Richard Mouw: I'm fasting for Ramadan
The evangelical president of Fuller Theological Seminary says he has never fasted for religious reasons before, but he's starting this year during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "Like many other Christians—and Jews and people of other faiths or of no faith at all—Islam has been much on my mind since Sept. 11," he explains in a Beliefnet column. "And like many others, I have also thought more intensely about my spiritual life during the past two months. … I should make it clear that I don't see this as 'joining' Muslims in their observance. I don't do well at participating in spiritual practices with people with whom I disagree on religious matters. … But still, I am motivated in this largely by the example of Muslims I know." Mouw says he's only fasting for a day, not the whole month.

Burnhams are suffering, say freed hostages
The Abu Sayyaf group holding New Tribes missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham released seven of its last ten hostages yesterday—but still hold the Burnhams and a Filipino nurse. "[The Burnhams] want me to tell what we really know of their condition—that they are not OK, they are not fine; they are sick and tired of being there, sick and tired of running,'' said Angie Montealegre, who carried a message to the Burhams' family here in the U.S. Another hostage says Gracia Burnham is "always crying."

Military southern command chief Lieutenant General Roy Cimatu told reporters he believes the Philippines military will rescue the Burnhams by next week. "We are very close to recovering the Americans," he said.

But New Tribes Mission has heard that before and is getting tired of it. Mission officials are in Washington with Martin's ...