Religious Leaders

CINCINNATI - The Rev. Chris Beard is a theological conservative, make no mistake about it. He believes the Bible is the word of God. He believes the Holy Spirit speaks to him directly. He believes, as an article of faith, that abortion and same-sex marriage are wrong. Still, when a group of religious leaders in Ohio held two days of meetings in Cincinnati recently to talk about economic and racial justice, issues usually associated with the political left, there was Beard, a fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher with a disarming smile, a shaved head and a set of convictions that knock holes in the stereotypes about white evangelical Protestants.

CINCINNATI - The Rev. Chris Beard is a theological conservative, make no mistake about it. He believes the Bible is the word of God. He believes the Holy Spirit speaks to him directly. He believes, as an article of faith, that abortion and same-sex marriage are wrong. Still, when a group of religious leaders in Ohio held two days of meetings in Cincinnati recently to talk about economic and racial justice, issues usually associated with the political left, there was Beard, a fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher with a disarming smile, a shaved head and a set of convictions that knock holes in the stereotypes about white evangelical Protestants.

Philosophers have argued for centuries over whether it is ever justifiable to break the law in the service of a higher cause. The question acquired a new complexity with the advent of societies such as the United States, in which laws were enacted by elected representatives and not decreed by a monarch or dictator. Few today would criticize civil rights activists, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., for participating in or condoning the violation of laws that perpetuated white supremacy -- with the understanding that they would face punishment for their actions.

The only woman in a sea of men in suits, Dorothy Townsend can't help but stand out in the official photograph of the Los Angeles Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for coverage of the Watts riots. The picture also inadvertently documents Townsend's other historic role at the newspaper. After insisting on being reassigned from "the women's pages" in early 1964, she became the first female staff writer to cover local news in a city room long populated only by men. Townsend, who wrote for The Times from 1954 to 1986, died March 5 of cancer at her Sherman Oaks home, said her cousin, Louise Hagan.

Nearly 2,400 women converged on sacred Indian ground last weekend for the third WomenChurch conference, seeking a vision of unity amid a mosaic of cultural and religious expressions. Participants seemed to generally agree on the conference theme, "WomenChurch: Weavers of Change," but it was clear that the road to change, in this case, is paved with debate, introspection and self-criticism. Speakers at the April 16-18 gathering at Albuquerque's downtown convention center minced no words.

The only woman in a sea of men in suits, Dorothy Townsend can't help but stand out in the official photograph of the Los Angeles Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1966 for coverage of the Watts riots. The picture also inadvertently documents Townsend's other historic role at the newspaper. After insisting on being reassigned from "the women's pages" in early 1964, she became the first female staff writer to cover local news in a city room long populated only by men. Townsend, who wrote for The Times from 1954 to 1986, died March 5 of cancer at her Sherman Oaks home, said her cousin, Louise Hagan.

Calling access to healthcare a moral and spiritual imperative, Los Angeles religious leaders and their flocks are urging congressional leaders to include illegal immigrants in any healthcare reform plan. More than 100 parishioners attended a Mass of " hope and reconciliation" last week at Our Lady Queen of Angels church and launched a phone bank to convey to elected officials their support for an all-inclusive healthcare plan. "If we were politicians, this would be definitely political suicide to come out for healthcare reform for those who are undocumented," said Father Roland Lozano, pastor of the church near Olvera Street, known as La Placita.

President Obama has barnstormed the country to sell his healthcare overhaul directly to sometimes skeptical Americans. Today he will bring his message to a friendlier audience -- faith leaders who see reform as an ethical and religious imperative. Obama is scheduled to address more than 1,000 religious figures in two conference calls, allowing him to extend his message to legions of faithful in the pews. First up is a "High Holy Day" call this morning with about 1,000 rabbis from Judaism's Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements.

Framing the Arizona immigration situation as a "moral crisis," a group of seven Arizona religious leaders, including Catholic and Methodist bishops, descended Thursday on Capitol Hill in an "emergency" visit to lobby for comprehensive immigration reform. "Our role here is to invite dialogue … on this complex issue with many dimensions," said Bishop Gerald Frederick Kicanas of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson after a morning meeting with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). "The church believes there's a need for respect and dignity, and we speak up for people who have their dignity violated.

Duffy's latest vision Re "A.J. Duffy, reformer?," Editorial, Sept. 4 Your comment on United Teachers Los Angeles — "it's not their job to put the interests of children first" — is not the way that teachers unions explain their behavior. They often embellish their stances with the claim that they are supporting the interests of their students. It now appears that former UTLA President A.J. Duffy has always had the interests of students at heart. Were those views in plain view when attempts were made to dismiss teachers, to argue for excellence over seniority or to expand charter schools?

The Obama administration announced Friday that it would give Catholic hospitals and other religious institutions an extra year to comply with a new requirement that most health plans provide contraceptive benefits at no cost to their members. The administration, however, held fast to the mandate that most health plans eventually offer free contraception. That infuriated Roman Catholic bishops and some other religious leaders who had vigorously opposed the rule as a violation of their religious liberty.

Mourners wept over the coffins of Coptic Christians on Monday as Egyptian officials and religious leaders sought to ease sectarian tensions amid rising anger toward the nation's ruling military council. Funerals for four of the more than 20 Coptic protesters killed Sunday by army police and thugs in plainclothes kept the country on edge. The Coptic Church denounced the military for allowing the attacks. And Christians hurled rocks at police outside a Cairo hospital where the bodies of other protesters awaited burial.

The Syrian government on Monday blamed "terrorist" attackers for killing the son of a prominent Sunni Muslim cleric and declared that its forces had seized a large number of weapons near the Turkish border. The developments come as the strategically situated Arab country suffers a wave of what appear to be targeted assassinations and intense urban battles, some reportedly involving army defectors. There are fears that the unrest, inspired in part by "Arab Spring" protests elsewhere in the region, may be the start of a new and bloodier chapter in Syria's violence.

Duffy's latest vision Re "A.J. Duffy, reformer?," Editorial, Sept. 4 Your comment on United Teachers Los Angeles — "it's not their job to put the interests of children first" — is not the way that teachers unions explain their behavior. They often embellish their stances with the claim that they are supporting the interests of their students. It now appears that former UTLA President A.J. Duffy has always had the interests of students at heart. Were those views in plain view when attempts were made to dismiss teachers, to argue for excellence over seniority or to expand charter schools?

Norwegians turned to their churches Saturday to try to find comfort in the aftermath of twin attacks that took the lives of at least 92 people, many of them teenagers, and left citizens of this typically calm Scandinavian country in disbelief. Bishop Laila Riksaasen Dahl of the Church of Norway diocese in Tunsberg, along with other clergy, met with survivors and relatives of those slain when a gunman went on a rampage at a youth camp on Utoya Island. Riksaasen Dahl told the Norwegian daily Aftenposten that many of the young people had seen close friends gunned down, or had themselves been victims of the shooting.

Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has tentatively agreed to a five-point plan from opposition leaders that includes the demand that the man who has ruled the troubled Arabian Peninsula nation for more than three decades step down by the end of the year, according to the president's office. Update, March 3, 1:23 p.m.: The office of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Thursday that the president will not step down by the end of this year. Opposition figures and Saleh have reached "an initial agreement," said presidential spokesman Mohammed Basha.

Religious leaders in Maryland are growing more vocal in their opposition to a proposal by Gov. Robert Ehrlich to bring 10,500 slot machines to four racetracks. The United Methodist Church, Ehrlich's own denomination, is urging its 700 Maryland ministers to preach against the slots. And the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council, which represents 16 Christian denominations, sent a strongly worded anti-gambling letter to state legislators last month.

An array of religious speakers will highlight the sixth annual Valleywide Interfaith Service honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 17 at a Woodland Hills synagogue. Two well-known speakers will be Catholic Bishop Stephen E. Blaire, who is Cardinal Roger Mahony's chief administrator in the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese, and the Rev. George Regas, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena.

President Obama offered prayers for the nation and the people of Egypt, and provided rare reflections on his own faith journey during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Obama described how his beliefs were grounded in his mother's spirituality and deepened through his career in public service. His faith, Obama told the gathering of lawmakers and religious leaders, has sustained him during the trials of his presidency, including when he hears his faith "questioned from time to time.