Lead story
Editor's note:
On any given Sunday, Clint Pressley stands behind an old-school pulpit, dressed in a three-piece suit, and opens his Bible. His sermons focus on the text, offering everyday application for his 3,000 or so congregants. Afterward, he stands outside, greeting parishioners. Pressley is the senior pastor of North Carolina’s fifth-largest Baptist church, Hickory Grove Baptist, and as of June the president of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. The Southern Baptist Convention, after years of cascading crises and culture war battles, elected Pressley in what many see as an attempt to cool the temperature. Pressley does not have a big social media presence, his church does not hold voter drives, and he preaches on current events only if they relate to the biblical passage, writes RNS’s Yonat Shimron. “Really, my hope is to clear some of the fog of negativity and get us back on those two things we have: our confession and our mission,” he said.
Religion News
One church, two astronauts. How a Texas congregation is supporting its members on the space station
A Texas church has not one — but two — members aboard the International Space Station. Like many astronauts before them, NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Tracy Dyson brought along their faith when they launched into space. By Holly Meyer/The Associated Press
Five faith facts about Harris pick Tim Walz, a ‘Minnesota Lutheran’ Dad
If elected, Walz would be either the first or second Lutheran vice president of the United States, depending on how you count it. By Jack Jenkins/Religion News Service
Experts say the concern demonstrates the rise of religious influence in the Israeli military. By Chloë-Arizona Fodor/Religion News Service
No drinking and only Christian music during Sunday Gospel Hour at Nashville's most iconic honky tonk
Robert’s Western World is Nashville’s most iconic honky tonk and practically synonymous with country music. But for an hour on Sunday mornings no one can drink alcohol and can only listen to Christian music. By Luis Andres Henao/The Associated Press
Pope Francis’ main adviser on clergy abuse, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, retires as archbishop of Boston
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Seán O’Malley as archbishop of Boston and named the bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, Richard Henning, to replace him as leader of one of the most important Catholic archdioceses in the United States. By Nick Perry, Patrick Whittle and Holly Ramer/The Associated Press
Commentary and Analysis
Pierre de Coubertin hoped to channel the best of the ancient ceremonies into a new tradition that could foster both national pride and international harmony. By Jeffrey Scholes and Terry Shoemaker for The Conversation
Druze are often held up as the best-integrated of Israel's Arab minorities. But members of the faith who live in the Golan Heights have an especially complicated relationship with Israel. By Rami Zeedan for The Conversation
Even as Germany's defeat loomed, the Nazis deported nearly 1,700 Jews of the Ladino-speaking community of Rhodes to concentration camps. By Devin Naar
for The Conversation
Republicans’ commitment to religious freedom seems to end when it challenges their partisan positions. By Steven P. Millies/Religion News Service
Mourners from the Druze community surround the bodies of some of the 12 children and teens killed in a rocket strike at a soccer field, in the village of Majdal Shams at the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, July 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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