Monthly Archives: October 2005
Powerlifter Flexes Spiritual Muscles for Ministry
By RNS Blog Editor — October 27, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service CLEVELAND _ Walk into the Rev. John Black’s storefront church, Jesus Speaks Ministries, and there is nothing unusual about the faded carpet or the mix of old upholstered chairs in the simple sanctuary. What stands out is the pastor, a 54-year-old tree trunk of power, his arms bursting out of […]
COMMENTARY: England’s Other State Religion, Multiculturalism
By RNS Blog Editor — October 27, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) “I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Most people think Voltaire said that. He didn’t, but I will defend your right to say he did. It’s a nice sentiment anyway, deployed by those who regard themselves as […]
After a Lively Start, Synod Affirms Priestly Celibacy and Other Traditions
By RNS Blog Editor — October 27, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ As more than 250 bishops filed into St. Peter’s Square for a Sunday (Oct. 23) Mass that concluded the first synod of Pope Benedict XVI’s reign, there were few signs of the lively debate that shook up the assembly’s launch. After weeks of soul-searching that identified Catholicism’s […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Decides to Open Financial Books to Public (RNS) In a move expected to inspire imitation far beyond Massachusetts, the Archdiocese of Boston has pledged to disclose all of its finances to the public next year, even if the state Legislature doesn’t require it. “During the first […]
Remembering Rosa Parks
By Tracy Gordon — October 26, 2005
Quote of the Day: Coretta Scott King “Surely Mrs. Rosa Parks was sent to us by God, because few among us were so well prepared to play such a momentous role in history.” -Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., on the Monday death of Rosa Parks, a woman whose refusal […]
State School Teaches the Bible and Quran Without Endorsing Either
By RNS Blog Editor — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service ATHENS, Ala. _ The Bible and the Quran are among textbooks used in religion classes offered at Athens State University, a public school. Some are surprised this could happen, illustrating the confusion many people, even some teachers, have over the role religion and religious books can legally have in the […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Decides to Open Financial Books to Public (RNS) In a move expected to inspire imitation far beyond Massachusetts, the Archdiocese of Boston has pledged to disclose all of its finances to the public next year, even if the state Legislature doesn’t require it. “During the first […]
Catholic Actor Portrays Pope John Paul II With Devotion
By RNS Blog Editor — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service ROME _ Between takes, actor Jon Voight walked the movie set with a string of rosary beads laced between his fingers, occasionally raising his hand to make the Catholic sign of the cross at a captivated extra or onlooking nun. The cameras had stopped rolling, but Voight was still in […]
Rosa Parks, `Sent to Us by God’
By RNS Blog Editor — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Rosa Louise Parks, a woman of faith whose soft-spoken refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala., bus launched the civil rights movement, died Monday (Oct. 24) at age 92. The Tuskegee, Ala., native, who in 1999 received the nation’s highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, […]
Pakistan’s Acceptance of Earthquake Aid from Jewish Groups Gets Mixed Reviews
By RNS Blog Editor — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Depending on whom you ask, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s agreement to accept earthquake relief from American Jews and Israel was either a diplomatic step forward in Muslim-Jewish relations or another setback in a thorny global relationship. While some see interfaith progress in the agreement, others take offense at Pakistan’s […]
COMMENTARY: For Christians, It’s Usually About Control, and It Shouldn’t Be
By Tom Ehrich — October 26, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Until recently, the most effective stewardship talk I had heard took place in California, where a preacher said the heart of stewardship is breaking our “addiction to control.” Too often, he said, our primary goal in life is to gain control, or to nourish the illusion of control, with […]
The marketing power of the Christian community
By Tracy Gordon — October 25, 2005
Quote of the Day: Marketing Firm President A. Larry Ross “With 330,000 churches in America, it’s potentially the largest distribution network in the country and probably in the world.” -A. Larry Ross, president of a Dallas public relations and marketing firm, on the marketing power of the Christian community for recent religious films such as […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — October 25, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service Cardinal: Issue of Divorced and Remarried Catholics Still Open VATICAN CITY (RNS) An influential Vatican cardinal says a rethinking of church policy on divorced and remarried Catholics is still possible, despite the findings of a worldwide synod of bishops. Cardinal Walter Kasper, who heads Vatican relations with other Christian churches, […]
Katrina and Rita Paralyze More Than 900 Congregations
By Adelle M. Banks — October 25, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service (UNDATED) More than 900 houses of worship on the Gulf Coast have been destroyed, seriously damaged or forced to suspend services by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, leaving many clergy without salaries. Interviews with more than a dozen faith leaders indicate hundreds more congregations had at least minimal damage. Even as […]
Catholic Actor Portrays Pope John Paul II With Devotion
By RNS Blog Editor — October 25, 2005
c. 2005 Religion News Service ROME _ Between takes, actor Jon Voight walked the movie set with a string of rosary beads laced between his fingers, occasionally raising his hand to make the Catholic sign of the cross at a captivated extra or onlooking nun. The cameras had stopped rolling, but Voight was still in […]
