MC News
Madison— Hundreds of people from across Wisconsin marched around the Capitol on Wednesday, some hoisting signs saying “Black Lives Matter” and “Living Wage Jobs,” and shouting “This is what religion looks like.” The interfaith gathering, which drew an estimated 800 people to the Capitol, was part of the biennial effort by religious leaders and faith-based organizations to shape the state’s 2015-’17 budget and legislative priorities. As in past years, Wisconsin’s religious advocates and lobbyists will lend their voices to a broad range of issues this session — from abortion and human trafficking to food stamps and health care for the…
A Wisconsin Catholic church’s 45th annual Original Pig Rassle fundraiser has been canceled after an animal rights group documented alleged signs of injury and abuse during the event which they claim violates the state’s fighting and child endangerment laws.
DES MOINES — Scott Walker, the son of a Baptist preacher, learned a lot about being a politician by going to church. He was introduced to glad-handing while greeting worshipers beside his father after Sunday services. His confidence as a public speaker began at 2, when he delivered a Christmas greeting from the pulpit, and it blossomed when he preached occasional sermons as a teenager. And now, Mr. Walker’s lifelong church involvement may be a powerful asset as he positions himself to run for the Republican presidential nomination and focuses on early primary and caucus states dominated by evangelical voters.
A Madison priest known for pointed commentary is offering what he says is a path forward for businesses opposed to participation in same-sex weddings.
Thousands of churches will join “Stand for Marriage Sunday” on April 26 – just two days before the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the definition of marriage. Pastors across the nation are being asked to distribute a bulletin insert and show church members a brief video explaining the importance of the pending decision and the impact it will have on everyday Americans who seek to live out their faith.
A broad coalition of religious organizations representing thousands of Wisconsin congregations is calling on the Legislature to reject Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal to drug test some public aid recipients, calling it punitive, discriminatory and not in the best interest of the state. “In our respective religious traditions, poverty and joblessness are not indicators of bad character,” says the letter to the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance, signed by the representatives of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, the Wisconsin Catholic and Jewish conferences, WISDOM and five other organizations.
Madison is not perceived as a city with a thriving Christian culture. But that may be changing. The Grand Opening Open House at The Upper House, 235 Campus Mall, drew a standing room only crowd this evening to the University of Wisconsin campus.
Madison’s police chief wrote Monday, “I unapologetically confess to praying harder than ever,” as the city awaits a prosecutor’s decision on whether to file criminal charges against the officer who fatally shot an unarmed young black man last month.
This week, the most tangible and ambitious project of the Stephen and Laurel Brown Foundation, a religious gathering spot called UpperHouse, officially opens at 365 East Campus Mall. It is a soaring, aesthetically stunning space in the heart of the UW-Madison campus, in a former food court on the second floor of the University Square development. This is where the Browns hope to create a legacy, though the legacy’s exact nature is still evolving.
Crisis-trained Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains were deployed to Madison, Wisconsin, March 9-13, to offer emotional and spiritual care after a deadly police shooting jolted the community and sparked protests. “The protests have been peaceful,” said Al New, manager of deployment and operations for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. New said the chaplains met with law enforcement officials and community leaders in an effort to help maintain the peace.