News

Shutterstock: Sept. 26, 2018; President Donald Trump addresses press conference in Lotte Palace Hotel Villard Room. 

A new study by the Public Religion Research Institute reveals deep divides over support for political candidates accused of sexual harassment. The most striking divide may be among major Christian groups.

The survey asked respondents about the likelihood of them voting for someone accused of sexual harassment by multiple people. PRRI provided Sojourners with a breakdown of responses to this question by religious affiliation.

Bishops attend a mass for the opening of a synodal meeting in Saint Peter's square, at the Vatican, October 3, 2018. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

Pope Francis opened a gathering of bishops on Wednesday with the Catholic Church in a swirling state of crisis over sex abuse, urging its leaders not to let the next generation's faith be snuffed out "by our own shortcomings, mistakes, and sins."

Da’Shawn Mosley 10-01-2018

John S. Adams silhouetted in the Montana Capitol building. Photo courtesy Dark Money

From the start of his bid for the Oval Office to now, the 45th president of the United States has drawn plenty of accusations of illegal activity for his finances and the funds of his companies. Many of us have paid close attention to the developments of investigations into this money, watching cable news and following journalists we trust on Twitter. But perhaps we should also turn our attention to other areas of our government, look beyond the executive branch to search for signs of money and politics intermingling in nefarious ways.

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in to testify before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill Sept. 27, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Bourg

The American Bar Association has called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to delay the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh so that the FBI can investigate the sexual assault accusations against him, the Washington Post reported

Sarita Santoshini 9-26-2018

The village of Lungdai in the state of Mizoram is located about 25km away from the state capital Aizawl and has easy access to heroin but not to treatment. Photo by Sarita Santoshini

Every day for the last 10 months, Simon* has diligently followed a routine that begins with an 8 a.m. visit to his church. While the 23-year-old has always been religious, this visit is not for prayer or service. Like 53 other men in his village, he makes his way to a small room with a large French-style window, and waits for his turn. A community health worker hands him his daily dose of buprenorphine, which he places under his tongue in front of her and Simon knows he can get through the rest of the day.

Bill Cosby departs the Montgomery County Courthouse in handcuffs after being sentenced in his sexual assault trial in Norristown, Penn.,  Sept. 25, 2018. Mark Makela/Pool via REUTERS

Bill Cosby was sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison on Tuesday for his conviction for sexually assaulting a woman, capping the once-beloved comedian's downfall from "America's Dad" to convicted felon.

Pope Francis celebrates a Holy Mass at Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia September 25, 2018. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

Pope Francis said on Tuesday as he wound up a trip to the Baltic states, all nervous about what they see as a newly aggressive Russia next door, that nations should not measure their strength by their military capability to prevail over others. "Some people speak in a loud voice, full of self-assurance – with no doubts or hesitation. Others shout and hurl threats about using weapons, deploying troops and implementing strategies...That way they appear to be stronger," he said in a homily of a Mass in the Estonian capital Tallinn.

Andrew Cline / Shutterstock.com

Andrew Cline / Shutterstock.com

The proposed regulation from the Department of Homeland Security would expand immigration officers' ability to deny visas or legal permanent residency to aspiring immigrants if they have received a range of taxpayer-funded benefits to which they are legally entitled, such as Medicaid, the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy, Section 8 housing vouchers, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is commonly known as food stamps.

Members of the National Guard and Lumberton Police force rescue Eric Gilchrist, 65, from his trailer to take him to the hospital after experiencing breathing problems in Schoolview Mobile Home Park in Lumberton, N.C. Image via Patricia Nieberg

According to Army Capt. Chris Jakubczak, the National Guard’s first priority was to warn residents to follow evacuation orders, especially those who lived along the banks of the Lumber River. Many residents followed orders, while others chose to stay for various reasons.

Image provided by Crystal Cheatham

Entering digital spaces that are dominated by conservative Christian resources, Our Bible App is attempting to carve out a unique space. It is explicitly pro-LGBT, pro-women and pro-interfaith inclusivity in its stated mission. “I created this app because I'm tired of feeling left out of Christianity because of my complex identities,” Crystal Cheatham, the app’s founder and CEO, told Sojourners. “I wanted worship materials that talked about an inclusive kind of faith and embraced that same kind of community.”

Robyn Purchia 9-14-2018

A desire to care for the environment also stems from the Christian traditions of compassion and love. Congregations have long worked to alleviate hunger, lift the poor and the vulnerable, and comfort the sick. Creating community gardens, making energy more affordable, and working to avoid the worst effects of climate change, which are disproportionately felt by low-income communities, stem from these traditions.

Jasper Vaughn 9-13-2018

Image via Grigoris Siamidis/ Shutterstock.com 

A movement is building among justice-minded evangelicals. To them, the suffering of Palestinian civilians, including many siblings in Christ and those from diverse theological and faith traditions, demands accountability regarding the Israeli occupation and government. And this movement has gathered traction in recent years among young evangelical Christians who say figures like Hagee and Jeffress do not speak for them.

giulio napolitano / Shutterstock.com

Giulio Napolitano / Shutterstock.com

Pope Francis has summoned senior bishops from around the world to the Vatican in February to discuss the protection of minors from sexual abuse, the Vatican said on Wednesday. A Vatican spokeswoman said the meeting of the heads of national Catholic bishops conferences would take place Feb. 21-24.

Abby Olcese 9-10-2018

Image via Abby Olcese 

In that vein, the festival has made public strides to provide a platform for the issues faced by women in film, and to work toward promoting change. Thirty four percent of the films at this year’s festival come from female directors. As an organization, TIFF has made a five-year commitment to increasing opportunities for women in film by creating mentorships, skills development opportunities, and education initiatives. They’ve even expanded that commitment to women working in the media, with a push to invite female critics and reporters — as well as people of color — to cover the festival

Abby Olcese 9-09-2018

Sojourners spoke to Washington and Harrison about the dialogues the film encourages, what they learned while preparing for their roles, and how those experiences inform the actors’ perspectives on racial injustice and the relationship between police and people of color.

Image via Reuters/Gregorio Borgia/Pool

"The pope has the right to freely resign. That's what the canon says. The doubt is whether the situation Francis is in now really allows for a free choice because there is a political faction in the Church trying to force it," said Nicholas Cafardi, former dean of Duquesne University School of Law.

Christina Colón 9-07-2018

Organized by a number of local and national partners, the Freedom to Breathe tour bus is a “vehicle for social change” and moving art installation. The bus has been on the road since Aug. 25, capturing the stories of climate leaders and organizers in impacted communities across the United States and sharing them out under the hashtag #FreedomToBreathe.

Kings Bay Plowshares Facebook Group 

A group of about 20 peacemakers are embarking on an 11-day, 110-mile walk from Savannah, Ga., to Kings Bay, Ga. Named, “Disarm Trident: Savannah to Kings Bay Peace Walk,” the action is a call to abolish nuclear weapons globally and is supporting the seven Catholic activists arrested back in April on the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base back in April.

“We will walk in nonviolence and prayer with the hope of bending the moral arc of the world towards justice and peace,” Kathy Kelly, one of the organizers of the walk, said in a news release.

Immigrant women hold their children along the border wall as they await apprehension after illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico on Aug. 29, 2018. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

The Trump administration said on Thursday that it plans to withdraw from a federal court agreement that strictly limits the conditions under which authorities can detain migrant children, and proposed new rules that it said would enable it to detain minors during their immigration proceedings.

Image via  REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

The number of cases of abuse in Chile's Roman Catholic Church under investigation by prosecutors has more than tripled to 119 in the past month, the national prosecuting authority said on Friday. Among the 167 people under investigation are seven bishops and 96 priests, accused of unspecified abuses of 178 alleged victims, including 79 minors, the authority said.