Articles and commentary from Thursday, August 10.

1. Christians to be executed so Bali bombers can be, too

The execution of three Indonesian Christians for their part in murdering more than 200 Muslims during religious fighting in 2000 has become politically tied to the execution of the Bali bombers of 2002. "Two government officials said that for political reasons, it would be very difficult for the government to proceed with the execution of the Bali bombers, if it did not first execute the Christians," reports The New York Times.

But the trial of the Christians was less than fair. The trial was marked by troubling "irregularities," said David McRae, a specialist on the Poso violence at the Australia National University in Canberra. Another expert, Sidney Jones, director of the International Crises Group office in Jakarta, said, "It seems giving the death penalty in this case is just extraordinarily over the top."

2. Christians in Lebanon shocked they're bombed

From the U.K.'s Telegraph:

"A 15-minute air raid soon after dawn yesterday on the attractive port of Jounieh destroyed the complacency of the Christians and served to turn them against the Israelis. The capital of Lebanon's Christian heartland is unused to such violence.

"Even during the 15 years of the 1975-1990 civil war, when Christian and Muslim militias sowed destruction across the country, Jounieh survived unscathed—a party zone of nightclubs and beach resorts 10 miles from Beirut."

3. Bill Hybels, always taking stock

This Chicago Tribune profile of Bill Hybels celebrates the many ways in which the influential pastor has not only changed the direction of evangelicalism, but has also changed his church and himself. In the 1990s,

the church's growth also took a professional ...