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1. Graham siblings at odds over how best to honor their father and mother
"Billy and Ruth Bell Graham have spent decades carefully cultivating a media image that rarely allows any inkling of family discord," says the Grahams' hometown paper, The Asheville Citizen-Times. Laura Sessions Stepp's front-page Washington Post article Wednesday has dramatically changed that, but the signs suggest that it was the children (though clearly not Franklin Graham) who decided to make the latest battle—over where to bury Billy and Ruth—public. The Charlotte Observer notes that after the Post's publication, the feud escalated as the evangelist's two most famous offspring, Anne Graham Lotz and Franklin Graham, issued opposing "barbed statements."

2. Left Behind game criticized
"Don't mock Left Behind: Eternal Forces because it's a Christian game," says a review at Gamespot. "Mock it because it's a very bad game." Well, mockery or not, the video game is facing widespread criticism this week, mainly for the game's violent aspects. You're not encouraged to shoot your Antichrist-loving opponents, but you do have to train an anti-government paramilitary force and sometimes have to kill in self-defense (you lose "spirit points" by doing so, but can build them back up by pressing the "pray" button). We'll be watching Left Behind Games to see whether they apply the game's "don't shoot first, but do shoot back" approach to their publicity. A reviewer at Focus on the Family liked the game, but commentary at Prison Fellowship / BreakPoint has been as harsh as any.

3. Jay Bakker goes on TV
It's the Sundance Channel, not TBN, and it's a documentary, not a ministry. Bakker says he has no interest in televangelism.

4. The real Christmas tree ban
That Seattle airport story was a red herring. Yes, Virginia, there is a real Christmas tree ban—but it's in Canada. Toronto judge Marion Cohen has ordered the Ontario Court of Justice to remove its Christmas tree from the lobby. "I do not think it appropriate that when the clients of our court enter our courthouse, the first thing they see is a Christian symbol," she explained. "The message to the many non-Christians, who attend our court and are confronted with this symbol, is that they are not part of this institution. It does not belong to them." Cohen actually didn't ban it altogether—she ordered it moved to a less conspicuous location. But Canadians, including court employees, are outraged.

America has been short of good "Christmas wars" stories this year. But occasional anecdotes are dramatic enough to keep people entertained. The Rubidoux High School Madrigals were told by a Riverside, California, official not to sing "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" at a local event starring Sasha Cohen (this one, not this one) because Cohen is half-Jewish. The Madrigals had already started singing when the demand was made, so they had to stop mid-song. Cohen was apparently oblivious to the entire flap. What would have made the story all the better is if the official had castigated Cohen when she wished the crowd "Merry Christmas." Anyway, like almost all these flaps, everyone now agrees that the wrong choice was made, and it's hard to see any real harm done.

5. Australia's Catch the Fire ministers win "vilification" appeal
In 2004, a judge found pastors Daniel Nalliah and Daniel Scot guilty of breaking the religious hatred law in Victoria, Australia, for statements they made criticizing Islam. The pastors were ordered to refrain from repeating the remarks and to buy newspaper advertisements to apologize for them. This week, the Court of Appeal overturned that ruling and ordered the case to be reheard under a different judge. Nalliah called the decision "a great day for free speech. We are humble in victory, and we thank God for the ability to stand up and say the truth. We are not restricted any more; we can speak freely."

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December (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50