Thousands in US without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozens
Mayfield, Kentucky, USAP Residents of Kentucky counties where tornadoes killed dozens of people could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer, state officials warned Monday, as the toll of damage and deaths came into clearer focus in five states slammed by the swarm of twisters. Kentucky authorities said the sheer […]
In US state of Kentucky residents struggle with loss in storm’s aftermath
Mayfield, Kentucky, USAP Jarred Holmes was supposed to have been working inside a candle factory when it was ripped apart by a monstrous tornado that killed an untold number of employees and trapped many others under mounds of debris. But Holmes’ fiancee had insisted he stay home Friday night because of the looming weather. “She told me […]
Southern Baptists pivot to address church sexual abuse at the state level
RNS Southern Baptist leaders in North Carolina have announced plans to proactively review their state convention’s response to the issue of sexual abuse. The review, approved on Monday by the executive committee of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, will look at current policies and procedures for preventing abuse and responding when abuse occurs. […]
In the US, two evangelical seminaries sue to block vaccine mandates, citing religious freedom
RNS Two prominent US evangelical seminaries are challenging the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate in federal court. Under new Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules, employers with more than 100 workers must require those workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The rules, which went into effect in early November, set a January deadline for those vaccinations. […]
US Noah’s Ark park seeks expansion with new religious exhibit
Williamstown, Kentucky, USAP A Bible-themed attraction in Kentucky that features a 155-metre-long wooden Noah’s ark is planning to begin fundraising for an expansion. The Ark Encounter said on Wednesday that it would take about three years to research, plan and build a “Tower of Babel” attraction on the park’s grounds in northern Kentucky. PICTURE: Courtesy […]
CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE: US CHURCHES GO BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH DRIVE-IN SERVICES
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, reports on how drive-in theatres are being used as churches in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak…
In the US, Southern Baptist seminary denies request for reparations
RNS Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which released a report last year about its connections to slavery, has denied a request from an interracial ministers coalition to financially support a nearby black college as a form of reparations. EmpowerWest, a coalition of black and white pastors in Louisville, Kentucky, where the seminary is located, recently contacted school officials […]
US woman says strict Christian parents subjected her to FGM
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation An American woman from a strict white Christian community has told how her parents forced her to undergo female genital mutilation as a child – a highly unusual case which activists said could lead to similar stories coming to light. Jennifer said she had decided to tell her story after launching a […]
Kentucky considers law on student prayer
RNS The Kentucky Legislature is considering mandating an annual day of student prayer. House Bill 40 would make the last Wednesday in September “A Day of Prayer for Kentucky’s Students” and would require the state’s governor to proclaim it as such every year. The bill passed the Kentucky House last week by a broad margin and […]
ESSAY: THREE LESSONS FROM A PASTOR UP CLOSE TO THE KENTUCKY SHOOTING
Two 15-year-old students died and some 17 other people were injured in a school shooting in the US state of Kentucky this week. Local pastor Rev RICHIE CLENDENEN reflects on lessons he learnt in the aftermath…