Monthly Archives: July 2007
Pope Hopes Latin Mass Will Spur `Reconcilation’ and `Reverence’
By Frances X. Rocca — July 7, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In a long-awaited document to be released Saturday (July 7), Pope Benedict XVI will make it easier for priests to celebrate the “old Latin Mass,” a practice sidelined in the 1960s when Catholic Church officials made local-language Mass the norm. In a letter to the world’s bishops, Benedict says […]
Chaplain Ministers to God’s Four-Legged Creatures
By Greg Garrison — July 7, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. _ Next to an open Bible on a table inside the Riverview Animal Clinic, pet Chaplain Marcus Allison cuddled a sick, shivering brown puppy in one arm, reading aloud a verse of Scripture. Then he stroked the dog’s fur and spoke softly. “The Lord loves you,” he said. […]
Let My People In
By RNS Blog Editor — July 6, 2007
Faith Groups Oppose New Rules on Religious Worker Visas New rules in the U.S.’ religious worker visa program are under fire from a variety of faith groups, as RNS’ Omar Sacirbey reports in this week’s full-text article, linked above. Quote: “There is not enough evidence to warrant these rule changes,” said Ishani Chowdhury, director of […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 6, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Catholic Lawmakers Seek Bishops’ Help in Ending Iraq War WASHINGTON (RNS) In a rare reversal of roles, 14 Catholic members of Congress are lobbying U.S. Catholic bishops to step up efforts to end the war in Iraq. The lawmakers, all Democrats, wrote to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops asking […]
Move Over, Harry Potter. Christian Fantasy Has Arrived.
By RNS Blog Editor — July 6, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Whether using dragons, firefish or sword-wielding soccer moms, writers in the emerging category of Christian fantasy fiction are clamoring for a spot in the marketplace. Fantasy fiction in general commands a large following and copious real estate in bookstores. But while Web sites and Christian writing conferences brim with […]
Churches Seek Protection From Sky-high Insurance Premiums
By Ashbel S. (Tony) Green — July 6, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service ORLANDO, Fla. _ Wesley United Methodist Church is a congregation of a few hundred members in Marco Island, Fla. It is an active congregation with ministries to the homeless, students and the elderly, and every year it sends missionaries to Guatemala. The congregation enjoys a prime location less than two […]
COMMENTARY: Men Are From Mars … And So Are a Few Catholic Priests
By Phyllis Zagano — July 6, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Catholic priest pederasty may be on the wane, but it has not stopped. Voice of the Faithful, the Catholic lay group formed in response to the crisis, thinks celibacy is part of the problem. They’re gearing up to ask the Vatican to restore an ancient church tradition: married priests. […]
COMMENTARY: Good Luck, Tony Blair
By James Rudin — July 6, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Tony Blair, the British prime minister who gave up his office last week, led his Labor Party to three successive electoral victories beginning in 1997. In that same year, Blair helped save the bumbling royal House of Windsor from self-destruction with his astute crisis management following the death of […]
10 Minutes With … Sean Meshorer
By Bridget MacDonald — July 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) When some 1,000 church pastors go to their mailboxes this summer, they’ll find a free book from a publisher whose titles routinely focus on such non-Christian subjects as yoga and reincarnation. This time, with the release of “Revelations of Christ,” California publisher Crystal Clarity aims to reintroduce pastors and […]
RNS Daily Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Voice of the Faithful Urges Discussion Over Celibacy (RNS) The lay Catholic group Voice of the Faithful is calling on the Vatican to review mandatory celibacy requirements for priests, signaling a more confrontational tack in its efforts to reform the church. “We decided to break with our past silence on […]
COMMENTARY: We Are Now Free to Move About the Country
By Tom Ehrich — July 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) In two weeks, my family and I will join the 20 percent of Americans who move each year. In our case, a change of one letter _ NC to NY _ means going to “The City,” as New Yorkers call Manhattan, going from house to apartment, from spread-out to […]
Artists Blend American, Muslim Identities on Canvas
By Menachem Wecker — July 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) When the Prophet Muhammad saw the pillow his young wife, Aisha, had decorated for him with pictures of animals, he rebuked her: “Don’t you know that angels do not enter a house wherein there are pictures; and whoever makes a picture will be punished on the Day of Resurrection?” […]
SIDEBAR: American Baptist Churches USA Marks 100 Years
By Adelle M. Banks — July 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) One hundred years ago, the Northern Baptist Convention was incorporated, after dividing with Southern Baptists who wanted to permit their missionaries to be slaveowners. A century later, the group now called American Baptist Churches USA has become one of the most multicultural denominations in the country. “Today in our […]
Baptists United to Say They’re the `Other’ Baptists
By Adelle M. Banks — July 4, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service WASHINGTON _ Sitting on stools on a convention center stage, the Revs. Roy Medley, Tyrone Pitts and Daniel Vestal recalled how they came to know each other as they worked together in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Their almost casual chat took the place of a more formal sermon as […]
RNS Weekly Digest
By RNS Blog Editor — July 3, 2007
c. 2007 Religion News Service Judge Says California Parishes Belong to Episcopal Church (RNS) Three California parishes that have left the Episcopal Church cannot keep church buildings or other property, a California appeals court ruled Monday (June 25). A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal overturned a lower court’s rulings and found […]
