Katrina relief; Osteen's success; PETA finds religion

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina has mobilized religious organizations to offer prayers, collect funds and send volunteers to help those affected. In Wednesday's RNS report, Adelle M. Banks and Jason Kane write about these groups' efforts and offer a list with contact information for those organizations. The Rev. John McCullough, executive director and CEO of Church World Service, predicts the needs will last for years and lessons learned from the South Asian tsunami will be quickly applied. "Just the magnitude of the area that's been impacted alone suggests that this is going to be a situation that's going to take probably close to a decade for folks to fully recover," he said in an interview before heading to the ravaged area.

Greg Garrison reports on the success of Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen of Houston: In August 2004, he filled the 18,000-seat Philips Arena in Atlanta beyond overflowing. His book, "Your Best Life Now," came out last fall and reached No. 1 on The New York Times bestseller list. In July his church moved into the 16,000-seat Compaq Center, former home of the Houston Rockets. His current speaking tour includes stops around the country. Osteen, who took over Lakewood from his father, has steered the church more into mainstream Protestantism. His messages are light on doctrine, heavy on self-help psychology. "It's giving hope, giving encouragement," Osteen said. "For so long, people have been beat down, just by life in general. God is good, he's for you. You can be happy."

And Hugh S. Moore writes about People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' use of controversial religious imagery in its campaigns: A billboard depicted a gaunt Holocaust prisoner next to a picture of a laboratory monkey, noting that both were "experimented on." It's an old but, according to PETA, effective strategy. For the last 10 years, PETA has used Jewish and Christian images and symbols in its effort to equate animal and human suffering.

Sen. Helms defending his comparisons

Quote of the Day: Former Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina

"I reject that criticism because this is indeed another kind of holocaust, by another name. At last count, more than 40 million unborn children have been deliberately, intentionally destroyed. What word adequately defines the scope of such slaughter?"

-- Former Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., defending his comparisons of abortion to the Holocaust in his new memoir, "Here's Where I Stand." He was quoted by the Associated Press.

Support for creationism; causes for Katrina; a multi-faith God

In Tuesday's RNS report Kevin Eckstrom and Adelle M. Banks look at a recent Pew poll that shows great support for creationism among Americans. According to the poll, almost two-thirds of Americans support teaching creationism alongside evolution in public schools. Which views should be taught in schools, and who should decide?

Deborah Caldwell, senior editor of Beliefnet, looks at the different reasons being offered for Hurricane Katrina's destruction: Was it a typical late-summer tropical storm caused by wind, water and heat? Mother Nature crying out on behalf of the Earth's pain? An angry God? The answer depends on whom you ask. All along the theological and political spectrum, Katrina has crystallized people's fears into a now-familiar brew of apocalyptic theories similar to what we saw after Sept. 11 and after the Asian tsunami several months ago.

Speaking of Sept. 11, correspondent G. Jeffrey MacDonald reviews a new documentary that answers a question frequently asked since then: Do all monotheists worship the same God? According to "Three Faiths, One God: Judaism, Christianity, Islam," to be aired by Connecticut Public Television on Sept. 11 and then on more than 100 public television stations nationwide in October, the answer is yes. MacDonald writes: Once the esoteric domain of theologians, the subject now strikes cultural observers as a pivotal one for shaping attitudes of ordinary people in an era of international religious tension, fear and war.

Keeping it light

Quote of the Day: Evangelist Billy Graham

"Please pray for this project. And then if you have any money, give it, too."

-- Evangelist Billy Graham, joking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., on Friday (Aug. 26). He was quoted by The Charlotte Observer.

Cleaning films; Bishops' stance on labor unions

Monday's report begins with a story from Lucky Severson of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly about companies that try to edit or filter sex and violence from movies: Some are marketing filtering devices. Others, more controversially, are editing scenes and then reselling the film. Critics are challenging in court the law President Bush signed in April that allows the unauthorized editing of films, contending it is theft. Despite the outcry, some say there is little difference between the viewing habits of religious and non-religious people, undercutting the financial potential of censoring devices.

Senior Editor David E. Anderson writes about how Roman Catholic bishops in the United States are criticizing labor unions for their divisions, and large retailers for resisting unionization: "To move forward, our nation needs a strong and growing economy, strong and productive businesses and industries, and a strong and united labor movement," said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, chairman of the domestic policy committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Read the bishops' annual Labor Day message here.

Faith and Boy Scouts

Quote of the Day: Muslim Boy Scout Rehman Muhammad of Houston

"We're just average American boys doing average American activities. But after Sept. 11, we also have to be ambassadors of our faith."

-- Rehman Muhammad, 13, member of all-Muslim Boy Scout Troop 797 in Houston. He was quoted by Time magazine.

Is NPR overdoing its religion coverage?

Interesting discussion by NPR ombudsman, Jeffrey A. Dvorkin.

One listener complains, "I too am dismayed and disgusted by the outpouring of religion that you have put on your programs in recent months. I do not listen to NPR to be proselytized. "

Walter Watson, senior producer of Weekend All Things Considered, replies: "Religion -- and not just Protestantism -- plays an increasingly important part of American life in politics, education and culture...we think that it's significant and we need to report it, even if it may make some of our long-time listeners uncomfortable."

Dvorkin writes, "Even as many listeners sense that NPR is giving too much airtime to prominent religious groups, they also ask that NPR report on developments in other religions that address the spiritual questions of the day. To which, one can only say, 'Amen.'"

Check out Dvorkin's column here.

Prayer for forgiveness

Quote of the Day: Taize community leader Alois Leser

"With Christ on the cross we say to you, Father, forgive her, she does not know what she did."

-- The Rev. Alois Leser, the new leader of the Taize ecumenical community in France, praying during the funeral of slain Taize founder Brother Roger Schutz. Schutz was stabbed by a Romanian woman, Luminita Solcan, during a Taize prayer service. Leser prayed that Solcan would be forgiven for the murder. He was quoted by The New York Times.

Catholic stance on evolution; Presbyterian gay standards

Friday's RNS report features a story by Frank Bentayou about the pope being asked to clarify the Catholic Church's position on evolution: Case Western Reserve University physics professor Lawrence Krauss is weighing in on a dispute between two of the world's most visible institutions, science and the Catholic Church. The question at hand: How did life on Earth come to be as it is? He and two other professors have asked the pope to clarify the church's position on evolution and science, after seeing recent signs of change from an influential cardinal. Some scientists, including Krauss, think there's hardly been so pressing a conflict between the two world forces since the 1600s, when the church brought its wrath down on Galileo for reporting that the Earth wasn't the center of the universe.

Kevin Eckstrom reports that a special task force of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has recommended that a ban on actively gay clergy be maintained, but has determined that local churches should be free to skirt the law. The 20-member task force said the church can no longer survive annual skirmishes over the gay clergy ban and said it should be maintained for the "peace, unity and purity" of the church. But, in an attempt to give greater flexibility to local churches, the panel said regional bodies should be able to waive those rules for gay clergy if they are otherwise qualified.

Tougher new pope; religion at universities

Stacy Meichtry writes in Thursday's RNS report that Pope Benedict XVI is tougher on Islam and terrorism than his predecessor: In his historic 2001 visit to Syria, the late Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit a mosque, where he stressed the common heritage of Christianity and Islam and highlighted the prominence of the Virgin Mary in the Quran. He also noted a certain "misuse (of) religion itself to promote or justify hatred and violence," but left it undefined. But when his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, met with Muslim leaders in Germany on Saturday (Aug. 20), he stuck to one issue and gave it a name -- terrorism.

Kevin Eckstrom checks out the Princeton Review's latest university rankings and finds which schools top the the most secular and most religious lists: Reed, a private liberal arts and sciences school, placed first in overall academic excellence in the annual survey of 110,000 college students, but it also topped the category of schools where "students ignore God on a regular basis." Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, the Mecca of Mormon higher education, was rated the nation's most religious university. Perhaps not surprisingly, BYU also was dubbed the "most stone-cold sober" campus in the country.

Christian Magazines and the Newsstand

Christian Magazines, Like Musicians, Try to Tap Secular Market

RNS' Adelle Banks reports on the efforts of Strang Communications and other publishers of religious magazines to increase single-copy sales through placement on general market newsstands.

In the piece, Doug Trouten, executive director of the Evangelical Press Association, says that "The general market success of products like the 'Left Behind' books, the Mel Gibson 'Passion of the Christ' movie, have been enough to catch the attention of major market [magazine] distributors and to help them realize that this is a market sector worth doing business with."

By the way, the EPA has a blog, which you can find here.

Note: RNS' weekly e-newsletter, which features summaries of stories moved on the wire, and a look at upcoming features, is available here.

Responding to the call

Quote of the Day: Kim Clark, new president of Brigham Young University-Idaho

"You have to appreciate what this is like. We behold him to be a prophet. Imagine yourself getting a call from Moses."

-- Kim Clark, who left his position as dean of Harvard Business School in response to the call of Gordon Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for him to become the president of Brigham Young University-Idaho. He was quoted by the Associated Press.

Pat Robertson's critics; and interpretations of sharia

Adelle M. Banks reports Wednesday on Pat Robertson's controversial statements about assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Criticism of his comments has spread across the religious spectrum, and today Robertson says that when he said the U.S. should "take him out" he wasn't referring to assassination.

With the current debate over the new Iraqi constitution, and the role of Islam in it, Andrea Useem considers the disagreements over different interpretations of sharia, or Islamic law: Muslims around the world are divided themselves over exactly what Islamic law, or sharia as it is known in Arabic, is and how it should be applied. In its broadest sense, sharia is a system of laws based on the Quran and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Like other legal systems, it has been elaborated on and debated by centuries of trained scholars. The result? Competing schools of legal thought on a body of work that primarily addressed the concerns of Muslim life centuries ago.

Gathering the tools

Quote of the Day: Promise Keepers President and CEO Tom Fortson Jr.

"The church is not the four walls. The church is like Home Depot. You go there to get what you need to return home and fix what's in disrepair."

-- Promise Keepers President and CEO Tom Fortson Jr., speaking in Nashville, Tenn., where his evangelical men's ministry sponsored an August gathering. He was quoted by the Tennessean of Nashville.

A new American mosque; and Muslim singles looking for love

Tuesday's RNS report features two stories on Islam:

Frank Bentayou reports on America's largest mosque, the $14 million Islamic Center of America, that recently opened in Dearborn, Mich.: "It's our statement of peace and understanding to the world" from one of America's capitals of Muslim life, Ed Bedoun, a member of the mosque board, said.

Jeff Diamant's piece on Muslim dating looks at how young, unmarried Muslims have combined the modern "speed-dating"technique with old religious practices: Islam forbids unsupervised dating, so the recent gathering of young, unmarried Muslims in the banquet hall of an Edison, N.J., restaurant was billed not as a singles party but as a weightier Muslim Matrimonial Event...Chaperones would roam while the 100 unmarried "candidates" got to know each other through small group talks. The singles -- 56 women, 44 men -- would take notes to keep track of the candidates each would meet. And there would be little subtlety about the reason they were there.

Faith in the community

Quote of the Day: The Rev. Gardner Taylor, past president, Progressive National Baptist Convention

"God moves in a mysterious way and, if you're not careful, you'll miss that movement. It is our job as preachers and teachers to identify the footprints of God in human affairs."

-- The Rev. Gardner Taylor, past president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention, addressing the annual meeting of his denomination in Detroit on Aug. 10. He was quoted by the Detroit Free Press.

Christian magazines expand audience; Black churches take lead on Darfur

Monday's RNS report starts off with a feature by Adelle M. Banks about Christian magazines crossing over into the secular market: "As a publisher we would like to get our message out to a broader and broader audience," Stephen Strang, publisher of Charisma magazine, said in an interview. "There's a new receptivity."

Kim Lawton of Religion & Ethics Newsweekly reports on black churches taking the lead on ending what the United States calls "genocide" in Sudan's Western Darfur province. "What we've been able to do is to mobilize our numbers and to say that we're willing ... to lay our bodies on the line," says the Rev. Sean McMillan, the Lutheran pastor at Chicago's Shekinah Chapel. With preaching, protests and poetry, the churches hope to make Sudan an issue on par with the anti-apartheid activism that mobilized the U.S. religious community in the 1980s.

Confessed "BTK" killer speaks

Quote of the Day: Confessed BTK Killer Dennis Rader

"Hopefully, someday God will accept me."

-- Dennis Rader, the confessed "BTK" killer in Wichita, Kan., at his sentencing on Thursday, Aug. 18. Rader, a former president of the church council at his Lutheran church, also thanked his pastor, the Rev. Michael Clark, for his support.

Prioritizing faith

World Youth Day Participant Angela Kopp of Minneapolis

"It is hard to defend your faith a lot of times because I feel we're under attack as young people. We have a lot of pressure from the culture to be worldly rather than have our faith as our No. 1 priority."

-- Angela Kopp, 18, of Minneapolis, who is attending World Youth Day with hundreds of thousands of other Catholic youth. She was quoted by USA Today.

The difficulty of closing a church

The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir of the Archdiocese of Boston

"Closing a military base is a piece of cake compared to closing a parish. Nobody gets buried in a military base."

-- The Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, cabinet secretary for social services for Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley of Boston. Hehir was quoted by The Washington Post in a story about sit-ins that have brought reprieves for parishioners who did not want their Catholic churches to close.

Christianity and the 'New Urbanism'

Churches Embrace 'New Urbanism' as Antidote to Isolation

Marshall Allen's RNS piece (lkinked above) features Christian leaders who see the architectural movement known as 'new urbanism' as "a possible antidote to the isolation experienced by many churches and Christians. Across the country, influential Christians are thinking theologically about urban design and applying its principles to the church. They advocate for New Urbanist concepts because they force people to share with one another, dwell among their neighbors and allow for a healthy exchange of ideas."

Randy Frazee, a pastor at mega-church Willow Creek Community Church, compares "mega-churches to castles surrounded by moats. A few times a year the drawbridge is lowered to let people in, where they become a subculture separate from the outside world. They become so involved in church life that they are not involved in their neighborhoods, he said."

New Urbanists look to create a "third place" where people gather, other than home or work. "The third place is an important part of a community...It's where people from diverse backgrounds learn to interact."

Generational sin; and the history of the Pledge

In Wednesday's RNS report, Shawna Gamache examines the idea of "generational sin" -- the belief that the "sins of the father" are passed down to future generations -- by looking at Beverly Hubble Tauke's recent book, "Overcoming the Sins of the Family: Becoming the Redemptive Generation."

And Nancy Haught probes into the history of the Pledge of Allegiance with the help of a new book called "To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance," by Richard J. Ellis.

Opponent to begging limits in Atlanta

Quote of the Day: Clarence Davis, Homeless Atlanta Man

"All through the Bible, they were begging. Begging was way back there in the Bible days."

-- Clarence Davis, an opponent to a proposal, adopted Monday (Aug. 15), that limits begging in parts of downtown Atlanta. He was quoted by USA Today.

Rock and Religion

Quote of the Day: U2 Lead Singer Bono

"It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between grace and karma. ... Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

-- Bono, lead singer of the rock group U2, in an interview with author Michka Assayas in a new book, "Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas." He was quoted by World magazine.

Sudan's challenges; New Urbanism

In Thursday's RNS report David E. Anderson provides an analysis of the challenges facing Sudan after the death of its first vice president, John Garang: Whether Garang's successor, Salva Kiir Mayarit -- considered a brilliant soldier but an untested politician -- can meet the challenges of implementing a peace accord and preserve the delicate unity of the Christian south and Muslim north remains an open question.

Marshall Allen describes "New Urbanism," the architecture movement that calls for interdependence among residents, and how churches are adopting it as a means of fighting the isolation experiences by many churches and Christians.

Levada's legal strategy; optimism in Gaza

Monday RNS starts off with a story about events that took place in 1994, when Archbishop William Levada -- who replaced Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- was the Archbishop of Portland. William Lobdell reports that back then, Levada offered a simple answer for why the Oregon archdiocese shouldn't have been ordered to pay the costs of raising a child fathered by a church worker at a parish. In her relationship with a seminarian who has since become a priest, the child's mother had engaged "in unprotected intercourse ... when (she) should have known that could result in pregnancy," the church maintained in its answer to the lawsuit. The legal proceeding got little attention at the time. And the fact that the church -- which considers birth control a sin -- seemed to be arguing that the woman should have protected herself from pregnancy provoked no comment. But recent media attention has been embarrassing for Levada, who has been named chief guardian of Catholic doctrine worldwide.

We continue our analysis of the withdrawal of Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip. Deborah Jerome-Cohen says that even some skeptical Palestinians are beginning to be more optimistic: One day, they hope, stories of struggles with Israeli forces might form the foundation tales of a Palestinian state, in the same way that Israelis invoke their pre-1948 struggles against the British. Teams of experts say the best way to change the narrative is this: Get people working again.

Billy Graham is "at total peace" according to daughter

Quote of the Day: Author and Speaker Anne Graham Lotz

"He's at total peace, which makes me think it's really the right decision. There's no second-guessing; there's no struggling. In fact, he told me, `Anne, I have perfect peace.' And you can look at his face and his demeanor, and you can see it."

-- Anne Graham Lotz, the Raleigh, N.C.-based author and speaker, discussing the decision by her father, evangelist Billy Graham, to halt his preaching of crusades. She was quoted by the Associated Press.

ELCA mulls same-sex unions; Gaza evacuation compared to Sinai's; New Orleans gay church is kicked out of Catholic facility

Friday RNS continues its coverage of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's biennial meeting in Orlando. Kevin Eckstrom reports that the nation's largest Lutheran church, deeply divided over the issue of homosexuality, is scheduled to decide today whether to allow sexually active gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions. The ELCA will debate a three-pronged recommendation from a task force that would keep intact prohibitions on both policies, but would allow local churches to break church rules without threat of discipline. But in discussions Thursday, church delegates seemed reluctant to make any major changes.

We also continue reporting on the upcoming evacuation of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip. Joshua Mitnick compares it with the events of two decades ago when settlers were removed from their homes in Sinai: In the spring of 1982, some 6,000 Yamit settlers watched as their homes were leveled in the name of peace. The landmark evacuation -- ordered by Prime Minister Menachem Begin and carried out by his defense minister, Ariel Sharon -- was the first time Israel destroyed settlements established in territories seized during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Television footage of Israeli soldiers dragging holdouts and protesters off a hotel rooftop remains the seminal chaotic image, fueling expectations this month's evacuation of about 8,500 settlers from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will be even more unruly.

Leslie Williams writes about recent challenges faced by the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater New Orleans, which was established decades ago to serve gay, bisexual and transgendered congregants. The church was kicked out of its temporary home in a Catholic AIDS facility three months into its one-year lease because it supports gay marriage.

Answering the call

Quote of the Day: National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob Edgar

"There are those who try to dilute our witness and mislead our friends by suggesting that the National Council of Churches is a partisan, left-wing organization. But you know who it is that calls us to pursue peace, fight poverty and injustice, and care for the Earth. It is the Prince of Peace who each day of his life showed his bias for the poor and prayed to the creator who gave us this beautiful world."

-- The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, addressing criticism that his New York-based ecumenical agency has become politically liberal. He spoke to a gathering of the Progressive National Baptist Convention in Detroit.

World Youth Day, Blair's anti-terrorism proposals and the ELCA's new decisions

Thursday's RNS report is chock full of news, starting with a story from Rome from Eric J. Lyman about the upcoming World Youth Day, which was created by Pope John Paul II 20 years ago "World Youth Day events scheduled to begin Tuesday (Aug. 16) in Cologne, Germany, are expected to attract more than 800,000 faithful from 190 countries, some 600 bishops, thousands of security personnel, and the enormous shadow of the late Pope John Paul II."

We also have a report from Washington by Chuck McCutcheon that looks at the possibility of Tony Blair's tough new anti-terrorism measures making it across the pond. "Absolutely it can happen here, and it frightens the dickens out of me," says former Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., a leading critic of the USA Patriot Act. "We need to go back and start teaching people what the Bill of Rights means and about their history, so they're not willing to chuck it out the window." But some terrorism experts and Muslim groups say they have faith in the Constitution's protections.

RNS is also in Orlando, Fla., with correspondent David Briggs and Associate Editor Kevin Eckstrom reporting from the biennial meeting of the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Briggs writes that the Churchwide Assembly has approved a more gender-neutral worship book, while Eckstrom writes that they approved an interim pact to share Communion with the United Methodist Church. What are the implications of both these decisions?

How big God is

Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of Dallas megachurch

"As we continue to try to politicize God, or market God, or say that America is Christian, or that God is with one (political) party, or that God is here and not there, it only further points to the fact that we don't understand how big God is -- and how great God is."

-- Bishop T.D. Jakes, pastor of the Potter's House in Dallas, speaking at a plenary session of the National Association of Black Journalists on Aug. 5. He was quoted by USA Today.

Gaza and Biblical Prophesy

Zionists, Jews Say Gaza Withdrawal Doesn't Fit With Prophecy

RNS's article of the week, linked above, looks at how Jews and Christians view the Gaza Strip pullout in light of Biblical prophesy.

Quote: Jewish settlers aren't the only ones struggling to reconcile this historic episode with their worldviews. From factions of religious Jews in Israel and the Diaspora to Christian Zionists who believe the gathering of Jews in the Holy Land is helping prepare the way for the Messiah's return, the Gaza pullout represents a problematic detour from what they thought was God's plan.

See also a variety of RNS photos related to the Gaza pullout on our photo website.

And of course, the RNS e-newsletter for the week has been posted here.

NARAL targets Roberts; American Jews move to Israel; and reasons why Israeli settlers are evacuating the Gaza Strip

Wednesday's RNS report starts off with an article by Mary Orndorff about NARAL Pro-Choice America's national advertising campaign against U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. Roberts' camp has denounced the ad that criticizes his support of anti-abortion groups, and the debate over his nomination has intensified.

We also have a story by Jeff Diamant about American Orthodox Jewish families moving to Israel, and Deborah Jerome-Cohen's analysis of the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's motivations behind it.

Political commentary from the Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

"You call yourself a Christian, I call you a hypocrite ... You call yourself a patriot. Well, I think you're full of (expletive deleted) ... How come you're so wrong, my sweet neo-con."

-- Lyrics from a song, "Sweet Neo-Con" by the Rolling Stones on their new album, "A Bigger Bang." The song was quoted by Newsweek.

CityTribe; Gaza Strip real estate

Tuesday's RNS report starts off with a article by Jeff Diamant about CityTribe, a neighborbood church in New Jersey for those unaccustomed to churchgoing: "From his unusual pulpit -- a wire-mesh piece of art with empty bottles, designed to reflect urban poverty -- the Rev. Juan Galloway looks out on dozens of people who are HIV-positive, homeless or recovering drug addicts. They listen intently to Galloway, a 34-year-old white man with dreadlocks, as he tells them that they have important roles to play as evangelists. God, Galloway preaches, 'has planted you in the apartment where you're at, the house you live in, the bridge you live under, the abandoned building, the car. He's put you there, a strategic representative of the kingdom of God.'"

Joshua Mitnick also contributes a report from Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip about real estate prices surging next to areas that will be evacuated by Israel come August 17. "'Prices are rising because people have hope now,' said one real estate broker."

The Latter-day Saints singles scene

Washington-area Latter-day Saint Rachel Morrissey

"You have to be thin and pretty and smart, and you're not allowed to be sad that you're not with someone, because that makes you feel like you messed up, but you're not allowed to be happy about not being with someone, either, because that's wrong. It's a hard church to be single in."

-- Rachel Morrissey, a Washington-area member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was quoted by the Washington City Paper.

Faith as velvet Elvis; philosophy for children

Today RNS features a story by Charles Honey about the Rev. Rob Bell, who has just published his first book, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith: '"What often happens in religion is people freeze the faith at acertain point,' Bell says. 'There's no more need to paint. We've got the ultimate painting.' On the contrary, he asserts, religion, like art, must keep exploring and reforming, or 'you end up with a velvet Elvis on your hands."'

We're also running a story by Ronni Gordon about the philosophy-for-children movement, which is gaining momentum in the United States and around the world: "Mount Holyoke College philosophy professor Thomas E. Wartenberg teaches a course called 'Philosophy for Children.' College students help develop questions based on picture books and then lead discussions for second- and fifth-graders at Jackson Street Elementary School in Northampton, Mass. Out of the adventures of storybook characters come such questions as 'What is courage?' Lively discussions develop around the topics of beauty, truth, justice and reality."

Church competing with the world

Assemblies of God General Superintendent Thomas Trask

"Stirring worship music won't attract them because worship isn't even on their radar screen. More comfortable pews cannot compete with the easy chair or the bed that already serve the unchurched person. Church events cannot effectively compete with what the world has to offer."

-- The Rev. Thomas E. Trask, general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, who was re-elected to his position during his denomination's General Council meeting Aug. 2-5 in Denver. He made his comments about the challenges of reaching unchurched people during a keynote address on Aug. 2.

"I am a Christian clown"

Friday's top RNS feature is about "Freedom Rose: The Patriotic Clown." Buddy Lemaster became deaf at age 21, suffered through alcoholism and depression for 30 years, and then found his way, entertaining thousands of children. Since the early days of his 14-year clown career, he has conspicuously sewn "I am a Christian clown, I don't just speak it, I live it," onto the back of every costume, Sarah Pavlik reports.

Protecting the weaker member

Carrie Gordon Earll of Focus on the Family Action

"This story is a poignant reminder that defending the value of life calls for sacrifice. Contrary to what we're tempted to believe, it's not all about us. Sometimes it's about the strong sacrificing for the weak. That's why this story brings tears to our eyes: A family endured hardship to protect the weaker member. That's what being pro-life is all about."

-- Carrie Gordon Earll, senior analyst for bioethics at Focus on the Family Action, commenting on the death of Susan Torres, a brain-dead woman from Arlington, Va., who remained on life support for three months in order for her baby daughter to be delivered healthy on Tuesday (Aug. 2). Torres died the next day after being removed from life support. Earll was quoted in Citizen Link, an e-newsletter of Focus on the Family.

How to see people we'd rather not see

American Baptist Global Consultant Lauran Bethell

"What everyone can do is to see those in prostitution -- see anyone we'd rather not see -- with new eyes, whether they be the homeless, the outcast, the terrorist, those who irritate us, our enemies. And each time we see them, repeat to ourselves that we are seeing a precious child of God. ..."

-- Lauran Bethell, an American Baptist global consultant who was awarded the Human Rights Award from the Baptist World Alliance during the organization's centenary congress in Birmingham, England. Bethell, who works with her denomination's International Ministries to aid women trapped in prostitution, was quoted by American Baptist News Service.

China, Christians and Communists

An interesting op-ed piece in the London Telegraph about changing demographics in China.

Telegraph | Opinion | Christian v communist

RNS Today: Gaza prophecy; intactivists; and Benedict's first 100 days

Wednesday's RNS report features a story by Jeff MacDonald that takes a look at the Gaza withdrawal from the standpoint of those who see the state of Israel as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy: "From factions of religious Jews in Israel and the Diaspora to Christian Zionists who believe the gathering of Jews in the Holy Land is helping prepare the way for their Messiah's return, the Gaza pullout represents a problematic detour from what they thought was God's plan. "

Rachel Pomerance reports on "intactivists," activists against circumcision who have asked the United Nations to label the practice a human rights crime. What impact, if any, could their crusade have on religions that consider circumcision to be a sacred ritual?

Another feature today, by John Zukowski, examines the first 100 days of the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI, including "controversies, official pronouncements and signs of upcoming priorities."

God is sending different messages

Former Sen. George McGovern

"I'm not casting doubt on the power of prayer, although I've never been sure I was getting through. But if God told President Bush to send American troops to Iraq, he sent an entirely different message to the pope."

-- Former Sen. George McGovern, D-S.D., speaking at the Missoula (Mont.) World Affairs Council on President Bush's decision to invade Iraq. After launching the war, Bush said he had consulted with "a higher father" about invading Iraq.

Divestment divides Jews, Protestants

Tuesday's RNS report is led with an article by Nancy Glass that looks at how relations between mainline Protestants and Jewish Americans have suffered from mainline efforts to divest from companies in Israel: "After the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted last summer to consider divesting from some companies in Israel, several other mainline churches and international church bodies followed suit with divestment resolutions of their own. Jewish groups have scrambled to react to the movement, which they say has been coordinated by a Palestinian Christian group they accuse of anti-Semitism."

Moving on isn't easy for abuse victims

North Carolina contractor David Fortwengler

"It's not a matter of sitting down with a bishop for five minutes and him apologizing and (me) being able to move on -- it's more than that."

-- David Fortwengler, a former altar boy who was abused in the late 1960s at St. Columba Catholic Church in Oxon Hill, Md. The North Carolina contractor told The Washington Post that he appreciates payments by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington for his counseling and a personal apology from an auxiliary bishop, but he has not completely healed from past abuse.

Flying by the First Amendment

Becket Fund for Religious Liberty legal counsel Jared Leland

"To replace a cemetery with a runway is to fly by First Amendment principles and crash on religious rights."

-- Jared Leland, media and legal counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a Washington-based law firm that challenged the seizure of cemetery property that would be used to expand a runway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an environmental impact statement Thursday (July 28) that supported the city's plan for modernizing the airport.