Beliefnet News

Associated Press – June 30, 2008 LONDON – The spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans raised questions Monday about the legitimacy of plans to create a global network of conservative Anglicans that would challenge his authority and the teachings of liberal North American churches. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the proposal to form a…

Associated Press – June 27, 2008 FORT WORTH, Texas – The Texas Supreme Court on Friday threw out a jury award over injuries a 17-year-old girl suffered in an exorcism conducted by members of her old church, ruling that the case unconstitutionally entangled the court in religious matters. In a 6-3 decision, the justices found…

United Press International – June 27, 2008 TEL AVIV, Israel, Jun 27, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) — The Israeli government is allowing hundreds of millions of dollars to go to Hamas in Gaza, a watchdog organization has charged. Shurat Hadin made the allegation Thursday, quoting government correspondence. But government representatives suggested facts were being taken…

Religion News Service- June 27, 2008 PHILADELPHIA — An Episcopal Church court on Thursday (June 26) unanimously found Bishop Charles E. Bennison guilty of not responding appropriately to sexual abuse committed by his brother against a teenage girl more than three decades ago. The 64-year-old Bennison, who has led the Philadelphia-based Diocese of Pennsylvania since…

Religion News Service- June 27, 2008 VATICAN CITY — St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke was named Friday (June 27) to head the Catholic Church’s highest court, a move that places an outspoken conservative in an important if not highly visible post. Burke, 59, will be the first American to serve as prefect of the Supreme…

Associated Press – June 26, 2008 PITTSBURGH – A Muslim nuclear physicist on Thursday accused the U.S. Department of Energy of revoking his security clearance in retaliation for his criticism of the government’s treatment of Muslims. Moniem El-Ganayni, 57, an Egyptian who moved to the United States in 1980, had worked at the Bettis Laboratory…

Associated Press – June 26, 2008 WASHINGTON – Silent on central questions of gun control for two centuries, the Supreme Court found its voice Thursday in a decision affirming the right to have guns for self-defense in the home and addressing a constitutional riddle almost as old as the republic over what it means to…

By ADELLE M. BANKS c. 2008 Religion News Service WASHINGTON — Beneath a large photo of Pikes Peak, six actors bounce on stage to Christian music and cope with scandal as they explore life in the center of the evangelical universe: Colorado Springs, Colo. “This Beautiful City,” which premiered here in June with plans for…

Associated Press – June 25, 2008 WASHINGTON – President Bush on Wednesday said the presidential runoff election in Zimbabwe this week appears to be a “sham,” joining a chorus of international condemnation against the actions of that country’s ruler. Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, who wants to extend his nearly three-decade rule, is being blamed for…

Associated Press – June 25, 2008 LONDON – Author Salman Rushdie slipped into Buckingham Palace on Wednesday to receive a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II that had angered many parts of the Muslim world when the honor was announced last year. In a break with normal procedure, the palace did not announce ahead of time…

More from Beliefnet and our partners