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Articles by Peter SMith
Church in flux: In the US, Protestant denominations try new ideas as they face declines in members and money
PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, reports on how mainline Protestant churches are grappling with the changing religious landscape in the US… United States AP When the Episcopal Church recently announced cuts to its national staff, it was the latest in a long-running cycle among historic US Protestant denominations – declines in members leading to declines in funding and thus in staff. And it wasn’t alone.
Explainer - Who are the Mennonites in a Texas community where measles is spreading?
AP The Mennonite population being affected by a measles outbreak in West Texas is part of a larger, loosely affiliated group of churches worldwide with varied beliefs and leadership structures – and with sometimes strained or distant relations with health officials and other public authorities. Who are the Mennonites? Mennonites are part of the wider Anabaptist family of churches, which emerged in 1525 as the radical wing of the Protestant Reformation in Central Europe.
"Ordo amoris": A short honeymoon for Catholics in DC as Vice President Vance clashes with bishops on migration
PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, reports that less than a week after the inauguration, US Vice President JD Vance has sparred with some senior Catholics… The sense of Catholic unity didn’t last long. Less than a week after Vice President JD Vance shared the inauguration stage with a senior Catholic cardinal, Vance picked a fight with the top American leaders of his church.
Saints of Past Ages: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Amid ongoing controversy surrounding the German theologian executed by the Nazis, PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, looks at his life and legacy… AP Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Germany executed by the Nazis in 1945 at age 39 for his role in a resistance movement that included attempts to assassinate German leader Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer was born in 1906 in Breslau, Germany (present-day Wroclaw, Poland), one of eight children in a prominent, well-educated family.
Eucharist celebration: On heartland roads, and a riverboat, devout Catholics press on with two-month nationwide pilgrimage
PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, reports on the progress of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in the US… Steubenville, Ohio AP “Bye bye, Jesus!” a child called out as the riverboat chugged away from shore into the Ohio River, a solemn bell tolling amid the thrumming of an old-fashioned sternwheel.
Pennsylvania bishop Sean Rowe elected new leader of Episcopal Church in US. He's the youngest since 1789
United States AP Sean Rowe, a 49-year-old bishop from western Pennsylvania, on Wednesday became the youngest person ever elected as leader of the Episcopal Church. He immediately issued a sobering call for the church, which has faced division and chronic membership loss, to confront an “existential crisis” that he compared with the steel industry collapse in his native Rust Belt.
Explainer: Alarmed by embryo destruction, Southern Baptists urge caution on IVF by couples and government
Indianapolis, US AP Southern Baptist delegates expressed alarm on Wednesday over the way in vitro fertilisation is routinely being practiced, approving a resolution lamenting that the creation of surplus frozen embryos often results in “destruction of embryonic human life.” They urged members to carefully weigh the ethical implications of the technology while also expressing sympathy with couples “who experience the searing pain of infertility.” Messengers stand for worship during a Southern...
Church under pressure: Scrutiny of Ukraine church draws praise, fear of overreach
PETER SMITH and VASILISA STEPANENKO, of Associated Press, report on the ongoing scrutiny of churches in Ukraine… Kyiv, Ukraine AP After its searches of holy sites belonging to Ukraine’s historic Orthodox church, the nation’s security agency posted photos of evidence it recovered – including rubles, Russian passports and leaflets with messages from the Moscow Patriarch.
US politics: Jesus is their Saviour, Trump is their candidate. Ex-President's backers say he shares faith, values
PETER SMITH, of Associated Press, reports on the continuing support for Donald Trump among some evangelicals and other Christians… United States AP As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third Republican presidential nomination, his support is as strong as ever among evangelicals and other conservative Christians.
In the US, United Methodists vote to remove anti-gay language from their official teachings on societal issues
Charlotte, North Carolina, US AP United Methodist delegates on Thursday removed a 52-year-old declaration from their official social teachings that deemed “the practice of homosexuality…incompatible with Christian teaching” – part of a wider series of historic reversals of the denomination’s longstanding disapproval of LGBTQ activity.
Explainer - United Methodists open first top-level conference since breakup over LGBTQ inclusion
United States AP Thousands of United Methodists are gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, for their big denominational meeting, known as General Conference. It’s a much-anticipated gathering. Typically it is held every four years, but church leaders delayed the 2020 gathering until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Catholic news site Church Militant agrees to pay $US500,000 in defamation case and is expected to close
United States AP A far-right, unofficial Catholic media website has agreed to pay $US500,000 to a New Hampshire priest who sued for defamation over a 2019 article that it now disavows. The website also is planning to shut down soon, the priest’s attorney says. The apology by Church Militant came after the organisation agreed last week to a federal court judgment in favour of Rev Georges de Laire, an official with the Diocese of Manchester.
The Explainer: What does it mean to claim the US is a Christian nation, and what does the Constitution say?
United States AP Many Americans believe the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and the idea is energizing some conservative and Republican activists. But the concept means different things to different people, and historians say that while the issue is complex, the founding documents prioritize religious freedom and do not create a Christian nation. A statue of Benjamin Franklin is seen at The Franklin Institute, on Tuesday, 10th February, 2015, in Philadelphia.
Christian-nation idea fuels US conservative causes, but historians say it misreads founders' intent
The U.S. Constitution doesn't mention Christianity or any specific religion. The Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that people's rights come from a "Creator" and "Nature's God" - but doesn't specify who that is. Yet large numbers of Americans believe the founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, and many believe it should be one. Such views are especially strong among Republicans and their white evangelical base.
A withering report on sexual abuse and cover-up in the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. A viral video in which a woman confronts her pastor at an independent Christian church for sexually preying on her when she was a teen. A TV documentary exposing sex abuse of children in Amish and Mennonite communities.
The victory party took on the feel of an evangelical worship service after Doug Mastriano won Pennsylvania's Republican gubernatorial primary this month. As a Christian singer led the crowd in song, some raised their arms toward the heavens in praise.
A woman points at a picture of devastation from the Tulsa Race Massacre in a prayer room dedicated to the massacre at the First Baptist Tulsa church during centennial commemorations, Sunday, May 30, 2021, in Tulsa, Okla. The church made the room to provide a place to explore the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 and to prayerfully oppose racism. (AP Photo/John Locher) John Locher AP TULSA, Okla.
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