Religion

Façade of Chicago's first and only Hanukkah-themed pop-up bar in Wrigleyville.

In Chicago, Hanukkah Now Has Its Own Pop-Up Bar Experience

6:26pm December 22, 2019

by Michel Martin

The two creators of the new Hanukkah-themed bar saw a void in the pop-up scene. Neither is Jewish, but they did enough research to be able to serve up matzo ball soup, latkes, and boozy jelly donuts.

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Genie Milgrom, pictured in 2013, stands in the entryway of her Miami home wrapped in a long family tree, filled with the names of 22 generations of grandmothers. Raised Catholic, Milgrom traced her family's hidden Jewish roots with the help of a trove of

Trove Of Recipes Dating Back To Inquisition Reveals A Family's Secret Jewish Roots

7:48am December 22, 2019

by Greg Allen

Many Jews were forced to convert during the Inquisition, a history often lost to their descendants. Finding recipes adhering to Jewish food customs helped one woman unearth her family's hidden past.

Hanukkah Lights 2019

7:00am December 22, 2019

Susan Stamberg and Murray Horwitz read original stories about Hanukkah, from a celebration interrupted by a stranger to a group that brings the holiday to another planet.

More and more congregations are making a space for sad feelings during the holidays. First Congregational United Church of Christ in Portland, Ore., held its Blue Christmas service earlier this month.

Religion

'Blue Christmas' Services Offer Refuge From Holiday Cheer

7:53am December 21, 2019

by Deena Prichep

Loss and pain are especially hard amidst the joy and tinsel of the holidays. A growing number of churches are offering "Blue Christmas" services to hold a space for often unwelcome feelings.

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What It Means That A Christian Publication Is Calling For Trump's Removal From Office

4:42pm December 20, 2019

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Adam Taylor of Sojourners, a christian peace and justice organization, about reaction to Thursday's Christianity Today op-ed in support of impeaching President Trump.

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"It became pretty clear pretty quickly, unambiguously that the president had misused his office for personal political gain" from evidence presented in impeachment proceedings against President Trump, says Christianity Today Editor-in-Chief Mark Galli.

Calling Trump 'Morally Lost,' 'Christianity Today' Editor Calls For His Removal

2:32pm December 20, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Mark Galli compares the president to an abusive husband who "needs to be out of the house." Galli says he felt compelled to say "what's going on, what the facts on the ground are."

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'Christianity Today' Editor-In-Chief On Calling For Trump's Removal

10:21am December 20, 2019

Mark Galli, editor-in-chief of evangelical magazine Christianity Today, talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about the magazine's op-ed calling for President Trump to be removed from office.

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Religion

Whistleblower Says Mormon Church Abuses Its Tax Exempt Status

11:21am December 18, 2019

by Lee Hale

A former investment manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints filed a whistleblower complaint with the IRS, alleging misuse of nearly $100 billion worth of charitable contributions.

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Pope Changes Canon Law Surrounding Sex Abuse Cases

4:53pm December 17, 2019

by Sylvia Poggioli

Pope Francis has abolished the highest level of secrecy used to protect pedophiles within the Catholic Church and also made changes to what the Vatican considers child pornography.

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"The person who files the report, the person who alleges to have been harmed and the witnesses shall not be bound by any obligation of silence" about sexual abuse cases against clergy, according to a new policy approved by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis Ends 'Top Secret' Status For Sex Abuse Cases, Promising Transparency

1:55pm December 17, 2019

by Bill Chappell

The changes apply to cases of clergy committing violence or sexual assaults against anyone under their authority, as well as minors. The pope also changed rules about child pornography.

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