Skip to main content
Sojourners
faith in action for social justice
Sojourners
About
About SojournersEventsOur TeamWork With UsMediaWays to GiveInvite a SpeakerContact Us
SojoAction
OverviewTake ActionIssue AreasResourcesFaith-Rooted AdvocatesChurch Engagement
Magazine
Current IssueArchivesManage My SubscriptionWrite for Sojourners
Sections
LatestPoliticsColumnsLiving FaithArts & CultureGlobalPodcastsVideoPreaching The Word
Subscribe
MagazineRenewPreaching the WordCustomer ServiceNewsletters
Donate
Login / Register

Afternoon News Bytes: March 19, 2012

By the Web Editors
Mar 19, 2012
Share

THINK PROGRESS: What Everyone Should Know About Trayvon Martin (1995-2012)
On February 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African-American named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida. The shooter was George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old white man. Zimmerman admits killing Martin, but claims he was acting in self-defense. Three weeks after Martin’s death, no arrests have been made and Zimmerman remains free.
Learn more HERE

THE HUFFINGTON POST: President Jimmy Carter Authors New Bible Book, Answers Hard Biblical Questions
Jimmy Carter served as the 39th president of the United States, founded the Carter Center and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. President Carter is also a Sunday School teacher and has followed that avocation since his earliest years. In this interview, HuffPost's Senior Religion Editor Paul Brandeis Raushenbush spoke to President Carter by phone about the hardest questions presented in the Bible: from gays, science, the role of women, slavery passages and more.
Learn more HERE

REUTERS: Three Shot Dead Outside Jewish School In France
A man on a scooter opened fire outside a Jewish school in Toulouse in southwestern France on Monday, killing two children and one adult, a police source said.
Learn more HERE

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Hawks Steering Debate On How To Take On Iran
Even before President Obama declared this month that “I have Israel’s back” in its escalating confrontation with Iran, pro-Israel figures like the evangelical Christian leader Gary L. Bauer and the conservative commentator William Kristol were pushing for more.
Learn more HERE

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES: A Kinder, Gentler Immigrant Detention Center
As prisons go, the detention center that opened in southern Texas last week may be a pleasant surprise for illegal immigrants and others awaiting possible deportation.
Learn more HERE

THE WASHINGTON POST (ON FAITH): Rick Santorum’s Evangelical Appeal (OPINION)
So what’s up with the victories of Rick Santorum, a western Pennsylvania Italian Catholic, in two states, Alabama and Mississippi, where upwards of four in five voters described themselves in exit polls as evangelical or “born-again” Christians?  Although the New York Times’ Bill Keller famously misidentified Santorum last year as an evangelical, these voters know better.  They knew going to the polls Tuesday that they could choose the LDS Mitt Romney, the Lutheran-turned-Baptist-turned-Catholic Newt Gingrich, or the lifelong Catholic Rick Santorum.
Learn more HERE

THINK PROGRESS: Donald Trump: Windmills Are ‘Disgusting’
President Barack Obama characterized clean energy cynics in the GOP presidential field as would-be members of the Flat Earth Society. Birther and Romney-endorser Donald Trump cast himself with the Flat Earth candidates yesterday, with his latest tirade against clean energy.
Learn more HERE

MOTHER JONES: Police Get Violent As OWS Retakes Zuccotti Park
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters marked the six-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street by attempting to retake Zuccotti Park. By the end of the night, 73 had been arrested and the park forcefully cleared. In scenes that recalled the early days of the movement last fall, citizen journalists captured the New York City Police Department roughing up dozens of apparently peaceful activists.
Learn more HERE

THE HUFFINGTON POST: Nigeria's Ambitious Effort To End Poverty (OPINION)
I was surprised to see a recent report in The Economist suggesting that the Millennium Villages Project has failed in its efforts to scale up. As the advisor who served three presidents in Nigeria over the last six years in order to scale up the Millennium Villages to tens of millions of people across the country, I'm surprised to have not received a call from the magazine to check the facts on what is actually a widely discussed and readily available case of nation-wide scale up.
Learn more HERE

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Forget The Money, Follow The Sacredness
Despite what you might have learned in Economics 101, people aren’t always selfish. In politics, they’re more often groupish. When people feel that a group they value — be it racial, religious, regional or ideological — is under attack, they rally to its defense, even at some cost to themselves. We evolved to be tribal, and politics is a competition among coalitions of tribes.
Learn more HERE

ASSOCIATED BAPTIST PRESS: Churches Conflicted When It Comes To Social Media Engagement
It's not about hunting. It's about farming. That's how bestselling author Ivan Misner, founder of one of the world's largest business networking organizations, describes social networks, which he says attempt to do one thing—cultivate relationships.
Learn more HERE

BBC: Egypt's Coptic Christians Hold Second Vigil For Pope Shenouda
Egypt's Coptic Christians have begun a second night of mourning for their spiritual leader Pope Shenouda III, who died on Saturday at the age of 88.
Learn more HERE

Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!

Tell Us What You Think!

We value your feedback on the articles we post. Please fill out the form below, and a member of our online publication team will receive your message. By submitting this form, you consent to your comment being featured in our Letters section. 

Please do not include any non-text characters, such as emojis or other non-standard content, into your submission.  It may cause errors in submitting the form.  Thanks!

Don't Miss a Story!

Sojourners is committed to faith and justice even in polarized times. Will you join us on the journey?
Confirm Your Email Address.
By entering your email we'll send you our newsletter each Thursday. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Search Sojourners

Subscribe

Magazine Newsletters Preaching The Word
Follow on Facebook Follow on Bluesky Follow on Instagram Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Sojourners
Donate Products Editorial Policies Privacy Policy

Media

Advertising Press

Opportunities

Careers Fellowship Program

Contact

Office
408 C St. NE
Washington DC, 20002
Phone 202-328-8842
Fax 202-328-8757
Email sojourners@sojo.net
Unless otherwise noted, all material © Sojourners 2025