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Bishop Minerva Carcaño Has a Nearly Impossible Job

By Mary E. Hunt

…ose interests on same-sex marriage, they leave local people in places like New York or Iowa, where same-sex marriage is legal, without pastoral resources. Ministry is not simple these days. It was refreshing to hear a bishop with a clear analysis of how social and religious change happens. In practice however, it is hard to be a bishop in a denomination that discriminates and also do justice in the way one believes. I asked Minerva about ordi…

Ummah: Solitude and Connection

By Amina Wadud

…, it is not a single geographical or political empire. There is no single “new world order.” There are only collectives. Some collectives are national, some are regional, some are spiritual. My shaykh likes to talk about this community that has been a working cooperative for almost four decades. What I love is that the boundaries are fluid enough to accommodate all of us visiting this week and still keep to its core, its center: the path of devoti…

The Happening and the Gospel of Bruce Springsteen

By Diane Winston

…urse, Springsteen isn’t the only musician with Big Things in mind: Miley Cyrus’ godmother also sings about sin and salvation. Backwoods Barbie, Dolly Parton’s new album, is a familiar mix of noble women, cheatin’ men, and a forgiving God. Says reviewer Susan Wunderlink, “Her songs put forward Christian spiritual elements like faith and prayer, but Parton has never been one to get specific about theology.” (Hmm—might there be a piece on the Bible,…

Newt Gingrich Visits the “Holy Ghost Bartender”

By Sarah Posner

…phony euphoria,” adding, “What happens to these converted people when the crusade packs up and leaves town? They get depressed. They get confused. So all they can do is wait for the next one so they can go back and get another fix.” CRI’s Hank Hanegraff, also known as the “Bible Answer Man,” has called Browne’s activities a “counterfeit revival,” and accused him of preaching “fabrications, fantasies, and frauds.” Hanegraff has provided some detail…

In Case You Missed Them, the Top Pope Francis Quotes of 2016

By Patricia Miller

…hristian. –Pope Francis made a pointed swipe at then-GOP contender Donald Trump in February on his return from a six-day trip to Mexico, where he visited the U.S.-Mexico border. In response, Trump called Francis “disgraceful.” Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, as in this one, as in the one that I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear. –On the same trip, Francis suggested that women could use contraception to avoid…

Rand Paul, Religious Skeptic?

By Sarah Posner

…but added that he doesn’t want to hear partisan messages at church. Not a word about the religious freedom of pastors to endorse candidates! Not a word about how the Christian nation needs a revival! No diatribe against the horrors wrought by secularism! In a way, it was refreshing to see a candidate be frank about his doubts about his faith. (As Ed Kilgore has pointed out, doubt as an element of religious belief is not favored by conservatives.)…

The Tyranny of Politeness

By Daniel C. Maguire

…elcome their hatred.” It should be noted that the appropriate response to Trump’s fusillades is not pettiness and mockery of Trump and his entourage; there’s no need to adopt what we decry. But politeness is a vicious quality when it suppresses righteous anger, when it offends truth by muted acquiescence to lies, when it disrespects your adversaries by sparing them corrective and bold critique. Such cowering politeness is nothing more than the “re…

A Pope, a Poet, and a Drug War

By Stephen Andes

…n their home city of Cuernavaca, Morelos. Javier Sicilia received the heartbreaking news while attending a conference in the Philippines. He recalls chain-smoking a pack of cigarettes after hearing the report, unsure of his next move. On returning to Mexico, Sicilia laid his son to rest. At the memorial he read a poem: The world is not worthy of words they have been suffocated from the inside as they suffocated you, as they tore apart your lungs……

Bishop John Shelby Spong Declares Victory: Is it Premature?

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…hoot the messenger.” The religious right will continue to shoot at those delivering the good news to gay and lesbian captives, but the battle lines are shifting and the Mohlers of the world will soon take their rightful place beside the Keith Bardwells of the world. Just as the battles against racism and sexism continue unabated, even as minorities and women win civil rights and make advances in both church and societal leadership roles, the battl…

Decoding Romney on Contraception

By Sarah Posner

…he’s trying to speak to his own base—which is likely, given his use of the word “bureaucrat”—he’s got their fears all wrong. Conservatives aren’t saying they’re worried about “bureaucrats” taking their contraceptives away, conservatives are saying they’re worried that “bureaucrats” will force God-fearing religious folks to provide insurance coverage for sinful behavior. It’s classic Romney-speak: (1) straw man (“bureaucrats”) + (2) straw issue (“…