January 28, 2008

GORDON B. HINCKLEY
Faithful Mourn Death of Mormon President
Jennifer Dobner/Associated Press (01/28/2008: abcnews.go.com)
Thousands of believers were in mourning Monday following the death of Gordon B. Hinckley, the humble head of the Mormon church who added millions of new members and labored long to burnish the faith's image as a world religion. An announcement of his successor was not expected for days.

LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley dies at age 97
Deseret Morning News staff (01/28/2008)
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through explosive growth during his more than 12 years as president, died 7 p.m. Sunday at home of causes incident to age, surrounded by family. He was 97.

Gordon B. Hinckley, president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 97
Peggy Fletcher Stack/Salt Lake Tribune (01/28/2008)
A portrait of Brigham Young hangs over LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley's desk, and, it is said, from time to time Hinckley looked over his shoulder and wondered: What would Brigham do? After all, Hinckley, the astute and energetic president who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 until his death Sunday, was much like his pragmatic predecessor.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Is Dobson's Political Clout Fading?
Rita Healy/Time (01/28/2008)
James Dobson, the founder and head of the evangelical media and counseling group Focus on the Family, is constantly described by the media as a power broker, kingmaker, and "the Christian right's most powerful leader." As such, his endorsement is seen as key by G.O.P. presidential candidates in the 2008 race.

Religion falls off the GOP trail
Phil Long, Tere Figueras Negrete and Marc Caputo/Miami Herald (01/28/2008)
JACKSONVILLE -- That Old Time Religion isn't good enough for the campaign trail in the Florida Republican primary. Only one candidate, Baptist minister Mike Huckabee, went to church on the Sunday before Election Day. And candidate Rudy Giuliani, who is Catholic, went to a synagogue and donned a yarmulke. The lack of so many Republican candidates campaigning on social issues or sitting in church is a sign, strategists say, of the importance of the economy -- and the fractured and potentially weakening influence of evangelical voters, who have comprised anywhere from 20 percent to 40 percent of the GOP primary electorate.

Young evangelicals could be key in GOP race
Mark I. Pinsky/Orlando Sentinel (01/26/2008)
Religion has played a distinct if low-key role in the Florida campaign so far, with all the candidates (except Romney, who is Mormon) visiting large Protestant and Roman Catholic churches and appearing on religious radio and television. Huckabee will appear -- but not speak -- at First Baptist Church of Orlando on Sunday. Huckabee, along with Romney, has also made the greatest effort to recruit evangelical backing.

Mormonism in Evangelical Voter Guide
Rachel Zoll/Associated Press (01/25/2008: chicagotribune.com)
An executive for one of the nation's leading evangelical groups says in a video voter guide that Mitt Romney has 'acknowledged Mormonism is not a Christian faith,' although the GOP presidential candidate has said he follows Jesus Christ and his church insists it is Christian.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Vegas chapels' unholy hustle
Ashley Powers/Los Angeles Times (01/28/2008)
An unruly scene awaits those tying the knot in Sin City: a curbside mob accosting couples with package deals on wedding ceremonies.

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Pope wades back into debate on "seductive" science
Reuters (01/28/2008)
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict warned on Monday of the "seductive" powers of science that relegate man's spirituality, reviving the science-versus-religion debate which recently forced him to cancel a speech after student protests.

FAITH LEADERS
Leader of Greece's Orthodox Church dies
Associated Press (01/28/2008: usatoday.com)
ATHENS — Greece's Orthodox Church leader, Archbishop Christodoulos, who eased centuries of tension with the Vatican but angered liberal critics who viewed him as an attention-seeking reactionary, died Monday at his home of cancer, church officials said. He was 69.