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Prominent Russian Orthodox Church Rejects Pro-Putin Patriarch Kirill, Raising Tensions Within Orthodox World

By Katherine Kelaidis

…Kirill would continue to be commemorated at St. Nicholas. Then, after the service, he told the clergy that their dispute with Kirill was of great concern to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The clergy of St. Nicholas refused to relent. It was at this point the threats began. A service was interrupted by a man who broke a window; an online smear campaign was launched against the parish; and the church was vandalized with the pro-Putin, pro…

Inventing “Jihad”

By Asma Afsaruddin

…rican history indicates how powerful such pseudo-theological narratives in service of the state can be). Thus we observe that later exegetes and jurists began to make frequent exceptions to the injunction against committing aggression contained in Qur’an 2:190 and preferred to understand the verse as mandating primarily non-combatant immunity without placing any restriction on the Muslim army’s ability to commence fighting. This progressive wateri…

Bishop Minerva Carcaño Has a Nearly Impossible Job

By Mary E. Hunt

…involved in discussion about whether a local church could be used for the service and whether local clergy ought to participate. There are differing perceptions about whether she instructed local pastors not to allow the ordination service to be held in local churches. It is hard to know all that went on behind the scenes. In any case, she encouraged her colleagues to “be extravagant in hospitality” to those who would be involved even if the deno…

Anti-Gay, Anti Catholic Evangelical Sworn In As Mayor of Rio; More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Russia: Orthodox & Nationalist Groups Use Anti-Gay Law To Target Artistic Freedom Free Muse reports that Orthodox and nationalist groups are threatening artistic freedom, using groups that make the “insult of religious beliefs and feelings illegal,” along with the ban on “gay propaganda.” For example: In February 2016, Orthodox activists from the “Narodny Sobor” (People’s Assembly) group, led by member of parliament Vitaly Milonov, attempted to s…

Pope Francis Loves Nuns, But Can the Divide Between Sisters and Vatican Be Healed?

By Megan Sweas

…memoir, their goal was not only to protest proposed budget cuts to social services, but also “to lift up the work of our sisters.” It’s notable that a journey that started out of censure is now pointed in the direction of Pope Francis. This year’s “Nuns on the Bus” tour starts in St. Louis this week and ends in Washington, D.C., in time for the start of the papal visit on September 23. Its theme, “bridge the divide,” refers to the political divid…

Pious White Reformers and Race, Then and Now

By Peter Laarman

…secondary problem was the likely horrified white response to having a huge number of newly-freed blacks living among them in both the North and the South. The alleged “degradation” of black people ruled out normal social intercourse—widespread emancipation without separation of the races was unthinkable Although “degradation” was first used to describe the condition of enslaved Africans, by 1810 the term was also being applied to Native Americans….

Bachmann Weaves Own Salvation Story into Christian Nation Mythology

By Sarah Posner

…settling,” by knowing Jesus Christ “in his fullness” can someone be truly free, free in the way that Jesus intended when he “set captives free” by the founding of the country. It’s all wrong, of course, historically, constitutionally. But Bachmann found the precise sweet spot where testimony and Christian American exceptionalism mythology intersect. Bachmann took her speech even further, invoking the biblical story of Joshua and Caleb, who led a…

Why I’m Not An Organ Donor

By Kristel Clayville

…the United States, you need financial and social resources. The organs are free—they’ve been donated—but the surgery, follow up visits, and medications are not free. They’re quite expensive. The estimated cost for a transplant and 180 days of follow up and medications ranges from $414,000 (kidney) to $1.3 million (heart), a cost that has to be found either in your bank account or in the bank account of your insurance company in order to get an org…

Grassley Staff Memo on Televangelists Makes Clear Religious Right Opposition to Government Oversight

By Sarah Posner

…t of the religious right which deems it an unconstitutional restriction on free speech and religious freedom. The rule, it’s true, is rarely enforced by the IRS, as the memo notes. But if it’s repealed, and churches are free from the possibility of an IRS investigation for endorsing candidates, churches would become even more politicized, and free to use their tax-exempt status to do so. UPDATE: Michael Batts, who has been appointed to lead the EC…

Texas Textbook Massacre

By Lauri Lebo

…nment thinkers, board members also removed the word “Enlightenment.” 4. A Free Substitute for Capitalism: Board conservatives banned the word “capitalism” from the standards, arguing that “liberal professors in academia” use the word in a negative way. The phrase “free enterprise” is to be used in its place. 5. McCarthy, Great American Hero: Led by McLeroy, board members voted to require students to learn about “communist infiltration” in the 195…