Disciples of Christ elect first woman of color to lead a mainline denomination
Teresa Hord Owens, a descendant of one of Indiana’s oldest free black settlements, is general minister and president.
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Late scholar Peter Berger admitted 'big mistake' as sociologist of religion
Peter Berger, a leading scholar in the sociology of religion, died in Brookline, Massachusetts, on June 27 at age 88 of heart failure.
Reformed churches endorse Catholic-Lutheran accord on key Reformation dispute
Amid ceremonies marking this year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation, one of Protestantism’s leading branches has officially said it now agrees with the Vatican on the main issue at the root of its split from the Roman Catholic Church half a millennium ago.
The World Communion of Reformed Churches, holding its worldwide General Council in Leipzig, Germany, signed a declaration in early July endorsing the 1999 Catholic-Lutheran agreement on how Christians might be worthy of salvation in the eyes of God.
American Jews plan campaign to change Israeli minds about Judaism’s diversity
American Jewish leaders, frustrated by a recent Israeli government decision to abandon an agreement to create a pluralistic, state-funded prayer space at the Western Wall, plan to plead their case directly to the Israeli public.
“We want the Israeli Jewish community to understand why we are upset,” said Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America. “This isn’t a Reform or Conservative issue, it’s a Jewish issue, a unity issue.”