Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Why Pro-life Catholics and Evangelicals Part Ways on Guns
posted on January 18, 2013At The Washington Post, Robert P. Jones examines the different attitudes towards gun control among religious groups. Jones writes, “Cultural and geographical differences also account for much of the gap between [Protestants and Catholics]. Compared to white evangelical Protestants, Catholics are, overall, more urban and bicoastal, and are more likely to live where guns and hunting are not part of the rhythms of daily life.”
Louie Giglio Pulls Out of Inaugural Over Anti-gay Comments
posted on January 11, 2013Natalie Jennings of The Washington Post reports that the Rev. Louie Giglio, who was selected by the inaugural committee to give the benediction at the president’s second inauguration, has decided not to participate in the ceremony. The decision came after a sermon of Giglio’s from the mid-1990s resurfaced; in it, he “called for Christians to ‘firmly respond to the aggressive agenda’ of some in the gay community.” On Thursday, Giglio stated that his participation “will be dwarfed by those seeking to make their agenda the focal point of the inauguration.”
Biden’s Gun Panel Meets with Faith Leaders
posted on January 11, 2013On Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of his gun violence committee, met with a group of 12 national faith leaders, Kevin Bohn of CNN reports. At the meeting, Biden spoke of the “moral imperative to take action.” The Rev. Michael McBride, who attended the meeting, said, “’[Biden] was asking the faith community to use the power of our moral voices and persuasion’ to help find common sense solutions.”
Every Place is Khalidiya
posted on January 11, 2013Jennifer Mackenzie at Killing the Buddha depicts her experience as an undercover journalist in Syria. Writing about her trip to the grave of Dr. Ali Shariati, a revolutionary, in Damascus, Mackenzie examines the complicated roots of the war, as well as the public sentiment and affiliations of the Syrian people. A Syrian friend of Mackenzie’s says, “Freedom and democracy, they are beautiful ideas. But we don’t understand much about democracy. People here understand dignity. What moves them most is blood.”
Obama to use MLK, Lincoln Bibles During Oath at Presidential Inauguration
posted on January 11, 2013For the Associated Press, Nedra Pickler examines the symbolism behind President Obama’s choice to take his oath of office over two bibles: one used by Martin Luther King Jr. and the other by Abraham Lincoln. Obama’s choice to include the MLK bible is especially significant, as the date of the inauguration (Jan. 21) falls on the federal holiday for King. Pickler writes, “The selection of the pair of Bibles announced Thursday is richly symbolic of the struggle for equality in America, beginning with Lincoln’s emancipation of slaves 150 years ago this month, through King’s leadership of the civil rights movement, and ultimately to Obama becoming the nation’s first black president.”
Treasury’s First Orthodox Chief
posted on January 11, 2013Yair Rosenberg of Tablet examines the religious life of Jack Lew, President Obama’s nomination for Treasury Secretary. Rosenberg looks at how Lew, who is Orthodox Jewish, balances his religious life and politics. Lew said, “There’s a great desire that people have in positions that are close to power to be at the meeting in the room. You have to separate, I believe, your desire to be there from your need to be there.”
Ban on Churches Hosting High School Graduations Heads to Supreme Court
posted on January 11, 2013The Supreme Court will hear a case about the legality of holding high school graduations in churches, reports Melissa Stefan at Christianity Today. Last July, a judge ruled that a high school violated the First Amendment by having its graduation in a local evangelical church. Stefan writes, “Previous rulings in the case upheld the district’s right to rent the space.”
With Children, When Does Religion Go Too Far?
posted on January 11, 2013A New York Times “Room for Debate” forum addresses the question, “When does a religious upbringing cross the line from nurturing to oppressive?” The webpage links to six opinion pieces from various viewpoints, both religious and scientific, to examine this issue.
The Israel Lobby and Hagel
posted on January 10, 2013At TIME, Joe Klein addresses the complaints from conservative Jews over President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. Klein dismisses the notion that Hagel is anti-Israel, as well as comparisons between Iran and Hitler Germany. Klein writes, “These notions of betrayal and appeasement (pace Bill Kristol), perfumed with intimations of anti-Semitism are part of a hyperbolic corruption of common usage, favored by neoconservatives and their extremist allies.”
Widow of Medgar Evers to Deliver Invocation at Obama Inauguration
posted on January 9, 2013The Washington Post‘s Michelle Boorstein examines President Obama’s choice of Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights icon Medgar Evers, to deliver the President’s invocation. She also reports the president’s choice of conservative evangelical pastor Louie Giglio, founder of the Passion Conferences, to deliver the benediction. She writes, “The contrasting choice of speakers are typical of a president who has walked a sometimes complicated path when it comes to religion—working to be inclusive to the point that critics at times have questioned his faith.”