Faith - The Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Pentecostals praise God in ‘language of angels’

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:20:21 MDT

Utah Pentecostals praise God in ‘language of angels’

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 18, 2013 06:20PM MDT

Pastor Ronald Rice is pacing and sweating, roaring and crying as he warns his west Salt Lake City Pentecostal congregation about what he calls the “dangers of drifting.” “It doesn’t take long to get off course,” Rice bellows in his broad Southern accent, and a few call out from their blue padded chairs, “Amen.” “Watch for the warning signs,” he yells. More amens and a few claps. Beware of loss of focus, loss of priorities, loss of passion for God and his Word, loss of discipline and — Rice is ...

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Faith in action: Concerts, global prayer and more

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:46:54 MDT

Faith in action: Concerts, global prayer and more

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 17, 2013 12:46PM MDT

Hilltop Gospel Choir with Salt Lake City Mass Choir Hilltop Gospel Choir, under the direction of Roberta Shimensky, will present its 2013 concerts, “Great Praise,” with this year’s guest choir, the Salt Lake City Mass Choir. Call 801-571-5777 for tickets. When • Sunday, May 19, 7 p.m. Where • Hilltop United Methodist Church, 985 E. 10600 South, Sandy Tickets • $5 Global Day of Prayer Global Day of Prayer will be observed. Everyone is invited for the musical gathering at 5:30 p.m. A proces...

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Kirby: Dear God, give it to me straight

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:34:03 MDT

Kirby: Dear God, give it to me straight

by Robert Kirby Tribune Columnist

Published May 15, 2013 05:34PM MDT

I heard someone speak in tongues once. By this I mean that I was physically present when it happened. Also it was directed at me. The memory of that experience is vague because it occurred early on a Sunday morning more than 40 years ago, in another world (Georgia), and I was not yet entirely myself yet. After a night of sinful endeavor, a friend and I missed our bus back to the barracks. Perhaps feeling guilty, ’Normus insisted that we kill time until the next bus by visiting a church across t...

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Gay Christian’s book explores love, hate in U.S. churches

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:43:23 MDT

Gay Christian’s book explores love, hate in U.S. churches

by Ray Parker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 13, 2013 04:43PM MDT

Journalist Jeff Chu, a gay Christian who was raised Southern Baptist, recently told a Salt Lake City audience how he came to an understanding of one of America’s most notorious evangelical churches: the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. The church’s website is Godhatesfags.com, and the phrase has become a sort of mantra for the congregation’s 40 members, who have garnered international media attention. Chu said he wanted to understand even the extreme answers to a central question confro...

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Where Mary ranks in the heavens

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:43:23 MDT

Where Mary ranks in the heavens

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 13, 2013 04:43PM MDT

To Catholics, the Divine Feminine is Mary, variously known as the “Mother of God,” the Blessed Virgin and the Queen of Heaven. Mary’s example “shines through our own mothers,” Utah Bishop John C. Wester says in his Mother’s Day message to the Salt Lake City Diocese, published in the Intermountain Catholic. She was filled with “peace, gentleness, kindness, warmth, compassion: all qualities of a mother,” Wester says. “She passed on to her son these qualities, which culminated in Christ’s command ...

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Catholic population surges across the Global South

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:43:23 MDT

Catholic population surges across the Global South

by Alessandro Speciale Religion News Service

Published May 13, 2013 04:43PM MDT

Vatican City • Gains in Asia and Africa are making up for losses in Europe among the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, according to Vatican statistics released Monday, signaling a shift of the church’s center of gravity toward the Global South that was heralded by the election of the first Latin American pope. Figures published in the 2013 Statistical Yearbook of the Church also show that while the number of priests in the Americas and in Europe is declining compared to the overall Catholic populat...

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Hodges: Still on God’s team, Tebow is doing his Christian duty

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:42:35 MDT

Hodges: Still on God’s team, Tebow is doing his Christian duty

by Corey J. Hodges Special To The Tribune

Published May 10, 2013 01:42PM MDT

NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has been released from the New York Jets. With his future in professional sports uncertain, the Heisman Trophy winner tweeted a biblical passage from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths straight.” In a major-league sport frequently characterized by sex and self-indulgence, the 25-year-old is a role model for many young people. He stands out not only b...

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Faith in action: Garden sale, concerts galore and more

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:53:35 MDT

Faith in action: Garden sale, concerts galore and more

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 10, 2013 11:53AM MDT

Sandy Gardenfest Gardenfest is a garden sale that supports the missions of Grace Lutheran Church and School, including the Utah Food Bank, through the new school vegetable garden, Grace Gardens. When • Saturday, May 11, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Where • Grace Lutheran Church & School, 1815 E. 9800 South, Sandy Tickets • Free Sanctus Real — The Promises Tour Christian band Sanctus Real will perform with JJ Heller and Bread of Stone. Visit www.notashamedmedia.com/#!utah/cu40 for tickets. When • Saturd...

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Mormon-affiliated group offers help, hope to suicide survivors

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:44:34 MDT

Mormon-affiliated group offers help, hope to suicide survivors

by Lisa Schencker The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 10, 2013 11:44AM MDT

Draper • As young brothers, Kris and Kourt McGuire often spent hours chasing the shimmering dragonflies that floated above a lush, green pasture behind their Draper home. One day, when their mom told them to come inside to clean their room, they silently obeyed — or so she thought. After a time, she went to check on the two youngest of her four sons. She found their bedroom alive with dragonflies, which they had tied strings around, hanging them from the ceiling. She smiled, and they all broke ...

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Controversial Broadway play on the Virgin Mary closes — but why?

Tue, 07 May 2013 16:48:05 MDT

Controversial Broadway play on the Virgin Mary closes — but why?

by David Gibson Religion News Service

Published May 7, 2013 04:48PM MDT

New York • A Tony-nominated play that offered a controversial take on the Virgin Mary reflecting on her life staged its final performance Sunday, closing after two weeks as poor ticket sales never matched high expectations. Now the question is: Why? Shows fold on Broadway all the time, of course, and as The New York Times noted, just 25 percent of them ever show a profit. But was there something about “The Testament of Mary” that doomed it to failure? After all, biblically themed shows are all t...

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Utah will miss the nuns — and the nuns will miss Utah

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:19:01 MDT

Utah will miss the nuns — and the nuns will miss Utah

by Cathy Mckitrick The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 7, 2013 09:19AM MDT

Ogden • Northern Utah’s five remaining Benedictine nuns could return to their home monastery in Minnesota by the end of June, but, after decades of service in and around Ogden, the community is reluctant to let them go. And, for the sisters, the feeling is mutual. “People have asked me, ‘Would you like to go to Rome and see the pope?’ ” said 87-year-old Sister Luke Hoschette. “And I say, ‘No, I’d rather go to southern Utah and see the redrocks.’ ” Catholic Community Services celebrated the 69 ye...

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Faith in action: Orthodox Easter, peace forum, immigration service

Fri, 03 May 2013 09:54:57 MDT

Faith in action: Orthodox Easter, peace forum, immigration service

the Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 3, 2013 09:54AM MDT

Empty Bowls Join Catholic Community Services of Utah and Clay Arts, Utah to help feed hungry families by buying handmade bowls by area artists for $15 each. There will be music and activities for children. For more information, visit EmptyBowlsUtah.org. For questions, contact Danielle Stamos at dstamos@ccsutah.org or 801-428-1216. When • Saturday, May 4, noon-4 p.m. Where • St. Vincent de Paul Resource Center, 437 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City Greek Orthodox Easter Services — Prophet Elias ...

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Kirby: Manage doubt in LDS faith before it manages you

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:50:02 MDT

Kirby: Manage doubt in LDS faith before it manages you

by Robert Kirby The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 2, 2013 12:50PM MDT

Two weeks ago, I wrote a column regarding an LDS General Conference talk about individual faith. It was a good talk. I read it three times. As part of the column on unconventional faith, I referenced my own “13 Particles of Faith.” It was something I jotted down years ago while listening to a church talk that sounded suspiciously like it was based on Mein Kampf. Within minutes of the “Particles” being posted at sltrib.com, I began receiving emails from fellow skeptics. Within 48 hours, I had 40...

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Salt Lake Buddhist temples: one has Protestant look, one has Mormon roots

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:51:51 MDT

Salt Lake Buddhist temples: one has Protestant look, one has Mormon roots

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Apr 30, 2013 04:51PM MDT

Two Buddhist temples dot Salt Lake City’s urban core. Both are housed in historic structures, serve a diverse population and preach about the transitory nature of human life. One of these temples, though, is simple and understated, while the other is ornate and awash in traditional Asian colors. And the details of their sacred spaces reflect very different — even opposite — historical trajectories. The Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, home to Utah’s oldest and most continuous Buddhist congregation, is...

U.S. panel: Afghans need more religious freedom

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:04:26 MDT

U.S. panel: Afghans need more religious freedom

by Thomas Wagner The Associated Press

Published Apr 30, 2013 04:04PM MDT

Kabul, Afghanistan • Despite significant improvements since the hard-line Taliban ruled Afghanistan, religious freedom remains poor, especially for minorities, and Afghans still can’t debate religion or question prevailing Islamic orthodoxies without fear of being punished, a U.S. commission said in a new report Tuesday. As the country braces for next year’s presidential election and the planned withdrawal of most foreign combat troops by the end of 2014, the panel urges the U.S. government and ...

15 countries cited for religious-freedom violations

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:38:57 MDT

15 countries cited for religious-freedom violations

by Lauren Markoe Religion News Service

Published Apr 30, 2013 03:38PM MDT

Washington • It can be hard to come up with a list of countries with the most egregious records on religious freedom when some of the world’s worst offenders aren’t even nation states. For its annual report of violators, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) counts 15 nations where abuse of religious liberty is “systemic, egregious and ongoing.” But the commission, created by Congress in 1998 as an independent watchdog panel, also wants to highlight the crimes o...

Female converts to Islam face growing scrutiny

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:10:16 MDT

Female converts to Islam face growing scrutiny

by Omar Sacirbey Religion News Service

Published Apr 30, 2013 11:10AM MDT

Boston • When Karen Hunt Ahmed and her Muslim husband divorced four years ago, many friends asked her, “Now you can stop this Islam stuff, right?” Some friends, she thought. “Like it was a hobby I took up when I got married and now I’m supposed to drop it,” said Hunt Ahmed, president of the Chicago Islamic Microfinance Project, which she founded with two colleagues in 2009. Hunt Ahmed, 45, is part of a growing sorority of female American converts to Islam, especially those who are or...

Modern hymn writers revive a lost musical art

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:10:16 MDT

Modern hymn writers revive a lost musical art

by Bob Smietana Usa Today

Published Apr 30, 2013 11:10AM MDT

Nashville, Tenn. • Most songwriters in Nashville want to get their songs on the radio. Keith and Kristyn Getty hope their songs end up in dusty old hymnals. The Gettys, originally from Belfast, Ireland, hope to revive the art of hymn writing at a time when the most popular new church songs are written for rock bands rather than choirs. They’ve had surprising success. One of the first songs that Keith co-wrote, called “In Christ Alone,” has been among the top 20 songs sung in newer ch...

Utah eco-activists hope Francis becomes the eco-pope

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:01:43 MDT

Utah eco-activists hope Francis becomes the eco-pope

by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Apr 26, 2013 10:01AM MDT

Pope Francis sure seems green — and not just because he’s new at his job. Instead, think trees, rivers and oceans. Think flora and fauna, resources and recycling. Think the Earth. That kind of green. The new pontiff sent a signal of a possible eco-papacy even before he uttered his first public words as leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. After all, he took his name from St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of the environment and animals who was known for living simply in the woods an...