RNS Morning Report - Harvard Divinity School pauses religion and conflict educational initiative, cuts its staff

Top Stories Harvard Divinity School pauses religion and conflict educational initiative, cuts its staff (RNS) — Hilary Rantisi, the associate director of the program, and the sole Palestinian American employed at the divinity school, said she was told her position was not renewed.   ‘God-lover Kyle’ performs spirituality through posting memes on Instagram (RNS) — How the meme page ‘I Need God in Every Moment of My Life’ became a digital sanctuary for faith, irony and spiritual longing.   ‘Holy Hurt’ is Hillary McBride’s field guide to the shattering impact of spiritual trauma (RNS) — Spiritual trauma, which can develop from within and beyond religious contexts, is often profoundly disruptive and difficult to identify.   UN agency closes its remaining Gaza bakeries as food supplies dwindle under Israeli blockade DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel, which later resumed its offensive to pressure the Hamas militant group into accepting changes to their ceasefire agreement, said enough food had entered Gaza during the six-week truce to sustain the territory's roughly 2 million Palestinians for a long time.   RNS Opinion Sociologist’s new book explains why organized religion has lost relevancy (RNS) — Christian Smith’s research shows traditional religion isn’t just declining. It’s culturally obsolete.   Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades (The Conversation) — The history of Christian support for a Jewish state far predates the religious right.   ICYMI Abyssinian Baptist Church welcomes dismissal of pastor candidate’s discrimination suit (RNS) — The Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman, who served in leadership roles at Abyssinian, including as assistant minister, said in a Wednesday statement that she is ‘prayerfully preparing’ an appeal.   After Khartoum recaptured, badly damaged Anglican Cathedral still stands NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — ‘The damage is huge. Archbishop’s residence, dean’s house, and offices are all destroyed and looted. Praise God the building is not bombed,’ said the archbishop, days after the city was taken back by the national army. In Other News From Hasidic Brooklyn to Off Broadway: The Life of a Trans Rabbi China’s new religious restrictions severely limit foreign missionary activity   Depend on our reporting? Help us out! As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. You can support this work! 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

WCC NEWS: WCC offers insights on prophetic diakonia in the 21st century at conference in South Africa

Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace, reflected on “Prophetic Diakonia and Vulnerability in the 21st Century” during a conference hosted by the International Society for the Research and Study of Diaconia and Christian Social Practice, being held in South Africa 1-4 April.  Rev. Dr Kenneth Mtata, WCC programme director for Life, Justice, and Peace. Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC 03 April 2025 “The presentation recognizes that although there are references to the prophetic here and there, not much thought has been given to full ambit of the prophetic as it refers to diakonia,” said Mtata. "Since diakonia only happens in context, the first part of this paper will name and examine the contemporary fragilities and vulnerabilities that provide the context diaconal practice and reflection.” The second part of Mtata’s paper reiterated some contours and anatomy of diakonia based on some biblical and theological ideas, implementation models, and institutional structures. “It will be shown here that the relationship between the biblical ideas of diakonia, its practical application, and how it is organized, tends to determine the sharpness or bluntness of prophetic diakonia,” he said. “The third and last part of draws on a re-reading of Acts 6:1-7 as a paradigmatic text on prophetic diakonia as transformative response.” Mtata shared that his own reflection is shaped by his hybrid identity of being Zimbabwean and African, and yet shaped in his education and professional life by the global ecumenical diaconal discourse and practice.  “I am acutely aware that my understanding of diakonia remains influenced by Eurocentric logics—from which I can free myself, only with concerted effort,” he acknowledged. See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 352 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

This Week in Religion - Haitian community turns to faith for comfort

Lead story

Miami's Haitian community gathers in prayer as crises escalate in homeland and US

Editor's note:

Packed pews, rollicking singing and emotional devotions have marked Lent worship services at Notre Dame d'Haiti, the Catholic church at the heart of the largest Haitian diaspora in the United States. For a community caught in the crossfire of rampant violence in its homeland and weakening humanitarian protections in the U.S., clinging to faith in God is one of the few lifelines left. The AP Religion Team’s Giovanna Dell’Orto spent hours with Notre Dame d’Haiti’s congregants last weekend at a boisterous Mass concluding a Lent revival period. The church was founded nearly 50 years ago as a Catholic mission in Little Haiti, a neighborhood near downtown Miami that grew as people fled waves of turmoil. About half a million Haitians live in Florida, making Greater Miami by far their largest home away from home. 

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Religion News

In Appalachia, a developer hopes to offer refuge to conservative Christians fleeing blue states

The venture, which has involved several prominent conservative voices, has drawn the concern of locals who don't want to see Christian nationalism take over their community. By Bob Smietana/Religion News Service

A Jesuit priest prefers prison over a fine to draw attention to climate change

A Jesuit says he prefers going to prison rather than paying a 500-euro fine for participating in a climate activists’ street blockade in the southern German city of Nuremberg. By Kirsten Grieshaber/The Associated Press

A groundbreaking synagogue lures burned-out techies with digital strategies (and ecstatic dance)

Chochmat HaLev has almost tripled its membership since 2022, in part by appealing to younger generations with ties to Burning Man and Silicon Valley. By Kathryn Post/Religion News Service

Pope’s work during convalescence includes clearing path for saints from Venezuela, Papua New Guinea 

Pope Francis, in his convalescence, spends part of his days at his desk working and concelebrates Mass daily in his private chapel. The work includes clearing the path to canonization for saints from Venezuela and Papua New Guinea. By Colleen Barry/The Associated Press

Supreme Court seems likely to side with Catholic Charities in religious-rights case

The US Supreme Court appears to be leaning toward a Catholic charitable organization pushing back against the state of Wisconsin in the latest religious rights case to come before the court. By Lindsay Whitehurst/The Associated Press

 

Commentary and Analysis

America the secular? What a changing religious landscape means for US politics

A common assumption holds that nonreligious Americans vote for liberal candidates. The reality isn’t so simple. By David Campbell and Geoffrey C. Layman for The Conversation

Charlie Kirk doesn't feel safe in Bethlehem. It's his worldview that's to blame, not my city.

To Charlie Kirk, Mike Huckabee and every Christian taught to fear my people and my city — come and see. By Fares Abraham/Religion News Service

Christian Zionism hasn’t always been a conservative evangelical creed – churches’ views of Israel have evolved over decades

The history of Christian support for a Jewish state far predates the religious right. By Shalom Goldman for The Conversation

As ‘right to die’ gains more acceptance, a scholar of Catholicism explains the position of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia, but it also doesn’t support treatments that prolong suffering in the face of unavoidable death. By Mathew Schmalz for The Conversation

 

Photos of the Week: Eid al-Fitr, natural disasters and more

Families visit Clifton Beach to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

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RNS Morning Report - Abyssinian Baptist Church welcomes dismissal of pastor candidate's discrimination suit

Top Stories Abyssinian Baptist Church welcomes dismissal of pastor candidate’s discrimination suit (RNS) — The Rev. Eboni Marshall Turman, who served in leadership roles at Abyssinian, including as assistant minister, said in a Wednesday statement that she is ‘prayerfully preparing’ an appeal.   After Khartoum recaptured, badly damaged Anglican Cathedral still stands NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) — ‘The damage is huge. Archbishop’s residence, dean’s house, and offices are all destroyed and looted. Praise God the building is not bombed,’ said the archbishop, days after the city was taken back by the national army.   A bishop of the Arctic says goodbye INUKJUAK, Quebec (RNS) — As Canada’s Anglican church dwindles, its most remote (and most expansive) diocese has shown growth. One bishop responsible for that trend is retiring, leaving his successor to find clergy willing to take on the Arctic’s challenges.   Groundbreaking synagogue lures burned-out techies with digital strategies (and ecstatic dance) BERKELEY, Calif. (RNS) — Chochmat HaLev has almost tripled its membership since 2022, in part by appealing to younger generations with ties to Burning Man and Silicon Valley.   RNS Opinion Why we can’t forget Terri Schiavo (RNS) — Schiavo’s case reminds us that our value comes not from what we can do, but from the kinds of creatures that we are.   Addicts are children of God. Helping them will fix the drug crisis, not tariffs on Mexico. (RNS) — Dropping bombs and killing drug dealers may look good on television, but the real war on drugs occurs in treatment programs, which are terribly underfunded.   ICYMI How does India’s Sadhan village continue to resist religious polarization? (RNS) — Residents share a belief in a common ancestry that has prevented religious fundamentalism from taking root — even as communal riots have engulfed other parts of India.   Photos of the Week: Eid al-Fitr, natural disasters (RNS) — This week’s photo gallery includes Eid al-Fitr, natural disasters in Asia and more. In Other News Report: Attacks on Catholics increasingly common and tolerated in Europe and Latin America Oklahoma governor signs order directing state to prioritize religious freedom   Depend on our reporting? Help us out! As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. You can support this work! 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