Monthly Archives: November 2013
Church trial shines spotlight on denomination’s ambivalence
By Renée K. Gadoua — November 20, 2013
(RNS) The United Methodist Church’s ambivalence over homosexuality was written all over the penalty given a Pennsylvania pastor Tuesday night at a trial conducted to determine his guilt for officiating at a same-sex wedding.
Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture
By Religion News LLC — November 20, 2013
The Bible you are reading is an abridged version. Whether it is the Jewish Bible or the Catholic Bible or the Protestant Bible, and regardless of the language you are reading, the edition is an abbreviated one. With no disrespect to any faith’s determination of its sacred canon, the community of ancient Israel that produced […]
Billy Graham hospitalized with respiratory problems
By John Boyle — November 20, 2013
(RNS) "Mr. Graham is in the hospital with a respiratory congestion issue, similar to what he had a few weeks ago," spokesman Mark DeMoss said. "As was the case then, we expect he will be able to return home in a day or two."
Behind scenes, Catholic bishops seek an exit strategy for Obamacare mandate
By David Gibson — November 20, 2013
(RNS) After repeatedly drawing a line in the sand over the White House's birth control coverage mandate, a growing number of bishops have begun to push back, arguing that such hard-line rhetoric has put them in an untenable position.
Why C.S. Lewis remains popular: a friend reflects
By Sarah Pulliam Bailey — November 20, 2013
(RNS) Fifty years after his death, not many people can claim to have known C.S. Lewis personally. But one of them is James Houston, one of the founders of the respected Christian institution Regent College in Vancouver, who ran in the same circles as Lewis while they were both at Oxford. Houston, who turned 91 […]
Three rules for responding to critics (thank you, Abe Lincoln!)
By Jana Riess — November 20, 2013
It's easy to lash out in an immature fashion when we feel we've been unfairly judged. I've got three strategies for dealing with this, the last one inspired by President Lincoln.
Faith and feminism: Excerpt from ‘Talking Taboo’ examines sexual temptation
By Enuma Okoro — November 20, 2013
(RNS) Excerpt from "Talking Taboo": Then it happened. I didn’t mean it to. But at some point I started getting flutters at the “dink” of my iPhone. A text or phone message from him could easily redeem the halfheartedness of an otherwise mediocre day. At some point I started crushing on him.
Expectations are high for summit between Pope Francis and Vladimir Putin
By Eric J. Lyman — November 20, 2013
ROME (RNS) Because of the period of reform Francis has ushered in at the Vatican, and a list of priorities that range from Syria to a desire to strengthen ties between one of the world's largest countries and one of the smallest, the Nov. 25 closed-door encounter will take on a dramatically increased importance.
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly listings – November 22
By Religion News LLC — November 20, 2013
Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET. Visitwww.pbs.org/religionandethics for additional information. Show #1712 will be fed over PBS at 5:00 p.m. EST on November 22 (check local listings). Making It Against the Law to Help the Homeless – More and more cities trying to clean up their downtowns are finding new ways to discourage the […]
En route to Sotheby’s, Bay Psalm Book traces nation’s seesaw religious history
By David Van Biema — November 20, 2013
(RNS) The Bay Psalm Book “is for American book collecting what the Guttenberg Bible has been for collecting, period,” said Bill Reese, a major dealer in printed Americana “…Except there are 46 copies of the Guttenberg.”
Are Christian conferences racially exclusive?
By Jonathan Merritt — November 20, 2013
Some say Christian conferences are dominated by white people. RNS' Jonathan Merritt crunches the numbers.
Church of England paves the way for women bishops
By Trevor Grundy — November 20, 2013
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) The agreement to allow women bishops would end nearly two decades of bitter conflict, and represents a victory for the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was appointed last year just as a similar measure was defeated by just six votes.
Women priest proof? * Chanukah House * Godless Gettysburg: Wednesday’s Religion News Roundup
By David Gibson — November 20, 2013
Aldous Huxley also died on Nov. 22, 1963, and left a spiritual mark on our nation's culture. Dec. 15 is the Second Annual Wear Pants to Church Day for Mormon women. Pope Francis goes to confession, and check out the newly-unveiled frescoes from the catacombs.
Mission Aviation Fellowship and New Tribes Mission provide desperately needed aid to remote Philippine islands
By Religion News LLC — November 20, 2013
CUYO, Philippines — Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and New Tribes Mission (NTM) are working hand-in-hand to deliver food, clean water, and other critical aid to remote island communities of the Philippines in desperate need following Typhoon Haiyan. NTM has four aviation personnel stationed in the Philippines on an ongoing basis, operating two small airplanes and […]
New Documentary Explores C.S. Lewis’s Struggle over Intelligent Design
By Religion News LLC — November 20, 2013
SEATTLE–Just in time for the 50th anniversary of C.S. Lewis’s death, a new documentary is being released exploring the beloved Christian writer’s life-long struggle to find intelligent design in a world filled with cruelty, pain, and imperfection. The documentary “C.S. Lewis and Intelligent Design” premieres this week on the NRB cable and satellite network and […]
