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A Muslim Reflects on Christian Theologian (and UCLA Coach) John Wooden

By Amir Hussain

…er of the amazing things about him. He was approachable, answering his own phone and mail, meeting with complete nobodies like me. I thanked him for the basketball lessons that I had learned from him, but more importantly for the life lessons. His beloved wife Nellie had passed away in 1985 after 53 years of marriage, and my wife had died suddenly in 1992. Coach gave me a powerful model for dealing with that loss, a reminder that those we loved we…

Pentecostal Prayer Gangs: New Film Documents Religion in a Brazilian Prison

By Nick Street

…ader. What was the culture of the prison? At night, there was one guard for 800 prisoners. In the Rio prison system there’s no real government presence; state control in the prisons is just a façade. The prison gangs are the most powerful presence, but the church exerts a strong influence too. There were about 400 inmates in the gang camp inside the prison, and 40 to 50 in the church camp. The rest were neutral people who kept to themselves in the…

Space X and the Photo-Op: Trump’s Use of the Bible Was Just the Latest in a Series of Christian Nationalist Messages

By Tony Keddie

…that “the word of God…is sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). Dallas megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress declared that Trump held up the Bible because it teaches that God “hates lawlessness,” echoing verses like 1 John 3:4 (“Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness”) and Romans 13:1-5 (“Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed,” and so on). This isn’t the first time Jeffress used a “law and order” inte…

“I’ll Pray For You”—Powerful or Pointless?

By Christine Wicker

…reporter, I once asked a former nun named Elizabeth Espersen, who directed Dallas’ Thanksgiving Square, to give me an example of the best prayer. Jesus had already directed Christians on how to pray, of course. Since, no one in Dallas, Texas, was going to challenge that. I was looking for second best. Elizabeth’s answer changed my entire framework for prayer. She said, “The name of God.” “And then?” I asked. “That’s it,” she said. “That’s all tha…

Drop that Candy Bar, Pagan!

By Peter Montgomery

…ls to be virtuous girls.” Reformation Day. You’re in luck if you live near Dallas, Texas, you can attend Generals International’s Reformation Day celebration and pray for a “fresh start” for America, just in time for the elections. Reformation Day features Cindy Jacobs and Dutch Sheets, self-proclaimed apostles associated with the dominionist New Apostolic Reformation. Jacobs warns that President Obama is bringing God’s wrath in the form of natura…

Politics in a Fallen World: Lying, Fact-Checkers, and the Future of Civilization

By Michael Schulson

…tion? To understand these issues better, I called up a historian of lying. Dallas Denery II is the author of The Devil Wins: A History of Lying from the Garden of Eden to the Enlightenment, a study of how premodern theologians, courtiers, and philosophers grappled with the question of when, if ever, it was acceptable to lie. We had an honest conversation about God, Donald Trump, fact-checkers, and whether dishonesty is essential to civilization. _…

Franklin Graham Supporters Attack Military Religious Freedom Activist As Anti-Christian

By Sarah Posner

…t year, Weinstein sued Klingenschmitt and Jim Ammerman, the founder of the Dallas-based Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, seeking to end their imprecatory prayers against him and his family. Klingenschmitt and Ammerman insisted Weinstein’s claims were unfounded, with Klingenschmitt telling the Dallas Morning News, “I never prayed for anyone’s death . . . I never prayed for anyone’s violence. All I did was quote the Scriptures.” In April 2009, Kl…

Churchgoers, Stay Home—It’s The American Way

By Shelby Balik

…has posed difficulties. Margaret Hogan, who attends All Saints (Episcopal) Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts, typically assists with Sunday services but now participates from home. She reports a shared sense of loss among her co-parishioners. “I miss being a part of it,” she admits. For Hogan, church ranks high among “the things you could count on that have been deeply disrupted.” *** Despite the disruptions it appears that some worshipers are mo…

Televangelist Watchdog May Be Forced to Close Its Doors

By Sarah Posner

…Copeland, and the behemoth Trinity Broadcasting Network, among others. The Dallas-based group, which marks its 40th anniversary this month, has sent out a fundraising plea to supporters and prospective donors, seeking to increase its base of members, who pay a minimum of $25 per year. It had been counting on the contribution of a single donor, which fell through. And because it has “purposely kept a low profile” while it assisted the Senate Financ…

Obamunism? The Traditional Values Coalition Coins a Term

By Bill Berkowitz

…obal strategic services for FotF and co-author of “Marriage on Trial”; Joe Dallas of the Dallas-based Genesis Counseling, and author of “The Gay Gospel? How Pro-Gay Advocates Misread the Bible”; and, Jim Tonkowich, of the Washington DC-based Institute on Religion and Democracy, and can be found here. ++++++++++ RD Tidbits: CPAC Rides Again: As the calendar whisks its way toward Super Bowl Sunday and the annual Oscar fest, another less celebrated b…