The Columbian

Churches & Religion

The Holy Name of Jesus Church in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia, Pa.

Church’s bells strike a chord in Philly neighborhood

February 3, 2024, 6:04am Churches & Religion

Late last year, Rev. Alfred Bradley planned a Christmastime surprise for the neighborhood he grew up in. He was bringing back the sound of church bells to the Fishtown neighborhood. Read story

Eastern WA school board considers starting meetings with prayer. Students pushed back

February 2, 2024, 8:04am Churches & Religion

A suggestion that the Prosser School Board should open its meetings with a prayer has resulted in objections from students and threats of legal action from a national organization. Read story

FILE - Clouds hover over the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Jan. 11, 2018. Oregon will have plenty to spend on public services as corporate tax collections are increasing in a strong post-pandemic economy, state economists said Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.

Oregon lawmaker suggests non-Christians are unfit for elected office

January 30, 2024, 3:48pm Churches & Religion

A Republican Oregon lawmaker has suggested that “you don’t want” Muslims, atheists and other non-Christians to serve in elected office. Read story

Congregants sit in largely empty pews during service at Zion Baptist Church, April 16, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. Post-pandemic burnout is at worrying levels among Christian clergy in the U.S., prompting many to think about abandoning their jobs, according to a new nationwide survey released Jan. 11.

U.S. pastors struggle with post-pandemic burnout

January 27, 2024, 6:04am Churches & Religion

Post-pandemic burnout is at worrying levels among Christian clergy in the U.S., prompting many to think about abandoning their jobs, according to a new survey. Read story

Head of the Italian committee on artificial intelligence, Franciscan Friar Paolo Benanti, who is also a consultant for The Vatican and discusses AI with Pope Francis, arrives for an interview with the Associated Press in Rome on Jan. 15.

Vatican’s top AI expert is a Franciscan friar

January 27, 2024, 6:04am Churches & Religion

Friar Paolo Benanti wears the plain brown robes of his medieval Franciscan order as he pursues one of the most pressing issues in contemporary times: how to govern artificial intelligence so that it enriches — and doesn’t exploit — people’s lives. Read story

Spokane church vandalized with antisemitic language

January 26, 2024, 7:39am Churches & Religion

A South Hill church sign was vandalized with an antisemitic message this week. Read story

Josiah Rhodes of Vancouver, from left, comforts his four-legged friend, Molly, as she gets a free toenail trim from Christy Gifford of Humane Society for Southwest Washington during Project Homeless Connect Thursday morning at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Vancouver. Rhodes’ aunt, Cheri Rhodes, watches nearby. The event is the largest resource fair for homeless people in Clark County.

Point-in-Time Count: Annual survey of homeless people, resource fair give advocates way to reach those in need

January 25, 2024, 5:50pm Churches & Religion

The Point-in-Time Count, a federally required count of homeless people in each county across the United States, creates a database of thousands of rows of data. Read story

Hindu devotees pose next to an image of Hindu Lord Ram at a religious procession in Hyderabad, India, during the inauguration of a temple dedicated to Ram in Ayodhya, Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday opened a controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in the holy city of Ayodhya in a grand event that is expected to galvanize Hindu voters in upcoming elections.

Modi opens Hindu temple built on ruins on razed mosque, in political triumph for prime minister

January 22, 2024, 8:12am Churches & Religion

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday opened a controversial Hindu temple built on the ruins of a historic mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya, in a political triumph for the populist leader who is seeking to transform the country from a secular democracy into a Hindu state. Read story

A woman carries a child near the Swer sacred forest in East Khasi Hills region of Meghalaya near Cherrapunji, India, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.

What are sacred forests?

January 21, 2024, 6:00am Churches & Religion

Sacred forests and groves are primeval woodlands that different faith communities around the world have safeguarded for centuries as abodes of the spiritual or the divine. Read story