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Today's Top Five

1. University of Wisconsin allows RAs to lead Bible studies
Last July, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire told resident assistant Lance Steiger that he would face disciplinary action if he continued to lead a Campus Crusade for Christ Bible study in his dorm basement. The argument was that RAs are state employees, and allowing them to promote a specific faith in such a position would unconstitutionally establish religion. The policy was suspended after Steiger sued the school, and a new policy would allow RAs to "participate in, organize, and lead any meetings or other activities" to the same extent as other students. "However," the policy states, "they may not use their positions to inappropriately influence, pressure, or coerce student residents to attend or participate." The policy now goes to the University of Wisconsin board of regents for approval.

2. 'In God We Trust' chair no longer has to trust in God
The University of Charleston (W.V.) is looking for a professor to fill its Herchiel and Elizabeth Sims "In God We Trust" Chair in Ethics. The school's original ad at the Chronicle of Higher Education listed the necessary qualifications: an earned doctorate and expertise in ethics, experience in faculty development, and "a belief in God and present moral and ethical values from a God-centered perspective." When critics objected that this requirement apparently violated the Civil Rights Act's bar on religious discrimination, the university changed the ad. It now says candidates "must have the ability to teach moral and ethical values from a God-centered perspective."

3. Evangelicals are keeping America international, some say
"Even as many in Washington trumpet the return of realism to US foreign policy and the decline of the neoconservative hawks, the staying power of the evangelicals is likely to blunt what might otherwise have been a steep decline in Wilsonian ideals," The Christian Science Monitor reports in a must-read article. The basic argument is that evangelicals' passion for global issues is preventing America from becoming isolationist. Are evangelicals, whom New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof called the "new internationalists" now America's dominant internationalists? It's an interesting theory that deserves more discussion. Let's hope some academic journals and other news outlets investigate this idea further.

4. Fearing Hillsong's long shadow
Australia has been having a debate on religion and politics that in many ways mirrors and mimics the discussion in the U.S. But one part of the Australian debate is unique: the discussion is dominated by one church. You may not know Hillsong, but you've almost certainly sung the church's music. The latest wrinkle in the Hillsong-and-national-politics debate is the recent revocation of federal funds for the church's aid programs amid accusations of financial mismanagement. The church denies the accusations. And now some members of Australia's Labor party are worried that the church will use its influence to retaliate against its critics in Parliament.

5. Dobson reads Alito note on air
The biggest non-story of the day is the thank-you note that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito sent to Focus on the Family host James Dobson for his "help and support during the past few challenging months." Groups like Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Alliance for Justice are suggesting that the note proves Alito is a tool of the religious right. Dobson sees the letter as evidence of his listeners' influence. Alito's note, however, suggests he's mostly grateful for people praying for him. Sometimes a thank-you note is just a thank-you note.

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March (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50