Black religious leaders in Seattle haven’t always agreed with the direction of this year’s Black Lives Matter movement, but the two branches of this activist spectrum are showing signs of coming together at the end of an unprecedented year of protests and human suffering.

Source: Black clergy call for unity in fight for Seattle police...

Religious organizations — including faith-based universities and schools — in Oklahoma received almost $85 million in federal aid over the course of the pandemic.

According to a review by The Transcript of recently released data from the Small Business Administration, Oklahoma religious institutions received just over $84 million worth of Paycheck Protection Program loans. Oklahoma businesses in total received $3.76 billion in PPP funding.

The PPP loan has caused some controversy since it marks the first time the federal...

The Supreme Court handed down a deeply strange order Thursday evening, denying relief to a religious private school in Kentucky that wants to reopen despite a Covid-19 related order closing all primary and secondary schools in the state.

Source: The Supreme Court’s confusing new “religious liberty”...

When Father Michael Garvey arrived for his shift as a chaplain at the Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, on Tuesday, his first stop was the coronavirus floor, right now full with 24 patients.

“It’s daunting,” Garvey told Crux. “But maybe the best thing is really to know you’re needed and maybe the other best thing is bringing Christ and the love of God to those people.”

Source: ...

Since the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Georgia pastor and Democratic senate candidate, described himself in a tweet on Dec. 9 as a “pro-choice pastor,” he has drawn fire from everyone from his Republican opponents in the state’s Jan. 5 runoff election, to a host of fellow Black ministers.

Doug Collins, a GOP congressman Warnock defeated in a primary on Nov. 3, declared at a recent rally, “There is no such thing as a pro-choice pastor. What you have is a lie from the bed of Hell.”

But the Rev. Cari Jackson, director of spiritual care and activism at the Religious...

On the dining room table in our house, a bundle of sage sits next to the Advent wreath.

Every night we read from our children’s Advent book, and then from Keepers of the Earth a book of Native American stories written by Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac.

I turn the Pandora station from Frank Sinatra Holiday Music to Powwow Dance in the middle of the day while I’m doing dishes, because this is what an Indigenous Advent is like.

This is the way of walking two worlds with one spirit, one spirit...

(RNS) — At the Nativity display outside Faith Church of Lafayette, Indiana, the baby will be laid in a manger this year, surrounded by friendly beasts — except for the donkeys. They bite. In the past, the camels have been known to kick.

The church’s Lafayette Living Nativity, which Faith has hosted since 1991, may be one of the few Christmas traditions that go off in usual fashion in a pandemic year.

“We’ve been practicing for this moment for the last 30 years...

For Christians who celebrated on the first day of Advent Sunday, a holiday that is all about waiting has taken on stronger meaning as the pandemic stretches on.

For many, the challenge is to convert the anxiety of awaiting a COVID-19 vaccine that could be months away into “joyful anticipation” during the days leading up to Christmas.

Source:...

During his first press conference following the Thanksgiving weekend, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that he has no plans to implement additional restrictions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

But with more holidays on the horizon, Baker cautioned residents about in-person religious gatherings, which state officials have linked to hundreds of coronavirus cases.

Source:...

A St. Louis Park congregation devoted two years to exploring white supremacy, and now it is raising $1 million for a child care center for low-income families.

In Bemidji, some faith leaders are participating in “listening posts” often led by Native Americans who share experiences of discrimination.

Source:...

A federal appeals court has upheld Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's order halting in-person classes at public and private, religious-based schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ruling Sunday overturns a U.S. District judge's temporary injunction that would have allowed religious schools to continue having students meet in classrooms.

Source:...

On All Saints’ Day, Nov. 1, religious leaders from multiple denominations gathered in a sugar cane field in St. James Parish where evidence suggests enslaved African Americans were buried. In 2018, archaeological consultants for Formosa, a company that plans to build a giant plastics manufacturing facility on the site, discovered unmarked gravesites.

Bishop Michael Duca of...

NEW YORK -- Black clergy leaders are joining forces with the United Way of New York City for a new initiative designed to combat the coronavirus’ outsized toll on African Americans through ramped-up testing, contact tracing and treatment management.

Source: Black clergy, United Way to launch anti-coronavirus effort - ABC News

Following several racist and anti-Semitic incidents in Ithaca, local faith leaders are doubling down on ongoing anti-racist programming. While their approaches vary, they have a common message: Hate has no home in Ithaca.

In recent months, local religious leaders have invited speakers on anti-racism, organized anti-racist reading groups and have sought to...

Rehoboth Beach commissioners and Mayor Stan Mills voted Thursday to continue their formal ban on "private holiday displays" for the third year, a clear indication the city won't allow Nativity scenes or other religious displays on public property this holiday season.

However, this year officials authorized funds that will go toward creating a "holiday display that celebrates the cultural diversity of our great City," according to a Rehoboth Beach press release. 

Source:...