When the coronavirus came to Ebenezer Baptist

Bishop who defied social distancing dies after contracting COVID-19, church says*
New York Times: The death of Bishop Gerald O. Glenn of the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Chesterfield, Va., was announced during Easter services.

We need to respect the choice not to die of COVID-19 alone
Religion News Service: If you're like 70% of Americans, you want to die at home accompanied by your loved ones. But even before the current pandemic, 68% did not get that kind of death.

Church agencies get go-ahead to seek US loans
United Methodist News Service: United Methodist general agencies now have the green light to apply for small-business loans under a new program funded by the U.S. CARES Act.

Outgoing World Council of Churches head says Francis sees ecumenism as 'service'
Crux: Olav Fykse Tveit, who has led the World Council of Churches (WCC) since January 2010, said that one of the things he's proudest of is the "practical ecumenism" pursued together with Pope Francis.

A West Virginia church spends Easter making masks, other PPE using 3-D printers*
Washington Post: Churches across the country have looked for innovative ways to help their communities while remaining isolated during the spread of the coronavirus.

Liberty University sued for refusing to refund student dorm fees during pandemic
Associated Press: The lawsuit also accuses the evangelical university's president, Jerry Falwell Jr., of putting students at risk by welcoming them back to campus as COVID-19 spread.

When the coronavirus came to Ebenezer Baptist
Slate: A small New Orleans church that was destroyed in Katrina now finds itself grappling with unimaginable loss.

One church's tale of two pandemics, 100 years apart
Religion News Service: Historical records unearthed by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles show scenes of quarantine in the winter of 1918 and 1919 similar to the ones unfolding today.

Ancient texts encouraged hope and endurance when they spoke of end times
The Conversation: Ancient apocalypticism suggests that cultivating hope during times of chaos was essential.

Christians were fined $500 for attending a drive-in church -- the Trump administration is supporting them in court
BuzzFeed News: Federal lawyers filed a statement of interest in federal court on Tuesday to support the parishioners.

Pandemic raises the stakes in US' partisan religious divide
CNN: The battle over religious exemptions to coronavirus stay-at-home orders captures the likelihood of steadily rising tension in coming years between an increasingly secular American society and the most religiously conservative voters, particularly white evangelical Protestants.

Poll: Reopening churches tops schools, sports venues as a priority for Americans
Deseret News: A new survey shows that people are more interested in regaining access to religious services than to schools, restaurants or bars.

There's an app for that: Christian mindfulness, meditation apps find their moment
Religion News Service: Christian meditation apps add prayer and Scripture to a digital landscape of soft voices and nature sounds.

Is this an apocalypse? We certainly hope so -- you should too
Australian Broadcasting Corporation: When the term is understood as "unveiling," we can then ask the right questions.

Evangelical leaders urge Trump to release vulnerable ICE detainees during pandemic
HuffPost: These evangelical leaders say their belief in the dignity of each human life compels them to protect vulnerable detainees from COVID-19.