Monthly Archives: May 2007
Pope Sends Carefully Crafted Messages in Brazil Trip
By Frances X. Rocca — May 16, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ On his trip to Brazil last week, Pope Benedict XVI confronted an old foe _ Marxism _ and its influence on the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America. Benedict also spoke out against the rising influence of secularism in the region, and acknowledged the surging growth of […]
Jehovah’s Witnesses Settle Sexual Abuse Cases
By Adelle M. Banks — May 15, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Sixteen current or former Jehovah’s Witnesses have settled nine lawsuits in which they said they were sexually abused as children by Jehovah’s Witnesses members or leaders. The settlements between the alleged victims and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York _ details of which have been kept […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 15, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Anglican Leaders Fuming Over `No Smoking’ Signs LONDON (RNS) Senior Anglican clerics have blasted government plans to force churches and cathedrals in Britain to post “no smoking” signs at their entrances starting July 1. The move is part of a nationwide ban on smoking in public places _ including places […]
Christian Reformed Women Study for a Job They May Not Get
By Charles Honey — May 15, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. _ On a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon, Meg Jenista steps to the pulpit of Fuller Avenue Christian Reformed Church and confidently reads Jesus’ words from the Gospel of John. “I am the true vine, and my father is the gardener,” Jenista reads to about 65 worshippers at the […]
COMMENTARY: Faith-based Warriors Finally Get Their Due
By RNS Blog Editor — May 15, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The Bush administration has been very, very good to faith-based organizations. After laboring in obscurity for decades, many groups are now basking in the spotlight of the faith-based initiative, giving them unprecedented access to federal funds, media attention and the clout that comes from having a significant voice […]
COMMENTARY: Caught in the Middle _ And Loving It
By RNS Blog Editor — May 15, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Here’s the title of a new book that just hit No. 4 on the Amazon hit parade: “God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.” There was a time, not so long ago, when I would have relished that title, and applauded any author for the courage in coming […]
Shepherd Arrives in Brazil to Find a Diminished Flock
By Kim Lawton — May 14, 2007
c. 2007 Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly SAO PAULO, Brazil _ On paper, the official reason for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit here this week is to canonize the church’s first Brazilian-born saint and to open a meeting of bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean. But his most daunting challenge may be shoring up the Catholic […]
GUEST COMMENTARY: Why Are Evangelicals Persona Non Grata on Campus?
By Greg Tobin — May 12, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service SAN FRANCISCO _ College professors and administrators talk a lot about the importance of tolerance. But do the typical displays of campus tolerance _ anti-hate-speech codes, minority recognition celebrations, and special academic departments devoted to the study of ethnic groups _ teach true acceptance? Not necessarily. Most campus salutes to […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 12, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Romney Thanks Abortion Opponents for Aiding His Change of Heart AGAWAM, Mass. (RNS) Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told more than 650 people on Thursday (May 10) that he is proof that the work of abortion opponents can sway people. Romney, who received the Mullins Award for outstanding political leadership […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Conservatives Pressure Catholic ’08 Candidates on Abortion WASHINGTON (RNS) U.S. conservatives are seizing on Pope Benedict XVI’s condemnation of pro-abortion rights politicians to pressure lawmakers _ particularly Catholic 2008 presidential candidates _ to fall in line with church teaching. On his way to Brazil for a four-day trip, Benedict said […]
Pope’s First Book Reflects `Personal Search’ for Jesus
By Frances X. Rocca — May 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ A new book by Pope Benedict XVI arriving in American stores next Tuesday (May 15) is already an international best-seller. “Jesus of Nazareth” has sold more than 1 million copies since it was released in Italian, German and Polish versions last month. The book will eventually be […]
D. James Kennedy Shutters Two Political Centers
By Adelle M. Banks — May 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Two conservative political centers founded by the ailing religious broadcaster D. James Kennedy have been closed, but one has reopened under new ownership. Kennedy’s Florida-based Coral Ridge Ministries closed the Center for Reclaiming America and the Washington-based Center for Christian Statesmanship last month, spokesman John Aman said. He […]
Catholic Cardinals Crack Open the Gospel According to YouTube
By Bridget MacDonald — May 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) America’s Roman Catholic bishops have earned reputations as aging men willing to defend traditional viewpoints, no matter how unpopular they might be in a rapidly changing world. Now, however, these old-guard heavyweights are looking to don a new, much less familiar moniker: pioneers of the new media age. From […]
COMMENTARY: Reporting Live From Mt. Sinai …
By James Rudin — May 11, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Significant archeological discoveries continue to be made in the Middle East. Objects of copper, iron, and bronze; written scrolls, inscribed stones and ancient pottery _ all can be found in long-abandoned caves or under the soil of that history-saturated region of the world. I recently gained possession of two […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — May 10, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Methodist Bishops Table Policy Change on Homosexuality (RNS) United Methodist bishops have tabled a proposal that would have loosened restrictions in the church’s mostly conservative policies on homosexuality. The bishops, meeting outside Myrtle Beach, S.C., April 29-May 4, decided to keep the church’s current policy _ adopted in 1972 _ […]
