Faith & Culture

(RNS) — As a teenager, J. Nicole Morgan was fond of her reflection in the mirror. She liked her eyes and her smile. But then she looked at her arms and stomach and reminded herself that she was not pretty and could not possibly be the person God made her to be.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Rev. Neal Locke of First Presbyterian Church of El Paso recently moderated a panel at the first-ever Christian Transhumanist Conference, hosted last month by the Christian Transhumanist Association at Lipscomb University, a Church of Christ-affiliated school in Nashville. 

Transhumanism is the idea humans can transcend their current physical and mental limitations using science and technology. 

A new religious typology highlighting “beliefs and behaviors that cut across many denominations” was set forth in an Aug. 29 report from the Pew Research Center.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Passport? Check. Airline ticket? Check. Hotel reservation? Check. After careful planning, you're ready for vacation!

But have you taken more time preparing for a vacation than your estate plan?

(RNS) — On Friday (Aug. 24), author and radio personality Devi Brown will explain her faith at a pilot event in Los Angeles that explores new ways black millennials are embracing religion and spirituality at a time when the black church is no longer the central organizing force for some African Americans.

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Pick any road in Redding, Calif., and community members will tell you they aren’t surprised to see handmade thank-you signs lining the streets.

Typically the signs consist of block letters, hearts and firefighter figures meant to convey Californians' gratitude for emergency helpers following one of the state’s worst fires.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Of all the horrific details contained in the Pennsylvania grand jury report on child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, one sentence stands out: "The main thing was not to help children, but to avoid 'scandal.'"

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — On Aug. 16, Mormon church President Russell M. Nelson said he wants people to stop using "Mormon," or "LDS" as substitutes for the full name of the religion: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (BP) -- A group from The Satanic Temple temporarily erected a goat-headed, winged statue on the Arkansas State Capitol grounds on Aug. 16 to protest the Ten Commandments monument already placed there.

(RNS) — Aretha Franklin, a singer who began her career with gospel music and was later crowned the “Queen of Soul,” died Thursday (Aug. 16) after battling a range of health issues. She was 76.