Dan Brown is back. Not that he was ever really gone, between the novels and the movies, but now a new book, "The Lost Symbol,'' is topping the bestseller lists, and, once again, Brown's conspiratorial take on religion and more (this time, the Masons) is on full display.

Brown talked with Parade magazine about his own faith in an interview published last Sunday. The key section:

Are you religious?

I was raised Episcopalian, and I was very religious as a kid. Then, in eighth or ninth grade, I studied astronomy, cosmology, and the origins of the universe. I remember saying to a minister, "I don't get it. I read a book that said there was an explosion known as the Big Bang, but here it says God created heaven and Earth and the animals in seven days. Which is right?" Unfortunately, the response I got was, "Nice boys don't ask that question." A light went off, and I said, "The Bible doesn't make sense. Science makes much more sense to me." And I just gravitated away from religion.

Where are you now?

The irony is that I've really come full circle. The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science, the mushier the ground gets. You start to say, "Oh, there is an order and a spiritual aspect to science."

There's been lots of bloggery about Brown's latest, but the one must-see post is Slate's interactive Dan Brown sequel generator -- you choose a city and a religion or organization you find suspicious, and it gives you a Brownian plot outline.

(Photo, by Andrew Medichini/AP, shows Dan Brown in Rome on May 3, 2009.)

Some items on my reading list this Tuesday morning:

Old-school seminary: Eric Gorski, a national religion reporter for the Associated Press, visits a Neocatechumenal Way seminary in Denver. The enticing lede: "The seminarians' wallets are empty, except for driver's licenses and insurance cards. To buy cigarettes or clothes or anything else, they must ask their superiors for money — an exercise in obedience and a reminder that material things are not important."

Gene Robinson in England: The Guardian newspaper has a lengthy interview with the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire with lots of interesting personal detail, but the newsiest bit is his reaction to the idea of a two-tiered Anglican Communion: "I can't imagine anything that would be more abhorrent to Jesus than a two-tier church."

More on Protestants and homosexuality: On today's Globe op-ed page, scholars Wendy Cadge of Brandeis and Laura Olson of Clemson take a look at the battles over gay rights in Protestantism, and observe that, "Mainline Protestant denominations in particular are slowly, but deliberately, adopting more tolerant stances - leaving conservatives rather than liberals to split off from their churches."

Obama's faith office: Dan Gilgoff of U.S. News takes a look at how the Obama Administration's faith-based office differs from that of the Bush Administration and concludes that "President Obama's faith-based office has given religious figures a bigger role in influencing White House decisions."

Douthat on Kennedys: Ross Douthat's column in Sunday's New York Times about differences on abortion between siblings Ted and Eunice Kennedy, both of whom died last month, is occasioning a lot of chatter. He writes, "It’s worth pondering how the politics of abortion might have been different had Ted shared even some of his sister’s qualms about the practice."

In today's Globe, there is an obituary, by Bryan Marquard, of Bishop John B. Coburn, who had served as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts from 1976 to 1986. Bishop Coburn died on Saturday, Aug. 8 at age 94. The lede:

In the summer of 1968, John Bowen Coburn was dean of Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, rising in the ranks of his denomination and destined to become a bishop. He also was deeply concerned about race relations in the country and troubled by the death of a former student, who was killed a few years earlier while working on a voter registration drive in Alabama.

Having long advised aspiring clergy to work in neighborhoods and engage in ministry first-hand, he took his own advice that year and left Cambridge. At 53, and the father of four, he moved his family to New York City and spent a year teaching high school dropouts in Harlem.

“I did it,’’ he said, “to practice what I preach.’’

Bishop Coburn, who subsequently spent a decade leading the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts and who was president of the denomination’s national House of Deputies when it voted to allow the ordination of women, died Saturday in Carleton-Willard Village, a continuing care center in Bedford, where he had lived for a dozen years. He was 94, and his health had failed in the past few weeks.

The Episcopal Times has put together a web site memorializing Bishop Coburn. There is also an obituary at Episcopal News Service and some commentary at the blogs Episcopal Cafe and Titus on Mission.

(Photo, by Suzanne Kreiter of the Globe staff, shows Bishop Coburn at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston on September 13, 1986.)

In Tuesday's paper, I had a story taking an early look at what the Episcopal dioceses in the states where same-sex marriage is legal -- New England and Iowa -- will do now that the Episcopal Church, at its general convention last week, granted more leeway to bishops in those dioceses. The bishops I spoke with said they are still pondering their next steps, but they are clearly looking for ways to go further than they have in the past in allowing celebrations of same-sex weddings in Episcopal churches.

Here is the relevant part of C056, the resolution adopted by the Episcopal Church's general convention on liturgies for blessings of same-sex unions:

The Episcopal Church, after a six-year pause in ordaining new gay bishops, appears poised to essentially end the moratorium that the denomination imposed on itself in response to the international uproar over its election of openly gay priest Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire back in 2003.

The Episcopalians are in the midst of an 10-day general convention in Anaheim, and already the denomination's two houses, one a mix of laypeople and priests, and the other made up of bishops, have approved slightly different versions of a measure that would declare "any ordained ministry" open to gays and lesbians. (TUESDAY EVENING UPDATE: The two houses have now approved the same measure, so the resolution has passed.)

Here are the key paragraphs from the version approved by the House of Bishops last night:

"Resolved, That the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church,; and that God's call to the ordained ministry in The Episcopal Church is a mystery which the Church attempts to discern for all people through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church; and be it further

Resolved, That the 76th General Convention acknowledge that members of The Episcopal Church as of the Anglican Communion, based on careful study of the Holy Scriptures, and in light of tradition and reason, are not of one mind, and Christians of good conscience disagree about some of these matters."

Here is coverage from the Episcopal News Service, the New York Times, and the Associated Press. And here are several blogs providing coverage of the convention: from the left, The Lead and Walking with Integrity, and, from the right, Titus OneNine and BabyBlue.

Note that there is some disagreement (of course) about what exactly the measure being considered means; some Episcopalians argue that declaring that "any ordained ministry" is open to gays and lesbians will mean an end to the moratorium on the approval of another gay bishop; others say it is simple a statement of principle. But it is clear that advocates of gay rights in the church view the measure as a victory, and that opponents of gays as bishops view the measure as a defeat. Also note that the lopsided vote in favor of the measure reflects the fact that many conservatives have bolted the Episcopal Church, so the convention is more liberal than it was in the past.

UPDATE: Gene Robinson comments on his blog:

"This is the Church I've been telling my gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters to come to, or to come back to. This is the Church that sees the face of Christ in the poor, the despised, the neglected and the marginalized. This is not the "gay Church," but the Church who values those who are gay, women, people of color, those differently abled, as well as the white, male and middle class. It is a Church for ALL of God's children -- all sinners redeemed by a loving God who gave God's self for ALL on the cross. This is a day to rejoice for the Church -- no, let me be more specific, this is a day to rejoice in The Episcopal Church, which once again has stood for the full inclusion of all."

(Photo, by Chris Pizzello/AP, shows Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and John C. Buchanan, interim bishop of Quincy, Ill., at a meeting of the denomination's House of Bishops at the 76th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, July 13, 2009.)

The Rev. Ian T. Douglas (left), a prominent and oft-quoted Episcopal theologian who teaches "mission and world Christianity" at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, is one of four nominees to be the next bishop of Connecticut. In the Episcopal Church, bishops are elected by clergy and laypeople, and the online resources for the Connecticut election are impressive (better than anything I've seen local governments pull together, come to think of it) -- a website, a blog, and pitches in writing and on video by the nominees, among other bells and whistles.

The other nominees are the Rev. Mark Delcuze, rector of St. Stephen’s Church in Ridgefield, Conn.; the Rev. Beth Fain, rector of St. Mary’s Church in Cypress, Texas; and Bishop James E. Curry, a suffragan (assisting) bishop in Connecticut.

(Full disclosure: I have several times been a guest speaker in a "religion and the media" course that Douglas has co-taught at EDS.)

(Photo courtesy of Episcopal Divinity School.)

Robert Ridgell, the assistant organist at Trinity Wall Street, blends "Beat It" and "ABC" into a tribute to the late Michael Jackson in the postlude for Trinity's June 28 service.

(H/T: The Lead)

Monday is a big day here at the Globe: the paper’s largest union, the Newspaper Guild, is scheduled to vote on proposed wage and benefits cuts that the company says are neeeded to keep the struggling paper afloat. As the prospect of labor unrest at the paper looms, a friend who works for the Episcopal Church called my attention to the memoir of Bishop William Lawrence (right), the so-called banker-bishop, who claims to have brokered peace between Boston’s newspaper publishers and their employees a century ago.

Lawrence, who served as the Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts from 1893 to 1927, was cut from a different cloth than most of today’s prelates. He was the scion of an immensely wealthy, influential and philanthropic Boston family that made a fortune in textiles, founded the cities of Lawrence, Mass. and Lawrence, Kansas, and had a long association with Harvard University and the Episcopal Church. Bishop Lawrence travelled in elite circles – he was a familiar of Theodore Roosevelt and a visitor to Buckingham Palace. So when he was called in to arbitrate the pay dispute in the newspaper industry, he immersed himself in the unfamiliar workplace before working out a deal.

Here’s how Lawrence, who died in 1941, described his role in his 1926 memoir, called “Memories of a Happy Life’’:

“In November, 1902, a disagreement had arisen between the National Newspaper Association and the International Typographical Union on a new scale of wages between the publishers of Boston and the Mailers’ Union No. 1. The number of men immediately concerned was not large, but the issue was a national one, as this was the first instance in which the agreement which admitted conciliation, local arbitration, and national arbitration had been tested out, and the result would be a precedent for all others.

I was asked to be an arbitrator, together with a representative of each party; which, of course, meant that the two official representatives, one from Chicago, the other from New York, would each press his case in the strongest way, and that my decision would be final. Although it was a strange business for me, I took the risk of blundering, for it was an interesting problem. For a week, therefore, I haunted the newspaper offices at every hour of the day and night, studying their mailing system and the conditions of work. I learned also how the department stores handled their mail, compared the relative cost of living in different cities, listened to testimony, and finally considered the arguments of the two representatives. My decision met with approval on both sides. As a matter of fact, I judge that if in such a case both parties have confidence in the good sense, fairness, and intelligence of the arbiter, they are content, even if things do not go altogether as they wish.”

(Portrait of Bishop William Lawrence by the Frizell Studio of Dorchester; date unknown.)

Andover Newton Theological School (right) this week announced that it is pursuing a possible merger with Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, prompting me to take a look at the variety of ways in which local theological schools are adapting to new economic and educational realities. Here's an excerpt from the story:

"The decision by Andover Newton follows several innovative arrangements by local theological schools facing financial or enrollment pressures.

In Cambridge, Episcopal Divinity School is in the midst of a new partnership with Lesley University, in which Lesley is purchasing seven buildings from EDS, the land is being governed cooperatively by the two schools, a joint library is about to be launched, and Lesley is taking over buildings and grounds, custodial services, and dining services for EDS. The two schools expect at some point to discuss academic cooperation.

In Brighton, Boston College has absorbed Weston Jesuit School of Theology, which had been located in Cambridge, and Boston College is also providing facilities assistance to St. John's Seminary, which is on land the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston recently sold to the university. In Newton, Andover Newton is already sharing maintenance staffs and some academic programming with Hebrew College, which is now having conversations with other potential partner institutions.

On the North Shore, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an evangelical Protestant institution that is by far the largest local theological school, has adapted to the new climate by opening additional campuses in North Carolina, Jacksonville, Fla., and Roxbury and sharing faculty and administration among the campuses.

'When you have a fixed amount of money, are you going to spend it on gutters and downspouts or scholarships and scholars?' asked Nick Carter, president of Andover Newton. 'Folks are looking at the challenge of overhead versus the delivery of mission.'"

(Photo, by Wendy Maeda of the Globe staff, shows a building at Andover Newton on May 27, 2009.)

Alberto Cutié, the popular Catholic priest in Miami who was caught canoodling with his lady love, has now switched denominations to the Episcopal Church and plans to marry. The Miami Herald reports on the flight of "Father Oprah":

"Cutié was formally welcomed into the Episcopal Church in a small, private ceremony early Thursday afternoon at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, the church's South Florida headquarters in downtown Miami.

'I am continuing the call to spread God's love,' Cutié said after the ceremony, adding that he has gone through a 'deep spiritual and ideological struggle.'

In attendance at Trinity was Cutié's girlfriend, Ruhama Buni Canellis, 35, a divorced mother living in Miami Beach. It was the first public sighting of the couple since compromising photos appeared in a Mexican magazine early this month that led the telegenic cleric to take leave from his South Beach parish.

Cutié sat smiling beside Canellis during the half-hour ceremony. Deacons and former Catholic priests now in the Episcopal Church were by his side -- many notably accompanied by their wives.

Bishop Leo Frade, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, officiated as Cutié and Canellis knelt in front of him to be received into the church.

'We recognize you as a member of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; and we receive you into the fellowship of this communion. God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, bless, preserve and keep you. Amen,' Frade recited in Spanish.

At a news conference a few hours later, Archdiocese of Miami officials expressed disappointment in Cutié and had strong words for the Episcopal Church, especially Bishop Frade.

'This truly is a serious setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us,' Archbishop John C. Favalora said."

The blogosphere, not surprisingly, is having a field day.

Here's the Rev. James Martin, blogging at America magazine:

"What does this case have to do with the prospect of the church changing its position on priestly celibacy? Very little. Probably the most profound effect will be on members of Father Cutié's parish, as well as on the many Latino Catholics who followed his popular television show on Telemundo (and his radio show as well). But, contrary to what some commentators have been saying on the web and on TV, the departure of a single priest--no matter how popular or influential--from the Catholic Church is unlikely to make the church revamp its 1,000- (or 900- or 1,100- or 1,200- depending on what history you accept) -year-old rule."

At Episcopal Cafe, Jim Naughton has some misgivings:

"Anybody else have mixed feelings about this? One can oppose mandatory priestly celibacy and still feel uneasy about the Rev. Cutié jumping so quickly and publicly to new ministry in a new church after being caught in the act of breaking his ordination vows. No?"

And Rod Dreher, at Beliefnet, also is uneasy:

"That his new bishop received him without the catechumen period, and not only that but has scheduled him to preach at the cathedral on Sunday, reflects poorly not only on Cutié, but on the Episcopal bishop. Showboaters."

Your thoughts?

(Photo, by Al Diaz/AP, shows Rev. Alberto Cutié, center, and his girlfriend, Ruhama Buni Canellis, second left, at Trinity Cathedral in downtown Miami on Thursday, May 28, 2009. At second right is Bishop Shopleo Frade and his wife, Diana Frade.)

Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge today announced that the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale will be its new president, succeeding Bishop Steven Charleston, who resigned last year. Ragsdale is the vicar of St. David’s Church in Pepperell, but is best known as an abortion rights activist who has served on the boards of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. She is currently the president of Political Research Associates, a liberal think tank. She is also openly gay, which is noteworthy in a denomination that is facing schism over its approval of an openly gay priest, V. Gene Robinson, as the Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire.

Globe correspondent Rich Barlow profiled Ragsdale earlier this month.

An excerpt:

"I've experienced far more resistance and discrimination in the progressive community for being a Christian than I do in the Christian community for being a lesbian," she said.

She recalled that three women, spying her collar, once tried to keep her out of a meeting room for the National Abortion Rights Action League - even though she was a member of the league's board.

And here's what Ragsdale, a 1997 graduate of Episcopal Divinity School, said in the news release:

"EDS' commitment to the full range of diversity and not merely to inclusion but to transformation is at the heart of my own values and commitments. I believe that EDS grounds that work in the context of deep, thorough, nuanced theological education. The thought of leading and supporting an organization doing cutting edge theology and preparing lay and ordained leadership to serve God in the church and the world is very exciting."

(Photo, by Jon Chase for the Boston Globe, shows Rev. Ragsdale at her pulpit in Pepperell on 2/15/09.)

New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) as the first openly gay bishop, visited Boston on Sunday to preach and lecture at Trinity Church in Copley Square. The afternoon lecture was provocatively titled "The faith of a gay bishop,'' and Robinson said a last-minute look at the title caused him to throw away his prepared text and speak relatively extemporaneously about his Christian faith. A few passages that caught my attention:

Reflecting on praying secretly with gay Christians in Hong Kong who said they find hope in the Episcopal Church's decision to approve of a gay bishop:

"We hear so often of the pain that the Episcopal Church has caused the rest of the world. Why is it that we don't hear about the hope we have given to so much of the rest of the world?"

Describing his one conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury:

"In the only meeting that I've ever had with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the only communication that he has ever given to me, he was lecturing me on how we should have done all this in the American church, and how, before electing me, the amount we should have studied, and written, and theologized, and made canons, and rules, and so on and so forth, before we ever took this action, which was so disruptive to the Communion. And I said to him, 'Your Grace, with all due respect, do you really think that's the way we have ever moved forward? It seems to me that somehow, by God's grace, we fall into doing the right thing, and then, and only then, do we think our way to it.' And I said, 'You know, in 1974 the 11 women who were irregularly ordained in Philadelphia, they weren't following the rules, they were breaking the rules. But it turned out to be the right thing, and two years later we began regularly ordaining women in this church.' And I said, 'Had they not done that, how long do you think it would have taken this church to get around to it? Would we still have an all-male priesthood?' It seems to me that, by God's grace, we sometimes do the right thing and then think our way to it."

On the importance of following Jesus:

"It seems to me that the greatest danger that you and I face as a church, as individuals and corporately, is that we will be admirers of Jesus only, and not followers. We love to admire Jesus, don't we? We love to gather, and slap each other on the back, and say, 'How great it is to see you again this Sunday.' And we love to listen to those great stories about Jesus. Wasn't he a great guy? Didn't he do some awesome things? But following him is not only much harder, but the point. If the church is in danger of anything, it is in danger of being a club of admirers of Jesus, rather than followers.''

On finding gay stories in the Bible:

"The only story that makes any difference in the world is whether or not you can say how the living God is active in your life and what you are inspired to do because of it. So we have to find ourselves in Scripture. We have to make stories like this our own in order to make those Scriptures come alive. Now, I don't know where you find yourself in Scripture, and what stories there help you tell your story. But I'll tell you how this gay man reads Scripture. There are a couple of great stories about gay people in the Bible. Maybe you didn't know that. One of them is the Exodus story, which is the greatest coming out story in the history of the world. It is, don't laugh. Because we know what it's like to be in slavery. We know what it's like to be in bondage. We know what it's like not to be free. Because we've had the experience of someone coming and talking about a promised land, not just of milk and honey, but of freedom, and God's love and acceptance, and some of us actually believed it, and left. We left Egypt to come out."

On persevering:

"How do we keep this up? How do I keep this up, day after day? Because we know how it's going to end, don't we? Our struggle is going to end with the full inclusion of gay and lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, in the life and ministry and leadership of the church. I have no doubt whatsoever. The fight that's going on now is not about if it's going to happen. It's only about when. I think even the conservatives would tell you that. They're just trying to forestall the day it is fulfilled. Not if, but when. We know how it's going to end. And whether we live to see it or not is irrelevant. The question is, are we going to play our part?"

Trinity has posted audio of Robinson's remarks here.

(Photo, by Mark Wilson of the Globe staff, shows Bishop V. Gene Robinson at Trinity Church in Boston on 3/22/09.)

The Rev. Anne Gardner, an Episcopal priest who serves as the Protestant chaplain at Phillips Academy in Andover, has an innovative preaching experiment: she is using songs from her students' iPods as texts for exploration in her sermons. An excerpt from my story:

ANDOVER - The first sign that this is not an ordinary worship service is the pair of toasters on the chancel of the oak-paneled chapel.

Teenagers are seated in pews, eating bowls of corn flakes and raisin bran.

And, at the base of the pulpit, there is a small black iPod - not a choir member or a hymnal in sight.

It's iSermon Sunday at Cochran Chapel, and the Rev. Anne E. Gardner, the new director of spiritual and religious life here at Phillips Academy, is fiddling with her laptop.

In one example of how clergy are attempting to use technology and popular culture to reach out to the young, Gardner is constructing a monthly sermon using songs from the iPods of her students, rather than biblical excerpts from a lectionary, as her texts. In her first three efforts, she has attempted to extract moral lessons from the lyrics of Kanye West, Nickelback, and India.Arie - three artists she had never heard of until her students brought them to her attention.

"I was thinking about and looking for ways to try to connect with this group, and one of the things which seems universal to them is their music," said Gardner, a 48-year-old Episcopal priest. "This is a way for me to try to make liturgy more relevant."

(Photo, by Dina Rudick of the Globe staff, shows Rev. Gardner preparing a video of a song for use in her sermon.)

Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge is slashing its tuition in response to the recession. Episcopal Life Online reports:

"Concerned about the effect of the nation's economy on the ability of prospective students to access a theological education, the Board of Trustees of Episcopal Divinity School voted to roll back tuition from $16,500 to $12,500 for masters of divinity and master of arts in theological studies for the school's fall and spring program. The cuts will be effective at the Cambridge, Massachusetts seminary from fall 2009."

(Photo from Episcopal Divinity School.)

The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori (above), has been in Boston since Friday, visiting programs and parishes. Yesterday, she spent the bulk of the day at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston, attending a celebration of speeches and worship to mark the 20th anniversary of the consecration of Barbara C. Harris as the first woman bishop in the Episcopal Church. I have a story in today's Globe about the event.

On Friday, Jefferts Schori visited Epiphany School, a small middle school in Dorchester that is affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school has 85 students in grades 5 through 8, and all of them are from low-income families; the school charges no tuition. Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited the school in 2002. According to school spokeswoman Firkins Reed, the school requires all of its students to study world religions -- they visit mosques, synagogues, and Buddhist and Hindu temples.

Globe photographer Pat Greenhouse covered the presiding bishop's visit to Epiphany; here are some of the photos she took:

(Before presiding over a Eucharist service at Epiphany, the presiding bishop prays with the Rev. John Finley, who is the head of the school, and the student/acolytes.)

(During the exchange of peace, Anicia Gillespie greets Agyei Alfred.)

(The presiding bishop distributes Communion at Epiphany School.)

(Massachusetts Suffragan Bishop Gayle E. Harris acknowledges a mug given to her by the students.)

In the invocation offered by Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire at today's inaugural welcoming ceremony, the openly gay bishop called on God to "bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people." Robinson was tapped to give the invocation today after an uproar over President-elect Barack Obama's invitation to evangelical pastor Rick Warren, an opponent of same-sex marriage, to give the invocation during the inauguration Tuesday.

Here is the full text of the prayer, from Robinson's diocesan web site:

"A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.

O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

FULL ENTRY

A multifaith group of religious leaders from Boston, including Jews as well as Muslims and Christians, today is issuing a joint statement calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"We call upon Hamas immediately to end all rocket attacks on Israel, and upon Israel immediately to end its military campaign in Gaza,'' the statement says.

The Jewish signatories include several rabbis as well as the former presidents of Hebrew College and the Jewish Community Relations Council, but are predominantly drawn from the liberal wing of the Jewish community, and do not include the current heads of the major umbrella Jewish community organizations, who have generally not said anything that could be perceived as critical of Israel.

The most prominent signatories are the Christian leaders, also predominantly associated with liberal causes, who include the top local officials of the Episcopal Church, the Massachusetts Council of Churches, the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church, as well as the president of Andover Newton Theological School. The top local official of the Unitarian Universalist Association also signed. There are several Catholic signers, but no members of that church's hierarchy.

The Muslim leaders include several local imams and the leadership of the Muslim American Society of Boston.

Here is the full text of the letter plus the signatories:

"AN INTERFAITH DECLARATION FOR PEACE

We, members and leaders of the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities in Greater Boston - all having deep and symbolic ties to the land and peoples of the Middle East - are anguished by the events unfolding in Israel and Gaza. Recognizing the legitimate needs of all peoples, including all those living in the Middle East, for dignity, peace, safety and security –- regardless of religion, race, or national origin -- we issue this joint statement with the hope and belief that our interfaith voices will be heard clearly, above the din of war.

As guiding principles,

•We acknowledge the long, complex, and painful history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
•We acknowledge the wide range of deeply-held beliefs, and intensely-felt narratives on all sides
•We acknowledge that all sides are capable of assigning blame to others, and asserting justification for their cause
•We observe that violence by any side begets more violence, hatred, and retaliation
•We deplore any invocation of religion as a justification for violence against others, or the deprivation of the rights of others
•We decry any use of inflammatory rhetoric that demonizes the other and is intended, or is likely, to promote hatred and disrespect
•We believe the conflict can be resolved only through a political and diplomatic solution and not a military one.

In the face of many competing narratives, we recognize that the overriding common need of the peoples of the region is the prompt implementation of a just and lasting peace. Toward that end, and particularly in response to the current hostilities,

•We call upon the United States and the international community immediately to intercede to help reestablish a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, toward the goal of a permanent cessation of hostilities
•We call upon Hamas immediately to end all rocket attacks on Israel, and upon Israel immediately to end its military campaign in Gaza
•We call for an immediate end to all strikes on civilian centers and citizens, both Israeli and Palestinian
•We call for lifting of the blockade on Gaza as to all non-military goods, for an immediate and significant increase in humanitarian aid to address the needs of the people of Gaza, and for all parties involved to join in taking responsibility to address those human needs
•We call on all parties involved in the conflict to work sincerely and vigorously toward a just and lasting peace that addresses and promotes the national aspirations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples
•We call on President-elect Obama to make clear that as President he will urgently assert US leadership to achieve a comprehensive diplomatic resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian and Arab-Israeli conflicts

Through this joint statement we affirm our commitment to engage with one another, even, and especially, during times of great stress. We also affirm our common humanity and our common belief – as Jews, Muslims and Christians - that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must cease, that there is no military or violent solution, that all human life is valued, and that all parties must cooperate to make the peace – a just and lasting peace desperately needed and deserved by all the peoples of the region."

Signed:

Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the only openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, has been asked to give the invocation at the first official inaugural activity, a welcome event with the president-elect on Sunday afternoon on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Robinson had been critical of president-elect Barack Obama for asking Rick Warren, the evangelical pastor who encouraged voters to overturn same-sex marriage in California, to deliver the invocation at the inauguration.

Episcopal Cafe has an e-mail from Robinson:

"I am writing to tell you that President-Elect Obama and the Inaugural Committee have invited me to give the invocation at the opening event of the Inaugural Week activities, “We are One,” to be held at the Lincoln Memorial, Sunday, January 18, at 2:00 pm. It will be an enormous honor to offer prayers for the country and the new president, standing on the holy ground where the “I have a dream speech” was delivered by Dr. King, surrounded by the inspiring and reconciling words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. It is also an indication of the new president’s commitment to being the President of ALL the people. I am humbled and overjoyed at this invitation, and it will be my great honor to be there representing the Episcopal Church, the people of New Hampshire, and all of us in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community."

The Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights organization, praised the choice:

“Bishop Robinson models what prayer should be—spiritual reflection put into action for justice,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “It is encouraging that the president-elect has chosen this spiritual hero for all Americans to lead the nation in prayer at the Lincoln Memorial inaugural concert.”

Although there has been some debate about whether Warren should use the name of Jesus in his inauguration day prayer, Robinson made it clear, in an interview with the Concord Monitor, that he will offer a non-sectarian prayer at the Sunday event. He said he will not use the Bible as his text, saying:

"While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans," Robinson said. "I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer. This is a prayer for the whole nation."

For those looking for more clues as to what Robinson might say, the bishop has just posted on his diocesan web site a prayer for the inauguration that he wrote for GQ magazine (this is not the prayer he will deliver Sunday):

"As we enter a new and exciting chapter in the story of this nation, people of faith are praying to the God of their own understanding – for the nation and for our new president. We are blessed as a nation – not because we are favored by God over any other nation, but because the God of every tradition wants the best for ALL of God’s children. And we ask God’s blessing on Barack Obama, who faces a nearly impossible task at an excruciatingly difficult time, bringing to that challenge his skills, his vision and his humanity. Even if you don’t believe in God, pray with me these prayers.

A Prayer for the Nation

O God of all creation, we pray that you will…

Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, Afghan girls are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, easily-cured waterborne diseases, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world, and the courage to take our rightful (not always primary) place in the community of nations.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing our begrudging tolerance with a genuine respect and (dare I say it?) warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

Bless us with a sense of thanksgiving and appreciation – for those who give themselves for public service over private gain, and give us the strength to make the sacrifices that will be needed in playing our part in facing the challenges of these days. AMEN.

A Prayer for Barack Obama

O God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership, FDR’s courageous boldness and vision, and JFK’s ability to enlist the best efforts of our people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain for these times, not a fierce warrior who knee-jerk reacts to every real or perceived threat.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, remembering his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on his experience of the pain and rejection of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him patience and perseverance – not to give in to our whining (we love to do it when we don’t get our way), but rather to keep calling us to our better selves.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he’s president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking WAY too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace. AMEN."

Also this weekend, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced that the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, general minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), will give the sermon at the National Prayer Service on Wednesday, January 21st, the day after the inauguration.

The selections of Robinson and Watkins, effectively diversifying a slate of inaugural preachers that already included Warren and the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, a civil rights leader who is giving the benediction at the inauguration, drew praise from Integrity USA, an organization that advocates for gay rights within the Episcopal Church:

"Bishop Robinson’s selection by the President-elect to pray God’s blessings on the opening event of the Inaugural week is good news not only for gay and lesbian Americans but for all who share the audacious hope of a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all are created equal," said Integrity President Susan Russell. "It also gives us hope that the age of an ‘America’s Pastor’ is behind us and that we enter a new era where diverse voices of faith speak from the particularity of their own experience of God’s grace, love and power. While there are many miles to go before we are done with racism, sexism and homophobia in this country, we look forward to Barack Obama’s inauguration, to Sharon Watkins’ sermon and to Gene Robinson’s prayers as signs of great progress and profound hope."

(Photo by Erik Jacobs for the Boston Globe.)

It’s that time of year again – list time. Actually, it’s way past list time. The Religion Newswriters Association issued their list of the top ten religion stories of the year weeks ago – of course, as a result, they missed the Madoff scandal, the Rick Warren/invocation controversy, and the Gaza assault. Revealer issued lists of the year's best religion writing and the year's best religion books and movies. Altmuslim offered a list of the top ten good news stories of the year. And Religion Dispatches has a list of the top ten year-end religion news lists, including those from Time, Christianity Today, and the Onion.

For this first new year of this new blog, I’m going to offer ten reflections about religion news and the year gone by, with a few anticipatory remarks thrown in as well. This is just a sampling; feel free to suggest other topics in the comments field.

1. The year that is ending was marked, in particular, by the multiple battles for the hearts and minds of religious Americans in the presidential campaign. There was often less there than met the eye – evangelicals continued to vote in large numbers for the Republican Party, despite vigorous efforts to lure them away by Democrats, and Jews continued to vote overwhelmingly for the Democratic Party, despite an unending whispering campaign on the Internet attempting to associate Obama with Islam and critics of Israel. Mitt Romney’s much-anticipated speech on faith and public life was probably not a turning point in American political thinking. Social issues played only a minor role in a campaign dominated first by Iraq and then by the economy. And, to the extent that religion was part of the political story, it was almost always as something to criticize or mock – the preaching of Wright, Hagee and Pfleger, the beliefs and practices of Palin and Romney, the middle name of Obama, the politics of Warren.

2. As the new year begins, it appears that the biggest story for all religions is likely to be the economy, which will increase demand on religious organizations for solace and assistance at the same time that it depletes their endowments and threatens their fundraising.

3. In the Catholic Church, the biggest news of 2008 was the successful visit to the United States of Pope Benedict XVI, who benefitted enormously from low expectations and won high marks for his decision to meet in Washington with five Bostonians who had been sexually abused by priests. That meeting was put together by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, who passed (without celebration) five eventful years as archbishop of Boston, seemingly settling into his role after surviving multiple controversies, moving the church’s longtime headquarters from Brighton to Braintree, completing a reshaping of his administrative team, improving the archdiocese’s grim financial picture and rescuing St. John’s Seminary from the brink of death. But O’Malley still faces enormous challenges; the diocese still spends more each year than it raises; five closed parishes remain occupied (for more than four years now!) by protesters; and the diocese’s accounts for clergy pensions and benefits are seriously underfunded. And the church remains, particularly in Massachusetts, at odds with the political culture, particularly over abortion and gay rights. So in 2009, I'll be watching how O’Malley handles the vigils and the pension funds; what he does to address the increasing priest shortage, most likely by asking more priests to oversee multiple parishes like the circuit riders of old; and how he manages critiquing a presidential administration supported by the vast majority of his parishioners. For the pope, a highlight of 2009 is expected to be a May visit to Israel, but that trip could be postponed or cancelled if the violence there continues.

4. Mainline Protestant denominations continued to be roiled by debates over homosexuality, and continued to grapple with declining participation and aging congregations. The split in the global Anglican Communion since the election of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire began to formalize in 2008, as conservatives announced that they were establishing a separate North American province that would compete with the existing Episcopal Church in the U.S. and Canada. African American Protestant churches reflected on the state of black liberation theology after the incendiary preaching by Jeremiah Wright (a pastor in the mainline United Church of Christ) called attention to the risks of rhetoric in the age of Youtube.

5. The evangelical Protestant world was in the spotlight throughout the election, as the Democratic Party attempted, with little measurable success, to break the strong relationship between evangelicalism and Republicanism. But evangelical politics are clearly in flux – polls show younger evangelicals interested in a broader array of issues than their elders. And the tension was on display in awkward ways; the National Association of Evangelicals ousted a longtime long official, Rich Cizik, whose open attitude toward global warming and gay relationships caused some on the right to question his orthodoxy. And the flap over Obama's choice of Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation reminded both evangelicals and Democrats that engagement between the two will be fraught with complexity.

6. For the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2008 brought an end to the presidential campaign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, whose candidacy went further than that of any of the Mormons who have previously sought the nation’s highest office, but also called attention to a deep streak of anti-Mormonism in American culture, particularly among evangelical Protestants. The year also saw Mormons in the midst of a controversy over Proposition 8, the measure that would overturn same-sex marriage in California. Mormons, acting at their church’s urging, gave millions to the campaign, and the church was targeted by protesters after the measure passed. Locally, Mormons continued their institutional growth in eastern Massachusetts; eight years after building a huge temple on Belmont Hill, the LDS church this year broke ground for a new stake center in East Cambridge and announced plans to build a new chapel (being contested by neighbors) in Brookline.

7. For Jews, much of the year’s biggest news was concentrated at the end of the year, as multiple Jewish foundations and individuals lost millions of dollars in the alleged Ponzi scheme overseen by one of the community’s own; an investor named Bernard L. Madoff. And the Israeli assault on Gaza, in response to Hamas rocket attacks on Israel, brought renewed attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to significant concern about Israel’s conduct by a variety of governments and groups. There was also the immigration raid on the kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, which has intensified a growing discussion about what relationship, if any, there should be between ethics and kashrut. Locally, the Combined Jewish Philanthropies offered a new plan for the Jewish community, which, as it turns out, called for intensified defense of Israel; the Jewish community locally also decided to close its community center on the South Shore. In 2009, watch for a potential consolidation of Jewish nonprofits as the economy and the Madoff scandal take their toll, and also keep an eye on how the Jewish community manages interfaith relations given the increasing criticism of Israel from other faith groups.

8. For Muslims, the year brought ongoing tension over the place of Islam in the West, as American Muslims continued to make incremental political gains, but were largely ignored by an Obama campaign wary of associating with an unpopular group. The use of terror by some Muslims – most recently the attacks in Mumbai – continues to pose a challenge to those who proclaim that Islam is a religion of peace. The Middle East crisis also looms large for American Muslims, who are attempting to persuade American policymakers to criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza. Many Muslims seized as a sign of hope Colin Powell’s denunciation, on Meet the Press, of the idea that there is something wrong with being a Muslim. And in Boston, 2008 brought the soft opening of the much-debated and long-delayed new Islamic Cultural Center in Roxbury, which is expected to fully open in 2009.

9. There were several notable deaths in the world of religion in 2008. Cardinal Avery Dulles, the scion of a famous, and Protestant, American family, who came to Catholicism by the banks of the Charles River, and who became the only American theologian ever named a cardinal by Rome, died in December at 90. Gordon Hinckley, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, revered by Mormons as prophet, seer and revelator, and a descendant of the last governor of Plymouth Colony, died in January at 97. Russian Orthodox patriarch Alexy II died in December at 79; Warith Deen Mohammed, the African-American Muslim leader, died in September at 74.

10. The business of religion journalism, like the rest of the journalism business, is, to put it mildly, in flux. The amount of space and resources committed to religion journalism by the mainstream media continued to dwindle in 2008, and several veteran religion writers around the country were laid off or bought out.

At the Globe, the powers-that-be retired the paper’s longtime religion column, Spiritual Life, as part of a budget-cutting effort, and launched this blog, Articles of Faith, in an effort to better engage with that segment of our growing on-line audience that is interested in religion. The blog has grown rapidly – thanks to Sarah Palin, the abortion issue, and a variety of other controversies, we had nearly 200,000 page views in November. I am grateful to all of you (well, most of you) who visited, bookmarked the site, subscribed to the RSS feed, and took the time to post comments or send notes as I experiment with this forum, trying to figure out what features and what types of posts are most useful, how best to balance the kinds of hot-button items that generate clicks with posts about news and culture that can be traffic-deadening, and also how best to balance blogging with reporting and writing stories.

This will almost certainly be my last blog post of the year; I’ve just arrived in California for a vacation, and, if the news and my own temperament allow me to tear myself away from the keyboard, Articles of Faith will be on hiatus for a bit. But please feel free to post your own thoughts about trends in the world of religion as comments on this blog, or shoot me an e-mail with suggestions for religion stories you think the Globe should pursue in 2009.

And, to one and all, Happy New Year.

(Photo, by Lai Seng Sin/AP, shows a New Year's celebration today in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.)

Christian leaders are starting to speak out on the situation in Gaza, where Israeli forces, retaliating for rocket attacks against Israel, today attacked Hamas targets for the third day in a row, bringing the death toll in Gaza to over 300.

On Saturday I posted comments from Jewish leaders here; on Sunday I posted comments from Muslim organizations (updated this morning) here. Today comes the following statement from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori:

"Yesterday afternoon in New York, outside the Episcopal Church Center, a demonstration took place in front of the Israeli consulate. The demonstrators included orthodox Jews. All were calling for an immediate end to the attacks in Gaza. I join my voice to theirs and those of many others around the world, challenging the Israeli government to call a halt to this wholly disproportionate escalation of violence. I challenge the Palestinian forces to end their rocket attacks on Israelis. I further urge the United States government to use its influence to get these parties back to the negotiating table and end this senseless killing. President-elect Obama needs to be part of this initiative, which demands his attention now and is likely to do so through his early months in office. I urge a comprehensive response to these attacks. Innocent lives are being lost throughout the land we all call Holy, and as Christians remember the coming of the Prince of Peace, we ache for the absence of peace in the land of his birth.

Immediate attention should focus on vital humanitarian assistance to the suffocating people of Gaza. In March of this year, I spent a day in Gaza visiting religious and community leaders and the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Since that visit, the situation, which was already devastating, has only worsened, with supplies of food, fuel, power, and medical supplies either cut off or indefinitely delayed. Our hospital must now try to treat the wounded under the most impossible circumstances.

I ask all people of faith to join with the Episcopalians in Jerusalem who this Sunday dispensed with their usual worship services and spent their time in prayer for those who are the objects of this violence. I pray for leaders who will seek a just peace for all in the Middle East, knowing that its achievement will only come when they have the courage to act boldly. But they must do so now, before the violence escalates further. It is only through a just and lasting peace that the hope of the ages can be fulfilled, that hope which we mark in the birth of a babe in Bethlehem."

Also today, the Vatican released a full translation of the comments made by Pope Benedict XVI after praying the Angelus yesterday:

"The Holy Land, which occupies the thoughts and sentiments of faithful around the world during these days of Christmas has again seen itself struck by an outbreak of unprecedented violence.

I am profoundly saddened by the deaths, the wounded, the material damage, the suffering, and the tears of the peoples victim to this tragic recurrence of attacks and reprisals.

The earthly homeland of Jesus cannot continue being witness to such bloodshed that is repeated without end! I implore an end to the violence, which is to be condemned in all its forms, and the re-establishment of the truce in the Gaza Strip. I ask for a show of humanity and wisdom in all those who have some responsibility in this situation. I ask the international community to do everything possible to help the Israelis and Palestinians out of this dark alley and not to resign themselves - as I said a few days ago in the 'Urbi et Orbi' message - to the twisted logic of confrontation and violence, but to give precedence to the path of dialogue and negotiation.

We entrust to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, our fervent prayer for these intentions, and to Him, Mary, and Joseph we say: 'Oh family of Nazareth, expert in suffering, grant peace to the world'. Grant it today, above all, to the Holy Land!"

(Photo, by Ariel Schalit/AP, shows Israeli tanks moving today at a staging area near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel.)

The Rev. Jane Bearden, the Episcopal priest from Massachusetts who is working at a hurricane-damaged parish in Biloxi, Miss., e-mails to say that the century-old silver vessels stolen in September from the Church of the Redeemer have mysteriously reappeared:

"I have some really good news. Today we recovered the silver. Apparently, whoever took it saw fit to return it. They left the bag, intact, in a room at the daycare in the rear of our building...I believe with all my heart that the news coverage moved the heart of someone to return our sacred vessels to us. I wanted you be among the first to know. If it is possible to let others know of this blessing I would welcome the opportunity to share a bit of good news this holiday season. I am tempted to quote 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,' but instead I believe that I will just offer a prayer of thanksgiving that the Holy Spirit moved in the hearts of many who prayed for us, touched the heart of one who had stolen from us, and finally brought our vessels home to Redeemer. Now my hope is that whoever it was - they will come and find the support and comfort of a loving faith community and the strength that a relationship with God will bring. Blessed Advent and a most Holy Christmas from Redeemer and from me, Jane+"

The four dioceses that have left the Episcopal Church over theological differences yesterday announced that they are forming a new Anglican province in North America -- a conservative alternative to the Episcopal Church of the US and the Anglican Church of Canada. The dioceses, as well as other parishes and individuals, have mostly left the Episcopal Church since the approval of an openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire. But they say they have other theological differences with the Episcopal Church in addition to teachings about sexuality. The significance of the move is the subject of debate, because the new province is not, at this point, recognized as part of the global Anglican Communion.

An excerpt from a statement by the new Anglican Church in North America:

The movement unites700 orthodox Anglican congregations, representing roughly 100,000 people, in an organization that members believe will be recognized as a province – the Anglican term for the church’s largest regional jurisdictions – by many of the world’s Anglican leaders. “The purpose of this province is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his transforming love in the United States, Canada and beyond,” said Bishop Bob Duncan of Pittsburgh, moderator of the Common Cause Partnership. Church officials and lay people at the news conference said that the new church would heal many years of division and unite Anglicans committed to Scripture and traditional Anglican beliefs. The preamble to the provisional constitution says that they are “grieved by the current state of brokenness within the Anglican Communion (Anglicans’ worldwide church) prompted by those who have embraced erroneous teaching and who have rejected a repeated call to repentance.”

The Archbishop of Canterbury's spokesman issued a chilly statement today in London:

"There are clear guidelines set out in the Anglican Consultative Council Reports, notably ACC 10 in 1996 (resolution 12), detailing the steps necessary for the amendments of existing provincial constitutions and the creation of new provinces. Once begun, any of these processes will take years to complete. In relation to the recent announcement from the meeting of the Common Cause Partnership in Chicago, the process has not yet begun."

The New York Times had a story about the developments here, and the Chicago Tribune here.

(Photo, by Sally Ryan for The New York Times, shows a group of breakaway bishops meeting yesterday at Resurrection Anglican Church in West Chicago.)

The Episcopal Diocese of Forth Worth yesterday became the fourth in the nation to split from the Episcopal Church of the US since the denomination consented to the election of an openly gay man, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, as bishop of New Hampshire. The Fort Worth diocese will now affiliate with the Anglican province of the Southern Cone, which includes a portion of South America; the Episcopal Church will attempt to reconstitute a diocese in the Fort Worth area.

From the Episcopal News Service story:

"With little debate or emotion, about 200 delegates, meeting at St. Vincent's Episcopal Cathedral School, voted 73 for, 20 against in the clergy order, and 98-28 among laity to realign with the Argentina-based province...Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said after the vote: 'The Episcopal Church grieves the departures of a number of persons from the Diocese of Fort Worth. We remind those former Episcopalians that the door is open if they wish to return. We will work with Episcopalians in the Diocese of Fort Worth to elect new leadership and continue the work of the gospel in that part of Texas. The gospel work to which Jesus calls us demands the best efforts of faithful people from many theological and social perspectives, and the Episcopal Church will continue to welcome that diversity.' Diocesan bishop Jack Iker, who has said nothing will change in the day-to-day operations of the diocese, read a letter from Archbishop Gregory Venables, welcoming Fort Worth into the Southern Cone. At a news briefing following the conference, Iker predicted other dioceses will follow."

The Episcopal diocese of Quincy, Illinois has become the third to vote to leave the Episcopal Church of the US since the approval of Gene Robinson (left), who is openly gay, as the bishop of New Hampshire. Rachel Zoll of the Associated Press reports:

"A third theologically conservative diocese has broken away from the liberal Episcopal Church in a long-running dispute over the Bible, gay relationships and other issues. The Diocese of Quincy, Illinois, took the vote at its annual meeting that ended Saturday. Two other dioceses — San Joaquin, based in Fresno, California, and Pittsburgh — have already split off. Next weekend, the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, will vote whether to follow suit. The three breakaway dioceses are aligning with the like-minded Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, based in Argentina, to try to keep their place in the world Anglican Communion. The 77-million-member Anglican fellowship, which includes the U.S. Episcopal Church, has roots in the missionary work of the Church of England. Meanwhile, National Episcopal leaders are reorganizing the seceding dioceses with local parishioners who want to stay in the church. Complex legal fights have already started in San Joaquin over control of millions of dollars in diocesan property and assets."

(Photo by Erik Jacobs for the Globe.)

In today's paper, I take a look at the growing practice, especially in the Episcopal Church, of "Open Communion,'' in which priests invited anyone, including the non-baptized, to participate. An excerpt:

"Who am I to say who should be at God's table?" said the Rev. Gale Davis Morris (right), rector of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Acton. "Most of Scripture is pretty clear about who the ultimate judge is, and it's not anybody that's human. And I would much rather err on the side of inclusion than exclusion." Supporters of open Communion argue that Jesus would not have turned anyone away; defenders of closed Communion say that's a misreading of biblical history and that Communion is meant to be a sign not only of one's faith but of one's membership in the church. The debate is taking place as the number of Americans who describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated is growing, and church leaders are attempting to lure them in.

I've already received a note from a Catholic priest, who observes:

"I realize that this article on communion practices was a general survey, not necessarily a judgment on whose practice is better or worse. But rhetorically, those who favor ‘open’ communion come off sounding so much more humane, and the ‘closed’ as being so unnecessarily strict. There has to be better terms you could use than open and closed. For Catholics, Orthodox, and some Protestants, Holy Communion is the true and real presence of the Body and Blood of Christ. So if one did not believe this, and one received communion, one would be engaging in a sort of lie, thought and words not matching actions. For these denominations, Holy Communion is mostly a vertical relationship, between the believer and the Lord, of course with horizontal social implications, whereas it seems to me those denominations with open communion consider what happens more from the horizontal perspective, as a sort of festal communal rite of bonding, which of course communion is, to some extent. As St. Paul said to the Corinthians, 1Cor11:29: “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily,eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body (King James Version) Of course, a lot of folks don’t believe in the possibility of damnation either."

And a reader e-mails the following:

"I am a secular Jew with one foot in the Episcopal Church and the other on a banana peel, so your account of the "open communion movement" spoke to me directly. More than 20 years ago, I received communion for the first time from an Episcopal priest who had been a friend of mine for many years and knew that I was on a spiritual journey. I thought about baptism, but I could not bring myself to step over the line between Jews and Christians, which continues to matter for Jews after two thousand years of troubled history. The rector of a church I attended sporadically in Boston replied to my dilemma by telling me, "Baptism is only the outward sign of an inner and spiritual grace" and continued to give me communion. The rector of a church in which I was active on the Cape did the same. I still identify as Jewish when I have to pick a label for other people's purposes. However, my eclectic spirituality serves the same Holy One, creating, repairing and sustaining."

Feel free to post your comments here.

(Photo by Jon Chase for the Globe.)

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, dominated by critics of the liberal direction of their denomination nationally, today voted to leave the U.S. Episcopal Church and to become a part of the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, which includes the nations of South America from Peru south. The leadership of the Pittsburgh Diocese had many criticisms of the national church, but the precipitating event for the split was the denomination's approval of the election of a gay priest, the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, to be bishop of New Hampshire. A statement from the Rev. Peter Frank, director of communications for the diocese:

“We deeply value our shared heritage and years of friendship with those still within that denomination, but this diocese could not in good conscience continue down the road away from mainstream Christianity that the leadership of The Episcopal Church is so determined to follow.''

The decision will likely lead to a battle for control of the church buildings. The presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, told the Episcopal News Service that she plans to re-establish an Episcopal diocese in Pittsburgh:

"We will work with remaining Episcopalians in Pittsburgh to provide support as they reorganize the Diocese and call a bishop to provide episcopal ministry. The people of The Episcopal Church hold all concerned in our prayers -- for healing and comfort in time of distress, and for discernment as they seek their way into the future."

The Episcopal Cafe is tracking reaction from liberals here.

And the Rev. Kendall Harmon is monitoring reactions on the right over at TitusOneNine.

It's been a rough few years for the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, Miss. First there was Hurricane Camille. Then there was Hurricane Katrina. The church was demolished. And now a thief has apparently stolen the church's century-old silver vessels (below), among them a dish donated by the family of Jefferson Davis. The church is currently being led by the Rev. Jane Bearden, a priest of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, who was sent to Biloxi as part of the Massachusetts Diocese's relief effort.

From the Sun Herald of Biloxi:

"Taken from a locked closet near the row of choir robes was a duffle-style suitcase that held the Jefferson Davis chalice and paten; two cruets, or pitchers; two flagons, or large pitchers; and a lavabo, or small finger bowl. All the pieces were sterling silver, were inscribed and were memorial gifts to the church throughout the years. It is a lot of silver and a lot of history, explained Bearden, who has been with the church since 2007 and will be filling in for the Rev. Harold Roberts while he is on sabbatical. The Jefferson Davis piece had been with the church for more than 150 years. It had been used during regular services each week, but also as part of parishioners' weddings, funerals and baptisms."

(Photo courtesy of the Rev. Jane Bearden.)

The Rev. Jane B. Bearden, an Episcopal priest from Massachusetts, is blogging about Hurricane Gustav from Biloxi, Miss. Bearden has been working and living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast helping the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer recover from Hurricane Katrina. An excerpt from her blog, posted (by BlackBerry, which accounts for the typos) less than an hour ago:

"We had about 55 today for church. There is a sense of relief that we will get minimal hurricane frce winds and only a 15 ft surge - 1/2 of Katrina. But there is great sadness for New Orleans. I cried all the way home. One of the parihsioners had come along I 10 and she said that all she could see for mile after mile were LA plates. I am reminded of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. And now I am crying again. I have got to stop that as I need to go put baptismal records in plastic bags and feed the cats..."

I visited Bearden last fall; my story on her ministry, which is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts's Gulf Coast Mission, is here.

(Photo, showing Bearden in front of the remains of an Episcopal church demolished by Hurricane Katrina, was taken by Lori Waselchuk of WorldPictureNetwork for the Globe in September 2007.)

Today in the Globe's City Weekly section, Katherine McInerney takes a look at "krumping for Christ,'' using the new hip-hop dance style to interpret Scripture. She found local krumpers at the Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan.

"We don't just do it to dance," added Benito Henri, a towering 16-year-old from Dorchester. "We do it for something higher. Something more than us, more than movements, more than anything we say out of our mouths. . . . We're using this as a weapon to fight against the things that we go through daily."

Several other local churches have explored the use of hip-hop music and dance forms as a way of reaching out to young people. Last year, City Weekly featured a story by Will Kilburn about the first Holy Hip Hop Awareness Weekend; the previous year, City Weekly's Darren Sands visited Cram Sessions, a recording effort by Christian rap artists in Mattapan; and the year before that, Globe South's Carolyn Johnson explored the appearance of hip-hop in a variety of churches. Even the Episcopal Church has gotten in on the action; last year, the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts's Cathedral Church of St. Paul hosted a "Hip-Hop Schoolhouse Worship Learning Party.''

I'm in the Berkshires this weekend, and catching up on a some slightly dated Lambeth-related reading. If you're interested in the debate over homosexuality that's roiling the Anglican Communion, it's worth checking out GQ's very intimate profile of New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson (above), whose sexuality has led to talk of schism. An excerpt:

"He knew only that when he was 12 and a buddy produced a Playboy, the half-dozen boys who gathered to gaze were awakened, electrified, and he wasn’t, and that it could be dangerous, perhaps physically, to point out this contrast. The Playboy brought a half clarity: He realized he was afraid, and that—even if he couldn’t name the thing he feared—he had always been afraid."

And in Harper's Magazine, Garret Keizer, once the lay vicar at an Episcopal church in Vermont, takes a deep, thoughtful, and personal look at the fight over gay rights in the church. An excerpt:

"Some will find the idea of American conservatives using foreign bishops to support the interests of a white male hegemony in the Episcopal Church altogether preposterous, though it is perhaps no more preposterous—or less effective—than using the votes and tax dollars of working-class Americans to further the interests of the corporations that take away their jobs. It’s the old drill of building a network, capitalizing on the most divisive issues, and locating the funds."

On the somewhat lighter front, Globe columnist Alex Beam offers a humorous but tough take on Lambeth in today's paper.

And, for those of you who missed it, the Colbert Report also weighed in on Lambeth this week. You can find the clip below.

(photo by Reuters, of Bishop Gene Robinson in the exhibition hall at the Lambeth Conference, where he is spending his time because he has been barred from attending the meetings with the other bishops; he is not allowed inside because he is gay and partnered.)

The Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts, M. Thomas Shaw, had a brief, jokey exchange with Prince Philip, the Queen's husband, on Thursday in London, according to an e-mail to local Episcopal clergy from Bishop Roy F. "Bud" Cederholm Jr., a suffragan bishop in the Massachusetts diocese. Cederholm (right) also reflected on an anti-poverty march (AP photo, above) by the Anglican bishops, who are gathering for their decennial Lambeth Conference. An excerpt from Cederholm's e-mail:

“Today, more than 1,200 bishops, dressed in purple cassocks, and spouses in some awesome hats (the female spouses, that is!) walked in downtown London to Lambeth Palace singing 'We are marching in the Light of God' as a sign of solidarity with the efforts of governments, NGOs and faith communities, especially the Anglican Communion, to 'Keep the Promise' made by the UN to halve world poverty by 2015. On some of the specific Millennium Development Goals besides poverty there has been little, if any, progress in the past few years. A rally following the march featured Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s appreciation for the Anglican Communion’s efforts and commitment to the goals and his plea to advocate the goals with our governments, joining him and world leaders at the UN on Sept. 25 in sending the message that they must keep the promises they have made to the world’s poor, women and children. For me the march was the most significant moment thus far in the conference, where I felt, as a communion, we were truly 'marching in the Light of God.' After lunch it was off to Buckingham Palace for tea with Her Majesty, The Queen. Tom, [Bishop Shaw] and I got to chat with Prince Philip, who stopped at our place in the queue to ask where we were from. Queen Elizabeth was chatting with others close by about hats. When Prince Philip learned that Tom was both a monk and a bishop, he said that being a bishop must come ahead of being a monk. Tom’s answer was classic Tom: 'Not ahead of God.' Prince Philip was walking away and seemed amused and taken by surprise at his wit."

And now for something completely politically incorrect: as the Anglican Communion gathers for its decennial Lambeth conference, comedian Stephen Colbert weighs in on the Anglican Communion's possible schism over homosexuality, with my colleague, religion reporter Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times, as his game foil:

Last night I attended the graduation ceremony for a group called the Jewish Organizing Initiative, which, as its name suggests, trains young Jews in community organizing skills. The program is a fellowship for folks in their 20s, who spend a year interning with social change advocacy organizations, and attending regular workshops with one another to discuss both the secular and religious components of social justice activism.

A good friend of mine, Adam Rogoff, is the chairman of the JOI board, and he wanted me to see what the program was all about. The evening ceremony, held in the downtown boardroom of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, offered a chance for the fellows to reflect a bit on their experience doing something many of them called "agitating.'' They had spent the year working with a variety of community groups, including Rosie's Place, the shelter for homeless women, Health Care for All, which pushes health care reform, and Unite Here Local 26, a labor union for hotel workers. The students seemed genuinely moved by how much they had to push themselves, or be pushed by their mentors, to help members of struggling communities emerge as leaders in various battles on their own behalf.

Social justice movements don't get a ton of attention in the broader culture these days -- one of the fellows even referred to JOI as continuing the mission of the 1960s -- but there's a fair amount of discussion going on in all kinds of religious congregations and movements, from evangelicalism to Unitarian Universalism, about how faith communities might, as they so often say, put their faith into action. Here in Boston, there is a relatively new group of (mostly) young evangelicals, the Boston Faith and Justice Network, working on these issues; the Episcopal Church has a new congregation for young adults, The Crossing, that emphasizes "social justice values,'' and Rabbi Jonah Pesner, formerly with Temple Israel in Boston, is now travelling around the country for the Reform Jewish movement's Just Congregations program, trying to help synagogues figure out how they might actualize their oft-cited support for social justice, and just what that means anyway. And, of course, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization just marked its tenth year trying to influence policy, on issues like health care and housing, through a coalition of change-minded congregations of multiple denominations.

It's not clear to me whether there's some kind of new trend here or not, and how effective these faith-based efforts are at effecting broad change, but clearly they're affecting individual lives, as the JOI fellows reminded us last night, and for people like me who write about religion, it's something to keep an eye on.

We don't have comments enabled on this blog yet (working on it!) but if you have observations to share, I'm interested -- just shoot me an e-mail.

ANGLICANISM: James Carroll on Lambeth conference

CATHOLICISM: NY Franciscan pleads guilty to child rape in Boston

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE: Mother church president, former Monitor editor Bergenheim dies

CHRISTMAS: Yvonne Abraham visits Nova Scotia, home of Boston's annual tree

ISLAM: Ex-treasurer of Muslim charity sentenced to prison

JUDAISM: Haverhill synagogue vandalized

SPIRITUAL LIFE: Big role for church credit unions sought

(The Rev. Garvin Warden, pastor of Greenwood Memorial United Methodist Church of Dorchester and a member of the New England United Methodist Federal Credit Union. Photo by Pat Greenhouse, Globe staff.)

This lovely photo was shot by Joanne Rathe of the Boston Globe to accompany a story by Brenda Buote that ran Thursday in Globe NorthWest about a new labyrinth at the Church of Our Redeemer, an Episcopal parish in Lexington.

A couple of other recent items in the Globe about religion:

Obituary: Former Lexington Christian headmaster Strodel dies

Same-sex marriage: Kevin Cullen criticizes Mass. Family Institute