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Top Ten Religion & Science Stories of 2009

By Lauri Lebo

…stians deny evolution, many of them also deny climate change. Matt Frei of BBC World News America provides an interesting assessment of the division among evangelical Christians in a December 10 article: The evangelical movement is split between those conservative Christians who suspect that climate change is an evil secular plot, concocted by the devil, Al Gore and “the global government crowd”—in the words of Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabac…

The Breaking of Biblical Womanhood: The Problem With the Hot New Book Taking Aim at the Subjugation of Women in Evangelicalism

By Jill Hicks-Keeton

…writes, “was trying to make sense of its place in both a Jewish and Roman world, and much of those worlds bled through into the church’s stories.” Rhetorically what this move allows her to do, in the guise of practicing history, is attribute to Jesus and Paul what she likes and to everyone else what does not fit her narrative or ethical framework. In this case, blame falls to the Romans and ancient Jews (“Pharisees”). These others constructed soc…

Marriage Vote ‘Transforms’ Not-So-Catholic Ireland; Activist to Malaysian PM – ‘Love Is Not Terrorism’; LGBTs Find Growing Acceptance in Colombia, Not At World Meeting of Families; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…advertent invitation to murder. In a column previewing the UN meeting, the New York Times’ Frank Bruni spoke with US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power: “We’re trying to get it into the DNA so that when you’re talking about minorities or vulnerable groups, you would always have L.G.B.T. people included,” Power said. There has been a commendable acceleration of that effort since September 2011, when Barack Obama, in an address to the U.N. General…

Pro-Gay Christians Breaking Out

By Peter Montgomery

…would still be regarded as normal, as political constituencies around the world, like the pre-civil war American south, continued to invoke the New Testament injunction that “slaves be obedient to your masters” as their justification. Not to mention the derivative political theologies that provided ready justifications for bans on inter-racial marriage and, in very recent times, the ethical obscenity that was racial segregation and apartheid. Sim…

From Organized Religion to Organizing Religion: Brian D. McLaren Wants Christians to Be Better

By Peter Laarman

…D: Not many good books about religion get the attention of widely-followed New York Times columnists. How has your life and your sense of responsibility for shaping a different future been affected by Nick Kristof’s tip of the hat? Brian McLaren: I’ve been a big fan of Nick’s work for a long time, so I was thrilled that he read and enjoyed the book. It was also encouraging to receive some commendation from Malcolm Gladwell recently. How much this…

Pride Month & Prejudice; ‘Worrisome Time’ For LGBT People; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…In a story whose existence seems like some kind of cultural milestone, the New York Times reported on California-born Pakistanti-American Ali Mushtaq competing in the International Mr. Leather competition. The Times’ Erik Piepenburg called Mushtaq’s presence “a big leap out of the pitch-black closet for Muslim men who are not only gay but also into leather fetish.” Issa Arden, a member of the social media team for I.M.L., said that having Mr. Mush…

Put Your Money Where Your Mind Is: A For-Profit Meditation Studio Opens in New York

By Michael Schulson

…e romance with Eastern spirituality,” Michelle Goldberg wrote last year on newyorker.com. “For well over a century,” she continued, “business-minded Americans have been transforming Hindu and Buddhist contemplative practices into an unlikely prosperity gospel.” Prosperity gospels and contemporary mindfulness practice share a profound belief in the power of the mind. Redirect your faith, prosperity gospel preachers claim, and you will be rewarded w…

Seventh-Day Adventists & Gay ‘Cures’; Legal Victory for Kenyan LGBTs; Political, Religious Leaders Spar on LGBT Issues in UK; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…Docs festival in Toronto. Sharm, described by the CBC as an “Indian-born, New York-based, openly gay Muslim,” secretly videotaped his journey to Mecca on his iPhone and other small phones. “I was terrified because they reserve the death penalty for people like me,” Sharma said. Several times he had his equipment seized and video files deleted by authorities. But he persevered with both his spiritual journey and his film. “I was there making this…

Paul for the People: John Dominic Crossan Imagines a “Letter to the Americans” In His New Video Series

By Peter Laarman

…(1991). After Peter Steinfels referenced my book on the front page of the New York Times, I began to accept invitations to speak at churches. Because of the demands of such weekend visits, which usually included as many as four lectures plus preaching on Sunday, in 1995 I took early retirement from DePaul University. It was just not possible to do my own research, publish my books, continue to teach undergraduates, and also speak to church groups…

Global LGBT Recap: World Vision Caves, World Congress of Families Vamps, God Weeps

By Peter Montgomery

…or before we ever tolerate gay people working here.” In other parts of the world, World Vision employs thousands of non-Christians. Earlier this month, World Vision’s national director in Uganda, Gilbert Kamanga, said the organization “opposes any law that fails to meet human rights standards and results in stigmatization or discrimination of any group or class of people.” “Sexual orientation of those we serve or those with whom we collaborate wit…