Opinion
Obama’s Muslim
By Mark Silk — August 5, 2008
The Obama campaign has appointed its national coordinator for Muslim affairs and it’s not (as originally reported) Hiam Nawas, but a Chicago lawyer named Mazen Asbahi. Asbahi graduated from Northwestern Law School a dozen years ago, and has acquired his legal chops at some of the toniest law firms in the Second City. He’s also […]
Lambeth 2008
By Mark Silk — August 4, 2008
From the fourth draft of the Anglican bishops’ Reflections: 103. The ordination of an openly partnered homosexual bishop and the open blessing of same sex relationships has had many negative results including:…In some places the church is ridiculed as the “gay church”, so membership is lost. As in “despised and rejected of men”?
Quinnipiac Notes
By Mark Silk — August 4, 2008
Last week’s Quinnipiac survey of Floridians, Ohians, and Pennsylvanians, provides some confirmation of my hypothesis that evangelicals may be dividing along regional lines. In Florida, McCain runs ahead of Obama by the usual GOP margin of three-to-one (71 percent to 23 percent), whereas in Ohio and Pennsylvania, the margins are only two-to-one (62-31 and 60-32 […]
The Romney Perplex
By Mark Silk — August 4, 2008
I’m still catching up from last week, and in the process this piece by the Washington Times‘ Ralph Z. Hallow caught my eye. The questions it raises have to do with the extent of evangelical antipathy to Mitt Romney, and the degree to which it is based on anti-Mormonism or concerns about Romney’s less than […]
The Late Great
By Mark Silk — August 3, 2008
Hal Lindsey, whose The Late Great Planet Earth was the premillennialist tract for the Jesus Freak generation, is still selling his premil patent medicine, and not very surprisingly the latest Sign of the Times is Barack Obama. Obama’s not the Antichrist, according to Lindsey, but rather a sort of harbinger, maybe an antichristical John the […]
God Gap in MO
By Mark Silk — August 2, 2008
Latest from SUSA on Missouri: Regular attenders for McCain, 60-35. Occasionals for Obama, 57-35. Almost Nevers for Obama, 56-38. Since 55 percent of Show Me Staters claim to be regular attenders, that translates into a McCain lead of 49-44.
Interfaith 2008
By Mark Silk — August 1, 2008
Note how the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches doesn’t even make it into the top of the press release. O how the mighty have fallen.
John McCain, wafer warrior
By Mark Silk — August 1, 2008
David Gibson’s speculation on John McCain’s meeting with Denver archbishop Charles Chaput is worth a ponder. McCain may have his problems with evangelicals, but not conservative Catholics have, so far as I’ve seen, so much as cocked a snoot at him. To the contrary, they seem unfazed by his less than orthodox positions on stem […]
Mutual Admiration
By Mark Silk — August 1, 2008
Tom Perriello, the “common good” Catholic running for Congress in Virginia 5, succeeded in picking up one of the handful of endorsements that J Street is handing out in its maiden run. In response, Perriello made with the right phrase when dealing with a progressive Jewish endorsement: As a national security consultant with experience in […]
What about J.C.?
By Mark Silk — August 1, 2008
Catching up a little but on the week’s news, I note that Brody’s hawked his Lieberman interview in a series of posts. In one, Connecticut’s junior senator, in the course of defending his “dear friend” Pastor Hagee’s Holocaust remarks (and I’m not going to criticize the defense), rather astonishingly declares: I don’t agree with everything […]
COMMENTARY: Russia reawakens
By Tracy Gordon — August 1, 2008
My wife and I recently returned from a two-week river cruise between Moscow and St. Petersburg with four stops along the way. Even a brief tourist visit confirmed Winston Churchill’s description of Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” To be sure, Russia is experiencing a strong religious revival. Everywhere we […]
COMMENTARY: Russia reawakens
By James Rudin — August 1, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) My wife Marcia and I recently returned from a two-week river cruise between Moscow and St. Petersburg with four stops along the way. Even a brief visit confirmed Winston Churchill’s description of Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” With that in mind, here is […]
COMMENTARY: What happens at Lambeth doesn’t stay at Lambeth
By Phyllis Zagano — July 31, 2008
c. 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) When Anglican bishops unpack memories of their 2008 Lambeth Conference, one recollection they will handle gingerly is that of the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, humbly accepting their standing ovation at its onset. That was before things got nasty. Some calls for Williams’ resignation even circulated in the halls […]
COMMENTARY: What happens at Lambeth doesn’t stay at Lambeth
By Phyllis Zagano — July 31, 2008
When Anglican bishops unpack memories of their 2008 Lambeth Conference, one recollection they will handle gingerly is that of Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, humbly accepting their standing ovation at its onset. That was before things got nasty. Anglicanism’s problems are on every religion’s laundry list. The constellation of Lambeth issues forms an interesting pattern. […]
COMMENTARY: Coming home from vacation
By Tom Ehrich — July 30, 2008
NEW YORK-Last Thursday, while walking a trail in Central Park, I felt so free and easy that I decided to run, rather than walk. I only ran a mile, but it was a revelation to discover that, after a 10-year vacation from running, I could still do it. On Friday, I added a second mile […]
