HBO
‘Megareverend’ John Oliver trolls televangelists with new tax-exempt church
By Brian Pellot — August 18, 2015
(RNS) The HBO satirist aims to shine a light on broad IRS tax exemptions for televangelists' prosperity gospel schemes.
‘Megareverend’ John Oliver trolls televangelists with new tax-exempt church
By Brian Pellot — August 17, 2015
Last Week Tonight host John Oliver launched Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption to highlight the IRS’s hands-off approach to America’s top televangelists and their sometimes "seedy" prosperity gospel schemes.
Former Buddhist monk creates home for 85 abandoned children
By Kimberly Winston — August 17, 2015
(RNS) A new HBO documentary tells the story of Lobsang Phuntsok, who gave up being a Buddhist teacher in the U.S to start a remote orphanage.
Ugandan priest: LGBT people are fleeing for Kenya to avoid rampant discrimination
By Renée K. Gadoua — June 5, 2015
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (RNS) In Uganda, LGBT people are beaten, raped, evicted and dismissed from their jobs because of their sexual identity or orientation, said the Rev. Anthony Musaala during a speaking engagement. Even associating with or advocating for LGBT people may invite discrimination, he said.
HBO’s ‘Going Clear’ leaves future of Scientology unclear
By Kimberly Winston — March 26, 2015
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (RNS) Will HBO's scathing documentary of Scientology, which airs March 29, prompt the secretive, litigious church to change? Don't bet on it.
“The Jinx” is one of the best things on television right now
By Laura Turner — March 11, 2015
"The Jinx," a new docuseries on HBO, is one of the most profound explorations of good and evil on television.
REVIEW: HBO’s The Leftovers, a grim take on the limits of grief and faith
By Vicki Hyman — July 2, 2014
(RNS) The new HBO series begins three years after what has been termed the Sudden Departure, when 2 percent of the world's population -- Christians, Jews, Muslims, straight, gay, white, black, brown, and Gary Busey -- suddenly disappeared.
As atheist TV characters increase, here are 5 of the best
By Chris Stedman — February 17, 2014
'True Detective' and 'The Good Wife' are putting atheist characters in the spotlight. To celebrate the rise of atheists on TV, here are five of the best nontheist TV characters from the last five years.
HBO filmmaker’s loss of faith parallels his subject’s: Darwin
By Kimberly Winston — February 12, 2014
(RNS) “Questioning Darwin,” a new, hourlong documentary airing on HBO in February, juxtaposes the story of the 19th-century naturalist with looks into the lives of contemporary American Christians who believe the world was created in six days.
Darwin Day celebrations evolve with parties, proclamations
By Kimberly Winston — February 11, 2014
(RNS) A growing number of Americans are marking the 1809 birthday of the British naturalist whose masterpiece “On The Origin of Species” has never been out of print since its publication in 1859.
Can a Christian watch ‘Game of Thrones’?
By David Gibson — June 4, 2013
(RNS) Is there anything morally redeeming about “Games of Thrones”? Some worry that HBO's fantasy tale is the antithesis of J.R.R. Tolkien’s good-over-evil stories, but others perceive a theological framework that could inspire Christians.
HBO documents unlikely saviors of 50 Holocaust children
By Lauren Markoe — April 3, 2013
(RNS) Against great odds, Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus set out from Philadelphia to rescue 50 children from Nazi-controlled Austria, the subject of a new HBO documentary set to air on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Jim McGreevey’s redemption is the real deal
By Brian Donohue — March 29, 2013
NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) I used to think Gov. Jim McGreevey was one of the most disingenuous phonies I had ever met. But his recent redemption after a public fall from grace is the real deal.
Pope Benedict XVI leaves mixed legacy on clergy sexual abuse
By Emma Beck — February 12, 2013
(RNS) Pope Benedict XVI has at times publicly addressed the issue and even met with victims of clergy sexual abuse. But victims' advocates remain skeptical and critical over his handling of the matter, particularly the failure to punish bishops who protected abusers.
Page 2 of 2
