Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling The results of that fight were evident as many liberal Democrats denounced the plan because of abortion restrictions, even though most held their noses in the end and voted for the bill itself. (The New York Times)
The Church and the Fall of the Wall Christian Fuhrer became pastor here in 1980, when the world outside the church was divided by the Cold War and Germany was split in two, most visibly by the wall the East German government built in Berlin in 1961. (PBS)
Iowans share their road to spirtualism Some find safe harbor in organized religion, while others seek out spiritual alternatives. (The Des Moines Register)
Palin rallies thousands of abortion opponents Sarah Palin gave a stark warning that the same philosophy that allows abortion rights could soon be invoked to allow the government to cut off health care for the elderly or children with special needs. (Politico)
Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling The results of that fight were evident as many liberal Democrats denounced the plan because of abortion restrictions, even though most held their noses in the end and voted for the bill itself. (The New York Times)
Gay-Marriage Fight Heads to New Jersey The Democrat-controlled legislature in New Jersey, which currently recognizes same-sex couples in civil unions, is under pressure to pass a bill authorizing gay marriage before Gov. Jon Corzine ends his term in mid-January. (The Wall Street Journal)
Questions for Robert Duncan "I am very pleased that the Vatican has done this, but my call now is to lead all those Anglicans who stand where Anglicans have always stood," the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America said. (The New York Times magazine)
Russia's Chechnya to pay for pilgrims haj trip Russia's mostly Muslim, volatile Chechnya region will pay for hundreds of pilgrims to go to Mecca for this year's haj, its leader's spokesman said on Thursday. (Reuters)
House votes strict ban on abortion subsidies A bipartisan House coalition voted Saturday to prohibit coverage of abortions in a new government-run health care plan that Democrats would establish to compete with private insurers. (Associated Press)
Suspect in Fort Hood shooting, a Muslim, asked Army to discharge him, aunt said In an interview, his aunt, Noel Hasan of Falls Church, said he had endured name-calling and harassment about his Muslim faith for years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and had sought for several years to be discharged from the military. (Washington Post)
Rome rules on admitting Anglicans Groups of Anglicans will be able to join the Roman Catholic Church but maintain a distinct religious identity under changes announced by the Pope. (BBC)
Minister's Path of Miracles The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez helped oversee a shift of Latino voters, disillusioned with the Republican Party over failed immigration reform, toward the Democratic Party in the November election. (The Washington Post)
Invoking a Presidential Revelatory Moment The discussion of evil at the Saddleback forum gave Americans a valuable glimpse into the president-elect’s soul--and quite possibly into their own (Peter Steinfels, The New York Times)
Bad Faith Blaming religion for Proposition 8. (Robert K. Vischer, Commonweal)
Religion A Big Story in 2008 Tell Me More looks back at the people and the stories that rocked the faith world — from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the Rev. Rick Warren to the fallout over gay marriage in California. (NPR)
Burnt Offerings A church throws copies of Scripture into the flames. (Lauren Winner, The Wall Street Journal)
First Baptist in Dallas announces $130M expansion First Baptist in Dallas, one of the nation's largest Southern Baptist Convention congregations, will be growing into a more environmentally friendly campus. (Associated Press)
Gone to the dogs: LA church starts pet service The weekly dog service at Covenant Presbyterian is part of a growing trend among churches nationwide to address the spirituality of pets and the deeply felt bonds that owners form with their animals. (Associated Press)
Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling The results of that fight were evident as many liberal Democrats denounced the plan because of abortion restrictions, even though most held their noses in the end and voted for the bill itself. (The New York Times)
Palin rallies thousands of abortion opponents Sarah Palin gave a stark warning that the same philosophy that allows abortion rights could soon be invoked to allow the government to cut off health care for the elderly or children with special needs. (Politico)
Abortion Was at Heart of Wrangling The results of that fight were evident as many liberal Democrats denounced the plan because of abortion restrictions, even though most held their noses in the end and voted for the bill itself. (The New York Times)
Gay-Marriage Fight Heads to New Jersey The Democrat-controlled legislature in New Jersey, which currently recognizes same-sex couples in civil unions, is under pressure to pass a bill authorizing gay marriage before Gov. Jon Corzine ends his term in mid-January. (The Wall Street Journal)
House votes strict ban on abortion subsidies A bipartisan House coalition voted Saturday to prohibit coverage of abortions in a new government-run health care plan that Democrats would establish to compete with private insurers. (Associated Press)
Creationism teaching varies at Christian universities Some religiously affiliated universities keep creationism discussions in theology, religion and philosophy classes. Others integrate them into biology courses. (The Press-Enterprise)
Professor Claims God is Not Creator according to Genesis Oct 12 In one of the more unusual theories to come out about Genesis, a professor of Old Testament in the Netherlands claims that Genesis 1:1 is not about creation of the material world but separation within it. (Bock's Blog)
God is not the Creator, claims academic The notion of God as the Creator is wrong, claims a top academic, who believes the Bible has been wrongly translated for thousands of years. (The Telegraph)
Fighting the 'contraceptive mentality' Families with more than 10 children are becoming the norm among a group of traditionalist US Christians. (BBC News)
Could God die again? Death of God theology was a 1960s phenomenon that casts light on the narrowness of the current debate. (Nathan Schneider, The Guardian)
More preachin’ in school For several years — at least six, principal Ann Kerr says — the school has allowed members of Gideons International, armed with copies of the New Testament and accompanied by the principal, to come speak to fifth graders about their evangelical work. (Arkansas Times)
Seeking a Right to Carol in the Classroom If Merry Susan Hyatt has her way, every public school pupil in California will have the voter-approved right to sing “Joy to the World” in the classroom (The New York Times)
It's a 'Christmas' tree at the Ky. Capitol again A spokeswoman for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear says he's calling the tree on the Capitol's front lawn a "Christmas" tree this holiday season. (Associated Press)
More preachin’ in school For several years — at least six, principal Ann Kerr says — the school has allowed members of Gideons International, armed with copies of the New Testament and accompanied by the principal, to come speak to fifth graders about their evangelical work. (Arkansas Times)
Biker spreads Christian message from motorcycle “I thought a preacher preaches in a church, but God used me to spread his word from a motorcycle,” he said. (The Galveston County Daily News, Texas)
Africa: Evangelical Churches Shake Up the Social Order The fire of Pentecostal evangelism is burning through the continent scorching "sins" and shaking the religio-political status quo to its very foundation. Meanwhile, traditional churches are watching helplessly as their members defect en masse to the Pentecostal churches. (allAfrica.com)
Evangelists target spiritually cold New England Several Christian denominations see New England as a "mission field" — a term often associated with unchurched, foreign lands. (Associated Press)
Evangelists target spiritually cold New England Dead churches are a familiar story in New England, which is now the least religious region in the country. But some see opportunity in a place where America's Christian faith laid its roots. (Associated Press)
Aborted fetus cells used in beauty creams San Francisco cosmetics company defends use of trademarked ingredient derived from fetal skin cells. (The Washington Times)
New Life for the Pariahs An American doctor offers hope to women — or, often, girls of 13, 14, 15 — in West Africa who are ostracized because of incontinence. (Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times)
Making God More Accessible With wounded veterans and an aging boomer population coming, churches will have to do more to cater to the disabled (Mark I. Pinsky, The Wall Street Journal)
Iowans share their road to spirtualism Some find safe harbor in organized religion, while others seek out spiritual alternatives. (The Des Moines Register)
God and Football: NFL Chaplains Offer Spiritual Advice For most of football season, Father James Baraniak wears his green vestment with gold lining when he performs Mass in Green Bay, Wis. And while it has nothing to do with the Packers' team colors — green is mandated by the Vatican — it is something of a holy coincidence. (TIME)
Doctors recognize the healing power of spirituality According to a survey in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 89% of physicians said they had worked with a chaplain. Of those doctors, 90% said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the clergymen. (Los Angeles Times)
Local labyrinths' paths cross boundaries of faith and tradition The straightforward curves are intended to help people focus and ease troubles, which is why they are becoming increasing popular in spiritual and health care settings. (Star News Online, North Carolina)
Survivor of Ariz. sweat lodge ceremony speaks out It was supposed to be a religious awakening, the culmination of a $9,000-plus-a-person retreat aimed at helping people find a new vision for life. But it wasn't long before the ceremony turned into a terrifying experience. (Associated Press)
Land, other religious leaders: Sanctions needed on Iran Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land has joined Jewish and evangelical Christian leaders in New York in calling for immediate sanctions to thwart Iran from developing nuclear weapons. (Baptist Press)
Michael Jackson: He was channeling God Toward the end of his life, Jackson burned the midnight oil in large part because he said he was channeling God and didn’t want to affront his creator or miss out on divine inspiration by clocking off too early. (Los Angeles Times)
Experts find rare Crusader-era murals in Syria Archaeologists discovered two Crusader-era murals depicting heaven and hell in a medieval church on Syria's coast — a rare find that could reveal information about the Christian knights. (The Associated Press)
Orlando-based evangelist says Bill Maher movie ruined his life For the past decade, Jeremiah Cummings says, he has made a modest living as an Orlando-based evangelist who traveled the globe to encourage people to deepen their faith. (Orlando Sentinel)
A City of Mixed Emotions Observes Calvin’s 500th In the Swiss city that is associated with the religious reformer John Calvin, some are seeking to update--even soften--his image on the anniversary of his birth (The New York Times)
Angels are the new vampires, says Anne Rice Rice and a host of other authors are plotting celestial assaults on the book shops this autumn, with angels in all shapes and sizes about to hit the bookshelves. (guardian.co.uk)
Faith No More What I've learned from debating religious people around the world (Christopher Hitchens, Slate)
Textbook on religion could ‘fuel anti-Semitism” The chapter on Judaism in the 2009 edition of the Cambridge Studies of Religion claims that “much modern conflict in the world is related to the reactions of other groups to the Jewish people.” (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Anglican head rejects Pope’s offer on priests Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Eliud Wabukhala said any Anglican priest intending to cross over to the Catholic Church must understand these differences beforehand. (The Daily Nation)
Leadership rows tear African churches apart Almost two decades after “Baba Messiah” Melkio Ondeto’s death, his name still invokes reverence among the followers of the Legio Maria sect in Kenya, while to others, it is synonymous with controversy (The Nation, Kenya)
Kenyan believed to be world's oldest pupil dies Maruge accomplished his biggest goal — being able to read the Bible — but he remained shy of completing primary school. (The Associated Press)
Kenya Muslims to Educate Christians on Kadhis Courts Muslims have started countrywide civic education targeting Christians to explain the work of Kadhis courts and "how it does not affect them." (Nation, Kenya)
Creationism teaching varies at Christian universities Some religiously affiliated universities keep creationism discussions in theology, religion and philosophy classes. Others integrate them into biology courses. (The Press-Enterprise)
More preachin’ in school For several years — at least six, principal Ann Kerr says — the school has allowed members of Gideons International, armed with copies of the New Testament and accompanied by the principal, to come speak to fifth graders about their evangelical work. (Arkansas Times)
Seeking a Right to Carol in the Classroom If Merry Susan Hyatt has her way, every public school pupil in California will have the voter-approved right to sing “Joy to the World” in the classroom (The New York Times)
Students lead the Lord's Prayer before ballgames Almost a year after Santa Rosa County schools signed a consent decree with the American Civil Liberties Union agreeing to stop promoting religion students have picked up where educators left off. (The News Herald, Florida)
Italy, Vatican in uproar over court crucifix ruling The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that crucifixes should be removed from Italian classrooms, prompting Vatican anger and sparking uproar in Italy, where such icons are embedded in the national psyche. (Reuters)
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