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Meanwhile, outsiders are getting involved in the fight.

"Suppose you were a member of the officially sanctioned Dallas Cowboys Fan Club, and Jerry Jones told you that the team wouldn't continue its support unless the club chose a die-hard Washington Redskins fan as its leader," Dave Sorter, editor of the Lewisville (Tex.) Leader wrote in his paper Wedensday. "I have long been outspoken in my belief that a certain extremist minority of Christians are out to circumvent the First Amendment and establish a state religion—in fact, if not in word. … Most of extremist Christians' cries that government or other entities are trying to diminish—and even destroy—Christianity are just blather. It's all spin to further their goal of making public schools, government and all entities venues for proselytizing. But in this case, they are right on target."

A Harvard Crimson editorial, meanwhile, suggests that the school's rules may not be restrictive enough. "That HRCF may technically be within the rules only highlights the need for the College to revise those rules to ensure that groups cannot have discriminatory criteria for any positions," the paper said last Wednesday. "All students are welcome to exercise their freedom of association, as HRCF claims, but if they choose to discriminate they are not entitled to recognition as an official student group."

Abortion:

• Abortion battle hits pivotal point  | Conservative and religious leaders said Wednesday that they are forming an alliance of more than 35 groups in an all-out push against abortion (USA Today)
  
  
• Abortion Now | Thirty years after Roe, a daunting landscape (Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review)
  
  
• Roe v Wade battle shifts to Congress, states | Abortion is no longer available in 87 percent of U.S. counties (Mary Deibel, The Knoxville News Sentinel)

Hindu attacks on missionaries:

• U.S. condemns attack on missionary in Kerala (AFP)
  
  
• RSS flays conversion drive by Christians in Kerala (PTI)
  
  
• Indian Christians seek ban on RSS (Hi Pakistan)
  
  
• Graham Staines was not converting tribals: CBI | Staines, however, was visiting Manoharpur, where he was burnt to death along with his sons, for the last 15-20 years for preaching and educating the local Christians (PTI)
  
  
• Missionary killing defense denied | Graham Staines never tried to induce villagers to convert to Christianity as a defense lawyer had argued, says Indian police investigator (News.com.au)
  
  
• Police in India arrest Hindu extremists | Three more RSS members accused of involvement in attack on missionary (Associated Press)
  
  
• U.S. watching progress, police arrest another 3 | Missionary is recovering after attack (The Indian Express)
  
  
• Attack on missionary condemned | The Global Council of Indian Christians says Hindu groups are "systematically targeting Christian workers and institutions" (The Hindu, India)

Persecution and violence:

• Tragedy of missionaries' murders compounded by misunderstanding | It is tragic that their killer did not really know these dedicated Americans - and that he so misunderstood their motives (William A. Rugh, The Baltimore Sun)
  
  
• Nine bullets that ended Baptists' work in Yemen | The killing of three American Baptists by a Yemeni man brought a violent end to a 35-year relationship between American Baptists and Yemeni Muslims (The New York Times)
  
  

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January (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47