A Pentecostal bishop who has challenged Democrats on abortion and a representative of a national gay rights group are among nine new members of a White House advisory council. President Barack Obama announced the appointments of Bishop Charles E. Blake and Harry Knox on Monday, filling out a 25-person roster that is part of the…

(RNS) There’s a new top rabbi in town, according to Newsweek’s list of the 50 most influential Jewish clergy in America: Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington and a member of President Obama’s Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Saperstein took the top spot from Rabbi Marvin…

ANKARA, Turkey – Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States “is not and will never be at war with Islam.” Urging a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important ally in many areas,…

In a precedent-setting ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court Friday upheld a lower court decision legalizing same-sex marriages in Iowa. The unanimous landmark decision is expected to carry national implications as Iowa becomes the first Midwest state to grant full legal standing to gay and lesbian couples and only the fourth state nationally to confer marital…

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