Christianity

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John Paul II's Attacker Wants Vatican Baptism

Man who shot pontiff seeks ceremony after prison release

(Newser) - The man who shot Pope John Paul II gets out of prison in January—and when he does, he wants to be baptized at the Vatican, his lawyer says. Over the years, Mehmet Ali Agca has claimed to be the Messiah or Jesus Christ, fueling speculation about his mental health...

US Youth May Yet Return to Religion, Despite the Right

The religious right has driven young people away, but a change in tone could lure them back: Putnam

(Newser) - Young Americans would likely become more religious if faith were disentangled from the polarizing practices of evangelical conservatives, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post. That’s a good thing, because research for an upcoming book found that religious Americans give more time and money—to secular and religious causes...

Obama's Toned-Down Take on Day of Prayer Irks Some

(Newser) - President Obama has opted to observe today’s National Day of Prayer in private, a sharp turn from his predecessor’s policies that angers at least one organization, the Boston Globe reports. President Bush held public celebrations at the White House. “We are disappointed in the lack of participation...

Genome Whiz Aims to Reunite God, Science

Geneticist seeks to reconcile conflicts between faith, science

(Newser) - Young Christians inevitably experience a crisis when they realize how deeply religion clashes with science, but an evangelical geneticist is aiming to restore their faith, Time reports. Unveiling the BioLogos Foundation this week, Francis Collins seeks to resolve questions over Adam and Eve’s creation and evolution. “We cannot...

Mom: Bible Says Kids' Shirts Can Be Untucked

Wins daughter's school dress-code battle after citing verse to board

(Newser) - Battling a school for her daughter’s right to attend with an untucked shirt, a Texas woman cited the Bible, which calls for women to “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation,” the Dallas Morning News reports. “I don’t want her behind showing,”...

Miley 'Closer to the Lord' Thanks to Boy Toy

Gaston 'really made me read my Bible,' Cyrus, 16, gushes of beau, 20

(Newser) - Miley Cyrus’ 20-year-old beau Justin Gaston has brought her “closer to the Lord,” the 16-year-old pop star tells Rachel Ray in an interview airing tomorrow. “He’s really made me read my Bible,” she said. “He’s made me actually read the stories in the...

Calif. Gunman Kills 1 at Christian Retreat

Shooter targeted wife, according to calls to cops

(Newser) - At least one person was killed and four seriously injured last night when a gunman opened fire at a Korean Christian retreat in southern California, reports the AP. The gunman was believed to be one of the injured. It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the carnage, but a phone call...

Pope Must Hide Cross at Jerusalem Site: Rabbi

'I wouldn't go into a church wearing Jewish symbols,' Rabinovitch says

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI plans to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem next month as a show of mutual understanding and sensitivity between Catholicism and Judaism—but a request from a prominent rabbi almost ensures he’ll offend someone, Time reports. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch said the pontiff should remove the cross...

Turkey Battles Over Christian Monastery

Dispute over ancient monastery's land could derail country's EU bid

(Newser) - A battle over an ancient Christian monastery could deal a fresh blow to Turkey's bid to join the European Union, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Syrian Orthodox Mor Gabriel monastery, built in southeast Turkey in 397 AD, is one of the oldest functioning monasteries in the world—but government...

Christian Films Tempt $$$-Hungry Hollywood

(Newser) - Lurking behind the mainstream film industry is a low-budget, high-return business poised to break through: the world of Christian filmmaking, NPR reports. Fireproof, a tale of marital woes and redemption, was the highest-grossing independent feature of 2008—a fact trumpeted at a Christian film festival in San Antonio last...

Vatican Makes Peace With Darwin
Vatican Makes Peace With Darwin
Feb 11, 2009 5:13 AM CST

Vatican Makes Peace With Darwin

Church officials now say evolution theory fits with beliefs

(Newser) - The Vatican is clarifying that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is compatible with its doctrine after all, the Times of London reports. The Church never officially condemned Darwin, but his views have been controversial with some because they present a radically different image of the origins of species than what's...

China Secretly Meets With Long-Banned Churches

Only state-backed religious groups legal; 100M worship in secret

(Newser) - Inching toward reconciliation after decades of opposition, China’s government invited leaders of the country’s banned Protestant churches to secret talks, the Times of London reports. The government is hoping to smooth relations as it celebrates its 60th year in power and aims for stability amid economic turmoil. Beijing...

'Cowboy Church' Lassos New Followers

Baptists see success with services that feature rodeo riding

(Newser) - Rodeo competitions and baptisms in horse troughs are on offer at the Cowboy Church of Ellis County, Texas, part of a movement that uses an unconventional approach to draw worshippers to the flock, the AP reports. Cowboy churches have existed for 40 years but have grown in popularity in the...

No Time For Faith? Try a Podcast

Practitioners of all stripes distill religious teaching for on-the-go Americans

(Newser) - Overscheduled Americans are fueling a boom in devotional books and media that mete out bite-sized doses of faith, the Los Angeles Times reports. An editor at a Christian book house calls its One Minute Bible “a ready-made, quick little devotion they can do every day.” But it’s...

Xmas Spirit Translates Better in Foreign Tongue: Keillor

Writer 'feels the religious fervor' at Spanish mass

(Newser) - Garrison Keillor is no Scrooge, but can find it hard to get the Christmas spirit, he writes for Salon. In New York for “the general dazzlement and variety,” and a holiday unbound by obligations of small-town homogeny, Keillor finds Yuletide spirit in a Spanish-language mass at St. Patrick’...

I'm Anti-Gay Marriage, Not Anti-Gay: Warren

Controversial pastor aims to dampen criticism, civilize discourse

(Newser) - Rick Warren continues to refine his stance on gays and gay marriage, saying he is “not opposed to gays having their partnership,” and that his anti-gay marriage stance doesn’t make him anti-gay, the AP reports. “I’m opposed to gays using the term marriage for their...

Time to Give Joseph His Due
 Time to Give Joseph His Due  
opinion
Dec 23, 2008 8:30 PM CST

Time to Give Joseph His Due

Priest sees stolid husband to Jesus's mother as a role model

(Newser) - Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and even the Three Kings come to mind at Christmastime, but rarely do Christians think of humble Joseph. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, writes in Slate that forgetting the man who raised Jesus—the reason for the season—is unfair. "It's time to take a...

Etheridge's Wife Defends Warren
 Etheridge's Wife 
 Defends Warren 
OPINION
Dec 22, 2008 12:42 PM CST

Etheridge's Wife Defends Warren

Tammy Lynn Michaels extends olive branch to controversial evangelist

(Newser) - Melissa Etheridge's significant other goes to bat for right-wing pastor Rick Warren, calling him "the man the media has made our latest 'HE HATES YOU!' target." In fact, he doesn't hate gays, Tammy Lynn Michaels writes on her Hollywood Farm Girl blog. Melissa, who recently met him,...

Christians Secretly Target Converts in North Africa

Islamic leaders oppose 'unethical' tactics

(Newser) - Islamic leaders in north Africa say they are incensed by the tactics of Christians bent on secretly converting their followers, Reuters reports. Religious authorities gripe that missionaries in Morocco and Algeria are using “unethical” methods, such as spreading false information and preying on the weak. “People respond positively...

Newsweek in Hot Water Over Gay-Bible Story

Social conservatives denounce 'attack' article as 'full of holes'

(Newser) - Social conservatives are lashing out against Newsweek’s current cover story, “The Religious Case for Gay Marriage,” for what they say is a flawed take on both the Bible and the root of their argument against such unions. The story was “yet another attack on orthodox Christianity”...

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