Monthly Archives: December 2007

Billy Graham Again on “Most Admired” Men List

By Adelle M. Banks — December 28, 2007

For the 51st time, evangelist Billy Graham has been named as one of the 10 most admired men, according to a USA Today/Gallup poll. Both the 89-year-old evangelist and former South African President Nelson Mandela received 3 percent of the votes of 1,011 adults surveyed Dec. 14-16. Pope Benedict XVI, along with Microsoft founder Bill […]

Romney and the Faith Factor

By johngreen — December 27, 2007

Looking back at year’s end on Mitt Romney’s “Faith in America” speech, I see it as a touchstone for the new role of religion in contemporary American politics. The speech contained three major messages that indicate how much more complex faith-based politics have become since John F. Kennedy’s speech to the Houston Ministerial Association in […]

10 minutes with … William Ury

By Bridget MacDonald — December 27, 2007

c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) As politicians try to jump start a new round of Middle East peace talks, one of the world’s foremost experts on negotiation is literally forging a new path to peace in the region. William Ury, director of the Global Negotiation Project at Harvard University, is the visionary behind the […]

COMMENTARY: The gift that keeps on giving

By Cathleen Falsani — December 27, 2007

c. 2007 Religion News Service (UNDATED) The opening scene of “Love Actually,” the 2003 romantic comedy that is one of the best Christmas-themed movies of recent vintage, takes place at the arrivals gate of Heathrow Airport in London. As you see images of reconciliation _ people running into each other’s arms, hugging, kissing, crying, laughing, […]

RNS Daily Digest

By RNS Blog Editor — December 27, 2007

c. 2007 Religion News Service Muslims accept pope’s invitation to dialogue VATICAN CITY (RNS) A group of prominent Muslim scholars and clerics has accepted the invitation of Pope Benedict XVI for a “working meeting” on inter-religious dialogue at the Vatican. According to Catholic News Service, Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal of Jordan wrote to […]

Mercury a hidden and dangerous part of Santeria

By RNS Blog Editor — December 27, 2007

c. 2007 Religion News Service PRINCETON TOWNSHIP, N.J. _ The woman told her friend she was looking for her luck to change. She needed positive energy and hoped to rid her home of evil spirits. Her friend, who later told police his name was Joaquin Ramirez, was a Santero, a priest of sorts who practiced […]

The Only Thing She Has to Fear Is …

By Kevin Eckstrom — December 27, 2007

Frank Newport, the “Gallup Guru” you see all the time on CNN, has some interesting numbers about Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Bottom line: 62% of Republicans say they would be “afraid” if she is elected president. Unfortunately, Newport doesn’t show a breakdown by religion, but since religious conservatives make up at least one-quarter of the GOP […]

RNS Weekly Digest

By RNS Blog Editor — December 26, 2007

c. 2007 Religion News Service Mayors’ report says cities are seeing more emergency food requests (RNS) A majority of U.S. cities participating in a recent survey have seen an increase in the number of requests for emergency food assistance, the U.S. Conference of Mayors reports. The Washington-based conference issued its annual Hunger and Homelessness Survey […]

Sadder but Wiser

By Mark Silk — December 26, 2007

Check out these confessions of a Christian conservative. How many are in this kind of recovery remains to be seen, but I have the feeling that the numbers are not tiny.

New U.S. envoy to the Vatican

By Francis X. Rocca — December 26, 2007

Despite reports that her nomination might be in trouble, the Senate last week confirmed Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard Law professor and prominent “theocon,” as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. UPDATE: As noted by another news service’s blog, this blogger was still reporting that Glendon’s nomination might be in trouble even after she had already […]

Huckstrapping

By Mark Silk — December 24, 2007

From this Dallas Morning News piece, it looks like Huck is doing quite well, thank you, working around the lukewarmness of many of the Religious Right’s Big Dogs.

Huck Angers Catholics

By rvineis — December 23, 2007

Reuters’ Jim Forsyth has this story on how Mike Huckabee’s appearance at a controversial church might anger some Catholic voters. The anger surrounds the church’s pastor John Hagee. “Hagee has a history of denigrating the Catholic religion,” said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, the largest Catholic civil rights group in the United States. […]

Obama: I’m not a Muslim

By rvineis — December 23, 2007

Barack Obama clarified his faith Sunday telling voters in Iowa that although his father lived in a “Muslim dominated village in Kenya” he “didn’t practice Islam.”

Kennedyesque

By Mark Silk — December 23, 2007

I was just watching the hour-long interview with Obama conducted last October by editorial board of the Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph, which endorsed Obama today. About eight minutes from the end, the candidate is asked whether his faith has ever come into conflict with policy positions he has taken. His answer is no, though it he […]

Pennies from Heaven