Daily Links, May 9: spiritual directors, Hugo Chavez, public Christianity

The Boston Globe reports [1] that there’s a growing demand for spiritual directors today, as the ancient practice of meeting with a religious mentor becomes increasingly mainstream (subscription required).

Scott Alessi argues why we need to reframe the nation’s welfare debate [2], while Meinrad Scherer-Emunds shares some of US Catholic’s good news: we won a lot of awards at last week’s Associated Church Press conference! [3]

Venezualan leader, Hugo Chavez, known for his praise of Karl Marx and Fidel Castro, is turning to the Christian faith as he struggeles with cancer, the AP reports. [4]

USA Today features a column [5]on the changes in the practice of public Christianity over the past 20 years, concluding that “A distinctive way of being Christian in the public square — a softer, less partisan way — is emerging.” Interestingly, this is the exact opposite of what’s happening in the practice of public Catholic Christianity.

Tom Gallagher of NCR writes [6] that Catholic universities’ contraception ban is failing students, and the bishops’ June meeting [7] will focus on, you guessed it, religious liberty, which, unfortunately seems to look less like religious liberty for all and more like religious liberty for Judeo-Christian faiths. [8]