Monthly Archives: March 2006
COMMENTARY: Jewish-Christian Study Centers Promote Needed Mutual Respect
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In today’s world, religion is frequently employed as a potent weapon of conflict. Tragically, God’s name is invoked to theologically bless violence and terrorism. It is a shameful profanation of the divine. In the face of such abuse of spiritual values and traditions, critics hasten to condemn all religions, […]
RELIGION BEST-SELLERS
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
(Editor’s note: This March list is compiled by Publishers Weekly magazine from data received from general independent bookstores, chain stores and wholesalers within the month of February. Copyright 2006 Publishers Weekly. Distributed by Religion News Service.) HARDCOVER 1. The Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren. (Zondervan, $19.99) 2. Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the […]
Muslim Market for `Halal’ Food Booms, Bringing Confusion, Some Fraud
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Tapping into a growing Muslim-American population, the market for food products lawful to eat under Islamic regulations has boomed, with some industry leaders predicting billions of dollars in U.S. sales. But different interpretations of what Muslims consider “halal” has led to confusion, misunderstanding and even fraud, prompting some states […]
Southern Baptist campaign; and halal food
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
Southern Baptists are far from their ambitious baptism goal, reports Anne Pessala in Thursday’s RNS report: A Southern Baptist Convention campaign to baptize 1 million believers in a single year has reached less than 2 percent of its goal as it approaches its halfway point. Officials from the country’s largest Protestant denomination say they are […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 17, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Arson Arrests Relieve, Sadden Pastors of Burned Alabama Churches BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) Leaders of churches destroyed by arson responded with relief at the arrest of three people Wednesday (March 8), but they also expressed sympathy for the suspects and their families. “I feel sorry for the young guys,” said the […]
Billy Graham’s Last Sermon
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
In Battered New Orleans, Graham Preaches ‘Last Evangelistic Sermon’ Billy Graham preached what he called his ‘last evangelistic sermon’ in New Orleans, as reported in this week’s RNS full-text article, linked above. Quote: His last words were: “I’m looking forward to that big reunion up there. God bless you all.”
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Five Arrested for Stirring `Racial Hatred’ in Islamic Demonstration LONDON (RNS) British police arrested five men on Wednesday (March 15) on charges of stirring up racial hatred in a Muslim demonstration protesting cartoons satirizing the prophet Muhammad. All five were charged under a law forbidding the use of “threatening words […]
COMMENTARY: `Home-Grown Churches’ Could Revitalize Catholicism
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) An “autochthonous church” may be a mouthful of Greek to most American Catholics, but it may also be the best hope for the future of Catholicism in this country. So contends Robert Blair Kaiser in “A Church in Search of Itself,” just published by Knopf. The big fat Greek […]
After Acquittal on Fraud Charge, Former CEO Turns to Ministry
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Less than a year after being acquitted of charges that he masterminded a $2.6 billion fraud at the company he founded, Richard Scrushy has traded his HealthSouth chief executive title for that of minister as he launches a number of religious-based initiatives. The man HealthSouth employees once […]
Reporter Finds `God Factor’ in 32 Celebrities, Including Playboy Founder
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service CHICAGO _ Cathleen Falsani has a few rules when it comes to religion reporting: No finger pointing. Never turn your tape recorder off. Listen intently without worrying about the next question. And remember all truth is God’s truth _ whether it comes from a church pulpit or the Playboy Mansion. […]
British Astronomer Wins $1.4 Million Templeton Prize
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service NEW YORK _ John D. Barrow, a British cosmologist and astronomer whose work has helped scientists and theologians find common understanding about the nature of life and the universe, was named the winner of the 2006 Templeton Prize on Wednesday (March 15). The prize _ officially called the Templeton Prize […]
“South Park” controversy
By Tracy Gordon — March 16, 2006
Quotes of the Day: Singer Isaac Hayes and “South Park” Creator Matt Stone “There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins.” -Soul singer and Scientologist Isaac Hayes, who provided the voice of Chef on “South Park” […]
Templeton Prize announced; The God Factor; and Scrushy Ministries
By RNS Blog Editor — March 16, 2006
A British astronomer has won the Templeton Prize, reports Chris Herlinger: John D. Barrow, a British cosmologist and astronomer whose work has helped scientists and theologians find common understanding about the nature of life and the universe, was awarded the 2006 Templeton Prize on Wednesday (March 15). The Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — March 15, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Vatican Decries Christian Exodus From Middle East VATICAN CITY (RNS) Continuing violence in the Middle East has set off a Christian “exodus” from the Holy Land, a top Vatican cardinal declared on Tuesday (March 14). In a letter to bishops around the world, Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, head of the […]
Blogger’s Abortion Instructions Trouble Both Sides
By RNS Blog Editor — March 15, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A feminist blogger has posted explicit directions online for a surgical abortion, in reaction to the new South Dakota law all but banning the procedure. Her action troubles activists on both sides of the issue: Is it a harbinger of a return to the era of secret, illegal abortions? […]
