Mid-City Christian: RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY

This Week on Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly

Following is a brief outline of the stories Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly will be covering this week. Every Friday evening, the transcript and streaming video of each report will available on our Web site . Please note that in case of breaking news, stories may be subject to change.

FEATURED SEGMENTS

Obama Church Shopping
During their term in office, America’s presidents have worshipped at several different churches in Washington D.C. Some even have special presidential pews or have been deemed historic national landmarks. So which one will Barack Obama and his family choose to attend following their move into the White House?

Kim Lawton provides a behind-the-scenes look at several local D.C. churches that the Obama family may consider, including St. John's Episcopal Church, which claims that every president since James Madison has visited at least once, and Metropolitan African-Methodist Episcopal Church, also known as the National Cathedral of African Methodism, founded in 1816 by former slave Richard Allen.

Kids Against Hunger
In 1974, entrepreneur Richard Proudfit volunteered on a medical mission to Honduras after Hurricane Fifi had ravaged that country. Profoundly affected by the starvation he saw among the children there, he made a decision to commit his life and financial resources to solving the enormous problem of world hunger. Five years later, he launched the international, faith-based program, “Kids Against Hunger.” Although it started as a small endeavor, the program now delivers 40 million meals a year in 38 countries around the world, including the U.S.

Fred de Sam Lazaro talks with Proudfit about his efforts to engage the religious community and local churches in his work to provide nutritional meals to starving and malnourished children in all corners of the globe. “God has called me to feed starving children,” Proudfit explains. “Something very simple does a whole lot of good . . . and it shows the importance of working together and doing something good for more than just yourself. It feels good when you can pack food for people who never get to have it every day.”

Charitabe Gifts
The Christian relief organization World Vision commissioned a survey recently which found that because of the recession 71% of Americans say they will spend less money on holiday presents this year, and nearly half (49%) say they are more likely to give a charitable gift. But for those that do, animals have become a popular donation— particularly because of their value in helping the world’s poor become more self reliant. For example, Heifer International reports that goats are its number one charitable item at a modest $75 donation.

Bob Abernethy provides a look at some of the top items — from cows, goats and a can of worms to water wells and sewing machines — being donated this holiday season to charitable organizations, including Heifer International, World Vision and Oxfam.

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The First 100 Days
What do American religious leaders most hope for in the first 100 days of the Obama administration?

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
On December 12, Latino Catholics celebrate their devotion to Mary with special masses and processions. Read about the devotion of Mexican immigrants to the Virgin of Guadalupe as their companion-in-exile.

Christmas Poetry
Revisit some of the poetry of Christmas, from T.S. Eliot and W.H. Auden to Alfred Lord Tennyson and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

Theology and Economy
What are theologians saying about the current financial crisis?

WHAT'S AHEAD

December 19: "Interracial Churches” — Lucky Severson explores efforts by churches to move towards interracial congregations.

"St. Nicholas Tradition” — Kim Lawton looks at how the Christian community is embracing the traditions of St. Nicholas in an attempt to restore and reclaim the true meaning of the Christmas celebration.

ONE NATION

As part of the launch of a new series of special reports, hear comments from religious leaders about their personal hopes for the new Obama Administration.

THE LIFE OF MEANING

The perfect gift — just in time for the holidays! The companion book to Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, now available in paperback in bookstores nationwide, can also be ordered through Shop Thirteen. “The Life of Meaning,” edited by the program’s executive editor and host Bob Abernethy and longtime journalist William Bole, features a collection of insightful, moving and eloquent observations on life and how to live it by some of the most thoughtful men and women in America, and beyond. Among them are Desmond Tutu, Francis Collins, Marianne Williamson, Irving Greenberg, Barbara Brown Taylor, Harold Kushner, Madeleine L’Engle, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Jimmy Carter and the late William Sloane Coffin.

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