Monthly Archives: February 2010
Brookings does faith-based
By Mark Silk — February 19, 2010
The Brookings Institution held a 10th anniversary shebang for the federal government’s faith-based initiatives, with the executive director of the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, Joshua DuBois, as keynoter. Lest anyone in the crowd doubt that this White House is a lot more tuned into church-state separation than its predecessor, DuBois seeded his remarks […]
Tough words for Rick Warren
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 19, 2010
One of the things I love about Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker is that she always keeps you guessing. Just when you think you know what she’s likely to say, she comes at you, out of nowhere, with something unexpected and deliciously surprising. Regardless of what you may or may not think of her (mostly) […]
EEOC settles claim between UPS, Rastafarian
By Tracy Gordon — February 19, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) Shipping giant UPS will pay $46,000 in damages to a Rastafarian employee who was fired after he refused to cut his hair or trim his beard, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Wednesday (Feb. 17). According to the EEOC, the Harrisburg, Pa., branch of UPS Freight fired a driver, Nieland Bynoe, during orientation […]
Relationship-free sexual “hook ups” are more likely for women at Catholic colleges
By Tiffany McCallen — February 19, 2010
Miss., Vt., polar opposites on Sunday mornings
By Tiffany McCallen — February 19, 2010
(RNS) The South continues to live up to its Bible Belt reputation, especially Mississippi, which reported the nation’s highest church-going statistics in a new Gallup Poll. At 68 percent, Mississippi had the highest percentage of weekly church-goers in 2009, Gallup said. Vermont remained the least church-going state, with only 23 percent regularly attending. The top […]
Sour economy pushes offerings down, study finds
By Tiffany McCallen — February 19, 2010
(RNS) One year after a majority of Americans said they hoped the sour economy wouldn’t impact their church giving, three in 10 Americans now say they’re putting less in the offering plate, a Barna Group study shows. Compared to a similar study that Barna conducted at the end of 2008, the percentage of Americans who […]
Catholics ask pope to suspend sainthood for Pius XII
By Tiffany McCallen — February 19, 2010
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Catholic historians and theologians are urging Pope Benedict XVI to suspend the sainthood process for the controversial World War II pontiff, Pius XII, until further research clarifies Pius’ record during the Holocaust. “Holy Father, we implore you, acting on your wisdom as a renowned scholar, professor, and teacher, to be patient with […]
Women protest for right to mixed-gender prayers
By Tracy Gordon — February 18, 2010
(RNS) The walls that segregate Muslim men from women inside many American mosques took a long time to go up, and it could be a long time before they come down. On Saturday (Feb. 20), Fatima Thompson will find out just how firm those walls are. Thompson, 44, is planning for about 30 like-minded Muslims […]
Critics pleased as Obama meets with Dalai Lama
By Tracy Gordon — February 18, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) President Obama met with the Dalai Lama on Thursday (Feb. 18), four months after critics questioned his commitment to human rights when Obama declined a one-on-one meeting with the exiled leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Religious freedom advocates hailed the meeting, however late, but remained cautious about whether the private talk will result in […]
COMMENTARY: Haman may have been the first, but wasn’t the last
By Tracy Gordon — February 18, 2010
(RNS) The biblical book of Esther is the source of the Purim holiday, which starts this year at sunset on Feb. 27 with synagogue readings, and continues the next day with carnivals, costume parties, and holiday foods. It’s not exactly the Jewish version of Mardi Gras, or even Halloween, but close. Purim commemorates the deliverance […]
Thursday’s roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 18, 2010
Eight of the 10 U.S. missionaries accused of trying to smuggle orphans out of Haiti have been released and are now in Florida; two others were held for further questioning (Reuters photo, left). The San Francisco Chronicle is asking why President Obama says he’s against same-sex marriage, even though 14 years ago he seemed to […]
Lying to Gallup
By Mark Silk — February 18, 2010
There’s nothing new in Gallup’s new survey of church attendance by state, showing weekly attenders to range from 63 percent in Mississippi to 23 percent in Vermont. This is the classic Bible Belt-cum-Bible Suspender, stretching across the South and up the Plains to the Canadian border at the high end and with the Northeast and […]
Poll: Tebow ad well-received but confusing for viewers
By Tracy Gordon — February 18, 2010
(RNS) Focus on the Family’s Super Bowl ad featuring star quarterback Tim Tebow may have gotten a lot of press but left many viewers with “confusion regarding the commercial’s meaning and sponsor,” according to a leading Christian research firm. “The downside from the standpoint of the commercial’s sponsors is sure to be that the main […]
Obama names envoy to Muslim nations
By Tracy Gordon — February 18, 2010
(RNS) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday (Feb. 16)officially introduced the Obama administration’s new special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference, 31-year-old White House lawyer Rashad Hussain. Hussain is the American-born son of Indian Muslim immigrants; he received a law degree from Yale and masters degrees from Harvard in public administration and […]
In Alabama, Saban has more Facebook fans than God
By Tracy Gordon — February 18, 2010
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban may not be bigger than God in Alabama, but he has more fans on Facebook. The all-powerful coach edged out the Almighty to claim the top spot in a ranking of Facebook fan page membership in the state. The omnipotent one — God, not Saban […]
