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What can one say about the Pentecostal slap-fest that is currently going on between Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and his counterpart here in the United States (his counterpart in every form of Anglican power that is meaningful, these days) Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori?
Yesterday I highlighted a New York Times article on psychological screening of seminary candidates. I actually thought the article accomplished a lot and I enjoyed reading it. And I dinged it for failing to explain — and include quotes defending — the Vatican position on accepting homosexual candidates.
An editor recently asked me to write about some issues related to the Roman Catholic sex abuse problem. I had a wonderful time interviewing over one dozen experts. They spoke from a variety of perspectives — people extremely upset with particular church policies and doctrines and people who thought the problems arose out of failure to adhere to church doctrine.
For a few months now, mainstream media outlets have been attempting to tie Pope Benedict XVI to a cover-up of the clerical sex abuse scandal that plagued the Roman Catholic Church. The claims themselves haven’t made the case. In fact, those reporters most knowledgeable of the Vatican situation, such as John Allen, say that Benedict has done more than anyone else to improve how the church handles abuse cases.
One of the worst movie experiences of my life was watching Sex and the City. I know it was a big hit but the whole thing just annoyed me. And not just because of the jokes about losing control of one’s bowels. Certainly the moral message of the film didn’t sit well with me either. It’s not like I’m a snobby consumer of entertainment. I was an enthusiastic watcher of the HBO series. (I know, I know.)
If you are interested in church-state separation issues, and you happened to pick up one of the big American newspapers this morning, that sound you are probably hearing is the theme from “Jaws.” Here’s the top of the A1 report from the Washington Post:
While this may sound rather strange, a recent Religion News Service piece on the debates surrounding Rima Fakih — “Muslim Miss USA: Progress, or immodesty?” — sort of ticked me off, but for the same reason that I also wanted to praise it.
All faith-based schools are voluntary associations and, in terms of the ancient or modern doctrines they advocate, it really doesn’t matter if they are liberal schools or traditional schools.
Recently I asked a woman from Nigeria what she thought of the media’s coverage of her country. She said what frustrated her most was when reporters gave sweeping statements or connected African countries as though it were one uniform nation. I thought of our conversation when I read a recent New York Times piece on Kenya’s culture wars. Stay with me as we read these first few paragraphs.
