Lead story
Editor's note:
Jokes abound when it comes to family dynamics around the Thanksgiving table – what to talk about, what not to talk about, who not to talk to about that one thing – but what happens when those differences of opinion are present every week in your pews?
For many faith leaders, navigating the country’s increasing polarization has become an intimate and daily reality. From racial tensions to political extremism to vaccine skepticism, houses of worship have been roiled by the same conflicts dogging the nation.
Beleaguered clergy, hoping to bring both clarity and unity to their congregations, are seeking resources to help them preach messages of depolarization, reports RNS’s Adelle M. Banks. “It's not about going from red to blue to purple,” Andrew Hanauer of One America Movement advises clergy. “It's about going above the partisan divisions.”
Religion News
Study: Most Americans are spiritual but a growing number say they are not religious
Among the spiritual but not religious, 38% say religion does more harm than good, while just 7% of religious Americans share this view. By Yonat Shimron/Religion News Service
Two Nashville churches, wrecked by tornadoes years apart, lean on each other in storms' wake
In March 2020, a tornado destroyed the Rev. Jacques Boyd’s Nashville church. His friend the Rev. Vincent Johnson lent him worship space. Nearly four years later, Boyd has offered to return the favor. By Jonathan Mattise, Holly Meyer and Travis Loller/The Associated Press
For St. Ann mission church — where Miami’s urban sprawl fades into farmland and the Everglades' swampy wilderness — the celebration for the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most important event of the year. It's vital both culturally and to fundraise to continue to minister to the migrant farmworkers it was founded to serve in 1961. By Giovanna Dell’Orto/The Associated Press
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer’s plot to ruin Christmas, and America
Jews have long played a role in shaping how Americans celebrate Christmas. For Christian nationalism leader Andrew Torba, their contributions are a sign of a plot to remove Jesus from the Christmas story. By Bob Smietana/Religion News Service
A volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island is sacred to spiritual practitioners and treasured by astronomers
Mauna Kea, a volcano on Hawaii's Big Island, is sacred to Native Hawaiians. But astronomers use the summit to study the skies. After a 2019 protest against a proposed new telescope, Hawaii passed a law giving both scientists and spiritual practitioners a say in Mauna Kea's future. Now there are tentative steps toward new dialogue. By Deepa Bharath and Audrey McAvoy/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Historians know a fair bit about Herod the Great, the king of Judea at the time of Jesus' birth. By Aaron Gale for The Conversation
A scholar of American evangelicalism explains House Speaker Mike Johnson's connections with Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. By William Trollinger for The Conversation
The famous apparition of the Virgin Mary has come to symbolize Mexico, but other groups – particularly migrants and Latinos north of the border – also feel a special connection to Guadalupe. By Kristy Nabhan-Warren for The Conversation
It's a subdued Hanukkah this year, no doubt. By Joshua Hammerman/Religion News Service
People gather around a menorah lit up for Hanukkah, placed at the former site of a police station that was overrun by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, in Sderot, southern Israel, Thursday Dec. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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