Monthly Archives: February 2007
RNS Daily Digest:
By RNS Blog Editor — February 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Egyptian Mufti Says Women Not Obligated to Prove Virginity (RNS) In a decision being hailed as a major step towards female equality in the Islamic world, the Grand Mufti of Egypt has said Muslim women have no obligation to prove their virginity to prospective husbands. Appearing on a popular Egyptian […]
Companies See Increased Interest in Spiritual Tours
By RNS Blog Editor — February 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. _ Tom and Geri Kartes are about to become pilgrims. They plan to take a lot of photos and record the experience when they go on a faith-based trip to Italy and Bosnia in May. The Grand Rapids couple will visit the Vatican, as well as religious […]
Bread With Heavenly Credentials
By RNS Blog Editor — February 24, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) A chain letter. Yes. A chain e-mail. Sure. But chain bread? This most unlikely pass-along commodity is said to have begun in an equally unlikely place _ the Vatican. But while it may be unlikely, it’s probably lucky. If you’re going to eat something that’s been kicking around for […]
Spiritual tours; Padre Pio bread
By RNS Blog Editor — February 24, 2007
In Friday’s RNS report, Mary Radigan looks at how companies are responding to the increased interest in spiritual tours: Tom and Geri Kartes are about to become pilgrims. They plan to take a lot of photos and record the experience when they go on a faith-based trip to Italy and Bosnia in May. The Grand […]
Mitt Romney’s Damascus Moment
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 24, 2007
The folks over at Get Religion have been chatting about Peggy Fletcher Stack’s article about Mitt Romney’s political evolution-from sounding like a liberal Mormon to sounding like a born-again Southern Baptist.
Bishop Stands Up for All Church Members
By Tracy Gordon — February 23, 2007
Quote of the Day: Episcopal Bishop Steven Charleston “This church is either open to all, or it is closed to the Spirit. We either stand for what we know is just and embrace our (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) members, or we stand aside as justice is denied. There is no easy way out of […]
10 Minutes With … Edward Gilbreath
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 23, 2007
Bruce Tomaso over at the Dallas Morning News has linked to Adelle M. Bank’s interview with Edward Gilbreath of Christianity Today on why evangelicals seem to have such a hard time with race relations.
Jews vs. Mormons on the Iraq War
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 23, 2007
Gallup has some new interesting numbers on the Iraq War-more specifically, if you’re Jewish, you’re probably against it. If you’re Mormon, you’re probably for it: Among Religious Groups, Jewish Americans Most Strongly Oppose War by Jeffrey M. Jones GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ-An analysis of Gallup Poll data collected since the beginning of 2005 finds […]
For One Company, Snooping Around Is a Ministry
By Daniel Burke — February 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (RNS) For the folks at Oxford Document Management Company, it’s not snooping. It’s a divine mission. With a full-time staff of just three, the Anoka, Minn.-based background investigation firm has beat out bigger rivals to become the go-to gumshoes for religious groups across the United States. All but a handful […]
For One Company, Snooping Around Is a Ministry
By Daniel Burke — February 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (RNS) For the folks at Oxford Document Management Company, it’s not snooping. It’s a divine mission. With a full-time staff of just three, the Anoka, Minn.-based background investigation firm has beat out bigger rivals to become the go-to gumshoes for religious groups across the United States. All but a handful […]
Leaving a Mark
By Tracy Gordon — February 23, 2007
Quote of the Day: The Times-Picayune of New Orleans “The glitter of Mardi Gras has been washed away for another year, and the smudge of ash will be gone tomorrow. But the mark that Katrina has made on our hearts and minds is harder to remove.” -From an Ash Wednesday editorial published Wednesday (Feb. 21) […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — February 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Justice Department Launches `First Freedom Project’ WASHINGTON (RNS) The Department of Justice has launched a “First Freedom Project” to draw more attention to protecting the religious liberties of Americans. “Why should it be permissible for an employee standing around the water cooler to declare that `Tiger Woods is God,’ but […]
COMMENTARY: And Now, the Rest of the Purim Story
By James Rudin — February 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Purim, the merriest of Jewish holidays, begins this year at sundown on March 3. In Hebrew, Purim means “lots” or “dice,” and it is based on the biblical book of Esther. Esther’s 10 brief chapters tell a chilling story of intrigue, drama and royal politics, recounting the downfall of […]
Author Challenges Churches to Address `Crisis’ in Black America
By Adelle M. Banks — February 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Black churches should work together on specific problems facing African-American communities in order to address the “unfinished business” of helping people in need, argues the author of a new book on the subject. Robert M. Franklin, author of “Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope in African American Communities,” […]
Oy Gay! Gay Jews See a Coming-Out Story in Purim’s Heroine
By Nicole Neroulias — February 23, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) As a child, Idit Klein celebrated Purim by wearing homemade gowns and tiaras to play the beautiful Queen Esther. She fantasized about how she, like the heroine who dangerously confessed her faith to save her fellow Jews in ancient Persia, could have somehow rescued her relatives from the Holocaust. […]
