Monthly Archives: July 2009
McHugh are you?
By Daniel Burke — July 30, 2009
President Obama’s nominee for Secretary of the Army has a questionable record on church-state issues, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The Senate Armed Services Committee will consider the nomination of Rep. John McHugh, R-NY, today. In a letter to the committee, AU says, that as a member of the House, […]
White smoke or black?
By Francis X. Rocca — July 30, 2009
This Saturday at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles southeast of Rome, Pope Benedict will receive participants in the FINA world swimming championships, presumably including Michael Phelps. Given Phelps’ now-notorious form of off-duty recreation, some observers may take this as the latest evidence that Benedict is truly a “green pontiff.” But anyone who […]
Progressive Protestant power shift not without challenges
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2009
NEW YORK — When the Rev. Brad Braxton was tapped last year as the next senior pastor of Riverside Church, he was billed as an energetic and dynamic preacher with the power to reinvigorate the flagship pulpit of progressive Protestantism. Soon, however, those very qualities got in the way. Some parishioners found him a little […]
COMMENTARY: Controversy doesn’t take a vacation
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2009
(UNDATED) Even though the “dog days” of summer are usually a slow news period, religion continues to make big headlines. Two recent stories — involving the Episcopal Church and the Syrian-American Jewish community — have drawn wide attention. I’ve always been interested in the Episcopal Church because my childhood synagogue in Alexandria, Va., was located […]
Now & Forever
By Daniel Burke — July 30, 2009
Reports that Vinnie Barbarino, I mean, John Travolta, has broken with Scientology are false, according to People magazine, that well-known bible of religion news. “There’s no change in the relationship between the Church of Scientology and John,” says Trovolta’s rep. “He is a member and it’s as it was, now and forever.” In other news, […]
Paul Stanley de la Rochefoucauld
By Mark Silk — July 30, 2009
Paul Stanley is the Tennessee state senator who resigned his office a couple of days ago when it was revealed that he was having an affair with a 22-year-old intern. Stanley acknowledged in an interview with WREC radio host Ben Ferguson that he had an affair. He also defended statements he had made condemning sex […]
The government already pays for abortions
By Mark Silk — July 30, 2009
In recent days, the opposition to health reform legislation has been cranking up a pro-life meme, to the effect that the legislation will mandate government funding of abortions. I’ve addressed the elements of the charge here, and proposed a federalized solution to the issue here. But because the meme is being pushed so hard–as in […]
Clergy especially vulnerable for losing health insurance
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2009
WASHINGTON — While a sour economy and rising costs make it harder for small businesses to afford health coverage, one group of employees is especially vulnerable: clergy. Many denominations provide health care for clergy, but pastors of small and independent churches can be hard-hit by rising health care costs. Some clergy latch on to their […]
$25 million later, Katrina relief groups say they’re half finished
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2009
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Leaders of a consortium of Katrina relief groups say they are approaching a milestone in recovery efforts, having distributed $25 million in money, muscle and construction material to about 1,000 families around New Orleans in the four years since Hurricane Katrina. Even so, they estimate the region’s recovery is only at the […]
Concubines and RNS
By RNS Blog Editor — July 30, 2009
What are the differences between a concubine and a wife? Well, if you attended the Religion News Service Roundtable with activists on both sides of the same-sex marriage dispute Thursday morning, you would know. This was just one piece of the wide-ranging discussion between the four panelists of varying religious backgrounds on the “Civil Rights […]
Methodists defeat gay-related membership policy
By Tracy Gordon — July 29, 2009
(RNS) United Methodists have defeated amendments that would have made church membership open to all Christians regardless of sexual orientation and furthered the creation of a new, U.S.-only governing body, according to the denomination’s news service. Delegates at the United Methodist Church’s General Conference last year approved the sexual orientation amendment, as well as several […]
Daw retires as head of Hymn Society
By Tracy Gordon — July 29, 2009
(RNS) The Rev. Carl P. Daw Jr., an Episcopal priest and renowned hymn expert, has retired as executive director of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Daw served for 13 years in the post, the Episcopal Church announced. “The work of Carl Daw as writer of hymns has enormously enriched the worship […]
10 minutes with … Shawn Francis Peters
By Tracy Gordon — July 29, 2009
(UNDATED) An Oregon jury acquitted two Oregon parents, Carl and Raylene Worthington, on July 23 in the death of their 15-month-old daughter, Ava, who succumbed to pneumonia as the couple relied on prayer instead of seeking conventional medical help. Shawn Francis Peters, a faith-healing expert at the University of Wisconsin and author of “When Prayer […]
Faith-based mutual insurers worry about health care reform
By Tracy Gordon — July 29, 2009
WASHINGTON — As Congress debates whether to mandate health insurance for all Americans, several Christian ministries whose members share each other’s medical costs are hoping the final version of health care reform doesn’t put them out of business. Officials of three major “health sharing” organizations say they are watching the Capitol Hill discussions closely, and […]
COMMENTARY: Money won’t fix health care as long as profits persist
By Phyllis Zagano — July 29, 2009
(UNDATED) U.S. health care is a mess. Will a trillion dollars really make any difference? Tune in after the Congress returns from its August recess to find out. For several weeks, six key senators sat around a table drinking coffee and eating chocolate-covered potato chips, negotiating how to revamp the American health care system. The […]
