Monthly Archives: January 2003
NEWS STORY: Religious Groups Press Bush on African Concerns
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious groups urged President Bush to deploy peacekeepers to the wartorn country of Liberia as the president tours Africa and weighs American involvement in the peace process. Bush, who is making his first official visit to Africa, said Tuesday (July 8) that the United States would get involved, […]
NEWS FEATURE: Samaritan Remnant Seeks Support for Vision of Mideast Peace
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The Samaritan Israelites, a people despised in the biblical era as unclean and decimated by centuries of violent conflict but who have adopted a policy of total disarmament, want to share their peaceful vision with other countries in the Middle East by building an international peace center, a […]
NEWS STORY: Study: Faith-Based Providers Stick With Clients Longer
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Two studies released this week by a religion and social policy research organization found that even though “faith-based” service groups provide longer-term care for the neediest of society than other groups, states have been sluggish in building a framework that supports such organizations. Both studies were released by […]
NEWS ANALYSIS: Causes Right and Left Claim a Part of King’s `Dream’ for Own Legitimacy
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Forty years ago on Aug. 28, 1963, blacks, whites, Christians and Jews descended on the National Mall for the March on Washington, their day capped with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s now-famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Four decades later, the diversity of faces and voices resonating […]
NEWS FEATURE: Baha’is Marking Fast Leading to New Year
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Even before the bright Sunday sun rose over the nation’s capital, important decisions had to be made _ none of which dealt with foreign policy or homeland security. Instead, breakfast. One woman crunched on an apple. Another chose a hearty breakfast of cornmeal pancakes and yogurt. And one […]
NEWS STORY: White House Outlines Stance on Faith-Based Hiring Rules
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The White House officially spelled out its reasoning for supporting religious hiring practices of faith-based organizations that some critics have found discriminatory. Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives, said federal law currently embodies at least five different approaches to hiring by […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Leaders Offer Mixed Assessment of Bush Speech
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious leaders reacting to President Bush’s State of the Union speech seemed generally pleased with his proposal to further address the AIDS crisis in Africa but remained divided over his plans for confronting Iraq as well as domestic issues relating to cloning, abortion and faith-based groups. Faith groups […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Groups Help Stall Head Start Bill
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ House Democrats said Thursday (July 17) that they had teamed with educators across the country to stall Republican plans to reauthorize the almost 40-year-old Head Start program. Among those educators who are opposed to the current version of the bill: religious sponsors of Head Start programs. “Our whip […]
NEWS FEATURE: Samaritan Remnant Seeks Support for Vision of Mideast Peace
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The Samaritan Israelites, a people despised in the biblical era as unclean and decimated by centuries of violent conflict but who have adopted a policy of total disarmament, want to share their peaceful vision with other countries in the Middle East by building an international peace center, a […]
NEWS STORY: Political, Religious Leaders Mark National Day of Prayer
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious and political leaders joined together for a National Day of Prayer observance Thursday (May 1) on Capitol Hill as similar gatherings were held across the nation in locations ranging from the White House to stadiums to office buildings. Hundreds of Christians meeting at the Cannon House Office […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Groups Lobby to Free Charitable Giving Bill
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ With only a few weeks left before Congress departs until 2004, religious advocacy groups are trying to break a Democratic “hold” on what remains of President Bush’s plan to provide tax breaks for charitable donations. Supporters say one or more unidentified Democrats have used indefinite delays to block […]
NEWS STORY: Religious Relief Groups Warn of Looming Ethiopian Famine
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Religious relief and aid organizations warned Tuesday (March 18) that Ethiopia is again on the brink of famine and called for greater funding and attention for the African country and its neighbors. “More people are affected by this food shortage than in 1984, when 1 million lives were […]
NEWS STORY: White House Unveils New Effort to Implement Faith-Based Plan
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ The White House announced Monday (Sept. 22) additional regulations and new proposed rules aimed at moving President Bush’s faith-based initiative forward in the administration’s attempt to increase access to federal funding for religious social service programs. The Department of Housing and Urban Development finalized rules permitting faith-based organizations […]
NEWS STORY: Interfaith Group of Religious Leaders Prods Bush on Mideast Peace
By RNS Blog Editor — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Despite deep ideological differences about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a broad range of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders are urging President Bush to aggressively work toward lasting peace in the Middle East. A group of 32 religious leaders attending a day-long Washington meeting on the conflict Tuesday (Dec. 2) […]
NEWS STORY: Evangelicals Gather to Highlight Their Campaign Against AIDS
By Adelle M. Banks — January 1, 2003
c. 2003 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Evangelical leaders meeting at a global AIDS forum issued a statement of conscience Wednesday (June 11) declaring the disease “may be the greatest humanitarian crisis of all time.” The statement was released as about 200 leaders gathered to meet with representatives of AIDS ministries and officials from Africa, […]
