Church Life

• Manhattan: Pamphlets allowed | A federal judge ruled yesterday that a pamphlet from the evangelical group Jews for Jesus that included the name and caricature of the comedian Jackie Mason was constitutionally protected speech (The New York Times)
  
  
• Christians struggle to preserve a balance of power | As the country's Shiite population, embodied by Hezbollah, gains political prominence, Lebanon's Christians are struggling to maintain their influence (The New York Times)
  
  
• Church of England leader, Pope to meet | The Archbishop of Canterbury will have his first private meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this month, the Church of England said Thursday (Associated Press)
  
  
• Are we sinning yet? | The United Church of Canada hopes an ad featuring a can of whipped cream and the question, "How much fun can sex be before it's a sin?" will fill its pews as Christmas nears (Reuters)
  
  
• Missouri Baptist Convention expels 19 churches | The Missouri Baptist Convention voted this week to oust 19 churches for donating money and having other ties to more moderate Baptist groups (Associated Press)
  
  
• Episcopal congregations seeking spiritual shelter in Africa | Angry over their U.S. church's position on homosexuality, a growing number of Episcopal congregations are seeking spiritual shelter thousands of miles away, in the Anglican churches of Africa (McClatchy Newspapers)
  
  
• Tension behind the pulpit - it has always been so | Why do churches separate? (Martyn Percy, The Sydney Morning Herald)
  
  

Elections and Analysis

• Who won, who lost in midterm elections | Efforts by Democratic candidates to display their faith and connect with religious voters helped produce huge electoral wins in Pennsylvania and Ohio, according to analysts and independent pollsters (Religion News Service)