The Point

• "The Establishment's Palin Panic"
• "Korea's population crisis"
• "Letter to John Calvin"
• "Chinese baby girls sold for adoption"

What is this?

• "NKorea fires missile; launch toward US feared"
• "Post Publisher Cancels Plans for Off-the-Record 'Salons'"
• "Facebook's Easy Virtue"

What is this?

• "For 'Modern Gals,' Religion as Off-the-Rack Therapy"
• "Reverse discrimination ruling leaves confusion"
• "Evangelical concern for Jon and Kate"
• "Partnership rights in place for gay couples by end of year [in Ireland]"
• "Review of India's gay-sex laws"
• "The Woman in the Picture"
• "When Love Turns to Scandal"
• "Obama reaffirms support for gay-rights activism"
• "Pride Parades, Mark Sanford and 'Fear and Ignorance'"
• "Jackson, Sanford and weirdness"
• "How God Converted an Atheist"

What is this?

As I read Catherine’s book As We Forgive, it reminded me of the forgiveness issues I have in my life that I daily bring to the foot of the cross. The men and women in her book suffered a great deal; by comparison, my own experiences are nothing. They all have to come to terms with people who did horrific things to them, and I only have to deal with forgiving myself for the poor choices I’ve made in the past.

It made me reflect on the question "How do I know if I have forgiven?" And it revealed once again some of my flawed understanding of forgiveness. Unfortunately, all of us are guilty of such flaws. I wrote down some things to remember about forgiveness:

I know I have forgiven if...

I no longer have feelings of anger or bitterness.
I have asked God to forgive the other person.
I have asked the other person to forgive me.
I have confronted the other person.
I have attempted reconciliation.
I am willing to allow time to heal the wound or get on with life.
I can say “let's just forget about it.”

What's comforting to realize is the fact that I don't have to be flawless to experience God's forgiveness. No one is required to change to be proven worthy of His forgiveness. The only evidence needed is my life submitted to the presence of Christ.

What is this?

Joel Rosenberg reports this bit of good news about what is happening with Iraqi Christians, who now have their own radio station:

That station -- which can be heard throughout the Kurdish region and thus by more than two million people -- is broadcasting Christian music, original and previously-produced educational programs, original and previously-produced cultural programs, Bible reading programs and radio dramas based on the Bible. All of this is in the Kurdish and Arabic languages.

One Iraqi Christian, and station manager, said, "Growing up under the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, we never thought we would see the day when we who love Jesus could run a radio station in Iraq.... We are excited to see how the Lord will use us to bless the Iraqi people, and particularly the Kurdish people. Please be praying for us that the Lord's favor would be with us and we would make a real impact in people's lives here."

I'm praying. Will you? 

(Image courtesy of Joel Rosenberg's Weblog)

What is this?

• "NKorea threatens US; world anticipates missile"
• "The Political Enclave That Dare Not Speak Its Name"
• "I'm Tired of Sex Scandals. Aren't You?"
• "Arab Activists Watch Iran and Wonder: 'Why Not Us?'"
• "Gay DNC Fundraiser Filled with Frustration: 'No One Is Happy Now'"
• "The boy who never grew up: Michael Jackson, 1958-2009"
• "Poverty of thought"

What is this?

• "Gov. Sanford admits to extramarital affair"
• "Giving the green light to suicide"
• "Huckabee and Stewart on abortion"
• "Tenn. Planned Parenthood loses gov't funding"
• "I Would Die for You: Life and death of a 15-year-old missionary"
• "Selflessness Amid Tragedy Offers Solace"
• "Ideas Online, Yes, but Some Not So Presidential"
• "The uninsured: A bogus excuse for trillions in new welfare spending"

What is this?

The Guardian is reporting that the Iranian government has canceled Neda Agha Soltan's funeral and forced her family out of their home.

(Image courtesy of Flickr/New York Daily News)

What is this?

CNN has the latest from Tehran.

What is this?

Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch reports that three missionaries in Yemen have been killed, possibly by a former Gitmo prisoner. If this has been reported by the mainstream media, I've missed it. In any case, such news throws a dark shadow over the president's plan to close Gitmo and release dangerous men back into the world.

What is this?

What is this?

The biggest religion story you probably have not heard about is currently taking place in Bedford, Texas. 

The inaugural assembly of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) convened this morning at St. Vincent's Cathedral. The convention is yet another step in the restructuring of Anglicanism in the United States, which has been in a state of disarray since the Episcopal Church recognized the appointment of a non-chaste homosexual to the position of bishop in 2003.

ACNA, a collection of roughly 100,000 Anglicans in 700 parishes across the United States and Canada, seeks to become the newest Anglican province within the Anglican Communion, the worldwide association of Anglican churches in full communion with the Church of England. It has already been recognized by the primates of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCon), representing over 70 percent of active Anglicans around the world. Four dioceses previously affiliated with the the Episcopal Church have left that church body in toto to join ACNA. In addition, a number of smaller Anglican bodies in the United States that previously dissociated themselves from the Episcopal Church have also joined the new coalition.

Bishop Robert Duncan, formerly of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh (one of the four Episcopal dioceses to join ACNA) will be formally introduced as archbishop on June 24. Duncan has been a vocal critic of the Episcopal Church in the United States--particularly in regards to its decisions normalizing homosexual behavior. "The Lord is displacing the Episcopal Church," Duncan told the press in 2008.

There are still many hurdles ahead for the nascent church. First, many Episcopal congregations and dioceses that are inclined to agree with the more conservative beliefs of ACNA face legal hindrances to switching alliances, and would be required to surrender church properties and pensions to the Episcopal Church. Also, theological differences exist between some of the various ACNA constituencies on matters such as female ordination. And it is still uncertain that the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams--the Archbishop of the Church of England and titular head of the Anglican Communion--would be willing to recognize ACNA. Williams has expressed dismay with the pending split, and has indicated in the past that he sympathizes with the Episcopal Church's views on sexual matters.

Those interested in following the assembly can do so here.

(Image © ACNA)

What is this?

With the eyes of the world focused on Iran, a certain movie opening this week has suddenly become timelier than ever. Go here to read about the connection between The Stoning of Soraya M. and events going on in Iran right now. And check back later this week for Chuck Colson's review of the film.

(Image courtesy of The Wrap)

What is this?

That's one way to get 'em to church.

(via Dave Barry)

What is this?

• "Blessed"
• "Dad feels cheated on Father's Day"
• "The Invisible Hand of Population Control"

What is this?

I've been following the events in Iran with fascination, all the more because a friend of mine just returned from a mission trip there. As she pointed out, with such a minuscule percentage of the Iranian population professing Christ (0.2%, according to Wikipedia), the young people who are risking their lives for the sake of freedom are, in most cases, risking much, much more--their eternal destiny and a life apart from God. Pray for the Iranians to know the true freedom of the Gospel.

One of the reasons we know so much about what has been happening in Iran this last week is technology. The kinds of things that become useless time wasters for us (who cares what Ashton Kutcher ate for lunch?) are the very things that have allowed news of the post-election chaos in Iran to make it past government censors and a foreign media ban. NBC Nightly News ran a piece last night on several Iranian youth who are attending school here in the U.S. and are working hard to keep their peers back home online despite government bans.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

At the same time, over at the State Department, a leftover from the Bush administration has been the driving force behind keeping Twitter online and working with cell phone providers to develop technology that would allow people to access Twitter without Internet service.

I guess this Time piece on geeks inheriting the earth has finally come true. If nothing else, they may help to make the earth a more hospitable place for the people of Iran. We can all hope.

What is this?

(Adapted from my blog The Living Rice.)

The news clip below, from a local Filipino newscast, shows Imelda Marcos weeping because, according to her, she is poor and out of funds. She says that her only source of income is her late husband’s life pension and she’s asking the Philippine government for pity. 

It’s interesting to see how the widow of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who gained worldwide notoriety in the '80s through her lavish lifestyle and 3000 pairs of shoes (Newsweek listed her in 2009 as one of the "Greediest People of All Time") has turned around, pleading with the country she and her husband once robbed of wealth. Ironically, the begging ex-first lady, as you can see in the video, is more glammed up than the rest of us. It reminded me of what Jesus said: where our treasure is, there our hearts and thoughts will be also (Matthew 6:21). Makes one ponder, if I were to lose all my money and material possessions today, how would I respond?

For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

What is this?

• "Just Make Stuff Up"
• "Racist and Ridiculous" (profanity in comments; via La Shawn Barber)
• "The White House Fires a Watchdog"
• "The Limits of Control"
• "How Late-Night Comedy Slipped into the Same, Smug Routine" (via The Bleat)
• "Climate of hatred: Prominent scientist refused service due to skepticism" (via The Corner)

What is this?

For months, I've been thinking that not only will the sun finally set on the British Empire, it will set on Britain itself. The country seems to be losing its mind: from the Archbishop of Canterbury suggesting that British Muslims be able to live under Sharia Law, to a new law that will force religious organizations--including churches--to hire people who do not share their beliefs.

But now, I see a sprout of hope--and good old common sense. 

(Image © James Fraser for the Telegraph)

What is this?

• "Iran: Election Aftermath and World Reaction"
• "America's 'Bermuda solution' angers Britain"
• "Obama Admin Hearts DOMA (For Now). Do Gays Still Heart Obama?"
• "Is My Marriage Gay?"
• "U.S. Births Hint at Bias for Boys in Some Asians"

What is this?

• "Ukraine's other crisis: Weak currency, cheap flights spur 'sex tourism'"
• "Psychobabble child of divorce"
• "Outrageous Mercy"
• "'16 & Pregnant' Deftly Plumbs the Parent Trap"
• "News Finds Fresh Niche on Twitter/Not Safe for Work"
• "Weekly Standard may have been shooter target"
• "Beach Buddies"

What is this?

That's right. The world's climate is changing, always has been -- just, this time, not in the direction predicted by the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner. As reported by the Telegraph, cooler, not warmer weather is causing crop shortages and higher prices around the globe. For instance,

In Canada and northern America summer planting of corn and soybeans has been way behind schedule, with the prospect of reduced yields and lower quality. Grain stocks are predicted to be down 15 per cent next year. US reserves of soya – used in animal feed and in many processed foods – are expected to fall to a 32-year low.

The situation is similar for China, Africa, and Europe.

So what's the culprit? Something that was identified 200 years ago when "the great astronomer William Herschel observed a correlation between wheat prices and sunspots. When the latter were few in number, he noted, the climate turned colder and drier, crop yields fell and wheat prices rose. In the past two years, sunspot activity has dropped to its lowest point for a century."

Hmmm. Looks like the science "was in," the debate over, two centuries ago. Had the Nobel been established back then, the Peace prize might have gone to an astronomer.

It is a sad irony that in our efforts to fix a problem that doesn't exist -- man-made global warming -- the food situation around the globe could very well be exacerbated as "the millions of acres of farmland [are] now being switched from food crops to biofuels" to reduce man-made greenhouse gas emissions.

(Image © Reuters)

What is this?

• "Study: Megachurch crowds tend to be younger"
• "Pastor's comments on Tiller 'unbiblical'"
• "The Virtual Public Square"
• "Why aren't women happy? Who knows?"
• "Green Beret Loses Race and Wins a Battle"

What is this?

On what would have been Anne Frank's 80th birthday, the Holocaust Memorial Museum will present the new play Anne & Emmett, "an imaginary conversation between Anne Frank and Emmett Till, teenage victims of anti-Semitism and racism, respectively."

The play would have premiered Wednesday, if not for the murder of a black Holocaust Museum security guard by an anti-Semitic, racist killer.

What is this?

We're in the middle of what always seems to me like the most patriotic of seasons. Memorial Day was just a few weekends ago, this Sunday is Flag Day, and just a few weeks after that, we'll be eating watermelon and watching fireworks on the Fourth of July. As a card-carrying Daughter of the American Revolution, I couldn't be happier. Bring on the flag bunting and red, white and blue jello parfaits.

Getting me in the mood for the season is a book I picked up at the library. God in the Foxhole details dozens of stories from the frontlines of American conflicts. Author Charles Sasser (a Navy and Army veteran) includes anecdotes from the Gulf Wars, Somalia, Vietnam, Korea, the two World Wars, the Civil War, the Alamo, the Revolutionary War, and even the French and Indian War and King Philip's War (both fought on American soil before we were independent of those tea-taxing Brits). 

Included among the stories of ordinary and even anonymous soldiers are the stories of some not-so-anonymous men and women, including Sen. John McCain, Clara Barton, and George Washington.

Washington's story comes not from the Revolutionary War, but the French and Indian War, when he was a young colonel in the Redcoat army. During a battle to capture the French Fort Duquesne, Washington rallied an outnumbered Virginia regiment and left the battlefield unharmed--but with a coat full of bullet holes. Fifteen years later, in 1770, an Indian chief who, during that battle at Fort Duquesne, had assigned his best sharpshooters to fell the Redcoat who fought like an Indian caught up with Washington to tell his side of the story and to deliver a message:

...a power mightier far than we shielded you. Seeing you were under the special guardianship of the Great Spirit, we immediately ceased to fire at you. I am old and soon shall be gathered to the great council fire of my fathers in the land of shades; but ere I go, there is something bids me speak in the voice of prophecy. Listen! The Great Spirit protects that man [pointing at Washington] and guides his destinies. He will become the chief of nations, and a people yet unborn will hail him as the founder of a mighty empire. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of Heaven and who can never die in battle.

Indeed, the Father of Our Country died in his bed in 1799 at the age of 67 after a sudden illness.

What is this?

Years ago, when I was going regularly to Russia and Belarus on short-term missions, I invested in a series of A Beka posters depicting Bible stories. The posters were beautifully rendered and were a great teaching aid, whether I was working with children or adults. The posters, of course, depicted Jesus as either white or olive-skinned.

However, once I started going to Africa, I wanted a set of Bible story pictures that would resonate with Africans, from both an ethnic and cultural standpoint. A couple of years ago, I discovered this wonderful resource -- Jesus Mafa -- and ordered a set of their posters, which show a black-skinned Jesus in settings that look like a typical African village.

If you are a white American, take a look at these images and tell me what you think (click here and go through the seven links to see images from Christ's life). Do they change your perception of Christ? Do they give you a greater appreciation for the passages in Revelation which talk about how heaven will be populated with people from every nation, tribe, race, and language? If you are non-white, do these pictures make you feel more at home with Jesus? Why or why not?

(Image © Jesus Mafa)

What is this?

Oh, lovely. Add anti-Semite to the list of Rev. Jeremiah Wright's endearing attributes.

(Image © Charles Cherney for the Chicago Tribune)

What is this?

• "S.F.'s blast at Vatican was legal, court says"
• "Wilders Causes Another Row. Pre-Captivity Stockholm Syndrome"
• "Guantanamo Bay Detainee Brought to U.S. for Trial"
• "Palau (Who?) to Take in 17 Uighurs"
• "N. Korean Women Who Flee to China Suffer in Stateless Limbo"
• "Family of Slain Doctor Shutters Abortion Clinic"
• "Atheists keep faith with Barack Obama"
• "Sex without Intimacy: No Dating, No Relationships"
• "When Less Is More: Finding Inspiration in Severe Disability"
• "Box Office Busters from 'Godlywood'"
• "Creating tracts that look like money"

What is this?

• "Is Pain a Moral Good?"
• "Yes I Can"
• "Stop, in the Name of Love"
• "Sonia Sotomayor and bootstraps"
• "Classic"
• "Clinton Invites Controversial Muslim Leader on Conference Call"
• "People Choose News that Fits Their Views"
• "Megan Fox: Another Nail in the 'Movie Star' Coffin" (some vulgarity in comments)

What is this?

As if any were needed. . . . While women in other countries are getting stoned to death, tortured to death, or wiped out before birth, we whine that there aren't enough female characters in Pixar movies.

(Image © Pixar)

What is this?

We've talked about Obama worship before -- but I'm not sure I ever expected it to get quite this literal.

(H/T John Romano at Big Hollywood)

What is this?

• "Sarkozy: 'The Islamization of Europe is inevitable'" (via Five Feet of Fury)
• "Teen's tale of escape from Rwandan genocide to high school graduation in America"
• "Preacher Don't Publish"
• "Antiabortion Efforts Move to the State Level"
• "Court rejects challenge to 'don't ask, don't tell'"
• "'Do you really believe anything happens after you die?'"
• "Daddy Can't Come Home: He's in Jail"
• "Hollywood, Music, and the Death of Class" (contains vulgar terms and images)
• "Of God and Politics"

What is this?

Both Chuck Colson and Joel Rosenberg have critiqued President Obama's recent speech in Cairo. Read here and here for their take on what the president should have said.

(Image courtesy of Joel Rosenberg's Weblog)

What is this?

Euna Lee and Laura Ling have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry into the country and "hostility toward the Korean people." NPR has more.

(Image © Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images)

What is this?

On the 65th anniversary of D-Day, one soldier tells his story.

(Image courtesy of CNN)

What is this?

The president claims that Iran has the right to develop a nuclear energy program. My question is why he and his supporters don't see the same need (and right) here in America. I agree with the IBD editorial that says, "We have legitimate energy aspirations as well, and one of them is reducing our dependence on imported oil from countries that do not have our interests at heart." Amen.

What is this?

• "Presidential Proclamation: LGBT Pride Month"
• "Obama Says U.S. Could Be Seen As a Muslim Country, Too" (via The Corner)
• "Starvation by Court Order"
• "Susan Boyle and the celebrity machine -- when will we learn?"
• "Brazil Finds More Wreckage from Jetliner Crash"

What is this?

Christians, that is, who took part in the demonstrations 20 years ago.

What is this?

The complete text of President Obama's speech in Cairo this morning is here.

(Image courtesy of NPR)

What is this?

For all those naysayers who have been furious over Obama being labeled a Marxist-socialist, it seems that Hugo Chavez and this writer for Pravda see things a bit differently.

The IBD article outlines how Chavez began "picking off companies" one by one and reports that Chavez is applauding Obama's actions toward GM. The writer concludes, "Make no mistake: The Venezuelan dictator does not wish us well. He'd like to see all of our institutions crash to the ground and put the U.S. into the same socialist morass he's in. He knows that one act after another on this GM model in the US will end in state socialism, with all the poverty, misery, shortages, noninvestment and lack of freedom that now plague Venezuela. The Obama administration officials involved in the GM takeover may not think their action will harm the system, but they're wrong...."

The article in Pravda, however, is more chilling. It opens with this paragraph: "It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American decent [sic] into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless, sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people." 

After discussing the dumbing down of the American public and the loss of our faith in God, the Pravda writer says, "The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more then [sic] another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Wiemar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe."

We can't say we're not being warned. The question is, what will we "sheeple" do about it?

(Image © Watson/Getty)

What is this?

In twenty years, how much have things changed?

(Image © Charles Cole)

What is this?

On the eve of President Obama's speech in Cairo, ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller examine the difference between White House rhetoric and campaign rhetoric on the topic of Islam:

The other day we heard a comment from a White House aide that never would have been uttered during the primaries or general election campaign.

During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."

Given widespread unease and prejudice against Muslims among Americans, especially in the wake of 9/11, the Obama campaign was perhaps understandably very sensitive during the primaries and general election to downplay the candidate's Muslim roots.

The candidate was even offended when referred to by his initials "BHO," because he considered the use of his middle name, "Hussein," an attempt to frighten voters.

With insane rumors suggesting he was some sort of Muslim Manchurian candidate, then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his campaign did everything they could to emphasize his Christianity and de-emphasize the fact that his father, Barack Obama Sr., was born Muslim.

The candidate's comment at a Boca Raton, Florida, town hall meeting on May 22, 2008, was typical: "My father was basically agnostic, as far as I can tell, and I didn't know him," he said.

The fact that a politician might say -- or downplay -- almost anything to get elected is hardly a revelation. It's even understandable, as Tapper and Miller put it, why Obama would have felt the need to "de-emphasize" his heritage. But it's a little disorienting to have White House staff now publicly saying things that, just a few months ago, would have gotten the president's opponents raked over the coals.

(Image courtesy of MSNBC)

What is this?

• "Can a Black Man Stand for Truth?"
• "This Is Elevated Discourse?"
• "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Teleprompter"
• "Fairfax High's prom queen is a guy"
• "Playboy: In Like Flynt" (strong sexually violent themes, profanity)

What is this?

• "Fighting for control of Somalia" (contains graphic images)
• "Another One Gets Off the Evangelical Bus: Thoughts on a De-Conversion"
• "U.S. student, 20, emerges as anti-abortion crusader"
• "Abortion debate changing" (via CitizenLink)
• "Hillary Clinton May Have Misled Congress on Brazil Botched Abortion Claims"
• "Surviving church as a single"

What is this?

Ted Olson is suing to overturn the Prop. 8 ruling in California (along with former Bush v. Gore opponent David Boles) . . .

. . . and Ted Rall wants President Obama to resign.

There are days when I feel exactly like Alice.

(Image courtesy of Project Gutenberg)

What is this?

• "Couple: County Trying to Stop Home Bible Studies" (via Some Have Hats)
• "On Sotomayor, Some Abortion Rights Backers Are Uneasy"
• "Review: Up"
• "Beat the Dealer"

What is this?

As the Speaker of the House is in China drumming up concern about global warming -- and asserting that "Every aspect of our lives must be subjected to an inventory ... of how we are taking responsibility" -- this video of Michael Crichton (some profanity in comments) speaking on global warming is a breath of fresh air (hat tip to one of our Pointificators, Mike Snow).

P. S. Anyone else concerned about the possibility of Big Brother coming into our homes to determine if we're "green" enough? Of children being taught in schools to "tattle" on their environmentally wasteful parents?

(Image © Andy Wong for the AP)

What is this?

• "Bibles Destroyed in Afghanistan . . . by U.S. Military"
• "Happy Like God"

What is this?

Frank and Anita Milford just celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary and are currently the longest married couple in the United Kingdom. What's their secret? They credit "a little argument every day."

Eighty-one years and still happy together. Congratulations, Frank and Anita!

(Image courtesy of the BBC)

What is this?

What do you think about the former vice-president taking on President Obama over the war on terror? This IBD article gives a clear edge to Cheney because he has a more mature grasp of both the pre- and post-9/11 world. Do you agree or disagree?

(Image courtesy of the AP and the BBC)

What is this?