The Archive

Day: March 15, 2008

John Gray on Atheism’s proselytizers

March 15, 2008 1 Comment

Maggi Dawn points us to a piece in the Guardian Review in which British author and philosopher John N. Gray examines the popularity of the “New Atheists” —same as the old atheists, he adds, examining the motivations of “secular fundamentalists.” He scrutinizes the positions of authors such as Dawkins and Hitchens, Daniel Dennett and Martin Amis, Michel Onfray, Philip Pullman and other authors, and provides some historical perspective on what exactly tends to happen when religion is actively suppressed.

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Church of Baseball, redux, rebuked

March 15, 2008 1 Comment

Periodically throughout last year’s baseball season, we’d make note of various “Faith Night” events and reflections from the outfield. And now, preseason pundits have taken note yet again of the phenomenon. Murray Chass, writing in the New York Times, is quite frank about his feelings on the matter, and pulls no punches: “It’s time … for baseball’s constitution to dictate separation of church and baseball.”

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Best friends

March 15, 2008 No Comments

This month’s Washingtonian has a feature with vignettes exploring the bonds of friendship between several pairs of best friends, among them retired Washington Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon and WAMU talk-show host Diane Rehm, who have been friends since meeting at church 40 years ago. When Rehm got word of an “Expanding Horizons for Women” adult-ed course at George Washington University in the 1970s, she nudged Dixon to join her.

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Southern Baptist leaders back climate change resolution

March 15, 2008 No Comments

A group of 44 Southern Baptist leaders have signed a document that acknowledges the recklessness of ignoring the mounting evidence for climate change. Jonathan Merritt, spokesman for the Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative, was quoted in the New York Times as having had an epiphany in which he realized ” when we destroy God’s creation, it’s similar to ripping pages from the Bible.”

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Obama rebukes former pastor; Wright out of campaign

March 15, 2008 No Comments

Barack Obama credits the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. with having a profound influence on his return to faith and credits him with the now-famous tagline “audacity of hope” that Obama titled his book with. The minister also was celebrant at the Obama wedding and baptized their daughters. But Wright has drawn a lot of criticism for making inflammatory statements and incendiary sermons, and as of yesterday is no longer affiliated with the Obama campaign.

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House of Bishops’ votes valid, chancellor confirms

March 15, 2008 4 Comments

The Presiding Bishop’s chancellor has confirmed the validity of votes taken in the House of Bishops on March 12, correcting an erroneous report published online March 14 by The Living Church News Service. Chancellor David Booth Beers said votes consenting to the deposition of bishops John-David Schofield and William Cox conformed to the canons.

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Match meeting

March 15, 2008 2 Comments

Recently, I have had the privilege of working with couples in pre-marital counseling who met through Match.com or other online dating services, rather than through more traditional means. Some of my parents’ generation are astonished that people would dare risk meeting this way, but their stories demystify the process.

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Accepting resurrection

March 15, 2008 No Comments

“They came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.” (John 12:9-11)

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