LANSING, Mich. (RNS) – There’s a difference between a boisterous protest near a veteran’s funeral and an anti-war bumper sticker on a car parked near a funeral home — but not in the eyes of Michigan state law. A state Senate…
Conservatives rally around N.Y. clerk over same-sex marriages
LEDYARD, N.Y. (RNS) — A conservative Christian group is behind a new YouTube video that features a town clerk explaining why she believes she should not have to comply with a state law and issue same-sex marriage licenses. Ledyard Town Clerk…
Study: Religion can affect your soul — and your wallet
(RNS) — Religion may not only save your soul, according to a new book, but could also have a real impact on your financial well-being. New research from “Faith and Money: How Religion Contributes to Wealth and Poverty” suggests that mainline…
Obama hosts first evangelical summit at White House
(RNS) — President Obama formally extended his ear to evangelicals ahead of the 2012 election, meeting with top leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in the White House for about 30 minutes on Oct. 12. International religious freedom was…
New face of American poverty is often a child's
OAKTOWN, Ind. (RNS) — Eleven-year-old Sarai Camacho of Donna, Texas, tears up when she tells why her mother let go the baby sitter for her and her younger sister this summer. It’s the same reason her father brought the family…
Report says tithing, church spending hit record low
(RNS) — Tithing to mainline Protestant churches as a percentage of income is at its lowest level in at least 41 years, according to a new report, and churches are keeping a greater share of those donations for their own…
'Legacy, Leadership Symposium,' webcast set for Oct. 21
Concordia University Texas, Austin, Texas, and the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) are co-sponsoring a “Symposium on Legacy and Leadership” Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The “Wendish Heritage Week” event — which also will be…
'Family Shield' radio program expands
“Family Shield,” a weekly Christian radio program produced by Family Shield Ministries, St. Louis, expanded in September to 49 stations in 25 states. The program was previously carried on four stations and Internet/satellite sites. The 15-year-old program — formerly an…
CTCR hears presentations on immigration issues
The LCMS Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) met Sept. 15-19 in El Paso, Texas — first for its regular quarterly meeting and then for an expanded “Consultation on Immigration Issues.” At the consultation, the CTCR heard presentations from…
Marriage, weddings are focus of sem conference
Concordia Theological Seminary’s Good Shepherd Institute will take an in-depth look at marriage and weddings at its Nov. 6-8 conference, “What God Has Joined Together: The Theology and Practice of Christian Marriage in Rite and Song.” “This conference is the…
World Vision wins employee faith case
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case involving three employees who were fired by the Christian humanitarian agency World Vision, allowing the relief group to maintain its mandatory statement of faith for its workers. World Vision…
Sheen, Estevez make 'non-preachy' religious film
WASHINGTON (RNS) — How does a modern filmmaker with qualms about religion make a movie about the power of an ancient Christian pilgrimage? That’s the dilemma that actor/director Emilio Estevez faced when making “The Way,” a new film that opened…
New California law prohibits circumcision bans
(RNS) — Jews, Muslims and their allies cheered Oct. 2 as California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill prohibiting all local bans on circumcision, making it illegal for local authorities to restrict the medical or religious practice. Anti-circumcision activists had…
Dead cleric's videos may find eternal life online
(RNS) — Radical American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki may be dead, but the power of the Internet means he won’t soon be forgotten. And that, experts say, could make him just as dangerous dead as he was alive. Counterterrorism experts say…
Study: Teens leave churches seen as judgmental, unfriendly
(RNS) — Why do young Christians leave the church? New research by the Barna Group finds they view churches as judgmental, overprotective, exclusive and unfriendly toward doubters. They also consider congregations antagonistic to science and say their Christian experience has…
Bishops warn that church teaching is nonpartisan
(RNS) — With the 2012 campaign gearing up before an angry and divided electorate, U.S. Catholic bishops on Oct. 4 reminded Catholic voters that they can’t cherry-pick from church teachings to justify their own political preferences, and cautioned both sides…
