Associated Press religion writer Rachel Zoll has a story about the faith elements of the upcoming wedding and marriage of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky.

Clinton has a Christian background; Mezvinsky is Jewish. Zoll writes about the interfaith issues ahead, beginning with the wedding:

The bride and groom have a range of choices, including conversion or a melding their two traditions into one ceremony.

The talk has been strongest in the Jewish community. There has been more rejoicing than lamenting about this interfaith union that brings a former first daughter a step closer to the fold.

Still, they wonder: Has Chelsea been searching for a rabbi along with her gown?

"If they had a Jewish wedding officiated by a rabbi, I think that would be something really positive," said Ed Case, president of InterfaithFamily.com, which supports Jewish outreach to interfaith couples. "It's so important for the Jewish community to have interfaith couples engaging in Jewish life."

Chelsea Clinton grew up attending Methodist church with her mother. Bill Clinton has been close to his pastor in Arkansas, but the Southern Baptist Convention rebuked him years ago over his support for gay relationships and abortion rights.

Last year, Chelsea, a graduate student at Columbia University's School of Public Health, was seen attending Yom Kippur services with Marc at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, the flagship for Conservative Judaism, according to news reports.

Continue reading "A Jewish wedding for Chelsea Clinton?" »

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

In the months since we started In Good Faith, we've attracted readers and commenters from all over the world. Ties to the Baltimore area will be helpful in spotting some familiar faces in the video above (the list appears at the end).

I wanted to take a moment to say a sincere thank you to all who have stopped by, and particularly to those who have joined in the spirited debate taking shape on these pages. During this holiday season, we wish the very best to everyone of every faith, and no faith at all.

I expect to be posting only lightly over the next few days as I take time off to spend with my family. As my father would say: Talk amongst yourselves.

Best,
Matt

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

With the Senate working on the healthcare overhaul, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin enlisted a group of liberal faith leaders Tuesday to discuss what he called the “moral imperative” of providing coverage to every American.

“We are fortunate to live in the wealthiest nation in the world that has been a beacon of hope and human rights for millions,” the Maryland Democrat said. “Our objective in health care reform is to bring down escalating costs; provide affordable, quality health care for every American; and to do so in a fiscally responsible way. But America is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide health care to its citizens. The leader of the free world should provide universal health coverage to every American. This is a moral imperative and that’s what this bill does.”

“Our traditions demand better,” said Rabbi Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism. “Our nation seeks better. God's children deserve better. This Congress can do better. Dr. King’s call of the fierce urgency of now should animate the decisions each senator will make in ensuring universal health coverage. We pray and advocate that they will do better – for all Americans and for our nation’s future.”

“Authentic health care reform has been delayed by insurance companies seeking to protect vast profits and grotesquely inflated executive salaries,” said James Winkler, General Secretary of United Methodist Church. “Health care is a human right. It cannot and should not be denied in favor of profit. Now is the moment of decision. Now is the time for moral courage in the face of money and power.”

“We call on our representatives solve the immoral situation in our country where people go without health insurance,” said Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director of NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. “This is a faith and civic challenge: we need accessible, quality, affordable healthcare for all.”

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Which religious denomination has the best slogan? According to a vote of nonprofit professionals, it's the United Methodist Church.

The United Methodists took home the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Award in the category of Religion & Spiritual Development with an eight-year-old slogan: "Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors."

From the award citation:

The work of religious organizations often operates on several planes at once — a challenge for any organization and its messaging. Here, The United Methodist Church delivers a tagline trinity that supports its applied faith mission and is warm, enthusiastic and embracing.

“Our tagline embodies who we are as United Methodists,” the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of the communications agency responsible for overseeing the advertising ministry for the 11.5 million-member denomination, said in a statement. “The characteristics it celebrates are perceived positively by the people we are trying to reach.”

Among the other winners were "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste®," the 38-year-old slogan of the United Negro College Fund, and "Nothing Stops A Bullet Like A Job," the tagline for Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries.

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Members of a Baltimore County church are looking for a place to worship on Sunday after a two-alarm fire early Friday destroyed their sanctuary.

Fire investigators say a lightning strike could have caused the fire at the Sharp Street United Methodist Church in Chase, Sun colleague Brent Jones reports. Ten-foot-high stained glass windows were shattered, the outer structure of the building was charred, and a smoky smell remained in the air for hours as church members steadily came by to observe the damage.

Lewis Foust was one of the men who built the sanctuary in 1972.

"That's really the hurtful part -- to see what you have done just gone," he told Jones.

Founded 145 years ago, the church was widely considered the oldest in Chase. If a lightning strike is confirmed, it would be the third such case involving a local historic church over the past two years.

The 140-year-old First Mount Olive Free Will Baptist Church in West Baltimore was destroyed by a fire sparked by lightning in July 2007, and Baltimore's Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Druid Hill Avenue was hit by lightning last month. The Bethel congregation is set to return to its church Sunday.

Read the rest of the story at baltimoresun.com.

Kim Hairston/The Baltimore Sun

Posted by Matthew Hay Brown at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Methodism