Christianity

(Updated) Jesus FTW: God-Lovin' Kountze Cheerleaders Trounce Heathens In Court Battle

Updated with statements from Governor Rick Perry and the Freedom From Religion Foundation. In a high-profile battle based on small-town football, the cheerleaders in the little East Texas burg of Kuntze have won a court battle to praise Jesus during football games. The Kountze case drew national a ... More >>

Montrose's St. Stephen's Will Hold Houston's First Episcopal Ceremony "Marrying" Gays

St, Stephen's Episcopal is in the heart of Montrose, and it has long embraced the neighborhood's live-and-let-live vibe. (Kids, it really used to be like that before the townhomes invaded.) That tradition will continue March 17 hen it holds what it says is Houston's first Witnessing and Blessing of ... More >>

Madonna's Top 5 MDNA World Tour Transgressions

Madonna's Sex book turned 20 years old this week. The literary capstone on pop music's most frankly sexual career (sorry, Prince), the glossy collection of softcore smut managed to shock even the Material Girl's most ardent fans, crossing a few lines that many weren't entirely aware existed. Gay se ... More >>

Music World Stands Up for Embattled Russian Punks Pussy Riot

Above: A burka-clad Madonna talks about Pussy Riot to her Moscow audience Rewind: Vladimir Putin: No Pussy Riot on His Watch Free speech is a valued thing in this country. It's why journalists, writers, musicians and artists exist and are able to do what they do. However, in Russia, it seems to be ... More >>

Vladimir Putin: No Pussy Riot On His Watch

Above: Video of the performance that got three Moscow punk rockers arrested If he were still alive, Frank Zappa would have a field day with this one. Just when we thought the Montgomery County sheriff's department was setting the standard for dodgy tactics and thought control with Friday's suspici ... More >>

James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell: The Blood Gospel

Texas Number 14 on List of Most Christian States, Houston Ninth Most Religious Among Cities

A study released by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) covering the religious affiliations by region of the country ranked Texas as the 14th most Christian state, with more than 53 percent of Texans identifying themselves as members of a Christian religion. Not sur ... More >>

Byzantine Frescoes Are Leaving Soon, See Them While You Can

The Menil Collection will soon be saying goodbye to the Byzantine Frescoes. Officials announced last fall that they would be returning the frescoes to their original home, the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, in March. The Menil will also be closing the doors to the Byzantine Fresco Chapel, which has been ... More >>

SPECIAL BEST-OF EDITION

Southern Baptists Might Change Their Name: Five Options

Taking nominations.​Our willingness to keep up with the inner workings of the Southern Baptist Convention is easily taxed, so we're thankful Houston Chronicle religion writer Kate Shelnutt is there to pick up the banner. She points us to the Baptist News, whose subscription we really meant to ... More >>

Rick Perry Asking Other Governors to Pray And Fast For A Day, Including Chris Christie (Updated)

Fast for a day, Chris Christie: the power of Perry compels you!​There are few t hings more annoying than the stranger who asks you if you've accepted Jesus, but Governor Rick Perry has became That Guy with a letter to the 49 other state leaders in the U.S. He's asking them to come to Houston ... More >>

Boxing Day at Mucky Duck

Houston Symphony on New Year’s Eve at the Centrum

Money and Mercy

Readers comment on Bolivar's loss of Our Mother of Mercy Church

Joesph Rouse: Priest Threatens To Bomb Aflac Over Customer Service

The wrath of one priest, if not quite God​It's always refreshing to read about a priest who's not accused of diddling little boys, so it was a treat to learn that retired Houston priest John Rouse is only accused of...threatening to bomb an insurance company if it didn't process his claim fast eno ... More >>

Dan Shea: The Man Who Sued The Pope Not Mollified By Vatican's Latest Sex Abuse Plan

The hits keep coming​"The Pope and the Vatican just can't stop showing their ass, can they?"So asks Daniel Shea, the former Roman Catholic deacon turned plaintiff's lawyer who once hoped to put the Pope in a Houston court docket.Shea is referring to the Church's latest official directives on the o ... More >>

The Archbishop Outlines Which Galveston Churches Are Not Long For This World

​The list of Galveston Catholic churches that the Archdiocese wants to tear down is out, and it's somewhat grim reading.The Galveston County Daily News reports that Archbishop Daniel DiNardo wrote island parishioners of the plans, not making everyone all that happy in the process.Among those that ... More >>

Identity and Religion

Swine Flu Can't Beat (A Carefully Wrapped) God

The Compak CompaniesWith what is surely the Black Plague of the 21st Century bearing down on all our souls, the last place anyone wants to worry about swine flu is church. So some institutions, like the Austin Diocese, are suspending or altering communion.The story in the Waco Tribune includes a let ... More >>

Doubt: A Parable

Web exclusive!

No Bacon or Shellfish?

Play That Funky Music, Christ Boy

Howard Lehrman, even after all these years, still considers himself an "anti-noise pollution activist," battling "Audio Terrorism" and the "Boomheads."Boomheads are the guys who crank the bass in their cars, rattling windows and victimizing and booming to death - as Lehrman says - decent law-abiding ... More >>

Pinche Child Molesters

Texas Exorcism Case Goes to Washington

With the Christmas season lingering, there's one fellow who's been left out of the merriment and good tidings. A certain fellow with horns and a pitchfork. And he seems to be doing whatever he can to snatch a bit of the spotlight, as evidenced in an exorcism lawsuit that might be reviewed by the U.S ... More >>

Sister Act: The Other Boleyn Girl

Sibling rivalry in all its royal glory

What’s That Dirt on Your Head? Oh Yeah, It’s Ash Wednesday

Lamb of God

Parish Predators: Are Daniel DiNardo and Juan Carlos Patino-Arango Cut from the Same Cloth?

Naked Men: The ManKind Project and Michael Scinto

The organization was supposed to make him a better man. Instead, his parents say, it made him a dead one.

Matisyahu, 311

Sunday, July 8, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins Dr., 281-363-3300.

Saint Matthew's Churches, Inc.

Christians send in money for prayer requests which may just go up in smoke

Tut, Tut, Tu!

Why Do Mexicans See the Virgin Mary in the Stupidest Things?

The Mexican replies

GWAR Heroes Electro Grrl

Flying filth will never go out of style with these guys around

Not in Good Standing

A Houston priest is suspended after decades of molestation accusations

Oh, the Gaul!

Tale of Two Cities

Catholic priest John Chinh Tran re-created Vietnam's Thai Xuan Village in Houston with an iron hand. These days his control is slipping away.

Kiss and Tell

Critics want the diocese to explain why this Roman Catholic priest is still celebrating Mass

War Is Afoot

"Eyes Wide Open" brings statistics to life

Sins of Omission?

The local Catholic diocese gets accused of covering up a '96 sex abuse case

Bring the Noise

Local act Priest in Shit keeps it avant

Supreme Show

Works from a bygone era stand the test of time

From Cells to Souls

Chuck Colson and his evangelical Christians team up with a local prison for a divine intervention program

Holy Diver

Atomic Opera

Letters

Stormin' Mormon

SLC Punk! shows young rebels, but not their relevance

Virgin Rebirth

The statue doesn't look like a traditional Our Lady of Guadalupe. But its appearance is just the start of the

Broken Vows

Not So True Confessions

The didactic Priest is an overheated but honorable melodrama

Transformation of Robert Campbell

From Panhandle flatlands to Guatemalan mountains, Houston doctor and artist Robert Campbell searched for a life with meaning.When he died, many said that life was his.