Author: Gordon Govier

When Pope Francis told an Italian Jesuit journal that the church “cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods” and that “it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” it seemed the culture war was all but declared over. But not in Madison, Wisconsin. In fact, Bishop Robert Morlino insists Pope Francis has helped to make him a stronger culture warrior. “The media are deliberately trying to derail the truth about Pope Francis,” he tells me before Christmas in his Madison office, “and that’s truly unfortunate because the…

Since December 29, 1943 when the Lawson estate was purchased by the Northern Baptists, God has anointed Green Lake Conference Center (GLCC) to “nurture and train leadership for the world mission of the churches.” To facilitate great Christian leadership training opportunities, GLCC is addressing the last major piece to deliver first class sleeping, meeting and dining space: the renovation of iconic Roger Williams Inn (RWI). The vision is to draw on the magnificent 1930s design and create spaces that bring back the feel of the building in its early Northern Baptist days in a way that functions well in the…

A major Christian financial services organization headquartered in Wisconsin has temporarily suspended all pro-life and pro-choice groups from a member-driven charity program that has donated $120 million since 2010. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans announced that, in the wake of outcry over one of its 1,300 local chapters approving a Planned Parenthood affiliate for eligibility in its Thrivent Choice program, the 2.5-million-member ministry is “temporarily suspending all pro-choice and pro-life organizations [from the program], placing a temporary hold on the addition and removal of nonprofit organizations from the program, and conducting a comprehensive program review.”

The Rev. Tisha Brown views it as one small way society acknowledges the contributions of religious organizations. Every year, in addition to her annual taxed salary, the Madison pastor gets a cash housing allowance from her church that is exempt from the federal income tax. This year, her salary is $38,867, her housing allowance $19,430. Congress has offered this tax break to all clergy members — ministers, rabbis, imams — for decades, a perk that collectively lessens their tax burden by about $700 million annually, according to a recent congressional estimate. Now, that tax break is in jeopardy. Last month,…

I had just finished my presentation about the mass incarceration of African-American men to a Downtown Rotary luncheon when a woman from the audience approached me. “Wonderful presentation, Dr. Gee!” she told me, adding she was intrigued by my data and insights about Wisconsin’s mass incarceration phenomenon. She added, “If you don’t mind, I must tell you that I am so glad that you are not some angry black man!” This well-intentioned white Rotarian had just heard how Wisconsin has an epidemic and leads the nation in the incarceration of African-American males between 20 and 24 years old. Giving these…

A church in Wauwatosa has filed a motion against an atheist group suing the Internal Revenue Service over its alleged refusal to enforce a ban on church politicking. Holy Cross Anglican Church, headed by Benedictine Abbot Father Patrick Malone, filed the motion to intervene last week in U.S. District Court. Holy Cross Anglican’s motion was done in response to the Madison, Wis.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation’s lawsuit against the IRS.

Hundreds and possibly thousands of Wisconsin prisoners remain behind bars far longer than their sentencing judges envisioned because of the state’s dysfunctional system for granting parole, according to faith leaders and prison-reform advocates who are scheduled to meet with Gov. Scott Walker’s administration Tuesday to discuss their concerns.

MADISON (WKOW)– There’s no other way to say it, it has been cold this week in Madison. The extreme weather has certainly been hard on Madison’s homeless population. Groups in Madison have been working to help them out, but now they have a new arsenal of donated supplies to help the countless people who are living on the streets. It all started with homeless advocate Tami Miller reached out to a few community leaders and asked them for help.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and Slumberland Furniture have combined resources to continue a 12-year tradition to meet the needs of people with nothing to sleep on.

Madison’s most well known pastor of the last century is reaching his own century mark this month. December 19th is the 100th birthday of pastor Richard Pritchard, according to WSJ columnist Doug Moe. Pritchard, pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church then Heritage Congregational Church, often called local reporters. Moe got his share of calls, and I know I did too.