ELCA Offers Alternative to 'Father, Son, and Holy Spirit'

ELCA convention:

• Lutherans near decision on key gay issues | Seeking to resolve concerns that have divided other Protestant denominations, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on Friday will vote on whether to allow same-sex unions and noncelibate gay clergy (The Miami Herald)
• More inclusive prayer book, hymnal is applauded by Lutheran assembly | It will offer alternatives such as "Holy Eternal Majesty, Holy Incarnate Word, Holy Abiding Spirit" for the male-dominated Trinitarian image of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" in prayers during Sunday services (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
• ELCA: Hymnal attracts the most attention | There was a comparative lack of fireworks over three resolutions on sexuality because they were merely introduced, without comment, to the assembly (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
• Lutherans to vote on policy about gays | With a critical vote on the role of gays in the church just days away, Lutheran leaders told a national assembly that deep disagreement over what the Bible says about homosexuality need not split their denomination (Associated Press)
• ELCA's debate runs deep | Scripture, tradition inform sexuality proposals (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.)
• Lutherans debate policy on gay couples | In a convention meeting room filled to capacity, members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America debated what direction their denomination should take in the struggle over ordaining gays and blessing same-sex couples (Associated Press)
• Church eyes immigration reform | The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America is expected to adopt a resolution this week promising to work for immigration reforms in the United States, becoming the latest religious denomination to boost its efforts to advocate for immigrants and refugees (The Washington Times)
• Lutherans debate gay issues | Two possible resolutions are vague, leaders admit, but they say a split in the church is still unlikely (The Orlando Sentinel)
• ELCA approaches same-sex topics | Assembly touts unity in preparation of vote (Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.)

Divestment:

• Payne urges financial ties to Israel remain in place | Bishop Margaret Payne said Lutherans should reject any possible move to financially divest from Israel (Associated Press)
• Tactics shift in divestment war | In light of dire new developments, Jewish groups to take a tougher stance against Protestant churches (The Jewish Week, New York)

Homosexuality:

• Gays seek backing of clergy for unions | Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Maryland's ban on homosexual "marriage" are working to rally more clergy to their cause ahead of an Aug. 30 hearing in the case, supporters said yesterday (Associated Press)

• Seeking blessings for same-sex unions | Plaintiffs in Md. make appeal for churches' support (The Washington Post)
• Church compromise attacked | The umbrella body for evangelical groups within the Church of England demanded yesterday that attempts to compromise with the government's civil partnerships legislation should be withdrawn (The Guardian, London)
• Musgrave backs off anti-gay-marriage amendment | Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage vaulted her to fast fame shortly after she arrived on Capitol Hill two years ago, but it also made the Fort Morgan Republican a national target (The Denver Post)
• 'The issue isn't really marriage' | Gay rights group, clergy debate at ACLU forum (The Washington Examiner)

'Tolerance':

• A liberal finds he is intolerant of intolerance | Let's refashion the old, stagnant definition of tolerance and make it less about merely enduring, merely putting up with the existence of other narrow-minded beliefs no matter how devastating and embarrassing they obviously are to the nation's health (Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle)
• Tolerance vs. liberty | Only those who surrender their religious convictions are now considered good citizens (Ed Iverson, Lahontan Valley News, Fallon, Nev.)
• Religious leaders should reconcile, not divide | From the crusades to terrorist attacks, from Ireland to the Middle East, religious conflicts have been a part of human history. But analysts say most holy scriptures teach love and understanding among nations (Voice of America)

Bible and truth:

• Unholy strictures | It is wrong - and dangerous - to believe literal truth can be found in religious texts (Karen Armstrong, The Guardian, London)
• Keeping faith with community | Today's socially conservative Christians interpret the New Testament to affirm their own self absorption (Deborah Locke, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.)

Evolution & Intelligent Design:

• Depositions refer to creationism | Dover officials testified that religious research was involved, court filings show (York Daily Record, Pa.)
• Careful what you wish for | Why schools should teach evolution, intelligent design, and creationism. And why some religious conservatives may regret it (Steven Waldman, Beliefnet)
• Evolution vs. religion | Quit pretending they're compatible (Jacob Weisberg, Slate)
• The faith that dare not speak its name | It's time to recognize intelligent design for what it really is: a clever euphemism for biblical creationism (Jerry Coyne, The New Republic)

• 'Intelligent design' smacks of creationism by another name | It isn't science. It can't be tested with rigorous experimentation. It is at best a philosophical concept, or a matter of faith (Editorial, USA Today)
• Evolution lacks fossil link | Teaching evolution is really about the determined drive by activists to eliminate any reference to an intelligent power in the universe (D. Chris Buttars, USA Today)
• Saints vs. science | Latter-day inquisitions and how to end them (Bill Cope, Boise Weekly, Id.)
• Weird science on the religious right | Seven of the greatest hits (or misses) of conservative Christian 'science' show just how little fact goes into these beliefs, and how much damage they can cause (Stan Cox, AlterNet)
• Inferior design | In late September, a contemporary Scopes trial gets under way in Pennsylvania. For the right, it's been 39 years in the making (Chris Mooney, The American Prospect)
• Toward theological evolution | Yet in the Intelligent Design controversy, with its profound moral and spiritual implications, the Jewish community has remained curiously abstracted and irrelevant (David Klinghoffer, Forward, Jewish newspaper)
• Intelligent design' revisited | Bush is correct that it would be useful if more people understood the substance of the debate over "intelligent design." (Phil Dodson, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.)
• Don't insult our intelligence | The Bible has many things to teach us about life but it is no substitute for science, Mr. Bush (Tim Radford, The Guardian, London)

Evolution in Australia:

• Nelson brings intelligent design debate to Australia | Education Minister Brendan Nelson supports the teaching of a controversial new theory of creationism, but only if it is balanced by the instruction of established science (The Sydney Morning Herald)
• Intelligent design' an option: Nelson | The Education Minister throws open debate on a thorny theory in schools. (The Age, Melbourne, Australia)

Kansas science standards:

• Standards critical of evolution clear hurdle | After review by a consultant, the revised science standards could become final in October (The Wichita Eagle, Kan.)
• Draft of science standards okayed | The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday agreed to send a draft of its science curricular standards out for external review -- moving closer to finally approving a document critical of evolution (The Capital-Journal, Topeka, Kan.)

• Attorney in evolution case not licensed in Kansas | The battle over public school science standards has gone from evolution to law (Lawrence Journal-World, Kansas)
• Kansas schools okay scrutiny of evolution | The Kansas Board of Education voted 6-4 Tuesday to include greater criticism of evolution in its school science standards, but it decided to send the standards to an outside academic for review before taking a final vote (Associated Press)
• Kansas moves to stem role of evolution in teaching (Reuters)

John Roberts:

• In 1980s, Roberts wary of new right | "[Paul] Weyerich is of course no friend of ours," he told Attorney General (The Washington Times)
• Antagonist of the Left expresses righteous indignation about Roberts | Who the guy is who opposes Roberts from the right (The Washington Post)
• Sen. Leahy: Roberts ads a waste of money | The Senate Judiciary Committee's top Democrat assailed advocacy-group commercials for and against Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, suggesting they won't sway senators weighing his confirmation (Associated Press)
• TV ad attacking court nominee provokes furor | The ad focuses on an argument in an abortion-related case that John G. Roberts Jr. made to the High Court in the 1990's (The New York Times)
• Conservative group pulls Roberts support | Anyone ever hear of Public Advocate of the United States or Eugene Delgaudio? Us either. (Associated Press)
• Nominee is pressed on end-of-life care | A Democratic senator asked Judge John G. Roberts Jr. about whether lawmakers should intervene in situations like the Terri Schiavo case (The New York Times)
• Changing the tone | The Roberts nomination has raised the profile of a group called Feminists for Life. And that's a healthy thing for everyone (Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online)

NARAL anti-Roberts ads:

• Pro-choice group: Defeat Roberts | Pro-choice activists yesterday urged the Senate to block the confirmation of federal Judge John G. Roberts Jr. to the Supreme Court (The Washington Times)
• Follow the money | Is NARAL's attack on John Roberts about abortion rights or abortion profits? (Manuel Miranda, The Wall Street Journal)
• NARAL v. Roberts | The ad practically screams: We're so desperate to find something to pin on John Roberts that we're not above making things up (Editorial, The Wall Street Journal)

Life ethics:

• Let humanity prevail | We must decide how radically we want technology to change the way we live (Joel Garreau, The Age, Melbourne, Australia)
• Anonymity in death and the right to die | Despite the opposition of both church and government on moral grounds, euthanasia is gaining ground (Razi Azmi, The Daily Times, Pakistan)

Stem cells:

• Dobson's choice | It's grotesque to liken stem-cell researchers to Nazis, and idiotic to demand an apology (David Gelernter, The Wall Street Journal)
• Gelernter and Dobson in the public square | Has James Dobson really made conservatives look bad? (Hunter Baker, The American Spectator)
• 'Nazi' remark prompts wave of threats | Rightist's blast on stem cells stirs outrage (Forward, Jewish newspaper)
• In heartland, stem cell research meets fierce opposition | The moral debate over embryonic stem cells stretches far beyond Capitol Hill to state capitals and research parks across the country, where a fierce competition is underway from Maryland to California for cutting-edge research and the profits that could follow (The Washington Post)
• Advocates push Md. for help on stem cells | Patients' campaign aims to stave off filibuster (The Washington Post)

Abortion:

• Publisher's cash, passion fuel anti-abortion effort | As signatures were being gathered for Proposition 73, the initiative to require pregnant teens to notify a parent before getting an abortion, James Holman's network of Catholic newspapers went to work (The Sacramento Bee, Ca.)
• Irish abortion law in human rights court | Three Irish women who travelled to the UK for abortions are taking Ireland to the European court of human rights for preventing them from terminating their pregnancies in their own country (The Guardian, London)
• Irish abortion plea in Strasbourg | Three Irish women are taking Ireland to the European Court of Human Rights over their country's laws on abortion (BBC)
• Abortion case could set an ugly precedent | We should not further restrict women's access to late abortions (Leslie Cannold, The Age, Melbourne, Australia)
• Future of abortion hangs on landmark hearing | A court case has again stirred up public debate about a heart-wrenching subject (Anne Summers, The Sydney Morning Herald)

Religion & politics:

• Tancredo, interfaith group work to smooth ties | U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo met Tuesday in metro Denver with a delegation representing Muslims, Jews and Christians that requested the Colorado Republican either retract his statements about bombing Muslim holy sites or take steps toward reconciliation (The Denver Post)
• Romney U.S. presidential run may make religion political issue | As Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney weighs a presidential race, the former business executive brings assets, liabilities and one wild card: his Mormon religion (Bloomberg News)

• Organizers to sponsor bloggers who attend televised church rally | The organizers of Justice Sunday II plan to pay expenses for several bloggers to attend and publicize this weekend's telecast in Nashville (Associated Press)
• Who determines moral behavior? | I don't know how to express my immense frustration at what appears to be the selective use of "God's will" by even Evangelical Christians to define what is morally acceptable behavior (Murvale H. Moore, Lincoln Journal, Mass.)
• Religion and the Left | Thoughts on the new network of spiritual activism and The Nation (Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation)
• Majority rules | What the religious right and radical multiculturalists have in common (Ian Reifowitz, The New Republic)
• For Democrats, a troubling culture gap | A new Democracy Corps study concludes that cultural issues trump economic issues by a wide margin among lower-income, less-educated voters (The Washington Post)
• What's really shaking with the Frist flip-flop | Karl Rove is trying to outmaneuver John McCain and Rudy Giuliani for 2008 (Carl Jeffers, The Seattle Times)
• Religion embroils mayoral contest | Charlie Winburn book saying Christians should "elect only born-again Christians to public office" ignites debate (The Cincinnati Enquirer)
• Clinton's challenger says she opposes late-term abortion | Jeanine F. Pirro, the new Republican challenger for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat, said Tuesday that she opposed the procedure that critics call partial-birth abortion (The New York Times)
• How Senator Rick Santorum, in acting for his church, persistently fails to consider the larger public good | Santorum is a representative, that's for sure. The question is, for whom? (Marci Hamilton, FindLaw.com)

Falwell criticized for saying 'vote Christian':

• Falwell criticized for 'vote Christian' statement | The Rev. Jerry Falwell drew fire Tuesday from the Anti-Defamation League, which called on him to retract a "vote Christian in 2008" statement (The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.)
• Falwell's 'Vote Christian' criticized | Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director, said Falwell's statements are "directly at odds with the American ideal and should be rejected" (Associated Press)

Church & state:

• Lawsuit opposes prayers at Cobb County meetings | Five Cobb County residents represented by the ACLU filed suit Wednesday demanding that overtly Christian prayers before County Commission meetings be stopped (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

• Court asked to review decision on prayers | The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a decision allowing Chesterfield County to bar a local witch from leading the prayer at its Board of Supervisors meetings (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.)
• ACLU backs Wiccan suit | Civil liberties lawyers have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a Wiccan priestess to offer prayers before a public board's meetings (Associated Press)
• U.S. court upholds Va. pledge requirement | An appeals court on Wednesday upheld a Virginia law that requires public schools to lead a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, rejecting a claim that its reference to God was an unconstitutional promotion of religion (Associated Press)

County to pay ACLU after losing 10 Commandments lawsuit:

• Taxpayers to foot bill after Barrow loses commandments suit | Barrow County commissioners voted 4-2 (Athens Banner-Herald, Ga.)
• Barrow to pay ACLU in Ten Commandments battle | Barrow County commissioners have agreed to pay $150,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a court agreement over a Ten Commandments display that has been removed from the courthouse (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Religious freedom:

• Court asked to evict church from school | New York is arguing that the use of a public school for religious worship violates the separation of church and state (The New York Times)
• 7th Circuit gives new life to anti-gay protester's lawsuit | In somewhat surprising ruling, panel finds pedestrian overpasses are public forums, orders federal judge to hold hearing on Wisconsin minister's claim (Douglas Lee, First Amendment Center)
• Pastor praying for court appeal | A pastor has launched an appeal against a conviction for breaching the peace by displaying a sign reading "Reject God and you may become homosexual" (Edinburgh Evening News, Scotland)
• Don't list religious groups as minorities: India Supreme Court | The Supreme Court has said the practice of listing religious groups as minority communities should be discouraged, even as it rejected a plea to give minority status to the Jain community (IANS, India)

Northern Ireland:

• Two weeks on, N.Ireland waits for IRA disarmament | Two weeks after the Irish Republican Army pledged to down arms, the guerrilla group has yet to prove it has disposed of any weapons, disappointing hopes it would begin disarming immediately (Reuters)

• Attacks on church 'must end' | A Protestant cleric behind a clean-up campaign at a paint-bombed Catholic Church in Harryville yesterday called on all churches in Ballymena to unite against ongoing attacks on the building (The Belfast Telegraph)

India's RSS compared to al-Qaeda:

• US group says RSS is like al-Qaeda | Rand, a US-based think tank, has clubbed the RSS with al-Qaeda and some other groups as examples of 'new religious movements' (PTI, India)
• RSS philosophy based on "exclusivity and hate": US study | The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological fountainhead of rightwing Hindu politics in India, has been described by a new study as a "New Religious Movement (NRM)" comparable to some of the extreme Islamic fundamentalist movements (IANS, India)

Persecution:

• Pakistan's former Christian minister found strangled | Derick Cyprian, a former government minister from Pakistan's minority Christian community was found strangled on the outskirts of the eastern city of Lahore, police and family said on Wednesday (Reuters)
• Christians showing 'JESUS' film stabbed to death in Bangladesh | Lipial Marandi, 21, and Tapan Kumar Roy, 27, were stabbed to death at 2 a.m. on July 29 by intruders who had broken into their rental house (Religion News Service)
• Two Christians booked for torturing three converts | The Kahna police station on Wednesday registered a case against two Christian men for torturing three women for converting to Islam (Daily Times, Pakistan)
• 'BSS violating St Andrews Church's sanctity' | Hundreds of Christians protested outside the Lahore Press Club, demanding that St Andrews Church's possession be given back to the Christian community. They said the local school chain inhabiting the church was "violating its sanctity" (Daily Times, Pakistan)
• 'Don't let my husband be deported to Iran' | To visit Iran with her husband, Jessica Siavoshy would have to convert from Christianity to Islam, apply for Iranian citizenship, and relinquish her British passport because Iranian law does not recognise dual nationality (The Guardian, Hounslow, England)

Crime:

• Cops: Worker stole over $65G from church | A church education director in Bethpage stole more than $65,000 from St. Martin of Tours Church, discovered after the parish did an internal audit, Nassau police said (Associated Press)
• Kaiser death probe told of missing bullets | Investigators never recovered the bullet cartridges that killed Catholic priest John Antony Kaiser, an inquest into his death heard yesterday (The Nation, Kenya)

• Priest among arrested | Charged with public indecency after lavatory sting (Courier & Press, Evansville, Ind.)
• Is pornography the same as prostitution? | A New York judge says "no," but the answer is less clear (Sherry F. Colb, FindLaw.com)

Sudan & Zimbabwe:

• Garang death could ignite religious war | The death of Garang will also bring the secession agenda to the fore. The Arab media has already labelled the new leader a secessionist (Norbert Mao, The Monitor, Uganda)
• Zimbabwe accused of blocking aid | Zimbabwean authorities are blocking aid to 2300 people resettled on a farm outside Harare following a government demolitions campaign, rights and church groups said today (AFP)
• No 'irresponsible' loan to Zim | South Africa will not extend an "irresponsible" loan to cash-strapped Zimbabwe to prevent its expulsion from the International Monetary Fund, a senior church official said on Wednesday after meeting President Thabo Mbeki (AFP)

Church life:

• Church rooted in Japan culture | Arvada parishioners keeping Japanese-language services alive (The Denver Post)
• Predator on the street: the tow truck | In April 2004, Safety Towing hooked up and dragged away a pickup truck — used to deliver charity items to the poor — from the parking lot of the church that owned it (Los Angeles Times)
• A congregation aids its students | Church awards $100,000 in scholarships (The Washington Post)

Missions & ministry:

• An act of subversion, carried by balloons | A Korean missionary sends aerial messages of faith over border to north (The Washington Post)
• 'Indian Christians losing their culture' | The Indian community is fast losing its culture and language because many have become Christians— says the president of the South African Christian Vernacular and Cultural Trust (Daily News, South Africa)

Catholicism:

• Friction alongside fiction | The jittery reaction of the Catholic Church to The Da Vinci Code's"claims" is tantamount to aligning itself with the paranoia of extremist forms of certain other religions. As a Catholic, I want no part of it (Anastasia Parkes, The Times, London)
• Pop culture heroes help recruit priests | An edgy poster showing a somber Catholic priest in full black cassock and sunglasses posed like "The Matrix" star Keanu Reeves is proving so popular that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has snapped up 5,000 of them (The Washington Times)
• Vatican stops diocese in taking parish assets | Millions at stake as O'Malley must get OK of pastors (The Boston Globe)

• 'Drained' priest refuses to give last rites | A Catholic priest "refused point-blank" to administer last rites to a woman who died that night, her son says (The Age, Melbourne, Australia)
• Cashing in on Christianity in Cologne | Come next week, the German city of Cologne will be bursting at the seams as it plays host to some 800,000 pilgrims in town for World Youth Day. Local businesses are rubbing their hands in anticipation (Deutsche Welle, Germany)
• Exile: Bishop orders Vernon priest to live in isolation at convent | Norwich Bishop Michael R. Cote has ordered a priest with whom he has been at odds for more than a year to leave St. Bernard Church's rectory or face suspension from the priesthood (Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Ct.)
• Monks who make world's best beer pray for quiet life | For more than 160 years the Trappist monks at Saint Sixtus monastery in Flanders have been producing a rich, dark-brown, beer renowned for its exceptional flavour and strength. But an unexpected misfortune has befallen this reclusive community of 26 Cistercians: their beer has been named the best in the world (The Independent, London)
• Village where the Pope was born pays the price of fame | Joseph Ratzinger's new-found fame — he was elected Pope Benedict XVI in April — has convinced the owner of the house where he was born to sell up (The Times, London)

Abuse:

• Molester says church shifted him to other parishes | The ex-priest, now in prison, makes the allegation about the San Diego diocese's policy in the 1970s in a newly filed court document (Los Angeles Times)
• Levada to answer questions on priest abuse | The American archbishop stepping down to become the Catholic Church's doctrinal watchdog will waive diplomatic immunity and answer questions about clergy sex abuse (Associated Press)
• Catholic priest gets probation in groping | Albert Liberatore Jr., of Scranton, Pa., admitted groping the boy in a hotel room in May 2002 (Associated Press)
• Tampa school gets another sexual abuse suit | It is the sixth suit since 2002 to be filed against Mary Help of Christians School (St. Petersburg Times, Fla.)
• Ajax pastor charged with luring child for sex | Kenneth Symes, 36, the lead pastor of the Ajax Alliance Church, appeared in court yesterday and has been charged with luring a child under 14 and invitation to sexual touching (The Globe and Mail, Toronto)

Priest accused of trysts with secretary:

• Affair charge rocks cleric | St. Pat's rector accused of trysts with secretary (New York Daily News)

• Leading voice of orthodoxy | Three years ago, Msgr. Eugene Clark denounced "the campaign of liberal America against celibacy" from the pulpit and called the U.S. "probably the most immoral" country in the Western Hemisphere. Now the 79-year-old archconservative Catholic cleric stands accused of breaking his own priestly vow of celibacy - and with a married woman, no less (New York Daily News)
• Expert on love & marriage | It's not whether Msgr. Eugene Clark had an affair with his married secretary. It's whether he did so even as he sought to blame the decline in marital fidelity largely on a Hollywood he imagines to be dominated by gays and those who tolerate them (Michael Daly, New York Daily News)
• Husband of priest's aide accuses her of an affair | A Westchester County man claims in court papers that the rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Midtown has been having an affair with his wife, the rector's longtime personal secretary (The New York Times)
• Motel hoppin' in Hamptons | Msgr. & alleged lover on videotape (New York Daily News)
• Accused EWTN priest stays on air | An Alabama-based worldwide Catholic television network has no plans to drop a program hosted by a New York priest who has been accused of having a sexual relationship with a married woman (The Birmingham News, Ala.)

Medicine:

• The medical world of medieval monks | Anaesthetics and disinfectants are thought to be a modern medical invention but evidence is coming to light that medieval doctors knew of them too (BBC)
• Religion can trump medical advice, docs say | Many US doctors believe that the religious convictions of their patients should outweigh their own professional advice when it comes to making certain medical decisions. When the patient is a child, however, a large majority of doctors say that they, and not the child's guardian, should have the final say, regardless of the guardian's religious beliefs (Reuters)

History:

• Medieval wonder found in church | Spectacular wall paintings dating from the 14th century have been discovered at a 12th-century church in Suffolk (The Times, London)
• Living in harmony in Syria | Harmony between Christians and Muslims has been an elusive goal for hundreds of years, but could the Syrian church help lead the way? (BBC)
• First baptism site's source found | Shimon Gibson says he has discovered a monumental water system dating from the 8th century BC. It lies near an extraordinary cave, found west of Jerusalem last year, with a ritual baptism pool and rock carvings linked to John the Baptist and his followers (The Times, London)

• Shards of evidence | In what could turn out to be the archeological find of the century, a prominent Israeli archeologist claims to have uncovered the ancient palace of King David near the Old City of Jerusalem (The Jerusalem Post)

People:

• Billy Graham's daughter says dad at peace | Anne Graham Lotz says her father is at "total peace" with his decision not to preach any more crusades (Associated Press)
• A religious man — not right, not left | T.D. Jakes might lead the way back to that old-time religion — a period when the separation of church and state was not such a noxious idea to so many Christian leaders (DeWayne Wickham, USA Today)
• Copeland isn't waiting until the next life to reap his rewards | God and money took center stage when nationally known television minister Kenneth Copeland brought his Southwest Prosperity Convention to town this week (Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Tex.)
• These couples tied the knot quite tightly | The Blessings of Marriage has become a friendly competition to see who has stuck it out the longest (Los Angeles Times)
• William HC Frend dies at age 89 | Renowned early church historian wrote on Donatism, martyrdom, persecution, and other topics (The Telegraph, London)

Books & film:

• Smite makes right | Far from Baghdad, we need a sectarian truce of our own. But are hard-believing Americans really ready for a grand compromise? Tim Appelo reviews Divided by God (Seattle Weekly)
• Unknown director to put 'Dark Materials' on the big screen | Anand Tucker, director of the Oscar-nominated low-budget movie Hilary and Jackie, about the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, and a yet-to-be-released Steve Martin film, Shopgirl, beat 50 others for the chance to bring Pullman's epic to the big screen (The Independent, London)
• Even 'Da Vinci Code' under attack by revisionists | Revisionists want to get their hands on 'The Da Vinci Code' (Bonnie Erbe, Scripps Howard News Service)
• Hallmark film portrays young John Paul II | Poland's young pontiff-to-be and his colleagues are liberated from the unspeakable terror of Nazism only to be subjected to the mirthless tyranny of communism (Associated Press)

Broadcasting:

• Faith, news and Peter Jennings | He remained concerned about religion coverage throughout the final decade of his life and work (Terry Mattingly, Scripps Howard News Service)
• The Peter Jennings I knew | He was a man of grace and charm, even in his underpants (Jody Eldred, WorldNetDaily)

• And the word is: Godcasting | The latest tech word and what it means (The Guardian, London)
• Morning glories | Billy Burke counter-programs the raunchy a.m. drive with his soft-sell Christianity (Los Angeles Times)

Music:

• Stryper—Reborn | Rarely can a band have been as unfairly pilloried during its lifetime as Stryper (MusicOMH, U.K.)
• Gospel concerts becoming the 'devil's arena'? | After attending most of these gospel gigs, one is left with many questions than answers on whether they deserve to be called by such a title or not (Editorial, Zimbabwe Observer)

Money & business:

• Praying for profits | Christian entrepreneurs are mixing belief with business. Are they crossing a line--or will their religion pay off? (Time)
• Pleading for Michigan to be reborn, this time with a prayer | Lanny L. Johnson recently came up with a prescription for Michigan and its auto industry. Prayer. On billboards (The New York Times)
• Making Christianity trendy | Packaging an evangelical message with trendy pastimes appeals to kids, and Glory Zone knows it (Newsday)
• Christian trade show highlights modern electronics | Workshop brings spiritual music into the 21st century (San Jose Mercury News, Ca.)

More articles of interest:

• Religion takes a back seat in Western Europe | Every major religion except Islam is declining in Western Europe (USA Today)
• Family history reveals role of religious persecution in early America | I've discovered distant ancestors who were involved in religious conflicts not much different from today's clashes between Shia and Sunnis in Iraq, or the disputes between liberal and conservative Christians in Louisville (Bert Emke, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.)
• Faith-based programs battle 'double standard' of giving | One nonprofit leader has challenged the Lincoln foundation's grant refusal (Kevin Leininger, The News-Sentinel, Ft. Wayne, Ind.)
• Red scare | Today's Puritans attack Indian mascots (Kenneth L. Woodward, The Wall Street Journal)
• ND professor traces shift to secularism | George Marsden laments that non-belief has supplanted Christendom as the only acceptable academic perspective (Associated Press)

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