American bishops reject primates' communiqué | The House of Bishops has declined to participate in a pastoral initiative designed by the primates to care for congregations and dioceses which for reasons of conscience cannot accept the Episcopal ministry of their bishop or primate. (Anglican Mainstream)
Anglicans closer to schism as US bishops reject gay ultimatum | The Anglican Church took another step towards its apparently inevitable schism when US Episcopal bishops rejected the ultimatum from primates of the Anglican Communion to fall into line over homosexuals. (The Times)
Bishops' 'Mind of the House' resolutions | Mind of the House of Bishops Resolution Addressed to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church (Episcopal News Service)
Episcopal bishops in U.S. defy Anglican Communion | The nation's Episcopal bishops have rejected a key demand from the larger Anglican Communion, saying a plan to place discontented U.S. parishes under international leadership could do permanent harm to the American church (The Washington Post)
Episcopal bishops reject Anglican demands | In a clear message that could jeopardize the Episcopal Church's standing within the communion, the resolutions rejected the so-called "pastoral scheme" that resulted from a meeting of Anglican leaders, or primates, last month in Tanzania, saying "it would be injurious to the Episcopal Church" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Episcopal bishops reject Anglican ultimatum on gays | They branded the Communion's demands "spiritually unsound" and called for an urgent meeting with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and Communion leadership (USA Today)
Episcopal Church rejects demand for a 2nd leadership | Bishops rejected a demand to create a parallel leadership to serve the minority who oppose their church's liberal stand on homosexuality (The New York Times)
Global Anglican dispute remains after U.S. meeting | U.S. Episcopal Church leaders said on Wednesday they wanted to remain in the global Anglican Communion but rejected a demand they give up authority over conservative American parishes opposed to their stance on gay issues. (Reuters)
Conservative Episcopal bishop rejected | Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori took the highly unusual step Thursday of invalidating the election of a bishop in the tradition-minded Diocese of South Carolina, which has rejected her authority because of her liberal theological outlook. (Associated Press)
Local pastor's bishop bid rejected | In a rare move, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church Thursday declared "null and void" the election of the Rev. Mark Lawrence to be the bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. (The Bakersfield Californian)
Top Episcopal bishop tosses S.C. election | The Very Rev. Mark Lawrence needed at least 56 "yes" votes to be elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. He got 57. (Post and Courier, Charleston)
Ex-candidate for bishop asks members to choose | A day after his election as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina was declared null and void, the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence expressed disappointment in the state of his church and called on Episcopalians to pick one side or the other. (The Post and Courier, Charleston)
Business as usual for Episcopalians days after failed election | Three days after Episcopalians in the Diocese of South Carolina learned their bishop-elect failed to earn enough legitimate consent votes from standing committees nationwide, it was business as usual at parishes throughout the Lowcountry. (The Post and Courier, Charleston)
Money looms in Episcopalian rift with Anglicans | As leaders of the Anglican Communion hold meeting after meeting to debate severing ties with the Episcopal Church in the United States for consecrating an openly gay bishop, one of the unspoken complications is just who has been paying the bills. (The New York Times)
Episcopalians brace for possible church split | Episcopal bishops appear to be taking steps toward rejecting several demands made by top Anglicans of the American church, which could push the two bodies toward a formal split (Los Angeles Times).
Stance on gay issues splits Virginia Beach church | In a split echoing the debate within the Episcopal Church, seven leaders of Galilee Church have quit to launch a new congregation outside the denomination they accuse of heresy. (The Virginian-Pilot)
2 Episcopal churches want to quit diocese | Two local Episcopal churches want to withdraw from their regional diocese and affiliate themselves with others who abide by orthodox Anglican doctrine, which teaches that homosexual behavior is incompatible with Christian teaching. (Press & Sun Bulletin)
Catholic Church confronts declining confessions | The Archdiocese of Washington is taking a great leap of faith they hope will bring Catholics back to confession: it's advertising on the radio. The marketing blitz is aimed at bringing area Catholics back to confession during the Lenten season (All Things Considered, NPR)
Bishops denounce writings of a Catholic theologian | In a rare step, Roman Catholic bishops in the United States have declared as "false teaching" two pamphlets by a Catholic theologian who argues that abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage are morally permissible under Catholic doctrine. (The New York Times)
Ex-Pope aide wants John Paul made a saint directly | The former top aide to the late Pope John Paul has renewed his call for prompt sainthood for the Polish-born pontiff, saying that the usual procedure was too narrow an honour for a man whose good deeds spanned the globe. (Reuters)
The sentence against theologian Jon Sobrino is aimed at an entire continent | In pointing out the errors in two books, the Vatican wanted above all to warn their readers: the bishops, priests, and laypeople of Latin America. It is the prelude to Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to Brazil. At the center of it all is the question on who is the real Jesus. (Chiesa)
"Bleeding" Jesus portraits draw crowds in Andaman Islands | Thousands of people are flocking to a policeman's house in the Andaman Islands to pray in front of two portraits of Jesus Christ, which are said to have been "bleeding" for the past two weeks, police and witnesses said. (Reuters)
Hungary's military bishop resigns for love | Hungary's Catholic military bishop has resigned because he wants to marry a woman he met in the church's renewal movement, media reported Friday. (Reuters)
Priest's life guided by 'divine coherence' | She says it's divine intervention, and she follows a path God has put in front of her. And that path shows up in a deep, intuitive feeling that's hard to express in words. Sometimes it leads to places that surprise even her. (Wasau Daily Herald)
The many forms of fundamentalism | Nearly A decade and a half ago, a condemnation of fundamentalism was issued by the Vatican, in a 1993 document entitled "The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church." (The Boston Globe)
Humor in church: the rite stuff? | "Fight truth decay" is a favorite. "Come in for a free faith lift," is another -- two examples of the toe-curling puns plastered across so many notice boards outside British churches. (Reuters)
Religion today | His church started in his living room, growing steadily as it moved wherever it found space, from public parks, to a YMCA to a former woodworking shop. (Associated Press)
Argentines find new religion in old cinemas | Tucked between car showrooms and billboards in a drab Buenos Aires suburb, the church of Jesus Christ is Love seems an unlikely place to find God, but worshipers arrive by the busload. (Reuters)
Alcohol, Acts 29 and the SBC | "How about beer with your Bible?" That's the question NBC's "Today" show host Campbell Brown asked March 4 on national television to introduce a report titled "Beer and Bibles: New Churches Lure Young Members." (The Baptist Press)
Christians who won't toe the line | Evangelical Protestantism in the United States is going through a New Reformation that is disentangling a great religious movement from a partisan political machine. This historic change will require liberals and conservatives alike to abandon their sometimes narrow views of who evangelicals are. (E. J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post)
Following up: What does 'Evangelical' mean? | In the current shooting match among Evangelicals left, right and moderate on how they should view environmental issues, there's a quote used in story after story that once, "Evangelical was the label of choice of Christians with conservative views on politics, economics and Biblical morality." (USA Today)
Promoting dialogue between faith traditions | A new ecumenical institute established at Loyola Marymount University will try to heal centuries-old wounds between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (Los Angeles Times).
L.A. church offers migrants sanctuary | Our Lady Queen of Angels joins a national effort to shield illegal immigrants and press for changes in the law. (The Los Angeles Times)
Churches plan new sanctuary movement | Churches in a handful of U.S. cities are preparing to launch a "sanctuary" movement to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation and unite faith-based groups in a push for immigration reform. (Associated Press)
Cizik gets no rebuke from NAE board | Board members of the National Association of Evangelicals at their March 9 meeting took no action against Richard Cizik, the organization's outspoken vice president for governmental affairs, for his sometimes provocative statements on global warming. (Baptist Press)
Czech leader Klaus fights global warming "religion" | Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Wednesday that fighting global warming has turned into a "religion" that replaced the ideology of communism and threatens to clip basic freedoms. (Reuters)
Genetically modified mosquito bred to destroy malaria | Scientists in America have engineered a species of mosquito which is resistant to the malaria infection. Its ability to block the infection suggests that it could come to dominate mosquito populations if released into the wild (The Times, London)
Britain: schools have right to ban veils | Schools have the right to ban students from wearing Muslim veils if teachers believe the garments affect safety or pupils' learning, the British government said Tuesday. (Associated Press)
Catholic Philippines teaches Islam in state schools | During a 2002 raid at a madrasa in a northern region of the mainly Roman Catholic Philippines, security forces found a cache of assault rifles, crude bombs and training foxholes. (Reuters)
English schools get right to ban Muslim veils | Students in England could be banned from wearing full-face Muslim veils for security or educational reasons under government guidelines to be published on Tuesday, officials said. (Reuters)
French court rules for newspaper that printed Muhammad cartoons | A French court ruled Thursday in favor of a satirical weekly newspaper that faced charges brought by two Muslim groups after it published cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad. (The New York Times)
German judge cites Koran, stirring up cultural storm | A German judge has stirred a storm of protest by citing the Koran in turning down a German Muslim woman's request for a speedy divorce on the ground that her husband beat her. (The New York Times)
Turkish team inspects controversial Jerusalem dig | A team of Turkish experts inspected an Israeli excavation in Jerusalem on Wednesday that Muslims fear could damage one of Islam's holiest sites. (Reuters)
Muslim pupils kill teacher in northeast Nigeria | Muslim pupils at a secondary school in northeastern Nigeria beat a teacher to death on Wednesday after accusing her of desecrating the Koran, police and witnesses said. (Reuters)
In secret, polygamy follows Africans to New York | Yet one night, returning home from her job, Odine D. discovered that African custom, not American law, held sway over her marriage. (The New York Times)
Islamic militants jailed for beheadings | Three Islamic militants were found guilty Wednesday of decapitating three Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia and dumping their bloodied heads in nearby villages, judges said. They were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years. (Associated Press)
Indonesian militants get jail terms for beheadings | An Indonesian court jailed three Muslim militants on Wednesday for the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls from religiously divided Central Sulawesi province. (Reuters)
Bill would end time limits for abuse suits | The D.C. Council would abolish the statute of limitations for filing criminal and civil cases that involve sexual abuse against children under a bill proposed yesterday by council member Marion Barry. (The Washington Post)
Fraud allegations rock Brazil church | Brazilian authorities have accused Renascer of massive fraud, calling the church a personal enrichment scheme for its leaders and their cronies (Los Angeles Times).
Mount Laurel: fatal beating at rest stop | A Texas man was charged yesterday with fatally beating an elderly man at a rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike after the man declined to buy his religious CDs, the state police said. (The New York Times)
Pastor admits to financial misdeeds | The Rev. Al Gallmon Jr. asked for forgiveness for using a church credit card for personal items (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
Priest pleads not guilty in Nev. beating | A Roman Catholic priest pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he beat and sexually assaulted a female soloist at a parish office, and his attorneys said they intend to show that the woman and their client had a close relationship. (The Associated Press)
Article continues below
Rape victims must now be told options | Gov. Bill Ritter on Thursday signed a law requiring hospitals to tell rape victims about the availability of emergency contraception, capping a years-long effort by Sen. Betty Boyd to make the pills more readily available. (The Denver Post)
Two former priests accused of molesting Montpelier altar boy in 1970s | Two former priests named in earlier child sexual abuse lawsuits that led to out-of-court financial settlements with their alleged victims are now accused of molesting the same Montpelier altar boy in the 1970s, a new lawsuit claims. (The Burlington Free Press)
From sobriety, an ugly secret emerges | Drink couldn't make a man forget what he had done to an O.C. woman in 1987. Eventually his conscience drove him to a life-altering decision (Los Angeles Times)
Free-speech case divides Bush and religious right | A Supreme Court case about the free-speech rights of high school students has opened a fissure between the Bush administration and its usual allies on the religious right (The New York Times)
Students' right to free speech | In the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case, the Supreme Court should reaffirm the pronouncement that students do not shed their right to free speech "at the schoolhouse gate" (Editorial, The New York Times)
Precedent 4 student speech | What is a bong hit 4 Jesus? We're not sure, and we doubt anyone really knows what the phrase means -- which is one reason the Supreme Court ought not to regard it as prohibited speech. (The Washington Post)
'Bong hits' is free speech | The Supreme Court should rule that writing "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" on a banner is free speech, even for a student (Los Angeles Times).
Iraq war protests continue nationwide | Linda Englund placed flowers Monday beside a small white flag commemorating a soldier killed in Iraq, a friend of her son, who was standing beside him when he was shot in 2004. (Associated Press)
Iraq and Vietnam: contrasting protests | America's current anti-war movement is resourceful and persistent, but often seems to lack the vibrancy of its counterpart in the Vietnam era when protesters burned draft cards, occupied buildings and even tried to levitate the Pentagon. (Associated Press)
Christians gather in D.C. to protest war | Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. (Associated Press)
Senate, fearing an entanglement of church and state, kills divorce bill | After an emotional debate about marriage, women's rights and the separation of church and state, the Senate voted against a measure seeking to remove religious barriers that prevent spouses from remarrying after obtaining a civil divorce. (The Washington Post)
Manhattan: U.S. sues state prison system | The Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit yesterday against the State Department of Correctional Services, which runs the state's prisons. (The New York Times)
Feds sue state docs over religious practices | The federal government has filed a civil rights lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against the New York State Department of Correctional Services, the agency responsible for operating New York State's prisons, alleging that DOCS has engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination on the basis of religion. (The North Country Gazette)
Sanctions sought against county GOP committee | A member of the Loudoun County Republican Committee has asked state GOP leaders to dissolve or sanction the local committee, saying that its insular governing style is "not in keeping with the inclusive outreach we need to remain a viable political party in Loudoun County." (The Washington Post)
Article continues below
GOP 'family values' | Another presidential race is underway, and again marital misbehavior is drawing attention. (The Boston Globe)
Christian right at crossroads | As they court the evangelicals who have become so crucial to their party, Republican presidential candidates are stepping into the middle of a family fight. (Associated Press)
Atheists, conservatives, and Christianity | There is an interesting, and important, debate going on within conservative circles these days over the role of religion in American conservatism and the role of Christian conservatives in the Republican Party. (Real Clear Politics)
U.S. pushes Vietnam on human rights issues | U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed Vietnam on Thursday to tackle human rights abuses that U.S. lawmakers say have become more acute in recent months. (Reuters)
Nun seeks borough council seat in Pa | After attending borough council meetings for months, a nun has decided to try to become one of the town's decision-makers (The Boston Globe).
Kan. senator seeking conservative mantle | Sam Brownback has the kind of unquestioned credentials as a family values crusader that conservatives have long sought in a presidential candidate. Yet he hasn't been able to leverage his credentials to break out of a crowded pack of White House hopefuls (Associated Press)
Activist Obama church enters spotlight | A then 26-year-old Barack Obama walked down the aisle of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, knelt beneath a cross suspended from its rafters and, as he later explained it, committed himself to God after years as a religious skeptic. (Associated Press)
McCain says he needs evangelicals to win | Senator John McCain tells CBN News that he needs support from Evangelicals to win the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. (CBN News)
Brownback supports Pace's remark on gays | Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback is backing the Pentagon's top general over his remarks that homosexual acts are immoral. (The Associated Press)
'Spiritual realities' in service of science and vice versa | The awarding of the Templeton Prize to the philosopher Charles Taylor could be a breakthrough moment for the prize itself and the foundation that presents it (Peter Steinfels, The New York Times)
Can I get an Amen? | Sister Rosetta Tharpe influenced Little Richard, Johnny Cash and more. Laura Sinagra reviews Shout, Sister, Shout by Gayle F. Wald (The New York Times)
Don King in front row for pope | Don King got a front row seat at Pope Benedict XVI's general audience Wednesday. (Associated Press)
'Idol' contestant's faith questioned | Chris Sligh, the "American Idol" contestant who has won fans thanks to his curly mop of hair and soulful voice, has a few people concerned with his departure from strictly Christian music. But for most others in this city of 56,000 about 100 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C., Sligh has become a hometown hero. (Associated Press)
Unorthodox pair converts Judas tale into a page-turner | A very odd couple has teamed up to spread the word of the Gospel -- in this case, the Gospel of Judas, in a fictional but, according to the authors, theologically plausible explanation of why Christianity's most maligned personality did what he did. (The Washington Post)
Judas was framed, Jeffrey Archer's "gospel" says | Judas Iscariot was not the betrayer but the betrayed. He schemed to save Christ from being killed and did not commit suicide but lived to old age. (Reuters)
A conscience that moved the world | "William Wilberforce," writes Eric Metaxas in "Amazing Grace," "was the happy victim of his own success. (Mark Steyn, The Washington Times)
Article continues below
Director defends new slave trade film | A new film about the British abolition of the slave trade 200 years ago has been criticized for "writing blacks out of history", but its director said he deliberately focused on one Englishman's political battle. (Reuters)
Sirius chief quizzed about "pornographic" content | The debate over the threat of anti-competitive damage that an XM-Sirius satellite-radio merger could cause quickly became an argument over racy content Tuesday as a Senate panel began its examination of the $4.7 billion deal. (Reuters)
Israeli sings for her estranged people | A mainstream pop album is an unlikely place to encounter an ancient tongue known to a total of 705 people in the Holy Land. But tucked between the smooth chords and Hebrew vocals on Israeli singer Sofi Tsedaka's debut CD, listeners can hear the lilting language of the Samaritans. (Associated Press)
Heavy metal bands to rock Dutch town | A heavy metal rock festival hoping to hold an open-air concert in an area known as the Dutch Bible Belt received a permit on one condition: no cursing. (Associated Press)
Country combo Alabama inspired by gospel success | Fans of veteran country band Alabama had to wait nearly two decades for the band to deliver its first gospel album, but they aren't waiting long for the follow-up. (Reuters)
First gay couple unites in Mexico City | An economist and a journalist became the first couple united under Mexico City's new gay civil union law, kissing while an orchestra played "Besame Mucho" and police cordoned off streets around a white wedding tent filled with guests. (Associated Press)
Gay marriage advocates switch strategies | Aronda Kirby and Digit Murphy were once married to men, received the tax breaks for married couples and were legally permitted to take family leave if their husbands or children got sick. Both women lost those protections when they came out as lesbians, divorced their husbands and set up a new household together with their six children. (Associated Press)
Couples not rushing to civil unions in New Jersey | The figures suggest that civil union licenses have been far less popular in New Jersey than when they were introduced in Vermont in 2000 and in Connecticut in 2005 (The New York Times)
A different kind of gay marriage debate | Preliminary figures released Tuesday by the state showed that just 229 of New Jersey's estimated 22,000 same-sex couples had received licenses for civil unions in the month since they became available Feb. 19. (The New York Times)
Article continues below
Spotlight on same-sex marriage ban | House panel to open debate today on proposed amendment; Dems could alter some of its language (The Indianapolis Star)
Inquiry gives green light to gay marriage | Sweden should allow same-sex couples to marry, an official inquiry has concluded. But gay rights campaigners are angry that the proposals would allow priests to refuse to perform gay weddings, while many religious groups argue that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman. (The Local, Sweden)
Dungy: 'I embrace' same-sex marriage ban | During speech accepting award, Colts coach says his views coincide with group that backs amendment (The Indianapolis Star)
MPs back gay rights Bill despite protests | New equality regulations forcing Catholic adoption agencies to handle requests from same sex couples were approved by MPs last night. (The Telegraph)
Peer seeks to block gay rights rules | A Conservative peer will tonight lead an eleventh-hour attempt to defeat proposals that the Roman Catholic Church says could lead to the closure of its adoption agencies. (The Times)
Utah sets rigorous rules for school clubs, and gay ones may be target | The co-sponsor of a new law said its centerpiece is a clause giving school administrators the authority to ensure that clubs do not violate "the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior." (The New York Times)
Religion news in brief | A West Coast seminary for Conservative Judaism has accepted its first openly gay and lesbian applicants since the movement decided to ease its ban on gay ordination. (Associated Press)
Was it something I said? Continuing to think about homosexuality | Well, never doubt the power of the media. My recent article on homosexuality ignited a firestorm in the public square. Why? We may never know -- but the controversy represents both a challenge and an opportunity. (Al Mohler)
God and his gays | Science is stealing up on America's religious fundamentalists, causing much alarm. (The Washington Post)
A pre-birth determination? | Pity the poor fetus. There's a lot coming its way. And now there's talk on a conservative evangelical blog of a hypothetical hormone patch that an expectant mother might wear to eradicate her fetus's natural gayness. (The Washington Post)
Article continues below
An evangelical's concession on gays | The old and often bitter debate over what causes homosexuality took an unexpected turn this week in the wake of comments by a leading conservative Christian theologian, who says fellow evangelicals should accept that science may one day prove homosexuals are born gay. (Time)
Why do straights hate gays? | An 72-year-old gay activist isn't hopeful about the future. (The Los Angeles Times)
Seattle team in a political arena | A bid by the city's oldest major pro sports team for taxpayer funding to build a new arena has hit a snag over gay politics. (USA Today)
Partner adopted by an heiress stakes her claim | On an island liberally sprinkled with the affluent and well-connected members of such clans as Bush, du Pont, Rockefeller and Cabot, the Watson family occupies a special place.(The New York Times)
Don't ask, don't tell for the devout | It shows that something is off-kilter in American journalism and politics when -- in the middle of a war -- the predictable news cycle followed, with "don't ask, don't tell" critics branding Marine Gen. Pace as a bigot, and demanding an apology. Stop the presses: Someone in the military has issues with homosexuality. Big story? (The Washington Times)
Brain-damaged people give insights into morality | Scientists said on Wednesday a study involving these people has produced unique insights into the brain mechanics of moral decision making and showed that in some key situations emotions play a fundamental role in moral judgments. (Reuters)
Advocates: Kroger still stalling on pill | Two weeks after Kroger Co. said it was clarifying its policy on stocking the so-called "morning after" pill, activists say dozens of stores continue to block sales of the emergency contraceptive. (Associated Press)
Court says health coverage may bar birth-control pills | A federal appellate panel ruled that the Union Pacific Railroad Company did not discriminate against its female employees because its insurance did not cover contraception used by men either (The New York Times)
French doctor convicted of euthanasia, avoids jail | A French court handed down a one-year suspended jail sentence on Thursday to a doctor who prescribed a fatal overdose to a terminally ill cancer patient. (Reuters)
Poland ordered to compensate woman denied abortion | Poland was ordered on Tuesday to pay a woman 39,000 euros (26,000 pounds) after she was prevented from having an abortion despite doctors' warnings that she could lose her sight if she gave birth. (Reuters)
S.C. lawmakers advance abortion bill | With calls of emotional blackmail from opponents, a measure requiring women seeking abortions to first review ultrasound images of their fetuses advanced Wednesday in the South Carolina Legislature. (Associated Press)
Mexican abortion battle heats up as Christians unify | Mexico's Christian churches banded together on Wednesday to fight a law that would legalize abortion in Mexico City, fearing it could spread quickly to the rest of the country. (Reuters)
Clerics unite against abortion bill | Religious leaders said Wednesday they have formed a united front against bills to legalize abortion in Mexico, an issue that has divided the nation and drawn in conservative President Felipe Calderon. (Associated Press)
Mexico's Senate considers abortion bill | Senators from Mexico's largest leftist party on Tuesday sent a bill proposing to legalize abortion nationwide, a measure strongly opposed by the nation's conservative and Roman Catholic leaders. (Associated Press)
No sex please, we're daddy's little girls | In what is becoming a trend among conservative Christians in the United States, girls as young as nine are pledging to their fathers to remain virgins until they wed, in elaborate ceremonies dubbed "Purity Balls." (AFP)
A dance for chastity | Some evangelical Christians are organizing 'purity balls,' at which young girls are urged to put off sex until marriage. Instead, these events simply reinforce society's misguided notions of patriarchal religion. (USA Today)
Christian college grows roots abroad | It took the Russian-American Christian University five years to get a building permit. When its new, 46,000-square-foot facility opens in December, seven years will have passed since the process started. (Inside Higher Ed)
Article continues below
Ore. teacher fired over bible references | During his eight days as a part-time high school biology teacher, Kris Helphinstine included Biblical references in material he provided to students and gave a PowerPoint presentation that made links between evolution, Nazi Germany and Planned Parenthood. (Associated Press)
Indoctrination U: Secular creationism | A year ago the biggest issue in education after budgets was whether "intelligent design" should be taught in the nation's schools. Yet at that very moment professors in American universities were teaching a form of secular creationism as contrary to the findings of modern science as the biblical claim that God had made the world in seven days—social constructionism. (The Washington Times)
A donor with backbone | James W. McGlothlin withheld his pledge of $12 million to the College of William & Mary. He made his decision because of the actions of Gene Nichol, the college president, who ordered the removal of the cross from Wren Chapel. (The Washington Times)
Religion elective facing scrutiny | A religious course to be offered through Spartanburg High School this fall is under scrutiny because a parent is questioning district officials about the legality of giving elective credit for the class. (Spartanburg Herald-Journal)
Harvard to return bells to Moscow | Eighteen massive brass bells rescued from a Moscow monastery nearly 80 years ago during a Soviet-era crackdown on religion and donated to Harvard University are being returned to Russia. (Associated Press)
In Venezuela, rodents can be a delicacy | Lenten eating of the meat of the capybara, reputed to be the world's largest rodent, has a status in Venezuela similar to that of turkey during Thanksgiving (The New York Times)
Article continues below
Senegal's Lent fasts evoke Islam's Ramadan | Muslims round the world are known for their strict Ramadan fasts, but Senegal's massively outnumbered Catholics are also tightening their belts during Lent. (Reuters)
Picking stocks that don't sin | Socially responsible investing can mean pursuing psychic as well as financial rewards (The New York Times)
Religion in the news | Weddings aren't the only major life event Americans are traveling for these days. (Associated Press)
Lace thongs a hot topic in Poland | Delicate hand-stitched lace from this mountaintop village has long graced the altars of Polish churches and tables of Polish homes. (Associated Press)
Model captures never-built U.K. church | A monumental wooden model of a domed cathedral, now on display at the Walker Art Gallery, is the only visible realization of Edwin Lutyens' vision of an enormous church for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Liverpool. (Associated Press)
ServiceMaster agrees to $4.5B buyout | Lawn care and pest control provider ServiceMaster Co. agreed Monday to be bought by an investment group in a cash deal valued at $4.5 billion, as the company tries to recover from years of declining financial results. (Associated Press)
Ranger: We have our missing Boy Scout | A 12-year-old Boy Scout whose favorite book was about a youngster lost in the wilderness now has his own harrowing survival tale to tell after rescuers found him Tuesday, dehydrated and disoriented from four days in the wooded mountains of North Carolina. (Associated Press)
Boy trapped under concrete is rescued | A teenager who was chasing a ball at recess became trapped under a heavy concrete slab for about two hours Tuesday. (Associated Press)
Nun seeks borough council seat in Pa. | After attending borough council meetings for months, a nun has decided to try to become one of the town's decision-makers. (Associated Press)
In Jordan, Christians from Iraq harassed | Iraqi sisters Nasrin and Rihab enjoyed a relatively peaceful life in Baghdad until the night almost a year ago when militiamen tortured and beheaded their only brother. (Associated Press)
Scandals weighing on the scales of justice | Steve Lopez reflects on how the ongoing scandal involving the U.S. attorney general's office reminds him how often he hears from people who insist they can't get a fair shot at justice (Los Angeles Times).
Theologian challenges a Christian view | The God-is-my-daddy approach can paralyze believers at times of pivotal life choices, Jones says (The Boston Globe).
Launched in 1999, Christianity Today’s Weblog was not just one of the first religion-oriented weblogs, but one of the first published by a media organization. (Hence its rather bland title.) Mostly compiled by then-online editor Ted Olsen, Weblog rounded up religion news and opinion pieces from publications around the world. As Christianity Today’s website grew, it launched other blogs. Olsen took on management responsibilities, and the Weblog feature as such was mothballed. But CT’s efforts to round up important news and opinion from around the web continues, especially on our Gleanings feature.
Ted Olsen is Christianity Today's executive editor. He wrote the magazine's Weblog—a collection of news and opinion articles from mainstream news sources around the world—from 1999 to 2006. In 2004, the magazine launched Weblog in Print, which looks for unexpected connections and trends in articles appearing in the mainstream press. The column was later renamed "Tidings" and ran until 2007.
The initial departures, mostly concentrated in the South, represent around 6 percent of the denomination—not as dramatic as the “schism” some feared.
Amid controversies and threats of defunding, Christian public librarians work for the good of their communities.
In the ongoing tension between religious liberty and LGBT rights, the Department of Education and CCCU win one victory.
Malcolm Guite has found himself a sort of tribal elder for younger generations of Christians.
