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Common Ground: Winning the Battle, Losing the Culture War

By Chip Berlet

…ght framework of labeling abortion as a problem to be solved. Reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies will also reduce the number of abortions, but this tactic also functions as an umbrella, sheltering issues such as access to contraception, sex education, and prenatal care for pregnant women who choose that path. We are talking about shifting the frame to gain a political advantage. That’s what the Christian Right has foisted on Democratic ce…

Pope’s US Visit Provokes Intense Attention; New Vatican Book on Man-Woman Complementarity & New Int’l Report on Christian Role Models for LGBT Equality; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…my country to remain the way it is now. I don’t want the state religion to change. I don’t want the way this country is run to change. I want people who accept our values.” Ireland: Marriage bill introduced; Catholic group complains about ‘same love’ posters; Presbyterian minister who praised marriage equality recants under pressure Marriage Bill 2015, legislation to implement marriage equality approved by voters in May, was introduced this week i…

Gambian Prez Rails Against Gay ‘Evil Empire’; Irish Priest Comes Out During Mass; Trans Talk on Tunisian TV Sparks Debate; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…teen years, even decades in the future. If we are faithful, we will make a change. But above all that, whether the change occurs or not, we are all called to do this. This is our mission, this is our duty, and it is our honor to be a part of it at this time in history. Thank you, and God bless! In another story, we reported last week on Russia’s move to ban people with “sex disorders” from getting driving licenses, a move that was slammed by Europ…

Special Report: Have Evangelical Colleges Succumbed to “Theological Paranoia”?

By Chrissy Stroop

…n if the schools fail to toe the line—the likelihood of effecting positive change through external pressure is minimal. The Hawkins case at Wheaton may yet prove to be the exception to the rule, as a number of insiders are holding out hope that she will be reinstated. Perhaps there’s even a slight chance of a broader reversal. But whatever the outcome for Hawkins, the extent of the conservative crackdown on evangelical campuses is worth noting. On…

OK’s Anti-Gay Marriage Bill Would Change Weddings But not Marriage—Not Even Gay Ones

By William E. Smith

…othing, it appears, would substantively change under HB 1125. Nor would it change the already existing, and problematically worded, kinds of religious groups that can currently offer such religious unions. Those permitted to perform a religious marriage service in Oklahoma are to have “been duly ordained or authorized by the church to which he or she belongs to preach the Gospel, or a rabbi…” Apparently Christians and Jews and Baha’i (thanks to a…

Pro-LGBT Evangelical David Gushee: “I’m With You and the Church Needs to Change.”

By Sarah Posner

…ribe into bastions of Christ-like embrace of LGBT believers. He is certain change is coming—he’s just not certain how quickly. But he does seem confident saying that decades from now, the anti-gay, “angry” stalwarts of today will look like “the dead-enders on race” did after the civil rights movement. “My mind goes back to 1963, to the white churches in the south,” he says, referring pastoral reaction to the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Chur…

Peru’s Civil Unions Bill Killed as Bishop Calls Sponsor ‘Faggot’; Germany Fines Men For Trying To Force Gay Muslim Teen Into Hetero Marriage; LGBT Global Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…MLA Laurie Blakeman was moved to tears by the amendment, telling the National Post: “It’s hard to contain my joy… I came into politics to change the world and today I changed the world.” …

American Buddhism: Beyond the Search for Inner Peace

By Joshua Eaton

…of Buddhist leaders and organizations speaking out on issues like climate change or wealth inequality. Do see a difference between taking a stand on such issues and politicizing the Dharma? Where is that line, if there is one? In my opinion such issues as climate change, social injustice, and glaring economic inequality are moral issues as much as political ones. These issues certainly have political ramifications, which means that politics becom…

#Occupy: A Deeper Form of Protest?

By Jay Michaelson

…practical, linear consequences—I mean the very sorts of deeper, spiritual changes the #Occupy community seems to be endorsing. Of course, those changes will also have “practical” results, but the results may vary. Some may vote for Obama, others for a Green party candidate. Some may start farming in their backyards, others may work for food policy reform. For a non-linear movement, this diversity in linear consequences is just fine—because the co…

Women’s Equality in the Church is No Longer Negotiable

By Mary E. Hunt

…ordination and decision making for women on a par with men, or a complete change in sacramental ministry and governance for all (my preferred future). But it does not mean that women can continue to be treated as second-class citizens in any way whatsoever. Second, if money is the language the Vatican understands best, I suggest that those who have it use it to make change. It pains me to see people pay tens of thousands of dollars to take out ad…