The ACLU is at it again. This time, they are demanding an apology from a Montgomery County, Maryland, public school teacher. Behind this demand is, as always with this federally-funded outfit, the bludgeon-like threat of a huge lawsuit.

What was the teacher’s offense? Apparently, the teacher threatened a student with detention if she refused—as she repeatedly did—to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The teacher sent the student to the counselor’s office for her refusal to stand.

The ACLU immediately invoked the Supreme Court’s ruling in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943). That case is often cited as a hallmark of American civil liberties, especially remarkable because it was handed down while the United States was engaged in a world war to defend democracy.

But the Court in 1943 said that students cannot be required to salute the flag or recite the Pledge. That was quite right.

Continue reading »

Comments: 16 |

Here’s some articles of interest for today.

• “High Court Takes Up Case of Cross on Public Land,” Associated Press
• “Texas Battle on Gay Marriage Looms,” James C. McKinley, Jr., The New York Times
• “Gays and lesbians set to march on D.C. after months of Obama disappointment,” Lee-Anne Goodman, The Canadian Press
• “Md. university system devising policy on student displays of porn films,” Childs Walker, The Baltimore Sun
• “Pro-lifers want Calif. abortion mill investigated,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow
• “Campaign Launched to Protect Christians from U.N. Resolution,” Ethan Cole, The Christian Post
• “Russia Court Throws Out Lesbian Couple Marriage Request,” Reuters
• “Capitol Christmas tree controversy,” Marcia Segelstein, WORLD Magazine

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Some people believe that religious dogma is the only reason why anyone opposes same-sex marriage. Those who believe the human race began with Adam and Eve, and that their relationship was God’s model for marriage, believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. But those who don’t believe in the Bible, who think Adam and Eve are a myth, and who don’t accept a Christian view of the human person, have no reason to believe marriage is an opposite-sex union. Right?

Wrong. They should take a look at a front-page article in the Washington Post about the newest claim by evolutionary scientists. The scientists believe that a primate skeleton found in Ethiopia is that of a human ancestor—one that lived 4.4 million years ago. Almost at the end of this long piece, the article describes what C. Owen Lovejoy, an anthropologist at Kent State University, says about the social organization of this species:

The males, he argues, pair-bonded with females. Lovejoy sees male parental investment in the survival of offspring as a hallmark of the human lineage.

So, how long has marriage (i.e., “pair-bonding”) been a male-female union? About four million, four hundred thousand years, if this secular scientist is to be believed. And what was its purpose? To insure “male parental investment in the survival of offspring”—something which the advocates of same-sex “marriage” contend is now no longer necessary.

And what will we be discarding, if we change the definition of marriage from being a union of a man and a woman? Only “a hallmark of the human lineage.”

Marriage is not merely a religious institution, nor merely a civil institution. It is, rather, a natural institution, whose definition as the union of male and female is rooted in the order of nature itself. And it doesn’t take a Bible to prove it. In this case, evolutionary theory points to the exact same conclusion.

Washington Post:

‘Ardi’ May Rewrite the Story of Humans: 4.4 Million-Year-Old Primate Helps Bridge Evolutionary Gap (see third-to-last paragraph)

Comments: 18 |

Still stinging from a strong debate among ELCA pastors this summer, The Rev. Dr. Ralph W. Dunkin pushes to move his synod beyond the controversial topic and offer some reasons of support for the work of the ELCA.  He begins:

The major news coming from the 2009 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s biennial Churchwide Assembly has been the change in policy related to persons in gay and lesbian relationships. The policy change allows congregations to determine for themselves if they wish to offer blessings of same-gender relationships and if they are open to calling a pastor who is in a same-gender relationship.

But, he then moves quickly past the issue, noting the ELCA’s broad partnership of “full communion” with, “the Reformed Church, The UCC, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Moravians, The Episcopal Church and now the United Methodist Church.”  Interestingly, each of these denominations have taken similar measures as the ELCA did this summer.

The point, the Rev. Dr. Dunkin is trying to make is that, regardless of the controversy, the ELCA is still doing some incredible things and, implicitly, the vote to ordain practicing homosexuals not only doesn’t affect their overall ministry, but actually may improve their ability to link with others in an effort to do good deeds to this world.

Yet, the Rev. Dr. Dunkin fails to address a fundamental point vis-a-vis the recent ELCA vote: “What would LUTHER do?”

Continue Reading at The Family Council of West Virginia’s Engage Blog

Comments: 1 |

Here’s some articles of interest this morning.

• “Catania to introduce same-sex marriage bill,” Melissa Castro, Washington Business Journal
• “To heaven from Times Square,” Julia Duin, The Washington Times
• “Abortion and Health Care Reform,” Editorial, New York Times
• “Chicago City Council panel backs plan to limit anti-abortion activists,” Hal Dardick, Chicago Tribune
• “Senate committee restores $50 million in abstinence ed funding,” Catholic News Agency
• “When is a cross not a Christian symbol?,” Erwin Chemerinsky and Joseph Infranco, Los Angeles Times
• “‘Imagine No Religion’ Billboards Hit Detroit,” Jennifer Riley, The Christian Post
• “Spiritual spirit squad squelched,” Pete Chagnon, OneNewsNow.com
• “Planned Parenthood Says Pro-Lifers Winning, Misleads on Insurance, Abortion,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com
• “Personal Stories Reveal How Pregnancy Resource Centers Empower Women, Help Families,” Penny Starr, CNSNews.com
• “Most Stay-at-Home Moms Start That Way, Study Finds,” Donna St. George, The Washington Post

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Here’s some articles of interest.

• “Judge blocks key parts of new Arizona abortion law,” Paul Davenport, Associated Press
• “Pentagon airs criticism of ‘don’t ask’,” Bryan Bender, The Boston Globe
• “Should Government Have E-Record of Every Woman Who’s Had an Abortion?,” Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com
• “Parents’ Rights Amendment Reaches 120 Co-Sponsors,” Christian Newswire
• “Panel votes to restore abstinence education money,” Associated Press
• “Why are fewer Americans identifying with a religion?,” Wayne Slater, The Dallas Morning News
• “Worker misconduct cases rise at science foundation,” Associated Press

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Here are some articles of interest.

• “Same-sex marriage activists seek repeal of California’s Prop. 8,” Daniel B. Wood, Christian Science Monitor
• “Boston College Professor’s Appearance in Pro-Gay Marriage Ad Sparks Outrage,” Ana Lopez, Fox News **Note: This headline should reflect that the professor sparked outrage by being part of a ad in support of the Maine Marriage Initiative.
• “A new push to define ‘person,’ and to outlaw abortion in the process,” Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times
• “Spain unveils abortion law change,” Steve Kingstone, BBC News
• “In revolt against euthanasia,” Kathryn Jean Lopez, The Jamestown Sun
• “Coaxing stem cells to repair damaged tissue,” Frank D. Roylance, The Baltimore Sun
• “SD measure would ease stem cell research limits,” Associated Press
• “Christian Poverty Fighters Call for ‘Real Action’ Following G-20 Summit,” Aaron J. Leichman, Christian Post
• “Muslim prayer event fails to draw expected numbers,” Fred Jackson, OneNewsNow

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Here’s some news articles of interest to help kick off Labor Day weekend.

• “Boston’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Says He Confronted Obama about Abortion in Health Care Plan at Ted Kennedy’s Funeral,” Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com
• “Gay Ice Cream?,” Elisabeth Meinecke, Human Events
• “Montana AG approves language for abortion restriction initiative,” Montana’s News Station.com
• “Jack Kevorkian Promotes Euthanasia Again, Al Pacino HBO Movie Out Next Year,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com
• “What Would Jesus Insure?,” Joseph Loconte, The Weekly Standard
• “Muslim teen fears for life after changing religion,” John Couwels, CNN
• “R-71 names still under wraps as judge weighs case,” Rachel La Corte, Seattle Times
• “Reformed Body Says Lutheran Gay Vote Does Not Impair Partnership,” Lillian Kwon, The Christian Post
• “Common grace,” Marcia Segelstein, WORLD Magazine
• “Two Huge Stem Cell Trials Are In The Works. Guess Which Type,” William Teach, Right Wing News
• “Missing Critical Thinking,” Shane Vander Hart, Caffeinated Thoughts

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Gone are the days of the Daily Buzz and Blogosphere Buzz. Instead, I decided to incorporate the two to create “In the Know.” Don’t worry, you will still receive your daily dose of news.

Here’s some articles of interest for your morning:

• “New Method For Safer Bone Marrow Transplants For Sick Children,” Medical News Today
• “Wuerl Ups Opposition To Gay Marriage,” Tim Craig, The Washington Post
• “I Told Me So: Self Deception and the Christian Life,” Matthew Lee Anderson, The Evangelical Outpost
• “Abortion laws ’still won’t protect doctors’,” Brigid Andersen, ABC News (Australia)
• “End-of-life fears,” Emily Bregel, Chattanooga Times Free Press
• “Adult Stem Cells May Help Avoid Hip Replacements,” Wesley J. Smith, Secondhand Smoke
• “Normalizing transgenderism in schools,” Pete Chagnon, OneNewsNow
• “The issue of social justice is far bigger than the abortion debate,” Kathryn Jean Lopez, New York Daily News
• “Group Asks Court to Reconsider Removing Girl from Home School,” Joshua Rhett Miller, Fox News
• “Individual Catholic Bishops Speak Out Against Pro-Abortion Health Care Bills,” Christine, A Catholic View
• “How then shall we educate?,” Amy Henry, WORLD Magazine
• “A Stem-Cell Discovery Could Help Diabetics,” Alice Park, Time
• “Idaho school sues state over Bible plan,” Associated Press

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Here’s some news articles of interest for you to ponder this morning.

• “Clinical Trials Are Testing Stem Cells as Heart Failure Treatment,” Sarah Baldauf, U.S. News & World Report (August 18, 2009)

“Researchers’ significant interest in using stem cells to treat heart failure arises, in part, because the disease is so prevalent. The American Heart Association estimates 5.7 million Americans live with the disease and 670,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. “When you put [stem cells] into a heart, some can differentiate to become blood vessel and others to become heart muscle cells,” explains James Willerson, president of the Texas Heart Institute in Houston and a principal investigator of a separate, National Institutes of Health-sponsored stem cell trial for heart failure. It is important, he says, that stem cells also “have substances that recruit other cells and promote life.” This combination holds incredibly powerful potential for not only rejuvenating but rebuilding organs and tissue and turning back the clock for ailing patients. Willerson is optimistic about the therapeutic future of stem cells, which can be extracted from fat cells, hair cells, and other diverse cell types. “I believe we will be able to regenerate the whole heart of a human being with stem cells,” he says.”

• “Medical Groups Promoted HPV Vaccine Using Drug Company Money,” Rob Stein, The Washington Post (August 18, 2009)
• “DART Driver Refused Bus With Atheist Sign,” KCCI-8 Des Moines (August 18, 2009)

“Des Moines Area Regional Transit confirms a driver refused to drive a bus with an atheist advertisement Monday.”

• “Poll: Majority of Americans Understand Health Care Bills Mean Abortion Funding,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (August 19, 2009)

“The pro-life movement has been working overtime to educate Americans about the fact that the health care bills in Congress would result in massive abortion funding. Despite a slew of mainstream media stories to the contrary, the public appears to have received the message.

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released yesterday shows a majority of Americans agreed that the health care bills “will likely use taxpayer dollars to pay for women to have abortions.”

The poll found 50 percent agreed that is true while 37 percent of Americans don’t believe that is likely.”

• “Law Requiring Ultrasounds for Abortions Is Struck Down,” Kari Lydersen, The Washington Post (August 18, 2009)

“An Oklahoma judge decided Tuesday that doctors do not need to perform ultrasounds and offer women detailed information about the tests before performing abortions, striking down the strictest such law in the country.”

• “Study Using Embryonic Stem Cells Is Delayed,” Bloomberg News (August 19, 2009)

“The Geron Corporation said on Tuesday that regulators had held up its study of a therapy for injured spinal cords before even one patient could be enrolled, delaying the first human trial using embryonic stem cells.”

• “Christian Law Firm Fights ‘Ridiculous’ Criminal Charges Against School Officials,” Nathan Black, The Christian Post (August 18, 2009)

Comments: 1 |

Here’s some news articles of particular interest.

• According to the New York Times, former President Bill Clinton defends end-of-life counseling that is included in the health care reform plan.
• Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com has a great article about a CDC study that shows teen abortion rates are lower in states that accept abstinence funding.
• Cleveland is becoming a leader in adult stem cell research. Continue reading the article from The Plain Dealer.
• David French of Phi Beta Cons reported Tuesday that the EEOC went after Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina for refusing to cover oral contraceptives in its employer provided health insurance.
• Prisoners in the Rappahannock Regional Jail in Virginia will now be allowed to receive religious mail, after the ACLU sent a letter to officials demanding that these letters containing biblical passages be distributed, as The Christian Post reports.

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After a long hiatus, the Daily Buzz is back. Here are some news articles that I found particularly interesting today.

• The Obama Administration has been fairly silent about the provisions for abortion in the health care bill. The Baptist Press has a great article about the Administration’s silence on the provisions.
• Kansas is back in the news again. This time, The Wichita Eagle reports that the Governor and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has stripped funding from a program that gives state money to groups who provide alternatives to abortion.
• This morning, I came across an interesting article by Eric Gorski of the Associated Press that discussed the conflict of young Evangelical Christians torn between premarital sex and waiting for marriage. Continue reading…
• The controversial health care bill that will be debated in Congress will provide doctors incentive to push euthanasia. Read more about this on LifeNews.com.
• The Christian Post reports that homeschoolers are scoring well above those attending public schools in reading, math, social studies, and language.
• If you haven’t already done so, read Nonie Darwish’s article in FrontPage Magazine about Islam.

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Seventy years ago on this month Paul Schneider, Germany’s first Christian martyr under Nazi rule, died heroically in the concentration camp of Buchenwald.  Seventy years ago from this month, Schneider’s fight against the evils and wickedness of his age ended in glorious victory as he proclaimed the message of the gospel to those killing him.  It is appropriate to remember such a brave man, and to be inspired by his bold stand against Nazi Germany.

Paul Schneider was born in a little town of Pherdsfeld, in northern Bavaria.  His father was a Christian pastor and a loyal German citizen. Paul had great respect for his father and as a youth knew he wanted to go into the pastorate.

Paul fought for Kaiser Wilhelm II in World War I and, due to the battle wounds he received, earned the famous Iron Cross award from the military.

After the war, he attended seminary in answering the call to go into the ministry. As a young pastor, his life and the life of his country changed dramatically in 1933. That year, Adolph Hitler became the dictator of Germany.

From the beginning of the Nazi regime, Hitler targeted the German churches as a means of spreading his message and his own gospel.  Unlike his fellow pastors, however, Paul Schneider refused to pollute the Gospel of Christ with the doctrines of the Nazi Party.

Schneider asked this question in a sermon to his congregation in 1934:

“Where are those Christian consciences who judge righteously, who take the standard for their politics neither from National Socialism nor from socialism, but rather from the Gospel?”

Despite immense pressure to stay quiet and not stand up for the truth of the gospel, Schneider became the lone vocal advocate of the Gospel and truths of Jesus Christ in his community.

He allowed only true Christians to partake of the Lord’s Supper and fought against incorporating the Nazi political agenda in his church.

After continuing Nazi persecution, Paul Schneider was arrested and sent to the Nazi concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany.

Despite torture, beatings, humiliation, hunger, and terrible suffering, Schneider’s message did not change.

He preached the Gospel from his confinement cell, and warned the Nazi guards and officers of God’s coming judgment on sin.

“I must call the evil – of which I am a witness-as it really is and to make clear to the SS that they are not escaping the judgment of God,” Schneider said of his protest against the Nazi guards. “I am God’s messenger in this prison.”

Finally Paul Schneider met his martyrdom on July 18, 1939.  Schneider fell into the grip of Ding Schuler, a Nazi doctor, known as the “experimental doctor.” Schneider was murdered by lethal injection and his faithful wife Margarete brought his body back home for burial.

In the presence of Nazi guards, this prayer was prayed over Paul Schneider’s grave:

“May God grant that the witness of your Shepherd our brother remain with you and continue to impact on future generations and that it remain vital and bear fruit in the entire Christian Church.”

May the life and death of Paul Schneider inspire followers of Christ here and in Europe to stand up for the timeless truths of Jesus, living out their callings in modern society.

Benjamin Scott is a summer intern at Family Research Council. He is a student at Covenant College. Benjamin Scott and his missionary family lived in Germany for eight years.

Comments: 3 |

Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Coalition of LGBT groups: Next year too soon for gay marriage vote in CA,” Joe Garofali, San Francisco Chronicle (July 14, 2009)

“Several California ACLU chapters backed up the Prevailing wisdom by saying: “If we were to enter a campaign in either 2010 or 2012 with the people of California where they are now on marriage for same-sex couples, we’d have a tougher time winning than we did in 2008.”

• “Leaders’ views on gay marriage proposal at odds,” Michelle Saxton, Charleston Daily Mail (July 15, 2009)

“Lawmakers, legal experts and advocates from both sides met Tuesday to discuss a proposal that would allow West Virginians to vote for a statewide constitutional amendment banning the recognition of same-sex marriages.”

• “Support for gay marriage lukewarm,” Deborah McDermott, Seacoast Online (July 15, 2009)

“About 70,000 Mainers are expected to sign a petition calling for a statewide vote to repeal the state’s gay marriage law, and the fight to protect it isn’t exactly raging in the southern and more liberal tip of the state.”

• “Illinois: Court Upholds Abortion Notification Law,” Associated Press (July 15, 2009)

“A federal appeals court breathed new life into an Illinois law that requires teenage girls to notify their parents before having abortions. Lawyers said the law could take effect within weeks.

• “Obama Health Care Plan Will Provide Taxpayer-Funded Abortion on Demand, Congressmen Say,” Penny Starr, CNSNews.com (July 15, 2009)
• “Wisconsin: Group Seeks to Bar Religious Inscriptions,” Associated Press (July 15, 2009)
• “Experts dispute doctor’s stem cell breakthrough claim,” David Fitzpatrick and Drew Griffin, CNN (July 14, 2009)

” Grekos said he and his associates draw blood from a patient in Florida and then send it to a laboratory in Israel that produces what his company calls “regenocytes.” The company defines regenocyte as “a stem cell that has been activated to become a target organ.”

“These procedures work,” he told CNN, standing inside a hospital room at the Clinica Union Medica del Norte in Santiago. “And it’s substantiated by objective data that we are collecting.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “NIH received varied responses, some poignant, on stem-cell draft,” Nancy Frazier O’Brien, Catholic News Service (July 10, 2009)

“Although many of the more than 49,000 comments received by the National Institutes of Health on their draft guidelines for embryonic stem-cell research are repetitive, some offer a poignant glimpse into the lives of Americans who don’t want to see embryos destroyed in an effort to cure diseases.

• “Clarence Thomas: The courage of his convictions,” Michael Barone, The Washington Examiner (July 12, 2009)
• “Spain liberalizing, but teen abortion hits a nerve,” Daniel Woolls, Associated Press (July 12, 2009)

“Spain’s Socialist prime minister has irked his natural enemies on the right and in the Catholic church by legalizing gay marriage and instituting fast-track divorce. Now he has hit a raw nerve even among his supporters with a proposal to let 16-year-olds get abortions without parental consent.

The debate is harsh and emotional, showing that for all the changes Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has introduced with his trailblazing social agenda since taking power in 2004, abortion remains sensitive in a country where most people call themselves Catholic, even if few churches are full on Sundays.

• “One child rule,” Alisa Harris, WORLD Magazine (July 13, 2009)

“The Chinese government’s population policy requires delayed marriages and delayed births, meaning citizens have to wait for government permission to reproduce. It also advocates “fewer births”—one child in most cases, but two if the first is a girl. The final plank—”healthier” births—covers a policy that Mosher said leads to sterilization and killing visibly disabled babies at birth.

• “House Strips Funding for Abstinence Education,” Christian News Wire (July 12, 2009)

“Federal funding for abstinence until marriage education was stripped from the budget today in the House subcommittee, led by Rep. David Obey (D-WI). The budget now goes to the full committee and to the full House of Representatives.”

• “Korean bishops reject measure that would allow euthanasia,” Catholic News Agency (July 13, 2009)

“The Bishops of South Korea have rejected a measure that would legalize euthanasia in the country. Supporters of the measure are euphemistically labeling the proposal “death with dignity.”

• “Religion and spirituality: Can faith help you heal?,” Eve Glicksman, KTNV (July 13, 2009)

“Research suggests there is a link between religion and better mental health and well-being. Some spiritual practices may reduce stress. This may also ease symptoms and help offset the harmful effects of stress on the immune, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. Some studies have shown that people of faith recover faster from depression, grief and anxiety disorders.”

• “Oak Park man has own stem cells implanted in heart,” Kim Lamb Gregory, Ventura County Star (July 13, 2009)

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Federal Law excluding Gay Marriage is under siege,” Michael B. Farrell, Christian Science Monitor (July 9, 2009)

Five years after it became the first state to marry same-sex couples, Massachusetts is taking on the federal government’s definition of marriage.

While other lawsuits have challenged the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was passed in 1996 and defined marriage as between a man and woman, Massachusetts is the first to argue that Congress overstepped its bounds and violated a state’s right to determine what constitutes marriage.

• “Survey: Science Just One Ingredient of Opinion Cocktail,” Emily Badger, Miller-McCune (July 9, 2009)

“Although people like science, they are not bound by what science shows,” said Alan I. Leshner, the AAAS’s CEO and executive publisher of the journal Science. “Advances in science over the course of last decade are coming into conflict with some core human values issues, whether it’s when life begins or what you believe about evolution. Only scientists are stuck with what science is showing. The public at large and policy-makers are free to deny, disagree or just disregard what the science is showing. Scientists don’t have that luxury.”

• “Group asks Tracy to drop religion from invocations,” Mike Martinez, San Joaquin Herald (July 9, 2009)

“In a six-page letter to the city, the attorney for the Madison, Wisc.-based Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote demanding an end to the practice.

“The City Council of Tracy cannot, under current federal and state law, permit any prayers that contain references to an explicit deity,” wrote attorney Rebecca Kratz.  “The prayers currently given during council meetings impermissibly advance Christianity and lead a reasonable observer to believe that the council is endorsing not only religion over non religion, but also Christianity over other faiths.”

• “Marriage showdown imminent in Maine,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 10, 2009)

Although the legislature passed it and Governor John Baldacci approved the same-sex marriage bill in May, the law is on hold. Maine considers the people to be a branch of the government, and they can exercise a People’s Veto. Mary Conroy of Stand for Marriage tells OneNewsNow that means gathering enough signatures to put the issue before voters.

• “White House Says Obama, Pope Benedict XVI Will Have “Frank” Talk on Abortion,” Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com (July 8, 2009)

The relationship between Obama and Catholics has been tenuous. The pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church and Obama’s pro-abortion views have been at odds since the beginning of his presidency.

Before Obama took over the White House, the nation’s Catholic bishops warned him not to aggressively promote abortion and not to include abortion in his health care restructuring proposal.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Mass. challenges federal Defense of Marriage Act,” Martin Finucane, The Boston Globe (July 8, 2009)

“Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, has become the first to challenge the constitutionality of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman, saying Congress intruded into a matter that should be left to individual states.

• “Scientists claim sperm ‘first’,” Fergus Walsh, BBC News (July 7, 2009)

“This research also raises ethical issues. Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Corethics) said: “This is an example of immoral madness. Perfectly viable human embryos have been destroyed in order to create sperm over which there will be huge questions of their healthiness and viability.

“It’s taking one life in order to perhaps create another. I’m very much in favour of curing infertility but I don’t think you can do whatever you like.”

• “Could Abortion Coverage Sink Health-Care Reform?,” Karen Tumulty, Time (July 8, 2009)
• “Gay marriage foes reach signature goal in Maine,” Associated Press (July 8, 2009)

“Mark Mutty from the Stand for Marriage Maine coalition says it took only four weeks to gather the more than 55,087 signatures necessary to put gay marriage to a vote. But he says signature gathering will continue to ensure there’s more than enough petitions.”

• “School district shapes religious policy,” Associated Press (July 8, 2009)

“Spencer public school officials are proposing a policy that will allow students to study the Bible and pray during graduation ceremonies.

The proposal, if adopted, will have schools offer elective classes that permit arguments against evolution and discussions on the Bible in history and literature. School officials say they want to set clear rules for religious expression.”

• “Cerebral Palsy Improves After Bone Marrow Stem Cell Procedure,” PR Newswire (July 8, 2009)

“Dr. David Steenblock of Mission Viejo, California, a pioneer in clinical applications of stem cells, is pleased to report the results of a 16 year old girl who suffered from cerebral palsy. The patient had right side paralysis and spasticity since birth. The procedure consisted of removing 300 milliliters of bone marrow from her hip and giving it back to her intravenously.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Same-sex unions a challenge for Census,” Haya El Nasser, USA Today (July 5, 2009)

If the Census uses current methods, it would “unmarry people who checked off ‘married couples,’ ” — even in states where same-sex marriage is legal…

• “Minister sues city over right to protest abortion,” Lee Tant, The Times and Democrat (July 5, 2009)
• “Asking God for peace, and help in job search,” Associated Press (July 5, 2009)

“Castro’s group is one of several church-related unemployment support groups that have formed around the country as the jobless rate reaches heights not seen for decades. On Thursday, the government reported a 9.5 percent unemployment rate for June, the worst in 26 years.

Job seekers can’t use God as a reference, and studying Scripture might seem unrelated to grabbing a prospective employer’s attention. But church support group members say the meetings aren’t just about helping people find the next job; they’re also about refining and strengthening their faith along the way.”

• “Embryonic Stem Cells—and Other Stem Cells—Promise to Advance Treatments,” Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report (July 2, 2009)

“The earliest therapeutic breakthroughs are likely to arise from adult stem cells, which exist in everybody in many subtypes—blood-producing stem cells in the bone marrow, for example, and stem cells in the brain that can become neurons and other brain cells. “In the short term—say, the next five years—most of the therapeutic applications from stem cells will be from adult stem cells,” says Steven Stice, director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia. Their most likely uses: disorders of the blood and blood vessels, bone, and immune systems, he says.

• “No glib utterances,” Andree Seu, WORLD Magazine (July 18, 2009)

“God’s commands turn out to be doorways to intimacy with Him. And the best kept secret about obedience in the face of a hard temptation is that there is a blessing waiting on the other side. Satan doesn’t want us to know that. He would prefer the usual succumb-and-repent routine.”

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Abortions down slightly in Minnesota,” Bob Von Sternberg, The Star Tribune (July 1, 2009)

According to the annual report by the Minnesota Department of Health, 12,948 abortions were performed last year, 895 fewer than in 2007.

• “Report: Abortions drop for fifth straight year in Wisconsin,” Associated Press (June 30, 2009)

A state report released Tuesday found 8,229 abortions were performed in the state last year, down from 8,267 in 2007. The number of abortions in the state has fallen for five straight years now.

• “Liberty’s champion,” Marvin Olasky, WORLD Magazine (July 4, 2009)

Calvin was a fallen sinner, as all of us are, but was he especially mean-spirited? He taught that God created the world out of love and loved the world so much that Christ came down from the glorious kingdom of heaven and plunged into this world’s muck.

• “Conservative Christian groups form new federation,” Jody Brown, OneNewsNow (July 1, 2009)
• “Ouch! Planned Parenthood stung again…,” Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow (July 1, 2009)

“We want the attorney general of the state of Alabama to take this seriously and do his own investigation to find out what further is happening and convict Planned Parenthood where appropriate,” she says. “And we also hope the legislators pay attention so that if there is any state or local funding going to Planned Parenthood, that they can immediately cut the funding.”

• “Fixing The Heart With Stem Cells,” Bill Whitaker, CBS News (June 29, 2009)

This week doctors in Los Angeles have given a heart attack patient an infusion of stem cells grown from his own heart muscle.

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Here’s what we are reading today.

• “Gay Marriage Lost in Shuffle of Divided Senate,” Jeremy W. Peters, The New York Times (June 29, 2009)
• “Gay marriage stalls as RI lawmakers wrap up,” Associated Press (June 28, 2009)
• “Claims heard over abortion guide,” BBC News (June 29, 2009)
• “Schuller’s daughter seeks to heal a house of God,” Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press (June 29, 2009)
• “Senior legal figures join in opposition to ‘euthanasia law’ proposals,” Martin Beckford, London Daily Telegraph (June 29, 2009)
• “World of Faith and Freedom: Why International Religious Liberty Is Vital to American National Security,” William McKenzie, The Christian Century (June 30, 2009)
• “ACLU defends Muslim prison prayer,” Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper, OneNewsNow (June 29, 2009)
• “Researchers Discover New Source of Stem Cells,” Jessica Berman, VOA News (June 25, 2009)

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