Black Protestants
Conservative faith leaders praise Johnson for House’s approval of foreign aid
By Adelle M. Banks — April 22, 2024
(RNS) — Passage of the aid packages came in the wake of letters and last-minute lobbying from a spectrum of religious groups.
Matthew Johnson Harris uses faith to leverage the theater’s power to heal
By Benjamin Spratt and Joshua Stanton — April 11, 2024
(RNS) — Bringing faith into the theater world, not to proselytize but to invite conversations about identity and hurt.
Dozens of Christians arrested after shutting down Senate lunch in protest of Gaza famine
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — April 9, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The protest, organized by Christians for a Free Palestine, followed a Communion service held on Capitol grounds.
At Yale, Christian pastors sign a declaration opposing religious nationalism
By Yonat Shimron — April 9, 2024
(RNS) — The declaration commits Christian leaders to preaching on moral issues and rejecting a political movement it says is exploiting traditional values to undermine democracy.
Cecil L. ‘Chip’ Murray, influential pastor and civil rights leader in Los Angeles, dies
By Associated Press — April 8, 2024
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After the 1992 Rodney King riots in South Los Angeles. Murray emerged as a calming presence and used his connections with political and business leaders to raise money for recovery efforts.
Black pastors see popular Easter services as an opportunity to rebuild in-person worship attendance
By Darren Sands — March 28, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — This Easter is an opportunity for Black churches to welcome more visitors to their pews and try to begin reversing attendance trends
Study: Unaffiliated Americans are the only growing religious group
By Yonat Shimron — March 27, 2024
(RNS) — The Catholic Church saw the largest decline in religious affiliation of any religious group in 2023.
More than 140 global Christian leaders call for Gaza cease-fire in Holy Week letter
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — March 26, 2024
(RNS) — ‘We repent of the ways we have not stood alongside our Palestinian siblings in faithful witness in the midst of their grief, agony, and sorrow,’ the leaders wrote.
Sandra Crouch, influential musician, minister, sister of Andraé Crouch, dead at 81
By Adelle M. Banks — March 25, 2024
(RNS) — ‘You don’t get a driver’s license to learn how to drive,’ she said of her controversial ordination. ‘You get a license because you know how to drive.’
Religious affairs expert Thomas Bowen moves from city of Washington to White House
By Adelle M. Banks — March 22, 2024
WASHINGTON (RNS) — While shifting to national and international issues, he will still be acting as a clergyperson in the city that he has long served.
Charlie Dates counters John MacArthur’s declaration that MLK ‘was not a Christian’
By Adelle M. Banks and Bob Smietana — March 20, 2024
(RNS) — In an open letter, the Chicago pastor compares the California pastor to King opponents George Wallace and J. Edgar Hoover, calling MacArthur 'them in postmodern dress.'
Caribbean musician Sherwin Gardner’s viral hit song surpasses 1 billion TikTok views
By Adelle M. Banks — March 15, 2024
ROCKVILLE, Maryland (RNS) — ‘It's like a prayer,’ Gardner said of his hit song. ‘God already kind of answered that — within the first two weeks of the year.’
Poll: Most Americans say religion’s influence is waning, and half think that’s bad
By Jack Jenkins — March 15, 2024
(RNS) — There is also growing concern among an array of religious Americans that their beliefs are in conflict with mainstream American culture.
As threats to Black cemeteries persist, a movement to preserve their sacred heritage gains strength
By Darren Sands and Giovanna Dell'orto — March 15, 2024
MIAMI (AP) — When sites of sacred cultural memory are desecrated, it adds additional trauma to the indignity of being segregated even in death, said the executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.
No twerking. No drinking. No smoking. But it’s still a party at this Christian nightclub
By Jessie Wardarski and Luis Andres Henao — March 4, 2024
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The pop-up, 18-and-up Christian nightclub was launched last year by seven Black Christian men in their 20s who sought to build a thriving community and a welcoming space for young Christians outside houses of worship.
