World Methodist Council’s new president talks about what holds a fracturing church together
RNS In August, the World Methodist Council, an umbrella group of Methodist denominations, meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, elected the Rev Debra Wallace-Padgett president of the council. Wallace-Padgett has been a bishop of the United Methodist Church since 2012 and has led both the denomination’s North Alabama Conference and, since 2021, its Holston Conference, in eastern […]
Blocked last year for his views on sexuality, theologian gets green light to head academy
Vatican City RNS Nearly a year after the Vatican blocked an Italian theologian’s candidacy to become the dean of an influential German and Italian academy due to his progressive writings on sexuality and gender, the Vatican finally approved of his appointment without comment, according to the theologian. “The reasons why the decision was revised were […]
Essay: The Catholic Church is increasingly diverse – and so are its controversies
MATHEW SCHMALZ, professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in the US, says – in an article first published on The Conversation – controversies within the church are reflective of much wider tensions within Catholicism…
US report: Catholic clergy’s unquestioned – and uneducated – power spurs abuse
United States RNS A new report based on interviews with some 300 Catholic priests, nuns and laypeople concludes that clergy aren’t adequately prepared to wield the power they exercise and need more education on questions of sex and gender. The report, Beyond Bad Apples: Understanding Clericalism as a Structural Problem & Cultivating Strategies for Change, […]
In private meeting, Pope Francis opens up about his faith after his election
Vatican City RNS During informal conversations with Jesuit clergy in Africa, Pope Francis opened up about his spirituality after being made pope – and criticised clericalism in the Catholic Church for its fixation on sex rather than equity and integrity. “One dimension of clericalism is the exclusive moral fixation on the sixth commandment [which in […]
US Methodist university presidents call on denomination to amend LGBTQ policies
RNS Ahead of next month’s special session on sexuality intended to resolve an issue that has dogged the United Methodist Church in the US for decades, a group of affiliated college and university presidents issued a strong call for full inclusion of LGBTQ Christians. The group, which represents presidents of 93 United Methodist-affiliated colleges and […]
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest moral manifesto in history. In it, Jesus tackles the moral issues of his day: adultery, murder, divorce. In the Biblical account of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus lifts the bar “so high we are all below it”, says Paul Clark. PICTURE: Aaron Burden/Unsplash Jesus does the […]
Phillip
I talked previously about how the marriage debate might affect a 15 year-old-boy, struggling with his sexuality. PICTURE: Posed by a model/Pexels. I have other people in my community. Like Phillip the 75-year-old war hero. He’s a gentle man who’s survived two wives. He’s still active in the community, giving his time to help others. […]
BOOKS: USEFUL ADVICE ON RAISING TEENAGE GIRLS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
DAVID ADAMS finds Michelle Mitchell’s latest book a useful resource for raising teenage girls…
When it’s sexuality versus religion, Americans stand divided
RNS GRAPHIC: LifeWay Research When faith and sexuality conflict, which should prevail? Americans are divided on the question, according to a LifeWay Research study released the day after the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a baker who cited his religious beliefs in refusing to create a wedding cake for a gay […]