In the US, Jerry Falwell, Jr, says he’s resigned from Liberty University

Last update: 11.30am AEST, 27th August, 2020 Richmond, Virginia, US AP Jerry Falwell, Jr, announced his resignation Tuesday as the head of Liberty University after a provocative photo and revelations of his wife’s extramarital affair roiled the evangelical school founded by his father. Falwell’s exit marks a precipitous fall from power for one of the […]
Belarus jails two opposition leaders; teachers head rally of thousands

Minsk, Belarus Reuters Belarus jailed two opposition leaders for 10 days on Tuesday as the government pursued a crackdown on the few figures still at large, while schoolteachers led a new protest of thousands against President Alexander Lukashenko. Despite most major opposition figures being in jail or exile, Lukashenko has so far failed to put […]
Australians engaging more in prayer, thinking about God during COVID-19 – poll

Australians are engaging more in spiritual conversations, praying more, and thinking about God more during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a poll. The survey of 1,000 Australians – conducted by Mainstreet Insights, a collaboration between Reventure and McCrindle – found that 26 per cent of Australians had engaged in more spirtual conversations since the pandemic […]
Books: When Moses becomes required reading for leaders and learners

JO KADLECEK finds Ruth Haley Barton’s ‘Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership’ a ‘must read’ for leaders of all stripes…
After Beirut explosion, helpers tend to shock and trauma

AP When a massive explosion ripped through Beirut this month, Yorgo Younes scurried to flee his building. He saw children crying and adults screaming as they scrambled for safety, one running barefoot over jagged pieces of glass in a state of shock and fear. A clinical psychologist, Younes thought of the toll this moment would […]
Amid escalated police presence, Californian Episcopal church offers sanctuary to protesters

Pasadena, US RNS Rev Mike Kinman, rector at All Saints Episcopal Church, got the call just before midnight on Thursday, 21st August. It was his son letting him know police had blocked off streets near Pasadena City Hall and All Saints Church. Officers were standing in a line on the City Hall steps, in riot […]
Indonesian farmers walk 1,800 kilometres to protest against evictions

Jakarta, Indonesia Thomson Reuters Foundation More than 100 Indonesian farmers gathered outside the presidential palace in Jakarta on Monday, having walked about 1,800 kilometres from the island of Sumatra to protest against forced evictions from their lands. About 170 farmers began the trek from Deli Serdang in northern Sumatra on 25th June to raise awareness […]
Australian archbishops express concern coronavirus vaccine could be “ethically tainted”
Three Sydney archbishops have written to Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressing concern that a COVID-19 vaccine which Australia has signed a deal over is “ethically tainted”. The Australian Government announced last week that it had signed a deal to receive 25 million doses of a vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University should trials prove successful. […]
In the US, police shooting of Jacob Blake prompts calls by faith leaders, Governor for reform

RNS Muslim and Christian leaders are decrying the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as authorities begin an investigation into the incident and the Governor calls for a special session of the legislature to address police accountability. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for “immediate action” against the officers involved in the […]
Updated: Liberty: Falwell agreed to resign, then reversed course

Richmond, Virginia, US AP Jerry Falwell, Jr’s, future at evangelical Liberty University amid a sex scandal was uncertain Monday, after the school said he had offered his resignation but then reversed course. Falwell agreed to “resign immediately as President of Liberty University today but then instructed his attorneys to not tender the letter for immediate […]