Monthly Archives: September 2009
Wednesday’s religion round-up
By Daniel Burke — September 30, 2009
Charitable giving fell 12 percent in 2008 and there’s little evidence that it has picked up this year, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a close friend of MLK, is praying that his children cease their legal wrangling, and a South Dakota panel voted to allow booze to be sold on Christmas. The Supreme Court will hear […]
10 minutes with … Harvey Cox
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
(RNS) For more than four decades, Harvey Cox has been one of America’s most influential and provocative theologians. In his new book, “The Future of Faith,” Cox argues that Christianity is moving from an “Age of Belief” dominated by creeds and church hierarchies to an “Age of Spirit,” in which spirituality is replacing formal religion. […]
On eve of march, faith drives activism for gay rights supporters
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
WASHINGTON (RNS) As thousands of gays and lesbians prepare to march on the nation’s capital to push for equal rights, leaders from a range of faiths say it’s time to stop using religion as a weapon to oppose same-sex marriage. What’s more, advocates for gay rights say their faith and a sacred belief in justice […]
Growing quantity of `Christian’ films now focus on quality
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
(RNS) Director Brian Baugh’s upcoming teen film “To Save a Life” may be many things, but one thing it’s not, he says, is a “Christian” movie. The upcoming film about a star basketball player who copes with a friend’s death is edgier than others — with violence, marijuana and a brief sex scene. Conservative friends […]
COMMENTARY: Keep moving, people. Nothing to see here.
By Cathleen Falsani — September 30, 2009
(RNS) If there had been a way to power-wash my brain, I would have done it. The words, images and emotions that lingered after I watched actress Mackenzie Phillips’ interview with Oprah Winfrey are something I wish I’d never had in my imagination. I regretted watching. I regretted knowing. I longed for a spiritual bubble […]
Glenn Beck v. The Nones
By Mark Silk — September 30, 2009
WWJD about health care?
By Mark Silk — September 30, 2009
In Matthew 10:8, Jesus enjoins his disciples to “heal the sick.” Whether or not this can be considered a mandate for health care reform as it is being pursued in the U.S. today, it is telling that, according to Public Religion Research’s recent survey of religious activists, 67 percent of progressive religious activists believe that […]
Happy Blasphemy Day!
By Mark Silk — September 30, 2009
For the serious-minded among you, I recommend curling up with Leonard Levy’s 688-page Blasphemy: Verbal Offense Against the Sacred from Moses to Salman Rushdie. But first, to review the current bidding, take a look at David Gibson’s piece over on Politics Daily. It seems that the occasion has sparked some internecine warfare between the atheist […]
Oral Roberts University installs new president, clears debt
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
(RNS) Oral Roberts University formally installed its new president Friday (Sept. 25), two days after announcing it had cleared its books of long-term debt. Mark Rutland, president of Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., since 1999, succeeded Richard Roberts as president of the charismatic Christian school in Tulsa, Okla. Roberts resigned after being embroiled in a […]
Update: German court says student must be given time to pray
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
BERLIN (RNS) German religious freedom laws require a school to let a devout Muslim student set aside some time during the school day for prayers, a Berlin court ruled Tuesday (Sept. 29). The ruling reaffirmed a temporary order from 2008 that requires the school to allow the student time to engage in prayer at least […]
Hello, Dalai
By Daniel Burke — September 30, 2009
Memphis Mayor Pro-tem Myron Lowery has been catching a lot of heat for greeting the Dalai Lama last week with a fist bump (aka “terrorist fist jab”). I think the bigger breach, of good humor if not protocol, was his salutation “Hello, Dalai!” echoing Louis Armstrong’s famous tune. Judging by the video, the Dalai Lama […]
Vatican asks U.S. bishops to help fund nuns probe
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican has asked U.S. Catholic bishops to fund a $1.1 million investigation of American nuns ordered by church authorities in Rome. “We have a projected budget of $1,100,000 for the three years which the total work of the apostolic visitations will require,” Cardinal Franc Rode, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for […]
Louisiana Episcopal Bishop Charles Jenkins is in South Africa to see whether that country’s Tr
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
U.S. Muslims plead case of hikers with Ahmadinejad
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
(RNS) The Council on American-Islamic Relations is taking a “wait-and-see” approach after meeting last Thursday (Sept. 24) with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to seek the release of three American hikers imprisoned by Iran on July 31. “We’re still in discussions. We’re cautiously optimistic,” said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. The three-man CAIR delegation also gave the […]
Celebrating the work of ecumenism, done and undone
By Tracy Gordon — September 30, 2009
(RNS) Catholic, Lutheran and United Methodist leaders will gather in Chicago on Thursday (Oct. 1) to commemorate the 10th anniversary of a milestone agreement on the long, slow and often painful road to Christian unity. The celebration, held at Old St. Patrick’s Church in Chicago, will pay tribute to the signing of the Joint Declaration […]
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