March 2010
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Dallas area churches to hold immigration reform rallies Baylor announces $200 million gift Reports: Dallas Holocaust Museum director Elliot Dlin has died TEXAS FAITH: Why are millennials dropping out? Publishers Weekly likes religion book by Rockwall author Bourgeois to speak in Dallas on women's ordination to priesthood TEXAS FAITH: Obama, Congress, CEOs and leadership styles Adoption agency to have information meeting at Buckner Patty Griffin: "Spiritually, I'm a mutt" Program at SMU to explore Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission Recent Comments
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March 4, 2010
Details in the press release below:
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The entry "Dallas area churches to hold immigration reform rallies" is tagged: acton united methodist church , lovers lane united methodist church
Baylor University, the world's biggest Baptist school, is getting a big gift, with the School of Social Work a primary beneficiary. Details here.
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The entry "Baylor announces $200 million gift" is tagged: $200 million , baylor university , donation , garland March 3, 2010
The D Charity blog reports that Elliot Dlin has died of a heart attack. Dlin was an internationally known expert on the Holocaust and a genuinely nice fellow who was an effective ambassador for his work.
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The entry "Reports: Dallas Holocaust Museum director Elliot Dlin has died" is tagged: Holocaust museum March 2, 2010
In this piece for Politics Daily, the Dallas Morning News' Jeff Weiss did some digging into a Pew Center report about the religious identity of "millenials," which is the name for those Americans who are younger than 30. Weiss picked up first on this part of the report: "Fewer young adults belong to any particular faith than older people do today. They also are less likely to be affiliated than their parents' and grandparents' generations were when they were young. Fully one-in-four members of the Millennial generation -- so called because they were born after 1980 and began to come of age around the year 2000 -- are unaffiliated with any particular faith. Indeed, Millennials are significantly more unaffiliated than Generation Xers were at a comparable point in their life cycle (20 percent in the late 1990s) and twice as unaffiliated as Baby Boomers were as young adults (13 percent in the late 1970s)." But then he noted this seemingly contradictory finding: "Young adults' beliefs about life after death and the existence of heaven, hell and miracles closely resemble the beliefs of older people today. Though young adults pray less often than their elders do today, the number of young adults who say they pray every day rivals the portion of young people who said the same in prior decades. And though belief in God is lower among young adults than among older adults, Millennials say they believe in God with absolute certainty at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago." Weiss then reaches this conclusion: Which says to me that young adults are not losing faith, just unplugging from religious institutions at a rate unprecedented in U.S. history. One theory that has been advanced is that the disengagement has to do with the entanglement of conservative politics with religion. Weiss, for example, cites the work of Harvard professor Robert Putnam and Notre Dame professor David Campbell. They claim in a study that: "Young Americans are dropping out of religion at an alarming rate of 5-6 times the historic rate (30-40 percent have no religion today versus 5-10 percent a generation ago)...But youth's religious disaffection is largely due to discomfort with religiosity having been tied to conservative politics....We find that the increase was not connected to a loss of religious piety, and that it was connected to politics. In the 1990s many people who had weak attachments to religion and either moderate or liberal political views found themselves at odds with the conservative political agenda of the Christian Right and reacted by renouncing their weak attachment to organized religion." So, with that setup, here's this week's question: That's their take? What is yours? Assuming the Pew Center data is correct, why are young adults unplugging from religious institutions at such a high rate? Read on for our panelists' thoughts.
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The entry "TEXAS FAITH: Why are millennials dropping out?" is tagged: TEXAS FAITH March 1, 2010
Buchanan says this about her book: "Many times people want to know how a Boomer like me got involved in writing for seniors. In a nutshell, my books and columns were born out of real life experiences with my own elderly parents. Though my folks are no longer living, I still visit a number of older adult friends each week at several different senior residence centers in the Dallas area. They are my inspiriation. In a culture that values youth, it is important that the spiritual needs of our older adults be addressed."
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The entry "Publishers Weekly likes religion book by Rockwall author" is tagged: missy buchanan , rockwall , talking with god in old age February 26, 2010
It's at White Rock United Methodist Church, 1450 Oldgate Lane. The program will run from about 8:30 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m., and walk-in cost is $25.
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The entry "Bourgeois to speak in Dallas on women's ordination to priesthood" is tagged: roy bourgeois February 23, 2010
After a year in office, President Obama is coming under scrutiny from both left and right for his leadership. But so is Congress. The public's faith in it as an institution is not so great. And, for that matter, the public seems non-plussed with the leadership of large businesses. We go through periods like this from time to time, so we may not be having a unique crisis in confidence. Still, the question about leadership -- and leadership styles -- is an important one. While the Psalmist warned about putting one's faith in princes, our society depends in part upon the ability of leaders to, well, lead our institutions. Looking at your own faith traditions, and the stories that inform them, what models of leadership would you suggest for our political and corporate leaders? What examples would you recommend? Read ahead for some interesting suggestions:
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The entry "TEXAS FAITH: Obama, Congress, CEOs and leadership styles" is tagged: TEXAS FAITH
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The entry "Adoption agency to have information meeting at Buckner" is tagged: buckner international , dillon international February 18, 2010
Click here for a piece from her Web site in which she talks about the recording and her own religious roots.
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The entry "Patty Griffin: "Spiritually, I'm a mutt"" is tagged: downtown church , patty griffin
On Tuesday evening (Feb. 23) at 7 p.m. at SMU's Hughes-Trigg Theater in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center (http://smu.edu/maps/flash/) , the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance (www.dallasholocaustmuseum.org) is hosting a special program exploring the role of the newly-established Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. The program is free and open to the public, and complimentary valet parking is provided. The Commission was established during the last session of the Legislature and signed into law last summer. State Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) and State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) co-sponsored the bill creating the commission, which was passed unanimously. Texas is the nation's 13th state to establish a commission or council devoted to Holocaust and genocide education. By law, the commission--considered the most important development in Holocaust education in Texas in years--is to help preserve information and experiences of the Holocaust and other genocide events. The commission will also work with organizations, agencies, museums, survivors and liberators to provide information and experiences and to coordinate memorial events in the state.
The SMU program will explore the commission's purpose in a Q&A format moderated by Texas Tribune Editor Evan Smith, formerly president and editor-in-chief of Texas Monthly. The panelists include Senator Shapiro; Peter Berkowitz, a Houston business executive who chairs the commission; Amy Fisher-Smith, an associate professor of psychology at University of Dallas, and a Holocaust educator; and Elliott Dlin, Museum Director of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance.
Texas is home to several hundred Holocaust survivors, and a few are expected to attend the event, co-sponsored by the Memnosyne Foundation (http://memnosynefoundation.org/) and the SMU Human Rights Program (http://smu.edu/humanrights/)
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The entry "Program at SMU to explore Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission" is tagged: dallas holocaust museum , smu , texas holocaust and genocide commission February 16, 2010
The American Psychiatric Association is proposing a new version of its manual that classifies various personality disorders. Quite a few disorders were reclassified. For example, the reviewers of the existing manual felt that too many children were being misdiagnosed with an early onset of bipolar disorder. So, they created a category called "temper dysregulation disorder with dysphoria." We're not here to debate whether those categories are accurate or not, but the existence of so many disorders of the mind does raise a question with serious theological underpinnings: The more we learn about the mind, the more it seems like it can predetermine our behaviors. Is that so? Or are we still primarily moral responsible for our actions, even with a genetic disorder?
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The entry "TEXAS FAITH: Do disorders of the mind stop us from being moral actors?" is tagged: American Psychiatric Association , TEXAS FAITH February 15, 2010
Ray Suarez of PBS's The NewsHour will be among the Lenten speakers in a series organized by the Episcopal Diocese of Forth Worth - those local churches remaining a part of the Episcopal Church. Details in the press release below:
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The entry "Ray Suarez of PBS to be Lenten Series Speaker in Fort Worth" is tagged: episcopal , fort worth , ray suarez
The event begins at 11 a.m., and will be at Calvary Church. 4401 N. Hwy 161 at Walnut Hill, in Irving. Catered lunch and trade show are part of the event. $17 members; $20 non-members and guests. Reservations are suggested. www.DFWChristianchamber.com info@dfwchristianchamber.com
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The entry "Thelma Wells to speak to DFW Christian Chamber of Commerce" is tagged: dfw christian chamber of commerce February 12, 2010
The Rev. Wally Chappell is a longtime United Methodist pastor who served churches around the Dallas area. He's also a veteran teacher of the the Intensive Journal Workshop. He'll be giving the course at Highland Park University. Details below: The Intensive Journal Workshop Cost: $155
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The entry "Wally Chappell to give Intensive Journal Workshop at Highland Park UMC" is tagged: intensive journal workshop , wally chappell February 11, 2010
Here's a report:
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The entry "One in four Presbyterian pastors is female, and nearly half the membership is 65 or older" is tagged: graying , presbyterian church (u.s.a.)
Details in the press release below:
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The entry "Terry Meeuwsen honored by Women in Christian Media" is tagged: terry meeuwsen , women in christian media February 10, 2010
In a recent decision, the Supreme Court opened the door for corporations and labor unions to contribute directly in support of political candidates. Some conservative Christian political organizations have been critical of federal limitations affecting their ability to campaign for a candidate by advancing a particular message before an election. As expected, Focus on the Family Action spokesman Tim Goeglein said his group is happy with the court's ruling. "Organizations like Focus on the Family Action, the family policy councils, all of our allies-- this (Supreme Court decision) will give us an incredible voice in the great issues of our time," he said. On the other hand, liberal Sojourners founder Jim Wallis warned the ruling will just make it easier for the wealthy to dominate the debate. But is there another way to look at this? Might all religious groups - conservative or progressive - now be freed of past restrictions limiting advocacy on behalf of a candidate they like? Churches can't support candidates, but why not faith-based groups - whatever their ideological stripe? Here's the question: Should religious organizations view this ruling as an opening as well to engage directly in financial support of, and advocacy for, specific candidates? Our panel of experts weighs in:
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The entry "Texas Faith: Should religious groups advocate for specific candidates?" is tagged: Texas Faith February 8, 2010
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The entry "Faith Community Leadership Summit takes on end-of-life care" is tagged: faith community leadership summit , texas health resources
Mary DeMuth of Rockwall is a veteran author of Christian books, and her latest is a memoir. She'll be at Legacy Books in Plano on Feb. 18th, at 7 p.m. to talk about that book, "Thin Places," and about the craft of memoir writing. Details below:
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The entry "Christian author Mary DeMuth to do signing and give workshop on memoir writing" is tagged: legacy books , mary demuth , thin places February 5, 2010
John L. Allen, Jr., writes for the National Catholic Reporter, and did a long, interesting story for that publication about the growth of Catholicism in Texas. Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Diocese of Dallas was part of that story. Allen spoke earlier this week at the University of Dallas, a Catholic school known for its conservativism. Now Allen has blogged about the experience of visiting UD, and in his post comments on the school, on Farrell's challenge to it in a commencement address, and on tensions more broadly among Catholics. Allen also reports that he got some heat at UD for using the phrase "Taliban Catholicism." Click here for Allen's report.
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The entry "John L. Allen Jr., on the University of Dallas, Bishop Kevin Farrell and `Taliban Catholicism'" is tagged: bishop kevin farrell , john l. allen , jr. , national catholic reporter , univeristy of dallas
The Rev. Drake Torp-Pedersen of Terrell Bible Church brought to my attention the death of Bible scholar Donald Wiseman, a key figure with Tyndale House, a biblical research center in England. A UK blog site reports the death, quoting a statement from Tyndale. Below is a remembrance:
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The entry "Donald Wiseman was key figure at Tyndale House " is tagged: donald wiseman , tyndale
Louis Moore covered religion for the Houston Chronicle for many years, then moved into book writing and publishing. He does a blog, and his latest entry draws on his reporting experience to note that the trouble the Southern Baptists are in in Haiti is not without precedent. Very interest tale, so keep reading:
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The entry "SBC leaders bear responsibility for Baptists' trouble in Haiti" is tagged: haiti , louis moore , sbc February 4, 2010
Sally Reilly began teaching at St. Monica Catholic School in Dallas in 1960. She's still at it, and has no plans to retire. A special Mass honoring her will be said tomorrow at 8 a.m. It will be at St. Monica Catholic Church, 9933 Midway Road. Details in the press release below:
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The entry "Sally Reilly to be honored for 50 years of teaching at St. Monica" is tagged: sally reilly , st. monica
Former HUD secretary Henry Cisneros will address the housing crisis when he gives the Rabbi David Lefkowitz Memorial Lecture at Dallas' Temple Emanu-El. The Feb. 23 event begins at 7:30 p.m. It's at the temple, 8500 Hillcrest Road. The public is welcome, and there's no admission charge. A press release is below:
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The Rev. Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, has gotten national circulation for an essay decrying the Air Force Academy's decision to establish an outdoor place of worship for pagans, Wiccans, Druids and others. Click here. . And click here for a wire story.
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The entry "Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas comments on Air Force Academy accommodation of pagans" is tagged: first baptist dallas , robert jeffress |
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