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The Dirty Little Secret of Every Ponzi Scheme, or: Bernie Madoff’s 150 Year Sentence

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…ntenced to a prison term of more than twice his current age. The numbers just don’t add up. And isn’t that what started this whole thing?…

The 50 Shades of Evangelicalism

By Jonathan D. Fitzgerald

…tand the similarities and differences between these shades, if we dismiss this large segment of the population as monolithic and stubbornly fundamentalist, then we can easily discount their religiously informed political perspectives and, perhaps by extension, the political opinions of any religious people who allow their faith to shape their politics. But by understanding that there are shades of evangelicalism—that even fervent Christian belief…

Competing Visions of Family & Freedom at UN; Methodists Try to Avoid Schism on Sexuality; Catholic Cardinal Denounces LGBT ‘Demonic Ideology’; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…institute LGBT-friendly policies within their areas of responsibility.” “This historic action by the Council of Bishops (COB) represents a significant institutional shift in the direction of inclusion and equality,” read a statement from Matt Berryman, Executive Director of Methodist LGBT advocacy group Reconciling Ministries Network. “It is just a beginning, but it signals hope to an end of church trials, to celebrating all marriages, to accepti…

Mexico moves toward national marriage equality; Greek govt announces civil partnership legislation; Pope warns against ‘secularism and relativism’; Global LGBT recap

By Peter Montgomery

…announced this week that it would back legislation to create civil partnerships which would be available to couples regardless of their gender. ILGA notes that the move comes nearly 18 months after the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the country had to add same-sex couples to its civil partnership law. At Vice, Melpomeni Maragkidou writes about “everything that’s missing” from the proposed law: Yesterday, the Greek Ministry of Justice, T…

The Resurgence of Right-Wing Anti-Semitic Conspiracism Endangers All Justice Movements

By Ben Lorber

…a May 2017 opposition research memo, prepared by the “nationalist wing” of his White House, which warned of a conspiracy of “deep state’ actors, globalists, bankers” and others intent on attacking the president by “execut[ing] political warfare agendas that reflect Cultural Marxist outcomes.” The theory has also been embraced by violent White nationalists, from videos produced by the neo-segregationist Council of Conservative Citizens to the manif…

In the Papal Pocket: Benedict XVI and the Press

By Mary E. Hunt

…n are not ordained, hence not involved in most church decision-making. The hierarchical structure has not changed one whit; if anything, power is even more concentrated. I suspect that this reality will not get much media attention during the papal visit. I am quite sure that no one who has the honor of welcoming this Pope to his various venues will be granted such an unscripted opportunity to be candid. I am even more confident that few members o…

RD10Q: The Fight Against Feminism

By Kathryn Joyce

…uiverfull authors told readers that by having very large families, and teaching their children to do the same, they could win the culture wars through numbers alone. What’s the most important take-home message for readers? My main concern about these convictions is not so much the plans for Christian dominion that Quiverfull authors and homeschooling ministries discuss, but rather that in the service of these ideas, many women are subjecting t…

A collage of a Bible, Valdimir Putin, and the Kremlin and an outline of Russia

Putin’s ‘Year of the Family’ Declaration Blends Russian Nationalism with the Far-Right Rhetoric of the Global Pro-Family Movement

By Irina Smolevskaya

…ted blurring of terms allows Putin to rally support for his regime from within Russia while attracting the backing of various conservative agents around the world—most visibly, the U.S. Christian Right, White nationalists, and the global “pro-family” movement. Endnotes [1] Yulia Afanasyenko, “Russian Tradition: The History and Secrets of the President’s New Year’s Address,” Russia Beyond, December 30, 2020. [2] Anton Troianovski and Anatoly Kurman…

Catholic Voters No Longer Beholden to Bishops and Abortion

By Mary E. Hunt

…opinion within the Church” and urged that those “who publicly dissent from hierarchical statements and explore areas of moral and legal freedom on the abortion question would not be penalized by their religious superiors, church employers, or bishops.” Mondale and Ferraro lost the election by a Republican tsunami in favor of the happy days of Reaganomics, but the US Catholic community was never the same again. The 97 signers of the ad were in fact…

‘Murder Among the Mormons,’ Latest True Crime Doc From Netflix, Highlights Issues of Faith, Skepticism, and Authenticity

By Benjamin E. Park

…f the faith. Eventually, church leaders learned to take a position toward this historical work that was less oppositional and more accommodating, resulting in a more sustained and responsible dialogue between the groups. Meanwhile, after the tumultuous 1980s, the LDS tradition was able to regain acceptance from an evangelical community that had itself faced a decade of crises, enabling the two groups to better collaborate in the cultural coalition…