In Thursday’s RNS report Kevin Eckstrom writes about the Rev. Irene Elizabeth “Beth” Stroud, a United Methodist pastor who was ousted because she is in a lesbian relationship, and who is now fighting back with a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned sodomy laws. Stroud will face the church’s highest court at a hearing in Houston on Oct. 27: Stroud, 35, was initially convicted last December of violating a church ban against “self-avowed, practicing” gay clergy. An appeals court threw out the verdict in April, citing legal and procedural errors. Conservatives have longworried that the Lawrence v. Texas decision that overturned a Texas sodomy law would have unforeseen consequences, and now it appears the ruling has found its way into a prominent church dispute.
Andrea Useem reports on Islamic charities generously helping earthquake victims in Pakistan, and what effect this might have on the perception of these organizations: Charity leaders say they hope that their success will help lift the pall of suspicion that has hung over Muslim non-profits since 9/11. Islamic Relief USA, the largest Muslim international aid agency in the United States, has received more than $2 million in donations, almost double the total raised by the American Red Cross. Donations from American Muslims have been immediate and generous, reflecting the relatively high economic status of Muslim immigrants, according to Muslim community leaders around the nation. With their fund-raising success, Muslim leaders are now making renewed calls to the Bush administration to recognize the contributions and legitimacy of Muslim charities.
