1. Coaches can "take a knee" during student-led, student-initiated prayer, federal judge rules
East Brunswick High School football coach Marcus Borden quit, then rescinded his resignation and sued instead, after the school district issued a rule that "representatives of the school district cannot participate in student-initiated prayer." Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Dennis Cavanaugh supported each of Borden's arguments: that the rule was too vague, too broad, and violated constitutional protections of free speech, free association, and privacy. The school says it won't appeal the ruling. The Home News Tribune rightly notes that the case has "national implications." Weblog has searched in vain for the actual decision, but the newspaper summary suggests that the broad principle is that a coach's joining in student-led, student-initiated prayer is a constitutionally protected sign of respect, not a constitutionally banned sign of endorsement.

2. Jury finds Baptist Foundation of Arizona leaders guilty of fraud, but not theft
Christianity Today has been following the Baptist Foundation of Arizona case ever since the Phoenix New Times raised questions in 1998. The story is coming to a close, but the book isn't shut yet. That's because only part of the book was thrown at former foundation president William Crotts and former legal counsel Thomas Grabinski yesterday. The two men, explains The Arizona Republic, "were accused of shifting bad assets to 'off the books' companies out of sight of the auditors to hide the foundation's considerable losses, while publishing favorable financial statements to keep the investors' money pouring in."

When it was over, more than 11,000 investors were out $570 million. Monday, a jury convicted the ...