Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Waiting On A Word
A sermon delivered by Howard Batson, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Amarillo, Tx., on August 28, 2011. Hebrews 1:1-14 I’m not very good with patience. I don’t like waiting. How are you when it comes to living in the...
Not much to add
By John Pierce My email inbox is full of media releases, news stories, and invitations to commemorative events (from press conferences to secular and religious observances) all related to the 10th anniversary of the...
Where were you?
So, where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001? I'll bet you know. It's one of those days, like when John F. Kennedy was shot or when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on its way into space, that burns...
Clergy Denounce Anti-Muslim Bigotry
WASHINGTON (RNS) Three days before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, religious leaders gathered to remember the victims, foster interreligious unity and speak out in defense of religious freedom. The...
Okla. Anti-Shariah Amendment Heads to Appeals Court
(RNS) An amendment to Oklahoma’s constitution that bans state judges from considering Islamic law will face its next legal hurdle on Monday (Sept. 12) when a federal appeals court considers its constitutionality. Just...
Outspoken Archbishop Takes the Reins in Philly
PHILADELPHIA (RNS) Archbishop Charles J. Chaput was installed Thursday (Sept. 8) as leader of the 1.5-million strong Archdiocese of Philadelphia, placing the outspoken culture warrior at the helm of a once tight-knit...
“The Debt”
An older woman sits among a gathering. Your eye is drawn to her face – and its large scar. A younger woman stands before the group and extols the virtues of three people who left the safety of home for a dangerous...
The Hidden Truth about Howard the Naval Chaplain
Editor's note: The story below will be included in remarks by Charles McGathy, pastor of First Baptist Church in Madison, N.C., at a 9/11 ceremony this Sunday. I'd like to share with you a story. This happened in the...
GOP Candidates Clash with Themselves, Reagan on Immigration Reform
As eight Republican presidential hopefuls gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Wednesday night, they clashed with each other on a number of topics. At times, such as on the issue of immigration reform,...
Justice Dept. settles in mosque construction dispute
WASHINGTON (RNS) The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday (Sept. 6) announced a settlement with Henrico County, Va., over the county’s alleged violation of a federal anti-discrimination law when it refused to rezone...
Interfaith Worship Doubled since 9/11, but Remains Low
(RNS) Interfaith worship services have doubled in the decade since the 9/11 attacks, according to a new study released Wednesday (Sept. 7), even as more than seven in 10 U.S. congregations do not associate with other...
Crane Topples at National Cathedral
WASHINGTON (RNS) A 500-foot crane toppled over next to the Washington National Cathedral on Wednesday (Sept. 7), adding to the earthquake damage that the crane was brought in to fix. The 500-ton crane crushed several...
Five Steps for a Healthy Church Intervention
"Intervention" is an award-winning reality show about addiction and the extraordinary lengths it can take to face one's unhealthy compulsions. Each episode chronicles attempts by family members and friends to bring...
Hispanic Pastor No Longer Faces Deportation
Hector Villanueva, pastor of Iglesia Bautista La Roca in Siler City, N.C., found out last Friday he won't be deported to Mexico. That's cause for celebration on several fronts: the legal system did the right thing; a...
“Circle of Protection” Differs Morally from “Christians for a Sustainable Economy”
When the political debate turned earlier this year to deeply cutting the federal budget at the expense of programs that protect the poor, a number of goodwill Christians voiced opposition. EthicsDaily.com editorials...
Justice prevails
When news trickled out last week that Hector Villanueva had been granted relief from the threat of deportation, he wasn't the only one who felt relief. It had been a long, nervous year. I first wrote about the case...
Poll: Americans Are Tolerant of Other Faiths ”Except Islam
WASHINGTON (RNS) Americans consider religious freedom a cornerstone of society, but fall short in their tolerance of Muslims, according to a poll released Tuesday (Sept. 6) that probes Americans’ attitudes toward...
Kevin Smith Does It Again
(RNS) Don’t believe most of what you’ll hear about Kevin Smith’s new movie, “Red State.” It is not an angry tirade against religion, nor is it an attack on Christianity guised as a horror flick laden with gratuitous...
Bloomberg, Faith Groups Face off Over 9/11 Prayers
NEW YORK (RNS) Convincing the famously stubborn Mayor Michael Bloomberg to change his mind could require a minor miracle, but critics hope enough pressure will convince Bloomberg to allow clergy to speak Sunday at...
Quake or Tremor? Few Anglicans Shift to Catholicism
Hurricanes, earthquakes, droughts, famines, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions and many other natural disasters – supernatural disasters and signals to Glenn Beck and Pat Robertson – are prime global and local...
Shane Claiborne: Connecting Faith to the Real World
Shane Claiborne was not a headline speaker at the Greenbelt Festival in England last month. However, when he appeared as part of a panel on new monasticism, the small, Methodist-hosted venue had to turn away hundreds....