Archdiocese of Portland in full compliance with Charter for Protection of Children
By Portland Archdiocese,
The Archdiocese of Portland was found to be in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for 2009. A letter of compliance was sent to Archbishop [...]
Oregon Faith Report asked readers, “Who do you think could use some extra thankfulness from fellow Oregonians this Thanksgiving?” Survey results showed almost half felt the greatest recipients should be soldiers. No one placed a vote for volunteers, but in many cases volunteers are among all [...]
By Wayne Loder, The Compassionate Friends
With the holidays upon us, families that have suffered the tragic loss of a child are often trying to figure out how they can simply survive the season. Unfortunately, those very people who most care about them, relatives and close friends, [...]
Georgene Rice of KPDQ-FM interview with the Oregon Moms in Touch State Coordinator, Karen Ables, and Prison Facilitator, Valerie Eaton
Background: The Moms in Touch organization celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year at over 1000 sites worldwide, including 19 host sites in Oregon. The theme of [...]
BEIJING, Nov. 18 /Christian Newswire/ — At 10:13 AM (Beijing time), nearly 200 nervous-looking Public Security officials seized two Chinese human rights lawyers outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, who were trying to establish a meeting with President Obama before the end of his visit to China. Five human rights [...]
Family-Faith Review: The Twilight Saga - New Moon
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting,
The Twilight Saga: New Moon—Lovelorn gothic romance sequel in which a well-mannered vampire (Robert Pattinson), anxious to protect the mortal high school student (Kristen Stewart) who has captured his heart [...]
Faith and Family Film Review: The Blind Side,
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting.
The Blind Side —Inspirational family drama, based on real events, in which a wealthy white couple (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw) in Memphis, Tenn., offer shelter to a homeless black [...]
Washington, D.C. – A new report based on a recent national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that more than eight years after former President George [...]
By Traci Scott,
Oregon Faith Reporter,
A provocative new book, “Onward Christian Athletes: Turning Ballparks Into Pulpits and Players Into Preachers” examines how conservative, evangelical Christianity has become increasingly prominent in the professional sports world. The book was written by Tom Krattenmaker, a Portland-based writer specializing in [...]
Climate rally draws hundreds in Portland
By Ecumenical Minisitries of Oregon,
Today over 1,000 Portlanders gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square joined people in 181 countries to mark the International Day of Climate Action at the Oregon 350 Climate Action Rally to call for quick action on [...]
Mission Network News Reports,
“Religious freedom advocates are pleased following President Barak Obama’s visit with Chinese President Hu Jintao, who spoke out about the need for religious freedom in China. President Obama also emphasized the importance of freedom of information in a question-and-answer session with college [...]
By Braxton Alsop,
New Wineskins Blog, Oregon
The plot of the film version of Where the Wild Things Are is as simple as it is brilliant. Feeling neglected and ignored by his older sister and mother, Max lashes out and, when his mom yells at him [...]
ALBANY GA — Nov. 15, 2009 — Sherwood Church, home of the hit independent movies FLYWHEEL (DVD only), FACING THE GIANTS, and FIREPROOF (2008’s top indie film), at its Sunday evening service tonight, announced the theme and title for Sherwood Pictures’ fourth movie. Senior Pastor Michael [...]
Oregon Faith Report Reader Survey,
Join the discussion, 8 new faith questions can be answered here.
1. In the Fort Hood base shooting what is your leading concern? (A) A rush to judgment or unfair blaming religion for a single person’s act. (B) The Army is not addressing combat stress, [...]
International Christian Medical Conference under the Theme “Spirituality and Medicines” Brought 400 Doctors from 30 Nations
The 6th International Christian Medical Conference was held at President Hotel on October 30 and 31, 2009 under the auspices of Ukraine Organizing Committee of WCDN (World Christian Doctors Network), whose [...]
Family-Faith Film Review: 2012
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
2012—In the disaster movie to end all fiasco flicks, a doomsday cataclysm results in billions losing their lives as the earth’s crust breaks apart, dismantling civilization and rearranging the continents. Director Roland Emmerich gives his [...]
Family-Faith Film Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
Fantastic Mr. Fox —Droll stop-motion animated adventure, set in the animal world of rural Britain, in which the titular vulpine creature (voice of George Clooney), now a respectable newspaper columnist with a wife [...]
Question of the Week:
By Randy Alcorn
Eternal Perspectives Ministries
Sandy Oregon
Do you believe in guardian angels? Do we each have one?
Because references to “guardian angels” are now part of the modern angel preoccupation, it’s possible to throw out the baby with the bathwater. [...]
Below is a moving newsletter article by Oregonian Rick Johnson who runs Better Dads ministries. He was invited to speak at a men’s conference in Canada and came away changed himself.
By Rick Johnson, Oregon
Better Dads.net Ministries
The Promise Keepers Game Day 2009 [...]
Medical Teams International Joins Trailblazers In Helping Homeless
By Medical Teams International,
(PORTLAND, Ore. Nov. 6, 2009) — Medical Teams International successfully held its largest, one-day mobile dental clinic yesterday at the Rose Garden in Portland. In support of the Portland Trailblazers’ 14th Annual Harvest [...]
From PBS Religion and Ethics Deborah Potter,
Christian Fuhrer became pastor here in 1980, when the world outside the church was divided by the Cold War and Germany was split in two, most visibly by the wall the East German government built in Berlin in 1961. The Communist state was [...]
By Traci Scot, Oregon Faith Reporter
It was mixed results for two highly-touted gay-rights measures in states on opposite ends of the country.
In Washington, voters approved Referendum 71, also referred to as the “everything but marriage” law, which expands rights for domestic partners. It was the first [...]
The OSU Socratic Club will sponsor a debate on the topic, “Euthanasia: A Good Death?” on Monday, November 16, at 7 p.m. in Gilfillan Auditorium on the OSU campus. The speakers are Jerome Wernow and Lani Roberts.
Euthanasia poses a moral dilemma that stands at the forefront of contemporary discussion [...]
Oregon Muslim, Evan Wicks, interview on KATU-TV: “Islam condemns something like this under any circumstances. I understand their anger, but they’re angry at something they don’t understand, Not all Muslims believe the same and my interpretation of Islam is under no circumstances, under no pretenses, [...]
CINCINNATI, Ohio, — By all accounts, the murdered Catholic Nun in New Mexico was worried about crime and her safety; she was killed on October 31st and her killer(s) are still at large. “It is very sad to see another incident occur in the Christian community [...]
Faith-Family Film Rview: A Christmas Carol
by Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting
A Christmas Carol—Lavish, well-crafted but frequently eerie 3-D animated adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic 1843 novella in which miserly misanthrope Ebenezer Scrooge (voice of Jim Carrey) is urged to change his ways by [...]
Faith and Family Film Review: The Men Who Stare at Goats
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
The Men Who Stare at Goats—Fact-based satire, set during the early stages of the Iraq War, in which an eccentric military veteran (George Clooney) regales a reporter [...]
Question of the Week:
By Randy Alcorn
Eternal Perspectives Ministries
Sandy Oregon
Do you believe that everyone should live modestly? (Would that be $30,000 per year, or $50,000, or $100,000, or…?) How do you measure this? Should everyone have the same amount, or are some called [...]
Respect Life is theme of the Tobin Lecture
Portland Archdiocese,
Respect for life will be the theme for this year’s Tobin Lecture on Saturday, November 14 at All Saints Church (3847 NE Glisan) in Portland. The program will run from 9:30 am until noon. Keynote speaker [...]
The makers of the popular hit independent movies, Facing the Giants and Fireproof, are slowly announcing their fourth film. Fireproof went on to make $33 million at the box office.
Christian Today reports, “Movie-making church ministry Sherwood Pictures will be announcing the title and story line of its next movie [...]
Land Swap Proposed for Old Rajneeshee Commune
By Oregon Faith Report,
A Christian-based summer camp run by Young Life is working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on a land swap that incorporates a former site of the Rajneeshee commune. The land exchange is part of [...]
Amidst the controversy, though, the question remains-what exactly is New Atheism?
In his new book, The New Atheism: Taking a Stand for Science and Reason, physicist Victor Stenger, author of the New York Times bestseller God: The Failed Hypothesis, aims to further develop an understanding of the [...]
Oregon Faith Report Reader Survey,
Join the discussion, 9 new faith questions can be answered here.
Question: In good humor, which of the following “sins” are the people you know most guilty of committing?
Choices: Bringing outside food into a theater, Not paying the parking meter, Leaving spoiled food in [...]
Church ministers to grieving community
By Sheila Allen
NW Baptist Convention
lRIDGEFIELD, Wash. — On August 10 several recent graduates of Ridgefield (Wash.) High School piled into vehicles for a trip to the beach before launching on their own journey to college, military assignments and jobs. [...]
(RNS) In the world of faith-based social networking, evangelical Christian leader Mark Oestreicher commanded a huge chunk of cyberspace. Known as “Marko,” the technological hipster amassed 4,000 Facebook friends, 1,500 Twitter followers and 2,000 daily readers of his blog. But then he [...]
Faith-Family Film Review: This Is It
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
This Is It: Posthumous documentary capturing the planning and rehearsals for the titular series of comeback concerts by the controversial “king of pop,” scheduled to begin in London in July, but forestalled by [...]
Faith-Family Review: Paranormal Activity
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
Paranormal Activity— Cohabiting San Diego yuppies (Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) use a video camera to record disturbing phenomena they fear are being caused by a demonic spirit that has pursued the young woman since [...]
Growing quantity of `Christian’ films now focus on quality
By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service,
(RNS) Director Brian Baugh’s upcoming teen film “To Save a Life” may be many things, but one thing it’s not, he says, is a “Christian” movie. The upcoming film about a star basketball player [...]
A graduating college student and aspiring journalist credits her parents for her accomplishments in life
by Kristin Sherrard
Holt International, Oregon
…My story begins on March 23, 1988, not on the date of my birth, but the start of my life. At eight months and [...]
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked Washington state officials from releasing the names and addresses of those who signed a petition referring gay rights legislation to the November ballot. The ruling temporarily blocks a federal appeals court ruling that had ordered the release of [...]
Central Arkansas CityFest: Tremendous Success
Excerpts from Luis Palau Press Release;
Beaverton, Oregon
(North Little Rock, AR) Global evangelist Luis Palau wrapped up his Central Arkansas CityFest campaign this past weekend with local leaders expressing amazement over the unprecedented cooperation among churches, businesses, and government…The CityFest [...]
Oregon Faith Report Survey,
If you received a research grant to study a different religion, which would you be most interested in learning more about?
Highlights of comments
- “I’d first choose my own Faith, Catholicism, and then I’d be interested in our “elder brother.”
- [...]
This year, the annual White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) Week runs Sunday, Oct. 25, through Sunday, Nov. 1. WRAP Week is intended to inform the public and public officials about the harms of pornography and the need to enforce obscenity and related laws. Resources for individuals and groups are available [...]
By Traci Scott,
Oregon faith Reporter,
As conveyed in his recent book, “Golden Leaf: a Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor”, Kilong Ung was a “golden leaf” propelled by the wind that blew him from one terrifying part of the world to the next. Through adverse weather, turmoil and [...]
Catholic schools that become charter schools are no longer “Catholic” in any sense of the word
By National Catholic Educational Association,
WASHINGTON– Are charter schools another way to keep Catholic schools alive, as some proponents suggest? Absolutely not, according to the president of the National Catholic [...]
Faith and Family Film Review: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant - PG 13
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting,
A strait-laced high school student (Chris Massoglia) and his rebellious best friend (Josh Hutcherson) get mixed up in a centuries-old conflict between a race of [...]
Faith-Family Film Review: Amelia PG
Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting
Hilary Swank portrays aviatrix Amelia Earhart in a handsome, mellifluous biography suitable for viewing by multiple generations yet which nevertheless fails to soar as an adventure or romance. No one could expect director Mira Nair, [...]
Below are excerpts on the upcoming Episcopal Bishop election from the Oregon Episcopal Church News. Read the whole article here.
Delegates to the 121st Diocesan Convention, taking place November 19-21 at the Eugene Hilton, will have the historic duty of electing the Tenth Bishop of [...]
By Traci Scott,
Oregon Faith Reporter
The ongoing investigation of an Ashland-based Islamic charity has recently brought into the spotlight the concerns of national security and unfair targeting of Islamic charities.
Recent federal court filings in the pending criminal case of Pete Seda, who led the now defunct [...]
Evangelist Luis Palau’s Season of Service was recently featured on “Religion & Ethics” for which PBS aired thorough coverage about Portland’s Season of Service. This is a great video.
[...]
Below is a Georgene Rice KPDQ-FM interview with Chris McDaniel author of Dying to Give, moving from the idea of generosity to personal application.
Chris McDaniel: I think money has become such a taboo topic over the years because of scandal and because of those [...]
CINCINNATI — Liberty Counsel will present oral argument at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in defense of the “Foundations of American Law and Government” display, which includes the Ten Commandments. Liberty Counsel represents McCreary and Pulaski Counties in Kentucky. These are the same cases Liberty [...]
Facebook: How the Hyperconnected Are Redefining Community
A revolution is taking place, one profile at a time. Online social networks like Facebook and MySpace are connecting people like never before. With hundreds of millions of users, they’re creating almost limitless potential to redefine our personal worlds. It’s [...]
Faith-Family Film Review: Where the Wild Things Are
By Catholic Office for Filma nd Broadcasting,
Where the Wild Things Are—Intriguing though melancholy fantasy in which a rambunctious young boy (Max Records) quarrels with his divorced mother (Catherine Keener) and runs away from home, eventually sailing to [...]
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life,
A clear majority of Americans (57%) favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into legal agreements with each other that would give them many of the same rights as married couples, a status commonly known as civil unions. This finding marks a [...]
By Traci Scott,
Oregon Faith Reporter,
People from around the world observed the first-ever International Blasphemy Day on September 30 by participating in a variety of organized events, including blasphemy poem, essay and cartoon contests, public discussion forums, petition drives and a new website launch.
The Center for Inquiry, based in Amherst, [...]
Oregon’s ability to help mothers in need just turned more riskier after it was announced that the well known maternity home, Bethany House, will be closing it’s doors. This puts an added burden one the state’s remaining faith-based maternity home ministry, [...]
Can a good dialogue exists when you mix a hot topic, like Atheism, with a popular talk show host and a science writer on an edgy news program of Fox News? The answer is yes (for the most part). See the video that has made the top 50 most viewed [...]
From Portland Archdiocese,
Archbishop John G. Vlazny will ordain three men as permanent deacons on Saturday, October 31, at St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (NW 18th & Couch Streets) in Portland. The Mass of Ordination will begin at 11:00 a.m. Those being ordained are: [...]
Results of Oregon Faith Report survey,
– Answer next week’s faith question here.
Question: President Obama was the first President since 1991 to defer on a meeting with the Dalai Lama (during his visit to Washington D.C). Supporters say it is more important to open new [...]
VANCOUVER, Wash., Oct. 8 /Christian Newswire/ — Unite 4 Life, an organization dedicated to addressing America’s teen depression and suicide epidemic, will establish its comprehensive youth depression awareness and suicide prevention program in several Southwest Washington schools this fall. Based in Vancouver, Washington, Unite 4 Life [...]
New Study Estimates Global Muslim Population at 1.57 Billion
Washington, DC–A new, comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion. Released [...]
Faith-Family Film Review: Couples Retreat PG-13
By Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting
Couples Retreat—Mostly dull, sexually wayward comedy in which a suburban couple (Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell) on the verge of divorce convince a group of their friends (most prominently Vince Vaughn and [...]
Faith -Family Film Review: Zombieland - R
By Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting, Please visit
—Wryly amusing but at times wildly gruesome comedy, set in a ruined world where hordes of cannibal zombies prey on the few remaining humans, tracks the odd-couple adventures of a [...]
Michael Moore’s new film “Capitalism: A love affair” is filled with religious symbolism in its quest to draw attention to the plight of the poor while harshly criticize modern capitalism for making matters worse. Several priests are noted in the film. Many from [...]
Christian Supply suddenly closes most of its stores
By JOHN FORTMEYER, CNNW publisher
Christian News Northwest, Subscriptions
PORTLAND — Two months ago, this newspaper carried a prominent ad proclaiming in large letters that five Christian Supply stores in the Portland-Vancouver area “are still here to [...]
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 Today the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in Salazar vs. Buono, better known as the Mojave Desert Cross case. World War I veterans erected a cross 75 years ago on land that was open range to honor those who had died serving America [...]
By Traci Scott,
Mothers and their newborns in an Oregon City church that practices faith healing routinely died during, before or shortly after birth because medical help was not sought. The latest case was that of an infant boy who recently died due to the refusal of [...]
NW Spirited Writer,
Cornerback Chris Johnson was given a penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct at Sunday’s game against the Texans, for what he describes as simple giving thanks to God.
The San Fransisco Chronicle reported, “The foul: He fell on bended knee and lifted his hands toward the [...]
By Beaver Believer,
Portland
This is a hilarious photo montage of dueling church signs that has been an internet hit (so how could I deprive our audience of the fun?). The pictures are not real but the humor behind a Catholic and Presbyterian battling signboards is a great chuckle.
It starts with [...]
In the movie Lord, Save Us From Your Followers, Dan Merchant set up a confession booth at Portland’s Gay Pride celebration to personally apologize to the Gay community for acting unChristian-like in the response to the AIDS crisis and acting indifferent in light of [...]
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 2 It started on Twitter, lasted only four days, but nonetheless garnered more than 3,500 entries from all over the world. Today Zondervan, a world leader in Christian communications, and best-selling author Dr. Rick Warren announced the winner of the open cover [...]
Faith-Family Film Review: Fame - Rated PG
Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
Fame— Ensemble drama with music follows a class of gifted students (most prominently Kay Panabaker, Asher Book, Naturi Naughton and Collins Pennie) and their dedicated teachers (among them Kelsey Grammer, Charles S. Dutton [...]
Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 and 2008, supporters of legal abortion clearly outnumbered opponents; now Americans are evenly divided on [...]
By Oregon Faith Report,
Two Portlanders, Rebecca Shine and Anne Galisky Shalom have produced a new film called “Papers” about the life of undocumented youth in America. The film had its debut at Portland’s Hollywood Theatre last month and is now touring around the country. Galisky and Neveh are members of [...]
Medical Teams International Helps Filipino Typhoon Survivors
Portland, Ore.,
More than 500,000 people are homeless and at least 141 people are confirmed dead since Typhoon Ketsana roared across the Philippines this past weekend. Medical Teams International is accepting cash contributions now to help. “We have medicines on [...]
Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu to be Awarded First Fetzer Prize for Their Work to Advance Love, Forgiveness and Compassion
Fetzer Institute will present each a $100,000 prize at 2009 Peace Summit in Vancouver, Canada. is Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Emeritus [...]
Below is a transcript from a Georgene Rice KPDO FM interview with Miriam Grossman, child and adolescent psychiatrist and author of “You’re Teaching My Child What?: A Physician Exposes the Lies of Sex Education and How They Harm Your Child”.
Georgene: It’s disturbing to me that we [...]
Institute on Religion and Democracy — The highly controversial and scandal plagued Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has received multiple grants from Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) agencies, according to The Presbyterian Layman. Both houses of the U.S. Congress recently voted to defund ACORN amid [...]
Archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing the name and image of the biblical Joseph
The Jerusalem Post reports, “Excerpts provided by MEMRI show that the coins were discovered among a multitude of unsorted artifacts stored at the Museum of Egypt.According to the report, the significance of the find is [...]
Faith and family film review of Surrogates PG-13
Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting
Generally intriguing futuristic thriller, set in an America where people live their lives through ideal-looking robotic surrogates that they remote-control by their thoughts, follows an FBI agent (Bruce Willis) and his partner’s [...]
Faith-Family Film Review: Pandorum - R
Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting,
Pandorum — Complex and deeply cliched sci-fi horror excursion in which two astronauts (Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster) awaken from an eight-year hypersleep to learn that their spacecraft, a sort of Noah’s Ark designed [...]
D.C. Judge issues a mixed decision in “ex-gay” discrimination case
By Oregon Faith Report,
A Washington D.C. Superior Court judge ruled back in June that people who consider themselves “ex-gays” are protected from discrimination under the sexual orientation provision of the city’s Human Rights Act. However, in [...]
Brighten the life of a child in Korea this Christmas
Holt International, Eugene, Oregon
Holt needs volunteers to sign up for this year’s Gift Team trip to Korea. Every December volunteers on Holt’s Korea Gift Team deliver gifts and host celebrations for the children, foster mothers [...]
David Gergen, CNN newsman and presidential adviser to Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton will share his thoughts on the intersection of church and state in reducing poverty at the 2009 Catholic Charities gathering Sept. 24-26 in Portland. Also, free pancakes, doughnuts and [...]
How many spiritual pilgrimages also include food reviews?
By Solange De Santis, Religion News Service,
NEW YORK—During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, New Yorkers Aman Ali, 24, and Bassam Tariq, 22, are breaking the 12-hour daily fasts at iftar dinners and prayer services at a different [...]
Preachers praying harm to our President end up harming out country.
By Kay Marshall Strom,
Eugene author of 36 books,
A minister in Tempe, Arizona, praying for the death of the president after delivering a sermon entitled “Why I hate Barak Obama”? Other preachers, [...]
Below is a transcript from a Georgene Rice KPDO FM interview with Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham, and the author of “The Magnificent Obsession: Embracing the God-Filled Life”.
Georgene: When most people hear the word “obsession”, they immediately believe that connotes something [...]
New Animated Catholic Film Inspires Catholic Youth to Live With Fearless Faith
- “The Story of Saint Perpetua” Wild animals could not shake her faith!
By catholicheroesofthefaith.com
In an age increasingly resistant to faith, no one is more vulnerable to secular attacks than our [...]
Faith and Family Film Review: Love Happens PG-13
By Office of Catholic Film and Broadcast
— Serious but overly slick romantic drama about a widowed self-help guru (Aaron Eckhart) who guides others through the grieving process but who, after returning to his wife’s hometown to host [...]
Faith and Family Film Review: The Informant! - R
Office of Catholic Film and Broadcasting
— Diverting fact-based comedy about an up-and-coming agribusiness executive (Matt Damon) who suddenly turns whistleblower, revealing his company’s role in an international price-fixing scheme to the FBI, but his undercover collaboration [...]
Love of baseball leads to personal ministry By Sheila Allen
By Sheila Allen, Northwest Baptist Witness
NW Baptist Convention
SPOKANE, Wash. — A childhood love of baseball has turned into a unique ministry for a Northwest pastor. “My attempts at organized sports took me [...]
Dan Merchant is an Oregon filmmaker of a new film Lord save us from your followers which will hit nationwide theatrical release in 2009.
By Dan Merchant,
Lord Save us From Your Followers,
We’re excited about a great event coming up in Los Angeles on Monday, [...]
