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By Daniel Burke Religion News Service (RNS) President Bush’s proposed library at Southern Methodist University cleared another hurdle after an Oklahoma bishop refused to reject the plan, according to the United Methodist Church. Oklahoma Bishop Robert E. Hayes said it was a matter of secular, not church, law at this point, the United Methodist News…

Associated Press – September 14, 2008 LOURDES, France – Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass on Sunday at the Lourdes shrine renowned for miracles, telling tens of thousands of faithful they should hold onto hope in a world full of evil, torture, suffering and injustice. About 50,000 pilgrims, singing hymns and some shouldering a life-sized crucifix,…

By Tiffany Ray Religion News Service BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (RNS) Carolyn McKinstry, a lifelong member of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, remembers 1963 as a dark time, when a bomb planted under a stairway took the lives of four little girls, her friends, on Sept. 15 in the church basement. On Sunday (Sept. 14), McKinstry joined other…

By ADELLE M. BANKS 2008 Religion News Service (UNDATED) Megachurches — known for their big buildings, big schools and big crowds — continue to grow, but a new study detects shifts in the way they are expanding. “The general growth pattern is that about 90 percent of megachurches report that they are growing, and many…

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald Religion News Service (RNS) In this high season for political books, two evangelical publishers are leading the race to capitalize on fascination with Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Tyndale House Publishers of Carol Stream, Ill., has begun distributing a paperback edition of “Sarah: How a Hockey Mom…

Associated Press – September 12, 2008 PARIS – Pope Benedict XVI denounced fundamentalist fanaticism as he addressed cultural figures, including Muslim leaders, at the start of a French pilgrimage Friday, which enflamed debate in Paris over the influence religion should have on politics. In separate remarks, including in a speech to conservative French President Nicolas…

Associated Press Washington – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is publishing a ritual blessing for the Quinceanera, the coming-of-age celebration for Hispanic girls on their 15th birthday. The Rev. Allan Deck, head of the bishops’ cultural diversity office, said the ritual aims to help “Latino Catholics celebrate their cultural heritage and build new bridges…

By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service Washington – A new poll released Thursday (Sept. 11) finds that nearly six in 10 white Southern evangelicals believe torture is justified, but their views can shift when they consider the Christian principle of the golden rule. The poll, commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Mercer University,…

Associated Press New York, NY – The Anti-Defamation League has called an evangelical move to promote evangelizing Jews in Europe an “affront to the Jewish people.” The Jewish civil rights group urged the World Evangelical Alliance to withdraw the statement issued last month. The ADL wants the alliance to talk with Jewish groups about the…

By Tina Shah 2008 Religion News Service CHICAGO — W. Deen Mohammed, the former leader of the Nation of Islam who broke with the racially tinged teachings of his father, Elijah Muhammad, and inspired thousands of African-American Muslims to follow mainstream Islam, died Tuesday (Sept. 9), his family said. He was 74. Mohammed died on…

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