Monthly Archives: July 2010
Study finds strong Amish growth, western migration
By Tracy Gordon — July 31, 2010
(RNS) A new study says that the population of North American Amish has increased by nearly 10 percent in the past two years, causing many communities to turn westward in search of new land. Conducted by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa., the study found that Amish […]
Bodies for/by Jesus
By Alfredo Garcia — July 31, 2010
They begin with a group prayer, concluded in Jesus’ name. Their music is religious in nature, a compilation of upbeat and encouraging Gospel music. Their workout kinesthetics could be confused for the choreography of a church piece. These are the images from the Body Gospel DVDs, the latest in the religious diet/workout culture. CNN covered […]
Catholic patriarch blasts Israel for allowing gay parade
By Tracy Gordon — July 31, 2010
JERUSALEM (RNS) The Catholic Church’s highest official in the Holy Land sharply criticized Israeli authorities for permitting a gay pride march on Thursday (July 29) through the streets of Jerusalem. In a statement issued Friday following the city’s 8th Annual Gay Pride Parade, which attracted 3,000 marchers, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal said the event seeks […]
Anglican priest convicted of sham marriages
By Tracy Gordon — July 31, 2010
LONDON (RNS) An Anglican vicar has been convicted of conducting hundreds of bogus marriages in a scam aimed at helping African immigrants gain illegal entry into Britain. A jury at Lewes Crown Court, in southern England, on Thursday (July 29) found the Rev. Alex Brown had violated immigration laws by “marrying” 383 couples over a […]
Faith healers plead not guilty to criminal mistreatment
By Tracy Gordon — July 31, 2010
OREGON CITY, Ore. (RNS) Two members of a controversial faith-healing church were charged Thursday (July 29) with first-degree criminal mistreatment for failing to provide medical care for their infant daughter. Timothy and Rebecca Wyland pleaded not guilty during a brief appearance before Circuit Judge Robert D. Herndon and were released without bail. The charges were […]
Novelist Anne Rice says `I quit being a Christian’
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2010
(RNS) Vampire novelist Anne Rice says she’s leaving Christianity — again — because she no longer wants to be identified with such a “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Born and raised a Catholic, Rice left the church but returned after a 30-year absence in 1998. Best known for “Interview With the Vampire” and […]
Theologian argues against morality of contraception
By Kevin Eckstrom — July 30, 2010
Houston Chronicle (RNS): Is contraception a sin? The very suggestion made Bryan Hodge and his classmates at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute laugh. Read more.
Friday’s roundup
By Kevin Eckstrom — July 30, 2010
The faith-healing parents in Oregon who are in court for failing to provide medical care to their infant daughter have pleaded not guilty. An Orthodox priest in Eastern Europe is being investigated for allegedly drowning a baby boy as he baptised him. Newt Gingrich is back at it: gave a speech Thursday where he said, […]
With N.Y. pastor’s help, a Haitian orphanage is reborn
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (RNS) Some believe what happened at the Reformation Hope orphanage on Jan. 12 was a miracle. And some now regard what has happened since that awful day as a second act of divine intervention. “It shows God is a God we can trust and that he wants us to help others,” says Pastor […]
Latest Religion in the News now online
By Mark Silk — July 30, 2010
Volume 13, No. 1 of Religion in the News is now online, and before describing its contents, I need to announce that as of this volume we are cutting back from three to two issues annually. Partly this is the consequence of shrunken resources, but it’s also the case that given the amount of real-time […]
Good morals start at birth
By Alfredo Garcia — July 30, 2010
Could our moral sensibility exist from the time of our very first breath? Some researchers believe so. Work being conducted at Yale University has demonstrated that our moral reasoning may find its roots, quite simply, in our mere humanity. Psychologists have often wondered whether ethics and morality are primarily nature or nurture based. Are we […]
Religious leaders hail cocaine-sentencing bill
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) U.S. religious leaders are applauding Congress’ approval of legislation that reduces the disparity of jail time between crack and powder cocaine offenses. After passing the Senate in March, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 was approved by the House on Wednesday (July 28). The bill now goes to President Obama for his signature. […]
Interdenominational Theological Center names new president
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2010
(RNS) The Interdenominational Theological Center, a consortium of African-American seminaries in Atlanta, has named a new president. The Rev. Ronald Edward Peters, director of the Metro-Urban Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, will begin the new post on Sept. 1, the center announced. Peters, 65, also is an associate professor of urban ministry at the Pittsburgh […]
Ugandan church-goers asked for ID after World Cup bombings
By Tracy Gordon — July 30, 2010
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS/ENInews) Ugandan church leaders are asking Christians to produce identity cards and agree to security checks before entering some churches after two terrorist attacks at World Cup viewing parties left more than 70 people dead. “We are taking these new measures to ensure that the worshippers are safe. We do not want the […]
Doug Oldham DEAD: Gospel Singer Dies At 79
By Kevin Eckstrom — July 29, 2010
Huffington Post (RNS): Doug Oldham, a prolific gospel singer and ministry partner of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, died July 21 at the age of 79. Full story.
Page 1 of 15
