Monthly Archives: January 1997
NEWS FEATURE: Clinton has a special affinity with African-American religiosity
By Adelle M. Banks — January 16, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ President Clinton, a white Southern Baptist with a Roman Catholic education, likes to call Bishop Donne L. Lindsey, the leader of some 135 black Pentecostal churches in Arkansas,”my bishop.” The two men have laughed, cried, worshiped and eaten barbecued ribs together ever since Clinton’s first term as governor […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 11, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Billy Graham to give eighth inauguration invocation (RNS) Evangelist Billy Graham is scheduled to give the invocation at President Clinton’s Jan. 20 inauguration ceremony, marking the eighth time he has participated at such an event.”I am both humbled and honored to be invited by President Clinton to again lead the […]
NEWS STORY: Muslim group issues guide to eliminating job disputes
By Ira Rifkin — January 11, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Last year, a Muslim woman working for a discount retailer in Enfield, Conn., was fired from her job for refusing to remove a head scarf she wore as a sign of Islamic modesty. In Sugarland, Texas, another Muslim woman was threatened with the loss of her job at […]
NEWS STORY: Vatican, fearing”relativism,“acts more harshly on dissent
By RNS Blog Editor — January 11, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ The Rev. Tissa Balasuriya is not a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church’s definition, but the recently excommunicated Sri Lankan priest says he is a victim of the church whose teachings he has spent a lifetime following and promoting.”I act according to my conscience,”Balasuriya said in an […]
COMMENTARY: The best bishops are experts in two-way communication
By RNS Blog Editor — January 11, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service UNDATED _”Whatever is going to happen to our poor church?”a woman asked me at a recent dinner party. Like virtually all the social encounters I had with Catholics over the holidays, the conversation was about the late Chicago Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.”What do you mean?”I replied.”All those dried-up old men in […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 9, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Word Records purchased for more than $100 million (RNS) Gaylord Entertainment Company has completed its purchase of Word Records and Music, a contemporary Christian music company previously owned by Thomas Nelson, for more than $100 million. Initially, the purchase price was $110 million, including working capital and other assets, but […]
TOP STORY: MAKING A MAP FOR PEACE: A grieving Israeli father draws a map for peace
By Elaine Fletcher — January 7, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service JERUSALEM _ He talks about God rather than territory, prayers rather than holy sites. Yitzhak Frankenthal’s religious message stands in stark opposition to the likes of religious fanatics such as Baruch Goldstein, Yigal Amir and now Noam Friedman, who have used violence in the name of Jewish sovereignty over West […]
TOP STORY: CHURCHES AND THE MENTALLY ILL: Churches often fail to minister to mentally ill and their
By Ed White — January 4, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service HUNTSVILLE, Ala. _ In biblical times, people suffering from mental illness were considered to be demon possessed, and no one dared to go near them. The Gospels report that one person _ Jesus _ broke the rules when it came to mingling with the mentally ill. Not just once, but […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Pope names priest accused of sexual abuse to Synod for America delegation (RNS) Pope John Paul II has named an influential priest, accused of child sexual abuse in Spain and Italy, to be a special delegate to the major Synod for America, which will meet beginning next month in Rome. […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Aid workers reported abducted in Chechnya (RNS) Leaders of the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation said Friday (Oct. 24) two more aid workers have been taken prisoner in Chechnya. The WCC and LWF, parent organizations of Action by Churches (ACTS), said the kidnapped humanitarian workers are […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service School prayer amendment passes House subcommittee (RNS) A proposed constitutional amendment that would restore state-sanctioned prayer in the public schools and insert the word God into the Constitution has been approved by a House Judiciary subcommittee. The proposal, known as the Religious Freedom Amendment, passed on an 8-4 party-line vote, […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Promise Keepers founder committed adultery two decades ago (RNS) Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney committed adultery more than two decades ago, a spokesman for the ministry confirmed Friday (Oct. 31). Mark DeMoss, a spokesman for Promise Keepers, said McCartney’s actions took place about 25 years ago and the former University […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Report: Chinese detain underground Catholic church leader (RNS) After 17 months in hiding, Roman Catholic Bishop Su Zhimin, a prominent leader of the underground church movement in China, has been detained by the government, a U.S.-based Catholic organization has reported. According to a spokesman for the Cardinal Kung Foundation in […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Seminary librarian fired over letter to SBC president (RNS) A librarian at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary was fired Sept. 26 apparently because he wrote a letter questioning the accuracy of remarks denominational president Tom Elliff made in a chapel address. Paul Debusman, 64, was dismissed from the Louisville, Ky., seminary […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 1997
c. 1997 Religion News Service Deborah Lyons, wife of Baptist leader, pleads guilty to arson (RNS) Deborah Lyons, wife of the president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, pleaded guilty Monday (Oct. 20) to first-degree arson in a case that led to controversy for her husband, the Rev. Henry J. Lyons and the nation’s largest […]
