religion

The Sunday service had just ended and the Rev. Larry Kroon couldn't believe what he was seeing.

A journalist was chasing Wasilla Bible Church members in the aisles, trying to convince somebody, anybody, to dish about his flock's most famous church lady. The craziness had started as soon as Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the GOP's nominee for vice president.

There is a widespread impression that the sexual "revolution" of the 1960s turned sexual morality upside down, devaluing marriage. Granted, easy access to contraception made extramarital sex safer, and the prevailing "If it feels good, do it" mantra also offered this corollary: "If it no longer feels good, end it" -- effectively squeezing the shame out of divorce.

If members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod have heard it once, they've heard their national leaders repeat this mantra a thousand times: "This is not your grandfather's church."

Popular culture would have us believe that American men and women are promiscuous bed-hoppers. But when Time magazine investigated the myth, it discovered that the average American woman has no more than two sex partners in her lifetime, while American men have six -- in each case counting their current spouse.

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times has long enjoyed flaunting her Catholic schoolgirl pedigree like a badge of honor.

Still, the Pulitzer Prize winner took her game to another level in a recent column attacking Rome for its investigation of religious orders which shelter sisters who oppose many of the church's teachings.

Wait, is "investigation" the right word?

When Pope Benedict recently offered a place in the Roman Catholic Church to dissident Anglicans, some commentators said the move was reminiscent of a hostile takeover in the corporate world.

To be fair, the pope was simply responding to repeated requests of many members of the Church of England who are disenchanted with their church's acceptance of women priests and gay bishops.

When it comes to comedian Ricky Gervais, journalist Paul Asay openly confesses that he is a fan.

In my home county of Prince William in Virginia, the landscape is dotted with churches. Our houses of worship outnumber restaurants, theaters, golf courses and libraries combined. Nearly every denomination is represented. Moreover, many small businesses and private homes proudly display the American flag.

Mitch Albom has seen plenty of extremely large men, which isn't surprising after a quarter century as one of America's top sports writers.

But he wasn't ready for the giant who met him outside the Pilgrim Church's dilapidated Gothic sanctuary near downtown Detroit. The Rev. Henry Covington was as tall as a basketball player, but weighed 400 pounds or more.

When Henry Willenborg fathered a child out of wedlock with single mother Pat Bond, it never occurred to him to marry her. Henry was (and is) a Catholic priest, and priests don't marry.