Faith

Via boingboing, from an article of the same title by Geoff Boucher in the LA Times:

Surveys show that born-again Christian teens are just as active in stealing and swapping music as their secular peers… "We are all conflicted, it's true," said John Styll, president of the Gospel Music Trade Assn. "This is not a business first, but it still must be a business at some point to keep going." Styll's association was behind a campaign called "Millions of Wrongs Don't Make a Right," which used well-known Christian artists as spokespeople against piracy, but Styll said the perception lingers that all music stars are fabulously wealthy, and he wonders how effective they are as voices in the debate anyway… Christian music sales, both on CD and via paid download, over the first six months of 2006 were 11% higher than during the same period in 2005. That double-digit surge stands in stark contrast to the rest of the music industry, which experienced a 4% decline during the same time period. And no other genre has a 2006 sales jump anywhere near the level of the Christian sector… Take singer-songwriter Derek Webb, an up-and-coming Christian recording artist who has not only received good reviews for his tour but also a flurry of coverage in industry outlets such as Billboard magazine. The reason? He's opted to give away a full download of his new album for three months on the Internet. He had sold 17,000 copies (both as CDs and downloads) since its December release and has given away 50,000 more since the download offer began in September. In exchange for the free music, he asks only that fans give him the names of five more people to e-mail about his music. The idea came to him after he sold enough copies to break even financially on the project. The free-music period will pay off in the long run, he says, by building his career and also spreading the spiritual message of his music. His concerts have, in recent weeks, jumped from audiences of about 100 to crowds of 500 and more, he said.

Via Slate.com's Today's Papers column, from an article of the same title by Emily Bazar in USA Today:

Churches are being turned away by cities and towns that hope to enliven a fading downtown or boost their tax base… The Liberty Legal Institute, which represents churches in religious-freedom disputes, says more communities are tightening zoning codes or considering other ways to restrict church locations… The communities with restrictions say they're not against churches, they just want a variety of services for their residents and businesses that attract customers seven days a week.

Ever heard of the theory of limbo? I hadn't. From an article of the same title on BBCNews.com:

For centuries many Roman Catholics have believed that the souls of babies who die before baptism remain in limbo. But the concept has never been part of official Church teaching, and it is thought Pope Benedict may be keen to do away with it… The theory of limbo was expounded in the Middle Ages as a solution to the theological question over what happened to the souls of babies who had not been cleansed by baptism of the "original sin" Catholics believe is inherent in all humanity, but were too young to have committed any sins of their own. Limbo has also been held to be the final destination for people who lived virtuous lives before the time of Christ. It is not certain whether this teaching is likely to be changed… The Catholic Church is usually very tenacious about its beliefs and does not change its teaching lightly… However, Benedict, who before he became Pope was the Church's top authority on doctrine, is known to be keen to tie up loose theological ends… ...some have suggested that the possible change is an attempt by the Vatican to prevent people in developing countries with high infant mortality rates turning to Islam - Muslims believe the souls of stillborn babies go straight to paradise.

Today Andrew Sullivan blogged an interesting quote from C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity about whether or not Christians should try to bind their religious views on the rest of society:

The Christian conception of marriage is one: the other is the quite different question - how far Christians, if they are voters or Members of Parliament, ought to try to force their views of marriage on the rest of the community by embodying them in the divorce laws. A great many people seem to think that if you are a Christian yourself you should try to make divorce difficult for every one. I do not think that. At least I know I should be very angry if the Mohammendans tried to prevent the rest of us from drinking wine. My own view is that the Churches should frankly recognise that the majority of the British people are not Christians and, therefore, cannot be expected to live Christian lives. There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules enforced on all citizens, and the other governed by the Church with rules enforced by her on her own members. The distinction ought be to quite sharp, so that a man know which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not.

From an article of the same title by Adelle M. Banks of the Religion News Service on beliefnet:

The practice of speaking in tongues is again brewing controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention. Last year, the denomination's International Mission Board adopted a policy that forbids considering missionary candidates who use a "private prayer language." Now, an Arlington, Texas, pastor and trustee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has written to Southern Baptist President Frank Page to request that the issues of "spiritual gifts, private prayer language and speaking in tongues" be addressed in the denomination's statement of faith. The Rev. Dwight McKissic previously discussed the issue in a chapel sermon at the seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and criticized the mission board policy. "I pray in tongues in my private prayer life and I'm not ashamed of that," he said on Aug. 29. "I'm thankful for that." Traditionally, Southern Baptists have opposed Pentecostal practices, including speaking in tongues, but some pastors and churches have embraced a more charismatic worship style.