Stephen Bates, former religion correspondent for the Guardian, wrote “A Fractured Faith: Do divisions over homosexuality make schism inevitable?” which appeared in the LGCM Anglican
Two recent stories in the New York Times describe how conflicts in religious law and civil law are being handled in the USA, especially in
2/19 UPDATE: the rest of the story — the Diocese of Texas has cancelled services – which these people knew – until the safety of
Simon Sarmiento, keeper of Thinking Anglicans, has written as essay asking the question “Has the covenant already sunk?” The article appears in the LGCM Anglican
The controversy after the Archbishop of Canterbury’s “sharia speech” has become a discussion over the status of the Church of England itself and the question
He sees his role, then, as defender of the various subcultural spaces that resist the logic of secularism, the enclaves within our culture where fully human meaning is made. And of course these are not only Christian. In a curious way his vision echoes Prince Charles’ declaration that he would like to be the defender of faith rather than the faith. He wants to be the defender of the endangered cultural space that insists on the priority of God. If the Muslim form of such space is tied up with sharia law, we must try to accommodate this.
Earlier this week, Hollywood held its 16th annual “Faith and Values Gala.” The Gala, a project of Movieguide®, with the support of The John Templeton Foundation, aims to recognize “films and television with a positive values message.” The winners including Amazing Grace.
The idea of a limited war, in which certain groups of people should be protected, is not new. In the fourth century St Augustine was already advocating the doctrine of a “just war”, based on civilian protection, proportionality and restraint. The same principles were enshrined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and in the mandates of the various international tribunals set up over the past 15 years. Yet the moral ideal of civilian protection remains very much a minority view.
The National Council of Churches has published its 2008 Yearbook of Canadian and American Churches. It reports that the fastest growing denomination in the United States and Canada is Jehovah’s Witnesses. The denomination with the sharpest decline was the Episcopal Church.
Mark Bowden, one of the best narrative journalists at work today, offers an insightful profile of David Simon, the man behind The Wire, the best show on television.