Monthly Archives: April 2011
At interfaith families group, a rabbi does the Easter sermon
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
SILVER SPRING, Md. (RNS) On the second night of Passover, Rabbi Harold White will lead a traditional seder dinner with matzoh and bitter herbs and all the trimmings. Five days later, he’ll deliver the sermon on Easter Sunday. That’s what life looks like inside the Interfaith Family Project (IFFP) in suburban Washington, where Jewish-Christian couples […]
Budget foes, unsatisfied, to continue fast through Easter
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
WASHINGTON (RNS) The congressional budget compromise reached last week did not go far enough for some progressive Christian leaders who have vowed to continue their liquid-only fast in hopes of a “better budget.” Sojourners founder Jim Wallis and Ambassador Tony Hall, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, say the poor stand to lose […]
Huckabee on Top
By Mark Silk — April 13, 2011
Amidst all the hand-wringing about the state of the Republican presidential field, one potential candidate seems to be sailing blithely along–undeclared, familiar, discounted, and atop the polls. It’s Mike Huckabee, of course. Here’s how January looks for him. He’s well ahead in Iowa, where he won the caucuses in 2008. He’s comfortably in the group […]
Judge says monks can fight for right to sell caskets
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) Monks at St. Joseph Abbey near Covington, La., can sue for the right to sell handcrafted caskets without a license from the Louisiana Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, a federal judge has decided. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval’s April 8 ruling sets the stage for a June 6 trial, during which […]
Journalist claims to find nails from Jesus’ cross
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
JERUSALEM (RNS) An Israeli-Canadian journalist believes he may have tracked down two of the iron nails used to crucify Jesus to the cross. Or at least objects that “could be” the long-lost relics. While researching a segment for the History Channel series “Secrets of Christianity,” host and producer Simcha Jacobovici learned something that startled him: […]
Anglicans tighten rules to prevent sham marriages
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
LONDON (RNS) Couples suspected of using their wedding vows as a ruse to skirt immigration laws will be required to meet strict identity checks and face greater scrutiny under new Church of England guidelines to stop sham marriages. The guidelines announced Tuesday (April 12) by the Church’s House of Bishops target the practice of some […]
Synagogue bombing suspect nabbed in Cleveland
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (RNS) The man suspected of bombing a synagogue in Santa Monica, Calif., on April 7 was arrested in Cleveland Heights Monday (April 11). Ron Hirsch, 60, was arrested by the Cleveland Heights Police Department about 7 p.m. Monday after they received a call from someone who came in contact with Hirsch, according […]
Jurors hear closing arguments in church arson case
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (RNS) Jurors were urged Monday (April 11) to weigh the overwhelming evidence against a white man who is charged with a federal hate crime for allegedly torching a black church on the evening of President Obama’s election. Michael F. Jacques is the only one of three accomplices to stand trial for the Nov. […]
Vatican sets Oct. 22 as John Paul II’s feast day
By Tracy Gordon — April 13, 2011
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Masses in honor of the late Pope John Paul II will be celebrated every Oct. 22 starting this year, but only in Rome and Poland for now, the Vatican announced on Monday (April 11). The decree establishing a feast day for John Paul, who will be beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on […]
Tuesday’s Religion News Roundup
By Daniel Burke — April 12, 2011
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, when Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter outside Charleston, S.C. As the scholar Mark Noll has written, the Civil War was not only a military conflict but also a theological contest, one that still smolders, this USA Today op-ed argues. Just in time for […]
Just how long did Jesus stay in the tomb?
By Tracy Gordon — April 12, 2011
COMMENTARY: Someone lost the keys to the asylum
By Tom Ehrich — April 12, 2011
(RNS) The United States has always had its share of nutcases and shady characters in public life. In other words, Donald Trump is nothing new, and his presidential campaign package of absurd claims isn’t without precedent. Neither are bigots who burn, shoot and shout. Hatred is never far below the surface in many people’s lives. […]
It’s the bishops, stupid!
By Mark Silk — April 12, 2011
To read Bill Donohue’s latest defense of the virtue of the Catholic powers-that-be–published as a full-page ad in yesterday’s New York Times–is to be struck by the degree to which he and his episcopal buddies refuse even to discuss the issue that lies at the core of the sex abuse scandal over the past decade. […]
Jews craft their own answers with DIY Passover options
By Tracy Gordon — April 11, 2011
(RNS) As newlyweds, Cokie and Steve Roberts wanted to host a Passover seder that could be enjoyed by her devout Catholic family, his secular Jewish clan, and friends from a range of backgrounds. Faced with limited options for interfaith families during those early years of married life, their professional instincts as writers kicked in: they […]
Scholar challenges widely-held beliefs about the Bible and sex
By Tracy Gordon — April 11, 2011
(RNS) Is the Bible good for your sex life, but bad for a sex ed class? A Boston biblical scholar challenges widely held beliefs about the Bible and sex in her new book, arguing Scripture cannot and should not be a guidebook for sexual morality. The Bible is a complex compendium of human experience including […]
