2013-01-30T17:02:16-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:02 pm   By

Another year of Christmas warfare has come and gone and Rutherford Institute President John W. Whitehead is already having mischievous thoughts about 2006. There’s no reason to think these Christmas clashes will stop anytime soon, especially not in an election year. But if Americans are going to keep fighting about Christmas, Whitehead thinks their civic leaders should at least create some constructive debates at the grassroots level where they’ll do some good. What they could do in 2006, he said,... Read more

2013-01-30T17:02:35-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:02 pm   By

The suicide bomber struck at a sandwich stand in the busy outdoor market of the Israeli coastal city called Hadera, killing five people and wounding dozens more. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the blast, which came a month after Israel’s September exit from Gaza. Israeli leaders quickly released a statement noting that this attack followed remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Jewish state should be “wiped off the map.” The bomber was a Palestinian. News reports did not... Read more

2013-01-30T17:02:48-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:02 pm   By

During the last five days before Christmas, at least 55,000 people were planning to attend the eight multi-media worship services at Willow Creek Community Church. The leaders of this famous megachurch outside Chicago can be precise about this number because that is how many people had, at mid-week, visited WillowCreek.org and claimed seats in the 7,200-seat auditorium. A few solo seats remained. “We don’t sell the tickets, of course,” said spokesperson Cally Parkinson. “Most people really like the E-Tickets. It’s... Read more

2013-01-30T17:02:57-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:02 pm   By

In the beginning, there were humble Nativity pageants for the kids and Christmas choir extravaganzas for the grown-ups. As the decades passed, some big Protestant churches began hiring orchestras and buying advertisements, creating a music-ministries arms race that pitted the Baptists against the Pentecostals and the Presbyterians against the Methodists. Some prosperous churches even began moving these performances on stage or outdoors, adding elaborate sets, costumes and lights. But the leaders of these churches agreed on one thing — big... Read more

2013-01-30T17:03:06-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm   By

When it comes to decorating tabernacles and temples, the God of Israel cares about the fine details. Consider these Exodus instructions: “Thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same. And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the... Read more

2013-01-30T17:03:15-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm   By

Mrs. Dilber is not one of Charles Dickens’ most famous characters. Still, Ebenezer Scrooge’s spunky housekeeper became a favorite of director Paul McCusker and his Radio Theatre (www.RadioTheatre.org) team during its production of “A Christmas Carol.” As a tribute, characters named Dilber were written into the Father Gilbert Mysteries and “The Legend of Squanto,” while a “Dilberius” appeared in a biblical series. McCusker also decided to continue this inside joke in his first radio script for “The Lion, the Witch... Read more

2013-01-30T17:03:23-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm   By

‘Tis the season for Salvation Army bells, which means that Major George Hood’s telephone has started ringing and it isn’t going to stop until Christmas. People want to know how many dollars are coming in and where they are going and why. Hood is the man with the numbers, since he is the Salvation Army’s community relations officer. In the past year, about 3.5 million Army volunteers and about 70,000 employees have helped more than 34 million needy people. “If... Read more

2013-01-30T17:03:31-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm   By

One of the symbolic moments in the life of a priest is when he stands at the altar beside his bishop, or even his nation’s highest bishop, and celebrates a Mass. But Father Robert Sanders of Jacksonville recently made a tough decision. He decided that if U.S. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold came to his parish, he wouldn’t allow him to receive Holy Communion, let alone preside at the altar. This decision led logically to another. Sanders decided that he would... Read more

2013-01-30T17:03:40-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm   By

The rites were quiet, yet elaborate, and drew small clusters of dedicated worshippers out of their homes on a Saturday morning and into Byzantine sanctuaries across the nation. Somewhere in each church stood an icon of a dignified Arab wearing the rich liturgical vestments of an Eastern Orthodox bishop. The worshippers took turns kissing the icon and chanters gave thanks to God for the work of the new saint whose name still causes smiles — St. Raphael of Brooklyn. “It... Read more

2013-01-30T17:03:49-05:00

Last updated on: January 30, 2013 at 5:03 pm   By

The witches ball included the midnight spinning of the “Wheel of the Year” and a chance to gaze into the “Fire of Transformation” before the faithful were guided into the “Underworld and our Ritual Space.” The Samhain celebration last weekend in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also included deejay music, dancing, door prizes and fun for the children. “No photos at rituals! Some of us are still closeted,” said the online invitation from the MoonPath Chapter of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist... Read more

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