Browse Archives
Check out news and opinion posts across the years
Obama Protects the Powerful Over the Poor
Political commentators will write about which politicians and political party gained and who lost in this debate over the debt ceiling. They should also report that President Barack Obama caved in to those who demanded...
Germans Await Pope’s Return, This Time as a Statesman
BERLIN (RNS) A German visiting Germany isn’t normally big news. Even if it’s a famous expatriate German returning home for a visit, such returns to the homeland are hardly front-page stories. But this is a visit by...
More Catholic Departures Than Baptisms for First Time in Germany
BERLIN (RNS) For the first time since membership records have been kept, more Germans departed the Roman Catholic Church than were baptized into it in 2010, according to new data from Germany’s Catholic Conference of...
Zondervan Brings Rob Bell to the App World
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) A film series founded by megachurch pastor and author Rob Bell is finding new life as a smartphone app. The series, called NOOMA, has sold more than 2 million copies, and is now available for...
No Easy Answers as Norway Struggles with Grief
In a famous essay, "Hamlet: The Prince or The Poem?" C S Lewis describes the various efforts critics over the centuries have made to understand what is arguably Shakespeare's greatest play. They have, Lewis said,...
Breivik’s Christianity: The Broad-Brush Label Sticks
Question: What do the following have in common: Anders Behring Breivik, killer of scores of innocents in Norway; assassins Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK) and Sirhan Sirhan (RFK); serial killers Dennis Rader (murdered 10 in...
“Gospel Without Borders” Is Scheduled for August Release
EthicsDaily.com will release its new immigration documentary, "Gospel Without Borders," in late August. The documentary comes in the fullness of time. Its release occurs on the heels of anti-immigration forces passing...
Vatican Unveils New JPII iPhone App for World Youth Day
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pilgrims at next month’s Catholic World Youth Day in Madrid will have some high-tech help in their devotions, thanks to a new iPhone app unveiled at the Vatican on Friday (July 29). World Youth Day...
Head of Southern Christian Leadership Conference Dies
(RNS) The Rev. Howard Creecy Jr., a Baptist preacher chosen early this year as the new president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, died suddenly Thursday (July 28) at the age of 57. His death means the...
Norway’s Churches Try to Foster Healing after Attacks
TRONDHEIM (RNS/ENInews) A Norwegian bishop addressing the recent bombing and shooting attacks in Norway said his country has “countered this insane terrorism by demonstrating love and solidarity.” “We have brought out...
How Your Church Will Make You Healthier
Our 10-month-old grandson recently went through a medical emergency. His immune system was compromised, and his body was under assault from an infection. He needed immediate treatment, and the diagnosis called for him...
What’s the Debt-Ceiling Debate Really About?
We are a nation of hypocrites, at least those of us franchised into the political economy are. We say we want democracy but what we actually want is something more like "Lord of the Flies." Take the current...
Egypt after Mubarak: Islamic State or Secular Nation?
In the largest demonstration since toppling Hosni Mubarak's regime last February, more than a million Egyptians, mostly Muslim Salafis (fundamentalists) and Muslim Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood), appeared Friday, July 29....
Many Praying for Norway Following Its Darkest Hour
A wave of sympathy and shock followed the murders apparently committed by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway. Church leaders in Norway and internationally offered their prayers and condolences as the country struggled to...
Magic words
I was struck, recently, by two quotations relative to words and magic. Neither included "abracadabra, "please," or "thank you." One of my favorite authors is Terry Pratchett, but I just got around to reading his...
Simpler things
By John Pierce With all the animosity in the current political squabbles that occupy the news, I was glad for a simpler conversation. That’s what I find outside the season ticket holders’ gate at...
Stott, Called Evangelical Pope, Dies at age 90
(RNS) The Rev. John Stott, a renowned and prolific author credited with shaping 20th-century evangelical Christianity, died Wednesday (July 27) in England at age 90. While not a household name like evangelist Billy...
Judge Tosses Out San Fran’s Circumcision Referendum
(RNS) A proposed circumcision ban will not appear on San Francisco’s citywide ballot in November, a Superior Court judge tentatively ruled Wednesday (July 27). Judge Loretta Giorgi has determined that as “a widely...
Vatican’s U.S. Envoy, Who Helped Shape U.S. Church, Dies
(RNS) The Vatican’s highest-ranking official in the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, died Wednesday (July 27) night at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, succumbing to complications from lung surgery...
“Captain America: The First Avenger”
"Captain America: The First Avenger" tells the origin of the Marvel Comics icon of the American Way and stands as another chapter leading to the cinematic debut of the super team, "The Avengers." We see young Steve...
Refugees’ Journeys Often Come to Standstill in Morocco
This photo is like so many: an overview of a city from a vantage point on a hill at the edge of town. The city in this case is Oujda, Morocco. Located in the far east of the country, Oujda is far removed from the...