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God, My Wife, And The Government: Defining Marriage

By Krista Kapralos

…campaigns, and end earmarks that place federal money in the hands of faith-based organizations. Americans United also advocates government support of same-sex unions. Lynn said he’s tempted to perform wedding ceremonies without state licenses, but he knows that could cause problems for the couple later on. Name changes would be a headache, they wouldn’t get tax benefits, and any future child custody or property disputes could get ugly. Cobin disa…

Barack Obama: High Priest-in-Chief?

By Matthew Avery Sutton

…yours. This is not a good way to wage a war. Barack Obama is the commander-in-chief, not the arbiter of true faith. He carries the sword, not a clerical collar. Trying to play high priest from the Oval Office is exactly the kind of thing that has inflamed the non-Christian world in the past and it is the very thing that will continue to fuel the anti-Americanism that he so hopes to quash. The president needs to spend a little less time worrying a…

Blessed Be the Warmakers

By Svend White

…famous past proponent of Hell being a temporary abode for all is the great 13th-century theologian Ibn Taymiyya; an ironic fact, given the role played by other aspects of his thought in inspiring modern extremist movements not exactly known for their ecumenical leanings. That this dissent was cited by his critics as proof of his heterodoxy illustrates both how firmly most Muslim theologians seem to have accepted the exclusivistic doctrine of salv…

Faith-Baiting in Minnesota and Elsewhere Follows the “Project Blitz” Playbook

By Frederick Clarkson

…better served if we understand these utterances for what they are: political slogans that speak not to the origins of our nation but to a specific point in its not-so-distant past. If they are to mean anything to us now, we should understand what they meant then.”…

Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…uch of the press corps seemed focused on the sorry state of their not-ready-for-prime-time accommodations. But GQ has published a terrifying must-read piece of on-the-ground reporting by Jeff Sharlet. Sharlet speaks to gay activists in Russia who have been victims of violence and, more disturbingly, to unabashedly violent anti-gay activists who think it is fun to beat gays as well as to stalk them and collect incriminating information that can be…

Methodists Vote to Keep Homosexuality “Incompatible”

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…BT issues will come up: ordination of LGBT clergy, and the blessing of same-sex relationships. Braden, a life-long Methodist, is cautiously optimistic: “If the trajectory of this morning continues, I’m not hopeful, but anything is possible. Based on United Methodist Church polity, the church could vote positively on these other issues and contradict itself. But, if it doesn’t happen at this General Conference, it will be another one and the UMC wi…

What Do Christians Think About the Netanyahu Speech?

By Sarah Posner

…srael and Christians United for Israel, which claims to be “the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States” and “one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world,” accused legislators not attending the speech of siding with Israel’s (and America’s) enemies. In a joint statement issued by William Kristol, ECI’s chairman, and Gary Bauer, CUFI’s chairman, the two groups charged: The bottom line is simple: The enemies of Israel…

Win For ‘Natural Family’ Crowd at UN Human Rights Council…

By Peter Montgomery

…lliance Defending Freedom in Latin America. The report documents the behind-the-scenes work ADF is doing at the Organization of American States and its Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The push into Latin America follows earlier expansion of its presence in Europe. Today, ADF is one of the largest conservative legal organizations in the United States, with a budget dwarfing those of sister groups like the Becket Fund and Liberty Counsel….

At the UN, Conservative Christian Agenda Cloaked in Human Rights Language

By Austin Dacey

…six pre-adolescent children were declaiming a text that sounded very human-rights-ish, with articles—one for each youth—on protecting, respecting, and establishing a number of things. But if you had listened carefully, everything would have started to sound a bit off. The text being read was in fact not the 1989 human rights treaty but instead “A Declaration on the Rights of Children and Their Families: A Call From the Children of the World.” The…

Anti-Trans Bus Tour Is Not Very Welcome In Spanish Cities; Gay Rights As A Weapon In Nationalist War On Muslims; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…ation based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Manvendra Singh, a 40-year-old gay man described as “India’s first openly gay prince,” is urging the decriminalization of homosexuality. Israel: Gay couple part of military ad campaign A social media campaign by the Air Force celebrating the families of career members included Capt. Adir Gabbai and his husband Din as well as their dog. Central America: Profile of Central American LGBT refugees…