Black Protestants
Richard Smallwood, ‘Total Praise’ composer, to receive Juneteeth tribute in D.C.
By Adelle M. Banks — June 18, 2024
(RNS) — ‘It’s music that has brought us over through slavery, through all kinds of hard trials and tribulations,’ said singer/songwriter Richard Smallwood.
Tony Evans says he is ‘stepping away’ from leading Dallas megachurch due to ‘sin’
By Adelle M. Banks — June 10, 2024
(RNS) — ‘I am stepping away from my pastoral duties and am submitting to a healing and restoration process established by the elders,’ Evans said in a statement.
How this Maryland pastor ended up leading one of the fastest-growing churches in the nation
By Darren Sands — June 10, 2024
CALVERTON, Md. (AP) — In 2019, the year Kingdom Fellowship AME was founded, the church had about 3,000 members and an average weekly attendance of about 1,800 people, according to the church's figures. Today, membership has swelled to nearly 8,000, and its weekly services draw about 2,500 attendees altogether.
Poll: Religious groups think Trump’s actions immoral in hush money case, split on whether he broke the law
By Jack Jenkins — June 5, 2024
(RNS) — A survey indicates while many believe Trump’s behavior has been immoral, it may not sway how people vote in November.
Christian organizations come together to take boycott, divestment action as Rafah campaign continues
By Aleja Hertzler-McCain — May 29, 2024
(RNS) — ‘A core practice of nonviolent resistance, including within our tradition, is economic non-cooperation with injustice,’ the Christian organizations wrote.
He feared coming out. Now this pastor wants to help Black churches become as welcoming as his own
By Darren Sands — May 17, 2024
(AP) – Crowley’s career has flourished, and he has now written a book — “Queering the Black Church” — that he hopes can serve as a guide for other congregations to be “open and affirming” to LGBTQ+ people rather than shunning them.
AME official Jerome V. Harris dies under a cloud of alleged corruption
By Fiona André — May 16, 2024
(RNS) — Harris, an important figure of the AME Church, died suddenly, according to a press release from the Christian Recorder, the church’s official publication.
Bishop T.D. Jakes subject of AI-generated misinformation, says fact-finding website
By Adelle M. Banks — May 15, 2024
(RNS) — A false rumor of Jakes’ resignation was ‘latest chapter in a months-old series of videos — many at least partially created with the assistance of artificial-intelligence tools,’ reported Snopes.
The Rev. William Lawson, Texas civil rights leader who worked with Martin Luther King Jr, dies at 95
By Associated Press — May 15, 2024
HOUSTON (AP) — Lawson’s longtime church, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in that Texas city, announced on its website that he had died on Tuesday.
Can Donald Trump swear on the Bible to tell the truth?
By Jim Wallis — May 10, 2024
(RNS) — The former president is selling 'God Bless the USA' Bibles. What will happen if he has to swear on Scripture in court during one of his many trials?
Churches tied to Civil Rights awarded National Park Service preservation funds
By Adelle M. Banks — May 3, 2024
(RNS) — Other grantees will use the NPS funding to conduct historical surveys, including one in Detroit that will explore 'the role of religion in the struggle for equality.’
To save their movement, student protesters should break camp
By Andre Henry — May 3, 2024
(RNS) — 'A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.'
75 Christian leaders urge president, Congress, churches to act on racism, poverty
By Adelle M. Banks — May 1, 2024
(RNS) — ‘Issues related to racism are now being fiercely debated across the country, and many people of color are fearful that racism is getting worse,’ reads their statement.
Understanding America’s overlooked religious middle
By Robert P. Jones — April 30, 2024
(RNS) — The overlooked religious middle is poised to play an outsized role in the 2024 presidential contest.
As many HBCUs thrive, faith-based Black schools fight financial and accreditation woes
By Adelle M. Banks — April 26, 2024
(RNS) — Several faith-based historically Black colleges and universities have faced governance and financial concerns, even as other HBCUs are seeing increases in enrollment and financial donations.
