NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) — Jeremiah Wright's condemnation of the United States — particularly pronouncing damnation on America — looped hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube and news broadcasts. In the process, the pastor preached himself and his most famous…
Fundamentalism & militancy: Religious violence outside the Abrahamic faiths
(ABP) — The three Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – are the most violent of the world's religions, scholars say. But all faiths can resort to violence on occasion, even the normally peaceful Hindus. A common characteristic of…
Obama pastor’s tough sermons just part of long, prophetic tradition
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The longtime pastor of Sen. Barack Obama's black megachurch in Chicago has come under fire for sermons that many have called racist, offensive — and even dangerous. Jeremiah Wright has called the federal government the “U.S. of…
Opinion: What Dr. King means to me
(ABP) — This week marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. In this column I want to honor Dr. King by offering reflections about what his life and work mean to me today. I aim…
FAITH DIGEST
ACU freshmen get cool gadgets. Abilene Christian University will be the first university in the nation to provide all incoming freshmen with an Apple iPhone or an iPod touch, according to school officials. ACU, which is affiliated with the Churches…
Fundamentalism & violence: Fundamentalists of all stripes want to turn back the clock
(ABP) — Despite all their theological and cultural differences, fundamentalists of every faith share at least one common characteristic: resistance to modernity. That's the assessment of scholars and firsthand observers who have evaluated the varieties of religious expression. “Fundamentalism worldwide…
Fundamentalism & militancy: Defining ‘fundamentalism’
(ABP) — Were the 9/11 terrorists who flew airplanes into the Twin Towers fundamentalists? Technically, no. Practically, yes. “Fundamentalism” specifically refers to a conservative movement within U.S. Protestant Christianity that began about a century ago, according to religious scholars. But…
Missouri Baptist Convention faces $10 million countersuit
CAMDENTON, Mo. (ABP) — The Missouri Baptist Convention could face paying more than $10 million to a developer over land formerly owned by Windermere Baptist Conference Center. William Jester of Springfield, Mo., has filed a counterclaim to legal action convention…
Home sweet home: Chaplain uses cookies to reach out
BAGHDAD (ABP) — For American military personnel serving in Iraq, there's nothing like a taste of home — literally. Soldiers are finding comfort in a coffeehouse that provides homemade cookies run by a Baptist General Convention of Texas-endorsed chaplain, Kari…
Supreme Court to hear case pitting 10 Commandments vs. ‘7 Aphorisms’
WASHINGTON (ABP) – It's the Ten Commandments versus the Seven Aphorisms, and it'll be coming to the Supreme Court sometime in its 2008-09 term. The justices agreed March 31 to hear a case involving a 47-year-old monument to the Decalogue…
No cancer found during Mohler’s colon surgery
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (ABP) — As expected, a tumor removed from the colon of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Al Mohler proved not to be cancerous, according to a seminary news release. A popular radio commentator and spokesman for conservative social…
Watchdog groups use celebrity cast to turn focus on church-state issues
WASHINGTON (ABP) – Thomas Jefferson and James Madison are now only one degree of separation away from Kevin Bacon. The fathers of the First Amendment's religion clauses came together (in spirit, at least) with the contemporary actor at a celebrity-laden…