RNS

Religion News Service (RNS) is an independent, nonprofit and award-winning source of global news on religion, spirituality, culture and ethics, founded in 1934. 🔗 Find our reporting, newsletters, podcasts and more at rns.org.

(RNS) — David Durman, an administrator at the University of Kentucky, said using AI would cause him to offload his thinking and decision making, which would violate his humanist views. He hopes other Americans will rethink their views on AI, too.

(RNS) — ‘Evangelicals have to fill up their tanks with gasoline as well,’ said Pastor Robert Jeffress, head of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The U.S. bishops’ conference said it had no role in the Oval Office gathering, which echoed prayer sessions with Trump’s evangelical supporters.

MEERUT, India (AP) — Police have publicized the shootings as part of a broad crackdown on crime and characterize them as acts of self-defense.

(RNS) — Retired Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann's office told RNS, 'The bishops were assured that no photographs would be made public. They came to have a discussion on important policy matters.'

JERUSALEM (AP) — The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the capital, Amman.

(RNS) — The annual olive harvest is of economic and cultural importance in the occupied West Bank but has become a flashpoint of tension with Israeli settlers over recent years.

HEBRON, West Bank (AP) — The operation took place in cities across the West Bank just days before Israelis vote on whether to keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in power.

(AP) — The agreement with the New York archdiocese would end more than seven years of lawsuits.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — Ultra-Orthodox Jews, often called Haredim, make up a small but growing percentage of Israel’s population. Still, their political parties wield significant influence.

JERUSALEM (RNS) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has tolerated the refusal of tens of thousands of Haredim to serve in the military. That support will likely hurt him at the ballot box on Tuesday (Oct. 27).

Register now for "Faith on the Ballot: What the 2026 Midterms Revealed," a virtual conversation with reporters @bmietana.bsky.social (RNS), @adellembanks.bsky.social (RNS), @brandontensley.bsky.social (Capital B) and @russcontreras.bsky.social (Axios). riverside.com/webinar/regi...

OPINION: (The Conversation) — Hostility toward Hindu worship practices draws on a long history of prejudice portraying the faith’s followers as idolaters, argues a scholar of Hindu studies.

(RNS) — In some key races, AI has been used in campaign ads to depict candidates’ religious views and convey religious messaging, ranging from highly realistic to provocative and eccentric.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A new Vatican document welcomes rising baptisms as signs of hope but warns against triumphalism, urging Catholic communities to help converts build lasting faith.

OPINION: (RNS) — If the church’s new Visitors’ Center is a preview of next year’s Temple Square celebration, the message will be all about Jesus.

DETROIT (RNS) — El-Sayed’s identity as a Muslim and an Arab American is a factor among key constituents in the Democratic Party: Black and Jewish voters.

(RNS) — Conservative influencers have rallied to support Sey, who is being held for ICE in an Ohio jail, blaming his arrest on a clerical mix-up.

(RNS) — David Durman, an administrator at the University of Kentucky, said using AI would cause him to offload his thinking and decision making, which would violate his humanist views. He hopes other Americans will rethink their views on AI, too.

(RNS) — A new study of multi-site churches has found that such congregations have become commonplace, found in almost every state in the nation. Many of the 1,800 multisite churches have started a new location by merging with another church.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — The protests challenge the government’s view of who “the people” are, what democracy means, and who speaks for youth, women and the politically marginalized.

DETROIT (RNS) — Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate, has been a sharp Israel critic, dividing Michigan Jews.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The U.S. bishops’ conference said it had no role in the Oval Office gathering, which echoed prayer sessions with Trump’s evangelical supporters.

OPINION: (RNS) — As Haitian Christians lead a pilgrimage across Ohio, their witness offers a different vision of Christian power — and a reminder of what happens when churches forget whom they serve.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — With fewer people to care for their ancestors’ graves, many in Japan are looking for innovative solutions.

OPINION: (RNS) — After half a century of portraying itself as the Party of God, the GOP is understandably annoyed to find a slew of Christian clerics running for office on the other side. They've got to be PINOs — Pastors in Name Only.

(AP) — The decision arose from a meeting he had with Denver Archbishop James Golka, who asked the Catholic priest to consider taking the break.

HURST, Texas (AP) — This summer, Texas began rolling out $1 billion in public funding that eligible families can put toward private education expenses.

(AP) — The Associated Press interviewed more than 30 ACCS leaders and parents, as well as more than a dozen other experts and advocates. The reporting was done from Washington, D.C., inside schools in Texas and at the group’s annual conference in Atlanta.

ROME (AP) — The Catholic universities are promoting the games as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage.

OPINION: (RNS) — If the church’s new Visitors’ Center is a preview of next year’s Temple Square celebration, the message will be all about Jesus.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — Hostility toward Hindu worship practices draws on a long history of prejudice portraying the faith’s followers as idolaters, argues a scholar of Hindu studies.

DETROIT (RNS) — El-Sayed’s identity as a Muslim and an Arab American is a factor among key constituents in the Democratic Party: Black and Jewish voters.

(RNS) — In some key races, AI has been used in campaign ads to depict candidates’ religious views and convey religious messaging, ranging from highly realistic to provocative and eccentric.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A new Vatican document welcomes rising baptisms as signs of hope but warns against triumphalism, urging Catholic communities to help converts build lasting faith.

(RNS) — A new study of multi-site churches has found that such congregations have become commonplace, found in almost every state in the nation. Many of the 1,800 multisite churches have started a new location by merging with another church.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — The protests challenge the government’s view of who “the people” are, what democracy means, and who speaks for youth, women and the politically marginalized.

DETROIT (RNS) — Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate, has been a sharp Israel critic, dividing Michigan Jews.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The U.S. bishops’ conference said it had no role in the Oval Office gathering, which echoed prayer sessions with Trump’s evangelical supporters.

OPINION: (RNS) — As Haitian Christians lead a pilgrimage across Ohio, their witness offers a different vision of Christian power — and a reminder of what happens when churches forget whom they serve.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — With fewer people to care for their ancestors’ graves, many in Japan are looking for innovative solutions.

OPINION: (RNS) — After half a century of portraying itself as the Party of God, the GOP is understandably annoyed to find a slew of Christian clerics running for office on the other side. They've got to be PINOs — Pastors in Name Only.

(AP) — The decision arose from a meeting he had with Denver Archbishop James Golka, who asked the Catholic priest to consider taking the break.

HURST, Texas (AP) — This summer, Texas began rolling out $1 billion in public funding that eligible families can put toward private education expenses.

(AP) — The Associated Press interviewed more than 30 ACCS leaders and parents, as well as more than a dozen other experts and advocates. The reporting was done from Washington, D.C., inside schools in Texas and at the group’s annual conference in Atlanta.

ROME (AP) — The Catholic universities are promoting the games as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage.

OPINION: (RNS) — If the church’s new Visitors’ Center is a preview of next year’s Temple Square celebration, the message will be all about Jesus.

OPINION: (The Conversation) — Hostility toward Hindu worship practices draws on a long history of prejudice portraying the faith’s followers as idolaters, argues a scholar of Hindu studies.

DETROIT (RNS) — El-Sayed’s identity as a Muslim and an Arab American is a factor among key constituents in the Democratic Party: Black and Jewish voters.

(RNS) — In some key races, AI has been used in campaign ads to depict candidates’ religious views and convey religious messaging, ranging from highly realistic to provocative and eccentric.