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For longtime religion reporters, it’s a challenge to come up with fresh ideas for the same holidays each year, especially for smaller groups like Judaism (depending on where you live). In a pinch, there are a few go-to angles that can give these stories a twist: “food,” “interfaith,” “gay,” “converts,” “technology,” “military,” etc. — but even…

Rest in Peace, Steve Jobs. From playing Number Munchers on my third grade classroom’s Apple computer, to filing stories and photographs from my iPhone yesterday, your products changed my life — and the world. Jobs, 56, wasn’t much associated with faith – unless you count coverage of his company’s latest “Jesus Phone” – but obituaries are noting…

Mormons and Muslims: brothers from another mother? Think about it: Judaism and Christianity updated by a controversial new prophet, the prohibitions on alcohol, the historical polygamy, homophobia, etc. By some estimates — without a U.S. Census asking about religion, this is always a tricky thing to nail down — their numbers in America are even comparable, somewhere…

Ever play that game “Would you rather?” Here’s a Fun Friday edition: Would you rather spend a year in jail or church? It’s not entirely theoretical, at least not for nonviolent, first-time offenders in Alabama: –Jesus or jail? Alabama town offers options for serving time (CNN) –Criminals offered choice of time in pews or the…

It’s Rosh Hashana, Judaism’s New Year, so here are some Jewish headlines to ring in Year 5772: –In a TriBeCa Park, a Question of Law and a Religious Symbol (New York Times) –Make this the year of the apology (JTA) –As Obama’s Jewish numbers plummet, AJC poll shows U.S. Jews “grumpy” (AJC) –In Brooklyn, a Hasidic…

Here’s the latest story reporting that most evangelical youths, despite the best intentions of their clergy and parents, ultimately losing their virginities before marriage: Why Young Christians Aren’t Waiting Anymore (CNN) This story addresses the obvious angle that coverage of the abstinence movement often seems to ignore:  Relevant notes that in biblical times, people married…

Interesting mix of faith news over the weekend, kind of falling into an “end of an era” theme.  Check these out: –Islamic center opens its doors near ground zero (AP) –Church leadership post for an openly gay Mormon (CNN) –First gay man to be ordained in Presbyterian Church USA since historic vote (Minneapolis Star Tribune) –Bishop:…

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report aren’t resting on their Emmy laurels — they each had entertaining faith-related bits this week, particularly on the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s United Nations edition. (Unfortunately, Comedy Central videos tend to play automatically on this blog, so I’m not going to upload them…

The U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on openly gay troops ended yesterday, and as many outlets have noted, we’re all still safe and sound. Check out the AP’s story and video here. If anything, military recruiting looks poised to improve, as a result:  -Several top universities that had kicked ROTC off campus during the…

I’m back in Seattle after my whirlwind trip to Durham, N.C. for this year’s Religion Newswriters Association conference. Those of you who followed #RNA2011 on Twitter got a preview of the breaking news and upcoming trends that will now make their way into religion news stories around the country, but the speed and repetition of tweets…
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