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"Today's Top Five" and other commentary will return with the next Weblog posting.

Church and state:

• Buena Park pastor asks followers to pray for the death of his critics | His response comes after a call to the IRS about a political endorsement he issued on church letterhead (Los Angeles Times)
  
  
• Audit may be part of IRS' investigation of church | A Wichita church being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service for a possible violation of its tax-exempt status could soon be audited (The Wichita Eagle, Kan.)
  
  
• Also: Wichita church under scrutiny from IRS | IRS investigating political activity, abortion battles (Associated Press)
  
  
• Funding faith-based charities | The way has been paved for faith-based organizations offering social services to tap into government dollars. In Utah, however, it seems many groups either can't find the on-ramp, assume there's a roadblock or simply prefer to take different roads (The Salt Lake Tribune, Ut.)
  
  

South Korea hostages:

• Talks for hostages hit snags again | Taliban continues to insist on the release of prisoners (The Korea Times)
  
  
• Released captives return home | They did not know about killings until after their release (The Korea Times)
  
  
• Hostage talks end without any breakthrough | The source said intentions were good on both sides, as the Koreans and the Taliban are committed to going ahead with the dialogue to reach a solution (The Korea Times)
  
  
• Taliban leadership angry over kidnapping women | Face-to-face negotiation resumes (The Korea Times)
  
  
• No progress in Taliban-SKorea talks | Taliban militants held a second round of face-to-face talks with South Korean officials on the fate of 19 captive church volunteers Thursday but there was no word of a breakthrough (Associated Press)
  
  
• South Korean hostages held by Taliban return home | Two weary-looking South Koreans held hostage for about a month by the Taliban in Afghanistan returned home on Friday, hoping for the safe return of 19 others who remain captive (Reuters)
  
  
• S Korean churches question mission | More than three weeks ago, a group of Korean Christians were kidnapped in Afghanistan. The BBC's Daniel Griffiths found out how the news had affected their church congregation back in Seoul (BBC)
  
  
• Freed South Korean hostages return home | The two women call for the Taliban to free 19 other aid workers still held in Afghanistan (The Christian Science Monitor)
  
  

Iraq and military:

• Minority religions under attack in Iraq | The suicide bombings that ravaged the Yazidi sect in Iraq underscored the fears of violence and insecurity binding many of the nation's religious minorities, ranging from Christians who are fleeing their ancient enclaves to a dwindling sect that follows the teachings of John the Baptist (Associated Press)
  
  
• Iraqi family hails Mary | Ms Askander's husband, Kamal, was one of three Iraqi diplomats working in the Iraqi embassy in Canberra who sought asylum in Australia after being told to return to Iraq when Baghdad decided to close the defence attache's office (The Australian)
  
  
• Soldier's Bible stops sniper's bullet | A US soldier serving in iraq believes his Bible saved his life after it stopped a sniper's bullet (WTSP, Tampa Ba, Fla.)
  
  
• DoD-connected Christian group draws fire | A religious group has abandoned plans to send packages to U.S. troops in Iraq with the controversial Christian video game, "Left Behind: Eternal Force," along with Christian books, Pentagon officials say (Navy Times)
  
  
• One-man offensive | Attorney activist Mikey Weinstein is making war on evangelicals—and the Pentagon (World)
  
  

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August (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51