ReligionDispatches - Candace Chellew-Hodge

Want Marriage Equality? Show Me the Money!

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:44:01 PST

When Conservatives celebrate votes to oppose same-sex marriage, they’re overlooking the financial bonanza that same-sex marriage can bring to a state.

The Religious Left: It’s Alive!

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:25:01 PST

A new study dispels some common myths and should help the religious left understand its growing political power.

Will Hate Crime Laws Redeem Us All?

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:08:01 PDT

If adding sexual orientation to the hate crimes law saves just one life, it brings redemption (and safety) to us all.

Bishop John Shelby Spong Declares Victory: Is it Premature?

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:26:01 PDT

Bishop Spong, a compassionate theologian and wise religious leader, has declared that he is finished arguing over whether or not gays and lesbians should be fully welcomed in church and society. What's his logic?

Obama’s Speech a Right Hook to the Right

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:10:01 PDT

Here’s hoping the president will do the right thing in the wake of this week’s promises to LGBT Americans.

Loving Your Enemies, Sean Hannity Style (Updated with Video)

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:24:01 PDT

Michael Moore has a talk with Sean Hannity about forgiveness, love, and al Qaeda. No surprises here.

Giving the Bible a Conservative Makeover

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:11:01 PDT

Forgiveness? Social justice? Not in the new conservative Bible, where the “full free-market meaning” of the Good Book is now revealed.

Does Liberal Theology Profane God?

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:51:01 PDT

The president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary thinks so. But here’s why he’s wrong. And why his own statement is more profane than he thinks.

Does the President Need Churching?

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:27:01 PDT

It's not as if churchgoing has been a reliable indicator of a president's goodness, but still, it might be politically useful for Obama to sit in a pew from time to time.

Gays Losing Value to “Value Voters”?

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:51:01 PDT

This weekend’s premier religious right gathering saw same-sex marriage score low in a poll. Has something significant happened?

Deifying Matthew Shepard

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:50:01 PDT

We want our heroes, blameless, pure...even sexless. But even Jesus was human.

Leaving America to Marry

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:50:01 PDT

In Canada getting married to your same-sex partner is just a matter of filling out the paperwork. So we did.

Without Health Care Reform We’ll All Die!!

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:10:01 PDT

The truth is that Americans’ lives and wallets are both in danger if we don’t reform health care. A proposal to out-negative the naysayers.

Lutherans Reap the Whirlwind

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:48:01 PDT

Or, as I would have titled this post, if not for the delicate sensibilities of the RD editors, "God Breaks Wind on Lutherans."

The Real Threat to Marriage? Love!

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:35:01 PDT

The Institute on Religion and Democracy tells us that the ideal of romantic love is weakening the bond of marriage. Perhaps they’d like a return to the whole “women as property” thing? Or is it that marriage is solely for procreation?

AAA: Like a Good Neighbor

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:25:01 PDT

Don't confuse AAA with AFA: one is a venerable roadside assistance company that gladly offers family discounts to gay and lesbian couples, the other is a right-wing group that would like to strand vulnerable people by the side of the road.

Want Marriage Equality? Follow the Money

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:15:01 PDT

No matter what Welton Gaddy might hope, anti-gay religious groups are not interested in finding common ground on marriage equality—they need the conflict to fill their coffers.

“Ex-Gay” Common Ground More of a Killing Ground

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:55:01 PDT

Columnist Dan Gilgoff, in reporting on the conflict between gays and ex-gay ministries, forgets that there are, in fact, happy, healthy, gay Christians.

Bless Your Heart! The Religious Right Tries to Be Civil

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:21:01 PDT

A new campaign from the religious right, “The Civility Project,” aims to solve difficult social issues with politeness. What’s the real agenda here?

Carter, Speaking Out Against Gender Discrimination, Gives “Elder Care” a New Meaning

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 11:26:01 PDT

It's great that the former president is speaking out against unequal treatment of women but why did it take him 60 years to leave the SBC?

Same-Sex Marriage: Good for Marriage, Good for the Pocketbook

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:03:01 PDT

Bishop Harry Jackson, pleading for the president to maintain the ban on same-sex marriage, calls it the number one domestic issue. But what about, say, the unemployment rate? Will the ban help those without jobs?

Bishop Sends Shockwave, Slaying the Sacred Cow of Individual Salvation [Includes an online comic]

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:52:01 PDT

While many expected LGBT issues to be at the forefront of controversy at the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori stunned some participants by taking aim at narrow notions of salvation.

Praying for a Christian Nation on the Fourth

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:14:01 PDT

Instead of praying for “foundations of Satan” to be wiped from the U.S.A., we might instead dedicate ourselves to praying that our own selfishness and tribalism be wiped from the entire planet.

New Poll Shows Gays and Lesbians Believe in God

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:48:01 PDT

In another stunner from the right wing, a best-selling conservative author discovers that gays can be Christians too.

Smashing Our Idols: A Response from Evangelical Leader David Gushee

Candace Chellew-Hodge — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:58:01 PDT

After pursuing a dialogue with David Gushee, in response to a suggestion from a commenter on RD, I realize that Gushee's "welcoming" church model, though imperfect, is a sign of progress, not regress.