…. Cordileone, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage, as archbishop of San Francisco and Leonard Blair, who played a major role in the Vatican investigation of American nuns, as the archbishop of Hartford. Pope Francis was named Person of the Year by both TIME magazine and by the Advocate, the latter choice angering some gay-rights activists. Ethopia: Newsweek Reports ‘Cheered on by Americans, Ethiopia has Declared War on Gay Men” A major st…
…h of Satan, headed by Magus Peter H. Gilmore, for being more interested in promoting their brand then in challenging the status quo. In early January the Temple released sketches of their statue. Peter Gilmore poo-pooed the design, saying it smacked of pedophilia. On Fox Business News, producer Bernard McGuirk suggested that Satanists should be lined in front of their statue and shot. Lawyers from the Satanic Temple demanded an apology. FEBRUARY I…
…nary.org): He (Dean Dunkle) once described Asian transit passengers in the San Francisco Bay area as “slanty-eyed.” In a large community meeting last spring, he compared the technical side of theological education to “looking up women’s skirts.” Before several faculty members and students, he spoke, as an obvious act of intimidation, of how “black people can do such interesting things with their hair,” a comment about which students complained. On…
…al from the denomination and its $8.89 million payoff to the Presbytery of San Francisco. Such eye-popping settlements reflect the PCUSA trust clause concerning church property (and California property values). As our Book of Order puts it, all property is held in trust “for the use and benefit of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A)”—even a newly built building in Bathgate, population 43. As if theological disagreements are not fraught enough, PCUSA c…
…e radical nature of Mayor Annise Parker’s commitment to imposing the full “San Francisco Style” Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, etc. agenda. … We have a sin-sick city and we need the power of God through Jesus Christ changing lives and changing City Hall! Conservatives have jumped on the issue as evidence of their long-standing claims of government overreach, government hostility to Christians, and the ultimate result of LGBT rights: infrin…
…and professor-with-flexible-leave-time Harrison Ford make their way to the sanctuary of an ancient temple, where they’re given a test: choose the real Grail from a collection of fancy cups. Glover chooses the fanciest one, drinks from it, and is disintegrated, like so: Then our pal Indy selects the smallest, dustiest vessel, saying, “This is the cup of a carpenter.” He uses his cup to save Sean Connery’s life, the Nazi lady dies, and a thousand se…
…o’s also “Barbie-fied.” According to legend, Correa attempted to cross the San Juan desert with her baby after becoming separated from her husband during the Argentine civil wars. When Correa’s corpse was discovered, her baby was still alive. Miraculously, her body was still able to supply her baby with milk even in death. A spokesperson for a sanctuary commemorating Difunta Correa claimed the saint’s image is copyrighted and threatened to sue. Pa…
…as the Director of Ministry at Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco—has roamed the streets giving ashes to anyone who wants them. Not only are strangers on the sidewalk happy to be smeared with ashes and told they are going to die, but some chased Miles down to get their ashes. In an interview, Miles invokes the term “lived religion” to describe the appeal of Ash Wednesday. Historians of religion know that in practice, religio…
Pastor Jim Garlow of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego lost his wife of 42 years, Carol, to cancer earlier this month. I grieve for anyone who has lost a loved one, especially a beloved spouse. But it’s too bad Garlow would not be able to extend the same compassion to me if I should lose my beloved spouse of 12 years. You see, Garlow has used the death of his wife as an opportunity to do what he does best: bash gays and lesbians. In an email h…
…it mean to cover “religion” as a subject versus preaching, practicing, or promoting it? Is “religion” an historical construction, a Western invention? Is belief critical to religion, or is religion something people do? Is religion a vestige of pre-modernity? Is secularity really religion’s opposite? What about the supernatural? These are just a few of the questions that inspire RD’s coverage of religion, and its ongoing deep-dive into the role of…
