Rap Sheet
Links on R&P from around the web
Seeking Evangelicals’ Support Again, Trump Confronts a Changed Religious Landscape
posted on March 13, 2023Charles Homans of The New York Times reports that Donald Trump is confronting a wavering of support from evangelical Americans after the overturning of Roe by a Supreme Court that he largely shaped. John Fea, a professor of history at Messiah University, said, “They tolerated a lot from Trump, and they refused to question him, because they knew there were bigger issues at stake. But now the slate has been wiped clean, and you have to rethink the question of, Is Trump worth it? Or has he done what we needed him to do?” A new poll shows that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Trump’s predicted toughest competitor in the Republican primary, is gaining support among evangelical voters.
Pope Francis at 10 Years: He Has Made His Mark, But Early Hope Has Faded
posted on March 13, 2023Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli of The Washington Post report that Pope Francis is marking his tenth anniversary as pontiff. He has transformed church priorities to serve the vulnerable and protect the environment during his time at the Vatican. Francis has also been criticized by some conservative Catholics for his progressive stances on LGBTQ issues and by liberal Catholics for his handling of the sexual abuse crisis in the church. They write, “In leading the church, Francis has found himself caught between two poles, transforming too much for one side, not enough for the other. He has been a reformist pope — kind of. He is also a product of an institution that is almost always slow-moving.”
The Sinister New Talking Point Republicans Used to Grill Merrick Garland
posted on March 7, 2023Molly Olmstead of Slate reports that Senate Republicans questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland on alleged anti-Catholic bias in the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley pointed to an internal memo from the field office in Richmond, Virginia, that cited traditionalist houses of Catholic worship as places of concern for domestic extremists. Olmstead argues, however, that Hawley misconstrued the meaning of the memo. She writes, “At no point does the memo imply that the threat is the radical traditionalists; rather, the threat is that ‘racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists’ will be attracted to—or otherwise find a home among—the radical traditionalists.”
The Mayor Talks Religion and Makes Waves
posted on March 7, 2023James Barron of The New York Times reports that New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing backlash after his comments disparaging the principle of the separation of church and state at an interfaith breakfast recently. Adams claimed that prayer should never have been banned in public schools and insisted that his election as mayor was divinely ordained. Some religious leaders in attendance were taken aback by the mayor’s position. One anonymous, retired Protestant minister told The Times, “‘The kind of religion hizzoner professes is one no serious clergy’ would embrace.”
For Many Congregations, Wiping Out Medical Debt Has Become a Popular Calling
posted on March 7, 2023Yonat Shimron of Religion News Service reports, “Helping ease medical debt, especially for people of color, is an increasingly popular social justice project among liberal Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations. Over the past few years some 800 U.S. congregations have partnered with RIP Medical Debt to do so.” The organization has paid off medical debt for more than 5.4 million Americans thus far. The initiative has wide appeal given the biblical mandate in many faith traditions to cyclically forgive debts. The Rev. Jim Harrison, a priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Midland, Michigan, said, “It’s love in action.”
Miami Faith Community Strains to Help New Exiles, Migrants
posted on March 7, 2023Giovanna Dell’Orto of the Associated Press reports that Miami churches are stepping up to support new immigrants as the city’s social safety net has been pushed to its limit with the growing number of new arrivals. Sister Consuelo Gómez said, “Jesus also was a migrant. We try to help so that they can get ahead on their own.” Churches are providing shelter for migrants and hosting events to teach them about the asylum application process.
Biden Administration Seeks to Rescind Trump-Era Rule About Faith on Campus
posted on March 7, 2023Adelle M. Banks of Religion News Service reports that the Department of Education plans to rescind a Trump-era rule that bars public colleges from receiving federal grants if they violate the First Amendment rights of religious student groups. Rachel Laser, the president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said in a statement, “Rescinding the harmful Trump rule means students won’t be forced to subsidize clubs that discriminate against them.” Proponents of the rule claim that it is necessary to protect students of faith on public campuses while opponents argue that the protection is unnecessary, given that students of faith are protected by the First Amendment regardless of the policy.
Ex-Cardinal McCarrick Tells Massachusetts Court He’s Incompetent for Trial
posted on February 28, 2023Douglas Moser and Michelle Boorstein of The Washington Post report, “Five years after allegations of child sex abuse against then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick first surfaced and rocked the U.S. Catholic Church, attorneys for McCarrick, 92, said Monday that he’s no longer mentally competent to stand trial and that the charges should be dismissed.” McCarrick has been accused of sexual misconduct by nearly 20 people, though this trial represents the only opportunity for criminal prosecution given the statutes of limitations of the other cases. Mitchell Garabedian, the accuser’s attorney for civil cases, said, “It’s not unusual for defendants to prolong a case so that memories fade, victims disappear, and witnesses become worn out. This will not happen in this matter.”
How Big Christian Nationalism Has Come Courting in Northern Idaho
posted on February 28, 2023Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service reports, “Amid ongoing national debate over Christian nationalism, North Idaho offers a window at what actually trying to manifest a right-wing vision for a Christian America can look like — and the power it can wield in state politics.” The uptick in Christian, far-right candidates for public office in Idaho has been fueled by what has been dubbed the American Redoubt, an exodus from more liberal states to the region. Alicia Abbott, who works with the liberal Idaho 97 Project, said, “It’s an issue across the state now that we have to deal with, these really bombastic political actors.”
A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline
posted on February 28, 2023Ryan Gabrielson and J. David McSwane of ProPublica report that Liberty HealthShare, a Christian healthcare sharing ministry owned by the Beers family, has defrauded its customers by funneling consumer payments into at least 35 other companies owned by the same family. They write, “For generations, members of the Beers family of Canton, Ohio, have used Christian faith to sell health coverage to more than a hundred thousand people.” They continue, “Instead they delivered pain, debt and financial ruin.” The Beers family has been investigated several times by state and federal authorities but has faced few consequences and continues to operate Liberty HealthShare. They deny any wrongdoing.