Faith
‘Die Moving Forward.’
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on Jan. 12, and has been updated with video from the event. Click on the play button above to hear part of the keynote speech from the Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, senior pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, New York. Who knew that the…
Making Buddhism Matter, in KC
“Come inside.” Lama Chuck Stanford is standing just inside Kansas City’s Rime Buddhist Center on a frosty Sunday morning in late December, urging the morning’s volunteer greeter to come in from the cold. She can welcome people once they come indoors, he says. It’s what other greeters do. As visitors arrive to the entryway of the…
Year’s End Brings Changes for KC’s Rime Buddhist Center
As the year ends, Lama Chuck Stanford is departing his role as leader of Rime Buddhist Center, and he made his final public appearance in that role early this morning, at the Center’s annual New Year’s Eve “World Peace Meditation.” [For much more on this story, see our multimedia update] Members of the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council, representing more…
Climate Change: Why Pope Francis Considers It a Crisis
As the United Nations climate change summit wraps up this weekend in Paris, three local groups sponsored a gathering at Queen of the Holy Rosary Church in Overland Park to discuss Pope Francis’s call for action on the environment (Laudato Sí), and to learn what action they can take locally to combat global warming. The Kanza…
A Turkey in Good Faith
Ahsan Latif, a devout Muslim from Lawrence, Kansas, understands people’s misconceptions about Muslims. He also understands how events like the Paris shootings can paint his faith in a negative light for anyone watching the disturbing images on television. “Most people have never even met a Muslim,” Latif said. On a recent Saturday morning, Latif is…
‘Talking Scripture’ explores sacred text and meaning through interfaith dialogue
Two pastors, a pair of religious scholars, a Muslim, and a Baha’i lawyer sat down on the stage of a UMKC auditorium recently to chat. And no, this is not the set-up of a joke: It is the actual panel of interfaith leaders that led a thoughtful discussion on scripture and its meanings in our…
'Nuns On the Bus' roll in to KC
It’s rare to see a crowd of people cheering for a group of nuns. But that’s exactly what happened when the “Nuns on the Bus” held a town hall meeting Friday, Sept. 11, at Community Christian Church near the Plaza in Kansas City. “Nuns on the Bus” is a project of NETWORK, a national Catholic…
My own private Islam: The Malek Family, Part 4
In this final visit with the Malek family, they discuss Islam and explain their frustrations with the common misconceptions that they feel are perpetuated in the media here in the U.S.
Balancing child safety and parental rights, in Kansas
In Kansas, when parents or guardians decline to provide their children treatment the medical community deems necessary, the state can use medical neglect statutes to compel treatment unless that treatment would run counter to religious beliefs determined to be legitimate by a judge. A bill that overwhelmingly passed the Kansas Senate could alter that.
Commentary | A Local Love Story with International Echoes
As Doug Anning and Kirk Isenhour turned to walk up the aisle after an Episcopal blessing of their same-sex commitment to one another, the packed church erupted. I have never seen a sanctuary full of such joyful people. They were applauding, shouting, cheering, even crying. At the time, I posted a blog entry about it…