Free the Boykin Transcripts!

New York Times, Los Angeles Times lash out against Boykin 'bigotry'
The third- and fourth-largest newspapers in the country agree: Lt. Gen. William Boykin is a "bigot" who should be immediately kicked out of his post. A New York Times editorial today condemns his "grossly offensive gospel" as "brimstone bigotry." A Los Angeles Times editorial yesterday said his remarks were "unforgivable," "anti-Muslim," and pure "bigotry."

Do these newspaper editorial boards actually read the newspapers? The first Los Angeles Times article about Boykin, back in October, was clearly based in the bias of William M. Arkin, but it at least noted that one of Boykin's main points was that radical Islamic terrorists are as different from most Muslims as the KKK is from most Christians. The Los Angeles Times also reported, "In his public remarks, Boykin has also said that radical Muslims who resort to terrorism are not representative of the Islamic faith." Those details have long been purged from vitriolic screeds against the Army general, as both Times newspapers have screamed that he's "anti-Muslim."

The newspapers have so far not published a single in-context quote where Boykin disparaged Islam as a whole. The best they've got is his remarks to Somali warlord Osman Atto, who had claimed that Allah would protect him from American troops. "I knew that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol," Boykin said. If you're going to say that this comment disparages all Muslims, then you're going to have to say that Atto was a true Muslim, and that his God really is the Allah of Islam. The New York Times says Boykin's Atto comment is a "walking contradiction" of claims that the war against terror is "not a crusade against Islam." The Los Angeles Times likewise says the Atto comment is incompatible with Bush's statement that Islam "teaches moral responsibility that ennobles men and women." (It's interesting that the Times here is praising Bush's promotion of a religion.)

The Timeses perfectly miss the point. Why is Bush saying the Islam is a religion of peace? To separate "true" Islam from the terrorists' brand, which is a religion of hatred and violence. Both newspapers are not siding with Islam—they're siding with a terrorist who uses Islam.

Maybe Boykin did disparage Islam as a whole. But if he did, you'd think the papers would have shown us the quote by now. It seems probable that the Los Angeles Times has full transcripts of Boykin's speeches. And given that media reports have repeatedly conflated Boykin's statements about Christians' spiritual warfare against Satan with the war on terrorism, it seems like full transcripts would help to inform the public on something that these newspapers think is such an important public issue. Why not tell us what Boykin really said, instead of giving us a few out-of-context snippets?

To Weblog, it sure sounds like Boykin was making speeches about spiritual warfare, not the war on terror. But let's say that the few Boykin quote snippets that keep getting quoted are in the context that the newspapers say they are. Here's what Boykin said: America is engaged in a spiritual war, Satan is more of a threat than Osama bin Laden, Islamic terrorists are idolaters, America is grounded in a Judeo-Christian heritage, terrorists have targeted the U.S. because of that heritage.

Those beliefs are unacceptable for a man in uniform, say these editorials. Weblog can't help but wonder: Who's displaying bigotry?

Joe Stowell announces resignation as president of Moody Bible Institute
After 18 years at the post, Joseph Stowell says he's stepping down as president of Moody Bible Institute, which also operates a book publishing company, a radio network, and other ministries.

"God has laid on my heart a calling that I cannot deny," he said today. "Over the last few years I have had a growing and now unshakable conviction that God is calling me to give myself singularly to His Word and its life-changing impact through the ministry of preaching and teaching."

More, including a press release, is available at Moody's website section devoted to presidential transition.

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Free speech and religion | Christian fraternity sues university | Discrimination claims | Education | Pledge of Allegiance | Texas Bible display | Public prayers | Religious freedom | India | Sudan | Slavery | Iraq | Crime | Abuse | Catholicism | Pope returns icon to Russia | Christians and Jews | The Passion | Film | TV | Sport | Music | Pop culture | Books | Money & Business | Church buildings and property | Anglican/Episcopal conflict | Same-sex marriage | Presidential election | Politics | Embryonic stem cell research | Abortion | Life ethics | Suicide | Missions & ministry | Faith-based initiatives | Academics | People | Other stories of interest

Free speech and religion:

• Censoring the Bible | The contradiction between secular dogmas of tolerance and religious faith will affect more than just Canada's clergy (Editorial, The National Post, Canada)
  
  

• Worker sues California department over cubicle censorship | A state government worker who alleges he was forced to remove Bible verses, a bumper sticker reading "Marriage: One Man, One Woman" and other religious or political items from the entrance of his office cubicle sued the California Department of Social Services Monday, claiming the action violated his First Amendment rights (Associated Press)
  
  
• Legal trends favor allowing religious fliers in public schools | Some sue if schools let religious fliers be distributed, others sue if they don't — but courts may have tilted in favor of fliers (Charles C. Haynes, First Amendment Center)
  
  
• Council bans call to Muslim prayers | Members of a Lancashire mosque were yesterday wondering why ice cream vans could play their tunes on the streets of Blackburn while the calls that summon Muslims to prayers were banned (The Guardian, London)
  
  

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Christian fraternity sues university:

• Christian frat sues UNC over recognition | Alpha Iota Omega objects to a school requirement that its membership be open to everyone regardless of religion or sexual orientation (Associated Press)
  
  
• Alpha Iota Omega fraternity 'really strong with Lord' | Its name is Greek, but little else about UNC's Alpha Iota Omega fraternity suggests an Animal House lifestyle (The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.)
  
  
• Christian fraternity to sue UNC over free speech | A Christian fraternity that had its official recognition revoked is planning to sue UNC, alleging that the university has violated the constitutional rights of the group's members (The Herald-Sun, Durham, N.C.)
  
  
• Earlier: UNC's new religious flap is different | The case of UNC's Alpha Iota Omega fraternity is not the same as the case of the university's InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The differences are instructive (Editorial, The Chapel Hill Herald, N.C.)
  
  
• Christian frat sues for status despite discrimination policy | Members of the fraternity, Alpha Iota Omega, refused last year to sign the university's policy against discrimination (Winston-Salem Journal, N.C.)
  
  
• Campus comes under fire | The University is in the national spotlight again after declining to recognize an all-male Christian fraternity because it refused to sign a nondiscrimination policy last fall (Daily Tar Heel, University of North Carolina)
  
  

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Discrimination claims:

• Devil' of a lawsuit | MIT lab worker claims colleagues persecuted him for being Christian (Boston Herald)
  
  
• Fired UGA Coach, athletic director to meet today | Cheerleader claims religious discrimination kept her off the football cheer squad (WXIA, Atlanta)
  
  

• Also: Fired UGA coach fears church-state storm | Marilou Braswell, whose minister husband, Matt, held Bible study at their home, is accused by senior cheerleader Jaclyn Steele of Marietta of favoring Christian cheerleaders who attended such events (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  
  
• Earlier: Coach says she was fired over faith | UGA cites retaliation to Jewish cheerleader who filed complaint (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  
  

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Education:

• Boca principal under fire for making references to God | To the dismay of several teachers, Mckee has spoken of God at staff meetings at least three times since he became Boca Raton High School's principal a year ago (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
  
  
• Christians withdraw public schools 'immoral' gibe | A Coffs Harbour private school has apologised for a pamphlet it distributed which questioned the value of public school education (Australian Broadcasting Corp)
  
  
• Catholic school test scores top national averages | Roman Catholic grammar students scored well above the national average on standardized tests this year, though a wide gulf persists between city and suburban student performance, data released Wednesday by the Archdiocese of Chicago shows (Chicago Sun-Times)
  
  
• Church offers help to schools | Jefferson Elementary School in Riverside could be the first to be "adopted" (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Ca.)
  
  
• Narconon banned from S.F. schools | Anti-drug teachings tied to Scientology called inaccurate (San Francisco Chronicle)
  
  
• Teachers sue archdiocese over union | Pact at schools should stand, association says (The Boston Globe)
  
  

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Pledge of Allegiance:

• Supreme Court won't revisit ruling on Pledge of Allegiance | 'Under God' stays -- Newdow says he will try again (San Francisco Chronicle)
  
  
• Justices refuse to reopen Pledge case | The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday refused an atheist father's request to reopen a case challenging the constitutionality of the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Supreme Court won't reopen pledge case | California atheist Michael Newdow had asked the justices to consider overturning their June ruling (Associated Press)
  
  

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Texas battle over Bible display:

• Judge says Bible must go now | County request to keep display out during its appeal is denied (Houston Chronicle)
  
  
• Court delays order to remove Bible from monument | Last-minute stay is in effect while a county appeal is weighed (Houston Chronicle)
  
  

• Also: Houston Bible monument gets reprieve (Associated Press)
  
  
• Mission rejected as party to suit | Star of Hope will appeal the ruling in Bible case (Houston Chronicle)
  
  

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Public prayers:

• Ark. court asked to broaden prayer limits | A school district may not offer prayers at mandatory staff meetings, regardless of whether the teacher who complained about them is present, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday (Associated Press)
  
  
• Louisiana school board drops prayers before games, events | Tangipahoa Parish officials settle part of lawsuit; still to be decided is issue of prayers at school board meetings (Associated Press)
  
  
• Moment of silent prayer adopted | Lake Elsinore City Council allows time for invocation at meetings (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Ca.)
  
  
• Ruling affects prayer at meetings | Opening municipal meetings with prayers to Jesus Christ could get local governments into trouble. (Fayetteville Observer, N.C.)
  
  
• Over 90,000 Christians respond to prayer call | More than 90,000 Christians have responded to the call to pray for Malaysia during the run-up to National Day celebrations that will culminate in a prayer rally at Wisma MCA here on Sunday (The Star, Malaysia)
  
  

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Religious freedom:

• Christian school in Pakistan reopens | Murree Christian School reopened with the unveiling of a plaque to commemorate those killed in the Aug. 5, 2002, attack (Associated Press)
  
  
• N. Korea wants illuminated church crosses removed | North Korea wants the removal of tall illuminated church crosses that light up the South Korean sky and are visible across the border in the secretive communist state, defense officials from the South said on Monday (Reuters)
  
  
• The real scandal about Vietnam | As the dispute about what happened on John Kerry's Swift boat more than 35 years ago fills the airwaves, it is distressing that no one has focused on something that actually matters: a much less-publicized war that continues to rage in Vietnam. This new war pits religious leaders, democracy advocates and independent journalists against the still-ruling Communist Party (Jared Genser, The Washington Post)
  
  
• Zimbabwe's Mugabe hits out at defiant church leaders | Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe hit out at some church leaders over the weekend for turning to his opponents instead of seeking dialogue with the government (AFP)
  
  

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India:

• Priests injured in church attack | The same church in Lohardaga district was attacked on June 9 too (The Indian Express)
  
  

• Armed men attack priest inside church in Ranchi (IANS)
  
  
• Church attacked in Ranchi (ANI)
  
  
• N-E states told to stop forced conversion | The Centre has advised state governments to take appropriate action against forced and allured religious conversions in the North-East (The Times of India)
  
  

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Sudan (news):

• Religion feeds Sudan's fire | Political rivalries, ethnic strife and poverty have fueled the clashes, but that has not stopped combatants from invoking religion and challenging the devotion of their rivals (The New York Times)
  
  
• Archbishop seeks prayers for the Sudanese | Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, and other Catholics throughout the region yesterday prayed for an end to the suffering of the people of Sudan (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Dying in Darfur | Can the ethnic cleansing in Sudan be stopped? (The New Yorker)
  
  
• U.S. report on violence in Sudan finds a 'pattern of atrocities' | The State Department review found "a consistent pattern of atrocities," including murder and ethnic humiliation (The New York Times)
  
  
• After the exodus, the refugees dig in | Jeevan Vasagar in Iridimi finds those who fled Sudan trying to adapt to a changed life (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Sudanese rebels say they won't disarm yet | Darfur peace talks made little headway as Sudanese insurgents insisted they would not lay down their weapons until pro-government Arab militiamen stop targeting largely black African civilians in their country's troubled western region (Associated Press)
  
  
• Protests continue at Sudan Embassy | Hundreds of demonstrators called for an end to government-sponsored genocide in western Sudan's Darfur region during a march yesterday in front of the Sudanese Embassy (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Militia chief denies Darfur atrocities | Sheet says his tribe was armed by the government to fight rebels (BBC)
  
  

Sudan (opinion):

• Countdown on Darfur | Twenty-Four days have elapsed since the U.N. Security Council gave the government of Sudan a month to stop a campaign of ethnic cleansing by militias and its own troops in the region of Darfur -- and still the killing goes on (Editorial, The Washington Post)
  
  
• Regime change in Sudan | If regime change is not to be chaotic, it must be organized by a consortium of international actors, including regional governments; efforts must be made to reach out to all opposition parties throughout the country and in exile (Eric Reeves, The Washington Post)
  
  

• End the wicked politics of divide and rule in Darfur | The international community must do more than send aid and endlessly debate the dispatch of peacekeepers (David Blair, The Telegraph, London)
  
  

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Slavery:

• World commemorates end of slavery | Events are being held worldwide to mark the abolition of the slave trade and to highlight the fact that millions still live as slaves in all but name (BBC)
  
  
• Christians to evoke slavery in 10 cities | A group of African and European Christians will evoke the slave trade in 10 U.S. cities this fall, starting in Annapolis. White marchers will wear chains on their hands and yokes on their necks while being escorted by black people, and everyone will wear T-shirts with a message of apology (Associated Press)
  
  
• The new abolitionists | Freeing 'sex slaves' is now at the top of the human rights agenda, thanks to Christian evangelicals, the Bush administration, and two former Washington politicians, Linda Smith and John Miller. How did the anti-trafficking crusade evolve, and is it being overhyped? (Seattle Weekly)
  
  

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Iraq:

• U.S. chaplains lend spiritual aid in Iraq | As American troops cope with life — and death — on a faraway battlefield, military chaplains cope with them, offering prayers, comfort and spiritual advice to keep the American military machine running (Associated Press)
  
  
• Iraq's dwindling Christians | Whereas Christians make up just 3% of the country's population, their proportion of the refugee flow into Syria is estimated anywhere between 20% and 95% (Daniel Pipes, The Jerusalem Post)
  
  

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Christian camp counselors murdered:

• Couple relies on deep faith for peace | Chris and Kathy Cutshall knew reports that their daughter, Lindsay, and her fiancé were seen by a California lodge owner were untrue as soon as they heard them (Coshocton Tribune, Oh.)
  
  
• Murder of camp counselors may have been hate crime | A young couple shot in their heads as they slept on a remote California beach may have been killed because of their evangelical Christian religious beliefs, police said on Saturday (Reuters)
  
  
• Slain couple stopped at lodge | Owner says he saw them 24 hours after they missed work (San Francisco Chronicle)
  
  
• Man says he saw counselors before slaying | Lodge owner says he saw them more than 24 hours after they failed to show up for work at a youth camp (Associated Press)
  
  
• Wis. man sought in murder of counselors | A 21-year-old Wisconsin man was being sought for questioning in the mysterious shooting deaths of two camp counselors, according to a newspaper report (Associated Press)
  
  

• Search for campers' killer broadened | Unsolved killings in Arizona, Humboldt County investigated for ties to Jenner beach slaying (The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Ca.)
  
  
• Young couple's dreams ended on isolated beach | They came from a small town in Ohio with no stoplights, no stores, only a few houses and three churches (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Wisconsin drifter questioned in campers' slayings on beach | Nicholas Scarseth resembles the description of a man who may have been seen in the coastal community when the couple were shot to death in their sleeping bags, authorities said (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Pair's slaying on the beach particularly troubling | We can ascribe fate to the Almighty. The ugly truth, though, is that we create our own havoc (Scott Herhold, The Mercury News, San Jose, Ca.)
  
  
• Man questioned about camp counselor deaths | A 21-year-old man who recently left his Wisconsin home to roam California has contacted police after learning from media reports that he was a potential witness in the mysterious shooting deaths of two Christian camp counselors (Associated Press)
  
  
• Police clear Wis. man in campers' deaths | Nicholas Edward Scarseth was interviewed Tuesday, passed a polygraph test and was then released in what his parents say was a case of mistaken identity (Associated Press)
  
  

Murder suspect found in church:

• Police nab murder suspect after church | Lyndell Swinson, wanted in connection with two killings, was recognized while attending service in Mount Airy (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
  
  
• Accused killer nabbed in church (Philadelphia Daily News)
  
  
• Man wanted in killings found in church | A man suspected of killing two people, including the mother of his four children, was apprehended after he was spotted in church during services, police said (Associated Press)
  
  

Crime:

• Pastor fatally shot while pumping gas | Detectives are examining the possibility that Fletcher M. Lyles was the victim of a failed robbery attempt or was shot in retaliation for an earlier argument or incident, police said (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Update: D.C. man charged in SE pastor's slaying | 'Good Samaritan' stepped in to help (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Pastor's armor bearers take on controversial role | Personal assistants said to be intimidating (WRAL, Raleigh, N.C.)
  
  
• Minister sentenced for biting policeman | Man gets prison because he failed to seek probation (Houston Chronicle)
  
  
• Unpunished Salvador murder tried | A US court has begun hearing evidence against a man accused of conspiring to murder the archbishop of El Salvador 24 years ago (BBC)
  
  

• Judge delays fake anthrax case sentencing | A judge has delayed the sentencing of an anti-abortion extremist who was convicted of mailing fake anthrax to women's clinics, saying the Supreme Court must first clarify the legality of federal sentencing rules. (Associated Press)
  
  
• Body discovered at church is believed to be missing worker | Construction worker was last seen on the church roof last Tuesday (The New York Times)
  
  
• Hamms sent to prison for four years | Couple jailed for not getting child medical care (Tulare Advance-Register, Ca.)
  
  

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Abuse:

• Diocese names three priests permanently barred from ministry | Being permanently barred from ministry is a step short of defrocking, meaning the three are still under the archdiocese's watch but can never again call themselves "father," wear priestly garb or present themselves as priests (The Seattle Times)
  
  
• Mich. archdiocese drops priests from duty | The church refused to say where or when the incidents are alleged to have occurred, or where Father Michael Malawy, 49, and Father Timothy Murray, 54, are now (Associated Press)
  
  
• Seattle diocese names three banned priests | The cases are the first here to be reviewed by the Vatican since U.S. bishops approved a policy in 2002 that bars from active ministry any priest with a single credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor (Associated Press)
  
  
• Most accused priests won't face church trials | Catholic priests in the Chicago Archdiocese removed indefinitely from ministry two years ago amid allegations of sexual misconduct with minors will not face church trials after all, Cardinal Francis George revealed in a letter to priests earlier this week (Chicago Sun-Times)
  
  
• Priest's trial set to go | Try at dismissal rejected in molestation case. (San Francisco Examiner)
  
  
• Court upholds Mormon sex suit dismissal | A state appeals court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit brought against the Mormon church by a mother and son who claimed they were abused by a church leader, saying the statute of limitations had run out (Associated Press)
  
  
• Groups advised on abuse claims | A group that began as an independent effort to address sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church released a report Monday that offers a model for any institution - not just the church - on how to respond to allegations of such abuse (Portland Press Herald, Maine)
  
  
• Toledo diocese says it will pay $1.19M | The Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo said it will pay $1.19 million to settle lawsuits filed by 23 people who said they were sexually abused by priests (Associated Press)
  
  

• Diocese settles 18 abuse suits | The St. Louis Archdiocese has agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle 18 civil cases of sexual abuse, according to lawyers representing the accusers (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mo.)
  
  
• Goa archbishop told to scan all churches | Even as molestation charges levelled against a priest in Ribander continue to raise a political storm here, Archbishop of Goa Rev. Filipe Neri Ferrao has been urged to order an independent inquiry into similar incidents of ''sexual impropriety'' reported from other churches (The Indian Express)
  
  
• School authorities back missionary | The school authorities today rallied behind Father Robby against whom a former teacher of Little Flower Public School leveled charges of molestation and attempt to rape yesterday (TribuneIndia)
  
  
• For 2 brothers, priest's arrest is bittersweet | With the arrest of a popular priest, the Lamberts experience a pained vindication, while high-ranking members of the clergy contemplate a painful chronology (The New York Times)
  
  

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Catholicism:

• The all-clear for DIY at the altar | The bitter argument over women priests has really been about who can validly celebrate the Eucharist (Christopher Howse, The Telegraph, London)
  
  
• The Pope's new clothes | Tailor-made and fit for a Pope - have you ever wondered where the clergy go shopping? (BBC)
  
  
• Among faithful, mum isn't the word | Meeting in FW, leaders of Catholic orders say Vatican can't bully them (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• O'Malley to report to Vatican this week | Closings, abuse crisis on agenda (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Fall River Diocese parishes could face changes after study | Parishes throughout the Fall River Diocese could face consolidation or reconfiguration because of changing demographics in Roman Catholic churches in southeastern Massachusetts (Associated Press)
  
  
• 'They're throwing us away' | As Sunday nears, St. Albert's parishioners grapple with the prospect of gathering to worship one last time (The Boston Globe)
  
  

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Pope returns icon to Russia:

• Pope returns icon to Russia, eyes reconciliation | At an elaborate ceremony in the Vatican tinged with Byzantine chants used in the Russian Church, the Pope gave the icon of the "Mother of God of Kazan" to a delegation that will take it to Russia on Friday after public veneration in Rome (Reuters)
  
  

• Pope returns icon to Russia | Pope John Paul II has said he hopes the return of a precious Russian icon to the Russian Orthodox Church will lead to reconciliation and understanding (BBC)
  
  

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Christians and Jews:

• On the street, marketing the Messiah | Jews for Jesus outreach leads Jewish leaders to form 'counter-missionary' teams (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Area leaders join Jewish opposition to church's votes | Presbyterian stances on messianic sect, divestiture criticized (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Rabbi counters conversion groups | Jewish leader to talk in Denver on Sept. 7 (Rocky Mountain News, Denver)
  
  
• Radio stations ask Jews for Jesus to alter controversial commercial | A radio commercial for the evangelical group Jews for Jesus has been dropped by classical music station WGMS, while the general manager of all-news WTOP and modern-rock Z104 said he would continue to air the ad only if it is altered (The Washington Post)
  
  

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The Passion:

• Pitching 'The Passion' DVD to faithful flocks | With DVD's and videos of the film going on sale next week, Hollywood is hoping to turn "The Passion of the Christ" into one of the industry's biggest sellers (The New York Times)
  
  
• Churches 'snap up Passion DVDs' | Film studio 20th Century Fox has launched a massive marketing campaign in US religious communities for the DVD of The Passion of the Christ (BBC)
  
  
• 'Passion' DVD expected to be huge seller | This time around, Mel Gibson will just sit back and let the dough roll in (Chicago Sun-Times)
  
  
• Locusts invade "Passion of Christ" town | It seemed like an invasion of Biblical proportions in the Italian town of Matera, the outdoor setting for Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of The Christ" (Reuters)
  
  

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Film:

• Digging for the deeper meaning in Disney movies | Author scrutinizes the popular animated films, developing a guide to understanding what some call the Gospel According to Walt (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Is new religious movie too 'Loosed'? | Is it proper for Jakes to promote the movie in churches, given that the story is not from Scripture and clearly has images that might offend churchgoers? (Daily Pilot, Newport Beach, Ca.)
  
  
• DeGeneres to star in 'Oh, God!' remake | "Ellen is a strong comedian and she has always done material about God and questions about God," said Jerry Weintraub, who produced the original movie and also will oversee the remake (Associated Press)
  
  

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TV:

• The desecration wagon | Amish in the City has no shame when it comes to the Amish (Jamie M. Fly, National Review Online)
  
  

• Ofcom warns ITV for mixing profanity and blasphemy | With the proliferation of live reality shows on mainstream television, profanity abounds to an extent that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago (The Guardian, London)
  
  

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Sport:

• The faithful | From ancient times to our own, sport and religion have been deeply connected. But here in Red Sox Nation, there are varieties of religious experience only a Sox fan can know (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Games offer chance to minister to all | Jews and Christians make Athens second home for Games (MSNBC)
  
  
• Balancing faith and sport in an Olympic year | The difference between two gestures at the women's road race (Michèle Marr, The Independent, Huntington Beach, Ca.)
  
  
• Ex-ballplayer Strawberry goes to bat for his religion | Strawberry offered testimony for 40 minutes to parishioners of the People Without Walls Church on Forest Hill Boulevard in suburban West Palm Beach, then joined pastors Nick and Kelly Paulo in laying hands on worshipers as they came forward (Palm Beach Post, Fla.)
  
  

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Music:

• Achtung, baby! New U2 release set | Nov. 23 is going to be a beautiful day for U2 fans (E!)
  
  
• Johnny Cash's son produces tribute album | Out of a small cabin hideaway near country music icon Johnny Cash's huge lakeside estate, vacant since he and his wife died last year, has come a rare album by big-name singers and musicians produced by Cash's son, John Carter Cash (Reuters)
  
  
• Creed's Stapp talks spirituality | "Of all the times we were asked if we were a Christian band, only once did anyone ever ask me if I was a Christian." (San Antonio Express-News, Tex.)
  
  

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More pop culture:

• The King of pop | Jesus has become a national icon, experts say, a guy admired by everyone from our evangelical Christian president to Buddhists and Hindus (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
  
  
• Christian festival follows rise in religion on Fringe | A program of more than 100 events is planned for next summer following a surge in festival shows based around religious themes (The Scotsman)
  
  
• Plaster ad wounds Christians | After successfully campaigning to have an "immoral" Axe deodorant advert banned from television because it was too risqué, a Christian lobby group has now set its sights on an Elastoplast advertisement (Mail & Guardian, South Africa)
  
  
• Religious references grace 'Southern Living' | Religion is at the heart of this month's selection, "Southern Living" by Ad Hudler; however, Readers' Circle participants found that Hudler's depiction of religion in the South was not always redeeming (The State, Columbia, S.C.)
  
  

• What would Jesus wear? | People of all beliefs wearing faith on their sleeves — and various other places (The Kansas City Star)
  
  
• A break in tradition for nontraditionalists | Unitarian Universalist churches join forces in ads seeking new members (The Boston Globe)
  
  

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Books:

• 'One Electorate Under God?' |"One Electorate Under God?" is the kind of book that writers are warned against (Peter Steinfels, The New York Times)
  
  
• 'Vows of Silence' authors make their case against John Paul II | The book lays the blame for the crisis not at the feet of bishops who enabled abusers by moving them from parish to parish, but at the foot of the Holy See (The Boston Globe)
  
  

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Money & Business:

• Sibling takes major leap of faith: Buys out brother in Christian biz | Ray Hendrickson has bought out his brother, Steve, at Christian Book Distributors, America's biggest online and catalog seller of Christian books and products (Boston Herald)
  
  
• Office chaplains provide spirituality at work | Chicken plants and church may seem worlds apart but one pastor says there's no better place to minister to his flock (Fox News)
  
  
• Reverend Billy's unholy war | A performance artist in a cleric's collar is on a crusade against consumerism, franchise stores and the loss of a sense of place (The New York Times Magazine)
  
  

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Church buildings and property:

• Ranches votes to close church routes | On Wednesday, town officials tentatively voted 5-0 to close three roads that lead to Abundant Living Ministries (South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Fla.)
  
  
• Fresno congregation wins ruling for property | A Fresno congregation that severed ties with the United Methodist Church over disagreements about same-sex union ceremonies can hang on to its chapel and surrounding property, a state appellate court has ruled (Fresno Bee, Ca.)
  
  
• Expansion still has residents hot | Should St. Andrew's Church scale back its expansion plans further to calm neighbors' fears? (Daily Pilot, Newport Beach, Ca.)
  
  
• State Supreme Court will review case pitting land use, religion | Both the city of West Linn and the Mormon Church think they have a chance of prevailing in a dispute over a meeting house (The Oregonian)
  
  
• In Old North Church's rehab, a window into history | When British troops attempted to get in the front door, Robert Newman made a daring escape through a window in the back of the darkened Old North Church. You can still see it. (The Boston Globe)
  
  

• Also: Looking at glass from all sides now | There are two types of original hand-blown Colonial glass in the windows of the Old North Church (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Faithful await new Morning | Morning Star Baptist Church set to open amid final touches (The Boston Globe)
  
  

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California churches leave Episcopal Church:

• 'A new day' for two congregations | Two parishes that have separated from the Episcopal Church will mark fresh starts by rewriting their articles of incorporation (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Ugandan cleric backs breakaway parishes | The Anglican archbishop of Uganda declared his full support Monday for two Southern California parishes that have broken away from the Episcopal Church in the United States and affiliated with a conservative diocese in that African nation (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• St. James backed by archbishop in Uganda | African leader offers strong support for the church, which announced last week it's no longer Episcopal (Daily Pilot, Newport Beach, Ca.)
  
  
• Churches read bishop's letter en masse | St. James' pastor declines to follow orders from the Los Angeles Diocese citing its new freedom from the Episcopal denomination (Daily Pilot, Newport Beach, Ca.)
  
  
• Church split rings of dubious reasoning | To take the literal stance is to embrace only full-bore literalism. I have attended services at St. James, and no snakes are handled (Timothy Titus, Daily Pilot, Newport Beach, Ca.)
  
  
• Top Episcopal bishop 'troubled' by breakaway churches | In his first public statement on the current secession crisis, the national presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church on Wednesday criticized an Anglican diocese in Uganda for taking over jurisdiction of three conservative breakaway parishes in Southern California (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• North Hollywood parish is third to leave the Episcopal Church | Conservative members join a growing group of dissidents who've left the denomination (Los Angeles Times)
  
  

Other Anglican/Episcopal conflicts:

• Church of Uganda confirms break with USA church | The Provincial Assembly of the Church of Uganda (CoU) has endorsed a resolution by the House of Bishops to break ties with the Episcopal Church of America over the consecration of gay Rev. Canon Gene Robinson as bishop (New Vision, Uganda)
  
  
• Carey tour adds to US fears of gay schism | Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, will provoke a fresh storm over homosexuality in the Church next month by blessing hundreds of American traditionalists who are boycotting their own pro-gay bishop (The Telegraph, London)
  
  

Back to subject index

Same-sex marriage:

• Vt. same-sex unions null in Va., judge rules | Case seen as test of parent rights (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Move is made in Connecticut courts to legalize gay marriage | A gay rights group that won a Massachusetts case legalizing gay marriage announced a similar suit in Connecticut on Wednesday, expanding its mission into a state its lead lawyer declared ripe to confront the issue (The New York Times)
  
  
• Also: Conn. marriage laws challenged | Seven gay couples sue over the legal right to say 'I do' (Associated Press)
  
  
• Cherokee panel: Marriage means man, woman | About a month after a lesbian couple successfully filed for a tribal marriage application, the Cherokee National Tribal Council voted to clearly define marriage as between a man and a woman (Associated Press)
  
  
• From afar, fund boosts supporters of gay marriage | Now that Massachusetts has become the country's battleground over gay marriage, local candidates are getting a boost from national money, thanks to the brave new world of the Internet (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Federal DOMA upheld as constitutional | A federal judge in Washington state last week upheld the federal Defense of Marriage Act as constitutional, marking the first time a federal court has ruled on the 1996 law, which defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Setting a pattern for marriage | What marriage really signifies (Steve Crain, The Pilot, Pinehurst, N.C.)
  
  
• Christian pastors spread the word on heterosexual marriage | A Seattle-area group opposed to same-sex marriage is having some success recruiting pastors in the Inland Northwest, its leaders said (Associated Press)
  
  
• Skirmishes in the marriage war | The folks who drew up Arkansas' proposed marriage amendment just had to go too far (Paul Greenberg, The Washington Times)
  
  
• Steele calls gay issue overplayed | Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele yesterday said discussions about a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex "marriage" detract from more important issues, but that Republicans should debate the matter (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Canada picks same-sex advocates as judges | Two judges known for supporting same-sex unions were nominated Tuesday to fill vacancies on Canada's Supreme Court, and they will be assessed in the country's first-ever public screening of such appointments (Associated Press)
  
  

Other issues regarding homosexuality:

• Zanzibar brings in gay sex ban | A law banning gay sex has come into effect in Zanzibar, with homosexual men threatened with 25-year jail terms and lesbians facing seven-year sentences (The Guardian, London)
  
  
• SJC rules against lesbian mother | Ex-partner balked at child support (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Court rules on lesbian child support case | Judge says partner is "legally a stranger to the child" (Associated Press)
  
  
• Earlier: Va. judge to decide lesbian custody case | A Virginia judge on Tuesday claimed jurisdiction to decide a child custody case between two women who had entered into a civil union in Vermont, a move that could set a legal precedent for same-sex couples whose relationships are recognized in some states and not others (Associated Press)
  
  

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Same-sex marriage and the presidential election:

• The wrong question | It isn't a question of whether or not John Kerry opposes same-sex marriage. The question is whether or not he'll fight to save traditional marriage (Hugh Hewitt, The Weekly Standard)
  
  
• Marriage at the polls | Will gay-marriage initiatives give Bush a boost on November 2? (Mark Stricherz, The Weekly Standard)
  
  
• Republicans endorse ban on gay marriages | Republicans endorsed an uncompromising position against gay unions Wednesday in a manifesto that contrasts with Vice President Dick Cheney's supportive comments about gay rights and the moderate face the party will show at next week's national convention (Associated Press)
  
  
• GOP activists outline opposition to gay unions | Republican activists sharpened their party's opposition to gay marriage Wednesday, a day after Vice President Cheney defended such unions (The Washington Post)
  
  
• GOP hardens stand against gay marriage | Platform okayed after Cheney splits on issue (The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Republican Party's platform embraces constitutional ban on same-sex marriage | The policy statement passes despite Cheney's opposition. The plank also urges legal recognition only for heterosexual couples (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Also: Conservatives grumble on planks reflecting Bush agenda | Although moderates in the party have largely given up hope of softening the stance on previously contentious issues like abortion, conservatives are still pressing for more (The New York Times)
  
  

Cheney and gay marriage:

• Cheney sees gay marriage as state issue | Vice president details differences with Bush (The Washington Post)
  
  
• Cheney breaks from Bush on gays | He says same-sex marriages should be left to the states, but 'the president makes policy for the administration' (Los Angeles Times)
  
  

• Cheney sidesteps marriage debate | While Mr. Cheney did not unequivocally support President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment banning homosexual "marriage," he expressed support for the president's prerogative to set policy (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Cheney stakes out his own position on gay marriages | In a break with months of Republican efforts to outlaw gay marriage, Vice President Dick Cheney offered a defense of the rights of gay Americans (The New York Times)
  
  
• Social conservatives criticize Cheney on same-sex marriage | But none expressed worry that Mr. Cheney's remarks would have lasting political consequences for Mr. Bush's re-election efforts (The New York Times)
  
  
• Right wing sees betrayals | Conservatives yesterday fumed over what they see as twin betrayals in recent days — the Republican National Convention platform's endorsement of amnesty for illegal aliens and Vice President Dick Cheney's fence-straddling on homosexual "marriage" (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Republicans' gay debate | Dick Cheney's comments on gay marriage have opened up a new chapter in one of America's hottest debates, just days before the Republican Convention in New York (BBC, video)
  
  
• GOP struggles for firm message on hot issues | Vice President Dick Cheney's recent public split with President George W. Bush over same-sex marriage unmasked a long-simmering struggle within the Republican Party over gay rights and other hot-button social issues (Newsday)
  
  

Presidential election:

• Bush weds religion, politics to form world view | Bush's "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists" policy became "Either you are with us, or you are against God" (David Domke, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
  
  
• Follow McGreevey's lead | When it comes to Catholicism, John Kerry should be more like the outgoing New Jersey governor (Paul D. Kengor, National Review Online)
  
  

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Other elections:

• Keyes: 'The victory is for God' | Whether his mood is irascible or reflective, Alan Keyes, a lifelong Roman Catholic, wears his faith on his sleeve as well as around his neck (Chicago Sun-Times)
  
  
• Religious zeal mars judge's race | Fliers in 24th District question faith. Rival derides election tactic (The Detroit News)
  
  

More politics:

• Chipping away at the wall | Are church and state still separate in the U.S.? (Dahlia Lithwick, The New York Times)
  
  
• Values swaying some voters | Campaign that promotes a kind of personal morality comes to the Triangle (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
  
  

• The 'God gap' in politics | Despite their differences on specific issues, Americans make a remarkably consistent distinction between individual faith and institutional entanglement in politics (Jane Eisner, Philadelphia Daily News)
  
  
• LDS beliefs prompt some to seek office | Because the church emphasizes civic service, it is only natural for LDS members to seek public office, says Dennis Holland, public information officer for the LDS church in the Sacramento area (The Sacramento Bee, Ca.)
  
  
• Not all black churches fit the stereotype | There's a perception that all black preachers practice partisan politics on Sunday -- Democratic politics at that. But that isn't any more true than the notion that all evangelical white pastors are putting up "Bush for President" posters in the sanctuary (Ken Garfield, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.)
  
  
• Church affiliation? We need to know | Knowing a candidate's religious affiliation gives us more information, although even that's not enough these days (David Waters, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis)
  
  

Politics poll:

• GOP the religion-friendly party | But stem cell issue may help Democrats (The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press)
  
  
• Poll: Americans wary of politics in church | Most Americans oppose political parties obtaining church rosters, says a new poll that found bipartisan opposition to a step the Republicans have taken to identify voters (Associated Press)
  
  
• Denial of Communion disapproved | A new survey about religion and politics shows that Americans disapprove of Catholic Church leaders withholding Holy Communion from pro-choice Catholic politicians by almost a three-to-one ratio, or 64 percent to 22 percent (The Washington Times)
  
  
• Voters wary of churches' role in politics | While a huge majority (72 percent) affirms that a US president should have strong religious beliefs - and the public is comfortable with leaders talking about their faith and using it to guide policymaking - most are wary about involvement of religious leaders and houses of worship in partisan politics (The Christian Science Monitor)
  
  
• Faith-based politicians are fine with public | Pulpit endorsements go too far, poll finds (Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette, Ind.)
  
  
• Voters wary of campaigns playing on religion, poll finds | But strong faith believed important in presidential candidates, results show (The Baltimore Sun)
  
  
• Survey finds 'clear shift' on faith in politics | The Pew poll found religious talk in campaigns may be wearing thin for a growing number (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
  
  

• Stem cell research emerges as key issue in new poll (Religion News Service)
  
  

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Embryonic stem cell research:

• Stem cells: Promise, in search of results | At three Boston laboratories, the world of stem cell research can be captured in all its complexity, promise and diversity (The New York Times)
  
  
• Facts on stem cells | We believe that most Americans have different moral values from the president's (Ruth R. Faden and John D. Gearhart, The Washington Post)
  
  
• The party of cloning | The Democrats embrace the gospel of stem cells (Eric Cohen, The Weekly Standard)
  
  
• Gates contributes to stem cell campaign | He gave $400,000 to the campaign backing a California ballot measure that would make billions of dollars available for human embryonic stem cell research and cloning projects in the state, according to campaign records (Associated Press)
  
  
• Senseless on stem cells | Why advocate research that destroys nascent human beings? (Hadley Arkes, National Review Online)
  
  

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Abortion:

• Planned Parenthood: Dressed to kill | Talk about "teeing" off pro-life Americans (Suzanne Chamberlin, The Washington Times)
  
  
• Nurse planning to sue over abortion objection | Proceedings against Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and a Gauteng hospital have been filed in the Vereeniging Equality Court after a chief professional nurse was allegedly barred from working in theatre because she refused to perform abortions for religious reasons (Cape Argus, South Africa)
  
  
• Abortion ship sails for Portugal | Group has appealed the decision anchoring ship to Amsterdam (BBC)
  
  
• Womb pictures lead to abortion review | At least 100 MPs are pressing for a review of the legislation amid mounting concern over late terminations (Evening Standard, London)
  
  

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Life ethics:

• Pope condemns unethical science, cloning | Pope John Paul II warned in a statement released Sunday that humanity's speedy progress in science and technology risks overlooking moral values, citing with particular concern experiments in human cloning (Associated Press)
  
  
• Ethics council divided on cloning | Chairman says Germany should rethink stance on therapeutic work (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany)
  
  
• Life and death in Florida | Will courts kill Terri Schiavo? (Doug Bandow, National Review Online)
  
  
• Where do the extra embryos go? | A new study, published this month online by Politics and the Life Sciences, has found that in vitro fertilization, or IVF, clinics don't simply dispose of excess embryos (Wired)
  
  

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Suicide:

• Documentary explores clergy response to suicide | Fierce Goodbye highlights a subject that is still taboo for many congregations, where a religious prohibition against murder often extends to suicide (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• 1 in 5 dying Oregonians mulls suicide option | Just one in 1,000 Oregonians kills himself or herself through the state's physician-assisted suicide law, but nearly one in five dying Oregonians considers assisted suicide seriously enough to talk to family members about it, a new study has found (The Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.)
  
  
• Lutheran pastor takes his own life | The Napa religious community has lost a prominent figure, Rev. Carl Pihl, pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church for the past decade and a member of the Napa Interfaith Council (The Napa Valley Register, Ca.)
  
  

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Missions & ministry:

• The terrible cost of saving lives | Unescorted by occupying troops but often regarded as their agents, aid workers are at risk from all sides (Conor Foley, The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Church earns mileage with a gas subsidy | A Tustin service station sells gas at $1.67 a gallon for a day, underwritten by a congregation with a message for motorists (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Billy Graham's ministry comes home | $27 million headquarters on 63-acre wooded site will employ from 300 to 350 (The Charlotte Observer)
  
  
• Back to basics | With baptisms down, the Georgia Baptist Convention embraces a Sunday School curriculum with a simple mission: Evangelize (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  
  
• The class that changed president's faith | The program credited with helping change President Bush from a blasé churchgoer to a fervent, unabashed Christian believer was not just a Texas phenomenon. It's a Bible study course offered throughout the United States, including in the Bay Area, and in Europe (The Mercury News, San Jose, Ca.)
  
  
• Soul sisters | Women of Faith share friendship onstage and off (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Summer School with the Salvation Army | Ask people to sum up The Salvation Army and it is doubtful they would use words like young, modern, fun and exciting (BBC)
  
  
• Promise Keepers are expected to draw capacity crowd here | Women are now welcome to attend, but the focus remains on fellowship among Christian men (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
  
  

Florida after the hurricane:

• After the storm come tests of faith | All across central Florida, people have gathered at battered churches to ask themselves whether nature's swirling wrath had also unsettled their faith (The New York Times)
  
  

• Emotions evident at church | Congregation hit by hurricane meets outdoors (The News-Press, Fort Meyers, Fla.)
  
  

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Faith-based initiatives:

• HUD tutors faith-based groups | Government money may still come with strings attached for churches and religious groups that provide social services. But federal agencies have loosened them considerably in recent years, and are now giving faith-based organization lessons in how to get tax dollars (Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fla.)
  
  
• Faith-based prison programs aim to uplift inmates | Georgia corrections officials toured a faith-based prison in Florida and liked what they saw (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
  
  

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Notre Dame prof's visa revoked:

• U.S. revokes work visa for Muslim scholar | Acting at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. government has revoked the work visa of a Muslim scholar who had been scheduled to teach at the University of Notre Dame this fall (Associated Press)
  
  
• Muslim scholar loses U.S. visa as query is raised | prominent Muslim scholar from Switzerland was supposed to begin teaching a seminar on Islamic ethics at the University of Notre Dame on Tuesday, but he did not show up for his first class because the State Department revoked his visa (The New York Times)
  
  
• Muslim scholar has visa revoked | The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has revoked a visa granted to Tariq Ramadan, a renowned Islamic scholar who is accused by some Jewish groups of being a Muslim extremist, effectively barring him from a teaching post he was to begin this week at the University of Notre Dame (Chicago Tribune)
  
  
• Muslims support scholar on visa | Revocation is blamed on Bush policy (Chicago Tribune)
  
  

Academics:

• Some experts question John the Baptist claim | Archaeologist reports proof of John the Baptist (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Baylor professor studies unusual claims | Studying professed UFO abductees, abuse victims may offer clues to growth of mainstream faiths (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  

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People:

• Hagee brings activism and faith together | Pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio puts feet to his prayers (Houston Chronicle)
  
  
• Falwell has high hopes as law school opens | 'We are on a mission to return America to her religious heritage' (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Also: School aims to replace 'liberal' judiciary | Classes begin today at a new law school in Virginia that hopes to groom students to replace "liberal, crazy, run-away judges," the Rev. Jerry Falwell said Tuesday in Fort Worth (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Tex.)
  
  

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Other stories of interest:

• Lives less ordinary | It is timely to reassert the existence in Britain of thousands of ordinary, unknown Christians (Bob Holman, The Guardian, London)
  
  
• Senator doubts reconciliation | A senator said reconciliation was not part of the Indian people and non-Christian cultures living in Fiji (Fiji Times)
  
  
• Saving faith in the land of Plenty | Melbourne's first residential interfaith conference ended in triumph yesterday, and according to an organiser, Rabbi Jonathan Keren Black, "We got through four days without killing each other" (The Age, Melbourne, Australia)
  
  
• Quick-thinking doctor saves the life of pastor | An Episcopalian minister, a Presbyterian minister and a Catholic priest all delivered their version of last rites to the Rev. Dick Williams who expected to be dead within the hour (Wisconsin State Journal, Madison)
  
  
• Seeing & believing | Visions of Mary, other such 'miracles' put faith - and science - to the test (The Dallas Morning News)
  
  
• Building on the past | For Egyptian Christians, new home is the culmination of dearly held dreams (Houston Chronicle)
  
  
• Immigration main factor in declining Protestant numbers | Nine out of 10 Christians who legally immigrate here are Catholic, most of them Latino, so that more than a third of all Catholics in the United States today are of Hispanic heritage (The Hartford Courant, Conn.)
  
  
• 'One body' despite our divisions? | Unwillingness to pursue unity undermines the church's mission (Kenneth H. Carter Jr., The Charlotte Observer, N.C.)
  
  
• Lured to Jerusalem by religion, luxury | Foreigners fuel boom around old city (The Washington Post)
  
  

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