Latest Articles
Irish government releases `damning' abuse report
A special commission sponsored by the Irish government criticized a
bishop for failing to report allegations of clerical sexual abuse to...
Freedom Riders, Israeli style
Vera Kreidlin boarded an empty No. 56 bus for the 25-minute ride from
a religious neighborhood in the heart of the city to Ramat Shlomo, an...
Poems that speak to life
About ten years ago, I returned to church after a long
hiatus. What compelled me to the pews was a hunger for poetry shared
in community.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology
To be a Christian is to be a theologian, because by definition all Christians, lay or clergy, engage in God-talk. The only question is whether this conversation is well informed....
Limited access: Mobilizing for gun control
Though churches often minister to victims of violence, they do not often speak up about gun control. Yet a grassroots mobilization of churches could be the key to breaking the gun lobby's influence.
Previous Dalai Lamas were not always peaceful monks
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Dalai Lama is spending 10 days here leading an
elaborate Buddhist ritual designed to encourage compassion -- exactly...
NBC apologizes to Congress for edited pledge
WASHINGTON (RNS) NBC has issued a formal apology to more than 100
members of Congress for omitting the words "under God" from the Pledge...
Panel says judges have been too hard on U.K. Christians
LONDON (RNS) A government-funded watchdog panel said British judges have
erred in supporting employers who try to fire Christian workers for...
Church of England may divest from News Corp.
The Church of England said it may sell its $6 million share in News
Corporation unless the global media organization conducts a full and
open inquiry into a phone hacking scandal....
Summer reading list
Right now I'm
reading In the Garden of Beasts, by
master storyteller Erik Larson. It is the captivating story of William E. Dodd,
U.S. ambassador to Germany during Hitler's rise to power. Dodd's young adult
daughter Martha, a socialite who had affairs with the head of the Gestapo and a
Russian spy, steals the show. Next I plan to read Stephen Ozment's sweeping
survey A Mighty Fortress: A New History
of the German People.
Catholics return check from lawmaker over marriage vote
(RNS) A New York lawmaker has found himself at odds with the Roman
Catholic Church after a parish school refused a $50 donation because of
his vote in favor of same-sex marriage....
Bishop loses appeal over Holocaust remarks
BERLIN (RNS) A schismatic British bishop who said he didn't believe the
Holocaust claimed 6 million Jews faces a reduced fine of 6,500 euros...
Westboro to picket Betty Ford's funeral
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) The anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church has
announced plans to picket this week's funeral services for former first...
Iowa marriage pledge drops reference to slavery
WASHINGTON (RNS) An Iowa-based conservative Christian organization has
removed controversial language about slavery from a pledge to uphold...
Catholic crackdown: Elizabeth Johnson and the bishops
Perhaps the bishops view Elizabeth Johnson's work as dangerous precisely because she does not ridicule or reject tradition--she embraces it. She is loyal and critical at the same time.
Jacob's dreams and ours
The dream of a ladder linking earth to heaven is surely among the most familiar images of biblical literature. From "We are Climbing Jacob's Ladder" to "Stairway to Heaven," the idea has been deeply embedded in our collective consciousness.