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But while we're on the topic: Could all you CT readers outraged that the media would give this so much attention please remember this incident the next time you ask why we're not covering the discovery of Noah's ark?

3. Speaking of media hype
"To a tired genre," says Newsweek, this week's media phenomenon, "brings breathless pizzazz and a market-proven gimmick, an evocation of ancient wisdom and hidden conspiracies that calls to mind The Da Vinci Code." Wait. Newsweek isn't talking about the Talpiot tomb? No. It's The Secret, the Oprah-blessed name-it-and-claim-it book and DVD set. Actually, Newsweek was much harder on The Secret than it was on the tomb.

4. Six die in Bluffton University bus crash
Bluffton University, a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities affiliated with the Mennonite Church, suffered tragedy this morning as a charter bus carrying its baseball team drove off a highway ramp. Four students, the bus driver, and the bus driver's wife were killed. Nineteen students were injured, and three are in critical condition.

5. Los Angeles Times fills in some details on Calvary Satellite Network
Rob Moll's Christianity Today article on Calvary Chapel, which appears in the current issue, alluded to accusations of sexual harassment against Calvary Satellite Network president Mike Kestler and to conflict between Kestler and Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith. This week, the Los Angeles Times described the battle and accusations in more detail.

Quote of the day
"The period of secularization was important, but I see us living in a changed world where it is incumbent on politicians and political documents to spell out more clearly their spiritual roots. If we are honest, we often lack the strength to clearly state what our beliefs are and that makes us less credible to others with different beliefs and values."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking to members of her Christian Democratic Union, would like to see the European Union constitution include references to its Christian roots.

Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation | Church and state | India | Cuba | China | Israel | House of prophecy | Klingenschmitt discharged | 2008 candidates | Politics | Abortion | Stem cells | Life ethics | HPV vaccine | Homosexuality | Anglicanism | Church of England synod | British spirituality | Anglicans vs. Muslims? | AMiA priest dismissed | CRC battle | Closed churches | Church life (U.S.) | Church life (non-U.S.) | Catholicism | San Diego diocese files bankruptcy | Abuse | Crime | Missions and ministry | Education | Higher education | Evolution | "Lost Tomb of Jesus" | William Wilberforce | Books | "The Secret" | Money and business | Television | Media, art, and entertainment | Other stories of interest

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March (Web-only) 2007, Vol. 51