Christians

On Religion, Some Young People Show Both Doubt And Respect

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:46:00 +0000

This is the second of a two-part discussion. Read Part 1.

A third of young adults in this country say they don't identify with any organized religion.

Amid Instability In Egypt, Coptic Christians Flee To U.S.

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 21:37:00 +0000

Coptic Christians will celebrate Christmas on Monday, and many will do so outside their native Egypt. Since the revolution there, their future in the country has looked uncertain, and many are resettling in the United States.

Their population in the U.S. may have grown by nearly 30 percent, according to rough estimates. One church that has felt its membership swell with new arrivals from Egypt is in the Queens borough of New York. St. Mary and St. Antonios Coptic Orthodox Church boasts more than 1,000 families, says the Rev.

Israel, Christians Negotiate The Price Of Holy Water

Anthony Kuhn — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:29:00 +0000

One of the holiest sites in Christendom has also been one of the most contested. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem lies on the site where Jesus Christ is said to have been crucified and buried.

Multiple Christian denominations share the church uneasily, and clerics sometimes come to blows over the most minor of disputes.

Gay Wedding Was A Trial For The Reformed Church

Lily Percy — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 21:15:00 +0000

After Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, Norman Kansfield's daughter asked him to perform her wedding ceremony.

Kansfield, a respected pastor, scholar and lifelong member of the Reformed Church in America, agreed to marry Ann and her long-time girlfriend. He informed the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey, where he served as president, of his plans.

"I had thought that there would be a request for my resignation," Kansfield says.

'Testament Of Mary' Gives Fiery Voice To The Virgin

Lynn Neary — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:44:00 +0000

The Virgin Mary is one of the most familiar icons of Christianity. For centuries, artists have depicted her on everything from backyard statues of a rosy-cheeked innocent to paintings of magnificent Madonnas hanging in museums all over the world. But few writers have taken up her story or tried to create their own version of the events of her life.

Now, Irish writer Colm Toibin does just that.