Jack Jenkins
@jackmjenkins
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National Reporter for @RNS. "Workaday writer." — The New Yorker. Author of "American Prophets." Tips? Try me on Signal: jackmjenkins.60
Washington, DC
Joined March 2008
In case you missed it: I wrote a book. It's called "American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country." It's on the Religious Left, came out in paperback in April, and you can order it here:
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NEW: 42% of US Jews say they’ve avoided wearing items or public behaviors that might ID them as Jewish. 26% said that in 2023. Many news-making findings in our latest story on the new @washingtonpost poll on US Jews. This piece is on antisemitism 1/x https://t.co/C2lsXHpZkf
washingtonpost.com
A third of U.S. Jewish people say they don’t feel safe, and two-thirds report seeing antisemitic content online at least once a month, a Washington Post poll finds.
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NEW: As ICE agents patrol Chicago — home to the third-largest Catholic diocese in the U.S. — Catholics and allies are pushing back. On Sunday, a priest warned parishioners to leave Mass carefully. Locals formed a human chain to shield them from ICE.
religionnews.com
(RNS) — ‘As a person of faith, as a leader of faith, to not speak of it is simply unethical — and sinful,’ said the Rev. Brendan Curran, a Dominican priest.
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It's the second time the overall subject (loving enemies vs. hating enemies — both the theology and whether Kirk actually loved his own) has come up between them at public remembrances of Charlie Kirk, and it's, uh, awkward.
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She's saying this partly because Trump said this earlier at this event: “I heard (Kirk) loved his enemies, and I thought, ‘Is that the same Charlie I know?’ I’m not sure. But I didn’t want to get into it.”
ERIKA KIRK: He did pray for his enemies, which is very hard, but he did TRUMP: *shit-eating grin, shrugs* ERIKA KIRK: I saw him do it
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Trump just now, speaking at the Charlie Kirk Medal of Freedom event: “I heard (Kirk) loved his enemies, and I thought, ‘Is that the same Charlie I know?’ I’m not sure. But I didn’t want to get into it.”
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This isn't important, but: A weirdly high number of y'all keep referring to ministers/pastors as priests. This is particularly odd, since *most* Christians in the U.S. belong to traditions that generally do not call their clergy priests!
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Rev. Woolf, who above describes agents grabbing his neck and twisting his nipple as he protested (in a clerical collar) outside the Broadview ICE facility, is ordained by both the American Baptist Churches USA and the Alliance of Baptists. Source:
washingtonpost.com
Broadview is home to an ICE facility that is at the center of the ongoing feud between Trump and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. Residents are ready for it to be over.
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Today in bizarre things in my mentions: This is an incredibly weird, AI-generated video for a thousand reasons, including how AI-Rev. Black slowly becomes Leonardo DiCaprio over the course of the (entirely fake) clip.
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So, the religious left (broadly speaking) got a lot of attention this week. If you’re curious to know more about the modern religious left — the iterations that have emerged in the last 10-20 years — I, uh, wrote a book about it.
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Feels weird commenting on a post from a robot, but: Yes and, mostly, no. We (RNS) started reporting on this incident the day it occurred, but we weren't there when it happened, and it took a minute to get all the reporting in line. Relatedly: hire more religion reporters.
@BovodioToad @TrueFactsStated Media likely prioritized verification and waited for the lawsuit's details to emerge, as the Sept. 19 incident involved chaotic protests with over 30 agent injuries reported. Early mentions were sparse—Religion News Service picked it up Oct. 7—suggesting it didn't explode virally
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:: sighs :: Again, Rev. Black, pictured here, is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA), which refers to their clergy as ministers, not priests. More on Rev. Black — who was also shot in the head with pepper balls — and my interview with him here:
religionnews.com
(RNS) — Despite potential danger, religious leaders and faith activists have been a visible presence at Chicago-area ICE protests, some waving signs with slogans such as ‘Love thy neighbor’ and ‘Who...
A masked federal agent just pepper sprayed a priest in Chicago. This is Trump’s America.
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Unclear how/if this interacts with the TRO handed down by a federal judge yesterday, which had a lot to say about how DHS agents were to treat journalists in the region:
religionnews.com
(RNS) — The suit was primarily brought by journalists who allege they have been targeted by federal agents, but the list of plaintiffs also included the Rev. David Black, a Chicago-area Presbyterian...
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Side note, given all the attention paid to the pope and others criticizing the president's immigration policies this week: There are a myriad of religious views on the topic, but faith-based pushback to Trump's immigration policies has been persistent, widespread, and loud.
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NEW: Clergy at the Broadview ICE facility today — where clergy have been shot w/pepper balls in recent days. UMC Rev. Hannah Kardon, one of those shot w/pepper balls in the past, is asking to give communion to those detained. Attendees (who sent photos) say police declined.
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NEW: Rev. Black won in court today. A judge issued a TRO, siding w/clergy who say ICE violated their religious freedom by, among other things, shooting them with pepper balls. Also: pastor tells me senior BP official Gregory Bovino personally shoved him.
religionnews.com
(RNS) — The suit was primarily brought by journalists who allege they have been targeted by federal agents, but the list of plaintiffs also included the Rev. David Black, a Chicago-area Presbyterian...
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NEW: A fed judge hands win to clergy/others who say ICE agents violated their religious freedom by, among other things, shooting them w/pepper balls. Also: a pastor tells me senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino personally shoved him last week.
religionnews.com
(RNS) — The suit was primarily brought by journalists who allege they have been targeted by federal agents, but the list of plaintiffs also included the Rev. David Black, a Chicago-area Presbyterian...
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NEW: A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring Chicago-area fed agents from several forceful actions taken against journalists, activists and “religious practitioners” protesting ICE — including Rev. Black, a plaintiff in the case.
courtlistener.com
TEMPORARY Restraining Order. Signed by the Honorable Sara L. Ellis on 10/9/2025:Emailed notice(rj, ) (Entered: 10/09/2025)
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Note: this is false.
statnews.com
President Trump said there is “virtually no autism” among the Amish. A researcher who studies the health of the Amish says it’s complicated.
Trump: "You're talking about the Pennsylvania Dutch, or you were talking about the Amish, where they don't take any of this stuff and they have virtually no autism."
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