Tribune’s Washington bureau has a profile on White House faith pointman Joshua DuBois. The piece is short on religious and political specifics, but adds a few new personal details (he has two cats and a longtime girlfriend in the Justice Department) to DuBois’ bio.
Politico sees an ulterior (or maybe anterior) motive in evangelical leaders’ support for immigration reform: winning souls for Jesus. “First and foremost it’s a kingdom issue, and second, it’s a moral issue,” says Richard Land, the Southern Baptist Convention’s political guru.
A U.S.-born radical Muslim cleric warned Americans not to attack Yemen, where he is hiding. Germany has started a program for Muslims who want to quit extremism.
A battle is brewing between American Jews and powerful Jewish leaders in Israel over the conversion bill in Israel’s parliament, NPR reports. NPR also continues its five part series on religion in China by looking at the explosive growth of Christianity in the communist country.
Baptists, especially African Americans, are breaking with historical Puritanism and appointing bishops, the Boston Globe reports. Scholars point to competition from independent churches with charismatic pastors who use the title as one reason.
Churches are making Hollywood movies to attract people more apt to visit cineplexes than sanctuaries, according to USA Today. Catholic bishops in Louisiana said guns will not be allowed in their churches, even though a new state law permits concealed weapons in houses of worship.
An Oklahoma judge granted an injunction on Monday blocking a state law that requires women seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound and listen to a description of the fetus.
Hackers attacked the Vatican last weekend, making a pedophilia website appear when computer users searched for “Vatican.”
The directionally challenged Islamic clerics in Indonesia now say it’s halal for Muslims to drink coffee extracted from the dung of civet cats. Earlier this week, the clerics acknowledged that they told Muslims to pray in the wrong direction, towards Africa, rather than Mecca.
Atheists are using blow-dryers to “de-baptize” non-believers. Gunmen killed two Pakistani Christians accused of blasphemy against Islam.
The Templeton Foundation has awarded Wake Forest University $3.67 million to study character. A new study says that Buddhist meditation increases attention and focus. Saudi Arabian women, who shroud themselves from head to toe in public, spend more on makeup than almost any other women in the Middle East. Gwenyth Paltrow is spreading the joys of kabbalah.
