Following up on our earlier posting on USA Today misleading on mainstream church support for a minimum wage hike — apparently USA Today has a history of obscuring minimum wage activists. And the paper is not alone in its lack of transparency.
Three years ago, a full-page story and photo essay told how hard it was to [...]

One heartbreaking unintended consequence of a good-intentioned policy. Yes, cash for clunkers is helping some who otherwise might not be able to afford a new car. But by demolishing their old cars, the government is leaving the most needy wanting.
The California faith-based homeless shelter, Mission Solano, is calling on the Obama Administration and both houses of Congress [...]

Pope Benedict offers a 79-point list of problems and recommendations on the economic crisis, drawing from previous popes and the Bible.  Philly Inquirer seeks financial book author comments.

The Detroit Free Press surveys the faithful:
 
As an engineer for General Motor Corp.’s power train group, Scott Gendron, 35, of Ypsilanti depends on the auto company to make a living. But with the Detroit icon expected to file for bankruptcy by Monday, Gendron and others across the region say they are increasingly relying on a higher [...]

Graduating divinity students are feeling trepidation as the contracting economy has led congregations across the religious spectrum to cut or downsize clergy positions, according to The New York Times.
The anecdotal evidence collected by the Association of Theological Schools, which covers 250 graduate institutions in the United States and Canada, has found job listings for ministerial positions down by about one-third [...]

In advance of their weekend sold-out appearance at Yankee Stadium, Pastors Joel and Victoria Osteen talk to CBS about their message of hope during tough economic times.
“We just feel very blessed to be here, very humbled and just rewarded,” Joel observed. “The Yankees have been good to us, and it seems like it’s a time [...]

New survey shows Americans turning to churches big and small for financial in addition to spiritual support.
The survey, by LifeWay Research, a Christian polling firm based in Nashville, finds that 40% of pastors say they have church members out of work, and 37% say their church has increased spending to help the needy. (The survey [...]

Catholic News Service reports that during his annual message marking Lent, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony “told Catholics that the country’s economic downturn has caused many people to already experience the season of Lent,” having begun in 2007 when people began losing their jobs.
In previous years, “when life and our financial security were far more predictable,” [...]

In a difficult economy, refugees who have fled to the U.S. are facing a new reality. The Houston Chronicle looks at the “major influx of refugees” facing a smaller job pool. 
“We are feeling the consequences of the downturn in the economy, like everyone else is,” said Oleg Jolick, refugee resettlement director for the Catholic Charities [...]

The New York Times discusses the challenges to humanities programs, and those teaching religion, during a period where more practical vocations fare better in the employment marketplace. The drag on academic endowments has prompted Ivory Tower hiring freezes:
In the last three months at least two dozen colleges have canceled or postponed faculty searches in religion and [...]