― The Rev. Neal D. Presa, a candidate for moderator of the upcoming 220th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has announced that his running mate for vice-moderator is the Rev. Tara Spuhler McCabe of National Capital Presbytery.
The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox Christians has written to Greece’s Orthodox state church, deploring anti-ecumenical statements by its leaders.
A proposed “Covenant” aimed at ensuring unity across the worldwide Anglican Communion appears to have failed, leaving the world’s third-largest Christian body facing an uncertain and likely fragmented future.
I have had much opportunity to reflect on the lesson of manna in the wilderness over this past year. It all started with the refrigerator.
After harsh debate behind closed doors, the Mexican Senate approved last week proposed religious reforms to the country’s Constitution, reaffirming the “lay state” as set out in Article 40, and guaranteeing religious freedom in Article 24.
For years, nonbelievers rejoiced at the publication of a new book by New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman, relishing the professor’s pugnacious attacks on the cherished beliefs of evangelical Christians. But in his latest offering, the University of North Carolina historian and author of such provocative titles as Misquoting Jesus, Forged and Jesus Interrupted, targets the very crowd that formed the bulk of his audience.
Though Malayattoor attracts pilgrims throughout the year, several million climb the 1,900-foot hill to the shrine during Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Over a million arrived on Good Friday alone, causing a traffic jam that extended to the national highway 12 miles away.
Last March, a group of Arizona Presbyterians and their Peruvian partners gathered in La Oroya, Peru, to paint a mural near the town’s troubled Doe Run Company smelter. That outing was disrupted when about 200 people — allegedly Doe Run employees — verbally and physically attacked the group, effectively chasing it out of town. The mural was left unfinished — until now.
Pope Benedict XVI used his traditional Easter message on April 9 to call for an end to the conflict in Syria, while his shorter-than-usual “Urbi et Orbi” blessing and frail appearance spurred speculation that his health might be worsening.
Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, won the 2012 Templeton Prize on March 29, a $1.7 million award that is often described as the most prestigious award in religion.