THE PLAINS, Va. (RNS) — Amid the rolling hills of Northern Virginia, actor Robert Duvall lives in a rural hamlet not unlike the on-screen settings where he has immersed himself in Southern culture. It is, his wife says, “the last…
Devout less stressed than nonbelievers
TORONTO (RNS) — Religion may provide a “buffer” allowing the devout to feel less anxiety when they make mistakes, compared with nonbelievers, according to new scientific research. Researchers at the University of Toronto measured “error-related negativity” — people’s defensive response…
Religious groups push action on prison rape
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Six months before her scheduled release, Marilyn Shirley was raped in 2000 by a guard at the Texas prison where she was serving time for drug charges. “I am still haunted by the words he whispered in…
Duvall talks faith on film, except his own
THE PLAINS, Va. (RNS) — Amid the rolling hills of Northern Virginia, actor Robert Duvall lives in a rural hamlet not unlike the on-screen settings where he has immersed himself in Southern culture. It is, his wife says, “the last…
Outside financial monitoring less common in Bible Belt companies
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Companies in the Bible Belt are less likely to be sued for accounting fraud or to practice aggressive financial reporting, a study indicates. Research by Mays Business School at Texas A&M University found companies headquartered in counties…
Are the devout less stressed?
TORONTO (RNS) — Religion may provide a “buffer” allowing the devout to feel less anxiety when they make mistakes, compared with nonbelievers, according to new scientific research. Researchers at the University of Toronto measured “error-related negativity” — people’s defensive response…
Is the Tea Party unbiblical?
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck warned church-goers to “run as fast as you can” if their pastors preach about “social justice,” was he also encouraging them to run from the Bible? That’s what some progressive Christian leaders…
Washington in a war of words over how to label terrorists
WASHINGTON (RNS) — In addition to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Obama administration is fighting on another front — a domestic war of words over how to describe the threat posed by militant Islamic terrorism. Earlier this spring,…
Is the Tea Party unbiblical? It all depends on your perspective
WASHINGTON (RNS) — When conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck warned church-goers to “run as fast as you can” if their pastors preach about “social justice,” was he also encouraging them to run from the Bible? That’s what some progressive Christian leaders…
Novelist Anne Rice: Committed to Christ but leaving Christianity
WASHINGTON (RNS) — Former vampire novelist Anne Rice says she’s leaving Christianity again because she no longer wants to be identified with such a “quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group.” Anne Rice Born and raised a Catholic, Rice left…
Virginia re-enactor brings gospel to former Civil War battlefields
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (RNS) — From his Old Testament beard down to his scuffed boots and battered Bible, Alan Farley looks the perfect picture of a Civil War chaplain. On a dusty field five miles from where the Battle of Gettysburg…
Homeowners weigh morality of walking out on mortgages
ORLANDO, Fla. (RNS)—Lynn Thompson quit paying the mortgage on her investment property—not because she couldn’t afford the payments, but because she thinks walking away is better for her long-term financial health. trategic defaults on home mortgages accounted for 31 percent…