ESSAY: HAVE WE NO DECENCY? A RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT TRUMP
In the wake of US President Donald Trump’s latest outburst, US Christian leaders MARIANN EDGAR BUDDE, RANDOLPH MARSHALL HOLLERITH, and KELLY BROWN DOUGLAS – who all serve at Washington’s National Cathedral, wonder, in an article published by Religion News Service, when Americans have had enough…
Franklin Graham “burdened” to pray for President Trump
RNS Three days later, Graham, heir to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and a vocal defender of the President, posted a call for a “special day of prayer for the president” on Sunday, 2nd June, asking God to “protect, strengthen, embolden, and direct him”. Some 250 pastors and leaders of the religious right have responded […]
White House expands birth control exemptions for employers with religious objections
RNS The Trump administration has issued new rules it says will “provide conscience protections for Americans who have a religious or moral objection to health insurance that covers contraception methods.” The final rules follow interim regulations issued a little more than a year ago by the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury […]
Does Trump encourage white supremacists? Faith groups divided in survey
Washington, DCRNS A new survey shows a sharp racial and religious divide over whether the actions of President Trump are encouraging white supremacist organisations. Three-quarters of black Protestants say Trump’s behavior and decisions are emboldening white supremacists while slightly more than a quarter of white evangelicals agree with that view. Overall, more than half of […]
Trump administration sanctions Turkish officials it says helped detain US pastor
RNS The Trump administration has sanctioned two high-level officials in Turkey for what it says is their role in the case of US pastor Andrew Brunson, who faces terrorism-related charges. “At the President’s direction, the Department of Treasury is sanctioning Turkey’s Minister of Justice and Minister of the Interior, both of whom played leading roles in the arrest and […]
In the US, hurricane-damaged houses of worship can now receive FEMA aid
RNS Pastor Charles Stoker looks over damage to Hi-Way Tabernacle Assembly of God Church after Hurricane Harvey in Cleveland, Texas, north of Houston. PICTURE: Courtesy of Becket Law Firm After lawsuits and a US Supreme Court decision, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued a new policy extending disaster relief to churches, synagogues and other […]
US President Trump to meet Pope Francis at Vatican
RNS Pope Francis will meet US President Donald Trump on the American leader’s first official visit to Europe, the Vatican said Thursday. In a brief statement, the Vatican announced the president’s trip to the Holy See, planned for 24th May. Mr Trump also announced the trip in a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday, timed to coincide […]
ESSAY: AMERICA IS ABANDONING INDEPENDENT CHRISTIANS IN CHINA
In an article first published on Religion News Service, CHLOË STARR, associate professor of Asian Christianity and theology at Yale Divinity School in the US, argues that America’s decision to cede its role as “global moral enforcement officer” has consequences for China’s Christians…
Trump team exploring possible Pope Francis meeting
RNS/USA Today The White House said on Tuesday it is reaching out to the Vatican to set up a possible meeting President Trump and Pope Francis, little more than a year after they clashed over Mr Trump’s proposed anti-immigration wall between the United States and Mexico. “We will be reaching out to the Vatican to see […]
Religious groups, leaders respond to new US immigration policies
RNS Religious organisations and leaders in the US were swift to react to new Trump administration policies that will widely expand deportations of undocumented immigrants. “These policies are destructive to families,” said Bishop Dwayne Royster, political director of the PICO National Network, an interfaith organisation that provides services to immigrants. “The president, with malicious intent, […]