News
'A lie from the pit of hell': Episcopal leaders push back on rumors of fatal decline
23+ hour, 37+ min ago (1253+ words) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (RNS) " The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church is tired of hearing that his church is doomed. The denomination has lost about half of its baptized membership since the 1960s, declining to about 1.5 million adherents today, and still faces shrinking…...
Conservative Anglican bishops seek 'disengagement' from Canterbury without naming rival leader
1+ day, 2+ hour ago (554+ words) NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) " Weeks before the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally is officially installed as the first female archbishop of Canterbury, a group of conservative Anglican prelates known as GAFCON renamed their body the Global Anglican Communion and elected a set…...
Sarah Mullally lays out agenda in first major speech as archbishop of Canterbury
3+ week, 4+ day ago (740+ words) (RNS) " The new archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, made her first presidential address to the Church of England's governing body Tuesday (Feb. 10) with a promise to make a major priority of protecting church members from sexual abuse " the issue that…...
Which threatens American Christianity more: ICE or Cities Church protesters?
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (418+ words) The church, a Southern Baptist congregation, condemned the demonstration, saying protesters had "accosted members of our congregation, frightened children, and created a scene marked by intimidation and threat." Other Christian leaders also rebuked the protesters, calling their actions "unspeakably evil,…...
Inside the effort to organize clergy nationwide to resist ICE
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (1136+ words) MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) " As she stood at the pulpit at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Thursday (Jan. 22), the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, a United Church of Christ minister, looked out at the packed sanctuary with tears in her eyes. Far from the typical…...
How a tiny London church is inviting passersby to be part of its new cultural mission
3+ mon, 2+ day ago (622+ words) LONDON (RNS) " In the heart of the city, on one of its most iconic streets, the side of a small, Baroque-style church has recently been draped in a shimmering curtain that casts a lavender-like hue at night. The dramatic installation,…...
Viral warnings of planned ICE raids on churches have pastors worried
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (1055+ words) (RNS) " On Tuesday (Nov. 18), the pastor of an 80-person Latino Pentecostal church got a concerning WhatsApp audio message. The message, allegedly created by an unidentified pastor, circulating among Atlanta-area evangelical faith leaders, claimed massive immigration raids would occur there on…...
For the Rev. David Black, protesting ICE is part of an old Christian tradition
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (816+ words) (RNS) " Near the end of the Rev. David Black's time on the stand in a federal courtroom in Chicago this month, the judge asked the Presbyterian Church (USA) minister how his faith was holding up. According to Chicago journalist Dave…...
Global Anglican ties are under stress. It's unclear if they're at the breaking point
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (1237+ words) After decades of fierce controversies over sexuality and theology in the Anglican Communion, some leaders of a conservative coalition say it's time to make a final break from what has long been one of the world's largest Protestant church families....
ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood suspended after sexual misconduct allegations
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (251+ words) Given the unprecedented dynamics of the current moment, I have come to see that it is unwise for me to continue carrying the multiple roles and weighty responsibilities of serving as Dean of the Province, as well as Presiding Bishop…...