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Along Came a Spider: What the Pope Doesn’t See

By Anthea Butler

…y, as many of the dioceses in the United States become uninsurable and the number of Catholic churches dwindles. As membership shrinks, the number of ordinations decreases, and the coffers dry up, perhaps the Vatican and its leadership will be forced to look at its decrepit, hierarchical structure, and fix it. I doubt it, however. Like the spider who crawled across Pope Benedict’s robes this weekend in Prague, everyone except the Pope can see the…

Exclusive: Religious Leaders for Immigration Equality for Gay and Lesbian Couples

By Sarah Posner

…would provide an “immediate non-judicial solution that would help the most number of families.” Ralls acknowledged that “this Congress presents a steeper hill to climb,” but that “we’re hopeful that other coalitions like the faith coalition will help us deepen support among lawmakers to built the support for the votes we need to go forward.” I think that’s optimistic for the current Congress, but the public, faithy statements of support are essent…

‘My Name is Legion’: Sources and Forces of White Supremacy in the U.S.

By R. Drew Smith

…rleston were committed by an individual, these actions were rooted in much broader white supremacist mindscapes and landscapes. As North Carolina NAACP President William Barber pithily observed after the arrest of the 21-year-old murderer: “The perpetrator is caught, but the killer is still at large.” By now, most Americans likely are aware of the name of the accused in the Charleston murders. I choose, however, not to speak it so as not to indivi…

The Religious Right and the Tea Party on “Education Choice”

By Julie Ingersoll

…Maine’s charter schools will be released from school board oversight but will still be required to meet state and federal educational standards. The schools cannot be religious in nature and the must be open to anyone who wishes to attend, though there will be a limit on the number of schools (no more than ten in the next decade) and the number of students enrolled. Opponents see charter schools as quasi-privatized schools (and also fear that thi…

Mormons Fight Marriage Equality in Mexico; Is Catholic Church Italy’s Anti-Gay NRA?; Nigerian Anglicans Cut Ties With UK Diocese; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…understand that these measures will be met with some resistance and that a number of taboos related to the topic still persist,” he wrote, “However, as President, it is my duty to ensure that the personal beliefs and customs of some do not limit the human rights of others.” Part of the resistance to marriage equality in Mexico comes from the Catholic Church and other religious leaders. This week KUTV in Salt Lake City reported that Mormon Church o…

Teach Your Children Well: Challenging Religion-Based Sexism

By Sikivu Hutchinson

…icit in their own dehumanization. So when black recording artists rake in millions dehumanizing black women we become willing consumers. We masochistically rush to justify and excuse. Why? Because despite all of the strong-backbone-of-the-black-community post-feminist rhetoric, black women are still accustomed to seeing themselves through the lens of the oppressor. During one session on reproductive justice, many of the girls in the class averted…

The Black Church: Institution or Abstraction?

By Anthony B. Pinn

…rches, as varied in orientation as the number of congregations. There are millions of African American Christians housed in thousands of churches across the country; some of them rather large and others small in number. In using this phrase, we must remain mindful of the similarities and differences between local congregations, spread across urban and rural areas that the term, “Black Church,” easily covers. It is true that the term speaks to a ge…

Five Social Media Trends that are Reshaping Religion

By Elizabeth Drescher

…into face-to-face relationships. If the folks at Nielsen are correct, smartphones will continue to overtake, uh, dumb phones, making app-based connection and information-sharing a continuing growth area. Religiously-themed apps are certain to be an important part of that, but unless they grasp the digital trinity of social engagement, spiritual meaning, and incarnational potential that makes such apps truly worthwhile for believers and seekers. Th…

United By Hate for Proposition 8

By Jonathan L. Walton

…And Christian and cultural conservatives hope a common bond of homophobia will ally their efforts with minority voters energized by an Obama candidacy. To be sure, the dominant evangelical orientation of the black church coupled with a large number of Catholic Latino voters may just provide the support Prop 8 needs—it has been said, “politics makes for strange bedfellows.” Yet I am hopeful that enough minority voters will view this amendment for w…

Swiftboating Obama’s Health Care Reform?

By Bill Berkowitz

…d of Columbia/HCA in the ’90s — a company that eventually had to pay $1.7 billion in fines for having overbilled the federal government and states for services it provided to sick and vulnerable Americans.” Scott also partnered up with George W. Bush in owning the Texas Rangers baseball team, whose key players as have been extensively reported, were drenched in steroids. The Washington Post pointed out that CPR’s current television ads “feature ho…