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Whether you're already familiar with the issue or have never heard of it before, the article is an important read. Inside Higher Ed is a little late on the story, but it's encouraging to see them doing it at all.

5. Va. House bill to charities: Feed an illegal immigrant, lose government funds
Republican delegate Jackson H. Miller told The Washington Post his bill "is to make sure the monies that are going to charities and organizations go to the people they are intended to go to, which is legal immigrants. The ultimate goal is to make the commonwealth of Virginia an unwelcome place if you are in this country illegally."

It can also make Virginia an unwelcome place for large Christian charities (the Post names the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities). The groups would still be able to help illegal immigrants with private funds, but would have to make each aid recipient 19 or older prove that he or she is in the country legally.

6. Church under fire for bar ministry
It's unclear whether The Journey is one of those "ministering to postmoderns" or "ministering as postmoderns" emerging churches, but given that the church website has a lengthy doctrinal statement, it seems more the former than the latter. There's not a lot of theology in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's article about the "controversial" church, but there's not a lot of theology in the debate over alcohol abstention, either, and apparently alcohol is what makes The Journey controversial. A number of churches and ministries meet in bars these days. But not many are Baptist, apparently. The Missouri Baptist Convention, which helped to fund The Journey, is now uncomfortable with alcohol being so prominent at the church's "Theology at the Bottleworks" ministry.

"Beer being served as part of a church presentation sends mixed messages to the community and causes confusion," MBC executive board member Kerry Messer told the paper. "Had we known about this before the loan was approved, I would have openly spoken out against a financial relationship being established."

7. Mike Jones goes to New Life Church
The former male prostitute went to the church formerly pastored by Ted Haggard, who allegedly hired him for sex. "A couple of ladies cried when they were touching me," he told The Denver Post. "I was thanked for exposing the church, for helping Ted Haggard. A couple of them said they hoped I get God into my life. And they all said 'God bless you,' every one of them."

Associate pastor Rob Brendle was apparently one of those who thanked him. "I told Mike, 'I don't want to impose my religious beliefs on you, but I believe God used you to correct us, and I appreciate that,'" he said. "The church's response to him was overwhelmingly warm. One of the wonderful and enduring truths of Christianity is to love people the world sets up to be your enemies."

He didn't say "love your enemies," which was a nice touch.

The Post's Eric Gorski says Jones "wasn't impressed on the whole. If the Gospel message is enough, he said, why the loud music and MTV-quality production?"

8. One of the worst abuse case stories you'll read
Or not read. Really, apart from being another example of human depravity and another warning that you shouldn't automatically trust church leaders—and who needs another reminder of either of those?—there's little reason to get into the details here. But there are few cases more outrageous than Assembly of God youth pastor Adrian Estrada, who allegedly impregnated a 16-year-old in his youth group, took her to get an abortion, got her pregnant again (she miscarried), and then strangled and stabbed her to death when he found out he had impregnated her a third time. And Stephanie Sanchez was apparently not his only target. Estrada reportedly confessed, but his defense lawyer told jurors, "We do not believe the state can prove beyond a reasonable doubt he intended to kill both" Sanchez and her baby.

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February (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51