The justices said Monday they will not revive a lawsuit filed by Brittany McComb of Henderson, Nev. challenging the actions of Clark County school officials. A federal appeals court ruled previously ruled against her.

During McComb’s speech at the Foothill High School graduation in 2006, officials turned off McComb’s microphone when the school valedictorian strayed from an approved text to provide a graphic account of Jesus’ crucifixion and credit God for her success in school.

The case is McComb v. Crehan, 08-1566.

Bishop Thomas E. Breidenthal of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio announced at the 135th diocesean convention that he would lift the prohibition of same-sex unions in the church.

The diocese includes about 25,000 Episcopalians in more than 80 churches.

Right Rev. Breidenthal put conservatives at ease by assuring them that no priest will be required to perform the same-sex blessing.

The General Convention this past summer approved openly gay bishops to serve in the Episcopal church.

“For the people who come tonight, that means they believe in the resurrection in me,” he told reporters before the start of the meeting Thursday night. “Because I died. I was buried.”

Many of those who attended carried cookies, pies, and brownies along with their Bibles. By the time prayers began, more than 50 cars were parked outside the home. Reporters weren’t allowed inside.

The one-time evangelical superstar insisted that his intent is not to start a new church, but he isn’t ruling out the possibility. He said the reason for starting prayer meetings after three years of exile was a simple one.

“We were getting lonely,” he said.

Haggard, 53, began his journey to becoming one of the nation’s best-known evangelists in 1985 at his home, where he led people in worship. Out of those meetings grew New Life Church, which had about 14,000 members in 2006 and a $50 million prayer campus.

As head of the National Association of Evangelicals, Haggard had the ear of White House staffers, participating in conference calls with them and lobbying Congress for conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices.

In late 2006, Haggard’s life began to unravel when a male prostitute revealed the pastor had paid him for sex over three years. Haggard, who is married and has five children, said the sexual allegations were false, and admitted only to receiving a massage from his accuser and buying drugs from him.

“The essence of our faith as Christians is to forgive,” said Alan Hawkins, a pastor from Albuquerque, N.M., who traveled to Colorado Springs to be in Haggard’s living room Thursday. “When this thing happened, I said, ‘Ted, nobody is defined by their worst moments.’”

New Life Church pastor Brady Boyd issued a short statement on the eve of Haggard’s prayer meeting.

“New Life Church will always be grateful for the many years of dedicated leadership from Ted Haggard and we wish him and his family only the best,” Boyd said. The church said it would not comment further.

Haggard later confessed to “sexual immorality” and resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. He also was forced out at the church he founded.

As part of a severance package with New Life Church, Haggard agreed to leave Colorado Springs for a period and not speak publicly about the scandal. The family moved back to their $700,000 home down the road from New Life Church in 2007.

Earlier this year, Haggard admitted he had an “inappropriate” relationship with a church volunteer a few years ago. Haggard said the relationship with the man, who was 22 at the time, did not involve physical contact.

Haggard, who developed an anti-gay reputation over the years, told KMGH-TV in an interview Wednesday that he has more compassion for gays because of his trials in recent years. Haggard has also said that when he was 7, a co-worker of his father’s molested him.

“People find it hard to stomach me,” Haggard admitted Thursday, before the steady stream of people started arriving at his home.

“I understand,” he said, a slight grimace on his face.

Even so, the people who showed up at his home were willing to give him a second chance.

“People love a good comeback story,” Haggard said.

Eva Brunne became bishop of Stockholm’s diocese in a ceremony Sunday.

She lives in a “registered partnership” with another woman, a civil union between gays used in Sweden before same-sex marriages were legalized this year. The couple also has a child.

“It is very positive that our church is setting an example here and is choosing me as bishop based on my qualifications, when they also know that they can meet resistance elsewhere,” the 55-year-old Brunne told The Associated Press by phone.

Brunne’s spokeswoman Annika Sjoqvist Platzer said she didn’t know of any openly gay women who had reached the position of bishop in other countries.

In 2003, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican body in the U.S., caused an uproar in the global Anglican fellowship by consecrating the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The 77 million-member Anglican Communion is now on the brink of schism.

Brunne was elected as bishop of Stockholm in May, then ordained Sunday in Uppsala Cathedral. She said hadn’t encountered much resistance within the church over her sexual orientation.

The Church of Sweden has become more open toward sexual minorities in recent years, though there still is resistance from individual clergy. Former Archbishop Gunnar Weman protested Brunne’s elevation in a statement to the Christian newspaper Dagen, saying it “is not compatible” with Holy Scripture.

The Church of Sweden counts about 6.7 million members though few of them regularly attend services in the largely secular Scandinavian country.

(Washington, D.C.)  Proponents and supporters, including D.C. religious leaders, will attend the scheduled mark-up of the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, chaired by Councilmember Phil Mendelson, will review the text of the current bill for changes and amendments stemming from the 269 testimonies submitted during public hearings on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2. 

Over 80% of those who testified at the council hearing testified in support of marriage equality.

The committee is expected to debate sections of the bill that address D.C.’s current domestic partnership law and the impact of the legislation on religious institutions in the District. The final bill, including mark-up, is expected to be sent to the full committee for a vote following the meeting.

“Residents of the District of Columbia are eager for our friends and neighbors to gain full and equal recognition under law through the passage of the Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009,” said Aisha Mills, member of the board for the Campaign for All D.C. Families.

“We anticipate that this mark-up will emphasize the protections allotted to domestic partners and protect the religious freedoms of District residents,” Mills said.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Friday that the director of the Duke Catholic Center has lodged a complaint with researchers. The Rev. Joe Vetter says the study doesn’t promote relationships.

The study asks female students over age 18 to attend the events that are similar to Tupperware parties but with erotic toys, lingerie and games. The women complete surveys about their sexual attitudes before and after the parties and get product discounts.

A spokesman for Duke said the sex-toy party project went through the peer review process. Vetter says he plans to discuss the topic at Sunday mass.

Let’s end a tiring week (the Maine vote and yesterday’s Fort Hood incident) on some levity. Former reverend and present fame supplicant Ted Haggard is returning to spiritual guidance. In his living room.

Yes the man who described himself as  “a heterosexual with complications” (loves, as in utterly, that line) is back to preaching.

“We wanted to do something in our house to connect with friends,” Haggard said.

I bet Ted wants to reconnect. Let’s give the man credit for a smart move. Get some cute guys to come to your house for “spiritual guidance.” A much shorter walk from the living room to the bedroom. Mrs. Haggard? Sweetie?  I would be worried if I were you because I know what a booty search looks like. Unless you are a perv too and like to see your man work his magic. Nothing wrong with being a perv by the way, as long as you are an adult and your perv stuff involves others of age.

Apparently Haggard’s income comes from traveling to churches talking about himself and those “complications.” Why a church would want this guy to talk is beyond me.  I understand what it means to be a failed human being (trust me), but this guy only functions when he is at the center of any spotlight.

 ”What about a law that says it’s a federal crime to attack somebody because of his religious beliefs?” Robertson said.  “Not a chance!”

The blog Crooks and Liars criticized Robertson’s rationale towards religious persecution.  Writing for the blog, David Neiwert, in analyzing Robertson’s remarks, points out that “Robertson seems completely unaware that in fact religious bias is one of the categories of bias crime covered by hate-crime laws — and it has been from the very start, since these laws were first enacted on the state level in the early 1980s!”

In support of the new law, Mr. Neiwert writes: “Everyone interested in advancing civil rights in America and defending the nation’s minorities from the deprivation of their rights by terroristic thugs…have real cause to celebrate.”

President Obama signed the bill into law last Wednesday.

Here at 365 some of our readers have a little parlor game. If there is a comment that gives the slightest props to a Republican and/or conservative, a few will furiously start typing  “Jews for Hitler,” “self hating queen,” or some other accusatory phrase. Well ladies get those keyboard ready!

A few months back Ross Douthat replaced Bill Kristol as the conservative op-ed writer at the New York Times. A good thing really because Kristol can be a little fact deficient when opining. Anyway Douthat was recently on a panel called “Meet the Neo-Cons: They’re Young, They’re Bright, They Tilt to the Right” (he was joined by Reihan Salam) and the topic of gay marriage came up. Apparently Douthat turned incoherent. Strange but he kept going and  explained his tongue knots thus:

“I am someone opposed to gay marriage who is deeply uncomfortable arguing the issue in public.”

Calm down folks. Not finished yet. He hasn’t jumped on the marriage train because of his religion. Will you wait please!? However, he described the conservative opposition to same sex marriage as  “a losing argument,”  thinks gay marriage is going to happen, and said something that needs to be put on your wall today.

“The secular arguments against gay marriage, when they aren’t just based on bigotry or custom, tend to be abstract in ways that don’t find purchase in American political discourse. I say, ‘Institutional support for reproduction,’ you say, ‘I love my boyfriend and I want to marry him.’ Who wins that debate? You win that debate.”