2015-03-13T16:52:39-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

Scientology is having a hard time in France, that bastion of open-minded liberté: A FRENCH appeals court has upheld fraud charges and a €600,000 fine against the Church of Scientology for cajoling followers into paying large sums for bogus personality tests and cures. Rejecting the church’s appeal against a 2009 ruling, the court said two French branches of the US-based organisation were guilty of “organised fraud” and gave four of its leaders suspended jail sentences of up to two years.... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:39-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

The Economist reports on the slowly shifting sands of GLBT rights in Islam: Gay life in the open in Muslim-majority countries is rare, but the closet is spacious. Countries with fierce laws, such as Saudi Arabia, also have flourishing gay scenes at all levels of society. Syria’s otherwise fearsome police rarely arrest gays. Sibkeh park in Damascus is a tree-filled children’s playground during the day. By night it is known for the young men who linger on its benches or... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:39-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

Got this in the in-box this week: So I ask you, dear readers, what should be my response? Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:40-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

Short answer: I asked. Longer answer: In November, I started thinking about Christmas. Not what I would get, or what I would give. Instead, I was listening to all of the reports about iPads and Kindles that were going to be sold over the holidays. Combine that with millions of dollars given on Amazon gift cards, and I thought: There are going to be a lot of ebooks sold in the two weeks after Christmas! So I composed an email... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:40-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

Rachel Swan has some advice: Q: Say I have a youth group member who has “come out” and decided to tell me: what are some things I should do and should not do? A: Love them. Like any other kid, love them. Help them love themselves, know they are loved, protect them from harm and danger. Give them resources to care for their bodies and souls. Tell them they are beautiful and loved by God. Give them opportunities to see... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:40-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

There is no more accomplished student of American Protestantism than Martin Marty. This week, he muses on how odd it is that evangelical leaders are teaming up with Catholic bishops to fight the Obama administration. Evangelicalism, he writes, has in the past few decades shifted from a type of private piety to a publicly political category: “Evangelical” in this case has become the code word for the ever-expanding population of conservative Protestants who joined and join some Catholics on the... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:41-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

If you grew up in Minnesota (or Wisconsin, or the Dakotas), you were taught that Chicago is mainly a pain in the ass. Any trip East meant that Dad would complain about Chicago traffic, and the entire trip had to be scheduled to avoid the notoriously horrible Chicago traffic. If the Twin Cities were home, that meant leaving at 4am so that we could drive the Family Truckster through Chicagoland sometime after the morning rush and before the afternoon rush.... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:41-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

The Barna Group* has a new study out, and it shows that the future is bleak for the evangelical church in America. That’s because young, creative evangelicals are leaving the church in droves: The results of a five-year study of the Millennial Generation—people born between 1982 and 1993—are in. Thanks to the Barna Group, a 28-year-old, California-based, Christian research firm, we now know that conservative evangelical churches are losing formerly–affiliated “young creatives:” Actors, artists, biologists, designers, mathematicians, medical students, musicians, and... Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:41-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

In part two of my interview with Lauren Winner about her book, Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis,, we talk about faith, agnosticism, prayer, and why Lauren pursued became an Episcopal priest. Read more

2015-03-13T16:52:42-05:00

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 4:52 pm   By

If so, then you might want to consider applying for this job in Coal Township, Pennsylvania. Here are some of the money quotes from the online job posting: We are currently looking for a Pastor for our church in Coal Township, PA. Currently we hold services once a week at my home with our 6 members with me teaching due to the lack of a Biblically based church in our area. We are looking for a Pastor who is BIBLICALLY... Read more

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