The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katherine Jefferts-Schori, has sent a letter to Archbishop Greg Venables of Argentina asking him not to meddle in internal U.S. church matters and not to “bring further discored into the Episcopal Church.” Venables is coming to the United States to meet with leaders of the Diocese of Fort Worth May 2-4. The Fort Worth diocese is considering aligning with the Province of the Southern Cone [in South America.] Meanwhile, the bishop of Fort Worth, Jack Iker, has sent a letter of his own to Jefferts-Schori, telling her to stop meddling in his diocese.
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Members of a fundamentalist apostate-Mormon cult committed child abuse for years while operating on the Utah-Arizona border. But then they made a crucial error. They messed with Texas.
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At the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., they’re offering eight courses in June. Three focus on sex. One is devoted to the holy scriptures. Among the offerings: Third World Feminist Theology, Sexuality and the Social Order, and Queer Incarnation. [Not to be confused with Queer Explorations of Pastoral, Theological, and Ethical Issues, another EDS course which isn't being offered this summer.]
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John Hagee, the evangelist, John McCain ally and weather analyst issued a statement today saying he does not “know the mind of God concerning Hurricane Katrina.”
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Southern Baptist membership, baptisms decline in 2007
By ROSE FRENCH
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The number of people baptized in Southern Baptist churches fell for the third straight year in 2007 to the denomination’s lowest level since 1987, while total membership dropped by nearly 40,000.
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Huckabee writing book on his failed presidential bid
By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Two weeks after the next president is elected, Mike Huckabee will publish a book sharing details on his failed bid for the White House and offering his vision for remodeling the conservative movement.
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Maybe House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is quoting from the Howard Dean Version of the Holy Bible. You know, the one that has the book of Job in the New Testament. Or perhaps she’s picked up some new-fangled, biodegradable, Australian Earth Bible, with the words of Al Gore in red. Or perhaps, as congressmen sometimes do, she’s simply decided to “revise and extend” the book.
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The 39th annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards were awarded in Nashville last night. This is a big award, the industry’s top honor, short of a real Grammy. Here’s who won:
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It was bound to happen sooner or later. A prominent Los Angeles televangelist has declared himself to be an “Apostle.” How do I know this? Well, there’s a full-page advertisement in the May issue of Charisma Magazine congratulating evangelist Frederick K.C. Price on his fancy new title. Fans of “Dr. Price” (he’s got an honorary doctorate from Oral Roberts U) are invited to a “week-long celebration and public affirmation of Dr. Frederick K.C. Price Apostle of Faith” July 21-25 in Los Angeles.

For more on the “Affirmation Week festivities” go to www.fkcpriceapostleoffaith.com
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By HEATHER HAHN
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Two Little Rock ministers have sued their bishop in Pulaski Circuit Court, saying he assigned them to new congregations without giving them sufficient notice.
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Former bishop Fernando Lugo scores historic win in Paraguay
By BILL CORMIER –
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — Former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo won a historic victory in Paraguay’s presidential election Sunday, ending more than six decades of one-party rule with a mandate to help the nation’s poor and indigenous.
His rival, Blanca Ovelar, conceded defeat after a closely fought race to lead this poor, agrarian nation where Ovelar’s Colorado Party is the only ruling party most people have ever known.
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Take a look at the following sentences from the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church and ask yourself — is this statement accurate?

Referring to turmoil in the Episcopal Church following the election of an openly-gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in 2003, Katharine Jefferts Schori says:

“It’s a very, very small part of this church, less than 1 percent, that sees this of sufficient concern to want to leave over it,” she said. “Our job is to bless their going and reassure them our door is always open and that we’ll keep the light on for them.” (Salt Lake Tribune)
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John McCain issued a Passover statement today… (more…)

A Kentucky senior citizen on a fixed income got a letter from her pastor telling her to give more money or she’ll lose her church membership. The elderly woman was so distraught after receiving the letter that she was taken away in an ambulance.
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No longer broadcasting from a converted restaurant building, the former PTL Club host has moved into a new development. Morningside features a brand new television studio, retail space and condominiums, too. Click here for the latest.