The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 11 unanimously threw its support behind a church school that fired a teacher, using a widely watched church-state case to bolster a legal doctrine that exempts religious institutions from some civil rights laws.
The 2012 Lenten study Open to Me the Gates, by Gradye Parsons, stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), is now available from Witherspoon Press.
Exploring how gates are conceptually used throughout the Bible in both Old and New Testament stories, this Lenten devotional examines the metaphors of gates for modern Christian beliefs and practices, such as justice and equality.
Obituaries for Taylor Potter and Bill Hopper
An Arab-Jewish agricultural project in northern Israel that helps empower women “is a sign of hope for a people and a land,” according to the moderator of the Church of Scotland, which is investing in it.
For years, Rob Bell closed his Sunday teachings at Mars Hill Bible Church with a simple statement: “Grace and peace be with you.” Thousands would respond in unison: “And also with you.” On Sunday (Jan. 8) ― Bell’s last day at the megachurch he founded 12 years ago ― only one voice sounded out across the sanctuary housed in a renovated shopping center: Bell’s.
Most people would do anything to avoid going to prison, but Hans Hallundbaek and his wife, Katherine Vockins, go there willingly.
SEATTLE ― Seattle Presbytery is holding its annual “PresbyFest,” Jan. 28 at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church.
The event features keynote speaker the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the 2008 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Workshop leaders include the Rev. Jeff Keuss, a theologian, author and speaker who teaches at the School of Theology of Seattle Pacific University; the Rev. Dean Strong, stated clerk of North Puget Sound Presbytery, who will talk about the new Form of Government; and Julia Thorne, manager for immigration issues in the Office of the General Assembly.
New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan and former Baltimore Archbishop Edwin O’Brien are among the 22 new cardinals announced by Pope Benedict XVI on Jan. 6.
Hungary’s Constitutional Court has annulled a new law that would have withdrawn legal recognition from all but a handful of the country’s registered religious associations. However, a church commentator warned that the ruling was “just a technical delay” and predicted the law would still be enforced from the start of 2012.
The streets of Léogâne are made up of broken concrete, rocks and dirt that become a muddy mess when it rains. Most of the buildings are no taller than a single story, and if they are, the top story is seriously damaged or has completely collapsed due to the 2010 earthquake that shook Haiti.
There is one exception: Holy Cross Hospital.
The hospital rises above the small town. It has a large cross with the words “Hospital Sainte Croix, Léogâne, Haiti” painted in black on one side of the white concrete building. The quake did damage some hospital structures. …