Scott Warren breathed a visible sigh of relief as he exited the federal courthouse in Tucson, Arizona, on November 20, having received a not guilty verdict in his retrial on two counts of felony harboring. The trial’s conclusion after only two hours of jury deliberation was an end to a prosecution that began when he was arrested along with two undocumented migrants in the Arizona desert in January 2018.
L. Gregory Jones, who is currently serving a three-year term as dean of Duke Divinity School, has had his term as dean extended for a full five years, through 2023.
Paula White, a Pentecostal preacher and longtime adviser to President Donald Trump, has been tapped to head the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative, a successor to previous administrations’ faith-based office that coordinates outreach to religious communities.
“Paula White is the Advisor to the [White House] Faith and Opportunity Initiative,” reads a statement the White House sent to Religion News Service. A White House spokesperson later said, “She is heading up that initiative.” The news of White’s new role was first reported by the New York Times.
John Samuel Mbiti, a Kenyan theologian and Anglican priest, died October 5 at a nursing home in Switzerland. He was 87.
Mbiti challenged the view that traditional African religions were “primitive,” arguing that they deserve as much consideration and study as other faith systems. His 1969 book, African Religions and Philosophy, explored this theme, and he elaborated upon it in 1980 for the Christian Century’s How My Mind Has Changed series.
The World Council of Churches’ Green Village is the first development project in Geneva to qualify for the One Planet Living label. The WCC project, developed in partnership with the Swiss arm of the World Wildlife Fund and the Swiss construction giant Implenia, is part of an effort to promote sustainable neighborhoods in Switzerland.
Pastor, love thyself.
In a demanding profession where one study found nearly two in five clergy were experiencing significant levels of emotional exhaustion, a recent study found that having a gentle attitude of self-regard may help clergy have greater life satisfaction and be more likely to be inspired and enthusiastic—rather than upset and guilty—about their ministry.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church has announced a three-year partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, aiming to educate the denomination’s 2 million members about the disease.
Historically, black Americans have been under-included in research studies related to Alzheimer’s. New research suggests they may have an increased risk of Alzheimer’s and other cognitive impairments when compared to non-Hispanic whites. According to the AME, black Americans are also less likely to get a correct diagnosis, which results in “in less time for treatment and planning.”
In a book-length interview published November 5, Pope Francis discusses his vision for a missionary church and criticizes groups that discriminate against other cultures and view them as unworthy of receiving the gospel.
“There are circles and sectors that present themselves as ilustrados (enlightened)—they sequester the proclamation of the gospel through a distorted reasoning that divides the world between ‘civilized’ and ‘barbaric,’” Francis said in the interview.
The message Pastor Isaac Villegas got on his cell phone was short and sweet.
“Un problema menos,” texted Rosa del Carmen Ortez-Cruz, a mother of four living in sanctuary at a Presbyterian church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. “One less problem.”
She was referring to a letter her lawyer received informing her that the $300,000 in fines she owed the government for overstaying her deportation order had been dropped.
November 3 marked exactly one year until the 2020 US presidential election.
Christian leaders across theological and political divides used the occasion to kick off an initiative called “Golden Rule 2020: A Call for Dignity and Respect in Politics,” hoping the next 365 days won’t be a repeat of 2016’s divisive election season.