1. Faith-based initiative case goes to the Supreme Court Just because you pay federal taxes doesn't mean you have the right to sue the government over how it spends your tax dollars, the Supreme Court ruled in 1923. If your "only injury is an anticipated increase in taxes," too bad.
In 1968, the court made an exception: taxpayers can sue over funding legislation that may unconstitutionally support religion.
"Our history vividly illustrates that one of the specific evils feared by those who drafted the establishment clause and fought for its adoption was that the taxing and spending power would be used to favor one religion over another or to support religion in general," Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in Flast v. Cohen. "The taxpayer's allegation in such cases would be that his tax money is being extracted and spent in violation of specific constitutional protections against such abuses of legislative power."
Citing Flast, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) sued over the White House's faith-based initiative. The White House, through Solicitor General Paul Clement, responds that the Flast exception is for congressional statutes, not executive branch expenditures on executive branch programs (like the faith-based initiative conferences FFRF wants to challenge).
At oral arguments Wednesday, that explanation didn't even sit well with Justice Antonin Scalia, who is generally dismissive of establishment clause claims. But Andrew J. Pincus, representing FFRF, seemed to fare worse with the justices. He had barely begun when Chief Justice John Roberts said, "I don't understand under your theory why any taxpayer couldn't sue our Marshal for standing up and saying 'God save the United States and this honorable Court.'"
Pincus replied that the taxpayer would have to "identify a discrete and identifiable non-incidental expenditure." So when the government pays for security when the president addresses a religious group, or when it pays for bagels at a prayer breakfast, it's not grounds for a suit, Pincus said, because "it is not paying for the center of what the violation is."
The question here is taxpayer standing, and Clement emphasized that there are still ways to challenge establishment clause violations. "Any time the establishment clause injury takes the form of alleged coercive conduct, the individuals who are coerced are going to have standing to bring the suit," he said.
There are also circumstances under which a taxpayer could bring a suit, Clement said but it was clear that the justices had a hard time following his argument on this point. After a series of hypotheticals and dead-end questioning, Justice Samuel Alito stepped in to help.
"General Clement, are you arguing that these lines that you're drawing make a lot of sense in an abstract sense?" Scalia asked. "Or are you just arguing that this is the best that can be done within the body of precedent that the Court has handed down in this area?"
"The latter, Justice Alito," Clement replied. "And I appreciate the question."
"Why didn't you say so?" asked an exasperated Scalia. "I've been trying to make sense out of what you're saying."
"Well, and I've been trying to make sense out of this Court's precedents," said Clement.
Still, he wants to keep those precedents. A number of groups filing amicus briefs asked the Court to draw the lines even tighter, even so far as closing Flast's taxpayer-standing hole altogether.
2. How much should we pile on the "Jesus tomb" silliness? The blogs of archaeology professors and Bible scholars are full of commentaries on the Talpiot tomb claims made by Simcha Jacobovici and his colleagues. Much of them are really interesting to fellow scholars, and can be summed up as: countless reasons why Jacobovici is wrong. There are disagreements, but these are focused on the degree and manner in which Jacobovici is wrongnot whether he is. Weblog is a little surprised that the journalism blogs aren't talking more about this. This story is, after all, more about journalistic credulity and celebrity worship than it is about some guy making an unsubstantiated claim about Jesus. We get odd claims all the time, and I'm sure that other news outlets do, too. So why did Jacobovici and Cameron get such massive media attentionand, at least initially, such uncritical coverage? Why was the story, "Has Jesus Been Found?" and not, "Has James Cameron Lost It?" And as The Daily Show pointed out last night, why respond to Cameron with people like Bill Donohue?
But while we're on the topic: Could all you CT readers outraged that the media would give this so much attention please remember this incident the next time you ask why we're not covering the discovery of Noah's ark?
3. Speaking of media hype "To a tired genre," says Newsweek, this week's media phenomenon, "brings breathless pizzazz and a market-proven gimmick, an evocation of ancient wisdom and hidden conspiracies that calls to mind The Da Vinci Code." Wait. Newsweek isn't talking about the Talpiot tomb? No. It's The Secret, the Oprah-blessed name-it-and-claim-it book and DVD set. Actually, Newsweek was much harder on The Secret than it was on the tomb.
Article continues below
4. Six die in Bluffton University bus crash Bluffton University, a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities affiliated with the Mennonite Church, suffered tragedy this morning as a charter bus carrying its baseball team drove off a highway ramp. Four students, the bus driver, and the bus driver's wife were killed. Nineteen students were injured, and three are in critical condition.
5. Los Angeles Times fills in some details on Calvary Satellite Network Rob Moll's Christianity Today article on Calvary Chapel, which appears in the current issue, alluded to accusations of sexual harassment against Calvary Satellite Network president Mike Kestler and to conflict between Kestler and Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith. This week, the Los Angeles Times described the battle and accusations in more detail.
Quote of the day "The period of secularization was important, but I see us living in a changed world where it is incumbent on politicians and political documents to spell out more clearly their spiritual roots. If we are honest, we often lack the strength to clearly state what our beliefs are and that makes us less credible to others with different beliefs and values."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking to members of her Christian Democratic Union, would like to see the European Union constitution include references to its Christian roots.
Court hears arguments linking right to sue and spending on religion | The Supreme Court heard arguments on whether taxpayers who object to the way the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives spends its money can get into federal court (The New York Times)
High Court mulls faith-based initiatives | The Supreme Court wrestled Wednesday with the question of whether taxpayers have the right to challenge the White House's aggressive promotion of federal financial aid for religious charities (Associated Press)
Church-state case heard | Justices are urged to shield Bush's 'faith-based initiative' from lawsuits (The Baltimore Sun)
Faith-based case divides justices | Several members of the Supreme Court on Wednesday sharply questioned whether taxpayers ought to be able to challenge President Bush's use of government funds to finance social programs operated by faith-based groups (Chicago Tribune)
Supreme Court takes up church-state case | A Wisconsin group says the president's faith-based initiative is illegal. But can taxpayers sue the government over funding? (The Christian Science Monitor)
Church-state question before justices | The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation will be at the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case that could affect taxpayers' ability to challenge and government's ability to defend a multitude of public programs that involve groups with a religious affiliation (USA Today)
Court leery of suits by taxpayers | Supreme Court justices appeared ready Wednesday to limit taxpayers' ability to challenge government funding of groups with religious affiliations (USA Today)
Government by law, not faith | A case before the Supreme Court could have a broad impact on whether the courthouse door remains open to ordinary Americans who believe that the government is undermining the separation of church and state (Editorial, The New York Times)
Article continues below
Church handles social ills better than government | Faith-based initiatives are in the news again. Unfortunately, some of their strongest opponents still don't seem to understand what they really do (Tony Evans, The Dallas Morning News)
Also: Faith behind bars | Second chances are the specialty of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
PSL Council: No religious symbols at city hall | Jesus in a manger and a menorah don't belong on city property during the holidays, the Port St. Lucie City Council decided Monday night (Scripps)
Zoning debate settles down | For now at least, the dust seems to have settled in a zoning standoff between the Cowboy Church and Bedford County (News and Advance, Lynchburg, Va.)
Mennonites to leave state over photo IDs | Mennonites believe the Bible forbids them from posing for photographs, so they're moving to Arkansas (Columbia Tribune, Mo.)
Council refuses to eliminate invocation | The council last night rebuffed a request from a representative of Americans United for Separation of Church and State to consider eliminating the invocation from the council meetings, and it rejected a request of Mayor Konstantina B. Lukes to seek a legal opinion regarding the invocations and the recitation of prayers that might promote a specific religion (Worchester Telegram and Gazette, Mass.)
U.S. prosecutor emcees Christian event | A federal prosecutor was serving as master of ceremonies Tuesday night for a Christian organization that sparked controversy last fall when it asked Iowa judges to fill out a survey listing their views on hot issues (Associated Press)
Courthouse Bible study group gets a new meeting place | A St. Charles County judge who raised eyebrows by leading a weekly Bible study group at the courthouse has found a new place to meet (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mo.)
Romanian judge demoted for witchcraft | Judge Elena Simionescu was accused of being a witch and of creating an atmosphere of conflict during her term as a president of the court in Vatra Dornei, a small town in eastern Romania (The Telegraph, London)
Article continues below
Faith-based plan an obvious ploy | Gov. Sonny Perdue and his allies are once again pushing an amendment to the state constitution that would allow faith-based groups to accept public money to perform public services, from teen counseling to homeless shelters (Editorial, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
'Separation of church and state' cult | I know I am supposed to love my neighbor, but the Rev. Barry Lynn sure makes it hard. And so does everyone like him who continuously lies about some impending theocratic-right-wing-Christian takeover of the government (David P. McGinley, The Washington Times)
Call to take religion from ID cards | Politicians, paranormals, spiritualists and activists from the National Integration Movement asked the government to review a 2006 law on population administration which requires the inclusion of religion on identity cards, saying the law is discriminatory (The Jakarta Post, Indonesia)
Church premises ransacked, eight injured | At least eight persons were injured as a mob ransacked a church and assaulted those present on Wednesday evening in a sequel to an altercation between a college run by the church and villagers nearby (PTI, India)
Also: Bible College attacked by Hindu mob in India | About 500 anti-Christian radicals attacked a Gospel for Asia Bible college in the eastern Indian state of Orissa on Wednesday evening, February 28 (Gospel for Asia/Mission Network News)
150 Christian outcastes "return" to Hinduism | It is the first time such a ceremony has been held in Himachal Pradesh, where an anti-conversion law was recently enacted. A Catholic bishop warns that this is a dangerous situation for all Christians (AsiaNews.it)
Church in Cuba keeps alight freedom flame | Every Sunday after Mass in Havana's western suburb of Miramar a group of women marches up and down the pavement in front of the church to raise the plight of the political prisoners jailed by the regime for voicing dissent (The Telegraph, London)
2 men charged in Cuba travel fraud plot | Two men were arrested and charged with using fake religious organizations to get thousands of people permission to travel to Cuba, prosecutors said Thursday (Associated Press)
Rivals seek to expand freedoms in China | Two advocates of the rule of law, both Christians, differ on whether to work within the system or to seek an end to Communist rule (The New York Times)
Flagellants for Red China | The Christian Left wants to apologize for Western "exploitation." (Mark Tooley, FrontPageMag.com)
Jews urged to embrace evangelicals | Got a problem with evangelicals cozying up to the Jewish community? That's perfectly understandable, their representatives say. And here's their solution: Cozy on up (The Jerusalem Post)
Israeli police ban conference on holy site | Israeli police on Wednesday banned a news conference by Muslim and Christian opponents to Israeli excavation work near a disputed holy site (Associated Press)
Woman in dispute with city about signs | San Mateo City Council orders woman to remove 'messages from God' she has all over property (Contra Costa Times, Ca.)
Woman must remove 'messages from God' | A woman who has covered her roof and property with painted slogans she calls messages from God has been ordered to remove them or face possible fines or jail time (Associated Press)
Navy ousts chaplain for public protest | Gordon Klingenschmitt said he would continue a federal lawsuit against the Navy as a civilian and try to get reinstated (Associated Press)
Chaplain discharged after ruling | A Navy chaplain who claimed he was punished for praying "in Jesus' name" at public military events was formally discharged from the service Wednesday (Stars and Stripes)
Christian Right labors to find '08 candidate | A pivotal group of Christian conservatives is dissatisfied with the Republican presidential field and uncertain where to turn (The New York Times)
Pressure on Romney to firmly address Mormon faith | Should he address his religion head-on in a speech, as John F. Kennedy did in 1960 to Texas Baptists while campaigning to become the first Roman Catholic U.S. president? Or should he resist debate over a religion that evangelicals, who are key to winning the Republican primaries, often view with suspicion? (Reuters)
Well groomed | Why Mitt Romney's marriage will help him with Christians (Michelle Cottle, The New Republic)
The Christian Right's dream candidate | His name is Jeb Bush, and unfortunately for them, he seems serious about not running (Eleanor Clift, Newsweek)
The believer-in-chief | How many people, at least among the social classes that produce presidential candidates, believe in the doctrines of Christianity with the same degree of confidence with which they believe in, say, the existence of Antarctica? (Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News, Denver)
Rudy & Mitt hem & haw on abortion | It is the candidate who sets out to deceive us who has the most reason to keep it simple (Ann Althouse, The New York Times)
Religion in the news: Chavez's Jesus | President Hugo Chavez calls Jesus a guiding light for his self-styled socialist revolution. But his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church is complicated and sometimes strained (Associated Press)
Merkel wants EU to be vocal about Christian roots | "The period of secularisation was important, but I see us living in a changed world where it is incumbent on politicians and political documents to spell out more clearly their spiritual roots," German Chancellor said in a speech on Europe to members of her Christian Democratic Union (Reuters)
Fla. official fired over sex-change plan | "If Jesus was here tonight, I can guarantee you he'd want him terminated," said Pastor Ron Saunders of Largo's Lighthouse Baptist Church. "Make no mistake about it." (Associated Press)
Still welcome the stranger | To claim that God is on your side in a debate is bold indeed. Yet my e-mail inbox is bursting with alerts urging my opposition to "amnesty" for "illegals" and my support for deportation and walls in the sand. Sentiments made most shocking because they were sent by people like me - Evangelical Protestants (Thomas Keown, Boston Herald)
The times they are a-changing for US fundamentalists | Since 2004, the Christian right has found progress tougher, in part because of an embarrassing string of scandals, in part because secular America has begun to reassert itself and in part because a growing number of American Christians are uneasy about allowing religion to become so politicised and so closely associated with one party (Will Hutton, The Observer, London)
Evangelicals in exile | The Christian right is reeling from its biggest electoral defeat in a quarter century - and now they're talking about abandoning the GOP (Robert Dreyfuss, Rolling Stone)
Church leaders threaten government over abortion | Two of Sweden's most influential church leaders have threatened to encourage Christians to vote against the government at the next election, following a proposal that foreign women should be allowed to come to Sweden for abortions (The Local, Sweden)
Article continues below
Amillia shows 24 weeks is too late to abort | Pressure was growing yesterday to shorten the 24-week limit on abortions. Medical experts and Church leaders say that the law is outdated and claim that medical advances would ensure the survival of as many as 2,000 foetuses aborted each year in Britain (The Telegraph, London)
Baby bonus plan prompts rise in abortion inquiries | A proposal by the Cypriot government to pay women a £24,000 "baby bonus" for a third child has resulted in a flood of inquiries about abortions from women considering delaying having a baby, MPs say (The Guardian, London)
High swastika defaces Bonita church's anti-abortion sign | A determined vandal climbed about 35 feet to spray-paint a black swastika on an anti-abortion billboard Sunday night at one of the county's busiest intersections (The News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.)
Backing abortion rights while keeping the faith | Frances Kissling has been called the "philosopher of the pro-choice movement" by her friends and an "abortion queen" by her critics (The New York Times)
Single-issue politics | What a candidate believes about abortion tells us how he will treat other issues (Gene Edward Veith, World)
Adult stem cell study flawed, panel says | A scientific panel says a 2002 study that suggested adult stem cells might be as useful as embryonic ones was flawed and its conclusions may be wrong, a finding that raises questions about the promise of a less controversial source for stem cells (Associated Press)
Also: Panel finds flawed data in a major stem cell report | An inquiry panel has found what it called "significantly flawed" data in a stem cell paper that claimed stem cells isolated from an adult could change into all the major tissue types (The New York Times)
Adult stem cells wars | The moot attack on a pioneering stem cell paper (Michael Fumento, The American Spectator)
California stem cell research is upheld by appeals court | A state appeals court ruled in favor of California's new embryonic stem cell agency in a suit brought by opponents of abortion and taxes who challenged the validity of the agency (The New York Times)
Article continues below
Also: Court upholds Calif. stem cell agency | California's $3 billion stem cell agency withstood another challenge to its constitutionality when a state appeals court rejected claims by abortion foes and anti-tax advocates that the agency's managers had conflicts of interest (Associated Press)
Where faith and stem cells meet | Jesus might have us use embryosotherwise destined to be discardedto aid the sick and dying (Michael D. Kerlin, Newsday)
Pope speaks out against "designer babies" | Pope Benedict on Saturday condemned genetic engineering and other scientific practices that allow people to select so-called "designer babies" by screening them for defects (Reuters)
Updating an old way to leave the baby on the doorstep | Advanced versions of the Middle Ages' "founding wheel" are proliferating through Europe, allowing unwanted babies to be abandoned safely (The New York Times)
Christians crusade against cancer vaccine | Activists don't want girls inoculated against HPV because they want sex to remain as scary as possible (Bill Maher, Salon.com)
Underage | Why it's too soon for a mandatory HPV vaccine (Arthur Allen, The New Republic)
Venus magazine becomes ex-gay pub | Venus Magazine, a publication that for 13 years targeted the Black gay and lesbian community, is now a voice for the ex-gay movement (Windy City Times, still a gay publication)
Church hosts conference on 'ex-gay' therapy | The controversial idea that counseling and therapy can overcome homosexual tendencies is at the heart of what's called the "ex-gay movement." Proponents of ways that gays and lesbians can be "cured" recently held a conference in Phoenix, Ariz. (All Things Considered, NPR)
Article continues below
Hard road against Focus on the Family | How effective can a fledgling faith-based gay-rights organization be in fighting the homophobic multimillion-dollar empire that is Focus on the Family? (The Denver Post)
National gay marriage opponents switch tactics | Alliance for Marriage, the group that spearheaded the push for a federal constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, has reset its sights on state legislatures, conceding it has little chance for success in a Democrat-controlled Congress (Associated Press)
Gay marriage ripe for decision in 3 courts | All eyes now are on the highest courts in California, Connecticut and Maryland, where decisions on the constitutionality of gay marriage are likely this year (Stateline.org)
Adoption opt-out decision 'right' | The limited exemptions for religious groups from gay discrimination laws should not be widened, Parliament's joint committee on human rights says (BBC)
Magistrate in gay adoption defeat | A Christian magistrate who says he was forced to quit the bench because he does not agree with adoption by gay couples has lost a discrimination case (BBC)
Gay rights advances likely in Congress | At least two measures are likely to win approval this year: a hate-crimes bill that would cover offenses motivated by anti-gay bias, and a measure that would outlaw workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. Also on the table although with more doubtful prospects will be a measure seeking repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military. (Associated Press)
Hawaii civil unions plan goes nowhere | Hawaii lawmakers effectively killed a proposal to create civil unions for gay couples by declining to vote on the legislation (Associated Press)
Lawsuit raises questions about putdown | When a few classmates razzed Rebekah Rice about her Mormon upbringing with questions such as, "Do you have 10 moms?" she shot back: "That's so gay." After Rice got a warning and a notation in her file, her parents sued (Associated Press)
Analysis: Episcopal choices | Three years of emergency summits, nuanced apologies and behind-the-scenes negotiating failed. Anglican leaders this week gave the U.S. Episcopal Church an ultimatum: Halt your march toward full acceptance of gays, or lose your place in the global Anglican family (Associated Press)
Article continues below
A closer look at Anglican debate on gay issues | The Episcopal Church's presiding bishop asks for patience as the church -- and the denomination -- tries to forge a compromise (Los Angeles Times)
A divide, and maybe a divorce | Slavery split apart American churches. Now could the fight over homosexuality do the same? (The New York Times)
Also: Episcopal head seeks gay compromise | Appearing on a live webcast, the Episcopal Church's presiding bishop began the painful task Wednesday of persuading members to roll back their support for gays at least for now so the denomination can keep its place in the world Anglican fellowship (Associated Press)
Also: Church head attacks impatience on gays | "We are being pushed toward a decision by impatient forces within and outside this church who hunger for clarity," said Katharine Jefferts Schori (Reuters)
Gay bishop says no to ultimatum | New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson said in a statement that Episcopalians should set aside the Anglican Communion's request for now "and get on with the work of the Gospel" even at the risk of losing their place in the Anglican fellowship (Associated Press)
Also: Gay bishop weighs in on Anglican debate | "Just because The Episcopal Church has been invited to subvert its own polity (governing structure) and become a Church ruled by bishops-only, a Church that is willing to sacrifice the lives and ministries and dignity of its gay and lesbian members on the altar of unity, does not mean that we are going to choose to do it," Robinson wrote (USA Today)
Virginia property litigation to continue, church's attorneys say | Lawyers for the Episcopal Church have told two attorneys representing some of the 11 Diocese of Virginia congregations involved in a legal dispute over possession of church property that "there is no basis at this time" to put that litigation on hold (Episcopal News Service)
Aids orphans in firing line as church fights over gay priests | While the Church itself is bitterly divided over the issue of homosexuality, there appears to also be a growing division between those dioceses in Africa who seek to cut off all relations with Western Anglican churches who have supported the ordination of gay priests, and those who favour a pragmatic line because of the huge financial support provided to their congregations by Western churches (The East African, Kenya)
African bishop optimistic on unity | Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola said dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church had been going on for more than 40 years, and that much progress had been made in terms of finding ways to work around the divisive issues (Reuters)
The Episcopal Church and the rift over homosexuality | In the civil war over homosexuality in organized religion, the Episcopal Church faces division over its acceptance of gay bishops and same-sex couples. It's one of the most divisive issues to major religions since slavery. (Talk of the Nation, NPR)
Showdown in Africa | A midnight session narrowly averts a divide between The Episcopal Church and worldwide Anglicans (World)
Gay bishops wouldn't worry the Catholics | The celibate gay Anglican vicar is in fact closer to the Catholic ideal of priesthood than a married one (Dominic Lawson, The Independent, London)
A new bill of rights? | The capacity of Anglicanism's breach to divide is real and is tenacious (William F. Buckley, National Review Online)
A divorce the church should smile upon | A generation from now, when we look back on the breakup of the Anglican Communion and on the status of homosexuals within the churches of the world, what may we expect to see? (Jack Miles, The New York Times)
Williams: Church appears 'obsessed with sex' | But the Archbishop argued that its bitter and prolonged dispute over homosexuality touched deeper issues, such as the way the worldwide Communion dealt with profound differences, which could not be easily avoided (The Telegraph, London)
Synod disarray over civil partnerships | The Church of England's policy towards the government's civil partnerships legislation for gay couples was in disarray last night after an unholy coalition of liberal and conservative members of its general synod combined to defeat its bishops (The Guardian, London)
Also: Synod rejects gay clergy policy | The Church of England was in disarray over homosexuality last night after the General Synod refused to endorse the bishops' controversial policy on gay "marriages" (The Telegraph, London)
Article continues below
Also: Anglicans vote on gay and lesbian issues | The Church of England's assembly on Wednesday affirmed existing teaching that homosexuality is no bar to full participation in the church but avoided the fractious debate within the Anglican Communion about accepting gay sexual relationships (Associated Press)
Also: Anglicans lock horns over gays as rift deepens | Church of England Bishops succeeded in toning down a liberal motion on homosexuality, arguing that this could have upset delicate negotiations (Reuters)
Church plans cuts to pay for bishops' homes | The Church of England is considering cutting spending on parish missions and theological textbooks to help meet the rising cost of its bishops' palaces (The Guardian, London)
Church to relax its marriage laws | Divorcees wanting to remarry in church will be given much greater freedom under new ecclesiastical legislation in the Church of England (The Telegraph, London)
Faith | Britain's new cultural divide is not between Christian and Muslim, Hindu and Jew. It is between those who have faith and those who do not (Stuart Jeffries, The Guardian, London)
The lively world of non-belief | Secularists are not only concerned with the lack of evidence for God, as some accuse us of being (Caspar Melville, The Guardian, London)
Muslims demonstrate over Bishop Orombi's remarks | They demanded that the Archbishop should apologise for the comments he made on the Islamic faith in New York City at the Kairos Journal Award on January 26 (The Monitor, Uganda)
Also: I do not hate MuslimsOrombi | Archbishop Luke Orombi has dismissed reports that he considers Islam an enemy religion. "Let me set the record straight; I have no enmity with Muslims." (The Monitor, Uganda)
Anglicans fire conservative Clay priest | Church ousts prominent Anglican Mission in America leader after 'inappropriate relationship' (The Times-Union, Jacksonville, Fla.)
Lamont church battle in hands of judge | A painful split between worshippers in this peaceful rural community comes to a head Tuesday with a trial over who owns Lamont Christian Reformed Church (The Grand Rapids Press, Mi.)
CRC authority may play role in church battle | A dispute over which of two Lamont congregations takes control of a historic church building may hinge on the authority of the national Christian Reformed Church (The Grand Rapids Press, Mi.)
Discovering divine sites for condos | A number of former houses of worship in Manhattan will soon offer new options in post-ecclesiastical living (The New York Times)
Cardinal sin | Tricky Egan locks up priest's church (New York Post)
Catholic groups seek to rent shuttered parishes | Dozens of Catholic organizations could soon set up offices in recently shuttered parishes or churches slated to close as part of the Archdiocese of New York's reorganization, which was announced last month (The New York Sun)
God's word, plus static, on Calvary Satellite Network | Amid accusations over sex, money and control, Pastor Chuck Smith is about to surrender much of the evangelical radio empire to a man he calls morally unfit for ministry (Los Angeles Times)
Religion in the news: Deacons vs. Pastor | For three years, a group of deacons from the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church has tried to oust the congregation's pastor. And three times, the church leader has taken the case to the Georgia Supreme Court. Pastor Willie M. Bolden simply refuses to leave (Associated Press)
A test of the faithful | D.C. area housing costs add to clergy members' struggles (The Washington Post)
Truth & consequences | "Thou shalt not lie" is one of the Ten Commandments. "Thou shalt not keep secrets" didn't make the cut (The Gazette, Colorado Springs)
Ranks of church organists dwindling | Low pay, fewer organ students and the growing popularity of praise bands accompanied by electronic keyboards, guitars and drums contribute to the shortage, organists and experts said (The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Ca.)
Church to switch national affiliation | Omaha's Covenant Presbyterian Church will move from Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Omaha World-Herald, Neb.)
For Lent, parishes lighten up fish fry | With more people trying to eat healthier food, many churches are offering lighter fare, including grilled shrimp, baked fish, fresh tuna and crispy, raw vegetables (Associated Press)
Temple weeds out 'Tree of Life' | Congregation of Christians, Jews uses marijuana for religious 'sacrament' (Los Angeles Daily News)
Russian Orthodox bishop lashes out at church leaders for fostering democracy, ecumenism | In a rare protest from within the tightly hierarchical church, Bishop Diomid and four of his subordinates criticized the Moscow Patriarchate for what he described as inappropriate efforts toward ecumenism or greater cooperation with other faiths (Associated Press)
Coptic Church rumbles on | More tension is surfacing within the world's oldest Orthodox institution. (Al-Ahram, Egypt)
Members padlock church over pastor's transfer | Members of the Balaclava New Testament Church of God are fuming over the decision by the church hierarchy to transfer their pastor, Rev. Keith Dallas. (The Jamaica Gleaner)
Another fighter in battle to save 10,000 churches | For years the MP Frank Field has championed a proposal for a National Trust for Churches, aimed at harnessing the immense affection for historic churches up and down the land (The Times, London)
Article continues below
Pentecostal Church needs space | Black-led Pentecostal churches have seen a huge increase in their congregations in recent years and need new places to worship (BBC, video)
Pentecostal church lures Latin Americans away from Catholicism | Pentecostal ministers in Latin America are luring increasing numbers of Roman Catholics away from their faith with modern marketing tactics, including caps and logo T-shirts. The range of religious "services" on offer even extends to exorcisms (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Book IDs Polish priests as informants | A book released Monday has dredged up more painful allegations from Poland's Communist era, naming some 30 Roman Catholic priests, including several bishops, as registered informants with the secret police (Associated Press)
Also: Four cautions as crisis builds about priest-collaborators under the Communists | As with the sexual abuse crisis in the United States, once the dam breaks, documents and accusations surface so rapidly that the media barely has time to record them, let alone sort through them carefully. In such an environment, elastic terms such as "collaboration" and "informant" tend to be recycled endlessly, giving a false impression of fixed meaning, when in fact every situation is different (John Allen Jr. National Catholic Reporter)
Pope is warned of a green Antichrist | An arch-conservative cardinal chosen by the Pope to deliver this year's Lenten meditations to the Vatican hierarchy has caused consternation by giving warning of an Antichrist who is "a pacifist, ecologist and ecumenist" (The Times, London)
Upswing in contributions since crisis buoys diocese | The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston raised $13.8 million in its most recent annual fund drive, up 57 percent from its low point in the midst of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, but still down significantly from its fund-raising levels before the crisis (The Boston Globe)
Visiting pope to canonise first Brazilian saint | People who have benefited from healing miracles attributed to Franciscan Friar Galvao are expected to take part in the ceremony on May 11 in Brazil's biggest city, Sao Paulo (Reuters)
Tanzanians wonder whether Nyerere saint or sinner | Eight years after he died at the age of 77, the Roman Catholic Church in Tanzania is leading a call to beatify the statesman who in life earned worldwide respect for his pan-Africanist vision (Reuters)
1st diocese hearing airs battle ahead | Signs of the battle to come surfaced yesterday in the first bankruptcy hearing to be held since the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego sought Chapter 11 protection from clerical sexual abuse lawsuits (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Bishop urged to rethink bankruptcy | Advocates for alleged molestation victims call for San Diego diocese to try to settle lawsuits rather than proceed with its court filing (Los Angeles Times)
Complex legal issues will accompany filing | As the case unfolds, both sides will battle over complicated legal questions dealing with civil law and church law, and whether constitutional claims of religious freedom trump the bankruptcy code (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Also: San Diego Diocese files for bankruptcy | The filing puts lawsuits from 150 people who alleged that they were sexually abused by priests in abeyance. One activist calls the move 'morally bankrupt' (Los Angeles Times)
Former youth pastor admits to child porn | The former youth pastor of a Baptist church in St. Charles admitted Thursday in federal court that he pasted photos of the heads of teenagers from the congregation onto scenes of adult pornography (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Trinity Baptist faces new abuse lawsuit | The second negligence lawsuit in just more than a week was filed Thursday against Trinity Baptist Church, also saying the Jacksonville church hid knowledge of alleged sexual abuse of children by former Pastor Robert Gray in the 1970s (The Times-Union, Jacksonville, Fla.)
Article continues below
Abuse victims demand more than a check from the church | Church officials, reeling from an estimated $1.5 billion in settlements and other costs related to the sex abuse scandal, are often willing to oblige (The Washington Post)
Attorney quits client's case | A Florida attorney says he intends to withdraw from the case of an alleged sex assault victim who admitted in recorded phone conversations that he never was a victim (The Denver Post)
Activists seek prey of priests | An allegedly abusive priest has been gone from St. Mary's parish for almost two decades. But that didn't stop four activists from seeking people Wednesday who might have been abused by him or other clergy (Kennebec Journal, Me.)
Mexican cardinal says L.A. can't try him | A Los Angeles court has no legal right to try Mexico's most prominent cardinal for complicity in the alleged rape of a child by a Mexican priest, the cardinal's lawyer said Sunday (Associated Press)
Group defending pastor after abuse | By another priest: Parishioners say church not divided, contributions are up (The Courier News, Elgin, Ill.)
Also: Motion for sanctions stricken | A judge apologized Thursday to St. Peter Monsignor Joseph Jarmoluk for being identified in court as a witness in the sex-abuse lawsuits against the Rockford Diocese and former priest Mark Campobello (Kane County Chronicle, Ill.)
Gay marriage critic tried on lewdness | The lawyer for a former Baptist church leader who had spoken out against homosexuality said Thursday the minister has a constitutional right to solicit sex from an undercover policeman. (Associated Press)
Winkler's trial set for April 9 | An April 9 trial date has been set for Mary Winkler, the minister's wife facing a first-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting death of her husband, a defense attorney confirmed Friday (The Jackson Sun, Tenn.)
Article continues below
Also: Minister's wife wants evidence excluded | Lawyers for a small-town minister's wife argued Thursday that police illegally searched her family's residence after her husband was found shot to death on a bedroom floor (Associated Press)
Lawyer: Priest not legally wed | Accused in theft case, he has family ties to woman and children (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.)
Also: Priest plea is possible | March 12 arraignment set in case of Louisa County priest accused of embezzling from two rural churches (The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.)
Thieves repent and return loot to church | Virtually everything that was stolen from Guyandotte United Methodist Church earlier this week was returned Wednesday night in a second break-in (The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, W.V.)
Manager slams would-be robber's hand in register | "I didn't want to hurt him, but if I would've gotten a hold of him, I would've sent him straight to the Lord," Stanton said. "I've done stupid things in the past, but this is right near the top. The workers prayed for him. We hope he turns his life around." (East Valley Tribune, Scottsdale, Az.)
Former Waco pastor, civic fundraiser headed for prison | Ron Keener, 55, founding pastor of Stonegate Community Church and former president of the Waco Kiwanis Club, was sentenced to two years in prison for bail jumping and one year in a state jail for evading arrest in a vehicle (Waco Tribune-Herald, Tex.)
Freedom at last as Ndura Waruinge gets a 1m bail | Former Mungiki Sect Leader Ndura Waruinge is now a free man after a Nairobi court Wednesday released him on a one million shillings bond and a surety pending the hearing and determination of his case (Kenya Broadcasting Corp)
Evangelicals' work in Africa criticized | Critics accuse them of taking advantage of vulnerable communities forcing people to abandon traditional beliefs in exchange for desperately needed goods and medicine (Associated Press)
Jet flight records spur Copeland ministry questions | Kenneth Copeland told his ministry his $20 million would not be used for anything "not becoming to you, Lord Jesus." Apparently that includes Hawaiian vacations and trips to wild game ranches (WFAA, Dallas)
Missionaries slain in Kenya honored | Lois Anderson and her daughter were remembered for their lives of love, not the grisly way they died (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Year of jubilee | A program modeled on Mormon volunteerism has a challenge convincing Christian college students to take a yearof a lifetimeoff (World)
Glendale Armenians reach out to Iraqi Christians | An Armenian church in Glendale is part of an effort to allow more refugees persecuted in part for their faith into the U.S. (Los Angeles Times)
Chaplain shortage severe for Army | The hardest part of Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Ran Dolinger's job is the long hours, which is partly why the Army Chaplain Corps now has about 520 vacancies, its most severe shortage in history (The Washington Times)
Faith group hit for being too loud | A religious group criticized by H Street residents for amplifying their street-corner preaching says members are within their legal rights but would welcome a compromise with neighbors and city officials (The Washington Times)
Principal deems Jesus chant offensive | A Catholic school principal has organized sensitivity training for students who shouted "We love Jesus" during a basketball game against a school with Jewish students. (Associated Press)
Article continues below
A call for required study of the Bible | Stephen Prothero, chairman of Boston University's religion department offers this proposal: Public high schools should require one course in the Bible for all their students and another in world religions (The Boston Globe)
Church schools face challenge from charters | While happy to see an increase in educational options for parents in the low-income, minority neighborhoods where both charter schools and parochial schools are usually concentrated, some principals are worried that increased competition from charters could exacerbate the enrollment declines in Catholic schools (The New York Sun)
Church in Spain has right to fire religion teachers over private life | The Roman Catholic church in Spain has the right to fire religion teachers at state schools for what it deems to be inappropriate private conduct, such as an extramarital relationship, the Spanish constitutional court has ruled (The Guardian, London)
FCAT blessing raises a ruckus | While the Christian prayers and anointing took place after school hours on the night of Friday, Feb. 2, the oil was still on desks the following Monday when teachers opened their classrooms. Some felt the extra help crossed a line (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
Also: All school religious holidays dropped | The Hillsborough school calendar will not recognize any religious holidays next school year, but it will continue a traditional day off for students to attend the state fair (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
Also: Let's take a holiday from the hypocrisy | No more promises of a secular calendar while, wink wink, they close for Christian holidays (Marlene Sokol, St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
A new model for schools in the Boston archdiocese | Three church-affiliated schools plan to consolidate in order to offer the resources of a public education with the morals and faith of a Roman Catholic one (The New York Times)
Article continues below
Archbishop backs N. Irish school system | The leader of Ireland's 4 million Roman Catholics rejected the argument that sending Catholics and Protestants to segregated schools encouraged social divisions and sowed the seeds for conflict (Associated Press)
Santa Margarita High principal resigns | Brother Lawrence Monroe, placed on leave last month for not reporting concerns about a teacher's behavior, says it's time for 'a less hectic pace.' (Los Angeles Times)
Also: Upholding diversity lessons | The decision is a boost not just for tolerance and inclusion but for public education as well (Editorial, The Boston Globe)
Fired professor regrets battle fought in public | About 20 people gathered Tuesday at The Den Rental Hall on Mechanic Street to hear the former John Nemecek and her spouse, Joanne, speak (Jackson Citizen Patriot, Mi.)
Also: CEO says he'll halt donations | The Wren Chapel cross controversy has cost the Williamsburg university at least $12 million (Daily Press, Hampton Roads, Va.)
Darwin's God | In the world of evolutionary biology, the question is not whether God exists but why we believe in him. Is belief a helpful adaptation or an evolutionary accident? (Robin Marantz Henig, The New York Times Magazine, preview, sub. req'd.)
Article continues below
A question of faith, not science | Sen. Raymond Finney wants to know the official state position on the origin of the universe (Editorial, Bristol Herald Courier, Tenn.)
Flat-earth society's warriors | Anyone with working synapses who read the "Bridges" memo would see it as painting Jews as conspirators in the undermining of Christian theology (Robyn Blumner, St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
Scholars, clergy slam Jesus documentary | Amos Kloner, the first archaeologist to examine the site, said the idea fails to hold up by archaeological standards but makes for profitable television (Associated Press)
Raiders of the lost tomb | A book and movie allege the final resting place of Mary, Joseph and the King of Kings has been found. Controversy to follow (Newsweek)
Faith tested | A claim that the tomb of Jesus Christ has been found has naturally upset many Christians, but others say their faith remains unshaken (Newsweek)
Greek church condemns Titanic director's Jesus film | "We express our sorrow over the historical ignorance, lack of scientific base and evidence of this case, whose purpose is to strike at what constitutes our faith," the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece said in a statement (Reuters)
Beyond belief | This week film director James Cameron claimed to have found the burial casket of Jesus. Last month archaeologists said they had found his foreskin. So what other discoveries have been heralded as relics of Christ? (The Guardian, London)
Bones of contention | Hundreds of people vowed they saw Jesus in the flesh after the crucifixion, and who are we to argue with them? People often see what they want to see (The Courier-Mail, Brisbane, Australia)
Article continues below
Christian heresy of the Talpiot tomb? | To say that the Holy Sepulchre is not holy and that East Talpiot, a mundane south Jerusalem neighborhood, was the final resting place of Jesus's remains is nothing short of blasphemy and a complete rejection of the foundations of Christian faith, according to church traditionalists (The Jerusalem Post)
Claims swirl around 'tomb of Jesus' | Archaeologists and scholars challenge the evidence from a TV documentary that would challenge Christianity's foundations (The Christian Science Monitor)
Jesus junk | Professor scoffs at Lost Tomb of Jesus documentary (Dallas Observer)
Can we resurrect some standards? | We can only hope, in this era of The Da Vinci Code, the public has gotten enough practice separating fact from fiction from pure hogwash to cast a very skeptical eye on these claims (Editorial, Chicago Sun-Times)
'Titanic' find or sacrilege? | James Cameron's new documentary claims to have discovered tomb of Jesus Christ (Cathleen Falsani, Chicago Sun-Times)
More ifs and maybes than fact in 'Lost Tomb' | Weighing in at just two letters, "if" can still be one of the mightiest words in the language, closely followed by "maybe." Give me enough "ifs" and "maybes" and I'll have you believe - or try to anyway - that the moon is a hunk of moldy green cheese, after all (Verne Gay, Newsday)
Bones of contention | An archaeological discovery in Jerusalem is fuelling the strange and tedious cult of a merely human Jesus (Theo Hobson, The Guardian, London)
Don't get sucked into latest claim | I find it interesting sometimes when Christians let the simplest things rock them (Monica Carter Tagore, The Shreveport Times, La.)
Cameron finds Christ! | What else in the ossuary? (Dave Konig, National Review Online)
The fruit of thy tomb | Discovery Channel's phony Jesus show (John J. Miller, National Review Online)
Lights, camera Jesus | Mr. Cameron is doing much more than riding a current, though, as he draws on a much older tradition: The huckster, pushing a curiosity, hocked for a carnival nickel, a spectacle of man or woman or beast from beyond the known (Editorial, The Washington Times)
Hollywood vs. Jesus | Appearing in New York City with a limestone coffin that he claimed had held the remains of Jesus, Cameron attacked a central Christian tenet--that Christ rose bodily from the dead. Yet he confirmed another article of faith: that Hollywood blasphemers are out to get Christians. (James Poniewozik, Time)
Giving 'Jesus' the silent treatment | The make or break of the "Jesus family" theory actually depends, along with the "Jesus" ossuary, on the filmmakers' purported statistically overwhelming evidence that the confluence of names on five more of the ossuaries found in the same tomb makes it all but impossible that this isn't the founder of Christianity and his family in their final place of rest. And that is where the trouble starts. Because three of those other five don't fit (David Horovitz, The Jerusalem Post)
Have they found Jesus? | The evidence of this name suggests that the tomb is in fact not the last resting place of Galilean peasants, but the mausoleum of an aristocratic family in Jerusalem with pretensions to Hellenistic culture (Bruce Chilton, New York Sun)
William Wilberforce forced left | Guess who's claiming this Tory abolitionist and colleague of Edmund Burke as one of their own (Mark Tooley, The American Spectator)
Amazing ideas | William Wilberforce and classical liberalism (S. T. Karnick, National Review Online)
Lawsuit claims nonpayment in audio Bible | A woman who says she wrote the script for a star-studded audio version of the New Testament has sued the producers, claiming she was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in payment (Associated Press)
MKs demand the author of blood libel book be prosecuted | MKs on Monday demanded that the state examine ways in which it could prosecute Professor Ariel Toaff, who wrote book "Pasque di Sangue" [Passovers of Blood], which discusses the possible facts behind 15th century European blood libels against Jews (Haaretz, Tel Aviv)
Letter by letter, sacred documents are reborn | Rabbi Zacharia Eisenbach is a trained sofer, the Hebrew word for the scribe who, adhering to ancient Jewish law, writes and restores Judaism's holiest document (The New York Times)
Article continues below
Archbishop, Roger Rabbit guy do sci-fi | Space Vulture, a new sci-fi novel Roger Rabbit creator Gary K. Wolf has written old friend John J. Myers now the Roman Catholic archbishop of Newark has to be one of the genre's most unusual collaborations (Associated Press)
Inherit the wind, redux | How intelligent design and evolution clashed in a Pennsylvania town. Christine Rosen reviews Monkey Girl by Edward Humes (The Washington Post)
Faith-based liberation | Carl Rollyson doesn't like Eric Metaxas's biography of William Wilberforce (The New York Sun)
Decoding 'The Secret' | Oprah lives by it. Millions are reading it. The latest self-help sensation claims we can change our lives by thinking. But this 'new thought' may just be new marketing (Newsweek)
Shaking riches out of the cosmos | Rivals claim credit for "The Secret," a DVD and a book that promote the power of wishful thinking (The New York Times)
"The Secret" is out | New Age phenomenon claims you can have anything you want (CBS Evening News)
Manifest destiny | This is my Father's world, and no "secret" can overcome his purposes (Janie B. Cheaney, World)
Federal panels order NIH to reinstate priest | A Jesuit chaplain at a National Institutes of Health clinic was fired because of religious discrimination and retaliation, according to two federal panels that ordered his reinstatement (The Washington Post)
When religious needs test company policy | More managers are contending with how to create workplaces that are comfortable and welcoming for employees of all faiths and of none (The New York Times)
Freedom of faith on company time? | More Muslims in Minnesota and across the country are suing employers, alleging religious discrimination. Businesses say they're just trying to get the job done (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.)
TV contests humiliate losers, say synod speakers | Members of the Church of England laid into a range of television programmes from Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing to Little Britain for lowering standards of behaviour and exploiting the humiliation of human beings, during a debate at their general synod yesterday (The Guardian, London)
Also: Blame TV for moral decline, says Synod | Popular television shows ranging from Celebrity Big Brother to Little Britain were blamed by members of the Church of England's General Synod yesterday for eroding moral standards (The Telegraph, London)
'The show is like a coffee morning in slow motion' | Revelation TV, a low-budget, family-run Christian cable station, has finally won its battle to be allowed to raise funds on air. Is this the birth of British televangelism? (The Guardian, London)
Televangelism in America today | Televangelism has a long and inglorious history in America, studded with financial corruption and sexual scandals - and yet it thrives (The Guardian, London)
Target: Evangelicals | The documentary 'Friends of God' delivers a distorted and dishonest picture of millions of American believers (Don Feder, USA Today)
Spirituals hit high note at L.A. event | A conference shows the vitality of the traditional music form even as it fades in popularity (Los Angeles Times)
'Grace' CDs tell abolitionists' stories | Focus on the Family has a new Radio Theatre series of biographical dramas created for radio audiences (The Washington Times)
What would Jesus wiki? | An alternative Wikipedia written by conservative Christians has become a major target of mockery on the web. (Wired News)
Also: Conservapedia - the US religious right's answer to Wikipedia | The founders of Conservapedia.com say their site offers a "much-needed alternative" to Wikipedia, which they say is "increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American" (The Guardian, London)
The blogging nun: Religion, technology and beer | Sister Julie Vieira took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience but not a vow against celebrity, which is fortunate, given the popularity of her blog, A Nun's Life (Chicago Tribune)
Article continues below
Keeping it real with the monks | A great new movie shows how God is present in the lives of some extraordinary, ordinary men (Michael Potemra, National Review Online)
Irresponsible reporting on religion is dangerous | Reporting on religion in the mainstream British press is not only sometimes dreadful, it's dangerous, and something needs to be done about it (John Allen Jr., National Catholic Reporter)
Religion's generation gap | When children become more devout than their parents, relationships can get strained. A report on keeping the faith, and the peace, at the dinner table (The Wall Street Journal)
Gen Y's ego trip takes a nasty turn | A new report suggests that an overdose of self-esteem in college students could mean a rough road ahead (Los Angeles Times)
Sudan, in mud brick and marble | Capital's extremes of poverty and wealth symbolize nation's wider rifts (The Washington Post)
Vietnamese priest accused of plot | Vietnamese police have accused a prominent dissident Catholic priest of disseminating propaganda intended to undermine the communist government, officials and state media said Monday (Associated Press)
Also: Vatican delegation going to Vietnam | The visit is part of periodic talks between both sides, but this appointment follows by a few weeks a meeting at the Vatican between Pope Benedict XVI and Vietnam's prime minister (Associated Press)
Vatican's soccer tourney kicks off | Priests and seminarians from several soccer-loving countries took to a field near the looming dome of St. Peter's Basilica Saturday for the first match of the Clericus Cup, a tournament fielding 16 teams from Catholic institutes in Rome (Associated Press)
NFL seeks to trademark 'Big Game' phrase | League wants to protect Super Bowl image, but Stanford and Cal have already taken action to oppose move (Los Angeles Times)
Fighting HIV with faith | "There is someone in our midst called Mary who is HIV positive," boomed the voice from one of the many loudspeakers at Uhuru Park, Nairobi. "Mary, the Good Lord wants to cure your illness and end your suffering. Please, step forward." (The East African, Kenya)
Ink for the soul | At least one tattoo artist estimates that religious art makes up 20 percent of tattoos (San Antonio Express-News, Tex.)
Deliverance from evil? | Universal Church of the Kingdom of God comes to town with controversial reputation (Nashville Post)
A terribly inconvenient conversion | How San Francisco writer, activist and lifelong atheist Sara Miles unexpectedly found God (San Francisco Chronicle)
The Klan is still dead | Both the KKK and its foes hype the Klan's strength, but evidence is weak (David J. Garrow, Los Angeles Times)
Defined by our religion | It often says more about our traditions than our faith (Janice Byrd, The Dallas Morning News)
Give up giving up | This is going to sound odd coming from a religious person, but I've never quite seen the point of Lent (Gordon Cheng, The Daily Telegraph, Australia)
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.