The Christian Century

(RNS) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas -- earlier and earlier every year. The evergreens at Rockefeller Center and the White House were decorated in November, radio stations started playing carols after Halloween, and stores have been promoting Christmas sales for months.

(RNS) Convicted Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff bilked billions of dollars out of thousands of fellow Jews, including charities like the Elie Wiesel Foundation and Steven Spielberg Wunderkinder Foundation.

Most Americans believe that messages about homosexuality coming from religious institutions contribute to negative views of gays and lesbians as well as to higher rates of suicide among gay youths, a new poll reports.