Monthly Archives: September 2011
Thursday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — September 23, 2011
Ted Haggard and Gary Busey are going to go on “Celebrity Wife Swap” together. That’s right, Ted Haggard – the pastor and former president of the National Association of Evangelicals who was disgraced after he admitted to doing drugs and, um, visiting a male prostitute – is going to “swap wives” with actor and born-again […]
Can young Jews become more Jewish without much Judaism?
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2011
(RNS) Samantha Perilstein is a bubbly hospitality major at the University of Delaware and deeply connected to Jewish life on campus. Which is a change from where she started. To Rabbi Jeremy Winaker, that made Perilstein a perfect candidate for an ambitious national experiment to bring college Jews back to Judaism. Under a $17 million […]
Pope begins first state visit to homeland
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2011
BERLIN (RNS) Thousands of people turned out Thursday (Sept. 22) for Pope Benedict XVI’s first official visit to his native Germany, although at times it was hard to tell if people were there to welcome him or denounce him. There were protests all across Berlin on Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators rallied against church policies […]
Catholics warn of `national conflict’ over gay marriage
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2011
NEW YORK (RNS) The nation’s top Catholic bishop issued a stern challenge to the Obama administration’s decision not to support a federal ban on gay marriage, and warned the president that his policies could “precipitate a national conflict between church and state of enormous proportions.” In a letter sent Tuesday (Sept. 20), Archbishop Timothy Dolan […]
ThursdayâÂ?Â?s Religion News Roundup
By David Gibson — September 22, 2011
Troy Davis was executed by the State of Georgia on Wednesday night, still proclaiming his innocence in the murder of a police officer 22 years ago. “All I can ask…is that you look deeper into this case so that you really can finally see the truth. I ask my family and friends to continue to […]
Evangelicals line up behind Rick Perry
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2011
(RNS) From media mavens to grassroots activists, conservative Christian leaders are heaping praise on presidential candidate Rick Perry, an early but important show of support from a vital GOP constituency. Initially unimpressed with the 2012 presidential field, some of these evangelicals now herald Perry’s late entry as the second coming of Ronald Reagan. Like Reagan, […]
Poll finds evangelicals stand apart on evolution, climate change
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) White evangelicals and Tea Party members are less likely to believe in evolution and climate change than most Americans, a finding that could pose a particular problem for Republican presidential hopefuls. A new poll released Thursday (Sept. 22) also showed that a majority of Americans (57 percent) believes in evolution, and an even […]
Oktoberfest in the Granite State
By Mark Silk — September 22, 2011
By 49 percent to 29 percent, New Hampshire Republicans say they would rather have a beer with Mitt Romney than with Rick Perry. Maybe because then they’d get to drink the candidate’s brew themselves.
Rebranding the SBC
By Mark Silk — September 22, 2011
President Bryant Wright of the Southern Baptist Convention has decided that the country’s largest (but shrinking) Protestant denomination needs a new name–because it’s too, well, regional: “There are not a lot of folks in New York City interested in going to a Southern Baptist church,” he said. “Or in Cheyenne, Wyoming, or Boise, Idaho.” Or, […]
Catholics asked to fight birth control insurance rule
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2011
(RNS) Catholics around the country are being asked to object in writing to a new federal rule that will require Catholic ministries to offer birth control coverage to their employees. In particular, Catholic bishops say a “conscience clause” that ought to exempt church organizations is too narrow and should be rewritten. The U.S. Conference of […]
Wednesday Godbytes
By Jack Jenkins — September 21, 2011
Looks like religion and manliness is the talk of cybertown these days. Joe Carter over at First Things insists that Jesus is not, in fact, a cage fighter. First, however, establishes his own “man cred”…with some caveats: “I’ve hunted for snipe and fished for shark. I’ve eaten rattlesnake, alligator, and the pork patty from an […]
Clock is ticking for religious freedom panel
By Tracy Gordon — September 21, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) The independent and bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom could be forced to shut its doors if the Senate does not vote by week’s end to reauthorize the panel. The commission appears to be in legislative limbo after the House voted Sept. 15 to extend the panel for an additional two years. […]
Southern Baptist president floats name change
By Tracy Gordon — September 21, 2011
(RNS) The Southern Baptist Convention could be renamed after President Bryant Wright set up a task force to consider a new identity for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. “The name `Southern’ really no longer reflects who we are as convention in reaching all of North America,” Wright said in a video posted on the Pray4SBC.com […]
Religious groups latch on to the Groupon craze
By Tracy Gordon — September 21, 2011
CHICAGO (RNS) Social deals are going spiritual. Inspired by their religious callings — and the $713 million in revenue that social deal pioneer Groupon took in last year — a growing number of entrepreneurs are making a go of the fast-growing social coupon space with sites specifically targeting religious groups. Jewish sites Jewpon, Jdeal and […]
Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Lauren Markoe — September 21, 2011
The American hikers who spent two years in an Iranian prison are free on bail. Israel’s finance minister says his country may withhold tax revenue from Palestinians should they persist in pursuing statehood through the United Nations. Meanwhile on the streets of Ramallah, thousands rally in support of the U.N. bid. The Pope has approved […]
