NEWS OF THE WEEK
Jews continue their celebration of Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights. December 1 marks the beginning of Advent, the season leading up to Christmas. Christians light candles and hold special services as they wait with great expectation to celebrate Jesus’ … More
More evidence this week of the growing divide in the United Methodist Church over homosexuality: A United Methodist pastor was convicted by his fellow pastors for officiating at his son’s same-sex wedding. Reverend Frank Schaefer of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania will … More
Faith-based relief groups are continuing efforts in the Philippines to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Over 5,000 people are believed to be dead, and an estimated four million were displaced. Religious organizations have been among those delivering food, water, and … More
Relief efforts are also underway in the U.S. as religious groups have been mobilizing to help victims of last weekend’s deadly tornados in the Midwest. Congregations from across the country have been delivering aid and sending in teams of volunteers. … More
At the White House this week (November 20), recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom included the Reverend C.T. Vivian, a veteran leader of the civil rights movement. Vivian worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian … More
The Obamas and Clintons visited the tomb of John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery. November 22 was the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination. That tragedy completely overshadowed the death on the same day of Clive Staples Lewis—C.S. Lewis, widely … More
In a narrow vote, the US Supreme Court this week declined to block a Texas law that places greater restrictions on the state’s abortion clinics. The law requires doctors who perform abortions in clinics to have admitting privileges at a … More
This week marks a once-in-a lifetime convergence. Thanksgiving Day (November 28) will also be the first full day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights. Hanukkah celebrates the restoration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by the Maccabees in the … More
Religious groups from around the world offered prayers and aid this week for the millions of people affected by the typhoon which ravaged the central and eastern Philippines last week. The storm was among the deadliest ever to hit that … More
New leaders were elected in Baltimore this week at the annual fall meeting of the U.S. Catholic bishops. Their new president is Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston is vice president. Both are widely seen … More
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