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• Politicians praise Maronite bishops' stand on conflict | Vatican's position called 'honorable' (The Daily Star, Lebanon)

Politics and law:

• Wash. St. lawmakers apologize to Muslim | Reps. Lois McMahan and Cary Condotta drew criticism Monday when they deliberately stayed off the House floor during Imam Mohamad Joban's prayer (Associated Press)
  
  
• Also: First, it was prayer; now it's women | Just as Republicans finished convincing us that they like Muslims, you can expect to hear them this week explain their feelings toward women. And maybe homosexuals, too (The Seattle Times)
  
  
• Wings clipped and living on prayer in a born-again U.S. | The biggest change in the U.S. is the loss of control of the American political and social agenda by secular liberalism (Paul Sheehan, The Sydney Morning Herald)
  
  
• Description of governor as 'unabashed evangelical' disconcerted reader | But paper and others defend the phrase (Lou Gelfand, Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

• Judge backs Va. laws requiring pledge, motto | The ruling by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris is a sign that a controversial appeals court ruling in California that banned teacher-led recitation of the pledge in schools has had little impact nationally and that the issue is probably headed to the U.S. Supreme Court (The Washington Post)

Faith-based initiative:

• Bush's initiative still in 'high concept' stage | It is still simmering, not yet fully cooked or served (Anthony B. Robinson, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
  
  
• What Mr. Jefferson would think of Ms. Myles's addiction program | One of the programs being touted by President Bush as part of his faith-based initiative threatens all of us with tyranny, this founder would have said (Adam Cohen, The New York Times)

Music:

• Label head has it all—a good ear, youth, savvy | Susan Riley, now 28, is one of the music industry's few female label owners and is likely the youngest in Christian music today (The Tennessean, Nashville)
  
  
• DMX retiring from hip-hop, plans to read his Bible | Will continue acting career (MTV.com)
  
  
• Radio station owner puts faith in new christian music format | WBLQ will forsake adult contemporary and soft rock for Christian pop music (The Day, Connecticut)
  
  
• Crafting an impact in hymnland | Unsatisfied with church's traditional sound, five teenagers sat down with drums and electric guitars to ''grungify'' meaningful hymns (St. Petersburg Times)
  
  
• Radial Angel balancing reverence with rock 'n' roll | Christian rock band Radial Angel's spring tour is almost evenly split between churches and clubs. It's a controversial route beyond the Christian subculture some recording artists say they feel trapped in (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram)

Pop culture:

• Is the Pope Catholic … Enough? | Mel Gibson is making a movie about Jesus and he's financing an ultraconservative church near Los Angeles. His father couldn't be prouder—but his views may be even more unorthodox (The New York Times Magazine)
  
  
• Also: LA Rabbi asks Mel Gibson to reconsider Jesus film | Marvin Hier wants to make certain that his new film on the last 12 hours in the life of Christ does not portray the Jews as collectively responsible for the crucifixion (Reuters)
  
  
• Reality TV, featuring God … online | The Ark— setting virtual sail on Easter Sunday—is billed as 40 days and 40 nights of games, challenges, topical discussions and arguments about mucking out the gorillas: "Theology meets showbiz meets cowpats - and there are no lifeboats" (BBC)

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March (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47