Oh-boy. No bias in this story… (See below.)

TODAY’S POP QUIZ:
When he announced his resignation Monday, Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino quoted:

a.) St. Francis of Assisi
b.) The Acts of the Apostles
c.) Mother Teresa
d.) Country-western singer Kenny Rogers
e.) Jesus
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A church official told me that the church sanctuary — and the church helicopter — won’t be seized by the bank.

By Frank Lockwood
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Regions Bank is suing one of North Little Rock’s largest churches for $1.1 million, saying that Full Counsel Christian Fellowship has failed to pay off its ministry headquarters building.
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Rep. Lynn Jenkins is apologizing “if her words have offended anyone,” a spokesman said. The first-term Republican says she didn’t realize the phrase “great white hope” had any racial connotations…
(more…)

Yes, the Emerging Church guru says he and others from his “faith tradition” will be fasting throughout Ramadan.

In Malaysia, a woman faces a beating after she was caught consuming alcohol in public. The Christian Science Monitor has more details.

The President’s Ramdan message is available here.

By PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Leaders of the country’s largest Lutheran denomination have agreed to disagree on homosexuality, endorsing an official statement on human sexuality that says there’s room in the church for differing views on an issue that’s divided other religious groups.

[According to the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune, the statement supports the “validity of same-sex relationships that are ‘chaste, monogamous and lifelong.’”

The vote was extraordinarily close. (more…)

The New York Times has an interesting story about former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who is leading the fight to overturn anti-gay marriage laws. (h/t: Caleb Powers)

Olson is a Libertarian Republican, not a Moral Majority Republican, more like Barry Goldwater than Jerry Falwell. From 1980 through 2008, the theo-cons and the economic conservatives have worked together, winning elections over and over. But it’s not clear how much longer that coalition can hold.

In 2012, it’ll be interesting to see if the coalition sticks together. It’s possible the wheels will come off.

Take a look at this error-plagued Newsweek piece and see if you can spot the most embarrassing errors. Then take the quiz.
[Answers below] (more…)

We know where the Bible Belt is. But where is the Sin Belt? Researchers at Kansas State University, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, tried to figure that out. A story from Catholic News Service has all the details…

The Clinton-era federal definition defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman…
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Ninety-five percent of the greenbacks tested in Washington, D.C. contained traces of cocaine, according to a new study.

The Louisville basketball coach, embroiled in a sex-and-blackmail scandal, won’t appear at an Alabama Baptist school, according to this news report.

It’s 2008 and the Pope has scheduled two gatherings with religious big wigs in the United States. One is ecumenical — i.e. for Christians. The other is interreligious — i.e. for people of faith who aren’t Christians.

So, which meeting do you invite the Mormons to?

Remember: Catholics, Southern Baptists, United Methodists, Assemblies of God, Presbyterians — none of these groups recognize Mormon baptisms as valid Christian baptisms. And Mormons don’t consider Catholic and Protestant baptisms as valid Christian baptisms.

Great religion reporter Gary Stern has a fascinating post on this topic. It’s available here.

I just heard from a group called Newsy.com, and they’re doing something really cool.

They sort through news reports on a breaking story and put together a “greatest hits” reel, splicing together bits of video from numerous cable news channels, and tossing in good quotes from print media, too.

Click here for a segment about the 230-mile-per-gallon GM Volt to see what I’m talking about.

They monitor CNN, FOX and MSNBC so that you don’t have to. Then they summarize 1.) what the talking heads are saying and 2.) how the cable channels are approaching the story — primarily with enthusiasm or skepticism.

I’d never heard of Newsy.com until this morning when Rosa@Newsy com sent me a heads up. I watched the clip and liked it. Then I did some Googling to make sure this isn’t some crackpot group. They’re not. They’re legit. In fact, they’ve partnered with one of the best journalism schools in the country: the University of Missouri. (See here for details).