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Lutheran religious leader challenges the President to make good on his campaign pledges to fight for the eradication of extreme poverty.
Hitching a Freedom Ride: Gay Ain’t the New Black…
Due to the widespread acceptance of black civil rights, some members and friends of the LGBTQ community have hitched their conceptual wagons to the black freedom struggle of the 20th century. While gay rights are no trifling matter, those eager to make comparisons may want to hold their horses.
Grasping At Straws: The Problem with Common Ground on Abortion
What could possibly be wrong with finding “common ground” on abortion, as a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer op-ed suggested? A closer look at the “commongroundniks” leaves a lot to be desired for those who don’t compromise on respect and support for women.
The New Values Voters: Progressive Women
A study shows that progressive women activists are motivated by values, but not the “values voter” kind. How about mutual responsibility, community, and concern for others?
Pro-Life Tempest Over Obama’s Notre Dame Speech
Obama’s scheduled Notre Dame commencement has a small, largely powerless, group of Orthodox Catholics singing for publicity to an obliging media. Why did Notre Dame take the bait?
Religious Persecution Wolf in Anti-Defamation Sheep’s Clothing
Capitalizing on the Muhammad cartoon riots and Western anxieties over the persecution of Muslims, the UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution urging member states to prosecute for “religious defamation.” Problem is, those likely to suffer most are religious minorities.
By the Way: Religious Right Losing its Grip?
College Democrats at Pat Robertson’s Regent U., Notre Dame’s refusal to rescind an invitation to the pro-choice president—younger evangelicals and Catholics are in rebellion and it doesn’t bode well for the once-commanding presence of the religious right.
Plus: Let the Judicial Wars begin; Falwell Jr. warns of The Rapture; Out gays will create ‘turmoil’ in the military, says anti-gay leader, and more.
RDPulpit: Torture Needs You
Relieved that Guantanamo Bay is closing? Don’t rest easy. Until we accept our collective responsibility for torture, and the fact that it requires not just the torturer's denial, but ours, it will prevail.
Jewish State, Islamic State: All States are Religious
All nations contribute to the management and definition of religion so it’s neither necessary, nor possible, to identify any state as definitively “religious” or “secular.” To choose is largely political.
As Funny as the Times Will Allow: Obama on Late Night TV
The President tried to be funny on Jay Leno, and the joke fell flat. But it might be that this says more about us, his audience, than anything else.
Play to Extinction: Religious Groups Unite Against Predatory Gambling
What could James Dobson’s Focus on the Family and the League of Women Voters possibly have in common? They’re both members of a coalition to raise awareness of the devastating effects of, and to block, state-sponsored casino gambling in Massachusetts.
My Bible and the Bill of Rights
Refusing to cede religion to the right, the Born Again American campaign offers patriotism and religion in service of a liberal agenda. But is this sort of religious nationalism the answer?
The Great Secret of Constitutional Law: Why Proposition 8 Will (and perhaps should) Be Upheld
“The Constitution is not what the Court says it is. Rather it is what the people…eventually allow the Court to say it is.” A careful read of the history of great advances in American freedom reveals that high court decisions like Brown v. Board of Ed. actually relied both on the clarity of the argument and the perception that the nation was ready.
The Religious Violence of Defending Marriage
Defense of Marriage laws, now in place in over thirty-seven states, are actually a form of religious violence; they violate sacred texts, are idolatrous, and scapegoat a powerless group.
RDPulpit: Excommunicating the Victims
While the family of a 9-year-old incest victim’s abortion is excommunicated, the perpetrator never even made it to the ecclesial radar screen. Let this case signal the end of any credible claim to authority of bishops and the dawn of a new era when local communities determine their own members. I daresay the world will be a safer, kinder place.
Is Obama Satan’s Warm-up Act?
The co-authors of the eschatological Left Behind series appeared on the Rachel Maddow show to offer a variation on the theory that Obama may be the Antichrist.
The Free Speech Case That Dared Not Speak the Name of the Establishment Clause
Why was a Utah city allowed to prevent a minority religion from erecting a monument next to a monument of the Ten Commandments? The Supreme Court’s Summum decision, litigated in the shadow of the Establishment Clause, raises more questions than answers.
ENDA Times: LGBT Groups, Echoing the Civil Rights Era, Approach Churches
The Human Rights Campaign, while lobbying for the passage of a comprehensive federal nondiscrimination bill, is hoping to “reclaim the moral ground” from the religious right by targeting churches with its new curriculum.
It's Bring Your Gun to Church Day
Christian Security Network; The Rev. Lowery & The Rev. Moon Cross Paths; Economic Crisis May Downsize Death Penalty; Christian Author’s $10,000 Challenge; and Conservatives in Hollywood donate to McCain/Palin.