Wednesday, August 27, 2008
No contest

An Italian priest who proposed a beauty pageant for nuns says it was all a big Miss Understanding.

2008-08-27 15:39
Pope slams crucified frog
Bolzano art museum says controversial sculpture stays

(ANSA) - Bolzano, August 27 - Pope Benedict XVI has condemned a sculpture of a crucified frog on display at a Bolzano museum, a local politician revealed Wednesday.

Trentino-Alto Adige regional council president and anti-frog campaigner Franz Pahl said the pope had written to him about the frog, which has been at the centre of a heated row ever since it went on show at modern art museum Museion in May. In a letter dated August 7, Benedict said the sculpture ''has injured the religious feeling of many people who see in the cross the symbol of the love of God and of our salvation which deserves recognition and religious devotion''.

The pope wrote to Pahl while on summer holiday in the nearby town of Bressanone, during which he and local bishop Wilhelm Egger discussed the controversial sculpture.

Egger, who died last week, said the work had ''shocked'' many visitors to the museum.

The metre-high work by late German artist Martin Kippenberger depicts a warty, pop-eyed green amphibian nailed to a cross with a frothing mug of beer in one hand and an egg in the other.

Critics say the work offends the sensibility of Alto Adige's 99% Christian population, while museum curators maintain that Kippenberger's work is a self-portrait of the artist ''in a state of profound crisis'' and is not an attack on religious feeling...

Read on

Holiness camps still draw a crowd
By Janet Fillmore

WADSWORTH, Ohio -- The rains came.

Not for 40 days and 40 nights, but for 40 steady minutes, which turned the winding, dirt road leading to the Sharon Center Holiness Camp into mud and then caused it to flood.

Not good for the opening weekend of camp meeting.

For more than 100 years, the faithful have converged on these 17 acres of woods about 15 miles southwest of Akron to rest and recharge their spiritual batteries through daily worship and Bible study.

They are not alone.

Ohio is a hotbed of nondenominational Holiness camps, the remnants of rustic frontier Christianity. Their names derive from their location (such as Sharon Center and Sebring) and from the Bible. Sychar, in Mount Vernon, refers to the town in Samaria where Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman; Peniel, over the Ohio border in Conneautville, Pa., is named for the spot where Jacob wrestled with God.

Today, these meetings, or "encampments" as they are called, face steep challenges in a world that values instant excitement and creature comforts.

How do you persuade families to spend up to 10 days living in a cottage or dorm room without air conditioning, using outdoor restrooms and eating cafeteria food in a noisy dining hall?

Read on

August 28, 2008
COMMENTARY: Census report shows the times they are a-changing
By A. James Rudin

While politicians argue whether "change" is coming to America, there's no doubt real demographic change is happening right now. What emerges from the Census report is an American population less and less linked to Europe as the U.S. becomes a truly multi-racial and multi-ethnic country. These changes will dramatically impact every aspect of national life: political, social, economic, educational, cultural and religious. The religious trends are well under way and visible. The sharp decline in membership among the mainline Protestant churches will accelerate. Nearly 70 percent of American Jews (including my family) trace their roots to Eastern Europe and the huge immigration that took place between 1881 and 1924, the year Congress passed legislation that imposed severe quotas limiting entry to the U.S. The Census Bureau report reminded me of Bob Dylan's song written years ago: "Well you better start swimmin' or you'll sink like a stone, for the times they are a-changing."

(Rabbi Rudin, the American Jewish Committee's senior interreligious adviser, is the author of "The Baptizing of America: The Religious Right's Plans for the Rest of Us.")

August 27, 2008
Decoded diary shines new light on Methodist pioneer
By Al Webb

LONDON -- A secret, coded diary kept by one of Methodism's founding fathers for 20 years has been deciphered by an Anglican priest in Britain, illuminating historical efforts to keep Methodists in the Church of England.

August 29, 2008
COMMENTARY: Pelosi flat out wrong on abortion
By Mary Ann Walsh

People will use practically anything for politics, but when they use their religion it's a bit breathtaking. Nancy Pelosi left a lot of Catholics gasping Sunday morning (Aug. 24), when she skewed Catholic teaching on NBC's "Meet the Press" and erroneously suggested the church did not always oppose abortion. The House Speaker went well beyond the "personally opposed" position of many Catholics in public life when she opted to misrepresent St. Augustine (354-430). For a Catholic to hold herself up as an authority on the matter and to misuse church teaching for some political purpose is at best disingenuous. Few teachings of the church are clearer.

(Sister Mary Ann Walsh is director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.)

Thursday, August 28, 2008
Brad Pitt, space Jesuit

The Washington Examiner carries news today that Brad Pitt has signed on to play Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit priest who travels to some make-believe world, like Kyrgyzstan, but with more vowels. The movie is based on Mary Doria Russell's novel "The Sparrows."

As usual, the Rev. Jim Martin asks the most pressing question: Is Pitt handsome enough to play a Jesuit?

source

Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Pastor-ized

The Sarah Palin odyssey continues to get stranger and stranger, as Politico has a new story linking the Republican vice presidential nominee with "Jews for Jesus" founder David Brickner. According to Ben Smith, Palin was in attendance on August 17 when Brickner paid a visit to Wasilla Bible Church.
ABC.com's Jake Tapper, meanwhile, has the response from the McCain campaign:

McCain-Palin campaign spokesman Goldfarb said that Brickner "was a guest at the church who Gov. Palin did not know would be speaking, and she does not share the views he expressed. She and her family would not have been sitting in the pews of the church if those remarks were remotely typical."

You can read the full text of the sermon, and Dan's earlier post on a similar topic here.

Palin offers a window into Pentecostal beliefs, practices
By Adelle M. Banks

WASHINGTON -- The blogosphere is abuzz with snippets of sermons at Pentecostal and charismatic churches attended by GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. In them, pastors declare that people who die without Christ "have a horrible, horrible surprise" awaiting them and refer to America as a "Christian nation."

Such views might strike some as offensive, perhaps even radical, but they're not atypical for a Pentecostal congregation, experts say.

And just as coverage of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's fiery former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, opened a window into life inside some black churches, Palin's candidacy is introducing many Americans to the conservative theology of Pentecostalism.

"The idea that everyone must be saved, even Jews, that's pretty commonly believed among Pentecostals," said the Rev. Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, Va.

Though Palin currently attends a nondenominational evangelical church and her campaign does not identify her as a "Pentecostal," she's captured on video at a June appearance at Wasilla Assembly of God in her Alaska hometown, saying "it was so cool growing up in this church and getting saved here."

She also said "God's will has to be done" in building a natural gas pipeline in the state, and said government functions won't "do any good if the people of Alaska's heart isn't right with God."

Pentecostals are known for their beliefs in manifestations of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, healing and prophecy -- practices not usually embraced by other Christians...

Read on

September 05, 2008
Survey: Alaskans less religious than most Americans
By Tim Murphy

WASHINGTON -- While Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's staunch evangelical conservatism may appeal to her party's Christian base, the Alaska governor's home state ranks among the nation's least religious.

Friday, September 05, 2008
Robinson: `It’s time to get serious’ on Obama

Everyone's favorite gay Episcopal bishop (OK, maybe not everyone's), Gene Robinson, generated some buzz earlier this year when he endorsed Barack Obama before the New Hampshire primary, and he's out with a new get-out-the-gay-vote pitch:

"Now it’s time to get serious. It is no longer enough to make a decision to vote for Barack Obama. The polls – unbelievably and frighteningly – are close. The election of a LGBT-friendly candidate is not a foregone conclusion. We now have to WORK for his election."

source

Theology of Palin’s church comes under scrutiny
By Kimberly Winston

A church that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family called home for more than 20 years has links to a controversial Pentecostal ideology that emphasizes prophesy, miraculous healing and "spiritual warfare" with demons.

Several Web sites and blogs -- including Talk2Action, the Huffington Post and The Revealer -- have been busily discussing whether Palin has been influenced by this theology, known alternately as Third Wave, the New Apostolic Reformation, Latter Rain and Kingdom Now.

While some connections may be dubious at best, Palin nonetheless sought the advice of at least one of her pastors on the eve of becoming governor, and that has raised questions about how Third Wave ideology might influence her thinking if she were vice president.

"What are the political implications if you say problems are demonic and we are going to address them through spiritual warfare?" asked Jeff Sharlet, author of "The Family: The Secret of Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power," an examination of Third Wave theology.

"Are you also going to address them with the tools of worldly government, or are you going to ignore it? That is a legitimate question."

Read on

Monday, September 15, 2008
Le Divorce? Non.

To anyone thinking that Benedict XVI might loosen the rules against divorced Catholics getting re-hitched ...think again.

Catholic Democrats find strong push-back from bishops
By Daniel Burke

Bishop Robert Morlino rarely criticizes politicians by name from his pulpit in Madison, Wis., but he was "worked up" about what he saw on NBC's "Meet the Press" the morning of Sept. 7.

Sen. Joe Biden, a Catholic Democrat, had explained why he opposes outlawing abortion and said there is a "debate in our church" on the issue, citing St. Thomas Aquinas for support. Two weeks earlier, on the same program, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made similar comments and cited St. Augustine.

Morlino said he was forced to respond.

"Sen. Biden and Speaker Pelosi are Catholics ... and they're violating the separation of church and state by confusing people I have an obligation to teach," the bishop said in his homily at St. Patrick's Church.

"They're stepping on the pope's turf -- and mine."

read on

Chaplains rush in to aid workers caught in market meltdown
By Ashley Gipson

As the market mayhem continues to rock Wall Street, dazed employees in the financial sector who have lost their faith in the economy are turning to religious leaders for guidance.

"People who still have their jobs are asking, `Am I next?' They are much less certain of their place in their company and in the world," said Mary Ragan, a psychologist at the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Institute in New York.

Houses of worship in New York City are providing programs to help employees manage the stress of the market meltdown, including immediate counseling, job training and long-term direction for those who still have jobs but aren't sure for how long.

Ragan will be leading sessions at a high-profile Episcopal parish, Trinity Wall Street, on "Coping With Stress in Uncertain Times," which was started just as the market started to convulse. David Jette of Trinity Wall Street said registrations have already doubled.

The church said it plans to reach out over the next several months with not only personal counseling but also job coaching to help people prepare for what Ragan called "the ripple effect."

"The meltdown on Wall Street is very new, and it will take some time for people to feel the effects of what this really means," Ragan said. "They are wondering about the secondary consequences. Every area of the economy is affected."

Read on

Jesus spotted on the ceiling 1:21
An image of Jesus on the ceiling of a weight loss center is keeping patrons honest. KWCH's Denise Hnytka reports.

Evangelist's compound raided in child abuse case

(CNN) -- Federal and state police raided an evangelist's compound in Arkansas late Saturday to investigate whether any children have been physically or sexually abused, officials said.

The raid is part of an ongoing investigation into a compound near Texarkana owned by Tony Alamo Christian Ministries, said Bill Sadler of the Arkansas State Police. About 100 agents were on the property late Saturday and met with no resistance, he said.

Alamo, reached by phone in Los Angeles, California, denied any wrongdoing.

"It's a hoax," Alamo said. "They're just trying to make our church look evil ... by saying I'm a pornographer. Saying that I rape little children. ... I love children. I don't abuse them. Never have. Never will."

Asked why authorities were searching the property, Alamo compared himself to Christ.

"Why were they after Jesus?" he asked. "It's the same reason. Jesus is living with me."

It was not known how many children may live at the compound and whether Alamo would be arrested, Sadler said.

Alamo, who turned 74 Saturday, is an evangelist who also has dabbled as a singer and entrepreneur. Critics regard his ministry as a cult. The group has faced lawsuits and government actions, and Alamo has been arrested several times, publications have reported over the years.

Alamo is well-known in Arkansas, said Lynn LaRowe, a reporter with the Texarkana Gazette.

"It's not very rare to come out of any baseball game to find Alamo literature on your car," LaRowe said. "Around here, he is an extremely controversial character."

Alamo denied the existence of a compound, saying there are just houses "for miles" around his church.

source

September 22, 2008 -- Updated 1543 GMT (2343 HKT)

Experts 'solve' mystery of Stonehenge

Story Highlights
* Experts: Stonehenge's purpose was to draw prehistoric pilgrims from Europe
* Key to theory is double circle of bluestones at center of monument
* Bluestones were prized for their healing properties, archeologists say

Read entire story

September 23, 2008

Anti-Muslim, Anti-Jewish views on rise in Europe
By Ashley Gipson

A growing number of Europeans have negative views of Jews and Muslims, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.

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Pastors launch challenge of IRS rules on endorsements
By Adelle M. Banks

WASHINGTON -- Pastor Gus Booth remembers when he used to simply encourage his congregation of 150 in Warroad, Minn., to vote each Election Day. Now, he thinks it's important to tell them which candidate should get their vote.

On Sunday (Sept. 28), as part of the "Pulpit Initiative" organized by an Arizona-based conservative Christian legal group, Booth is set to join dozens of clergy nationwide in challenging Internal Revenue Service rules that prohibit churches from politicking by supporting or opposing candidates.

"If we can tell you what to do in the bedroom, we can certainly tell you what to do in the voting booth," said the Minnesota minister, an evangelical leader of a nondenominational church, who expects to endorse Republican John McCain during his "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" sermon.

"The voting booth is not some sort of sacred cow that you can't talk about. You're supposed to bring the gospel into every area of life."

Read on

University tries to make sense of racist Obama stunt
By Suzanne Pardington

NEWBERG, Ore. -- Students and campus leaders at a small Christian university founded by Quaker pioneers in 1891 denounced the hanging of a life-size cardboard cutout of Sen. Barack Obama on campus, vowing to work together to fight racism and intolerance.

A custodial crew at the 3,355-student George Fox University found the Obama likeness hanging by fishing wire from a tree at 7 a.m. Tuesday (Sept. 23) and tore it down before students arrived for classes.

A sign taped to the cutout said, "Act Six reject," referring to a scholarship program for Portland students, many of whom are minorities.

George Fox President Robin Baker, standing with dozens of Act Six students and student leaders in front of a packed auditorium Wednesday morning, urged students to show the incident has no place in Christian ideals.

"We absolutely cannot hate those around us and say we love God," he said. "It is not possible. Yesterday was not a good example of what it means to follow Jesus."

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Vatican to consider role of Scripture in Catholic life
By Frances X. Rocca

VATICAN CITY -- When Pope Benedict XVI recites the opening verses of Genesis on Italian national television next Sunday (Oct. 5), he will kick off a marathon reading of the entire Bible by some 1,500 people over six days -- and do something that would have been unthinkable even a generation ago.

Catholics over the age of 50 are old enough to remember when the church discouraged non-clergy from acquainting themselves with Scripture, apart from selections quoted in their catechisms or read aloud at Mass. But that traditional attitude has shifted amid the many dramatic changes in Catholicism that began in the 1960s...

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