The American Nun Probes: Two Views
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Date: 27 August 2009
Checking In or Reining In?
Late in 2008, the Vatican quietly announced a two-part "visitation" of American nuns.
On paper, the probes are supposed to examine the sisters' quality of life and adherence to church doctrine. But the real purpose of the extensive questionnaires is fuzzy, depending on whom you ask.
Some conservative nuns see the probes as friendly and unremarkable-- a routine check-in by the Vatican to address declining membership. And many liberal nuns worry it's an attempt to rein in their advocacy for changes in the church, like womens' ordination and gay rights. This week: two views on the Vatican's sweeping survey.
Ann Carey, author of Sisters in Crisis: The Tragic Unraveling of Women's Religious Communities
Sr. Joan Chittister, author of over 40 books on spirituality, including The Way We Were: A Story of Conversion and Renewal
Gay Clergy and the Lutheran Church
Begins at 28 min 30 sec
America’s largest Lutheran denomination is officially more gay-friendly. On August 21, leaders of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to allow all gay and and lesbians to serve as clergy—including those who are sexually active and in serious relationships. Before the vote, only celibate gays and lesbians were allowed to serve as ministers. We ask Kevin Eckstrom if the Lutheran decision, which comes just weeks after a similar vote by the Episcopal church, is the beginning of a trend in mainline Protestantism.
Kevin Eckstrom, editor of Religion News Service
The Gospel According to Bono
Begins at 37 min
Religion and the modern music industry share this common thread: people often live or die, succeed or fail, based on the labels they’re assigned, and the labels they claim for themselves.
This week we explore what it means to be called a "Christian" band, and why we seem to care. We begin with U2, the Irish rock & rollers thought by some to be the biggest Christian band in the world.
Greg Garrett, author of We Get to Carry Each Other: The Gospel according to U2
In the Studio With Jars of Clay
Begins at 40 min 47 sec
The contemporary Christian music industry has had its share of crossover acts: Amy Grant, dc Talk, Stryper. Then, in 1995, Jars of Clay came out with the breakthrough single, “Flood," an earnest, optimistic pop tune about suffering, guilt and redemption. The album would sell more than 2 million copies.
But the song’s mainstream appeal created a strange problem for the group…a problem that gets to the core of why the label “alternative Christian music” can be so difficult. Laura Kwerel sits down with the band to talk about their new album, The Long Fall Back to Earth, and find out how they’ve struggled to transcend industry stereotypes.
Jars of Clay
Hear their in-studio performance of Flood
Hear their in-studio performance of Boys (Lesson One)
This Week's Interfaith Calendar
August 29 - The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
August 29th is the day Roman Catholics commemorate the beheading of John the Baptist, the saint Catholics believe baptized Jesus. The story of his gruesome decapitation begins when John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod, the ruler of Palestine. John was accused of publicly criticizing Herod’s new wife-- prompting her to hatch a plan to get rid of him. So she convinced her daughter, Salome, to perform a sultry dance for Herod at his birthday party, hoping to woo him into giving her anything. Her seduction worked. Her wish? To have John the Baptist’s head delivered...on a platter. Herod reluctantly agreed.
