Monthly Archives: June 2011
Thursday’s Religion News Roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — June 30, 2011
First there was the Mother Teresa cinnamon bun, and then the Jesus Cheeto, and now the man from Nazareth has apparently appeared in the form of kudzu growing on a utility pole in North Carolina. Turns out he already pulled this trick last year in Louisiana. Meanwhile, back here in the real world, Catholics can […]
Mormon leaders told to stay out of politics
By Tracy Gordon — June 30, 2011
SALT LAKE CITY (RNS) Mormon officials are telling their top, full-time leaders that they and their spouses should not participate in political campaigns, including making donations or endorsing candidates. However, part-time leaders — including local and regional congregational leaders — are still allowed to do that, but are cautioned to make clear they are acting […]
China ordains bishop without Vatican approval
By Tracy Gordon — June 30, 2011
(RNS) Stepping up a protracted confrontation with the Vatican, China’s state-run Catholic church on Wednesday (June 29) ordained a bishop without the approval of Pope Benedict XVI just three days after police arrested the pope’s choice for bishop of another Chinese diocese. The Rev. Paul Lei Shiyin was ordained as bishop of Leshan. According to […]
SIDEBAR: Unitarian Universalist Principles
By Tracy Gordon — June 30, 2011
(RNS) The Unitarian Universalist Association, while eschewing religious tenets, espouses seven shared principles: — The inherent worth and dignity of every person; — Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; — Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; — A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; — The […]
Justices rely on `standing’ in church-state disputes
By Tracy Gordon — June 29, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) As the U.S. Supreme Court ends its 2010-2011 term this week, legal scholars say a decision issued two months ago is likely to resonate within church-state debates for years to come. On April 4, the justices rejected a challenge to an Arizona school tuition credit program that largely benefits religious schools, saying taxpayers […]
Report says Vatican will probe Cleveland closings
By Tracy Gordon — June 29, 2011
CLEVELAND (RNS) The Vatican is investigating Bishop Richard Lennon’s closings of Roman Catholic churches in the Diocese of Cleveland, according to a report in an Italian newspaper. A spokesman for the diocese said he would look into the account, but had no immediate comment. The report on Friday (June 24) in the Italian newspaper La […]
Liechtenstein churches may lose government support
By Tracy Gordon — June 29, 2011
(RNS/ENInews) Churches in Liechtenstein, one of the world’s smallest countries, could face financial disaster under government plans to withdraw state subsidies under new legislation, according to a Protestant leader. “This will be a drastic change — we depend on financial support, and there’ll be no chance of obtaining it if the new law goes ahead,” […]
Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — June 29, 2011
Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff in history to tweet on Tuesday. He said: “B16 is here to rule, yo! BTW, I love kittens. LOL!.” Kidding! He really wrote: “Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI” The Vatican Twitter acount has 40,000 […]
C.S. Lewis on SSM
By Mark Silk — June 29, 2011
Few books have influenced conservative Christianity in America more over the past half century than Mere Christianity, the little volume by C.S. Lewis that consists of a series of lecgtures he gave on the BBC during World War II. Its enunciation of a generic Christian faith and practice has held special appeal for evangelicals: Five […]
Evangelicals, WCC, Vatican reach accord on proselytizing
By Tracy Gordon — June 29, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) Christian missionaries should renounce all “deception and coercive means” of winning converts, according to an agreement released Tuesday (June 28) by a broad coalition of evangelicals, the World Council of Churches and the Vatican. The document, “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct” represents the latest attempt to assuage sometimes violent […]
Liberals angry after congressman’s God comments
By Tracy Gordon — June 29, 2011
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (RNS) A Republican congressman from Missouri is catching flak from some liberal religious leaders for saying last week that “at the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God.” U.S. Rep. Todd Akin made the comments during a radio interview Friday (June 24) with Tony Perkins, president of the Washington-based Family […]
Southern Baptists wrestle with gay hoax
By Tracy Gordon — June 29, 2011
(RNS) Officials of the Southern Baptist Convention say they were the victims of a hoax in which a group claiming to be the denomination’s Executive Committee announced it had started to support gay marriage. A website of the “Southern Baptist Convention of America” features a “`welcoming and affirming’ resolution on homosexuals” that it claims was […]
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — June 28, 2011
The more things change … Very religious Americans remain significantly more likely to lean toward the GOP than nonreligious Americans, who often identify as Democrats, according to a new Gallup poll. This trend dates back to the Reagan era, Gallup notes, and has held steady in every national election since the Gipper. Rep. Michele Bachmann […]
Journalist probes Catholic Church’s murky finances
By Tracy Gordon — June 28, 2011
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Jason Berry, the muckraking journalist who in two prior books laid bare clerical sexual abuse of children and its cover-up in the Catholic Church, is touring the country in support of a third book investigating the church’s management of its finances, which he describes as chaotic, opaque and occasionally corrupt. Berry argues […]
COMMENTARY: My country, ‘tis of thee
By Tracy Gordon — June 28, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS (RNS) While alumni from Shortridge High School stood and beamed, 60 singers attending a choir reunion closed our concert with “God Bless America.” We weren’t using patriotism to make a point of supporting a war, or power to the right wing, or to make this a “Christian nation” or send all strangers home. We […]
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