Faith & Culture

(RNS) “There is a hunger …”

That declaration, uttered by an old, crippled nun who has scrubbed away her life and her vocation in a convent’s basement laundry, sums up “The Ninth Hour,” the newest novel by National Book Award-winning author Alice McDermott.

Important conversations are seldom easy to have. As a child transitions into adolescence, parents often dread “the talk.” Years later, roles shift and adult children are faced with starting another dreaded but critical discussion, one medical and legal professionals often call “the conversation.”

The Associated Press has compiled a list of fatal shootings occuring at U.S. houses of worship since 2012.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (BP) -- Sermons from Billy Graham's prolific international ministry will be broadcast on an ad hoc radio station 12 days surrounding the evangelist's 99th birthday (Nov. 7), the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) has announced.

DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) — Five hundred years ago this week, Martin Luther is said to have nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg, Germany’s Castle Church, ushering in a revolt against the Roman Catholic Church.

The ensuing theological demolition also involved its artwork, much of which was defaced or burned in now-Protestant areas of Europe.

(RNS) — This year marks the 500th anniversary of the launching of the Protestant Reformation in Germany. Commemorations will be held from Memphis to Mombasa to Mumbai to Munich.

Yet, most events and books on the Reformation explore it without any reference to African Christians.

The name of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. — much like the name of German monk Martin Luther — remains quickly recognizable. However, King’s birth name — Michael King — does not bring the same level of familiarity. How did Michael King Jr. become Martin Luther King Jr.?

LOS ANGELES (BP) -- Turner Ward was signing autographs in the players' parking lot after a game in Pittsburgh several years ago when a boy approached him with a stack of baseball cards. After signing some of the cards, Ward came across one he had never seen before with a picture of him and his son Tucker.

ATLANTA (BP) -- There's no telling how many hours Scott McHugh and his wife Teresa have spent watching their son Collin play baseball over the years.

Now they're getting to see him on an even bigger stage, as Collin is a pitcher for the Houston Astros playing in his first World Series, with the series moving to Houston tied 1-1,

Today it might have started with a tweet, a blog post or a television interview.

But in 16th century Germany, a public conversation began where the public gathered. So Martin Luther chose the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church to post his “95 Theses” as the opening statement for a debate.