Christianity

The Pope Quits? Popes Don't Quit!

The world was rocked and shocked with the news that George Ratzinger, 85, was quitting his day job. Sure, 85 seems a reasonable age to retire, but the thing is that Ratzinger also goes by the name Pope Benedict XVI, and popes, to put it simply, don't quit. Borgias have tried to get them to quit an ... More >>

Religious Rapprochement Will Make History (Sorta), But Don't Tell Houston

It's been nearly 500 years since Martin Luther tacked his Ninety-Five Theses on a Wittenberg door. Nearly five centuries of Christian schism -- of discussions on indulgence and fallibility, of the Thirty Years War and the Irish Troubles, of the demise of the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of the Ku ... More >>

Rants of a Know Nothing

And a dramatic piece of Mexican history.

Beaumont Diocese Sued Over Priest Who Allegedly Abused Teen in 1976

A Dallas County man is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, and Bishop Curtis Guillory, over sexual abuse the man allegedly suffered by a now-deceased priest in 1976-1977. Filed last week in Jefferson County District Court, the man -- identified as John Doe 104 -- claims that Father Ronald ... More >>

SPECIAL MORMON EDICION

Imprinting the Divine: Byzantine and Russian Icons from The Menil Collection

Dan Shea, The Man Who Sued the Pope, Sounds Off on Joe Paterno

Penn State and the Catholic Church​Bella figura can mean many things, but at its core is presentation...how one looks, how one comports oneself, how one makes the best possible impression in all things. That such a concept is hardwired into the Italian psyche is no surprise: what else could be ... More >>

Mormons: Whether We Should Hate Them or Not

A Shallow Yet Helpful Guide

Gov. Rick Perry May Have Used Taxpayer Dollars To Promote "The Response", Says ACLU

Photo by Mandy OaklanderReverend Barry Lynn and Terri Burke are protesting The Response​Diversity-minded, Constitution-abiding folks are pissed at tomorrow's one-day Jesus camp called "The Response." Governor Rick Perry, of course, is the belle of the ball. It's a little complicated since he' ... More >>

Is Being a Robber and an Illegal Immigrant the Same Crime?

And why are there Mennonites in Mexico?

Book of Mormon's Success Shows Apocalypse Is Near

Mason Lankford said, "There will come a day when we forget the Rapture ever even happened," but Rocks Off is keeping an eye out for signs of our impending Armageddon. ​Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park fame are currently enjoying righteous success on Broadway with their musical The Boo ... More >>

Gay Presbyterian Ministers -- Houston Church Reacts: "Breathe Deeply (Multiple Times)"

Breathe deeply in Montrose.​The Presbyterian Church (USA) is expected to approve rule changes that would allow gays to be ordained ministers, a move members had contentiously rejected just two years ago. What's the reaction locally? The minister of one Houston church has sent out a letter urg ... More >>

Sam Singleton Atheist Evangelist, If the Ocean was Whiskey and God Was a Duck

More Priest-Abuse Suits, This Time With Chloroform

Man claims he was chloroformed and raped as an altar boy​The Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is facing more allegations of abuse and fraud related to a Houston priest who died in 2000.In a lawsuit set to be filed today, Guadalupe Gonzales accuses the late Father Lawrence Peguer ... More >>

Our Mother of Mercy

How far did cardinal go in tearing down Ike-ravaged church?

Rick Santorum Coming To Houston To Rebut JFK, Constitution

Rick Sanotrum -- defined as "a deep thinker" by UST, as something else by Dan Savage​Fifty years ago, then-presidential candidate JFK delivered a historic speech on the separation of church and state to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. As the first Catholic candidate for president,&nbs ... More >>

Wrong on Mormons? Stop Deportation

Mexicans, Mormonism and the "Texans" of Mexico

The Pope Problem

Readers respond to "The Man Who Sued the Pope."

The Man Who Sued the Pope

Houston's Daniel Shea thinks Joseph Ratzinger has a lot to answer for if he'd talk.

This Week's Cover Story: The Man Who Sued The Pope

​Most times when you ask Houston lawyer/theologian Daniel Shea a question, you get a treatise in response, one that can take in everything from the Edict of Constantine and to the deeds of Admiral Rickover to the sins of many a modern-day bishop in the ongoing sex abuse scandal roiling the Rom ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Five Fictional Pedophiles Who Could Teach The Vatican A Thing Or Two

It's hard out here for a priest. The sex-abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church refuse to go away, with more cases coming to light and casting doubt on the actions of those in the highest offices of the Vatican, including Big Pope-a himself: Critics have charged that Pope Benedict XVI, ... More >>

"Stenciling Power"

Somewhere over the rainbow…is the face of Mormon founder Joseph Smith

"A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People"

A pontiff bridges a centuries-old divide

Angels & Demons with Tom Hanks

Another treat for whacked-out male conspiracy theorists

Bring Out Your Dead (Popes)

A Mainstream Mormon's Test of Faith

Seven months have passed since the polygamist raid in Eldorado, but the effects linger

Texas's First (Openly) Gay Lutheran Pastor Speaks Out

Jesus on a Pole -- Updated

Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart? Beautiful. Molesting Altar Boys? Not So Much.

Christian Polygamy Advocate Says Mormonism Is the Problem

Parish Predators: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Agrees to Settlement in Abuse Case

Parish Predators: SNAP’s David Clohessy Wants to Know What Took Cardinal Daniel DiNardo So Long in the Case of Rev. Stephen Horn

Political Padre: Raymundo Chávez Vázquez and Illegal Immigration

An activist Roman Catholic priest with little English is sent to conservative Aggieland

Parish Predators: Trial Set in Molestation Case Against the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Original Greek Festival

Dance the Tsamiko after you eat your souvlaki

This Man Thinks He's Jesus H. Christ!

And a lot of people agree with him

Parish Predators

Despite the bishop’s remarks to the contrary, the Galveston-Houston Roman Catholic Archdiocese had child molesters and let them go. But don’t blame just the Church.

Altar Egos

An Episcopalian gets bounced from her church for pressing the issue of female priests

Best Installation

Godspell

Three hundred people from Austin quit their jobs, sold their homes and moved 175 miles to Alvin to start a new church — called by the Holy Spirit in the form of the Reverend Dana Carson

The Mormon Market

Suddenly Unexpected features Mormon characters, so it just might turn a profit

Holy Father

When it comes to the Catholic hierarchy, Mel Gibson’s dad is one Mad Max

Are You There, Ethel?

The creators of The Last Session bring The Big Voice to Stages

Cross Ways

Hispanics search for the origins of their unique faith that fuses Jewish tradition with the celebration of Christ

Graven Images

A respected preacher gets busted for child pornography on his computer. Has he delved into the worst of cyberspace depravity or just the stuff of scholarly research?

Keeping the Faith

Houston Jews and Christians favor peaceful coexistence

Calling Jews to Jesus

Southern Baptists go on a not-so-kosher search to convert Jews to Christ

Dance Fervor

Postmodern theologian Matthew Fox wants to get religion back on its feet again with the Techno Cosmic Mass

Troubleshooter for the Millennium

Suddenly, as the year 2000 approaches, Phillip Arnold's study of first-century apocalyptic Christians is more than a scholarly pursuit