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1. More resignations predicted
Paul Barnes has resigned as pastor of the 2,100-member Grace Chapel in Denver, confessing to sexual infidelity with other men. "Barnes is not a household name," The Denver Post notes, but his "admission is attracting more attention because it came a month after Colorado Springs pastor Ted Haggard was fired amid allegations that he had paid a male prostitute for sex."

The two cases may actually be tangentially related: Associate pastor Dave Palmer told the Post that the church received an anonymous call "last week from a person concerned for the welfare of Barnes and the church. The caller had overheard a conversation in which someone mentioned 'blowing the whistle' on evangelical preachers engaged in homosexuality, including Barnes."

Denver Seminary president Craig Williford told the Post he expects more pastors to fall as the Haggard scandal fallout continues. "When one person gets caught or confesses, it's almost like others get a new courage to face this dark side of their private lives," he said. "Not only that, but the person who is complicit with the pastor will come forward. We may not be done."

2. Christian Embassy under fire for Pentagon video
Having lost his suit against the Air Force Academy, Mikey Weinstein has turned his attention elsewhere. He's accusing seven Army and Air Force officers of violating military regulations "and possibly the Constitution" (says the Associated Press) by appearing in uniform in a promotional video for the Christian Embassy. "We don't think we did anything in violation," Robert Varney, executive director of the Bill Bright-founded organization, told the AP. "The Pentagon gave us permission to film the video, and I don't think they'd give us permission if it were in violation of the regulations." Still, Weinstein's complaint is getting widespread attention, with bloggers abuzz about a Christianist conspiracy behind the fellowship group.

3. Black-eyed bishop
"A bishop must be above reproach … not a drunkard," says 1 Timothy. Some in the Church of England say that's why the bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, should resign. Butler initially complained that a mugging had left him bloodied (at church on Sunday, he sported a black eye and a bruise that prevented him from wearing his mitre). But more recent reports suggest that he was spotted drunk and behaving badly. Butler says he can't remember anything. Supporters say they think perhaps he really was mugged.

4. Another quick Christmas war ended
The Christmas trees are back up at Sea-Tac Airport, before Weblog even got a chance to talk about them being taken down. Christians everywhere can now rejoice that such an important religious icon will remain; there are even reports that passengers are removing the sandals from their feet in reverence of such holy ground.

Honestly, these Christmas battles are getting quite interesting: Weblog has recently received press releases from two different Christian organizations complaining that Home Depot deserves to be on the "naughty list"—not because it has banned the word Christmas (it hasn't), but because Christmas isn't as prominent at the store as the word holiday. In the words of one press release: Home Depot's "web site says 'Holiday Store' and 'Holiday Lighting' and only at bottom of [the] site says 'Make your Christmas decorations complete.'" Didn't these campaigns start as a protest against Orwellian language bans?

5. Newsweek: Jesus was Jewish!
"The Jewish family values that were prevalent in first-century Judea—the values of Mary and Joseph and of the young Jesus—became the values of Christianity, and of the regions of the world in which Christianity has long been a critical force," Lisa Miller writes in Newsweek. Family values, sexual values, religious values—they're all there in the Nativity story.

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December (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50