News

(RNS) — Watching the civil rights protests on television as a child, Emilie Townes asked her mother, "Why do they hate us?"

Today, as dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School, Townes is behind an effort to make that question a thing of the past with a new collaborative aimed at eradicating hate and promoting racial harmony.

CHINA (BP) -- China startled Christians by tightening its "choke-hold" on churches there in September, banning Christian education for children and unregistered church worship "as if intending to eliminate all house churches at once," China Aid told Morning Star News.

Food insecurity in the U.S. declined for the fifth straight year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) annual report released last week.

Even so, more than 15 million households were food insecure in 2016.

(RNS) — Now here’s something you don’t see every day: A Carmelite nun, in full habit, cutting trees with a chainsaw.

Baptist groups are preparing to mobilize to help victims of Hurricane Irma, even as efforts to assist folks recovering from Hurricane Harvey continue.

In a disaster, churches don’t just hold bake sales to raise money or collect clothes to send to victims; faith-based organizations are integral partners in state and federal disaster relief efforts. They have specific roles and a sophisticated communication and coordination network to make sure their efforts don’t overlap or get in each others’ way.

A majority of U.S. adults don't use the Internet to access spiritual or religious content, even though most believe the Internet exposes them to new perspectives.

Russian officials continue to expand the implementation of last year’s new law targeting missionary and evangelistic activities, including into the region of Crimea that Russia snatched from Ukraine in 2014. Analysis by Forum 18 also shows that during the first year of the law — which went into effect on July 20, 2016 after being signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin — officials used the law in 181 cases involving 129 individuals and 52 religious communities.

Since 1994, Sports Crusaders has served more than 47,000 campers, distributed more than 50,000 Bibles and seen more than 5,600 professions of faith in U.S. camps at more than 400 churches. Additionally, they have held camps in more than a dozen other countries. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — The vast majority of U.S. Protestant pastors’ spouses say ministry has had a positive effect on their families but many report being isolated and under financial stress.

A new LifeWay Research survey, released Sept. 12, finds that most spouses are directly involved in the work of their churches, with 1 in 5 holding a paid position and two-thirds serving in unpaid capacities.