News

(RNS) —  The suicide rate is on the rise, contributing to a drop in life expectancy. In the midst of the shock and pain that often attends such unexpected deaths, it's crucial that clergy and congregants reach out to those left behind, offering a message of grace and hope rather than one of rejection and condemnation

(RNS) — The Satanic Temple announced this week that the IRS now recognizes it as a church. As courts wrestle with the First Amendment implications of what is — and isn’t — a religion, scholars who study religion agreed that the term is slippery.

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA -  On Tuesday (Apr. 23) Rev. Dr. Denton Lotz, General Secretary Emeritus of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), died at his home in Forestdale, Mass., at the age of 80. 

WASHINGTON (RNS) — White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney declared at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday (April 23) that faith drives the Trump administration’s policy proposals.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (RNS) — Casa Verde Commons is home to 67 adults, 15 young people, 12 cats, eight dogs, and one lawn mower. It’s not exactly heaven on earth -- but it’s close.

(The Conversation) — Sri Lanka’s Christians - about 7 percent of the country's total population - have a long history that reflects the dynamics of colonialism as well as present-day ethnic and religious tensions.

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.

(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.

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 -- because of his amazing recovery thus far.

(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.