United Methodists: Bishop Scott Jones moves from “extreme centre” of UMC to new Global Methodist Church
He isn’t the first bishop to leave the United Methodist Church for the fledgling conservative denomination. But his exit has arguably caused the greatest stir reports EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service…
US Supreme Court justices spar in latest clash of religion and gay rights
Washington DC, USAP The US Supreme Court ‘s conservative majority sounded sympathetic Monday to a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, the latest collision of religion and gay rights to land at the high court. The designer and her supporters say that ruling against her would force artists – from painters and photographers […]
In the US, Louisiana churches leave Methodist denomination amid schism
New Orleans, Louisiana, US AP The United Methodist Church, a mainstay of the American religious landscape, has cut ties with 58 churches in its Louisiana conference amid a nationwide schism within the Protestant denomination. The disaffiliations, approved in a virtual conference session Saturday, were the latest in a series of decisions that many Louisiana churches have made […]
US judge rules for religious adoption agency limiting services
Albany, New YorkAP A US federal judge ruled that New York state could not require a Christian family services agency to provide adoption services to unmarried or same-sex couples. New Hope Family Services in Syracuse professes that it cannot provide adoption services to same-sex or unmarried couples because of religious beliefs. It filed a federal […]
Five things you need to know from the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in the US
Columbus, Ohio, USRNS Watching backstage as more than 800 Lutherans sang hymns on the floor of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton mused, “We haven’t been singing like this for a long time together. “It’s really powerful.” The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly meets at the Greater Columbus Convention Center […]
Largest group of Mennonite churches in US leaves denomination
RNS Buggies head toward home after a Mennonite service. PICTURE: Creative Commons The Lancaster Mennonite Conference, the largest group of Mennonite congregations in the US, has officially separated from the broader Mennonite community after a long-term disagreement over sexuality and the church. The LMC, with 179 churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York, voted to […]
ESSAY: SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS MORE COMPLEX THAN THE YES CAMPAIGN ADMITS
In an article first published by Australia’s ABC, PETER KURTI, research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies, argues that legalising same-sex marriage is far more complex than just changing a few words in an Act of Parliament…
Australian Christian Lobby calls for debate over proposed birth certificate reforms to be held off until after same-sex marriage plebiscite
The Australian Christian Lobby has called for a debate over proposed laws allowing people in Victoria to designate a non-biological gender on their birth certificate to be held off until after a same-sex marriage plebiscite. Lyle Shelton, managing director of the ACL, said that LGBTIQ political lobbyists were “moving way too fast for ordinary Australians who […]