Monthly Archives: September 2011
Criminals offered choice of time in pews or the pokey
By Tracy Gordon — September 26, 2011
BAY MINETTE, Ala. (RNS) A new alternative sentencing program that offers first-time, nonviolent offenders a choice of a year in church or jail time and fines is drawing national attention, including fire from the American Civil Liberties Union. “This policy is blatantly unconstitutional,” said Olivia Turner, executive director for the ACLU of Alabama. “It violates […]
Best-selling pastor is off to L.A. to write more books
By Tracy Gordon — September 26, 2011
GRANDVILLE, Mich. (RNS) Megachurch pastor Rob Bell, whose best-selling book raised evangelical eyebrows by questioning traditional beliefs on hell, knew it was time to address the “giant, glowing, loud” elephant in the room on Sunday (Sept. 25) morning. What’s going to happen to Mars Hill Bible Church, his flock wanted to know, after their charismatic […]
Amnesty International slams Irish Catholic Church on abuse
By Tracy Gordon — September 26, 2011
VATICAN CITY (RNS) A new report by the Irish branch of Amnesty International says the sexual abuse of children by Ireland’s Roman Catholic priests “included acts that amounted to torture and inhuman and degrading treatment.” The 430-page report, released Monday (Sept. 26), “reminds us that Irish children were subjected to treatment that would be horrifying […]
Muslim students vow appeal in free speech conviction
By Tracy Gordon — September 26, 2011
LOS ANGELES (RNS) A group of Muslim students who were convicted Friday (Sept. 23) of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador plan to appeal as Muslim community leaders call the high-profile free speech case a civil rights moment. The “Irvine 11” were charged with systematically heckling Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren during a speech to […]
Monday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — September 26, 2011
Less than a week after the controversial execution of Troy Davis, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told Duquesne University law students that if he thought the death penalty was immoral under Catholic doctrine, he would resign immediately. For the record, here’s what the Catholic Catechism says about the death penalty: “the cases in which the […]
Synagogues adjust ticket policies for High Holy Days
By Tracy Gordon — September 26, 2011
(RNS) The sputtering economy is fueling changes in synagogues’ ticketing policies and marketing strategies for their annual High Holy Days services. Synagogues typically require annual memberships or a fee to attend services over the High Holy Days, which start Wednesday (Sept. 28) with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and continue through the end of […]
Our Present Crucible
By Mark Silk — September 26, 2011
Saturday night my wife and I went to see the Hartford Stage’s terrific production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and it was hard not to come away without pondering the play’s relevance for America today. When it was first produced in 1953, The Crucible struck unimpressed reviewers as little more than a straight-up allegory of […]
Rob Bell isn’t first megachurch pastor to seek life beyond the pulpit
By Tracy Gordon — September 24, 2011
(RNS) For pastors with ambitions to reach huge audiences, there’s often no better platform than the megachurch, which has given rise to powerhouse media empires from T.D. Jakes to Max Lucado to Joel Osteen and many others. But some high-profile pastors are opting to leave congregational ministry altogether to pursue publishing and other media ventures […]
Catholic anti-abortion group in financial trouble
By Tracy Gordon — September 24, 2011
(RNS) A leading Catholic anti-abortion group whose leader is under scrutiny for failing to disclose financial details reported a $1.4 million deficit in 2010 despite collecting tens of millions of dollars in donations during recent years. The budget shortfall at Priests For Life and a bishop’s recent decision to sharply curtail its national director’s activities […]
Pope seeks Protestant allies to combat secularism
By Tracy Gordon — September 24, 2011
BERLIN (RNS) All faiths have to work together to stanch the tide of secularism sweeping the world, warned Pope Benedict XVI on Friday (Sept. 23) during the second day of a tour through his native Germany. Benedict focused Friday on ecumenical meetings, including a service with Lutheran ministers in the city of Erfurt, where Protestant […]
Friday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — September 23, 2011
Southerners have been debating it for years: is mustard based superior to catsup based? (of course not) Is vinegar based the grandest of them all? (clearly, no) That’s right – we’re talking about barbecue. And not your silly Northeast “barbecue” (if you’re just cooking burgers, ladies and gentlemen, that is properly referred to as a […]
Friday’s Religion News Roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — September 23, 2011
So much for a quiet slide into the weekend … Michigan megachurch pastor Rob Bell is stepping down from his pulpit, though it’s a little unclear how much his “I’m not really sure about hell” book has to do with it. The official announcement from Mars Hill Church is here. That’s him, by the way, […]
Judaism without God? Yes, say American atheists
By Tracy Gordon — September 23, 2011
BERKELEY, Calif. (RNS) For an atheist, Maxim Schrogin talks about God a lot. Over lunch at a Jewish deli, he ponders the impulse to believe — does it come from within or without? Why does God permit suffering? Finally, he pulls out a flowchart he made showing degrees of belief, which ranges from unquestioning faith […]
Pope seeks Protestant allies in resisting secularism
By Tracy Gordon — September 23, 2011
Social Issues in Orlando
By Mark Silk — September 23, 2011
Fox’s Megyn Kelly was last night’s designated social issues questioner, and she directed herself to the middle of the field (transcript after the jump). First up was Michele Bachmann, who got to explain her statement that church-state separation is a “myth.” Backing off the myth thing, Bachmann took refuge in the standard conservative meme that […]
