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Going Negative: Traditionalist Churches Gang Up on ‘Progressive Christianity’ in Arizona

By Daniel Schultz

…, there’s a self-described “progressive Christian” congregation, Fountains United Methodist Church. Fountains’ pastor, the Rev. David Felten, is the author of a book on progressive Christianity, and the church proudly advertises its welcome of the “LGBTQ community,” support for science, and interfaith dialogue. The conservative church leaders are equally proud of their traditionalism. In a letter to the editor published in the Fountain Hills Times…

What Caused the Catholic Church Child Sexual Abuse Crisis? Blame the Sixties.

By Joanna Brooks

…Church between 1950 and 2010. The report, initiated and authorized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, investigated a number of potential factors contributing to a sharp peak of reported and documented abuse cases in the 1960s and 1970s, including social trends among ordination cohorts, changes in seminary curriculum, and psychological pathologies and social behaviors of abusive priests. Its conclusion? The sixties—social movemen…

Will Anti-LGBT Government Contractors Have A RFRA Claim?

By Sarah Posner

…ict with Catholicism?) Greg Lipper, senior litigation counsel at Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, says that the first question is still open. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, religiously affiliated organizations do have an exemption which permits them to hire co-religionists, but for-profit companies are not entitled to such an exemption. However, Lipper pointed out, “wh…

Clergy Come Out as Atheists

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

I really do sympathize with Teresa MacBain. The Tallahassee, Florida United Methodist Church pastor has just recently come out. No, she’s not a lesbian. This is how she explained it to NPR recently: “I’m currently an active pastor and I’m also an atheist,” she says. “I live a double life. I feel pretty good on Monday, but by Thursday—when Sunday’s right around the corner—I start having stomachaches, headaches, just knowing that I got to stand up…

Commies, Blacks, Jews, the UCC and Other Threats to America

By Daniel Schultz

…ng the organizations endorsing the march were the Communist Party USA, the United Church of Christ, Jewish Funds for Justice, the National Urban League, the National Baptist Convention, People for the American Way and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. My first reaction to this was to wonder why the Times is acting as Glenn Beck’s hatchet man. About the only thing these groups have in common is that they endorsed this rally. What, exactly, i…

Hagee Calls Obama “The Most Anti-Semitic President Ever”

By Sarah Posner

…ican megadonors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson bestowed an award on Christians United for Israel founder John Hagee. In his remarks, Hagee called President Barack Obama “the most anti-Semitic president ever.” Chemi Shalev reports more details: The other stars of the night were the ubiquitous Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam, whose generous contributions to ZOA have helped lift the organization out of the doldrums and into t…

Why Religious Exemptions Matter

By Sarah Posner

…raising similar objections include Concerned Women for American, Americans United for Life, and the American Center for Law and Justice. As to private employers, the proposed rule takes note of the fact that private employers are not entitled to religious exemptions under other federal laws, such as Title VII, prohibiting discrimination in employment. Based on that precedent, the administration declined to extend an exemption to private employers…

Beck, Hagee, and Lieberman Band Together to Fuel Armageddon Panic

By Sarah Posner

…ing on to Glenn Beck’s scheduled keynote speech to the upcoming Christians United for Israel conference, and his “Restoring Courage” rally in Jerusalem in August, CUFI founder John Hagee is hosting Beck for a conference call tomorrow so he can “address the mounting threats to Israel and what we can do to stand with Israel today.” This comes on the heels of Sen. Joe Lieberman endorsement of Beck’s Jerusalem event. Lieberman once compared Hagee to M…

With New York Joining DC in Defiance Methodist Church Faces Showdown on LGBT Ordination

By Pamela R. Lightsey

As the United Methodist Church approaches it next quadrennial General Conference this May, its members should reflect upon the watershed moment of its 2012 conference that has inspired LGBTQ rights activists to take a series of courageous stances against its discriminatory polices. In that moment, retired bishop Melvin Talbert declared a position of biblical obedience urging LGBTQ persons and allies to live as though the Book of Discipline prohib…

The Value of Crazy-Making Dialogue

By Daniel Schultz

…le more about my post yesterday on Terry Mattingly’s false story about the United Church of Church, I want to put on my churchman’s hat and reflect a bit. It’s often difficult for people to grok what congregational polity means to the UCC, among other denominations. It’s not just an organizational method: it’s a basic principle of our faith that we are allowed—and we allow others—to follow their conscience. Each community defines for itself how…