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ELCA Removes All Barriers to Gay Inclusion

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…l refuse to see that LGBT people are also God’s children, made, blessed and called. But, it’s wonderful to see the bigger, more progressive denominations finally getting it—that we are one body, one blood, and we are stronger when we serve together. Congratulations to the ELCA for finally recognizing God’s blessings among them in the form of their LGBT brothers and sisters….

Why The Church Can’t Stop Gun Violence

By Daniel Schultz

Last night, as news of the shootings in San Bernardino was being digested, the Twitterverse erupted in debate over the proper response. Some commentators—most notably Igor Volsky of the liberal think tank ThinkProgress—pointed out the hypocrisy of politicians calling for #thoughtsandprayers while accepting stacks of cash from the NRA and other gun advocates. The nearly 1:1 correspondence there is truly sickening. https://twitter.com/igorvolsky/st…

Who’s Smearing Obama?

By Svend White

…s (who’s downright tactful compared to some plying their trade in today’s booming Islam-bashing industry) has been described by Christopher Hitchens as “somewhat to the right of Ariel Sharon,” and favors the profiling and internment of American Muslims in the spirit of WWII-era Japanese internment. “Was Barack Obama a Muslim?” was posted to Pipes’ Web site just before the New Year and appears to be the first example of this intellectual virus, the…

Busy Days For ‘eBay of Prophecy’

By Bill Berkowitz

…ion would have to give airtime to a pro-abortion voice like Planned Parenthood,” she said. “Rather than present a view that fundamentally opposes the station’s core beliefs, it would likely steer clear of airing controversial topics altogether.” Stephen Adams’ piece titled “Atheists ask Obama to Keep God out of the Military” reported that a group called The Secular Coalition for America, “an organization representing atheists in the military” has…

Trend Watch: “Progressive Christian”

By Daniel Schultz

I’ve been noticed a boomlet of sorts in the use of the phrase “progressive Christianity.” It seems like many more people are willing to embrace that descriptor than have in recent years. In no particular order, there’s the Progressive Christian Alliance, Progressive Christians Uniting, the Institute for Progressive Christianity, the Progressive Christian Witness and the Progressive Christian (formerly known as Zion’s Herald). There’s even a Prog…

Illinois Bishop Greets Marriage Equality with Exorcism

By Peter Montgomery

…on, in the name and power of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paprocki said. “Be uprooted and put to flight from the Church of God from souls created in the image of God and redeemed by the precious blood of the divine lamb. “Dare no more, oh cunning serpent, to deceive the human race, to persecute the church of God, to shake the chosen of God and sift them like wheat,” he continued. In an unusual use of public services, the exorcism included two armed Spr…

It’s The Apocalypse, Stupid: Understanding Christian Opposition to Obamacare, Civil Rights, New Deal and More

By Daniel Silliman

…al reform movements, and generations of political activism. In his latest book, Matthew Avery Sutton, a professor of history at Washington State University, traces this history of American evangelical apocalypticism from the end of the 19th century to the present day. In the process, he proposes a revised understanding of American evangelicalism, focused on the urgent expectations of the end of human history. If you want to understand modern evang…

In the Age of Megachurches, Sometimes Less Is More

By Richard Flory

…adapt or rediscover something old, to invite renewal. For example, if you look at older urban areas, you will find many examples of smaller neighborhood churches that have minimal to zero parking. In L.A., the car capital of the world, this suggests that at the time these churches were established people walked or drove the several blocks from their homes to church. The scale of the buildings themselves prohibited these neighborhood churches from…

It’s Bring Your Gun to Church Day

By Bill Berkowitz

…ns are banned.” Five days later, Jim Adkisson pled guilty to last year’s shooting rampage inside the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church that killed two parishioners and wounded a half dozen others. In the coming years, other state legislatures will no doubt debate the wisdom of allowing churchgoers to carry weapons inside of churches. In the meantime, Jeff Hawkins, a former chief security officer for a worldwide Christian ministry, has…

Mitt Romney’s Best-Known Mormon Critic Tells it All. One Last Time.

By Joanna Brooks

For years, now, the press has been beating down the door of Judy Dushku, a Mormon feminist, global women’s rights activist, and professor at Suffolk University. It was Dushku who during Romney’s Senate run in 1994 broke the now infamous story of Romney’s pressuring a woman in his congregation not to have an abortion even though her life was in danger. That’s a brave stance to take in a community that prizes conformity and group loyalty. But Judy…