News
By the staff of The Lutheran, ELCA News Service and Religion News Service
Clergy respect drops Clergy used to rank near the top in polls asking Americans to rate the honesty and ethics of people in vari- ous professions. In 2013, for the first time since Gallup began asking the question in 1977, fewer than half said clergy have “high” or “very high” moral standards. Opinions differed markedly by party, with Republicans viewing clergy far more favorably than Democrats. Overall, 47 percent of respondents gave clergy “high” or “very high” ratings, a sharp drop in confidence from the 67 percent reported in 1985. Among Republi- cans, 63 percent gave clergy one of the two top ratings for ethics, com- pared with 40 percent of Democrats.
Fitbits for leaders Rostered leaders in the Southwest- ern Texas Synod, with the help of a grant from Portico Benefit Services, received Fitbits to use in their quest to become healthier. The tiny device measures steps taken and quality of sleep. Aside from regular workouts, users get “credit” for daily walking at work, home and for leisure. The Fitbits are to encourage community, accountability and improving physi- cal wellness, said Lori Ruge-Jones, a member of the synod’s professional leaders team. The synod, which received grant money after enough leaders filled out the wellness survey, is “walking to Jerusalem” by Eas- ter—15 million steps. In the first two weeks of the challenge, the 32 walkers had logged 3.3 million steps.
Bishop resigns James A. Justman resigned Dec. 19 as bishop of the East-Central Synod of Wisconsin, citing personal reasons. He resigned while on a sabbatical
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www.thelutheran.org
Religion writers agree: Pope Francis No. 1 newsmaker
N
o surprise, Pope Francis is the top religion story of 2013 and the Religion Newsmaker of
the Year, according to a poll. More than 300 journalists were
surveyed by the Religion Newswrit- ers Association, dedicated to helping journalists write about religion with accuracy, insight and balance. The association has conducted the Top 10 Religion News Stories of the Year survey for more than three decades. Francis beat out his predecessor,
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who was the No. 2 story, and evangelist Billy Graham—who recently turned 95 and is reportedly ailing—for the newsmaker designation. Benedict made news when he became the first pope to resign in almost six centuries. Coming in third among the top
religion stories was the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision permitting gay marriage in California and ending the ban on federal employee ben- efits for same-sex couples. Within months of the June decision, the number of states permitting same- sex marriage rose to 18, including Illinois and Hawaii. Fourth on the list were the
Obama administration’s concessions to faith-based groups and businesses that objected to the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act. While opponents have reaped mixed results in lower courts, the Supreme Court has agreed to take Hobby Lobby’s challenge. And the fifth religion story of the
year was the central role Islam has played in the Middle East after the Arab Spring. The Egyptian military ousted the Muslim Brotherhood-led government and cracked down on
its supporters while Sunni Islamist fighters increased their role in Syria’s opposition. Other stories rounding out the
top 10 are: 6. The death of Nelson Mandela, 95, icon of reconciliation and non- violence. He was remembered as a modern-day Moses who led his peo- ple out of racial bondage. 7. Religious-inspired violence killed scores of people, with extremist Buddhist monks inciting attacks on Muslims in Myanmar and Muslim extremists targeting Christians in Egypt, Kenya and Pakistan. 8. More than 1 in 5 U.S. Jews now report having no religion, according to a landmark survey from the Pew Research Center. 9. The Boy Scouts of America, after much debate, voted to accept Scouts—but not scoutmasters—who are openly gay.
10.Muslims joined other Americans in condemning a devastating bomb- ing at the Boston Marathon by two young Muslim brothers.
Two bishops on list Two ELCA bishops received men- tion in Top 10 newsmaker stories from the Religion News Service. In his commentary, A. James Rudin listed Elizabeth A. Eaton No. 7 on his list, with the headline “Cracks in the stained-glass ceiling,” as the first woman elected ELCA presid- ing bishop. In a similar story for RNS, editor Kevin Eckstrom called gay marriage victories the third headline-maker of 2013. The ELCA, he wrote, “elected its first openly gay bishop (R. Guy Erwin, South- west California Synod) with barely a shrug.”
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