RNS Blog Editor
RNS Blog Editor is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by RNS Blog Editor
And that’s the way he was
By RNS Blog Editor — July 21, 2009
Walter Cronkite, who died Friday at age 92, was an American anchor in more ways than one. But in 1994, the Episcopalian gave a wide-ranging interview to The Christian Century on the faith that anchored him. It seems the man who pioneered broadcast news once pondered the Episcopal priesthood, while working as a newspaper church […]
Shiny, Happy People
By RNS Blog Editor — July 17, 2009
A new Chinese commercial has happy Muslims and Han Chinese, donning matching yellow polo shirts and singing: “We are all part of the same family.” This ad brought to you by China’s “relentless propaganda campaign” to gloss over the ethnic rioting in Xinjiang, Associated Press reported. FYI: The 1991 R.E.M. song “Shiny, Happy People” has […]
Muslim in Congress
By RNS Blog Editor — July 16, 2009
WaPo has an in-depth profile on the first elected Muslim to Congress. Apparently, Rep. Keith Ellison is just the right amount of Muslim. Enough to get him re-elected, enough to annoy Republicans, and enough to kind of, sort of help Obama’s public image. “I’ve just taken it in stride,” Ellison says in the article. “In […]
Spoken too soon?
By RNS Blog Editor — July 15, 2009
The Catholic League was thrilled with Obama’s surgeon general pick, a practicing Catholic, but we’re wondering if they missed the memo on one important point: Dr. Regina Benjamin supports abortion rights. The advocacy group has already been pondering Benjamin’s policy influence in anti-abortion efforts, what with Benjamin already being blessed by the pope for her […]
Eco-friendly Faith
By RNS Blog Editor — July 15, 2009
An English teenager decided to become environmentally moral by getting baptized in a river , as opposed to heating up a baptism pool. Aiming to lead a greener life, she says raising the temperature of a baptistery is a waste of one thousand cups of tea. I applaud her for being not only a good […]
Is Britney a Jew?
By RNS Blog Editor — July 15, 2009
Looks like another scandalous ensemble from Britney Spears. Check out the star of David dangling from this Baptist girl’s neck. And you thought MJ’s brand of religion would haunt you forever. No worries, we’ve got another mega-celebrity to scratch our heads about. (Photo credit: ABC news)
Watch your language please
By RNS Blog Editor — July 15, 2009
Evangelist Tony Alamo faces a 10-count indictment on sex charges, but there’s one label that won’t be leveled on him: polygamist. A federal judge ruled Monday (July 13) that the term “polygamy” cannot be used during the minister’s trial. Prosecutors had hoped to cite Alamo’s views on polygamy as biblical, in part to explain allegations […]
A bit of the unorthodox for the Orthodox
By RNS Blog Editor — July 14, 2009
Things may be heating up this month, as the Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America meets for its convention in Palm Desert, Calif.–an event some insiders have dubbed “Palm Desert Storm.” David Yonke at the Toledo Blade has the story of denominational infighting, complete with nasty e-mails, allegations of forgery, and a five-year old sex […]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…
By RNS Blog Editor — July 14, 2009
It’s Christmas in July as Salvation Army volunteers ring their bells and fill collection kettles in New York City this week. The Christian charity’s summer stint aims to ease additional strain from the economy. (Photo credit: Time Magazine)
Smoochfest in protest near Mormon temple
By RNS Blog Editor — July 13, 2009
PDA turned into protest Sunday (June 12), as over 100 people staged a “kiss-in,” to demonstrate against the treatment of two gay men by security guards with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Caught kissing on Salt Lake City’s Main Street Plaza, which the LDS Church now owns, the two men were handcuffed, […]
I Belong to Jesus
By RNS Blog Editor — July 13, 2009
The Brazilian football (or soccer for those of us Americans) team was chastized by FIFA, world football’s governing body, for bearing their souls and chests during the finals of the Confederations Cup last month. Stripping out of their jerseys to show T-shirts that read “I Belong to Jesus” and “I Love God,” some members of […]
Only in America
By RNS Blog Editor — July 9, 2009
Henry Kissinger, Barbra Streisand, the Three Stooges—they’re all Jewish and all in the running to be celebrated in the Only in America/Hall of Fame at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philly. Problem is they have some competition. The museum is asking you (yes, even the Christians, Muslims, atheists, you name it) to […]
Metro Crash Saint
By RNS Blog Editor — July 6, 2009
Check out this WaPo story on a D.C. Metro crash survivor who relied on prayer to excavate himself and others two weeks ago from the deadliest collision in Metrorail history. “I really believe God was in there with me…that he was in control,” survivor Daryl Smith Jr. told the Washington Post. “He’s the reason I’m […]
Love Vigils
By RNS Blog Editor — July 6, 2009
Who needs religion when you’ve got MJ? Turns out the Jackson brothers reached an impasse when deciding which faith tradition would be better suited for Michael’s memorial service tomorrow, according to a New York Daily News story. The lucky 8,750 fans who are awarded tickets will focus on praising MJ at the non-denominational event. For […]
No Muslim holidays for NYC schools
By RNS Blog Editor — July 1, 2009
Even though New York’s City Council passed a resolution asking the Education Department to observe two Muslim holidays, Mayor Michael Bloomberg isn’t having it. “Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city is too diverse for schools to observe every holiday.” There might be more Muslim students than you think, though. The AP story cites a 2008 […]
