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Human Rights Topic Hub: Most Recent Content

  • A Plea for Love Despite Violence

  • Bridging Faiths

    NEW YORK – Five congregations demonstrating a special enthusiasm and exemplary work for interfaith relations have been named "model interfaith engaged congregations" by the National Council of Churches.

    In June, the NCC's Interfaith Relations Commission asked for nominations from its member communions and other communities affiliated with the Council of congregations that "have something important to share about interfaith engagement."

  • Kingdom Sighting in Minneapolis

    During he past few months, I've struggled hard to identify my current religious practice.  Calling myself a religious dabbler trivializes my experience, and thinking of myself—God forbid-- as a cafeteria Catholic doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye either. But since I like the safety of labels, "inter-religionist" is about as close as I can get.  Let me explain.

  • Past Lessons Inform Current LGBT Struggle

  • For LGBT Youth, Love is the Whole Story

    My parents are really religious. My pastor said being gay was immoral. I heard that God hates fags. My church took collections to stop marriage equality. They told me about Sodom and Gomorrah. They quoted Leviticus. They told me I was evil. They told me I was a sinner. They told me I couldn’t love God. They told me I could change.

  • Give Them Something to Eat

    "When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, 'This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.' Jesus said to them, 'They need not go away; you give them something to eat.' They replied, 'We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.' And he said, 'Bring them here to me.' "
    -- Matthew 14:15-18 (from "The Feeding of Five Thousand," NRSV*)

  • National Coming Out Day

    In preparation for National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, the Religious Institute is pleased to offer worship resources to assist clergy in speaking out in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens and young adults. Please feel free to modify any of these in order to better serve your faith community.

  • Church and State

    There's lots of church-state intersection in Faith and the Common Good on this first official day of fall, so let's get right to it.

    * * *

    A case involving the firing of a teacher with a disability from a religious school has gone before the U.S. Supreme Court in what many see as a test of the traditional "ministerial exception" regarding hiring practices for religious organizations.

  • Gay Union Ban

    More than 300 United Methodist clergy and 500 laity have signed letters urging the Council of Bishops to take a public stand supporting the denomination's position on marriage and homosexuality.

    The letters respond to the pledges to bless same-sex unions signed this summer by more than 900 active and retired clergy across the United States.

  • How Do We 'Make' Disciples of Jesus?

    Faith & the Common Good Sept. 7, 2011

    What does it take to "make" a disciple of Jesus Christ? How does a disciple, or follower, of Jesus look, act and live in comparison to the world around us?