Old religious realities in a not-so-new Egypt

July 29, 2013 By tmatt

At the moment, Egypt is operating under a Constitutional Declaration issued soon after the recent military overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. This temporary declaration replaced a constitution signed by Morsi in 2012, after Islamist parties pushed it through a referendum process that turned off many voters. That new constitution replaced an ad hoc, provisional document used after the revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. His regime had operated for nearly 30 years under a 1971 charter.... Read more

Goodbye to a radical Baptist patriarch

July 22, 2013 By tmatt

The old Southern preacher had walked through many airport security gates using his cherry-wood cane and was surprised — especially years before 9/11 — when a guard ordered him to send it through the X-ray scanner. After that rite, the Rev. Will Campbell asked the guard to bring him the cane. The guard, somewhat miffed, asked if he could walk through the scanner without it. The preacher, somewhat vexed, said that was a question for his doctor. Facing a nervous... Read more

Rather faith-free WPost story about ministry to the hungry

July 15, 2013 By tmatt

As happens about this time every summer, tmatt headed to the Southern Highlands to take a week off. Thus, there was no new Scripps Howard column. There was, however, this post from GetReligion.org that I think will interest the readers of my weekly column. Enjoy. For the past two decades, I have spent quite a bit of time driving the back roads of the Southern Highlands, which is one of the many names that locals use to describe the Appalachian... Read more

John Paul II and the death of ‘Christian’ America

July 8, 2013 By tmatt

It was just another day, another Washington, D.C., press conference and yet another appeal for the U.S. government to allow believers to follow the doctrines of their faith, as opposed to a Health and Human Services mandate. “The United States, at its best, is unique among the nations of the world when it defends the self-evident freedom of all people to exercise their faith according to the dictates of their consciences,” said the “Standing Together for Religious Freedom” text. It... Read more

Boy Scouts, canon law and trying to predict the future

July 2, 2013 By tmatt

Every since the gay Boy Scouts earthquake, many Catholics have been asking canon law expert Edward Peters to fill a role he has clearly stated he has no desire to play — that of a prophet. “I’m no good at predicting the future. My only concern is with the BSA policy as written,” said Peters, reached by email during a busy week. “That policy does not conflict with the church’s teachings on homosexuality or homosexual persons.” Right now, it’s logical... Read more

That Superman debate: Moses or the Messiah?

June 24, 2013 By tmatt

Without a doubt, it’s one of the most famous and magical incantations in American pop culture. “Look, up in the sky!” “It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” The last line in this mass-media chant is, of course: “It’s Superman!” However, whenever a major product is released in the Superman canon — such as “Man of Steel,” which grossed $113 million on its first weekend — many fan boys and scribes will immediately begin arguing about two other potential identities, symbolically... Read more

Southern Baptists without (many) baptisms

June 17, 2013 By tmatt

Visitors who enter Southern Baptist churches these days will usually see posters and pamphlets for everything from marriage enrichment retreats to tornado-relief fundraisers, from weight-loss classes to drives to find volunteers for African hospitals. But one thing is missing in the typical church lobby or fellowship hall, according to the leader of the denomination’s LifeWay Christian Resources branch. It’s rare to see appeals for members to join evangelism programs that strive to win local unbelievers to the Christian faith. “Why... Read more

Making a case for the common hymnal

June 10, 2013 By tmatt

There was a time when the faithful in the heavily Dutch corners of the Midwest would not have been able to sing along if the organist played the gospel classic, “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” True, some may have recognized the hymn that Mahalia Jackson sang at the 1968 funeral of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., since this was the civil rights leader’s favorite: “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I... Read more

Fights among Catholics, with the IRS picking a side

June 3, 2013 By tmatt

There is nothing particularly unusual about conservative Catholics arguing with liberal Catholics, especially when it comes to hot-button issues such as abortion. It is unusual, however, for the IRS to jump into these pew wars. Catholic sociologist Anne Hendershott is convinced that’s what happened to her in 2010. This was during the time when IRS leaders, according to their own testimony, were inappropriately targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny, especially those with “patriot” or “tea party” in their names. Also,... Read more

Into the depths of USA’s church-state Inferno

May 27, 2013 By tmatt

IRS Commissioner Steven Miller was already having a rough day at the House Ways and Means Committee when one particularly hot question shoved him into the lower depths of a church-state Inferno. The question concerned a letter sent by IRS officials in Cincinnati to the Coalition for Life of Iowa, linked to its application for tax-exempt status. “Please explain how all of your activities, including the prayer meetings held outside of Planned Parenthood, are considered educational,” said the letter, which... Read more