For a week or two this August, the spotlight of national media attention cast a harsh light on a prayer rally in Houston entitled “The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis.” Although it was billed as a non-political event held only to ask God for unity and righteousness, The Response drew a roster of hard-line religious rightists best known for their gay-bashing rhetoric.

Orthodox rabbi Steve Greenberg officiated at the wedding of Yoni Bock and Ron Kaplan. Greenberg is openly gay, and an Orthodox rabbi. It may also be the first time that an Orthodox rabbi has officiated a same-sex marriage in the United States.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops tackled the question of same-sex marriage at their 2011 fall general assembly this morning and unveiled a new website — MarriageUniqueForAReason.org — to complement the organization’s ongoing effort to “promote and defend marriage as the union between one man and one woman.”

Church ordains Iowa City native Dorothy Whiston on Sunday

A candidate with a resume as colorful as Dorothy Whiston’s would’ve been unlikely to become the pastor of a Baptist church a few decades ago.

Whiston — ordained as the pastor of First Baptist Church on Sunday — has had a hand in a number of denominations throughout her career, including Methodist, Catholic and Evangelical churches.

But for the congregation at FBC, Whiston’s ordination is one of many manifestations of their inclusive attitude; not just with respect to religious backgrounds, but races, cultures, political affiliations, sexual orientations and socio-economic circumstances as well.

The mood among many U.S. Roman Catholic bishops was captured in a recent speech by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. His talk, called “Catholics in the Next America,” painted a bleak picture of a nation increasingly intolerant of Christianity.

On Sunday, Nov. 20, the more than 50-year-old First Unitarian Church of Honolulu on the Pali, is poised to induct Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, the Honolulu church’s first openly gay minister, as well as its first Asian minister. We talked with Kwong about his new role and what it means not only for the Unitarian church, but the larger religious community and the public in general.

Last year, Bishop Jim Swilley spoke from his heart to his congregation at Church in the Now in Conyers, Ga. He came out as a gay man, shocking many of his mega-church congregants and making national headlines.

Frontrunner Romney so far uncommitted; Cain to get pass on sexual harassment charges

The weekend before thanksgiving, Colorado Springs-based evangelical group Focus on the Family and the National Organization for Marriage will host a Republican presidential candidate forum in Des Moines centered on social issues. Focus on the Family staffer Tom Minnery said the hosts of the event don’t plan to “get into theology as such” because there wouldn’t be enough time for the candidates to “solve theological questions.” Primary campaign frontrunner Mitt Romney, who is Mormon, has yet to commit to the event.

Inclusive Life plans office location in Council Bluffs, Iowa to serve all without exception.

Omaha based Inclusive Life plans to open a branch office in Council Bluffs. This location will offer care and services with payment plans and a sliding scale. In addition to providing a venue for those coming to Council Bluffs, Iowa to be legally married, this location will offer premarital coaching, couples coaching and life coaching on a sliding scale.

The oldest Roman Catholic newspaper in the United States has retracted an opinion column suggesting the devil may be responsible for gay attraction.

The column, which appeared Friday in the Archdiocese of Boston's official newspaper, The Pilot, was titled "Some fundamental questions on same-sex attraction." It was written by Daniel Avila, an associate director for policy and research for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.