The Point

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

What is this?

At the New York Times, in a symposium on The Most Annoying & Pathetic Governor Ever, and just under our own Chuck Colson's contribution, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach opines thusly:

The paradox of American evangelicals is that they are Christian on the one hand and political conservatives on the other with utterly opposing views of redemption. Christians believe that no one is blameless and all must therefore ride the coattails of a perfect being into heaven. But conservatives espouse the gospel of personal accountability. The state cannot save them. Man must earn his bread by the sweat of his brow and not by welfare alone.

Is he right? I don’t think so.

This notion that those of us who are both evangelical Christians and political conservatives have incompatible views on redemption is to misunderstand redemption. Or so it seems to me. 

Redemption relates to our standing with God, and is the foundation of the discussion about Salvation. If Governor Sanford is indeed a believer, then nothing he has done in this affair—no matter how destructive and stupid—affects his relationship with God. He is saved once and for all. He is redeemed.

What is this?

Following up on Stephen's post, as the resident South Carolinian on the Point, I’ve been trying to find the right words since news of our governor’s deplorable behavior became public last week. Everyone knows by now that Mark Sanford is carrying on an adulterous affair with a woman in Argentina, that he sneaked away over Father’s Day weekend like he was part of some cloak-and-dagger spy drama, and that he resurfaced, tearful but resolute on keeping his seat in the State House, willing to spill the sordid details of his story to any reporter who will listen.

Asked about whether he will resign as governor, Sanford pointed to the Biblical example of King David, who engaged in an adulterous affair with Bathsheba. When Bathsheba wound up pregnant, David conspired to cover it all up, eventually murdering Bathsheba’s husband.

What the governor remembers about King David’s story from his Sunday school days is that David continued to rule as king and that, in spite of his failures, God restored David.

The governor seems to have missed or forgotten two key elements to David’s story. First, David was repentant. After Nathan the prophet confronted David through a parable, David wrote, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51: 3, 4, 10 ESV).

The governor has done a lot of confessing over the last week, some of it probably best left between him and God and his wife instead of broadcast for all the world to hear. But what is noticeably absent from his speech since last Tuesday is repentance. The governor says he wants his four sons to see redemption played out in his life, but Paul told the Corinthian church that “godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (2 Cor 7:10 NIV). Governor Sanford seems sorry only that he got caught, that he put his staff in an awkward situation, and that he can’t be with his mistress.

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?

The world has a place for dreamers. They are often the ones who entertain us and inspire us with their art, writings, and music. On occasion, the public square needs the vision that sometimes dreamers can provide. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of racial equality in the U.S. comes to mind.

But not South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford's form of dreaming. After listening to his recent Associated Press interview, followed by the reaction of many of his fellow Republicans in the Palmetto State's Senate, the disconnect between reality and Sanford's continued dreaminess about his Argentine affair has gone beyond morally repugnant to...well, what's the word?

Chuck Colson said recently in a BreakPoint commentary that where he finally ended up on this matter was bewilderment. That captures it well. Because with every public utterance since his return from South America last week, Governor Sanford shows himself unfit for duty. He can't help himself, it seems, as he treats us all to an incredible emotional gushing that says to one and all, "He isn't over her yet."

He calls the matter a "love story," not just an affair. Is this for his Argentine friend's eyes, just in case she is able to read The State newspaper online? He says that he is "trying to fall in love again" with his wife, Jenny, whose own public statements have been as positively extraordinary lately as her husband's comments have been abysmal. Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post--no conservative--says that Jenny Sanford has finally given America a new role model for wronged spouses: "neither enabler nor victim."

Before anyone in our romance-saturated culture gets the idea that dreamy Mark is to be pitied or admired for his clandestine love affair, let us first remember its cost to many: his sons now have a national laughingstock for a father--and may well have lost their family as they have known it. 

What is this?

Our own Pat Nolan is extensively quoted in this column by National Review's Kathryn Lopez on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission report.

Churches have played no small role in the disinfecting process already. These dark crimes came out of the shadows when churches got involved, Nolan emphasizes: “Churches made it a moral issue. In a civilized society we cannot allow this to go on.”

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?

Regrettably, the Teen Choice Awards show has never been in the best of taste, as I've lamented over and over. But this year, it's become truly horrific.

Never mind Twilight and Gossip Girl. We're talking about a nomination for infamous gossip blogger and displayer of semi-pornographic photos Perez Hilton -- yes, he of the Carrie Prejean brouhaha, though that's probably the least of his offenses. No, I'm not linking to him. I'm not even giving out his URL, not even with a warning or disclaimer. That's how bad his site is.

And he's nominated for a TEEN Choice Award.

The people behind the TCAs may have finally gone too far with this one. I saw the news on a secular message board where the general attitude is, shall we say, pretty free and easy. And even there, people were shocked and upset.

There's a petition here to remove Hilton's nomination. You can sign it if you want, but Web petitions aren't generally considered very effective. A better move would be to write to Fox and to the show's official sponsor, TeenPeople. I'll be doing it, and I hope you will too. It may have something of the feeling of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic -- but it's a start. Who knows? This may finally be the tipping point that changes things at the TCA.

(Image © Teen Choice Awards)

What is this?

And I don't feel too good myself, after reading this dictum on marriage from Sandra Tsing Loh in The Atlantic:

Here’s my final piece of advice: avoid marriage—or you too may suffer the emotional pain, the humiliation, and the logistical difficulty, not to mention the expense, of breaking up a long-term union at midlife for something as demonstrably fleeting as love.

But all is not (yet) lost. If you need a palate cleanser after that bitter tale of individualism and entitlement run amok, try a very different take on marriage, here and here. There are areas where I disagree with Andrew Klavan, but you have to give him this: He loves his wife and plans to go right on doing so.

What is this?

In a move that demonstrates the unity of traditional values across denominational lines, Rick Warren, pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., has embraced the 100,000 Christians who left the U.S. Episcopal Church due to conflicting beliefs. 

Pastor Warren stated to the new congregation, who proclaim themselves the 39th province of the worldwide Anglican Communion, “We will stand with you in solidarity as God does something new in your midst.” 

This solidarity is one example of the triumph of orthodox Christian beliefs prevailing in the midst of harsh criticism and ostracization from liberal congregations. While some church communities continue to dwindle in membership and participation, conservative and orthodox Christian churches are experiencing systemic growth. 

Clearly, any schism is a tragedy. As Steve Rempe and I have observed, however, in this case we can be supportive of those who left, because they left to uphold the truths of Scripture. They did not leave the Church they loved; rather, they were virtually kicked out. When the “open-minded” movements of liberalism and the sexual revolution lead down the damning road toward condemning Scriptural truths, we can be assured that the institutions upholding these unfounded beliefs will not stand long. Because, after all, when we stand apart from God, we stand without hope.

(Image © Kyle R. Lee for the Dallas Morning News)

What is this?

Gov. Mark Sanford's press conference yesterday reminded me (as sex scandals often do) of a quote from Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre:

"I had not, it seems, the originality to chalk out a new road to shame and destruction, but trode the old track with stupid exactness not to deviate an inch from the beaten centre."

Speaking of Sanford, posters at The Corner are arguing, here and here, over Chuck Colson's definition of integrity and how it applies to this situation.

(Image © Str/Reuters/Corbis)

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?

When Marilyn Shirley dares to remember, she can still smell the prison guard who assaulted her. While locked behind bars for a non-violent drug offense, this mother and grandmother was brutally raped by one of the prison staff. Her horror only intensified when the man spat into her ear, “Who are you going to tell? Do you think people will believe you, a no-good criminal, or me, an upstanding prison guard?”

Marilyn’s story is shared by over 60,000 prisoners. Men and women who were raped by prison officials or other inmates. Men and women whose bodies and minds are forever scarred by the most horrific and degrading attacks.

Today, however, these victims are hearing a message of hope. After years of interviews and study, the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission is releasing its report and standards to the public. The report will shine light on the sexual attacks that occur throughout our prisons and jails, and the standards will hold prisons accountable to prevent, detect, and report rape.

Prison rape is not a joke. It’s the worst kind of assault against God’s image bearers. It’s time for the court of public opinion to call our prisons to account and say “no more.” The Commission’s work gives us a powerful tool to do this.

Justice Fellowship director Pat Nolan is a member of the Commission and has worked incredibly hard to make the report and standards a reality.He is in Washington, D.C., today to participate in press conferences announcing the study’s release.To get updates throughout the day, visit Justice Fellowship’s Twitter Page.

To read the full report, visit the website of the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission. Also, visit Justice Fellowship’s Prison Rape Issue page.

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?

Well, not exactly. Though I did learn a valuable lesson the other week when a co-worker of mine revealed to me the graphic and perverse content of a movie I ignorantly wanted to see, it’s an overstatement to say I would have lost my soul.

The movie is titled The Hangover. From what I had seen of the previews, it was a movie about a few young men who go to Las Vegas for their friend’s bachelor party. After waking up the next morning from a drunken night of partying, they have a few unanswered questions about the night before, such as how they came into the possession of a baby, why a tiger was in the bathroom, where the groom was, and why one of the men was missing a tooth. I found the strange mix of problems to be utterly hilarious. The movie seemed to hinge on the storyline of these men unraveling the details of their strange circumstances and finding their friend who is expected at the altar in five hours.

The movie is a box-office hit and raked in over $105 million in the first two weeks of its release.

Since the movie is rated R, I should have known there is some inappropriate material, and perhaps writing this post is penance for my willingness to pay and see a movie that lacks integrity and virtue. 

Fortunately for me, I mentioned my intention to see this movie to a co-worker, who decided to search for a review at Plugged In Online, a website and resource of Focus on the Family. In this review the seedy details of the movie were uncovered: a full array of “gratuitously explicit moments” including male and female nudity. I was relieved to have this review at my disposal. Without it I might have found myself on the most awkward date of my life (and that’s saying something). 

What is this?

• "George Tiller, Abortion, and Moral Clarity"
• "The Mr. Potato Head Constitution" (via Wittingshire)
• "PBS Blesses Old Religious Shows, but Bans the New"
• "Have we given up on the two-parent family?"
• "Signature in the Cell by Stephen Meyer"
• "President Obama's Adams quote" (via The Corner)
• "Marilyn Monroe and the Cheapening of Women" (sexual themes)
• "Don't Worry, the Post-apocalyptic Costner Stuff Is Still a Few Months Away"

What is this?

Dawn Eden, author of The Thrill of the Chaste, has two interesting pieces up on her blog. The first includes a link to this article in The Telegraph on Lenny Kravitz's celibate lifestyle:

"It took years to get it right. To actually do it, and really try to walk the walk and not just talk it. It’s not like it’s not important – I think sex and intimacy and all that is very important. It’s just that I’m going to do it with my wife." He laughs. "And not everybody else."

This summer, not long after he turns 45, it will be four years. The final trigger came after a night in the Carlyle Hotel in New York. (His apartment was under renovation.) "I was doing my normal thing and I was with somebody, and I remember waking up in the morning thinking, 'What am I doing?' It’s not that I was all over the place. It’s not, like, groupies or somebody you’d pick up on the street. I didn’t carry on like that. It was somebody that I know. But it was still, 'What am I doing? And why?' And that morning I was just talking to God, as I do, and I said, 'You got to help me to stop this. I just really want to stop this.' And that was the day that it changed."

The second is a post Dawn has written about Chastity Bono's announcement that she will undergo a sex change and become Chaz. Here's a snippet, but the entire post is worth reading at Dawn's blog:

It seems Chastity has always had a hole in her heart that could not be filled. I know what that is like because I have felt it myself. It is only because of God's grace that I have learned, not without pain, to endure it from hour to hour and day to day; to invite Jesus to enter into it, receiving Him through the Eucharist, and to begin, in His love, to learn how the space in my heart can shelter others regardless of whether they are able to shelter me.

I believe that, rather than live with the vacuum, Chastity is seeking to eliminate what she sees as its source. To her, it will be a physical confirmation of an identity she already possesses. Perhaps, in a sense, she is right. "Chastity the girl" may have died a long time ago.

(Image © Jesse Frohman for the Telegraph)

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?

A good example of both the speed of the news cycle, and the President's schizophrenic thinking on social issues: When I found and collected this article this morning, it was titled "AP source: Benefits for govt workers' gay partners." When I clicked on it just now to see if there were any updates, it was titled "Obama fends off criticism from gay supporters." The odd thing is, both headlines are true.

(Image © AFP)

What is this?

You may have heard that Sen. John Ensign (R-Nevada) has resigned his Senate leadership post after confessing to an extramarital affair. You may not have heard about this, from a 1999 article:

Christian politicians and evangelical leaders commonly follow an unspoken rule not to meet behind closed doors with women staff members or travel alone with them. The Rev. Billy Graham, for example, has famously refused to be alone in a room with any woman except his wife since he married her in the 1940s.

Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.), a Christian conservative, insists a male staff member is present whenever he meets with a woman, his spokesman said. John Ensign, who is running for senate in Nevada will not be alone in a car with a woman.

To make that kind of commitment to purity and faithfulness, and still to fall into sin -- to me, that seems the saddest part of the whole sad story.

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12, NKJV)

(Image © MSNBC)

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?

I don't know why I, a longtime resident of the D.C. area, never heard about Sen. Tom Coburn's "famous Star Wars-themed STD presentation [to Capitol Hill interns] in 2005," but I feel gypped.

At any rate, I hope the Senate Ethics Committee can get this dispute regarding these lectures (over pizza!?) resolved pretty soon. Coburn knows his stuff, and the information he has to share just might save lives.

(Image © Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century-Fox)

What is this?

Not in Washington, D.C., where the Board of Elections and Ethics shot down a proposed referendum on same-sex marriage. Apparently, the consent of the governed should play a role only when it can be ensured beforehand that the governed will vote the politically correct way. Details (including Bishop Harry Jackson's plan to appeal the ruling) are here.

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?

Reading Wendy Shalit's review of the book Dirt got me thinking again about an ongoing interest of mine. That is, the role of women. 

Rather than making a one-size-fits-all statement, I think it best to consider the underlying problem. Why, specifically, are women sometimes discontented at the thought of having to keep house and home, cook and clean, and worry about how to balance tasks such as vacuuming with a career? We live in a day when there are endless ways to organize and "simplify," yet our lives are often busier than ever. With all of this "help" many women are overwhelmed with the task, or even reject the idea that homemaking should be part of their role.

Rather than assuming homemaking is a demeaning task, let us consider that it is a glorious task to serve. Service does not equate to debasement; rather, serving others in love is a testament of freedom. If you are able to make the choice, is it better to live in a home of chaos or guide your home toward peace and order?

Having a well-rounded education and making an impact in your field are both important callings. Learning to keep order in the home does not contrast with either of those, but rather, it holds its own important place in the whole of life.

(Image © Seal Press)

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?

Kim, that explains a lot. Including this article (previously linked in a Daily Roundup). Maybe we need to start a quota system for Disney and Pixar heroines to ensure that they all have the (1) right career, (2) right race, (3) right attitude, and (4) submissive boyfriend of the (5) right race.

You'd think some women could find something better to do with their time -- like standing up for teenage girls who become the targets of sexual jokes on national television. Oh, wait, that wouldn't be politically correct.

(Image © Disney)

What is this?

From a very young age I regarded pimps as modern-day slave-masters, thinking of them as yellow-bellied bullies who are the boils and plagues of society.  What I never thought possible happened: In some circles I am considered a pimp.  

Many years ago, Jean Bethke Elshtain reviewed Katie Roiphe's book The Morning After, which is about the problem of feminists' quest for power. I think the review is germane in light of a recent Point post about Pixar Studios and girl power. In a nutshell, the problem is that while attending institutions of higher learning, women like the Mad Typist (author of that article about Pixar) have imbibed the noxious notion that they're victims and men--all men--are villains.  

To empower women is not a bad thing. As Elshtain says, the empowerment of women and men is creative because both sexes bring something to the table which would not be "brought alone." But what the zealots want is for women to dominate men. This kind of power, asserts Elshtain, "is...of the most unredeemable variety." 

So unless Pixar produces a movie which reduces males to stupid brutes and raise females to the status of goddesses, feminist zealots rate the creators as chauvinists. Furthermore, unless all women agree with this radical stance, they, too, are considered pimps: "Catharine MacKinnon, the eminence grise behind this movement, claims that women who argue against the 'all men are rapists' formulae are also 'pimps,' they and their male colleagues who worry about the civil rights of the accused and other such 'bourgeois niceties' readily dispensed with for the sake of the greater cause."

Comparing worldviews between the Mad Typist and people like Elshtain is useful. In a short bio, Mad Typist states that she's a secular humanist. Her worldview denies the goodness of God and the goodness of His creation. She believes in a dog-eat-dog world. Elshtain's a Christian who believes that both men and women are created in His image and both sexes have something to contribute. Along with a high view of men and women, there are also standards of how to treat one another and ourselves which handily matches our design. Elshtain calls this Ethics. 

In the final analysis, we must resist the urge to engage in this power-playing nonsense. Regarding women like the Mad Typist, I concur with Elshtain and Roiphe: "Grow up."

(Image © Pixar)

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?

• "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?

• "4 teens charged as adults in locker room sexual assault case" (disturbing descriptions)
• "Marriage in the 2009 Legislative Sessions"
• "Johnny Cash: Fade to Black"
• "Saving Milwaukee's Best"

What is this?

No, not that kind of fun. Get your minds out of the gutter. Lileks has a quiz for husbands, found in a newspaper from 1933, on his website. Are you married guys good husbands by 1933 standards? Click here to find out! (And click "Next" at the bottom of the page for the second half.) Wives, your turn is coming!

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?

• "Accommodations I"
• "That old devil race, &c."
• "The Gospel and the Gosselins"
• "As the Myths Abound, So Does Islamic Outreach"

What is this?

Ultimately and completely, Sonia Sotomayor's explanation for her now infamous "wise Latina" remarks are a little hard to believe. Or was she simply implying that a white male judge, ultimately and completely, wouldn't follow the law? I'm confused.

(Image © Jonathan Ernst for Reuters)

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?

Slate's William Saletan recently committed a highly daring act: He questioned leftist orthodoxy on whether sexual preferences can be changed.

[British] researchers contacted more than 1,800 mental health professionals to find out whether they would ever try to change a client's sexual orientation. Of the 1,328 practitioners who responded, one in six admitted to having helped at least one patient attempt to alter homosexual feelings. The total number of such cases reported by the respondents was 413. That's nearly one case for every three therapists.

The study's authors find this disturbing. Treatment to change homosexuality has proved ineffective and often unsafe, they argue. Therefore, therapists shouldn't try it.

If only life were that simple.

Although Saletan believes that homosexuality "isn't a sin or mental illness" and "needs no cure," and even that "any systematic program to turn gay people straight, such as "reparative therapy," is futile and dangerous," he's not ready to deny any patient his or her right to try to change. In fact, showing the courage of his convictions, he actually manages to be consistent with the "do what works for you" philosophy, unlike many others who share his beliefs. 

But therapy isn't about the big picture. It's about lots of little pictures: the worlds unique to each of us. You and I may have the same sexual orientation, but our lives are very different. You know nothing of my family, my religion, or my community. You don't even know how straight or gay I am. If I tell my therapist that I'd rather try to modify my feelings than give up my faith or my marriage, who are you to second-guess her or me? . . .

Would you tell such a patient that her understanding of God is wrong? Are you sure her attraction to women is more fundamental than her religious beliefs? Is peace with the lesbian part of her sexuality worth the destruction of her family or her faith? And most important: Do you think you can answer these questions without knowing more about her?

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College-age females are at risk for more than STDs. Bioethicist Jennifer Lahl warns readers about the advertisements aimed at college students offering money for their eggs -- advertisements that don't tell the truth about the very real risks. 

(Image © S. Walker for Getty Images)

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• "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"

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In the last few days a couple of headlines have popped up that have an interesting running theme: excommunication. I’m not talking about the common use of the word, namely expelling Catholics from the Catholic Church. Rather, I’m referring to Protestants breaking communion with a church or religious organization.

A few days ago, the Associated Press reported that Liberty University will no longer recognize the College Democrats club on campus.  Vice President of Student Affairs Mark Hine told the club’s president, Brian Diaz, that the Democratic Party stands against the principles of the university and therefore cannot be facilitated or supported by the University any longer.  Some of the issues that clearly divide the values of the College Democrats from those of the school’s founder, Jerry Falwell, are abortion, socialism, and the gay rights agenda.

Similarly, a little later, the Associated Press reported on the “ousting” of 61 Episcopal clergy due to their opposition to “consecrating” an openly gay bishop. As former Bishop John-David Schofield said, "The Episcopal Church needlessly isolates itself from their brothers and sisters around the world." In this case, though the clergy were officially ousted, it's the Episcopal Church that is ousting itself from the worldwide Anglican Church.

The Associated Press has presented the Liberty University situation as an “ousting,” or a “barring” of participation of a radically liberal group from engaging in communion with Liberty University. I have trouble with this because neither institution has been vague about what it believes. I hope it comes as no surprise that Liberty University, the same institution founded by the conservative Baptist Jerry Falwell, stands firmly against homosexuality, abortion, and socialism. Likewise, the Anglican Church worldwide does not believe in homosexuality as part of God’s plan. 

When both of these institutions align themselves so closely to specific values, aren’t violators of these values ousting or barring themselves? The institutions have done nothing except uphold what they have always believed. 

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• "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"

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Jason, I had heard something before about the Idol "culture war." I agree with Colleen Raezler, to whom you linked, who seems to suggest that it's a mistake to put the emphasis in a singing competition anywhere but on the singing. It's a mistake when liberals do it -- and it's a mistake when conservatives do it, too.

How much do we really know about the lives and beliefs of people on a TV competition? Anyone remember what happened with "churchgoing Baptist" and abstinence advocate Clay Aiken? I'm not saying that Aiken turned from Luke Skywalker into Darth Vader the moment he revealed his sexuality; I'm saying that people who bought his carefully cultivated image -- including people who voted on the basis of that image, if any did -- were in for a rude awakening. Human beings are not perfect, and more often than not, public images have tiny but significant cracks in them -- cracks that tend to widen over time. And every time we go around saying things like "Vote for the Christian reality-show candidate!" we face the very real possibility of ending up with egg on face and people taunting us with "Where's your Christian role model now?"

It's terribly tempting to latch on to anything or anyone that looks like a wholesome example of Christianity and morality nowadays, when they're getting so hard to find. I understand that. But let's be realistic about it and not be ready to fall for every attractive image that comes along, without having any idea what's really behind it. And let's remember that talent competitions are supposed to be about talent. If we get up in arms about people making an issue out of religious and political beliefs in the wrong context (Perez Hilton, call your office), then we shouldn't be doing the same thing.

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Last Wednesday night Kris Allen, a college student from Little Rock, Arkansas, was crowned this year's American Idol. Kris the underdog won over rocker and this season's frontrunner Adam Lambert. What was interesting about this year's season was the cultural war that much of the media made out of the American Idol finals. The musical battle between reportedly gay Lambert and evangelical Christian Allen was considered by many a valid debate on issues that are occupying America today.

Now that Kris Allen is getting lots of media attention, I found out recently that he is a worship leader in his church. Here's a YouTube clip of him singing a Chris Tomlin song. Listen to the lyrics of the song. Can you imagine him as the American Idol? How do you think he will do artistically and being a light in the music industry?

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• "Ralph D. Winter dies at 84; Christian missionary was one of America's most influential evangelicals"
• "Referenda could undo same-sex unions in two states"
• "Liberated and Unhappy"
• "Why ask why?"
• "Al Pacino circles Kevorkian biopic"
• "The Worst Thing about Gay Marriage"
• "Some Industries Deserve Bankruptcy"

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Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's pick for the Supreme Court, has some troubling views on that subject. From the New York Times:

In 2001, Sonia Sotomayor, an appeals court judge, gave a speech declaring that the ethnicity and sex of a judge “may and will make a difference in our judging.”

In her speech, Judge Sotomayor questioned the famous notion — often invoked by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her retired Supreme Court colleague, Sandra Day O’Connor — that a wise old man and a wise old woman would reach the same conclusion when deciding cases.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” said Judge Sotomayor. . . .

(Image © Win McNamee for GettyImages)

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