With three weeks to go until the Ames straw poll in Iowa, the race is on to capture the hearts of social conservatives in the Republican party. A number of candidates are competing for the important voting bloc, but for all practical purposes, the field has already narrowed to Michele Bachmann and a still-undeclared candidate, Rick …
Religion
Joe Biden’s Secret Meeting with the Pope
Late last week, the White House released a photo of Vice President Joe Biden meeting with Pope Benedict during a recent trip to Italy. The meeting, which was unannounced and appeared on neither man’s official schedule, took …
Rick Perry’s Controversial Call to Prayer
Texas governor Rick Perry, who may or may not be considering a presidential run, is partnering with the conservative Christian American Family Association to hold an all-day prayer event in Houston this August. Perry has invited his fellow governors to join him at the event to “call upon Jesus to guide us through unprecedented struggles” …
Paul Ryan’s Ayn Rand Problem
I am fairly certain that when Paul Ryan first decided to publicly share his admiration of Ayn Rand, he could not have imagined it would lead to him speed-walking to his SUV to avoid a young Catholic trying to give him a Bible and …
Did the American Pope Really Bless Ryan’s Budget?
Despite some extremely flawed and misleading reporting in the past week (Politico headline: “Paul Ryan Gets Boost From Catholic Bishops), no, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan is not delighted by the House GOP’s budget. Nor has …
Ayn Rand: The GOP’s Godless Philosopher
When George W. Bush declared in a 1999 GOP debate that his favorite political philosopher was Jesus, pundits snickered and wondered whether he actually knew any political philosophers. But the answer was politically canny, …
Catholics Take Boehner to Task
As John Boehner (Catholic-OH) prepares to give the commencement address this weekend at Catholic University, a group of more than 70 Catholic theologians has sent him a tough letter noting that his voting record on economic issues does not match Catholic teaching.
Nat’l Day of Prayer–GOP Only, Please
The Dobsons came to Washington yesterday and hosted a gathering on Capitol Hill for the National Day of Prayer, an annual observance that President Obama officially established by proclamation earlier this week. Organizers must have lost Obama’s address, though (pssst!–1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), because Adelle Banks from Religion News …
Newt Gingrich, Newbie Catholic
Newt Gingrich was a featured speaker at this morning’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, an annual event in Washington that traditionally draws (Republican) politicians looking to court conservative Catholics. Much of the breakfast was focused on the biggest news in the Catholic world this week–the upcoming beatification of Pope John …
Where Will Obama Worship On Easter?
When the Obamas moved into the White House, Washington’s African-American religious communities were ecstatic. The White House was swamped with invitations to visit area churches, and every congregation hoped to land the First …
The Martyrdom of St. Douglas
Douglas Kmiec was an unlikely supporter of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, but a valuable one. A devout Catholic, he briefly served as director of the office of legal counsel in Reagan’s Justice Department and held a chaired professorship at the conservative Pepperdine Law School. His backing of Obama was rewarded by the …
“Money is Fungible”
Obviously. Except when it’s a grant to a religious organization, in which case it’s obviously tightly segregated in order to prevent the appearance of government-funded religion and therefore the furthest thing from fungible.
National Day of Prayer Could Prevent the Apocalypse!
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The folks behind the National Day of Prayer observances have taken a page from Tim Pawlenty’s playbook and produced a slick movie-like trailer to promote the upcoming (May 5) event. As a roiling storm gathers over–surprise!–San Francisco and Washington, DC, …