Preventative strategies: Why faith-based groups are prone to sexual abuse and how they can get ahead of it

As Sexual Assault Awareness Month comes to a close in the US, there are a few steps experts say every faith group can take to improve safeguarding protocols. KATHRYN POST, of Religion News Service, reports…
Essay: Faith communities are rallying to check climate change – their size and influence counts

RACHEL MASH, a researcher at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Theology and Religion, argues – in an article first published on The Conversation – that faith communities have the potential to make a significant impact on climate action…
Seventy-seven US faith groups get total of $US92 million for innovative faith programs for children

United States RNS Dozens of Christian groups seeking to instill faith in the nation’s children have been given grants of as much as $US1.25 million to help them meet their mission. Lilly Endowment, through its Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative, recently approved a total of $US92 million for 77 organisations – including denominations, local congregations and regional […]
Essay: How Biden’s faith-based office has advanced his vow to heal the soul of the nation

CHRIS COONS, a US Senator from Delaware, reflects – in an article first published on Religion News Service – on the first year of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships following its re-establishment by US President Joe Biden…
Religion and climate: US faith groups increasingly join fight against climate change

LUIS ANDRES HENAO and JESSIE WARDARSKI, of Associated Press, report on how faith groups, including Christians, are increasingly becoming involved in the fight to address climate change…
Afghan refugees: As the vulnerable flee Kabul, US faith groups prepare to aid them

JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, reports on preparations US faith groups are making to receive refugees from Afghanistan…
Essay: Protecting the climate is loving our neighbour

In an article first published on Religion News Service, DIANE RANDALL, general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation in the US, says faith communities have a newfound hope that political and business leaders are joining in calls for greater action on the environment…
In the US, faith groups celebrate Virginia’s death penalty ban

RNS Faith groups are celebrating Virginia’s decision to ban the death penalty, a move considered to be a victory for religious opposition to capital punishment. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed the ban – the first of any Southern state and the 23rd overall – into law on Wednesday, declaring it “the moral thing to do.” […]
“Deadly as Dachau”: US activists call for mass decarceration during pandemic

Boston, US RNS If any locals still braving the streets walked past Boston’s John F Kennedy Federal Building over the weekend, they may have found themselves staring at a massive black-and-white image of Anne Frank’s face. “Anne Frank died of an infectious disease in a crowded detention center,” read the image, projected Sunday night by […]
Coronavirus shutdowns disrupt America’s soul, closing houses of worship

RNS The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted day-to-day life for millions. In the US, colleges have shut down their campuses, major sporting events – like March Madness, baseball’s spring training, and the entire schedule of NBA games – have been cancelled or suspended, major conferences have been scrapped and public schools and businesses are telling people […]