Monthly Archives: August 2006
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 24, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Federal Judge Dismisses Suit by `Connecticut Six’ Against Bishop (RNS) A federal judge in Connecticut dismissed a lawsuit filed by six conservative Episcopal pastors against their bishop, ruling that the dispute is a matter of church _ not federal _ law. The six pastors, known as the “Connecticut Six,” have […]
As Housing Sales Chill, St. Joseph Sales Are Hot
By Henry J. Gomez — August 24, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service CLEVELAND _ Some call it superstition. Others call it faith. Just about everyone agrees: For less than 10 bucks, it’s worth a try. St. Joseph is the most affordable real estate agent for hire. And as more homes languish in an increasingly cool housing market, he also is one of […]
Hospitals Carve Out Space for Muslim Prayer
By RNS Blog Editor — August 24, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service OAK LAWN, Ill. _ The corridor of a bustling hospital is not the best place for kneeling in devout prayer, many Muslim families and doctors have learned. But praying in a chapel comes with its own set of problems _ forbidden pictures and statues of living beings, pews facing in […]
COMMENTARY: How Do We Keep This From Happening Again?
By Christopher S. Taylor — August 24, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In the more-or-less calm aftermath of the Hezbollah-Israel war, both Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Israeli President Ehud Olmert have declared victory. Pundits are scrambling to assess the physical, psychological, social and moral wins and losses, with each side lamenting the other’s strengths and bemoaning their own weaknesses. The […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 23, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Black Clergy Pledge Help for Katrina Recovery NEW ORLEANS (RNS) A national group of black clergy and lay leaders touring the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast said Wednesday (Aug. 16) that they will demand the federal government release money for rebuilding. Standing outside the flood-damaged Mount Nebo Bible Baptist Church in the […]
COMMENTARY: Reaping What We Have Sown
By Tom Ehrich — August 23, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A generation ago, as Americans recovered from defeat in Vietnam and discovered new dangers in the Persian Gulf, American agents quietly funded and trained a far-right government in El Salvador, whose “death squads” slaughtered citizens and preserved elite coffee-growing families. On March 24, 1980, one of those U.S.-trained gunmen […]
Jesus’ Mother Gains Spiritual, Iconic Import
By Nancy Haught — August 23, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) For Hollywood screenwriters, it’s all about character. Even when you’re writing about the mother of Jesus. “Character drives the story,” says Mike Rich, the Portland, Ore., screenwriter whose films include “Finding Forrester,” “The Rookie” and “Radio.” “All my movies follow ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” His latest, “The Nativity […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 23, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Baptist Church Removes Woman From Teaching Sunday School (RNS) A Baptist church in Watertown, N.Y., has dismissed an 81-year-old female adult Sunday school teacher, citing a biblical passage that prohibits women from teaching men. Rev. Timothy LaBouf, pastor of First Baptist Church, said in a statement that “based on the […]
New Society of Priests Has One Goal _ and One Member
By Daniel Burke — August 23, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Like the Benedictines, who kept bright the lamp of learning during Europe’s Dark Ages, and the Vincentians, who’ve brought comfort to the poor for hundreds of years, the Rev. Frank Pavone believes his new Roman Catholic society, the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, will change the world. As […]
New Society of Priests Has One Goal _ and One Member
By Daniel Burke — August 23, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Like the Benedictines, who kept bright the lamp of learning during Europe’s Dark Ages, and the Vincentians, who’ve brought comfort to the poor for hundreds of years, the Rev. Frank Pavone believes his new Roman Catholic society, the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, will change the world. As […]
Worshipping the King? Elvis Has Devotees All Shook Up
By Greg Garrison — August 22, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Elvis impersonator Rob Langford, sweating through his white jumpsuit, got all shook up singing Elvis Presley hits such as “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Love Me Tender.” Nearby, author Gregory L. Reece signed copies of his book, “Elvis Religion: The Cult of the King,” at a coffeehouse on […]
Pope Replaces Intelligent Design Critic at Observatory
By RNS Blog Editor — August 22, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has appointed a new director of the Vatican Observatory, replacing the Rev. George Coyne, a long-serving Jesuit astronomer and a vocal opponent of “intelligent design” theory. It was unclear if the replacement of Coyne, the observatory’s director since 1978, reflected a sense of disapproval […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 22, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Virginia Priest Consecrated Bishop for Nigerian Group (RNS) Crossing geographic borders and traditional lines of authority, the Church of Nigeria consecrated a conservative American priest Sunday (Aug. 20) as bishop of a U.S.-based group. The Rev. Martyn Minns, of Fairfax, Va., will head the Convocation for Anglicans in North America […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — August 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service Former Church Official Charged in Kickback Case CLEVELAND (RNS) The former chief financial officer of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland used money from church collection baskets to pay for a Florida condo, his children’s tuition and a resort membership under a $784,000 kickback scheme, according to charges filed Wednesday (Aug. […]
Nuns Closing Convent, and Taking the Cemetery With Them
By RNS Blog Editor — August 19, 2006
c. 2006 Religion News Service MENDHAM TOWNSHIP, N.J. _ For the sisters at Mount St. John convent, murmurs of the past echo from every corner of the shady, hilltop campus. From the convent’s chapel frescoes and the dining room’s dark wood paneling. From the dorms where orphans once slept and the classrooms where teens learned […]
