Kathryn Post

WHEATON, Ill. (RNS) — Wheaton College, a flagship evangelical school, recently updated its student and employee handbooks to restrict employees’ ability to designate personal pronouns and to elaborate on the school’s position on trans/nonbinary students and faculty.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (RNS) — The National Religious Broadcasters, an association of Christian media outlets, has joined a lawsuit seeking to block a California law that requires social media companies to publish their policies on removing hate speech from their platforms.

(RNS) — Two years since then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called China’s repression of the Uyghurs a genocide, rights groups and political leaders continue to demand an end to China’s human rights abuses.  

WASHINGTON (RNS) -- Professional degrees are gaining traction at theological schools across the United States and Canada, while the traditional ministerial degree—the Master of Divinity—is faltering, according to new data.

(RNS) — The earliest known depiction of biblical heroines Jael and Deborah was discovered at an ancient synagogue in Israel, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced last week. A rendering of one figure driving a stake through the head of a military general was the initial clue that led the team to identify the figures, according to project director Jodi Magness.

(RNS) – As investigations into sexual abuse and abuse of church power get underway in the Anglican Church in North America’s Upper Midwest Diocese, at least five individuals who say they experienced sexual or spiritual abuse in the diocese say they will not participate in one or both of the investigations due to concerns about transparency. 

RNS) — Comments from NBA part-owner Chamath Palihapitiya that “nobody cares about what’s happening to the Uyghurs” have generated controversy and drawn reactions from U.S. government officials and a media outlet controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Nury Turkel, an official with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, is the latest public figure […]

(RNS) – A new bonus episode of "The Chosen" will hit theaters on Dec. 1, delighting millions of fans eagerly awaiting the show's third season. The special will tell the story of Jesus' birth through the eyes of Mary and Joseph and will also feature performances by Christian artists Phil Wickham, Maverick City Music, For King & Country and others.

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP/RNS) -- Hundreds of campers may have been exposed to COVID-19 after attending a Christian camp hosted by Fellowship Church, an evangelical megachurch in Grapevine. The church's Allaso Ranch retreat center, located near Dallas-Fort Worth, has been welcoming campers of various ages this summer since June 13. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that at least three campers who attended camps at Allaso Ranch in the previous two weeks have tested positive for coronavirus, with one child hospitalized.

AUSTIN, Texas(RNS) -- Michael Hickson, a man paralyzed three years ago after suffering a cardiac arrest, died June 11 after St. David's South Austin Medical Center in Texas ended his treatment for COVID-19 due to his disability. Hickson, 46, a Black father of five, was admitted to St. David's on June 2 after reportedly contracting coronavirus from a staff member at his nursing home. After he spent several days in St. David's intensive care unit, the hospital determined that Hickson, who has quadriplegia, would not benefit from further treatment, and he was moved to hospice with the assent of his legal guardian, a local nonprofit called Family Eldercare.