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Religious leaders and faith-based groups have taken an active role in the debate over immigration reform vs. enforcement – some louder than others, some conspicuously quiet. The new flare-up over Alabama’s extreme new law is no exception. Catholic clergy tend to lead the charge against such harsh immigration enforcement policies, given that a) U.S. Catholics have…

With Rep. Michele Bachmann winning the Iowa straw poll, and Gov. Rick Perry entering the race hot off his Texan prayer rally, we’ve got ourselves a Christian horserace for the Republican presidential nominee. (My theory is they’ll split the white evangelical vote, giving Mitt Romney the edge after all — I’m a terrible gambler, however.)…

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly aired an interesting piece this weekend about whether faith-based groups that accept government funding may continue only hiring members of their own faith. (Remember, the ongoing controversy here is that these groups are supported by taxpayer money, in contrast to completely private organizations.) It’s a heated debate. Most people seem to…

If President Obama and other politicians are feeling down about their unpopularity these days, perhaps they can take some consolation in God’s surprisingly low approval rating. (He’s still more popular than the politicians, of course, but not by as much as you would expect.) Fortunately, we have Catholic comedian Stephen Colbert and his “Colbert Nation…

The riots in London, Birmingham and other British cities have caught us off-guard — it’s a far cry from the pomp and circumstance associated with the recent royal wedding, not to mention next year’s Olympic Games and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Faith leaders and religious groups are stepping forward, reflecting on the root causes of…

Texas Gov. Rick Perry held his much-publicized — some say too publicized, but I strongly disagree — daylong prayer rally in Houston on Saturday. Check out coverage of “The Response” from CNN, AP and Mark Silk’s Spiritual Politics blog. Let’s see if this does better than the prospective presidential candidate’s prayers for rain to end the Texas drought…

I’m still washing out my eyeballs after last night’s “Daily Show With Jon Stewart” uncensored segment on Jason Jones’ vasectomy — good thing I didn’t go into medicine! Fortunately, the “Culture War Update: The Dividening of America” segment aired earlier in the program, poking fun at two faith-related newsmakers: Dana Perino vs. Free Birth Control The…

Don’t mess with Texas, indeed: CNN reports that polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs has been found guilty of sexually assaulting his 12- and 15-year-old “wives.” (Remember how the Utah courts couldn’t get this done?) The Texas jury is deliberating whether to lock him up for life. No word yet on whether Jeffs, who presides over the…

Ramadan 2011 is underway, with Muslims around the world fasting and praying accordingly. As promised, I met up with Aman Ali (in hat) and Bassam Tariq, the “30 Mosques in 30 States” guys, when they stopped in Seattle during Day 2 of their 30-day Ramadan roadtrip. (Not counting flights to Alaska and Hawaii — it…

Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of sacrifice, is underway — just in time for Congress to hammer out an uneasy deal to slash $917 billion in spending over the next 10 years. (See what I did there?) While not a strictly religion news story, people of faith had reason to both jeer and cheer as…
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