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Behind the Inclusive-Sounding Ads of this $100 Million PR-Blitz-for-Jesus it’s the Same Old Conservative Christian Fantasy

By Chrissy Stroop

This month, a $100 million advertising campaign and website have been launched nationwide to help a particular figure rebrand. In the current climate, just who, do you think, might warrant such a massive PR blitz? My own answer would be “no one,” because this kind of spending to prop up the reputations of the already highly privileged strikes me as one of the more disgusting excesses of capitalism. But whether or not you share my convictions, I’m…

Lifestyles of the Rich and Pious

By Patricia Miller

CNN’s Belief Blog has a great rundown of the lavish homes of American archbishops who haven’t gotten the memo from Pope Francis about a “church which is poor and for the poor.” CNN reports that “10 of the 34 active archbishops in the United States live in buildings worth more than $1 million.” The median home value in the U.S. is $174,200. Not surprisingly, that list includes some of the nation’s most outspoken conservative bishops—and allies of…

Two Women and a Mosque: A Convert Community Grows in Panama City

By Aliyya Swaby

…ment does not collect information on its religious composition, but a 2009 international report estimated the number of Muslims at around 24,000, comprising less than one percent of the country’s population. Most are of Lebanese, Palestinian or Indian descent. Though small, Panama’s Muslim community has grown increasingly ethnically diverse. The first Muslims to come to Panama were African slaves brought over by Spaniards in the mid-sixteenth cent…

Where Polls and Surveys Fall Short: A Conversation with Robert Wuthnow on “Inventing American Religion”

By Andrew Aghapour

…s pretty much it. Evangelical leaders themselves didn’t believe the Gallup numbers were right, and [they thought that] the best way to combat those Gallup numbers was to ask Gallup to do another survey. And so in 1978, Christianity Today, a leading periodical for evangelicals, paid Gallup to do a big survey and in addition to just asking the born-again question, they asked questions about belief in the Bible, belief in Jesus, and intent on convert…

Australians Vote Overwhelmingly For Marriage Equality; and More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…p to 15 years if convicted under multiple provisions, according to Amnesty International. “If passed, this law would further entrench stigma and abuse against people based on their perceived sexual orientation,” Amnesty International’s North Africa campaigns director, Najia Bounaim, said in a statement. India: Pride celebrations called ‘short gasp of breath’ for LGBT people living in ‘choked’ situations In a commentary for the Hindustan Times, Dhr…

Complicating the Prosperity Gospel Story: A Microeconomics of Pentecostalism, International Edition

By Naomi Haynes

…own them, but that has had more to do with the pastor taking a job with an internationally funded NGO than with the offerings of parishioners. I think that if we tell the story of the prosperity gospel, and of Pentecostalism more generally, as a story of hucksterism, we miss a lot of what makes this religion so compelling. Plus, we suggest that the folks who flock to Pentecostal churches can’t tell when they’re being duped, and after watching the…

Tony Perkins will Fit Right in at Religious Freedom Commission

By Caroline Matas

…religious freedom, which has focused exclusively on perceived domestic and international violations against Christians’ rights. Perkins has said that evangelical Christians “were tired of being kicked around by Barack Obama and his leftists.” “I think they are finally glad that there’s somebody on the playground that is willing to punch the bully,” Perkins said of Trump and his team in January. “Look, Christianity is not all about being a welcome…

Rather Than Attack Amnesty For Labeling Israel an Apartheid State Critics Could Address the Actual Problems

By Joshua Shanes

…foundation. They call for Israel to reform itself to be in compliance with international law and to offer justice to its past victims. As expected, the Israeli government and American Jewish organizations parroting its talking points attacked the organization as “antisemitic” and its report as “libelous,” cheapening these grave terms to describe facts they don’t like. None of them addressed the actual evidence of Amnesty’s report. The response see…

Christian Right Denialism is More Dangerous Than Ever: A Reporter’s Guide to the New Apostolic Reformation

By Frederick Clarkson and André Gagné

…ouncils and teams. Ahn gives the example of Prophet Lou Engle who’s on the International Apostolic Team of Harvest International Ministry. Common wrong turns One common claim is that the NAR is not an attempt to bring about a modern Reformation. The founding convener of the movement, C. Peter Wagner thought that’s exactly what it is. Regarding the NAR, he wrote in his 2008 book, Dominion! How Kingdom Action Can Change the World, “the term reformat…

Religious Conservatives Mobilize Internationally Against Spanish Nondiscrimination Bill; And More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Spain: Religious conservatives oppose proposed nondiscrimination bill The international arm of the U.S.-based conservative Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom has called on the Spanish parliament to reject a proposed nondiscrimination bill, claiming that the law would likely have “a significant and detrimental impact on citizens’ fundamental freedoms.” ADF International called the Spanish bill “the most harmful and damaging we have s…