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1. U.K.'s Minister for Women and Equality hounded on Catholicism
Devoutly Catholic British Labor MP Ruth Kelly is at the center of a national fight on homosexuality. Critics say that Kelly's religious views make her incapable of supporting equal rights for homosexuals in her new post as Minister for Women and Equality. Among the complainers is fellow MP Evan Harris, who told the gay U.K. news site PinkNews, "It doesn't help that the cabinet sponsor for gay rights who, through her religious views, does not support full equality."

Kelly told the same site, "People should be allowed to decide how they live their lives. I believe in a tolerant, diverse, multicultural society where everyone is protected from discrimination. I will fight discrimination, whether it be on the grounds of race, gender, disability or sexual orientation."

But it wasn't enough that Kelly said she would fight discrimination. For the last day or so, she has been hounded with one question: Does she believe homosexual behavior is sinful?

According to The Times, Kelly didn't respond directly, but turned the question around:

Is it possible to be a practicing Catholic and hold a portfolio in government. The answer is yes. Why? Because I am collectively responsible for Cabinet decisions, I firmly believe in equality and that everyone should be free of discrimination and I will fight to the end to make sure that's the case. I think everyone in society should be given the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

When asked again whether she thinks homosexual behavior is a sin, Kelly said, "I don't think it's right for politicians to start making moral judgments about people, it's the last thing I want to do or want to get into." The British press will likely be giving this saturation coverage for another day or so.

2. Belmont fight heats up
Belmont University in Nashville already had a fight on its hands when the school tried to amend its charter to allow non-Baptists to serve on its Board of Trustees. That fight got a lot hotter when someone discovered an agreement from the early 1950s that said donations from the Tennessee Baptist Convention to the school would have to be refunded if the convention ever lost control of the board. That would mean a loss of over $50 million. Yesterday, the convention turned down a $5 million offer from the school to sever ties—then voted to fire the entire university board. It looks like the fight will now head into the courts.

3. Democratic candidate touts his Mormonism
While questions continue over whether Mitt Romney's Mormon faith would be a barrier to a presidential run, Nevada gubernatorial candidate Mayor Jim Gibson, a Democrat, seems to think that being a Mormon will help him. "Some Democrats are questioning the strategy of sending a four-page glossy mailer to voters that reproduces a short profile of Gibson from a Mormon newsletter highlighting his role as bishop and then stake president in the church, his family values and his missionary work in Peru," the Reno Gazette-Journal reports.

4. Lost gospel
"Season 1 was about surviving for 40 days in the wilderness. Season 2 has been devoted to figuring out the meaning of Dharma. And it really all comes down to a bunch of sinners who need to be saved. Now what do you think Lost is about?" The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Phil Kloer looks at the religion of ABC's popular drama and Lynnette Porter's growing profession as analyst of the show.

5. World Council of Churches to issue "code of conduct" for evangelism
"We hope that at the end of this study project, we will be able to propose a code of conduct that will affirm that commitment to our faith never translates into denigration of the other," says Hans Ucko, head of the WCC's Office on Inter-religious Relations and Dialogue. It could be troubling, given that the World Council of Churches isn't exactly known for its evangelistic fervor. But then again, when was the last time anyone actually read something put out by the WCC?

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May (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50