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Analysis and commentary on issues that concern the work of FaithTrust Institute.

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Southern Baptists: Yes, but . . .

Southern Baptists: Yes, but . . .

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“One sexual predator in our midst is one too many,” said Morris Chapman, president of the Southern Baptist Convention executive committee. “Sexual predators must be stopped. They must be on notice that Southern Baptists are not a harvest field for their devious deeds.” Good so far.

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Sex Offenders in Church in Georgia Part 2

Sex Offenders in Church in Georgia Part 2

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In my last blog, I took the position that the Georgia law that criminalizes all volunteer activities in a faith community by registered sex offenders is problematic because it allows the state to determine how we do ministry. Several of you disagreed.

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Sex Offenders in Church in Georgia

Sex Offenders in Church in Georgia

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The state of Georgia is trying to protect its children from sex offenders. To that end it passed legislation in 2006 (updated in 2008) that is viewed as the toughest in the U.S. There is only one problem: the law criminalizes all volunteer activities by registered sex offenders in religious organizations.

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Confusion Reigns for Southern Baptist Professor

Confusion Reigns for Southern Baptist Professor

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Bruce Ware, professor of Christian theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., actually does know why husbands abuse their wives.

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What About the Good Samaritan? Part 2

What About the Good Samaritan? Part 2

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Four teenage girls were molested by their youth pastor. When one teen finally disclosed, the senior pastor fired the youth pastor and reported him to the police. He was charged and prosecuted for sex with a minor. So far, so good.

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And What About the Good Samaritan?

And What About the Good Samaritan?

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A woman recently shared with me her experience of being assaulted and stabbed by her abusive husband. As she recovered from her injuries, she turned to her church, expecting pastoral care and support.

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The Pope Has Come and Gone

The Pope Has Come and Gone

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I think it is safe to say that everyone was surprised that Pope Benedict XVI talked about the pedophile priest crisis everyday he was in the US on his recent trip. In fact, he began the conversation with reporters on his plane enroute.

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The Pope Is Ashamed

The Pope Is Ashamed

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Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the U.S. for his first visit as Pope. And there is some good news here. Ironically, “good news” and the Church don’t often appear in the same sentence these days. So I am always on the lookout for this occurrence.

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“Whatever Became of Sin? Indeed.”

“Whatever Became of Sin? Indeed.”

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Whatever Became of Sin? This was the provocative title of a book by psychiatrist Karl Menninger in 1974 written out of his concern that in the beginning of the culture wars, we were losing our sense of moral focus and jettisoning the notion of “sin.”

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Muslim Rape Victim Punished

Muslim Rape Victim Punished

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International media recently carried the newstory about a Saudi Arabian woman who was gang raped and then sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes after she spoke out to protest the lenient sentences given her attackers.

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The Hate Crime You May Have Missed

The Hate Crime You May Have Missed

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Among the numerous school shootings in the past several weeks, one stands out for me: the killing of Lawrence King, 15, allegedly by Brandon McInerney, 14, in Oxnard, California. However, it got the least media coverage.

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 No Harm, No Foul? Part 2

No Harm, No Foul? Part 2

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So let’s assume for a minute that institutions like the church, when confronted with the disclosure of unethical behavior like sexual harassment or abuse, tend to act in their own best interests. On the surface, this is what I call the “institutional protection agenda.”

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No Harm, No Foul? Part 1

No Harm, No Foul? Part 1

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Why is professional misconduct wrong? Because someone gets hurt. When any of us in a ministerial or teaching role betrays trust, exploits or abuses, we cause harm to another person.

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Bhutto’s Assassination: Violence Against a Woman Leader

Bhutto’s Assassination: Violence Against a Woman Leader

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Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on Dec. 27, 2007, while campaigning to once again become Prime Minister. She had returned from exile in the fall to lead the efforts of the Pakistani Peoples Party and had been under threat of death ever since.

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Politics, Religion and Rape

Politics, Religion and Rape

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As presidential politics play out, Republican candidate Mike Huckabee has been challenged to answer questions about his involvement in the release of convicted rapist Wayne DuMond after DuMond’s religious “conversion.”

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Evangelicals Rethink Divorce?

Evangelicals Rethink Divorce?

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A recent article in TIME Magazine highlighted an article in Christianity Today describing a shift among some evangelicals to more openness about divorce. This would be welcome news to many evangelical Christian battered women who often feel that they are forced to choose between their church and their safety when it comes to divorce.

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Oprah and the Jesuits

Oprah and the Jesuits

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The Jesuits have settled a lawsuit brought by Alaska Native survivors for $50 million, the largest single settlement against a religious order. At least 110 children and youth were sexually abused from 1961 until 1987 in remote villages in Alaska by Roman Catholic priests.

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Memorial Gathering for Feminist Theologian Letty M. Russell at Yale Divinity School

Memorial Gathering for Feminist Theologian Letty M. Russell at Yale Divinity School

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We at FaithTrust Institute lost a friend and colleague, mentor and leader this past summer. “Letty Mandeville Russell, one of the world's foremost feminist theologians and longtime member of the Yale Divinity School faculty, died Thursday, July 12 at her home in Guilford, CT. She was 77.” She was honored at a memorial service at Yale Divinity School on Oct. 23 when her portrait was hung in the Common Room.

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How Does a Congregation Respond to a Battered Woman?

How Does a Congregation Respond to a Battered Woman?

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“. . . then the congregation’s leaders should help her reach an accommodation with her ex.” No, the congregation’s leaders should help provide for her safety.

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"Pray for the Dead; Fight Like Hell for the Living."

"Pray for the Dead; Fight Like Hell for the Living."

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“Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” These words from Mother Jones come to mind as we celebrate October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the United States.

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