hurricane katrina

Twitter was outraged Monday. Megachurch Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, housed in a former basketball arena, looked to be dry and quiet, even as thousands of Houstonians were seeking shelter…

A disaster is not an “Act of God.”

I don’t like Beyoncé in the way that some people do—I am not a bee in the hive. I do, however, recognize greatness when I see it, and Beyoncé’s “Formation” is just that. Beyonce’s African and “Creole”…

Beasts is a transcendental film that enables the viewer to swim through a child’s memories, witness a hurricane and flood, watch a man die, see a home vanish. But is the imagery too transcendent and romantic?

The desire to regain control in the face of terrifying events is so strong we’ll do or say almost anything to put ourselves back in charge.

Scenes of destruction and human suffering in Japan have elicited worldwide support, both material and spiritual. But amid global calls for prayer and other religious responses, the most widely publicized example of a religious response to Japan’s worst disaster since the Second World War is…

Nguyen sheltered hundreds of Vietnamese families in his church, and remained with them during the floods until the last family was rescued. Now with the BP oil spill creeping onto Louisiana’s coast, dismantling the lives of thousands of fishers, shrimpers, and oyster harvesters, many of whom are Vietnamese, Nguyen is in the position of miracle-maker again. It’s not a question of what Father Vien wants—it’s a question of finding out what a community needs.

Also links “anti-Israel” Obama administration to biblical prophecies of future harm to Gulf Coast.

RD News Round-Up—December 2, 2008. Rick Warren and Reader’s Digest’s multimedia platform; Faith-based orgs and Katrina; Churches for sale; Breakaway Episcopalians; and Bob Jones U. apologizes for racism; and Ted Haggard returns.

Father Gerhard Maria Wagner called Hurricane Katrina divine retribution, and thinks the Harry Potter series is satanic. His reward? The Pope has just made him bishop.