This Week in Religion - The hymn writer who helped the revolution

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America’s musical founding father: ‘Liberty songs’ by a self-taught singer and tanner helped fuel the Revolution

Editor's note:

What did the American Revolution sound like?

For many Americans, “Yankee Doodle” might come to mind. But hundreds of what John Adams called “liberty songs” were circulating in the Colonies. Several were written by an eccentric hymn writer named William Billings: a Boston tanner and self-taught singer who became America’s first notable composer.

Many songs of the independence movement were secular. Billings’, however, often drew on spiritual themes, such as “Lamentation Over Boston,” which adapts a biblical psalm about the Judeans’ exile in Babylon. “It may be the very first American protest song,” writes David Stowe, a religious studies professor at Michigan State University. 

Billings wrote some 340 choral works, some of which are still performed. By the end of his life, though, Americans’ musical tastes had changed, and the composer's fortunes fell. He was buried in an unmarked grave on Boston Common. Yet, as Stowe explains, his anthems played a part in uniting colonists as they became an independent country.

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Religion News

These houses of worship are older than America. How they outlasted wars, schisms and lawsuits

Only about 1% of houses of worship in the U.S. today existed in 1776. Here are four that predate the revolution – and still hold services. By Adelle M. Banks/Religion News Service

Soccer devotion runs deep in Latin America ahead of the World Cup

Soccer passions in Latin America extend far beyond the stadium. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, fans across the region describe rituals, beliefs and emotional bonds tied to their teams that resemble forms of collective devotion. By Maria Teresa Hernandez, Nayara Batschke and Eleonore Hughes/The Associated Press 

As seminaries shuttered, Union grew. For Serene Jones, controversy was the price of survival.

Jones is stepping down as president of Union Theological Seminary after 18 years. Her tenure has been defined by difficult, sometimes unpopular decisions that helped stabilize the institution even as mainline Protestantism declines. By Fiona Murphy/Religion News Service

Returning to the fold? Some young Spaniards embrace Catholicism and can’t wait for Pope Leo’s visit

Traveling soon to Spain, Pope Leo XIV will find a traditionally Catholic but now staunchly secular country with an abundance of historic churches but few people in the pews. But there are also signs of a revival of interest in faith among young people. By Giovanna Dell’Orto/The Associated Press

A secret bunker, tunnel and a Star of David tell a story of Jewish resistance in a Polish town

A secret bunker, an underground tunnel and an armband bearing the Star of David are among the rare findings in a house in southern Poland that was used by Jews, including young members of the resistance, to hide from the Nazis. By Rafal Niedzielski and Claudia Ciobanu/The Associated Press

 

Commentary and Analysis

For 2 centuries, Latter-day Saints have revered religious freedom – but their definition is evolving

Latter-day Saints have long valued the US Constitution’s promise of religious freedom – but the church has also tested its boundaries. By Benjamin Park and Nicholas Shrum for The Conversation

I've dedicated my career to soccer. I'm boycotting this World Cup.

A scholar specializing in soccer explains why he believes this World Cup is debasing the world's secular religion. By Kirk Bowman/Religion News Service

Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families – and they're struggling to respond to rising singles

The increasing percentage of Americans who are not married or in a long-term partnership is testing employers, marketers and religious institutions. By Peter McGraw for The Conversation

Uncovering coded antisemitism online takes both human expertise and AI automation

Tracking hate speech online is challenging even when terms are explicit. Coded speech is harder to detect – but pairing AI tools with human research teams can help. By Wendy Melillo, Jeff Gill and Nathalie Japkowicz for The Conversation

 

Photos of the Week: Ebola responses, end of Hajj and more

A Hindu woman performs rituals at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

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RNS Morning Report - Catholic sisters push Palantir on human rights

Catholic sisters push Palantir on human rights   When national reporter Fiona Murphy heard that Catholic sisters, investors and activists would rally on Wednesday (June 3) outside of Palantir Technologies’ New York office, she knew she had to get to work. The protest occurred as the company prepared for its annual general meeting and considered two shareholders’ proposals calling on Palantir to conduct a human rights review of its work.   “We’re investors, but we’re also Catholics,” said Sister Susan Francois, assistant congregation leader and treasurer of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, the lead filer of the shareholder proposal. A related proposal was filed by the Presbyterian Church of the U.S.A, Portico Benefit Services and the Catholic Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate-US.   As expected, Palantir’s investors ultimately voted against the proposals on Wednesday. But the opposition could still push Palantir to quietly reassess its own human rights policies.      Top Stories Catholic sisters push Palantir on human rights as faith leaders rally in New York (RNS) — The proposal comes as immigrant community members and faith leaders prepare to rally outside the company’s New York office. ‘The Autism Pastor’ Lamar Hardwick dies at age 47 (RNS) — Hardwick was known for his disability advocacy and dynamic preaching. Ultra-Orthodox protesters block roads and trains across Israel over military draft JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s police said demonstrators blocked major intersections and attacked a soldier who disembarked from a bus near a protest. Police struggled to control the crowds with water cannons and horses. Canada is failing the Jewish community and Jews are being targeted, Prime Minister Carney says TORONTO (AP) — Carney said antisemitism plagues Europe, Australia and the United States. But he said the crisis of antisemitism in Canada is "specific, severe and demands a targeted response.” Opinion Europe’s stained glass is stained with antisemitism (RNS) — You think that the Middle Ages are history? Not so fast. The same libels against Jews remain with us today. Beyond tolerance: We need neighbors, not just permission (RNS) — One of the misunderstandings of modern society is the idea that people of different faiths must eventually dilute their differences in order to live together peacefully. ICYMI In historic appointment, Pope Leo names EWTN’s Montse Alvarado to lead Vatican communications office (RNS) — Alvarado will be the youngest person to lead a Vatican dicastery in recent memory and the first woman who is not a religious sister to be a Vatican prefect, a task historically reserved for cardinals. Photos of the Week: Ebola responses, end of Hajj (RNS) — This week’s photo selection includes the Ebola crisis in Africa, Spain preparing for Pope Leo XIV and more. Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

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UM News Digest - June 3, 2026

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The meeting also featured a tour of Revolutionary War sites, including one of the state’s oldest Methodist churches, which was used to care for wounded soldiers. John W. Coleman reports. Read story Bishop João Filimone Sambo prays during the Southern Africa Regional Conference’s strategic retreat held April 9-11 in Maputo, Mozambique. Photo by Roque Facela, UM News. Southern Africans live into regionalizaion MAPUTO, Mozambique (UM News) — Leaders from the Southern Africa Regional Conference gathered for a pioneering retreat to define the church’s direction and growth for the next five years in a region that spans nine countries. Church leaders say the conference work could offer a model that can be replicated in other regions of the connection as United Methodists live into regionalization. Benedita Penicela Nhambiu reports.  Read story Holston Conference Pastor attends 70th annual conference LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — A lot has changed at annual conference over the years. The Rev. 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The latest milestone is a $675,000 Recovery Grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Patrick Scriven reports. Read story ADVERTISEMENT Global Ministries Feeding Our Neighbors renewed ATLANTA — A grant project started last year to help get food to people who need it will be launched again in 2026 with a revised structure. The Feeding Our Neighbors program will award up to 10 grants, each for $20,000, to annual conferences across the denomination’s five U.S. jurisdictions. Launched in November, Feeding Our Neighbors awarded 150 grants to United Methodist-affiliated food pantries and ministries. The revised structure is intended to streamline administration while ensuring broader geographic distribution of resources. Grant funds must be used for established, United Methodist-affiliated food pantries in churches. Read press release ADVERTISEMENT UM News includes in the Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. 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