Journalist and Professor Richard Domke spoke to Episcopal Communicators today about how the American religious landscape has shifted from “civil religion” to “political religion” that has allowed religion to become a political weapon.
The Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus, bishop of the Diocese of California, comments on the protests surrounding the Summer Olympics in China and the role
Adam Hamilton is a mega-church pastor who sees gray where others see black or white. The pastor of Church of the Resurrection, Leawood, Kansas, the largest congregation in the United Methodist Church, says that it is time says he is pro-choice “with a heavy heart” and that the abortion debate has been too polarized for too long.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, a new convert to the Roman Catholic Church, gave his first major speech on religion earlier this week. “For religion to be a force for good, it must be rescued not simply from extremism, faith as a means of exclusion; but also from irrelevance, an interesting part of our history but not of our future,” said Blair.
In the community of people dedicated to analyzing poverty, one of the sharpest debates is over why some poor people act in ways that ensure their continued indigence. The poor are disproportionately likely to drop out of school, to have children while in their teens, to abuse drugs, to commit crimes, to not save when extra money comes their way, to not work.
As vital as the work of faith communities and other private actors are in the fight against poverty and disease, true transformation can only come when the resources and energies of governments are brought to bear. That’s why the United States government’s efforts over the past five years have been so vital.
The New Yorker describes a Good Friday “Seven Last Words” service at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.
An evangelical group that wants to reshape the movement’s political reputation for being focused on opposing abortion and same-sex marriage is hoping that a series of meetings stressing its roots in women’s suffrage and abolition will help it break out of the mold.
The Very Rev. Tracey Lind, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Cleveland, will take part in a panel discussion about race, religion and politics on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer tonight. The program is broadcast at 6 pm EDT; the panel discussion is expected to air about 6:30 pm.
Students of the current Anglican controversy may recall that Richard Mellon Scaife, who spent millions on dollars to bring down Bill Clinton also spent hunderds of thousdans of dollars to bring down the Episcopal Church. How odd, then, to see him seated beside Hillary Clinton, as she criticized Barack Obama for his handling of the Jeremiah Wright affair.