News

(RNS) — Hanukkah is meant to mark the victory of the Jewish people over religious oppression.

But in the days and weeks leading up to Hanukkah, which began Sunday (Dec. 2), many Jews have felt defeated as a steady wave of anti-Semitic incidents roiled the country.

DEAD SEA, Israel (BP) -- The Dead Sea has been receding for decades, with some experts predicting its total demise by 2050. But a $1.5 billion plan to resurrect the biblically prominent sea is nearing fruition, NBC News reported Nov. 29.

HOUSTON (AP) — George H.W. Bush, a World War II hero whose presidency soared with the coalition victory over Iraq in Kuwait, but then plummeted in the throes of a weak economy that led voters to turn him out of office after a single term, has died. He was 94.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (RNS) — Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has appointed its first “women’s support coordinator” to address any gender-related "difficulties or challenges” that women encounter on its campus.

(RNS) — A handwritten 1954 letter by physicist Albert Einstein in which the Nobel laureate is dismissive of religion in general and Judaism in particular is expected to bring a seven-figure price when auctioned by Christie’s in New York City on Dec. 4.

EDMOND, Okla. (RNS) — When Cody and Breanna Brumley began the process of adoption a few years ago, they asked two dear friends in their Sunday School class for advice.

“This is going to be hard,” Breanna Brumley remembers the friends telling them. “This is going to change you, but for the better.”

A former corrections officer, Rev. David Tolliver serves as chaplain at Jefferson City Correctional Center. As the pastor of Jamestown Baptist Church, he tries to bring light into what can be a dark place, encouraging those serving time in the medium- to maximum-security prison.

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Most churchgoers say the Bible teaches against drunkenness. But that doesn't stop about 4 in 10 from taking a drink now and then, a study released Tuesday (Nov. 27) shows.

While 41 percent of Protestant churchgoers say they consume alcohol, 59 percent say they do not. 

DENVER (RNS) — Najeeba Syeed was all set to speak about Islam and peacemaking, something the associate professor of interreligious education at Claremont School of Theology had done many times before.

Then came the death threat.

As Jim Hill announces his retirement as pastor of administration from First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo., he reflects back on 47 years of ministry. His journey has included the roles of pastor, church planter, language missions director, executive director and advocacy leader.