Monthly Archives: September 2010
COMMENTARY: Nobody ever said love was easy
By Tracy Gordon — September 23, 2010
Staub(RNS) People often say that love is the solution to all our societal problems. They could learn a thing or two from Leo Tolstoy, who could write and say such wonderful things about love but was unable to love even his own wife. The tragic story is well documented and retold in the recent film, […]
Episcopal bishops demand Philadelphia bishop resign
By Tracy Gordon — September 23, 2010
(RNS) The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops called Tuesday (Sept. 21) for the “immediate and unconditional resignation” of Bishop Charles Bennison of Philadelphia, who had been charged with not reporting his brother’s relationship with an underage girl. “As the House of Bishops, we have come to the conclusion that Bishop Bennison’s capacity to exercise the […]
Prominent Atlanta minister named in three abuse suits
By Tracy Gordon — September 23, 2010
(RNS) Bishop Eddie Long, a prominent Atlanta-area megachurch leader, has been sued by three young men accusing him of sexual misconduct. Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., has denied claims of sexual abuse and gifts of cash, cars and overnight trips by the men. After two suits had been filed […]
Scholar: Israelites beer drinkers, too
By Tracy Gordon — September 23, 2010
(RNS) Ancient Israelites drank not only wine but also beer, according to a biblical scholar at Xavier University in Louisiana. “Ancient Israelites, with the possible exception of a few teetotaling Nazirites and their moms, proudly drank beer — and lots of it,” said Michael Homan, in his article for the September/October issue Biblical Archaeology Review. […]
Regressing the Culture Wars
By Mark Silk — September 23, 2010
While we’re on the subject of the relationship between religion and social views, I’ve just received a pre-publication copy of a paper written by University of Southern Illinois sociology prof. Darren Sherkat and a couple of colleagues analyzing the connections between religion, partisan politics, and views of same-sex marriage. Yes, it”s a gnarly regression-analysis-laden exercise […]
Vice Versa
By Mark Silk — September 22, 2010
I wish Christine O’Donnell had campaigned against witchcraft and dabbled into masturbation.
We interrupt this broadcast …
By Kevin Eckstrom — September 22, 2010
We hope y’all enjoy the RNS Religion Roundup as much as we enjoy bringing it to you (well, most days at least). We’re going on a brief hiatus while the RNS staff decamps for Denver for the annual Religion Newswriters Association meeting. We’ll see you back here — same time, same channel — on Monday.
10 minutes with … Mark Massa
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
(RNS) For generations, thousands of Catholics — from archbishops to people in the pews — saw the Catholic Church as eternal, timeless, and unmoved by the tides of history. But the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s unleashed a sea of changes — none more significant than the recognition that Catholicism has, and continues to […]
Spirituality meets consumerism at Joyce Meyer conference
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
ST. LOUIS (RNS) The scene near the concession stands resembled something closer to a strip mall on Black Friday than the hour preceding a worship service. Hundreds of women lined up outside a temporary “boutique” with displays of $25 T-shirts and $40 hoodies emblazoned with messages like “Love Revolution” and “Think Happy Thoughts.” A staff […]
Bible study asks, `What Would Andy Do?’
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (RNS) Say a group of immigrants want to build a mosque in Mayberry, right next to All Saints Church. WWAD: What Would Andy Do? The question, of course, never surfaced in the beloved “Andy Griffith Show” that chronicled life in the bucolic town of Mayberry, untouched by the battles of civil rights and […]
COMMENTARY: Love your Mother
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
Religion doesn’t matter much
By Mark Silk — September 22, 2010
Last week’s Pew survey on the influence of religion on Americans’ policy views is notable for revealing how little influence there is. The only areas where religion appears to play a significant leading role in influencing opinion are same-sex marriage, abortion and the death penalty. Sixty percent of pro-lifers and 45 percent of those opposed […]
Vatican bank under scrutiny for possible money laundering
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican expressed its “perplexity and astonishment” after an Italian court took the unprecedented step on Tuesday (Sept. 21) of freezing $30 million in Vatican funds pending an investigation for money laundering. The court acted after prosecutors charged the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican Bank, with violating […]
Pastor at center of Quran burn could face $200,000 bill
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
(RNS) The Florida pastor who abruptly called off plans to burn hundreds of Qurans could still face a $200,000 bill from law enforcement agencies that were called in to provide security at the protest. Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., pulled the planned protest on Sept. 11 after pressure […]
Justice Department: FBI erred in targeting interfaith center
By Tracy Gordon — September 22, 2010
WASHINGTON (RNS) A Department of Justice inspector concluded that the FBI improperly targeted U.S. advocacy organizations for surveillance, including the Thomas Merton Center, an interfaith group focused on nonviolence. “We found that the FBI’s investigations related to the Merton Center and its statements describing the basis for that investigation raised the most troubling issues in […]
