Faith & Values

Remember in the fall of 2006 when Bishop Robert Morlino, leader of the Catholic Diocese of Madison, ordered all of his priests to play a taped message from him supporting the state constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of same-sex partnerships? A lot of Catholics were outraged. Some left their parishes. Others in the public railed against this explicit intervention of religious dogma in the political arena. And some were heartened by his bold stand. Well, it's about to happen again. Not necessarily in Madison. Not on a single  issue that has obvious moral implications. But in a well-planned effort by some religious groups this Sunday to test the Internal Revenue Service enforcement of the law that keeps religious organizations from getting involved in partisan political activities. Some 33 ministers are going to endorse a presidential candidate as part of... READ MORE

As the chatter about the role of religion in the 2008 presidential campaign keeps churning along, here are a number of sites that I have found useful for gaining perspective on the conversations: Resources on Faith & Politics God-o-Meter The God-o-Meter® scientifically measures factors such as rate of God-talk, effectiveness-saying God wants a capital gains tax cut doesn't guarantee a high rating-and other top-secret criteria (Actually, the adjustment criteria are linked from the site). Click a candidate's head to get his or her latest God-o-Meter reading and blog post. Crunchy Con Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author... READ MORE

One of the most notable characteristics of gatherings of journalists these days is the pervasive sense of sadness about the disintegration of the old ways of the news business and fear about its future. Changes in the ways Americans get their news, the wide variety of alternatives and the collapse of the economic model that sustained newspapers and television news for so long have all put traditional news organizations on the ropes. Folks in the Madison area have certainly seen this with the dramatic changes that occurred this year with The Capital Times and the shrinking of Isthmus and the Wisconsin State Journal. That's what made several of the sessions I have been attending this week at the centennial celebration of the University of Missouri School of Journalism so remarkable. There is... READ MORE