Air Force deputy chief of chaplains cleared of discrimination
As noted earlier in ChristianityToday.com Weblog, the Air Force deputy chief of chaplains, Brig. Gen. Lorraine K. Potter made a comment that African-American chaplains are good preachers, but poor at staff work. An official Air Force report says, “Analysis of that testimony using the preponderance of the evidence standard shows that [Gen. Potter] did not make an unlawful discriminatory remark.” The report also noted that “recall of specific words and context varied greatly between witnesses.”
Methodist meeting goes loony over homosexuality debate
Whether or not debates over homosexuality tear the United Methodist Church apart at its quadrennial general conference this week, writes Chicago Tribune religion writer Steve Kloehn, they certainly threaten to make the denomination look more a lot less like the Body of Christ. “Outside Cleveland’s convention center, the Methodists’ big-tent approach to Christianity threatens to wind up looking like a circus tent,” he says. “Hundreds of protesters have vowed to perform acts of civil disobedience on Wednesday, seeking to be arrested, while others will parade oversized banners and perform street theater, with songs and chants for every imaginable stance on the issue.” And the lobbying involved rivals any political machinery.
Cuban exile becomes Southeast Florida’s first Hispanic bishop
“I want to be a bishop for everyone,” says Leo Frade, 56. “I won’t come here only to minister to one specific ethnic group. When people ask me if I feel Cuban or if I feel American, I say I feel Anglican, I feel Christian. That is what defines me, being a follower of Christ. It just happens that I was born in Cuba.”
Family devotions are best short and sweet
A surprising Chicago Tribune article gives tips for family devotions: keep them under 15 minutes, don’t commit to doing them daily, light a candle, etc. Christianity Online and Christian Parenting Today, both Christianity Today sister publications, are mentioned as resources.
Mexico’s church gains more of a public presence
An open-air Mass attended by hundreds of thousands in Mexico City is the first such event in about 140 years, reports the Associated Press. Church and state have been battling in that country for years.
Canadians say churches should sell buildings, but not to bankrupt, to compensate abuse victims
A poll commissioned by three churches facing abuse lawsuits found that 53 percent of Canadians believe churches should sell property to compensate victims. But 80 percent believe “Ottawa should rescue the Churches from bankruptcy once they have made a serious effort to pay.”
Whoa! A fun nun?!
The New York Post‘s Andrea Peyser seems shocked to find Sister Karol Jackowski “a fun gal.” “[A tchotchke shop] is a kind of pulpit at the center of Sister Karol’s quirky, open-air church, which encompasses the grimy streets of Alphabet City and all its characters—artists and ex-cons, musicians and addicts, gays and working people—who show up at her doorstep at all hours of night and day.” It’s a cute, but stunningly ignorant article.
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