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Election Day: Hope, Heartbreak, Naiveté, and Studs Terkel

By The Editors

…of their character.” Isn’t that what every religion seeks—a time when the service and character of each individual is recognized and appreciated without bias or hypocrisy? As flawed as our political system is in so many ways, we took one more step toward that today. Mary E. Hunt: Double Duty A Washington, DC, police officer inspired me anew for the election. She told me that when she votes she always asks for two “I have voted” stickers as she…

Indonesian Court Rejects Religious Conservatives’ Bid To Criminalize Gay Sex; More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…tent with existing anti-discrimination laws which do not allow refusals of service.” The law will recognize two types of celebrants: Celebrants will be split into two different types. There will be a new class created of “religious marriage celebrant” who can refuse to conduct a marriage ceremony if it is contrary to their religious beliefs. Australian Defence Force chaplains will also be able to refuse to solemnise a marriage. Celebrants have 90…

Mormon Rejection of Trump Embarrassing for Evangelicals?

By Neil J. Young

…were repelled by his “alien” faith. In a recent article for Religion News Service, the popular Mormon blogger Jana Reiss suggested a few more reasons why Trump has a Mormon problem, including his demeaning treatment of women and his inauthentic claim to faith. The Mormon rejection of Trump also serves to further magnify Trump’s strange success among evangelical voters. While the evangelical magazine Christianity Today recently pointed out that th…

Karma Chameleon: From Zen Practitioner to Episcopal Bishop

By Nick Street

…actly, does Rev. Forrester meditate on? In an interview with Religion News Service, he said that in his daily meditation, he doesn’t think about Buddhism or Zen philosophy. In fact, he tries not to think about anything at all. That’s consistent with the “Rules for Zazen” established by Dogen Zenji, the 13th-century Japanese master who founded the Soto School of Zen Buddhism—the practice lineage at the Lake Superior Zendo, where Forrester is a memb…

The Book David Barton Doesn’t Want You To Read

By Michael Coulter

…effort critiques one particular Christian author, we believe that it is in service of Christian scholarship more generally because, first and foremost, Christian scholars must get the facts straight and not have as a goal to turn every important historical figure into an orthodox Christian. What alternative title would you give the book? “The Book about Jefferson that David Barton Doesn’t Want You to Read.” How do you feel about the cover? We like…

Gingrich Claims Obama Violates Catholics’ Right to Worship

By Sarah Posner

…of abortion.” Gingrich was referring to the Department of Health and Human Services rule that requires employers who provide health insurance to their employees to cover contraceptives without a co-pay. Churches and houses of worship are exempt from the rule, but the Bishops had sought a wider exemption for other religious institutions such as hospitals and universities (even though many such Catholic institutions’ health plans already cover contr…

2 Steps Forward, 3 Steps Back, 1 Step Sideways: The Chaotic Progression of LGBTQ Inclusion at Christian Colleges

By Donovan Ackley III

…ellow Christians’ discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ people during a chapel service, inflaming anti-gay rhetoric on the campus in various student forums, even garnered coverage in TIME Magazine. Meanwhile Wheaton’s appointment of lesbian-but-celibate chaplain Julie Rodgers also has been controversial, eliciting strong reactions both from critics who believe homosexuality is “sinful” and “unnatural” and needs divine healing, as well as from critics…

Turn On The News: This Isn’t a Split, It’s a Tiny Sliver of Conservatives Walking Out the Door — Introducing A New Media Criticism Column

By Daniel Schultz

…ce in society. Why this is, I don’t know. What I do know is that it’s a disservice to readers, to truth, and to the democracy which relies on it. While that point is valid regardless of who makes it, remember: I’m an ordained minister. If I can get comfortable with the idea that religion shouldn’t be given a free pass, reporters can surely get there. Which brings us, unfortunately, back to Kathryn Post’s piece. I’m afraid it doesn’t pass many of t…

Marriage is for Everybody, Says Former Anti-Gay Evangelical

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…charge for gay and lesbian ordination. He even preached at the ordination service of Scott Anderson, “the first gay minister” ordained by the PCUSA. In this interview, Achtemeier talks about how his encounters with LGBT people changed his heart and mind over the years. His new book is: The Bible’s Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical’s Change of Heart. Candace Chellew-Hodge : You don’t spend a lot of time in the book dwelling on the so-called…

Niqab and Short Shorts

By Hussein Rashid

…run amok. These ladies, who call themselves Niqabitches, have done a great service in showing the inherent contradictions of the law, rather than just stating them. Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the video is when the female police officer, who will be required to ticket them in the near future, asks to take a picture of them. Sarkozy’s ban may have inadvertently created the sense of “Frenchness” in a way he didn’t anticipate. These women hav…