religion

Clifton Heights Inn was once a Methodist Church and many of the guests who pass through are former congregants. Some have hosted weddings and anniversaries at the church turned inn.

Houses Of Worship Find New Life After Congregations Downsize

4:22pm August 26, 2019

by Shahla Farzan

As the percentage of Americans who belong to a church, mosque or synagogue declines, congregations are selling their buildings. Some of those former houses of worship are finding new life.

Sharon Litton of Shreveport, La., is baptized by immersion in the Jordan River, where Jesus is said to have been baptized. Such baptisms are a staple of evangelical tours of Israel.

Religion

As U.S. Jews Cool To Israel, Evangelicals Flock There As Tourists

2:36pm August 25, 2019

by Tom Gjelten

Evangelicals are emerging as the most reliable U.S. supporters of the Israeli government and as the fastest-growing segment of the Israeli tourism market.

Queue Listen Now

Daniel Ortner converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 years ago.

Religion

I'm Converting: How One Man's Missionary Trip Reconnected Him To His Family's Past

8:46am August 25, 2019

by Sophia Alvarez Boyd

Daniel Ortner grew up Jewish, but when tragedy struck his family, he abandoned faith altogether. When he found God again, this time as a Mormon, a missionary trip helped him reconnect with his roots.

NYT#NYTimes#08-18-2019#SundayAdvance#1#MagCoolDress#1#159233

The 1619 Project

4:42pm August 22, 2019

It has been 400 years since over 20 enslaved African people landed in Virginia.

Tourism To Israel Is On The Rise, With More U.S. Evangelical Christians Visiting

4:36pm August 22, 2019

by Tom Gjelten

U.S. Jewish views of President Trump and the Israeli government are under strain, but support for Israel among white evangelicals is strong as they continue to visit Israel in record numbers.

Cardinal George Pell arrives at the Victorian County Court in Melbourne, Victoria, in February. Pell's appeal of verdicts on sexual abuse charges was rejected on Wednesday.

Australian Court Upholds Sex Abuse Verdicts Against Cardinal Pell

4:23am August 21, 2019

by Scott Neuman

The former archbishop of Sydney and high-ranking Vatican official was sentenced in March to six years in prison for abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in the 1990s.

Spate Of Lynchings Target Minorities, Especially Muslims, In India

6:25am August 19, 2019

by Lauren Frayer

Mobs in India are lynching minorities. Many accuse the Hindu nationalist government of failing to forcefully condemn the violence. Activists have launched a hate crimes hotline in 100 Indian cities.

Queue Listen Now

Hide The Wine! I'm Hosting My First Eid Al-Adha Feast

2:42pm August 14, 2019

by Malaka Gharib

I haven't been to a mosque in ages. I had no idea how to celebrate the holiday — or whether it was appropriate for me to do so.

Sister Helen Prejean has written a new memoir called River of Fire, detailing her spiritual life before her activism against the death penalty.

Sister Helen Prejean On Witnessing Executions: 'I Couldn't Let Them Die Alone'

2:32pm August 12, 2019

by Terry Gross

The Catholic nun became an outspoken opponent of the death penalty following the events in her book Dead Man Walking. Her new memoir, River of Fire, details her spiritual journey up to that point.

Queue Listen Now

Pastor Earnie Lucas of Friendship Baptist Church in Appomattox, Va., posted this message on his church sign around the same time that President Trump tweeted that four Democratic members of Congress — all women of color — should "go back and help fix

In Virginia, 2 Churches Feel The Aftermath Of Trump's Racist Rhetoric

6:40am August 12, 2019

by Sarah McCammon

Two small-town Virginia churches with the same name, but very different congregations, recently found themselves tangled in controversy related to the president's tweets.