The Next Big Battle Over School Vouchers for Religious Schools

Maine: the next voucher battleground Since Lionel and Jill Guay’s town of Minot, Maine, has no high school, the state offers to send their 15-year-old daughter to other local schools. As with about 17,000 other Maine students from small towns, the state will even pay for her to attend a private school.

Just so long as it’s not a religious school.

The Guays want to send their daughter to a Roman Catholic school, but Maine has a 1981 law prohibiting the vouchers from going to religious schools. So now the Guays and five other local families are filing suit.

It’s all been to court before, and in 1997 the state’s Supreme Judicial Court upheld the law, saying the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the use of vouchers for religious schools.

The court won’t be able to make that claim this time around. The Supreme Court unequivocally ruled in June that religious schools should not be discriminated against in voucher programs.

Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe says the June decision isn’t similar enough to the Maine situation to make it an open-and-shut case. Assistant Attorney General Sarah Forster puts it another way: the Supreme Court ruled that states can pay for religious schools. “But the question quickly becomes: Must they?” she tells the Sun Journal of Lewiston.

The answer is yes, based not on the June case but in many other cases since 1997 (“Nothing in the Establishment Clause requires the exclusion of pervasively sectarian schools from otherwise permissible aid programs,” wrote Justice Clarence Thomas in a 2000 case. Clear enough?) Still, Weblog is sure it’ll take a while for this to be resolved.

Religious mutual funds up 21 percent over last three yearsMMA Praxis Mutual Funds, a Mennonite company, commissioned a study that shows assets in religious mutual funds rising 21 percent in the three years ending March 31, 2002—by the end, they were worth at least $4.42 billion. Assets in mutual funds of all types only rose 11 percent over that time.

With such growth and apparent increasing demand, it’s little wonder that the number of religious funds to invest in is growing as well—up 121 percent from from 1999 to the end of 2001. Still, that $4.42 billion may seem like a lot, but as Reuters notes, it’s only 0.1 percent of the total mutual fund industry.

CBS Marketwatch, however, says all isn’t rosy:

So far this year, faith-based funds have had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the mutual fund universe. The group was down more than 13 percent until the end of August, compared to a 10 percent decline by the average mutual fund, according to Thomson Financial.

Over the period of the MMA Praxis study, which covers the three years ending in March 2002, religiously managed funds performed well, losing just half of 1 percent annually as opposed to a decline of 5.9 percent by the average mutual fund. In the longer term, the faith-based groups underperformed, averaging gains of 5.7 percent a year over the past five years compared to returns of 9.2 percent for the total mutual fund universe.

A separate Reuters story also suggests that MMA Praxis itself has had to respond to problems. The news service reports that investors with MMA Praxis assets below the $2,000 mark (about 40% of its investors) will be charged an annual fee of $14. “Most boards probably would have passed this without a lot of discussion,” MMA Praxis President John Liechty told the paper. “But given the fact of who we are, there was some lively discussion among some of our trustees about whether this was the right thing to do.”

Dobson responds to Bishara AwadWhen Bethlehem Bible College President Bishara Awad issued an open letter to James Dobson, calling him “an instrument of hate and division” for his characterization of Palestinians and of Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi, Weblog promised to link to Dobson’s response. We’ve done better than that. Since Dobson’s open letter won’t appear on the Focus on the Family site, and Weblog can’t find it anywhere else, we’re running the full text, along with Awad’s letter and the press release that started it all. There’s clearly disagreement between the two men about what their disagreement is all about.

Church and state:

Isle group protests use of word ‘God’ in Honolulu Police Department oath | The group claims that the wording violates the state constitution (Associated Press)
Libraries can display U.S. motto | Despite a warning about possible lawsuits, Montgomery County commissioners have agreed to post donated plaques bearing the national motto “In God We Trust” at county libraries (Houston Chronicle)
Was church/state separation part of the original Constitution? | A review of Philip Hamburger’s provocative recent book on separation’s history (Marci A. Hamilton, Findlaw.com)
Crucifix battle heats up in Italy | A proposed bill to hang crucifixes in public offices, schools and train stations throughout Italy has sparked protests by Muslim and Jewish groups (SAPA)

Politics and law:

House should reject bill on church politics | Imagine going to church and finding a politician’s campaign banner displayed above the pulpit. It could happen if a bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law. (Florida Today, Melbourne)
Religious noise a city issue | The council is now engaged in a debate over how to balance the freedoms of assembly and religion with preserving peace and quiet in the community (The Times-Journal, Fort Payne, Ala.)
Dole’s trail runs through pulpits | More than any North Carolina candidate in recent memory—more than even U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms—Elizabeth Dole, a Methodist, routinely weaves religious themes into stump speeches in her campaign to succeed Helms (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Politics threaten academic freedom | The University of Maryland’s decision to assign freshmen to read a play on the killing of gay college student Matthew Shepard comes on the heels of a successful resolution of a similar controversy at the University of North Carolina (Richard T. Ingram, The Baltimore Sun)
Baptist Foundation indictments thrown out | Superior Court Judge Frank Galati ruled that some evidence presented by the state Attorney General’s Office in obtaining a grand jury indictment was improper and prejudicial (The Arizona Republic)
Pork at the pulpit | Some Republicans are leading church groups to think they can win a chunk of federal money under the Bush “faith-based” initiative if their flock of believers votes for GOP candidates come November. (Editorial, The Christian Science Monitor)
Malaysia recognized as an Islamic state, says PM | But it’s not in the Constitution (The Star, Malaysia)
Church ought to have a pass on domestic partner ordinance | A religious institution is not a business, and while that may be obvious to most people, it is not recognized by Portland’s new domestic partner ordinance (Editorial, Portland [Maine] Press-Herald)
Undertaker given parking ticket for parking hearse outside church | “I don’t think you can expect us to drive the hearse to a car park and than carry the coffin all the way on foot,” driver says. (Ananova)
Judge rules against vegan suit | Practitioners may not claim religious discrimination (San Francisco Chronicle)

Michael McConnell:

Well qualified for the bench | To reject someone who has written thoughtfully and constructively on a range of subjects would send a message to academics everywhere to avoid creative inquiry (Editorial, The Washington Post)
Bush judicial nominee may survive Senate panel vote | McConnell told a Senate committee Wednesday that his personal opinions on abortion would not cloud his judgment on the law (Fox News)
Despite own views, nominee would back ‘Roe’ | Judicial hopeful McConnell defends his writings on abortion ruling. He says he would ‘respect’ the law (Los Angeles Times)

Life ethics:

Mystics coach was cited in pregnancy suit | While head coach at the University of California at Berkeley, Marianne Stanley, now the head coach of the Washington Mystics, gave an assistant coach a choice between having an abortion or quitting, and then left the pregnant woman at a hotel during a Midwest recruiting trip. (The Washington Post)
Embryos’ fate leaves lives hanging in balance | Donations fuel stem cell debate (Chicago Tribune)
Stem cell backing | Laws to allow stem cell research have passed their first crucial test with Parliament’s Lower House emphatically in favor (News.com.au, Australia)
Man of steel | In 1995, after the accident which left him paralysed, Christopher Reeve said he wanted to be on his feet by his 50th birthday. That’s next week, and although he has made amazing progress, he won’t be standing – and for that, he says, George Bush and the Catholic Church must share the blame (The Guardian, London)
Also: Paralysed Reeve blames Bush and Catholic church for his plight | Reeve blames Bush and Catholic church for plight (The Guardian, London)
Superman star blasts Church on cells stance (Evening News, Scotland)
Lesbian fertility clinic set to open | Europe’s clinic dedicated to lesbians and single women opens in London but lacks a license to carry out treatments. (BBC)
Also: Lesbian baby clinic opens (The Guardian, London)
Cloning business closes down | The company that created Dolly the sheep is shutting down part of its cloning business to focus on more profitable markets. (BBC)
Archbishop calls for more debate on euthanasia | The head of the Anglican Church in Australia believes the community is generally supportive of euthanasia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Court upholds S.C. abortion law | A South Carolina law allowing state inspectors access to all abortion clinic records does not violate patients’ privacy rights, a divided federal appeals court ruled (Associated Press)

Lottery:

N.C. House kills lottery referendum | North Carolina is one of 12 states without a lottery, and the only one on the East Coast (Associated Press)
Also: Easley: Lottery foes will pay at poll | Opponents say they’ll be ready (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Also: Not this year: Easley’s lottery initiative defeated | Referendum fails in 69-50 House vote (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Lottery seems as popular in church circles as witches in Salem | The way Tennessee churches are mobilizing against the Nov. 5 vote on a state lottery, you’d think it was in the Ten Commandments (David Waters, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.)

Evolution:

Battle lines drawn as Cobb evolution vote looms | The Georgia ACLU already plans to file suit when the controversial proposal is approved, as expected (Marietta [Ga.] Daily Journal)
National Science Academy weighs in on local dispute | Objections to the proposed Cobb Board of Education policy aren’t confined to the ACLU (Marietta [Ga.] Daily Journal)
Also: Scientists jump into Cobb evolution debate (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
77 years after Scopes trial, evolution fight still rages | Every new biology textbook used in public schools in Cobb County, Georgia, comes with the warning: Material in these pages contains evolution (The Orlando Sentinel)
Federal law ignites evolution debate | Supporters of the Santorum amendment say it sends a message to educators that Congress believes concepts that counter Darwinian evolution should be taught in science classes (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Intelligent design may find new home in social studies | The Ohio State Board of Education finally may have found a way to deal with the thorny issue of whether to include intelligent design in Ohio’s new science standards: stick it in the social studies standards instead (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)

Education:

Home school to high school | High school marks an especially hard transition for home-schooled students (The Miami Herald)
Minister of Culture would maintain religion as compulsory subject in Finnish schools | Freedom of Religion Act amendments before Parliament (Helsingin Sanomat, Helsinki, Finland)
Demon controversy heats up at meeting | Speakers at the Montgomery County meeting say the Blue Demon mascot offends their Christian beliefs (The Roanoke [Va.] Times)
Community College of Southern Nevada cuts ties with black religious group | Questions raised about $15,000 loan from college. (Las Vegas Sun)
Veni, Vidi, Vouchers | Why the battle for school vouchers isn’t over (Avi Schick, Slate.com)

Other religions:

Wisdom in the whale | Most puzzling about Yom Kippur is the reading of the book of Jonah during the afternoon service. (The Guardian, London)
Conceived in beauty, twisted by zealots, surely Islam should take a hard look at itself | Why does Islam, conceived in beauty, compassion, and an abiding respect for human life, lend itself to such colossal distortions of the Qur’an? (Rosie DiManno, The Toronto Star)
Open season on Muslims in the newest phobia | Support for the new racism is building (Robert Manne, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Negotiating Islamic Law | Why are Shari’ah laws and hudud criminal punishments finding increasing appeal in the Islamic world? (Farish A. Noor, Far Eastern Economic Review)
Despite some malice, most Americans respect Islam, religious diversity | U.S. history shows religious intolerance has lost ground over time; Americans followed President Bush’s example in not condemning all Muslims for terror attacks (Charles Haynes, Freedom Forum)
Witch way is up | They’re here, they’re seers, get used to it (Houston Press)

Church life:

Church ministers ‘under stress’ | In a poll of almost 600 ministers the Church of Scotland, 43% felt their health had been affected by stress and a further 28% said their marriage had been adversely affected by their work (BBC)
Article: Gays Should Not Be Priests | If a man is gay, “then he should not be admitted to holy orders, and his presence in the seminary would not only give him false hope but it may, in fact, hinder” the therapy he needs, Monsignor Andrew Baker of the Congregation of Bishops wrote in an article to be published by America (Associated Press)
Chaplaincy crisis | Budget makes deep cuts in prison corps; churches expected to fill in (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)

Denominational rifts:

A local Episcopal dispute reflects global friction | Two days after 125 priests gave him a standing ovation at the Episcopal cathedral, embattled Episcopal Bishop Charles Bennison was interrupted repeatedly and shouted at Thursday by the congregation of the Church of the Good Shepherd (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Superiors back defiant priest | The Archbishop of Canterbury has committed the unprecedented action of siding with a priest against a bishop wishing to depose him. (The Washington Times)
Divided by a question of salvation | A Pentecostal bishop defies church tradition by saying that all are saved (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Gay issue threatens to fragment Anglicans | So says international commission comprised of 12 of the church’s most senior prelates (The Globe & Mail, Toronto)

Prayer and spirituality:

Room for God | Given the busyness of daily life, it can take creativity to find time to pray (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Detour | Villagers in Bena will tell you they are Christians, but their faith seems a thin veneer over more ancient rites and beliefs (Time Asia)
Families lose loved ones, hope | Honduran village mourns victims of Maine crash, faces starvation. (The Boston Globe)
Pastors using litmus test ignore human qualities | I am politely scorned as marriage and family therapist for not having the correct religious beliefs (Tim Schnabel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Forgiveness:

Forgiveness can be more powerful than vengeance | We can either hang on to the pain and anger and allow it to manifest itself in deep-seated bitterness, or we can become the architects of our own emotional and psychological recovery by beginning the process of forgiveness. (Joel Edwards, The Times, London)
Repentance comes first | Forgiveness must be earned (Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe)

George Barna:

Pollster prods Christian conservatives | George Barna stirs emotions in the evangelical world as he pushes for a more relevant church. (Los Angeles Times)
George Barna Responds to Christianity Today Article | Says he hasn’t given up on the church (Barna.org)
Earlier: The Third Coming of George Barna | He believes his ten-year campaign to reform the church has failed. What is evangelicals’ most-quoted statistician going to do next? (Christianity Today, July 26, 2002)

Family and marriage:

Marriage covenant gets clergy support | More than 200 North Florida clergy members pledged yesterday to require premarital counseling for couples who want to be married in their churches (The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville)
Family Research Council releases ‘full picture’ on American family | Research and poll data on marriage, adoption, child care, unwed parenthood, cohabitation, divorce, single-parent families, stepfamilies and teen family issues, can provide a “full picture” of Americans’ views and behavior (The Washington Times)

Interfaith relations:

Controversial church sign citing Allah no longer up | A church sign that read “There is one God and his name is not Allah” last week has been changed (Associated Press)
Religions fail to join as one for 9/11 event | Promoters of the largest 9/11 commemoration in The Woodlands last week had a clear answer when they were asked to change the format to make non-Christians feel more welcome. No way. (Houston Chronicle)
Catholics, Jews and the work of reconciliation | Your road to salvation is as good as mine, the bishops say (Daniel J. Wakin, The New York Times)
Toward the disappearance of Christ | A bishops’ committee gets salvation wrong (William F. Buckley, National Review Online)

Media:

Some things considered | American Family Radio’s efforts in Lake Charles, La., serve neither the listeners devoted to NPR nor those who prefer Christian programming (Editorial, The New York Times)
Earlier: Religious and public stations battle for share of radio dial (The New York Times)
Family TV’s boss denies plot to oust Ayah son | Trinity Broadcasting Network named in suit (The Nation, Nairobi, Kenya)
Rev. Schuller marks anniversary | Robert H. Schuller will speak Monday in Moscow to mark a decade since the start of weekly Russian broadcasts of his televangelist show “Hour of Power” (Associated Press)
Abused by the media | The outrage over clergy abuse is of a peculiarly free-floating nature (Peter Steinfels, The Tablet, link via RelapsedCatholic.com)
Why faith matters | Ignoring religion may mean a reporter is missing the story (Aly Colon, Poynter.org)

Violence and persecution:

Germany’s young Turks: vulnerable to extremists? | Concern grows after the arrest last week of a couple who allegedly plotted to plant a bomb on a US base. (The Christian Science Monitor)
Palestinian mob sets fire to Jewish site | Jewish settlers around Nablus believe that the tomb burned is that of the Biblical patriarch Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (The Daily Telegraph, London)
915 died in Jos last September 2001 | Much, much higher than earlier estimates (SAPA)
Moi questions bishop over death threats | “Some clergymen have turned to be agents of murder,” says Kenyan president (New Vision, Kampala, Uganda)

Crime:

London’s police chief calls on church to fight crime | The Metropolitan police commissioner, himself a practicing member of the Church of England, insisted that “evangelical fire” was needed particularly to target disaffected youngsters who account for nearly three-quarters of all offenders (The Guardian, London)
Judge denies ex-Klansman’s new trial | Bobby Frank Cherry was found guilty in May of 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls (Associated Press)
Priest pleads guilty to stealing nearly $100,000 from Queens parish | Money paid for a time share in Mexico, a luxury car and trips to a gay resort in Florida, among other personal expenses (The New York Times)
Also: N.Y. priest admits to stealing $95k (Associated Press)
Pastor gets jail for forgery | Michael A. Wilkerson Sr. was building a 12,000-square-foot mansion until he ran into financial problems. He admitted that he forged documents and checks to contractors to pay for the work (The Mercury, Pottstown, Penn.)
Judge: Alleged shooter must see docs | Peter Troy, accused of killing priest and parishioner, doesn’t want to. (Newsday)
Two pastors at dagger’s drawn | Assemblies of God church revolted against their head pastor, switched off electricity supply to the chapel, and locked a few of the faithful up with him in it (Ghanaian Chronicle, Accra)
2 plead not guilty in fire rite | A Brooklyn pastor and his wife pleaded not guilty yesterday to assault for allegedly conducting a bizarre ritual that called for slicing up the feet of a Queens woman and setting them on fire (New York Daily News)
Pastor describes being knocked off bike at trial | David Tinney, head pastor at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church, said he still experiences severe pain about two or three times a day from his injuries (The Seattle Times)
Man indicted for Anthrax hoax | A man who once claimed to be on a mission from God to kill abortion providers was indicted Thursday on charges he mailed anthrax hoax letters to women’s clinics around the country last fall (Associated Press)

Retired Anglican Archbishop Dr. David Gitari:

Moi attacks clergyman over Uhuru remark | President says recently retired Anglican Archbishop Dr. David Gitari may be trying to kill cabinet minister (Kenya Broadcasting Corp.)
Chaos as students protest at shooting | Former Anglican Archbishop David Gitari was beaten by the students and his jacket stolen (The Nation, Nairobi, Kenya)
Gitari’s Statement | Retired Anglican Archbishop David Gitari did not make statements implying that President Moi’s preferred successor Uhuru Kenyatta may not live to see the presidency, the Nation has established (The Nation, Nairobi, Kenya)

Pop culture:

Showing Elvis grace | A response to Charles Colson’s BreakPoint Commentary. (Steve Beard, Thunderstruck.org)
Utah’s cottage film editors have Hollywood crying foul | Video stores, software companies cater to Mormon tastes; Rob Reiner gets mad. (The Wall Street Journal)
Christians would do well to ignore props and let the force be with them | Even the greatest story ever told, straightforward though its message would appear to be, is liable to be widely misunderstood. Take Star Wars. (Chris McGillion, The Sydney Morning Herald)
Spiritual Lifehouse is full of humble souls | Lifehouse singer Jason Wade never preaches—part of the reason his band has been so successful (The Boston Globe)
Christians rock Top 30 | Two albums by Christian singers Bill and Gloria Gaither were the week’s only top 30 debuts as major diskeries shied from releasing albums during the week of Sept. 11 remembrances (Variety)
On the eighth day, a sitcom | A new multicultural TV show, set in a storefront Toronto church, is intent on becoming Canada’s first religious situation comedy (The Globe & Mail, Toronto)

Books:

Pastor sees a little mob boss in all of us, writes ‘Sopranos’ gospel | Houston preacher wrote book using popular TV character as a mentor to pastors (The Dallas Morning News)
Twain’s relevant lessons on religion | Twain understood that religion gets abused and drafted to defend evil behavior (Bill Tammeus, The Miami Herald)
A quest for a people who may no longer exist | Where are the other ten tribes? (The New York Times)

Missions and ministry:

World Vision hails church | Dean Hirsh has hailed the Church in Uganda for it’s role in the fight against the HIV-Aids scourge (New Vision, Kampala, Uganda)
McCartney rallies 13,000 ‘men of God’ | One died during service (The Denver Post)
A minister’s star-struck path to Ground Zero | For the Rev. Bill Minson, ground zero is his calling (The New York Times)
Ugandan rebels free two Italian missionaries (Associated Press)
Southern Baptists reject missionaries | Don and Esther Gardner were rejected because their pastor is a woman (The Birmingham News)
Missionary’s descendants threaten to sue land claims commission | They say there weren’t compensated for land and property that was returned to 200 families on Saturday (African Eye)
Hurley minister confronts death from the pulpit | 28-year-old Karl Kjendal was diagnosed in May with terminal colon cancer and expects to have less than a year to live (Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.)
Graham mission here posts $97,000 surplus | $35,000 will go to Texas crusade, rest will be split evenly among several local ministries at work in poorer neighborhoods (The Cincinnati Post)
Mission volunteer works to overcome obstacles | Cyndi Forbes was in a coma for 10 days, went on to battle spinal cord challenges, a heart attack, and two strokes, and an anoxic brain injury that forced her to relearn how to write and read. Now she’s ministering in Nicaragua (Florida Today, Melbourne)
Because the Bible says so | No one outside the Jewish community has been more supportive of Israel than U.S. evangelical Christians, and they’ve just begun to get better organized. (The Jerusalem Post)

Evangelist’s daughter says she has what she needs | Anne Graham Lotz and the Rev. Billy Graham share a leonine profile and such an unwavering conviction for Jesus that evangelicals smile in recognition (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)

Sex-abuse scandals:

Geoghan victims get $10M: Judge oddly praises all parties | Some upset by praises of church leadership (Boston Herald)
Also: Geoghan victims agree to $10m settlement | About half of what the church agreed to pay in March (The Boston Globe)
Also: Settlement doesn’t heal victims’ hearts | After Geoghan case, plaintiffs feel defeat (The Boston Globe)
Why Catholic churches are playing hardball | Faced with 500 suits, they may be agreeing only to smaller settlements to avoid sapping their resources (Abraham McLaughlin, The Christian Science Monitor)

Catholicism:

Look to the cross, says Pope | Pope John Paul II has called on the faithful to put the image of the cross in schools, hospitals and homes to help guard against increasing secularization (News.com.au, Australia)
Cardinal who survived prison dies | Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan’s agonizing account of imprisonment by the communists in Vietnam made him an inspirational figure for many Catholics in his homeland (Associated Press)
I won’t stand in Milingo’s way, says his Moonie wife | Says Vatican is lying (The Post, Lusaka, Zambia)
Catholic Charities plans to cut services, consolidate | Plagued by chronic deficits and antiquated management systems (The Boston Globe)
Russia Orthodox leader breaks silence | Accuses Vatican of “expansionist strategy” (Associated Press)

“Weeping” Madonna still draws crowds | Thousands of people have visited since owner made public more than a week ago that it had begun weeping oily tears (News.com.au, Australia)
Drought hits Colo. shrine’s spring | Mother Cabrini shrine’s main spring—considered holy by the faithful, who believe its water can heal—is being supplemented with city water brought in by truck (Associated Press)

Other stories of interest:

A priest’s plot to fool the Nazis | The Vinland Map suggests the Viking discovery of North America was known before Columbus sailed. (National Post)
Disciples with a devotion to discipline | International Churches of Christ cult moves abroad (The Times, London)
John C. Harper, 78, minister who preached to 8 presidents, dies | Was rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church for three decades (The New York Times)
Also: Rector John Harper, 78; preached to presidents (The Washington Post)
Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves | Conservative Brazilian cleric whose papal aspirations were undermined by his careerist reputation. (The Guardian, London)
Interview With James Dobson | On Muslims, theodicy, judicial nominees, and other subjects (Larry King Live, CNN)
Bilked believers forgiving of Jim Bakker | Branson business leaders, church groups support fallen televangelist (Springfield [Mo.] News-Leader)
Deliver us from evil | Calling terrorists “evil” requires no courage and justifies no self-congratulatory puffing. It’s just not a problem. But it’s also not a solution. (Michael Kinsley, Slate.com)
Armageddon ahead, please fasten your Bible Belt | There’s bad news on the end of the world front. The Rapture Index, which measures end-time activities, has soared to dangerous levels and Bible-Belt America is readying itself for the last trump (Richard Morrison, The Times, London)