(RNS) — The Rev. Samuel Wynn admired Billy Graham and his evangelistic association for decades, joining its spiritual crusades and urging fellow Christians to do the same. But no more. “I will never again support anything by the Billy Graham Evangelistic…
Parents accept daughter's rare illness as 'God's will'
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Eric and Ruth Brown believe nothing about daughter Pearl Joy’s life is a mistake. They say God gave Pearl her bright red hair and wide blue eyes, as well as the genetic disorder that created a cleft…
Monks win latest round in bid to sell caskets
NEW ORLEANS (RNS) — In a sometimes harshly worded ruling, a federal appeals court Oct. 23 smacked down the Louisiana funeral board’s continued attempts to prevent a group of monks from St. Joseph Abbey from selling their hand-crafted caskets. “The great…
'Being present' most important for disaster response
By Kim Plummer Krull ST. LOUIS — Sporting his U.S. Army uniform, the Rev. Rod Armon looks like he’s prepared should a disaster hit anywhere near Doniphan, Neb., the community where he serves as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church.…
George to continue as Concordia, Bronxville, president
Concordia College — New York in Bronxville, N.Y., announced Oct. 24 that its president for the past 13 years, Dr. Viji D. George, has agreed to continue in that post and that the college’s board of regents has terminated its…
South Carolina diocese defecting from Episcopal Church
(RNS) — The Diocese of South Carolina announced Oct. 17 that it has disaffiliated from the Episcopal Church, escalating a long-running skirmish and setting the stage to become the fifth diocese to secede from the denomination. South Carolina said the split…
Report: Knights of Columbus, allies are leading funders of anti-gay-marriage drives
(RNS) — The Knights of Columbus, a wealthy and influential Catholic charitable organization, is a leading funder in the push to make same-sex marriage illegal in four states that have ballot measures on the issue this fall, a coalition of…
Judge: Billy Graham Evangelistic Association didn't discriminate
(RNS) — A North Carolina judge has ruled the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) did not discriminate against a former black employee. Kimberly McCallum worked for the Charlotte, N.C.-based BGEA from 2003 to 2007 and filed suit in 2009. While working on…
Washington gay marriage fight has money, 'daunting' odds
SEATTLE (RNS) — In the headquarters of Washington United for Marriage, a large collage displays a list of the high-powered sponsors backing the ballot-measure campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. They include such iconic businesses as Amazon, Google and…
KFUO supports planned St. Louis classical station
The Synod’s KFUO Radio and the Radio Arts Foundation of St. Louis (RAF) are entering a cooperative arrangement that begins with KFUO sharing its extensive classical music library with RAF. RAF plans to launch a new FM station serving the…
111 network at second LCMS prison-ministry conference
By Joe Isenhower Jr. ST. LOUIS — Participants in the second LCMS prison- and jail-ministry conference here Sept. 29-30 say they are grateful for the opportunities it provided them for networking, gathering information and inspiration. From 25 LCMS districts, the 111 registrants’…
Are ministers and musicians allies or rivals?
(RNS) — Eileen Guenther, the national president of the American Guild of Organists, reveals behind-the-scenes church struggles in her new book, Rivals or a Team?: Clergy-Musician Relationships in the Twenty-First Century. Guenther, an associate professor of church music at Washington’s Wesley…
Adventists call actions to allow women's ordinations ''mistakes''
(RNS) — Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Oct. 16 said recent decisions by two regional bodies to allow ordained female pastors were “serious mistakes,” and women who are ordained won’t be recognized — at least for now. “They directly challenge…
Pope marks 50th anniversary of Vatican II with warnings of spiritual 'desert'
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Benedict XVI Oct. 11 urged Catholics to confront the spiritual “desert” of today’s secularized world and to rediscover “the truth and beauty of the faith.” Benedict celebrated a solemn Mass in St. Peter’s Square to mark…
Letters to the Editor (November 2012)
‘Conscience’ Bible study Pastor Bryan Wulfmueller’s “Collision of Conscience: A Bible Study” (on Page 2 of the October Reporter’s “Religious Freedom” insert) is most helpful. He writes that, in view of Genesis 1:27-28, we can “surmise that family planning is…
Official notice: requests for reinstatement (November 2012)
WILLIAM G. NAUMANN, Woodland Hills, Calif.; DONALD REYNOLDS PHELPS, Aurora, Ill.; and DAVID A. SEYBOLDT, Elkhart, Ind., have applied for reinstatement to the Ministers of Religion–Ordained roster of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. DWIGHT D. KARKAN, Greencastle, Pa.; KAREN KESHISHIAN, Forest…
