WASHINGTON (RNS) — The Federal Communications Commis-sion has decided to grant Google, Motorola, Dell and Microsoft permission to develop “white space” devices that some pastors worry will interfere with wireless microphones. The “white space” devices would use the same radio…
Atheists want probe of religion in military
WASHINGTON (RNS) — A na-tional atheist lobbying group is calling on President-elect Barack Obama to overhaul military policies in an effort to reduce what it sees as religious discrimination in the armed forces. The Secular Coalition for America has written…
Three decades later, memories of Jonestown tragedy linger
WASHINGTON (RNS) — In life, the 900 people who followed Jim Jones to build a utopian commune in the South American jungle in 1977 were relatively anonymous. But in death, the Jonestown pilgrims became front-page news when they died a…
Archaeologists find fragments linked to High Priest
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Israeli archaeologists have discovered a fragment from an ancient sarcophagus cover that bears a carved inscription with the words “The Son of the High Priest” in Hebrew. The High Priest was ancient Judaism's highest religious official and…
OUT LOUD
“The fact that this [election] could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America's says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious ‘opportunity democracy' it has spawned. After much struggle, we as…
American Muslims relieved, hopeful at Obama election
After months of balancing their support for the presidential candidate with concerns that their allegiance could do more harm than good, millions of relieved American Muslims cheered the election of the son of a Muslim immigrant whose middle name is…
Return to Baltimore
Faithful readers of this column know that my alter ego is William E. Hatcher, a noted 19th-century Baptist minister. They have followed my Hatcher portrayals and know his connections with everything Baptist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries….
Re-energized religious left delivers for Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) — After the election of Democrat Barack Obama as president, you might expect religious progressives to start polishing their resumes for prominent Washington posts. But liberal faith leaders said they have little interest in securing White House sinecures,…
RIGHT OR WRONG?
I have just been terminated from a church staff. The personnel committee that asked for my resignation said they could do that because the state carries “at-will” employer-employee guidelines. Do I have any legal recourse? The short answer is “no,”…
OPINION: Regardless of politics, a reason for America to rejoice
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Nov. 5, 2008, was the most improbable day of my 34-year-old life. The unlikely elevation of an African American to the presidency is just the latest episode in what the president-elect himself has called “the unlikely story…
Not all belief in paranormal phenomena is created equal
WASHINGTON (RNS) — For some Americans, ghosts, Bigfoot and UFOs aren't the stuff of tabloid teasers or X-Files reruns. They believe paranormal phenomena are real — as real as a resurrected Jesus and a devious Satan are to millions. In…
OPINION: An open letter to President-elect Barack Obama
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Dear President-elect Obama, First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th president of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as…