Recently in Elsewhere Category

In an edition of Sightings from last week, a federal judge from Illinois dissects a legal brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court from a diverse group of religious organizations arguing a moral case for why the should stop the sentencing of juveniles convicted of non-homicide offenses to life without the possibility of parole.

The groups make a claim "rarely heard in contemporary culture, that the duty of a judge, and of a society imposing judgment, is to make adequate provision for ... values" of mercy, forgiveness and passion, writes U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall.

A recent Sightings column by religion scholar Martin Marty about what kind of religion news coverage is still out there amid the decline of beat coverage by print media. Read the column at the jump.

I caught a re-broadcast this morning of NPR segment on the Southern Poverty Law Center's annual report on hate groups active in the U.S.

The number of groups continued to rise in 2008. Last year, 926 hate groups were active in the country - and increase of more than 4 percent from 888 in 2007. Compare that to the year 2000 when there were 602 groups.

An interesting note in the report highlighted the increasing militancy of the extremist fringe of the Hebrew Israelite movement, which is active in East Coast cities and "whose adherents believe that Jews are creatures of the devil and that whites deserve death or slavery," according to SPLJ.

Pennsylvania is home to 37 hate groups, including the York-based neo-Nazi group American National Socialist Workers Party and the nearby Catholic Apologetics International in State Line, Franklin County, according to the report.

While at the SPLJ's site, check out this story about a retiring federal law enforcement agent and his experiences going undercover in hate groups.

The vote to approve a much-debated social statement that acknowledges, among other things, the validity of same-sex relationships that are "chaste, monogamous and lifelong" came down to one vote on Wednesday evening.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America churchwide assembly is meeting through Sunday in Minneapolis. Here's coverage of Wednesday's vote by the Star Tribune and the ELCA News Service here and here.

Supporting and dissenting groups issued statements reacting to the vote: Lutheran CORE (not happy) and Lutherans Concerned (happy).

Btw, a vote is scheduled for Friday on the proposal to repeal an ELCA ban on gay and lesbian ministers from leading churches unless they promise to be celibate.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, said Monday the church may have to accept a "two-tier" model for the worldwide Communion, in which believers can hold different opinions about gay clergy and same-sex unions, the AP reports.

Rowan Williams wrote on his Web site Monday that there are "two styles of being Anglican" and that both sides should work together to maintain unity. Read more at the jump.

Lots of news out of the Episcopal convention in Anaheim, Calif., this week, where church members declared gays and lesbians eligible for "any ordained ministry" Tuesday -- a move likely to disappoint world Anglican leaders who wanted the U.S. church to forbid consecrating another gay bishop.

The Rev. Canon David W. Lovelace of the Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in York is attending the church's General Convention, which is a once-every-three-years legislative assembly. It concludes Friday.

Follow Lovelace's updates from the convention here.

Other members of the delegation from the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania are posting daily updates on the diocese's Middle Pew blog.

In the most recent Sightings column, Joseph Laycock discusses the theology behind a Kentucky church's recent Open Carry Celebration. Read more at the jump.