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Editor's note:
With a few women being elected to prominent leadership positions in Black denominations this year, female clergy have a reason to celebrate. “Whenever a woman rises, or ascends, to a leadership position in a national organization, it’s always significant,” said the Rev. Gina Stewart, elected this summer to be the first woman leader of a U.S. Black Baptist organization.
Yet, questions remain about where Black denominations stand on women in leadership. Significant majorities of Black women (87%) and men (84%) believe women should be permitted to serve as senior religious leaders, but only 16% of Black Protestant churches in 2018-19 were led by women.
“There’s something that feels inconsistent about being a denomination that identifies as progressive, but not having made these strides,” the Rev. Leslie Callahan told RNS national reporter Adelle Banks for this important story highlighting the continued efforts of Black women to gain parity in their mostly male-led denominations.
Religion News
Many faith leaders say no to endorsing vaccine exemptions
As significant numbers of Americans seek religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandates, many faith leaders are saying: Not with our endorsement. By Peter Smith/The Associated Press
From luxury stays to ‘champing’ in the sanctuary, churches adopt pandemic-era Airbnb models
Instead of worshippers, some churches have been filled with local tourists, professional chefs or burnt-out frontline workers. By Kathryn Post/Religion News Service
Pope Francis has acknowledged his increasingly vocal conservative critics, saying their “nasty comments” were the work of the devil and adding that “some wanted me dead” after his recent intestinal surgery. By Nicole Winfield/The Associated Press
Access, travel rules influence missionary vaccine policies
The global agency of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical Protestant denomination in the U.S., announced this month it is requiring vaccinations for missionaries they’re sending into the field amid the pandemic. By Holly Meyer/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
The Moon Festival, rooted in China's long history and rich cultural traditions, will be celebrated on September 21. In China though, the festival is a three-day public holiday. By Mario Poceski for The Conversation
Living in a hut teaches us that what we really have is not what we own, but what we are. By Avi Shafran/Religion News Service
The Satanic Temple, a nontheistic group, are invoking the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to challenge the Texas' anti-abortion law. By Joseph Laycock for The Conversation
Are COVID-19 boosters ethical, with half the world waiting for a first shot? A bioethicist weighs in
Scientists debate the medical benefits of booster shots. But there's another aspect to consider: bioethics. By Nancy S. Jecker for The Conversation
Ultra-Orthodox Jews of the Kiryat Sanz Hassidic sect pray on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea as they participate in a Tashlich ceremony, in Netanya, Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. Tashlich, which means "to cast away" in Hebrew, is the practice in which Jews go to a large flowing body of water and symbolically "throw away" their sins by throwing a piece of bread, or similar food, into the water before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which starts at sundown on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
