Christian voters in US see immigration as a crisis. How to address it is where they differ.

March 7, 2024

MIAMI (AP) — Christian voters and faith leaders have long been in the frontlines of providing assistance to migrants — but when it comes to support for immigration policies, from border security to legalization options for migrants already in the U.S., priorities diverge broadly.

Both President Joe Biden and GOP challenger Donald Trump ...

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How Hakeem Jeffries’ Black Baptist upbringing and deep-rooted faith shapes his House leadership

February 28, 2024

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stood together at the annual National Prayer Breakfast — an opportunity, in the words of one introductory speaker, to “put our political differences aside.”

Such differences are vast between Johnson, a staunchly conservative Republican, and Jeffries, a hero to liberal Democrats. But at the prayer breakfast earlier this month, they collegially took turns reading Scripture — evoking how their shared Christianity confronts evil.

It was a fleeting moment of unity for...

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In Six-Hour Meeting, Park Street Votes to Affirm Current Leadership

February 26, 2024

Park Street Church voted to affirm senior minister Mark Booker on Sunday by a vote of 350 to 173, with 20 abstaining.

The prominent evangelical church in Boston has been roiled by controversy as ministers, elders, staff, and lay leaders disagreed over a series of decisions—as well as the process of making decisions—at the 220-year-old congregationalist church. Ultimately the entire congregation was thrown into the dispute. The conflict became public when a group of more than 75 members petitioned for a special meeting to review the firing of an associate minister who said he...

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A look at the Christian Nationalist beliefs of Alabama's Supreme Court chief justice

February 26, 2024

More has become known about the Alabama chief justice's ties to a far-right Christian Nationalist movement that played a major role in the Jan. 6 riot. The movement aims to assert Christian supremacy.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2024/02/26/1234005086/a-look-at-the-christian-nationalist-beliefs-of-alabamas-supreme-court-chief-just Read more about A look at the Christian Nationalist beliefs of Alabama's Supreme Court chief justice

Nun who advises the Pope says he wants female deacons

February 14, 2024

ROME – A Spanish nun who has participated in recent meetings of Pope Francis’s top advisory body has said that while women’s priestly ordination is currently off the table, the pontiff is supportive of the female diaconate.

Speaking to the news agency Europa Press, Spanish nun and theologian Linda Pocher said, “There is no reflection on the priestly ordination of women in the Catholic Church,” but the pope “is very much in favor of the female diaconate.”

Source: https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2024/02/nun-who-advises-the-pope-says-he-wants-female-deacons

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Parishes turn former convents into affordable housing for teachers

February 12, 2024

Claire McManmon did not become a Catholic school educator for a massive paycheck, but she also hoped she wouldn't have to scramble to cover rent. 

So when the 28-year-old's sister and brother-in-law encouraged her to move from the Midwest to San Jose, California, she was hesitant. The average monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the notoriously pricey Silicon Valley is more than $2,400. 

"That would be hard to budget for any teacher, much less a Catholic school teacher," McManmon told NCR. 

Source: https://www.ncronline.org/news/...

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Meet the Vatican’s AI mentor

February 12, 2024

 

Friar Paolo Benanti is shaping how to control artificial intelligence in Rome and the Vatican.

Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/meet-the-vatican-ai-mentor-diplomacy-friar-paolo-benanti-pope-francis/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=c98fc4a511-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_02_14_03_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-c98fc4a511-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

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These are the religious commercials that aired during the 2024 Super Bowl

February 12, 2024

Amidst the glitz and glamour of the Super Bowl spectacle, some unlikely contenders took center stage with messages of faith. As millions tuned in for touchdowns and halftime shows, they were also met with moments of spiritual reflection, as religious commercials made a surprising appearance during the biggest night in American sports.

Source:

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2024/02/12/super-bowl-commercials-religious-jesus-ad-he-gets-us/72567664007/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=c98fc4a511-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_02_14_03_13&utm_medium=email...

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For Black ‘nones’ who leave religion, what’s next?

February 12, 2024

When Black Americans leave religion, they rarely leave it altogether. But even as they retain elements of Christian culture, what other communities are they embracing beyond the church?

Source: https://religionnews.com/2024/02/12/for-black-nones-who-leave-religion-whats-next/?utm_source=Pew+Research+Center&utm_campaign=c98fc4a511-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_02_14_03_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-c98fc4a511-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

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