The news in Ferguson, Mo., goes on and on and on.
I've highlighted coverage of the religion angle here and here, and I'll do so again in this post.
So far, I've found Twitter the best means to keep up with all the faith stories (by the way, follow all the GetReligionistas).
Godbeat pro Lilly A. Fowler of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch remains on the scene, and Eric Marrapodi of CNN "Belief Blog" fame is there, too:
Some other interesting links (including one from Time religion writer Elizabeth Dias):
Former Post-Dispatch religion writer Tim Townsend tweeted a link to a Washington Post story that I found particularly compelling:
The Post story contrasts the stark differences Sunday at a white church sympathetic to the white police officer who shot Michael Brown and a black church mourning the young black man's death:
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — They came in numbers that surprised even the minister, arriving in a muggy drizzle to a church parking lot so full that some had to park in front of the empty home of the man they came to pray for: embattled white police officer Darren Wilson.
They said they had empathy for the family of the teenager the officer killed. But they also said they feared that they might be attacked by rioters at their church, because Southminster Presbyterian sits right behind the suburban home of Wilson, the patrolman identified in the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown, a black teenager who was unarmed.
The Rev. Kurt J. Calkins wanted to be a part of that conversation. He wanted to help people feel safe. He had even readied the church’s gym and multi-purpose room — the Christian Life Center — in case evacuations were needed.
“Everyone is worried. It’s best to be vigilant,” he said. “But we also have to have faith, we have to be good Christians and pray that things will be okay.”
And then the twist:
Nearly 20 miles north in Ferguson, the site of the shooting and ensuing civil unrest, the congregation at Greater St. Mark Family Church didn’t speak of fear, but of mourning and their prayers for Brown’s family.
“I feel for the family,” said Linell Green, 44, a business analyst who lives in Bellefontaine. “It’s a shame they’ve not been able to funeralize their son. The family hasn’t had access to the body because of different autopsies.” The church had been the first to open its doors to the family.
Sunday in St. Louis can be a stark example of one of the oldest truths of faith and divided communities — that it is possible to send up the same prayers while seeking different answers.
It's an interesting story and definitely worth a read. The reporters seem to step back and let those interviewed express their perspectives in their own words. If there's a weakness, it's that space is tight and deadlines are quick for a daily newspaper story, so much of the discussion — particularly about race relations — comes across as pretty surface level.
If you see other religion coverage that we should note or notice holy ghosts that we should bust, by all means, leave a comment or tweet us at @getreligion.