Easter Sunday Blasts Kill at Least 207 in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — At least 207 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in eight bomb blasts that rocked churches and luxury hotels in or near Sri Lanka's capital on Easter Sunday.
Fellow Christian Writers Start Twitter Prayer Chain as Rachel Held Evans Is Hospitalized
(RNS) — On Friday (April 19), the hashtag #PrayForRHE appeared on Twitter, forming a prayer chain for popular writer and speaker Rachel Held Evans, as news spread she has been hospitalized and in a medically-induced coma.
Black Women Cracking ‘Stained-Glass Ceilings’ with Jesus’ 7 Last Words
(RNS) — In a growing tradition, churches across the country are hosting Good Friday services that feature seven African-American female preachers, expounding on the last seven phrases uttered by Jesus before his crucifixion.
Prayers From All Over – Even Zimbabwe – Lift Up Little Leaguer
CINCINNATI (BP) -- Prayers for William Burton, a Little Leaguer who wasn't given much chance to live after a cardiac arrest at practice, are coming from everywhere. He is now seen as a miracle -- and maybe even a little bit of a celebrity --
Gallup: Number of Americans Who Belong to a House of Worship Plummets
(RNS) — A new Gallup report found that only half of Americans say they belong to a church or other religious body, down from 69% two decades earlier.
Where Is God? Faith on the Day Before Easter
On the Saturday before that first Easter, the Savior that the disciples had left everything to follow was dead. Perhaps on that day the disciples were just left wondering: Where is God?
Word&Way Wins 21 Awards
In April, Word&Way received 21 awards — including ones for top overall local/regional magazine and top overall podcast — from three religious communication organizations honoring excellence in religious journalism in 2018.
Chrissy Metz on ‘Breakthrough’: Everything Happens as It Should
(RNS) — “Breakthrough” dramatizes the true story of Joyce Smith, whose 14-year-old son, John, despite spending more than 15 minutes underwater on a frozen Missouri lake in 2015, walked out of the hospital on his own three weeks later.
Notre Dame Fire Extinguished, Paris Turns to Assessing Damage and Repairs
PARIS (RNS) — The last flames have been extinguished. It’s now up to the experts to assess how much Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has been damaged and how many years, maybe decades, it will take to repair it.
Notre Dame Cathedral: A Place of Worship, History, Art
(RNS) — The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames on Monday (April 15). What is its history, its significance and how have cathedrals like it recovered from disaster?