Monthly Archives: February 2008
Take That, Da Vinci Code!
By RNS Blog Editor — February 28, 2008
Anne Rice explores Jesus’ public ministry in new novel RNS’ Benedicta Cipolla interviews author Anne Rice, whose upcoming novel focuses on the beginning of Christ’s ministry from a scripturally correct point of view. Quote: Firing a direct salvo at “[The] Da Vinci [Code],” Rice states in her author’s note: “It is more than ever important […]
Parsley on the IRS
By rvineis — February 28, 2008
Mega-church leader and televangelist Rod Parsley recently gave his insight into the appropriate role churches should play in our political process. Like Obama’s congregation, Parsley has been accused of violating IRS guidelines (in 2006) about campaigning from the pulpit. Parsley was recently interviewed by PBS’s Religion and Ethics program about the situation. The pastor defended […]
If I can do it, Obama can too
By rvineis — February 28, 2008
Keith Ellison, the first and only Muslim member of Congress, weighed in on the recent attacks on Barack Obama’s name and faith. Ellison doubts that Americans wouldn’t elect a Muslim president based on his or her faith. In an interview with AP’s Frederic Frommer, the Congressman tried to portray America overall as having an unbigoted […]
Top Ten List
By rvineis — February 28, 2008
The Interfaith Alliance has come up with a Top Ten List of religious blunders from this season’s campaign. President of the Alliance, Rev. Dr. C Welton Gaddy, said “I have witnessed more abuses of religion in this primary season than in any election in recent memory.” Check out the video, here. It is an enjoyable […]
But is it good for Israel?
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2008
Hagee endorses McCain. Catholics for Huckabee happy.
Stop the presses
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2008
Brody flags a document from the Obama campaign’s religious outreach team highlighting their candidate’s success with religious voters–an array of data drawn from the exit polls. He concludes that Obama’s not conceding the Church vote to McCain.
Obama, the UCC, and the IRS
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2008
Today the Hartford Courant has bannered across its front page Elizabeth Hamilton’s story on an IRS investigation of the United Church of State (er. make that Christ) resulting from Barack Obama’s address to the annual convention of that denomination (which is his own) last summer. (You can check out the IRS’ February 20 letter here […]
Diplomat for Obama
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2008
Yesterday we had a visit at Trinity from Daniel Kurtzer, now of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, whose three-decade career in the State Department included three years as President Clinton’s ambassador to Egypt and four years as President Bush’s ambassador to Israel. (After leaving that job and the department in 2005, he spent a […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — February 28, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service Study links subprime crisis to hunger WASHINGTON (RNS) The poorest counties in the U.S. are among the hardest hit by the subprime mortgage crisis, according to a study released Wednesday (Feb. 27) by the Christian anti-hunger advocacy group Bread for the World. The report, titled “Home Ownership, Subprime Loans and […]
People of the Book
By Daniel Burke — February 28, 2008
The Vatican has approved the selection four senior American Catholic prelates to the highly anticipated Synod on Scripture in October. The four prelates, who were elected by their peers last November in Baltimore and approved by the Vatican earlier this year, are: Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the USCCB and Bishop Gerald Kicanas […]
The Washington Times Joins the 21st Century
By Kevin Eckstrom — February 28, 2008
My last real rant in this space was about the Washington Times policy to use “scare quotes” around terms like “gay marriage” or “homosexual”, as if putting them in quotes made them seem less real, more contrived. The Washington CityPaper (our local indy weekly) is reporting that new Washington Times editor John Solomon is putting […]
IRS launches probe into Obama speech at UCC convention
By RNS Blog Editor — February 28, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service CLEVELAND _ The IRS is investigating the United Church of Christ over a 2007 speech on faith and politics by presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, a longtime UCC member. The UCC announced late Tuesday (Feb. 26) that the IRS is looking into whether Obama’s speech to its General Synod in […]
Small Muslim sect preaches a unique message
By Renée K. Gadoua — February 28, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service SYRACUSE, N.Y. _ Jakada Makkah Bey begins Friday prayer services for this city’s Moorish Science Temple of America by raising all five fingers on his left hand and two on his right. “Seven is a perfect number,” he says. “Our goal is to perfect our ways. Our ultimate goal is […]
Small Muslim sect preaches a unique message
By Janet Fillmore — February 28, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Toby Jones is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), a rock musician who plays guitar in bars at night and the author of the recently published “The Gospel According to Rock.” Jones, 46, is associate pastor of the 450-member First Presbyterian Church of Harbor Springs, Mich., where […]
COMMENTARY: The glass ceiling, political and otherwise
By Phyllis Zagano — February 28, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In a way, you’d hope Hillary Clinton would win just so we could all just grow up about women in leadership. For all the words that are pushed around about the equality and dignity of women, we are still a long way from forgetting about gender when we look […]
