Lent starts early for an ESPN editor who wrote that regrettable Jeremy Lin headline. Lent can't start soon enough for Cardinal Dolan. Glenn Beck is feeling Catholicky. Rick Santorum is feeling heat for his "phony theology" comments. But check out his spokeswoman's gaffe. And Southern Baptists will stick with their name.

WASHINGTON (RNS) For the fourth year in a row, President Obama is proposing lower tax deductions for the wealthy on donations to churches and other nonprofit organizations. And for the fourth year in a row, nonprofit groups say the change would lead to a dramatic drop in charitable giving. By Annalisa Musarra.

NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) At the end of the day, those in pastoral and gospel circles say Marin Winans is a preacher and a good one who'll lean on the gospel to eulogize Whitney Houston at the New Hope Baptist Church here in Newark on Saturday. By Barry Carter.

NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) Even as Gov. Chris Christie's threat of a "swift" veto looms, gay rights activists are celebrating after the state Assembly voted on Thursday (Feb. 16) on a bill to legalize same sex marriage in New Jersey. By Maryanne Spoto.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) One the eve of his elevation to cardinal, New York's Archbishop Timothy Dolan said he doesn't caricature's of his city as a modern-day Gomorrah.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) It isn't anywhere on the official agenda, but as Roman Catholic leaders meet in Rome this weekend, looming in the background will be a recent string of Vatican leaks that reveal a bitter power struggle among the hierarchy. By Alessandro Speciale.

All birth control, all the time: Catholic bishops say it all boils down to a ham sandwich, experts say critics don't know what they're talking about on birth control and abortion, and a student at BYU gets passed a note that says her outfit is what the Catholics would call a near occassion to sin.

(RNS) If you're an atheist who loses a child or loved one, there's no hope of a reunion in the afterlife. The absence of the comfort of religious ritual is one of the hardest adjustments for unbelievers, leading some nonbelievers to craft support groups and resources for grief without God. By Kimberly Winston.

NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) With TV trucks and camera crews clogging the streets and thousands of fans hoping for a glimpse of the event, Whitney Houston's family has decided that no one but invited guests will get near her church funeral on Saturday. By James Queally and Peggy McGlone.

(RNS) The FBI said it was willing to consider a proposal from a coalition of Muslim and interfaith groups to establish a committee of experts tasked with reviewing literature and videos used anti-terrorism training, but it had not yet received a plan to consider.

LONDON (RNS) A British High Court justice has triggered dismay and anger across England and Wales with a decision that declares prayers at town hall meetings are against the law. By Al Webb.

WASHINGTON (RNS) A House committee holds hearings Thursday that will find the Obama administration guilty of trampling on religious freedom by requiring employers to provide insurance that includes contraception coverage. By Lauren Markoe.

FAIRHOPE, Ala. (RNS) For the Southern Baptist Convention, which has used the same name for nearly 170 years, changing its name to make it less "Southern" isn't easy. First, there has to be the will to do so. And on that, the jury is still out. By Roy Hoffman.