For Matt Stone and Trey Parker, nothing is holy or immune to satire. And since the launch of their groundbreaking animated TV series “South Park,” they’ve skewered a multitude of world religions, pointing out hypocrisies, inanities or just playing with ridiculous stereotypes. One of their most famous religious satires, 2005’s Scientology-targeting “Trapped In The Closet” episode, allegedly struck such a nerve with the church’s leaders that the group responded by targeting Stone, Parker and their friends in a long-term covert investigation.... Read more

Earlier I posted a story about the Vatican’s call for financial reform. Here is the entire 41 page document from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace  Read more

You are invited to come and celebrate the art exhibition of Memphis artist Tonie Robinson titled: “Dancing with the Spirit.” Read more

Nati Harnik, AP Republican presidential candidate businessman Herman Cain speaks at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition presidential candidate forum, in Des Moines, Iowa. Cain is an associate pastor at Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta. Where it matters most — down in the soul — Herman Cain is one of them. Always will be. When he’s home in Atlanta, he’s among friends at Antioch Baptist Church North, where he’s been a member for more than 30 years. Fellow members... Read more

The Pearce Shakespeare Endowment will host a series of events exploring the making and legacy of the 1611 publication of the “King James” Bible. (Download flyer; poster) Beginning on Wednesday, November 9, Barret Library will display “Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible.” This traveling exhibition for libraries was organized by theFolger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C., and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. It is based on an exhibition of the same name developed by the Folger Shakespeare Library and the Bodleian Library,... Read more

By Brian McLaren I never would have chosen the name “Occupy” to brand a movement. “The 99 Percent Movement” works a lot better for me. But I’m glad I didn’t get to choose, because I notice the term “occupy” is kind of growing on me. What I don’t like about it: it sounds aggressive, like the (to me) ugly and unacceptable language of “taking back the country.” For a movement to avoid violent actions, it needs to avoid violent rhetoric as... Read more

Bishop Eddie Long, the televangelist and head of Atlanta’s New Birth Missionary Church in Atlanta, is being named as a defendant in a new lawsuit. This time, it’s alleged that the bishop coerced nine members of his church into investing in a Ponzi scheme that stole at least $1 million of their savings.  The lawsuit comes six months after Long reached an out-of-court settlement with four men who had accused him of pressuring them into sexual relationships. In October 2009,... Read more

On the Commercial Appeal’s website is a story that we urban pastors have known for a while; that the stresses in urban life can contribute negatively to a person’s overall well being. The article reports that “stress is heightened when you add urban factors that could be beyond our control. These include insecure employment in a weak economy, crime, pollution, noise, waiting and standing in lines, bureaucracy, office politics, racism, and difficult neighbors. The social aspects of feeling powerless, unsafe,... Read more

Prophetic Pessimism in action Read more

The Vatican called Monday for radical reform of the world’s financial systems, including the creation of a global political authority to manage the economy. A proposal by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace calls for a new world economic order based on ethics and the “achievement of a universal common good.” It follows Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 economic encyclical that denounced a profit-at-all-cost mentality as responsible for the global financial meltdown. The proposal acknowledges, however, that a “long road... Read more