2013-01-30T16:33:48-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

The headlines and dramatic photos rush by during a papal visit, framing the sound bites that journalists uncover in stacks of Vatican speech texts. So Pope Benedict XVI visited the White House and proclaimed “God bless America!” Then he noted that, in this culture of radical individualism, “Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility.” The former theology professor, speaking to Catholic college leaders, enthusiastically embraced academic freedom. Then he stressed that traditional doctrine —... Read more

2013-01-30T16:33:58-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:33 pm   By

Most editors and reporters would panic, or call their lawyers, if news executives asked religious questions during job interviews. Yet it’s hard to probe the contents of a journalist’s head without asking big questions. And it’s hard to ask some of the ultimate questions — questions about birth, life, suffering, pain and death — without mentioning religion. William Burleigh carefully explored some of this territory when he was running news teams, both large and small. His half-century career with the... Read more

2013-01-30T16:34:07-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:34 pm   By

It would be hard to pick a more symbolic moment to join the church than during an Easter Vigil Mass — the high point of the ancient Christian calendar. Thus, the pope traditionally baptizes several new Catholics during this rite in St. Peter’s Basilica. This year, one of the converts was Magdi Allam, a high-profile journalist and, perhaps, Italy’s most famous “moderate” Muslim. This caused a firestorm. One Muslim scholar active in interfaith talks condemned the “Vatican’s deliberate and provocative... Read more

2013-01-30T16:34:14-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:34 pm   By

There is nothing new about Anglicans worrying about the environment. One of the Church of England’s most famous hymns, after all, offers this somber vision of industrialization from poet William Blake: “And did the countenance divine shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here among those dark satanic mills?” Nevertheless, a recent sermon by the U.S. Episcopal Church’s outspoken leader raised eyebrows as it circulated in cyberspace. Some traditionalists were not amused by a bookish discussion of... Read more

2013-01-30T16:34:23-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:34 pm   By

When it comes to religion and politics, it’s hard to talk about the contests without naming the players and their teams. Consider Hillary Rodham Clinton, who insists that her political convictions are rooted in her United Methodist faith. Then there is Barack Obama and the Rev. Jeremy Wright of Trinity United Church of Christ. Enough said. What about John “Faith of My Fathers” McCain, an Episcopalian who worships with the Southern Baptists? Soon he will pick a running mate. Do... Read more

2013-01-30T16:34:32-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:34 pm   By

The young pope was friendly, but blunt, as he faced the 240 college leaders from across the nation who gathered at Catholic University to hear his thoughts on faith and academic freedom. “Every university or college is qualified by a specific mode of being,” said Pope John Paul II, who was only 57 on that day in 1979. “Yours is the qualification of being Catholic, of affirming God, his revelation and the Catholic Church as the guardian and interpreter of... Read more

2013-01-30T16:34:43-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:34 pm   By

Faithful fans of ESPN’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning” know that former NFL lineman Mike Golic takes great pleasure in skewering his urbane shrimp of a partner, Mike Greenberg. But in recent weeks, the sarcastic jabs by the University of Notre Dame graduate began drawing an ominous canned response from the producers — a doomsday choir chanting “Golic’s going to hell.” You see, Golic vowed to make a big sacrifice this year for Lent, the 40-day penitential season that... Read more

2013-01-30T16:34:53-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:34 pm   By

The first time Jay Swartzendruber held a compact disc, he wondered if music fans would miss the artwork, readable lyrics and other goodies that came inside old-fashioned album covers. Years later, industry insiders started talking about selling music online and it was deja vu all over again. The voice in his head said, “Fans will forgo CD art and packaging altogether? You seriously believe that?” Swartzendruber also likes reading magazines he can hold in his hands, especially when it’s the... Read more

2013-01-30T16:35:02-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:35 pm   By

Any list of great cities in the ancient Mediterranean World would have to include Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch and Corinth, or some other crucial crossroads near what would become Constantinople. Thus, these cities became the five patriarchal sees of Christianity in the first millennium. “From day one, there was a commitment to the dominant cities and regions of that time,” said J. Stanley Oakes, chancellor of The King’s College in New York City. “That’s where the early church flourished. That’s... Read more

2013-01-30T16:35:10-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 4:35 pm   By

The last successful prosecution under Britain?s blasphemy law was in 1977, when the publisher of the Gay News was fined for printing a love poem from a Roman centurion to Jesus. In the most recent clash the nation’s high court waved off an attempt by evangelicals to attack “Jerry Springer — The Opera.” To no one’s surprise, a coalition of powerful Brits has issued yet another call to kill the blasphemy law. It’s a sign of the times. “The ancient... Read more

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