Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Fracking Green Churches
posted on November 27, 2012Philip Jenkins writes for Real Clear Religion about the changing landscape of energy production in the United States, which he believes is the most important development in America during this decade. The United States will soon use new technology, such as fracking, to become the top oil and gas producing nation in the world. Jenkins believes that many church groups are too quick to declare that new technologies, like fracking, are evil. “Churches and other groups can and must work to set the terms of that kind of energy development, but flat-out rejection is not an option,” writes Jenkins
Gaza Cleric Calls Violation of Israel Truce Sinful
posted on November 27, 2012An Islamic cleric in the Gaza Strip, respected by conservative Salafists and Hamas, declared that the ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza Strip must be maintained, reports the Associated Press. “Honoring the truce, which was sponsored by our Egyptian brethren, is the duty of each and every one of us. Violating it shall constitute a sin,” Suleiman al-Daya wrote in a fatwa. Hamas has also reaffirmed that it is committed to the ceasefire.
From Man Who Insulted Muhammad, No Regret
posted on November 27, 2012Serge Kovaleski and Brooks Barnes of The New York Times profile Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the man behind the YouTube video “Innocence of Muslims,” which caused outrage and mass protests throughout the Muslim world. Mr. Nakoula, an Egyptian born Coptic Christian, does not regret the violence that his video caused. He insists that the film conveyed “the actual truth” about Muhammad. “I thought, before I wrote this script,” he said, “that I should burn myself in a public square to let the American people and the people of the world know this message that I believe in.”
How Fighting Income Inequality Became Obama’s Driving Force
posted on November 26, 2012For The Washington Post, Zachary A. Goldfarb asserts that President Obama’s core political belief is the need to fight income inequality. “[B]eneath his tactical maneuvering lies a consistent and unifying principle: to use the powers of his office to shrink the growing gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else,” writes Goldfarb.
Goodbye, Christian America; Hello, True Christianity
posted on November 26, 2012World Vision President Richard Stearns writes at The Huffington Post about the shifting demographics in the religious makeup of America, and some conservative Christians’ reactions to them. Instead of fighting to have symbols like the Ten Commandments posted on courthouse walls, Stearns writes, “we need to go back to the basics of living as disciples of Christ, living missionally for Christ and demonstrating the Gospel in tangible ways within our schools, workplaces and communities. While I would be happy to see the Ten Commandments back on the courthouse wall, the fight over symbolic issues is backfiring, alienating people from the truths of the gospel rather than attracting them to it.”
With Me in Paradise
posted on November 26, 2012At First Things Matt Emerson, asks, did the 2012 election mark “a ‘Catholic moment’?” With discussions of Catholic theology moving from the “footnotes” to national media outlets and vice presidential debates, Emerson writes, “It’s hard to be a Catholic, survey this scene, and not feel proud. It is encouraging to see such a profound body of thought migrate beyond Catholic forums and into the national conversation.”
Benefits Fight Brings Lesbian Couple to High Court
posted on November 26, 2012Lisa Leff reports for the Associated Press about the case of a lesbian couple from California petitioning the Supreme Court to grant them federal spousal benefits. This week the court will meet to decide whether to hear petitions from any one of five separate couples seeking to challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton. “The outcome carries economic and social consequences for gay, lesbian and bisexual couples, who now are unable to access Social Security survivor benefits, file joint income taxes, inherit a deceased spouse’s pension or obtain family health insurance,” writes Leff.
Obama and the Morsi Dictatorship
posted on November 26, 2012At Commentary Jonathan Tobin writes about Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi’s ascendency to national power and international stature, bolstered by his contribution to last week’s cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. “In less than year in office, Morsi has amassed as much power as Hosni Mubarak had in his time in office as the country’s strongman and he has done it while getting closer to the United States rather than having his Islamist regime being condemned or isolated by Washington.” But Tobin worries that with Morsi’s rise to power comes great risks for stability and peace within the region. “[T]he much ballyhooed Arab Spring turned out to be an Islamist triumph, not an opening for democracy.”
Pope Says Jesus Was Born Years Earlier Than Believed
posted on November 26, 2012In his new book, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, Pope Benedict XVI debunks many traditional beliefs about the historical Jesus, reports Anugrah Kumar for The Christian Post. “The calculation of the beginning of our calendar–based on the birth of Jesus–was made by [the 6th century century monk from Eastern Europe] Dionysius Exiguus, who made a mistake in his calculations by several years,” writes Pope Benedict.
Finding Spirituality on Culturally-rich Appalachian Trail
posted on November 26, 2012For CNN, Susan Power Bratton writes about the “distinctly American pilgrimage” of walking the entire length of Appalachian trail. From Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine, the trail weaves “through the religious roots of the nation, and providing stunning views of Eastern terrains ranging from isolated valleys to lines of blue-tinted mountains.”