Source: The Christian Science Monitor

On July 5, 2001, The Christian Science Monitor reported that "the [Bush] administration and Republican leaders in the House of Representatives made some changes last week to the Community Solutions Act (HR 7) that deal directly with a central issue of concern to critics [of Bush's faith-based initiative]: the separation of church and state." Under the changes, "religious groups that receive grants would now be required to keep any religious activity or instruction separate from the government-funded programming......

Source: The Kansas City Star

On July 4, 2001, The Kansas City Star reported that the nearly all white congregation of the Full Faith Church of Love West, installed the Rev. Don Lewis, an African-American, as its new senior pastor. "Guests at the installation included Charangit Hundal of the Sikh gurdwara and Anand and Dipti Bhattacharyya of the Hindu temple."

Source: The Commercial Appeal

On July 3, 2001, the Memphis The Commercial Appeal reported that "Memphis Police officer Mahajj Abdul-Baaqee doesn't mind explaining to his fellow officers" how to respect Muslim traditions while they conduct investigations. "In May, he was selected by the city's Office of Multicultural and Religious Affairs to serve as liaison for the Islamic community...As the face of Memphis changes, the need for liaisons to deal with everything from crime issues to cultural differences in the growing multiethnic communities increases."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On July 2, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "Bush's Texas record on faith-based programs has been mixed and in many cases not fully evaluated...In the most decisive setback yet, the Legislature this spring chose not to continue a Bush-backed plan passed in 1997 that allowed religious youth facilities to escape state inspections." One critic of faith-based programs said the evidence suggests that they are "'unmanageable, unregulated, prone to favoritism and co-mingling of funds.'...On the welfare reform front, however,...

Source: Los Angeles Times

On July 2, 2001, the Los Angeles Times reported that "now, with more Latino churches springing up within the Protestant evangelical movement, in which individual churches have substantial autonomy, more Latino church leaders are signing up for Economic Development 101," imitating the faith-based economic development promoted by many African-American churches.

Source: Lancaster Sunday News

On July 1, 2001, the Lancaster Sunday News reported that "the plan is to transform the Mennonite Church, based in Elkhart, Ind...and the General Conference Mennonite Church (GC), based in Newton, Kan., into one denomination called Mennonite Church USA...The transformation could heal a rift that began in the 1860s when the GCs wanted Sunday School, more mission work, and more English used in services and the MCs wanted to continue with German and more traditional and conservative ways."

Source: The Washington Post

On July 1, 2001, The Washington Post reported on the American Jewish Committee's 'Children of Abraham' project, which involved "publishing a book on Islam for Jewish readers and a book on Judaism for Muslims, then marketing them as a package to promote understanding between the two faiths...But [the] project is generating more interfaith arrows than embraces, as some Muslims have assailed portions of the guide to Islam and criticized the committee's choice of author...The author has gone into hiding under heavy security...

Source: The Ledger

On June 30, 2001, The Ledger reported that Lakeland's Community and Faith Based Coalition in Florida "has been awarded a grant under a state program that promotes faith-based solutions to community problems." The grant is intended for a Family Unification Project, "which is intended to help families in crisis through personal contact with volunteers recruited from local churches. The grant is one of 10" that has been awarded since "Gov. Jeb Bush signed a law that created a state Community and Faith-Based Organizations Initiative."

Source: The Fresno Bee

On June 30, 2001, The Fresno Bee reported on "a growing community [of Muslims] that numbers 10,000 in the central San Joaquin Valley...In the Valley, the number of Muslims has doubled in 10 years and increased tenfold in the last 20.'

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 30, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that "June...is the time when brides and grooms fill churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and banquet halls with promises of love, fidelity and care. Traditions vary...But most couples taking a leap into married life begin by professing love and faithfulness until death parts them, if not for eternity. And even those who profess no religion often look beyond themselves on their wedding day to seal their commitment. 'People intuitively understand that [it] is something sacred...

Source: The Buffalo News

On June 30, 2001, The Buffalo News reported that "area religious leaders...launched a united opposition to casino proposals for the Buffalo Niagara region [from Gov. George E. Pataki and Seneca Nation President Cyurs M. Schindler]...Adding to the chorus was the [Methodist] Rev. Marvin Abrams, a Seneca Indian...He contended that casino gambling will only compound social ills that already exist on the reservations....While many leaders said they recognize the need for economic development ...on Indian reservations, the consensus...

Source: Newsday

On June 30, 2001, Newsday reported on Dr. Frederick Smith. "As associate chief of internal medicine at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset [New York], the...56-year-old physician has found that religious faith can help his patients, and he's trying to teach that to a generation of up-and-coming doctors. His 2-year-old course, Religion and Medicine, is part of a growing move to sensitize doctors to the role faith plays in their patients' lives."

Source: The Fresno Bee

On June 30, 2001, The Fresno Bee reported that "several Fourth of July celebrations will be offered...by the Fresno faith community: The Interfaith Alliance of Central California's Celebration of Diversity picnic, a Sikh vegetarian brunch, will be held...at California State University, Fresno...The Fresno Rescue Mission will host a barbecue dinner and fireworks show for [the] homeless."

Source: The Houston Chronicle

On June 30, 2001, The Houston Chronicle reported that Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church and St. John Vianney Catholic Church, who are neighbors, "for the first time...will embark on an adult foreign mission trip together [to Dublin, Ireland]...The two-week trip has three goals: to help at two cash-strapped camps that bring together Catholic and Protestant children; to offer a model of how Catholics and Protestants from Houston can work together; and to learn more about the believers who have been their neighbors for years."

Source: The Arizona Republic

On June 30, 2001, The Arizona Republic published a piece on "the recent exhibit of Norman Rockwell paintings at the Phoenix Art Museum [that] featured a series called 'Four Freedoms.' My favorite is Freedom to Worship... This image is just as vital to our society today as it was when Rockwell painted it in 1943... We should give thanks for this precious right not only on the Fourth of July, but every day."