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Tuesday digest
New today from the Century: John Buchanan on life after resurrection, Marilynne Robinson's lectionary column for Low Sunday, more.
Religious leaders press Village Voice on sex ads
c. 2012 Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious leaders on Thursday (March 29) delivered more...
After Trayvon Martin case, churches say 'stereotypes cost lives'
c. 2012 Religion News Service
(RNS) An umbrella group of Christian denominations committed to combating...
Scottish churches combat soaring metal theft
(ENInews)--The Church of Scotland is making a high-tech move to
protect its 1,600 churches and buildings from metal theft, a newly-popular...
German Catholics and Protestants create online worship listings
Berlin (ENInews)--As Palm Sunday and Holy Week get closer,
Catholics and Protestants are cooperating on a new website that allows German...
Vatican wants to revive church's role in fighting the Mafia
c. 2012 Religion News Service
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Vatican officials traveled this week to the island of...
One psalm, two causes and two meanings
Saralee Howard remembers the woman who walked into the Shared Pregnancy Women’s Center in Lansing, Michigan, last year and asked for an ultrasound even though she was leaning toward an abortion....
Resurrection grows on you
You may recall that this ending of the Gospel of Mark, the one that appears in the most ancient manuscripts of the book, seemed too abrupt to later copyists. Before long, 11 more verses had found their way there, a busy digest of post-resurrection experiences from a variety of sources: John's account of the scene at the tomb with Mary Magdalene, John's story of Thomas the doubter, a version of the walk to Emmaus, an account of Jesus' ascension, other material from Luke/Acts. These are entered almost as bullet points.
But the tacked-on verses need not concern us here--the Revised Common Lectionary walks away from them politely. We are left with the bald confusion and fear at the end of the ancient tale, from a time before it was canonized and liturgized.
Showing up for Holy Week
Yesterday was a long day. I'm now working not one but two part-time church-music jobs; I'm with the Lutherans by morning and the Methodists by night....
Monday digest
New today from the Century: Crunching the American-religion numbers, showing up for Holy Week, more.
A Separation
A Separation
is a highly ambitious piece of work. It successfully tackles a range of
topics and themes, from class, religion and gender to pride, guilt and
justice. It is a tale that appears uniquely Iranian but quickly
transcends physical and spiritual borders to portray the difficulty of
doing the right thing under difficult, even life-threatening
circumstances.
Crunching the numbers
The Census Bureau avoids collecting data about religion. So most of what we know is based on what people reveal to independent researchers.
Longing for certainty
Seekers often want Christianity to be a set of ideas one knows to be true, or at least to provide a feeling of certainty.
Missing winter: Notes from the farm
Driving through a mini-snowstorm, I thought I might see a snowbow. But it never materialized--and once again, none of the snow stuck.
The Hunger Games contradiction
In Suzanne Collins's trilogy, and the recent movie
adaptation of the first book, the Hunger Games are a nationally-televised
spectacle in which 24 randomly chosen teenagers are forced to fight to the
death in a man-made arena. The annual Hunger Games are an instrument of
oppression by the Capitol--the center of totalitarian power that survived a
rebellion--to remind the 12 districts under its power just how powerless they
are.
The citizens of the Capitol love the Hunger Games. To
them it is pure entertainment. To the citizens of the 12 subservient districts,
it is a form of torture. Their children and neighbors become murderers or
victims, and they are forced to watch (literally--viewing is mandatory).
There is a paradox at the heart of The Hunger Games' appeal.
Friday digest
New today from the Century: Notes from the farm; longing for certainty; "Kill them all, Katniss!"
Links? Links.
Here are some things I read recently but didn't get around to blogging about: An anti-bullying session for fifth-graders, a guide for avoiding sexist campaign coverage, more.
Navigating the fullness of God's calling
“Well. The good news is that you did well on your tests. Your grades are way above what we require. Your IQ is very high,” the advisor began....
Violence, schmiolence
If you want to filter your/your child's movie viewing through some fairly granular rules about sex, nudity and profanity, the Motion Picture Assocation of America's rating system is your friend....
Pope meets with Fidel Castro, urges more freedom
c. 2012 Religion News Service
VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI ended his three-day visit to Cuba on
Wednesday (March 28) with an appeal for more religious freedom for the...