More than 70 Christian leaders, including heads of denominations and evangelical heavyweights, say they are “deeply troubled” by the questioning of President Obama’s Christian faith. “We understand that these are contentious times,” the leaders say in an open letter, “but the personal faith of our leaders should not be up for debate.”
The GOP is trying to distance itself from the RNC’s new media director, who tweeted that Obama himself might be among the 20 percent of Americans who think he’s Muslim. Glen Beck said Obama is “not a Christian.” Conservatives are trying to stir up controversy about Obama speaking at Xavier University, a Catholic school, at a Katrina memorial on Saturday.
One of the co-organizers of Park51, the mosque and cultural center planned near Ground Zero, said moving the project is “off the table for now.” Park51 got a boost on Wednesday from a coalition of supporters that includes families of 9/11 victims, reports the AP, which also profiled the real estate developer behind the project.
The NYT looks at world opinion of our raucous debate over Park51 and finds that in almost every country people see the debate as confirmation of their pre-existing feelings about the country – good or bad. I think I’m with Jon Stewart on this one.
A Muslim taxi driver in NYC was stabbed by a 21-year-old film student in what police are calling a hate crime. A man urinated on prayer rugs in a Queens, N.Y. mosque; another mosque in Calif. was vandalized with signs saying “No temple for the God of terrorism at Ground Zero. ANB.” ANB stands for American Nationalist Brotherhood, says the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The armed militia group that had planned to protect a Florida church’s Quran burning on 9/11 has had second thoughts, according to CNN. The NYT profiles the pastor behind the burning, Terry Jones, who says he has “no experience of (the Quran) whatsoever. I only know what the Bible says.” WaPo finds that “shariah” has become a rallying cry for American critics of Islam.
USA Today profiles Anwar al-Awlaki, the Yemeni-American cleric who has become the Osama bin Laden of the Internet.
Denver’s Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput said “systematic discrimination” against the church is emerging in the U.S. and Europe. More than 100 religious charities sent a letter to Congress protesting a provision in pending legislatin that would prohibit them from receiving federal money if they make personnel decision based on religion.
Disgruntled former members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will be voting to create their new denomination on Friday. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson asks “how this separation in the body of Christ will serve the ministry and message of reconciliation entrusted to us by God.” The Minneapolis Star-Tribune finds that, a year after voting to allow sexually active gay clergy, the ELCA remains largely intact.
Hundreds of Catholic nuns and impoverished Indians are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa’s birthday. The Rev. Jim Martin has a nice meditation on Teresa’s spiritual struggles over at HuffPo. Pope Benedict XVI will soon announce Oct. 9 as the feast day for Cardinal Newman.
A Las Vegas man is suing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because he hurt his back baptizing heavy people. An Italian cobbler has made identical shoes for the pope and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in a bid to promote ecumenism. They are white satin. Benedict’s taste runs more scarlet, I hear.
