Lead story
Editor's note:
The country’s largest Protestant denomination meets next week in Nashville, Tennesee. More than 16,000 people are expected to show up to the city’s guitar-shaped Music City Center for what promises to be an eventful Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. In the weeks leading up to the event, the SBC’s chief ethicist, Russell Moore, resigned and subsequently two letters penned by Moore to top SBC leadership came to light. The first letter, obtained and published by Religion News Service, blasts key SBC leaders for stonewalling investigations into sexual abuse allegations and sheds light on a latent racism within the institution’s leadership. In the aftermath, SBC presidential nominees are scrambling to respond and a number of pastors have called for an independent investigation into the handling of sex abuse cases. RNS reporters Bob Smietana, Adelle Banks and Yonat Shimron have been at the forefront of reporting as the SBC drama unfolds.
Religion News
The Rev. James Altman calls himself “a lowly priest” serving a blue-collar city in western Wisconsin. But when his bishop demanded his resignation – after a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic – Altman refused to oblige. By David Crary and Todd Richmond/Associated Press
Spirituality underpins migrant activism in US borderlands
Protecting migrants and honoring the humanity of those who died on the northbound trek is a kind of religion in southern Arizona, where faith communities four decades ago founded the Sanctuary Movement sheltering Central American refugees. By Anita Snow and Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press
‘All-in’ Buddhist practice combines meditation and martial arts
Athletic types are drawn to Rinzai Zen training's physical demands. They stay for the Japanese flute. By Liz Kineke/Religion News Service
Mixed city of Arabs and Jews remains on edge after violence
The city of Lod is on edge. Rioters have torched cars, synagogues and homes. Attackers who killed an Arab and a Jewish resident remain at large. The root causes of the recent unrest in mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel haven't been addressed. By Ilan Ben Zion and David Goldman/Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
The latest movie to take on this classic story sentimentalizes history in the name of inspiring religious devotion. By Rebecca Janzen for The Conversation
Thailand's Buddhist temples, important centers of culture and commerce, rely on donations from international visitors. Due to loss in tourism, these temples have been hit hard. By Brooke Schedneck for The Conversation
In a Japanese tree burial, cremated remains are placed in the ground and a tree is planted over the ashes to mark the gravesite. Environmental responsibility is part of Buddhism. By Natasha Mikles for The Conversation
As Catholic bishops’ Communion war roils June meeting, look what’s not on the agenda
It is sad that the U.S. bishops are so focused on the Communion war that they have no energy for anything else. By Thomas Reese/Religion News Service
Dancing devils shake maracas during Corpus Christi celebrations in San Francisco de Yare, Venezuela, Thursday, June 3, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Carnival-like dance, in which the devils pay penance and ask for relief from physical ailments, symbolizes the ongoing struggle between good and evil. The tradition dates to 1742, when liberal priests in Venezuela used it to include African slaves who were not permitted to worship in the same church as their white masters.(AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
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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.
