/// Back to MAIN Page    Archives for JAN 2010    // //////////// Update for January 27th-28th, 2010 Terrorists Will Strike America Again - But How Will We Respond? The Obama administration's mea culpa over the failure to prevent the attempted bombing of a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit on Christmas Day is understandable but misses the point. Yes, the United States can do better at catching would-be attackers; that will always be the case. But the truth is that there is no absolute security -- short of conceding victory to the terrorists by making it impossible for foreigners to visit the U.S., hellish for Americans to fly and difficult for all to live normal lives.    MORE What's Going On at Wheaton College? This spring, the board of trustees at Wheaton College will appoint a new president. As the flagship evangelical institution—the “Harvard of the Christian schools,” say the tour guides—Wheaton will be closely monitored by other colleges, by pastors and churches around the world, and by observers of Christendom generally. Indeed, in a November 2009 article, the New York Times went so far as to characterize Wheaton, Illinois as a kind of “evangelical Vatican.” This year also marks the college’s sesqui- centennial: 150 years since fiery abolitionist Jonathan Blanchard founded it on land given to him by city father Warren Wheaton. As a result, 2010 promises to be a time of looking forward and looking back.   MORE Pro-Choice Groups Petition Against Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad Pro-choice women’s groups are rallying their supporters to convince CBS, the NFL, and Super Bowl advertisers to stand against the “anti-choice” Super Bowl ad that will feature college football star Tim Tebow and his mother. “CBS’s recent decision to air an anti-choice advertisement ad during Super Bowl XLIV was outrageous,” stated the Women’s Media Center in a letter to potential petition signers. “Even worse is the network’s about face from its own policy of rejecting controversial Super Bowl ads,” it added. “The Women’s Media Center, and organizations dedicated to..." MORE USA Today: Teen Pregnancy, Abortion Rates Rise The teen pregnancy rate in the USA rose 3% in 2006, the first increase in more than a decade, according to data out today. The data also show higher rates of births and abortions among girls 15-19. The numbers, calculated by the Guttmacher Institute, a non-profit group that studies reproductive and sexual health, show a clear reversal from the downward trend that began in the 1990s. About 7% of teen girls got pregnant in 2006, a rate of 71.5 pregnancies per 1,000 teens. That's up slightly from 69.5 in 2005, Guttmacher says. In 1990, when rates peaked, about 12% got pregnant.  MORE   Obama’s First Years Will Boast Biggest Deficits Since WW II President Barack Obama's first two years in office will boast the two biggest annual federal budget deficits since World War II, when measured as a share of GDP, says the Congressional Budget Office.  MORE Prop. 8 Trial Meets Halfway Mark The plaintiffs have rested their case in the trial to overturn the vote on California's Proposition 8 -- the guarantee that marriage is a union between one man and one woman.For two weeks, opposing attorneys have been attacking the proposition and the campaign as discriminatory against homosexuals. "And now we start week three," states Austin R. Nimocks...  MORE Testimony in Tiller Trial Continues The trial of Scott Roeder, who has admitted killing abortionist George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas, continues with testimony from eye witnesses to the shooting.MORE More Questionable Material Found in U.N. Climate Report The U.N. climate report that contains an erroneous claim on the rate of glacier retreat also includes references to studies not originating from peer-reviewed scientific literature, some of them linked to environmental activists.MORE Islam Opposition Could Mean Criminal Charges National defense analyst Bob Maginnis says no one should be surprised that Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders is facing criminal charges in Amsterdam for telling the truth about radical Islam.  MORE Sharper Iron: The Issue of the Preservation of Scripture The doctrine of preservation of the Scriptures has been hotly debated in recent years. Much has been written and said, but most of the rhetoric on the subject has been closely connected to defending or rejecting one view or another on the translation issue. The result has often been that important foundational questions have been overlooked in a rush to get to conclusion A or B in the translation debate.  MORE Nebraska Abortionist Falls Under Investigation An undercover investigation by Operation Rescue reveals that Nebraska abortionist LeRoy Carhart is performing late-term abortions. That revelation comes as Nebraska's speaker of the legislature, Senator Mike Flood, introduced a bill to ban abortions after 20-weeks gestation.  Operation Rescue's Troy Newman conducted an undercover telephone conversation with Carhart during which the pro-life leader asked if he is doing late-term abortions in Nebraska. MORE Connecticut Street Preacher Wins His Freedom Hartford, Connecticut, has settled a lawsuit over the arrest of a street preacher. In 2004, Jesse Morrell traveled to a public area of Hartford where he preached and distributed Christian literature. An officer warned that he could not use a microphone without a permit, so Morrell continued his message without one. Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorney Jonathan Scruggs says that people in the area contacted police because he would not stop speaking altogether. MORE China Scientists Lead World In Research Growth  China has experienced the strongest growth in scientific research over the past three decades of any country, and the pace shows no sign of slowing. MORE Pakistani Christian Sentenced to Life under 'Blasphemy' Law A young Christian shopkeeper was sentenced to a life term in prison and fined more than $1,000 last week following a dubious conviction of desecrating the Quran, according to Pakistan’s National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP). MORE UK Christians Celebrate Victory Over Equality Bill Some Christians say their prayers have been answered after the House of Lords on Monday defeated changes to a law that would have required church groups to hire homosexuals.MORE /////// /// Update for January 25th-26th, 2010 Caroline Glick: The Perils of Presidential Failure US President Barack Obama is feeling the heat. His response to the current crisis threatening to sink his one-year-old presidency is telling for what it says about the future of both his domestic and foreign policies. Israel should take heed of his responses. Obama's Democratic Party, and indeed the US political establishment as a whole, received a jolt on Tuesday when Republican Scott Brown won the Massachusetts seat in the US Senate that had been held by the Democratic Kennedy dynasty since 1952. The question now on everyone's lips is whether Brown's stunning victory will cause Obama to change his course and moderate his policies. MORE New Study Shows Biblical Child Discipline Produces Good Results ...a new study by Calvin College...found that those adolescents who were spanked as young children actually ended up having a sunnier outlook and were better students than those who were never spanked. Compared with those who had never experienced physical discipline, those who endured parental swats between the ages of 2 and 6 were much more likely to report positive academic records and optimism about their future. Even those who received their last spanking between the ages of  7 and 11 reported that they volunteered more, compared with those who had never been spanked. In fact, the never-spanked group never scored... MORE Survey: Sermons Fail to Inspire Change in Believers Congregations may look forward to the pastor’s sermon, but when it comes to bringing about a change in their attitudes or lifestyle, preaching appears to have little impact. That is the finding of a new study by the CODEC research center at St. John’s College in theU.K., commissioned by the College of Preachers to mark its 50th anniversary this year.Of the 193 Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and Baptists surveyed, only 17 percent said sermons frequently changed their attitudes towards others or helped them look afresh at controversial issues. MORE 'Gays' Seek $1 Million to Recruit Private-School Teachers Homosexual advocacy groups have pooled resources and are vying for a $1 million prize to promote homosexuality to American children online and in public and private schools across the nation. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the Trevor Project – three homosexual advocacy organizations geared toward youth – are competing in a contest hosted by Chase Community Giving on Facebook. JPMorgan Chase is inviting social networkers to cast their votes for... MORE   Scientologists 'Heal' Haiti Quake Victims Using Touch  Amid the mass of aid agencies piling in to help Haiti quake victims is a batch of Church of Scientology "volunteer ministers", claiming to use the power of touch to reconnect nervous systems. Clad in yellow T-shirts emblazoned with the logo of the controversial US-based group, smiling volunteers fan out among the injured lying under makeshift shelters in the courtyard of Port-au-Prince's General Hospital.  MORE Coast Guard Sailor's View of Haiti From Ground Zero ...The damage really is catastrophic.  I can't imagine what it's like to live here.  The country didn't have the basic infrastructure to begin with, much less try to help its people afterwards. The earthquake happened right at the end of the day.  People were at work. Children were in school.  Some of the pictures really hit home for me.  Life is so precious...and fragile. I'm not sure what other job we'll be assigned to do here, but I know our crew will do it professionally.   MORE Minnesota Man Cited For Posting Anti-Muslim Cartoons A Minnesota man who admits posting anti-Muslim cartoons in several St. Cloud locations has been cited with violating a city ordinance. MORE Chuck Missler: China...The Dragon Keeps Growing ...In 2009, China became the world's largest market for automobiles as well as the world's biggest producer of steel. It isn't a major surprise that this country of 1.3 billion pushed past Germany in 2009 as the world's most successful exporter. MORE Pro-Lifers Restrategize, Advance with 'Personhood' That is a baby inside the womb. That is a person. Pro-lifers are repositioning the abortion debate by appealing to the consciences of Americans through "personhood" jargon. After nearly 40 years of fighting to overturn Roe v. Wade and counting abortion deaths, Christians and other pro-lifers are restrategizing and are confident they now have the abortion industry running. MORE Bill Wilson:  The Arrogance of Politics & the Future of America Massachusetts voters fired a political shot across the bow of tyranny in electing "independent" Republican Scott Brown to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the late Ted Kennedy....This vote is the public manifestation of a revolution that is sweeping the nation with a clear message. MORE XBOX 360 and the Bible There is a another world out there. It is a world that, honestly, I have never entered. I have a Wii and play it with my kids...With all of the growth in this world, it was inevitable that someone who try to break into the world with a Christian presence. And, technologically, it is possible to create an eReader and put books onto one of the home game consoles connected to the big HDTV in your living room.And the first book for the XBOX 360... drum roll please... is the Bible.   MORE Pope to Priests: For God's Sake, Blog! For God's sake, blog! Pope Benedict told priests on Saturday, saying they must learn to use new forms of communication to spread the gospel message. MORE American Thinker: Conservatism Rising In the wake of Scott Brown's historic Senate run, we would like to put the last eighteen months of politics into perspective and summarize what the Massachusetts race means for the future of conservatism. Despite what may be written in the Liberal press, this race represents much more than just a case of a "good" candidate versus a "bad" candidate, and it is far more profound than a case of "populism and anti-establishment tensions run amok." What this race means for the country is simple, and its results can be summarized as a clear refutation of the liberal agenda in favor of the conservative position. MORE Netanyahu: Israel Will Never Return Parts of West Bank Israel's leader declared his country's permanent claim to parts of the West Bank on Sunday, angering Palestinians again and complicating efforts by President Barack Obama's Mideast envoy — though the same claim was also made by previous, more moderate premiers. Timing and context lent weight to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to two Jewish settlements and his declaration that they would remain in Israel forever. MORE /////// Update for January 22nd-23rd, 2010 One Year Later, Obama Administration’s Top Religious Freedom Post Still Vacant One year after President Obama took office, the admini- stration’s top international religious freedom post remains empty, at a time when a wave of religious persecution is troubling veteran campaigners. “President Obama has not yet named an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom,” a State Department press officer confirmed by phone late Wednesday. She referred further queries to the White House, where attempts to get comment were unsuccessful. The Christian advocacy organization Open Doors USA launched a petition Wednesday urging Obama to appoint an...   MORE Hate-Crimes Law Named No.1 Anti-Christian Act of 2009 The new federal hate crimes law has all the potential to be a major attack on religious liberty and freedom of speech, according to top religious liberty attorneys. The law was chosen the number one anti-Christian act of 2009 by the Christian Anti-Defamation League. Attorneys who defend religious rights agree: The recently enacted hate-crimes law is a threat to religious liberty.  “The very fact that this law elevates ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ to the same protected status as race – that in and of itself is a cataclysmic shift in policy,” said Mathew Staver, president of the religious liberty law firm Liberty Counsel and dean of the Liberty Univ... . MORE Obama: Expectations for Middle East Peace Too High President Barack Obama says his admin- istration overestimated its ability to persuade the Israelis and Palestinians to resume meaningful peace talks. Both parties have been unwilling to make the bold gestures needed to move the process forward, Obama said. If the United States had anticipated that earlier, he said he might not have raised his expectations so high. The United States will...   MORE NY Times: A Teacher With His Bible Divides Ohio Town MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Most people in this quiet all-American town describe themselves as devoutly Christian, but even here they are deeply divided over what should happen to John Freshwater.  Mr. Freshwater, an eighth-grade public school science teacher, is accused of burning a cross onto the arms of at least two students and teaching creationism, charges he says have been fabricated because....  MORE   Supreme Court Rolls Back Campaign Spending Limits The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations may spend freely to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress, easing decades-old limits on their participation in federal campaigns. By a 5-4 vote, the court on Thursday overturned a 20-year-old ruling that said corporations can be prohibited from using money from their general treasuries to pay for their own campaign ads. The decision, which almost certainly will also allow labor unions to participate more freely in campaigns, threatens similar limits imposed by 24 states.    MORE Martin Marty: No Easy Predictions for Baptists' Next 400 Years Nobody can predict with certainty what the next 400 years hold for Baptists -- or for any religious denomination -- church historian Martin Marty told a recent gathering at Baylor University. But Marty, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago Divinity School and longtime Christian Century columnist, offered general observations based on history and trends as he spoke on “The Future of a Denomination: Baptists in the Next 400 Years.” MORE Senate Vote on Hawaii Civil Unions Expected Friday A full Hawaii Senate vote on a bill that would legalize same-sex civil unions in the state could take place as early as Friday after having been postponed last year. MORE Runaway Christian Convert Allowed to Live Apart from Parents A teenage girl from Ohio who ran away from home after she became Christian can remain free from her Muslim parents, according to the terms of a court settlement. Though Rifqa Bary’s parents have been fighting to regain custody of her since last August, under the agreement Tuesday, the 17-year-old teen can stay in a foster home under state custody in Columbus until she turns 18. After legally becoming an adult in August, Bary will be free to live where... MORE Op-Ed: Can the Catholic Church Survive? In November of 2009, the Catholic Church of Ireland was disgraced after a government investigation found that it had been involved in child abuse scandals for over the last four decades. The Murphy Report not only detailed the abuses inflicted, but also cited an organized cover up by church officials.  MORE CBS OKs Script for Tim Tebow Super Bowl Ad CBS officials have given approval for the ad that a Christian group seeks to have aired during America’s most-watched television broadcast – the Super Bowl.  Though the network still has to review the actual ad before giving it the go-ahead, the script has been approved, according to Media Daily News, and a CBS spokesman does not anticipate any hurdles. The 30-second commercial, which features football star Tim Tebow, will present the former Florida quarterback’s personal story and will also feature Tebow’s mother, who refused to have an abortion while she was pregnant with him despite having suffered from a life-threatening infection.  MORE Driscoll on Haiti Quake: Sex Trade Occurring in Port-au-Prince Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle landed in “hell” this week where he witnessed a teenage boy shot in the head and a girl sold to an older man. He was in the collapsed city of Port-au-Prince where rubble from former buildings and streets piled with corpses give the impression of an aftermath of a war zone. MORE Survey Finds More Bias in U.S. Against Muslims Than Other Faiths Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they have little or no knowledge of Islam. Still, a majority dislike the faith, according to a Gallup World Religion Survey. MORE Planned Parenthood Has Teens Distribute Birth Control In Ecuador Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has launched a program in rural Ecuador that uses people ages 11 to 19 to deliver the hormone injection Depo-Provera, a birth control method that prevents the release of eggs from the ovaries. MORE Firm Will Remove Bible References From Gun Sights A Michigan defense contractor will voluntarily stop stamping references to Bible verses on combat rifle sights made for the U.S. military, a major buyer of the company's gear.   MORE //// Update for January 20th-21st, 2010 World Move Closer To Cashless Society Steve Perry, executive vice president of Visa Europe, says cash is expensive - a cost on society - and should be replaced by a cashless society. erry is a leading cheerleader for the cashless society. It's hardly a surprising role, but its an argument he is finding increasingly easy to make. Last month, for example, the Payments Council announced to anguished outrage that in 2018 the check would be dead..."There are many more efficient ways of making payments than by paper in the 21st century, and the time is ripe for the economy as a whole to reap the benefits of its replacement," Paul Smee, chief executive of the Payments Council, said.   MORE Obama Nominee: Society Should ‘Not Tolerate Private Beliefs’ That ‘Adversely Affect’ Homosexuals Chai Feldblum, the Georgetown University law professor nominated by President Obama to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, has written that society should “not tolerate” any “private beliefs,” including religious beliefs, that may negatively affect homosexual “equality.”...“Just as we do not tolerate private racial beliefs that adversely affect African-Americans in the commercial arena, even if such beliefs are based on religious views, we should similarly not tolerate private beliefs about sexual orientation and gender identity that adversely affect LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender] people,” the Georgetown law professor argued. Feldblum’s admittedly “radical” view is based...  MORE Origin of the 2012 Doomsday Prophecies Found? Could it be that just one person concocted the whole story about the world ending cataclysmically in 2012, resulting in all the current hysteria?...All the 2012 hysteria can be traced back to José Arguelles back in 1987 when he came out with his book called The Mayan Factor. He talked a lot about Harmonic Convergence at that time. After all, the real underpinnings of this whole 2012 phenomenon really is based in the New Age. In fact, this has been called by some "The New Age Eschatology" and the end time view of the whole New Age Movement. Just like the other religions of the world all have some view of how things are going to end. 2012 is from the New Age viewpoint. It is fascinating that the Mayans themselves never said anything like Arguelles has, but in popular culture it has caught on. Of course, the movie that is out on this — the most expensive movie ever made on 2012 — is really feeding the 2012 phenomenon. And, I think the other thing that is feeding this is a lot of fear out there today in our culture and a lot of uneasiness.MORE Gov't Will Now Target 'Homophobia' To Suppress Christian Preaching Opponents of "hate crimes" legislation, who have frequently pointed to Canada as an example of how such laws are used to increasingly suppress moral objections to homosexuality, now have more fuel for their fire in the form of the "Quebec Policy Against Homophobia." The policy, released last month by Quebec's Minister of Justice and Attorney General Kathleen Weil, assigns the government the task of eliminating all forms of "homophobia" and "heterosexism" – including the belief that homosexuality is immoral – from society as a whole.  MORE U.S. Military Weapons Inscribed With Secret 'Jesus' Bible Codes  Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found. The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army. U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any... MORE Churches In UK Under Attack For 'Noise Violations' A Christian legal organization in the United Kingdom is reporting a skirmish victory in the latest war against Christians and their churches – the demand that they essentially be silent in their worship. Cases have cropped up in recent months both in the U.K. as well as the United States in which governmental bodies have demanded that Christian groups essentially be silent – so that no one can hear their worship. The Christian Legal Centre in the U.K. is reporting a victory in a battle...    MORE Iraq Looks To Erase the Prophet Ezekiel's Jewish identity For centuries Jews, Christians and Muslims came to Al-Kifl, a small town south of Baghdad, to visit the tomb of the Prophet Ezekiel and pray.  The distinctive Jewish character of the Al-Kifl shrine, namely the Hebrew inscriptions and the Torah Ark, never bothered the gentile worshipers. In the 14th century a minaret was built next to the shrine, but the interior design remained Jewish. The vast majority of Iraq's Jewish community left some 60 years ago, but Shi'ites took good care of the holy site.  MORE   Pelosi: We Will Have Health Care – One Way Or Another Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says Democrats will charge ahead with health care reform regardless of what happens in the Massachusetts Senate race. "Let's remove all doubt, we will have health care -- one way or another," Pelosi told reporters in San Francisco. But how?  The Speaker was less clear on that question. "Certainly the dynamic would change depending on what happens in Massachusetts," Pelosi said. "[It’s] just a question about how we would proceed. But it doesn't mean we won't have a health care bill."  MORE Strategist Says Future Reserve Currency Is the Euro The euro will become the world's favorite reserve currency because Europe has a better growth strategy than the US, David Roche, global strategist at Independent Strategy told CNBC. "We'll actually produce a much stronger fiscal balance, a much better debt-to-GDP ratio within the eurozone", Roche said. MORE Finger-Pointing Begins For Democratic Insiders As voters head to the polls in Massachusetts, nervous Democrats have already begun to blame one another for putting at risk the Senate seat Ted Kennedy held for more than 40 years. MORE Atheists Set Up 'Religion-Free' Fund for Haiti Relief Famed New Atheist Richard Dawkins has opened up the Non-Believers Giving Aid, a "religion -free" way of helping the victims of the deadly earthquake in Haiti. MORE Forced Recantations of Faith Continue in Vietnam A Vietnamese man violently forced to recant his fledgling Christian faith faces pressure from authorities and clansmen to prove his return to traditional Hmong belief by sacrificing to ancestors next month.MORE Albert Mohler: Thinking Green...The New Religion The human species is inherently and resolutely religious. The Bible and the Christian tradition affirm this truth, even as we know that the religious impulse can so easily transform itself into idolatry... the intellectual elites are not so secular as they believe themselves to be. As it happens, their religion may not be theistic, but it is a religion all the same. That fact is confirmed in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Stephen T. Asma, a professor of philosophy at Columbia College, argues that the new religion of many seculars is ecology. MORE Obama: Faith Keeps Me Calm in Hard Times President Obama on Sunday told congregants at a church where the late Martin Luther King Jr. sometimes spoke at that faith keeps him calm in pressing times. MORE Poll Shows Growing Disappointment Over Obama Nearly half of all Americans say Obama is not delivering on his major campaign promises, and a narrow majority have just some or no confidence that he will make the right decisions for the country's future.   MORE Has Church Segregation Really Changed Since MLK? Martin Luther King said that 11:00 on Sunday mornings was the most segregated time in America.  Has that changed since his day?   MORE Israel and Vatican Deadlocked in Talks Over Holy Land Sites  Israel and the Vatican are struggling to end a dispute over the ownership and tax status of religious sites in Israel, including a place revered as the location of Jesus' last supper. MORE New Abortion 'Supercenter' In Houston Protested by Pro-Lifers Many well-known Christian leaders are in Houston to demonstrate against a six-story Planned Parenthood facility constructed in a minority area of the city. MORE Man Who Shot Pope Released From Prison The Turk who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 was released from prison on Monday after more than 29 years behind bars and proclaimed that he was a messenger of God. MORE ///// Update for January 18th-19th, 2010 The Haiti Earthquake...Was Pat Robertson Right? Like many of you, I'm praying for those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Heartbreaking. It's been well publicized that Pat Robertson claimed the earthquake is God's judgment on Haiti for past sin, including making a pact with the devil. Yesterday I was on the radio talking about the subject of evil and suffering, and was asked about Robertson’s comments. The earthquake is a reminder that all of us live only by God’s mercy. Though God judged both individuals and nations as recorded in Scripture, we know this only because he revealed it, NOT because of the terrible things that happened. Job’s friends wrongly stated Job suffered because God was judging him for sin, while God called Job blameless. Jesus said the man wasn’t blind because of any sin committed by him or his father, but that God might be glorified in him. MORE Obama Nominee Says Christians Are a Top Security Threat Erroll Southers, who President Barack Obama has nominated to head the Transportation Security Administration, described groups that were a domestic security threat as being "anti- abortion" and “Christian-identity oriented."  The TSA, an element of the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for the security of the nation's transportation systems, including commercial air travel....“What’s interesting about those groups is you find that they are usually either Christian identity groups and/or groups that really have a foothold in our prison systems in the way of radicalization and recruiting. Those groups are groups that claim to be Christian-identity oriented.” MORE NY Times' Columnist David Brooks: Haiti's Underlying Tragedy  ...it is time to put the thorny issue of culture at the center of efforts to tackle global poverty. Why is Haiti so poor? Well, it has a history of oppression, slavery and colonialism. But so does Barbados, and Barbados is doing pretty well. Haiti has endured ruthless dictators, corruption and foreign invasions. But so has the Dominican Republic, and the D.R. is in much better shape. Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island and the same basic environment, yet the border between the two societies offers one of the starkest contrasts on earth...There is the influence of the voodoo religion, which spreads the message that life is capricious and planning futile. Child-rearing practices often involve neglect in the early years and harsh retribution when kids hit 9 or 10. MORE New Obama Director Is No Friend of Bible Believers Francis Collins, the former Director of the Human Genome Project (HGP) and now the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has risen to national prominence in recent years. His scientific acumen combined with his rather public confession of Christian faith has garnered both excitement by Christians and interest among unbelievers. But not everyone is excited about Collins’ recent appointment by... . MORE Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier Than Previously Thought Scientists have discovered the earliest known Hebrew writing - an inscription dating from the 10th century B.C., during the period of King David's reign.  The breakthrough could mean that portions of the Bible were written centuries earlier than previously thought. Until now, many scholars have held that the Hebrew Bible originated...    MORE   Sunday Church In Haiti Is Full of Praise Drumbeats called the faithful to a Sunday Mass praising God amid a scene resembling the Apocalypse — a collapsed cathedral in a city cloaked with the smell of death, where aid is slow to reach survivors and rescue crews battle to pry a number of the living from the ruins.  MORE Tim Tebow to Appear in Pro-Family Super Bowl Ad Just weeks after capping his college football career with a win in the Sugar Bowl, Florida Gators’ star Tim Tebow is set to make an appearance during the upcoming NFL Super Bowl. But it won’t be on the field that sports fans will see him.  MORE Group Publishes ‘Top 10 Anti-Christian Acts of 2009’ The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (CADC) published a list of what it views as the 10 worst “anti-Christian acts” of 2009, including the murder of a pro-life protester, expansion of federal hate-crimes laws, and controversial presidential appointments.   MORE Israeli Robots Remake The Battlefield Israel is developing an army of robotic fighting machines that offers a window onto the potential future of warfare. Sixty years of near-constant war, a low tolerance for enduring casualties in conflict, and its high-tech industry have long made Israel one of the world's leading innovators of military robotics. In 10 to 15 years, one-third of Israel's military machines will be unmanned, predicts Giora Katz, vice president of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., one of Israel's leading weapons manufacturers.  MORE Neuroscientist Explores How Porn Hijacks Male Brain What is it about pornography that makes it so appealing to so many men? Neuroscientist and researcher Dr. William M. Struthers explores that question in a new book, where he approaches the pervasive problem of pornography as not only a spiritual matter but also physical.   MORE Brit Leader Would Require Faith Schools to Accept Homosexuality British Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said that children attending faith schools should be taught that homosexuality is "normal and harmless", according to The Telegraph. He and other Liberal Democrat leaders "support measures forcing teachers, including those working in faith schools, to implement policies to combat homophobic bullying, with lessons teaching that same-sex relationships are “normal”."  MORE Former Staffer Asks: "What's Happening to InterVarsity?" ...What's happening to InterVarsity? Has the fellowship become so thoughtless about its theology that it now rejects the solas of the Reformation? I understand that Catholics can be born again. I am happy to partner with Catholics on moral issues in the political arena such as religious liberty. But to partner with Catholics in gospel outreach is a confusion of the gospel. So, why is IV confused? I worry that it is because IV is muddled about the gospel.   MORE Israel Arrests 'Harem Messiah' Polygamist ...Ratzon banned all of the women who lived with him from communicating with men - including their own brothers - and demanded absolute obedience, the neighbors added.  "They were his slaves," one neighbor said.   MORE TX Board Delays Vote; Defends Christian Influence in U.S. History The Texas State Board of Education has delayed its first vote on a new social studies curriculum to March. Amendments to the standards, including emphasizing the role of Christianity in U.S. history, were debated Wednesday. MORE Pope Affirms Great Respect Between Catholics, Jews Pope Benedict XVI was welcomed with applause Sunday in a visit to a synagogue that he said would improve relations between Catholics and Jews, many of whom object to his moving World War II pontiff Pius XII toward sainthood. MORE Joseph Farah: More Guns Equls Less Crime ...In a story that likely got lost amid the holiday revelry, the paper reported that the nation's capital in 2009 experienced its lowest number of homicides in 45 years...So what happened in Washington, D.C., in 2009 that might account for such a dramatic decline in homicide deaths? Hmmmmm. Oh, wait a minute! Wasn't 2009 the first full year following the overturning of Washington's gun ban by the Supreme Court in the Heller case?  MORE ///// Update for January 16th-17th, 2010   Pat Robertson Chided for Haiti Curse Remark Controversial charismatic Pat Robertson has put his foot in his mouth with yet another post-disaster remark – this time regarding the hard-hit country of Haiti. While hosting “The 700 Club” on the Christian Broadcasting Network Wednesday, Robertson said the 7.0-magnitude quake that struck Haiti a day earlier was the consequence of the curse that had befallen the country’s people after its founding fathers made a “pact to the Devil” in exchange for Haiti’s independence from France.   MORE Albert Mohler: Does God Hate Haiti? ...In truth, it is hard not to describe the earthquake as a disaster of biblical proportions. It certainly looks as if the wrath of God has fallen upon the Caribbean nation. Add to this the fact that Haiti is well known for its history of religious syncretism -- mixing elements of various faiths, including occult practices. The nation is known for voodoo, sorcery, and a Catholic tradition that has been greatly influenced by the occult...Does God hate Haiti? That is the conclusion reached by many, who point to the earthquake as a sign of God's direct and observable judgment.  MORE Aaron Klein: Exposing Secret Talks to Carve up Israel -Again Israel and the Palestinian Authority are negotiating indirectly via the U.S., Jordan and Egypt to outline a future Palestinian state that would encompass Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Middle East security and diplomatic officials told WND. Popular perception has it that talks between Israel and the PA are stalled over a Palestinian demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extend a 10-month West Bank settlement freeze to include Jewish communities in eastern Jerusalem.  MORE Churches Not Yet Enjoying Economic Rebound While the U.S. economy shows signs of experiencing a “jobless recovery,” the country’s 10 percent unemployment rate is keeping church budgets in a bind, a new study by LifeWay Research found. Yet in spite of the financial difficulty, many churches are launching new ministries to help families in need. A full 35 percent of the 1,002 Protestant pastors surveyed in November 2009 said giving in their churches was flat compared to the same period in 2008. Another 29 percent said giving was down, including 18 percent who reported a decrease of 10 percent or more. While the national economy shows signs of improving, churches don’t seem to be recovering yet and, in fact, might actually be doing a bit worse, said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. MORE Natan Sharansky: Iran Strike Is Inevitable If Diplomacy Fails Former Soviet dissident and Israeli politician Natan Sharansky tells Newsmax that a military strike by Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities is inevitable if a diplomatic solution cannot be found. Sharansky spent 10 years in Soviet prisons for his political activism, and after his release in 1986 he went on to serve in numerous positions in the Israeli government. Former President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.  MORE British Teacher Fired For Being a 'Prayer Bully' A British teacher has been fired for offering to pray for a student suffering from leukemia. Olive Jones, a former teacher who gave at-home math lessons to children too weak or ill to attend school, was told after she offered to pray for the child that the family were nonbelievers. The student's mother complained to the Oak Hill Short Stay School and Tuition Service in Nailsea, North Somerset. Jones' proposition was regarded as "bullying," and she lost her job. Finn Laursen, head of Christian Educators Association International (CEAI), understands that this is a British case, but he fears the example this incident might set for the U.S. "I'm finding the same mentality in some of our public schools here in the states where there's a feeling, almost a fear, of allowing anyone to express their faith or behave in any way that would show that they are followers of Jesus Christ," he regards.    MORE Massive Quake Propels Outpouring of Aid, Prayers for Haiti From denominations and mission agencies to broadcasters and foreign governments, groups and individuals are responding to the devastation in Haiti with an outpouring of aid, on-site efforts, and calls for prayer and donation. MORE Retail Sales For 2009 Plunge By Record Amount The Commerce Department said Thursday that retail sales declined 0.3 percent in December compared with November, much weaker than the 0.5 percent rise that economists had expected.  MORE New Zealand Study Links Depression, Abortion Another study in a line of scientific reports links depression and anxiety with abortion.  The study was done by New Zealand pro-abortion professor David Ferguson, who, according to Anglicans for Life president Georgette Forney, looks at the data and decides that it... MORE Trial Under Way In Grisly 'Gay-On-Gay' Attack  In a case that is pulling back the curtain on the violence of the homosexual lifestyle, a prosecutor told a jury that a high-profile "gay marriage" advocate suspected in the death of another man often used his guns as "sex toys."   MORE Only 1 in 3 Presbyterians Affirm Jesus as Only Way to Salvation Less than half of Christians in the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country believe Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, a new survey reveals.  MORE Pentagon Lawyers Advise Wait to Lift Gay Ban Lawyers for the nation's senior military officer are recommending a delay of at least a year in beginning the process to repeal the ban on openly gay military service, which could push a decision by Congress to the middle of the next presidential election.MORE Dr. Frank Garlock Found and Safe In Haiti We praise the Lord that Dr. Frank Garlock, Missionary Sara Bennet, and Pastor Dieupie Cherubin of Hosanna Baptist Church in Haiti have been found and are doing well. The specifics of their return to the United States have yet to be determined. We continue to pray for his safe and timely return. MORE N.H. Homeschoolers Praise Vote Against Tighter Regulations The New Hampshire House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a bill that would tightly regulate homsechooling. The House voted 324-34 against changes to the current law. MORE Over 100 Christian Teens Arrested in Egypt More than 100 Coptic Christian teens have been arrested by security forces in Egypt in what the Christian community considers as pressure from the government to play down the recent fatal church shooting that made international headlines. MORE Pastors Repent, Unite to Tackle Marriage Problem Pastors across the country are repenting for the little they've been doing to address marriage needs in the church and are committing themselves to no longer stand idly by.  MORE   Haiti: Disaster and Opportunity News coming out of Haiti continues to be disheartening. The words in the above title are only two that describe the conditions in this quake-ravaged nation. Perhaps we are only beginning to understand the magnitude of the destruction that occurred in this island nation just a few hundred miles to the south of the US border...Bibles International is receiving funds for the printing and distribution of 100,000 comfort and witness brochures...Baptist Mid-Missions will be distributing funds through their World Relief Fund. Gifts should be designated World Relief Fund-Haiti...Good News Baptist Church in Grand Rapids has set up a Haiti Relief Fund.... MORE American Thinker: Bravo to Brit Hume...Why Faith Is Not a Private Matter Not too many things raise my eyebrows in these days of through-the-looking-glass America, where I fully expect up to be down, left to be right, and right to be wrong. It's not that I'm a pessimist -- just a realist. And this is why hearing newsman Brit Hume recommend Christianity over Buddhism on FOX News Sunday -- well, made my day. In case you missed the story, Hume was addressing Tiger Woods' womanizing woes and recommended that the golfer seek his answers in Christianity, saying, "I don't think that faith [Woods' Buddhism] offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. So my message to Tiger..."  MORE Dutch Lawmaker Hit With 'Hate Speech' Charges Over Comments On Islam Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders has failed in his bid to have judges drop or reduce charges of criminal incitement against him, despite arguing that his anti-Islam message falls within the boundaries of freedom of speech. Wilders, one of the Netherlands' most popular politicians, is due to go on trial in March for allegedly insulting Muslims as a group and inciting hatred and discrimination against them. The charges stem from Wilders' 2008 short film "Fitna," which offended many Muslims by juxtaposing Quranic verses with images of terrorism by Islamic radicals.MORE Group Wants Christianity Out of Textbooks The Texas Board of Education is holding public hearings and will vote this week on the content of textbooks, which will impact many other states that follow Texas' lead. Committees of teachers and experts have crafted the proposal that will be up for consideration by the State Board of Education on Thursday. Dozens of amendments and ideological battles are expected. Whichever curriculum standards the board chooses will be the guideposts for teaching history and social studies to some 4.8 million K-12 students for 10 years.  MORE // Update for January 14th-15th, 2010 58% Disapprove of Obama’s Handling of Health Care, Only 37% Approve, Says Gallup Poll Fifty-eight percent of Americans now say they disapprove of the way President Barack Obama is handling the health-care issue, while only 37% say they approve, the lowest level of his presidency, according to a Gallup poll released today. The 37 percent who still say they approve of Obama's handling of health care is buoyed by the fact that 64 percent of Democrats say they approve. Only 11 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of independents say they approve of the way the president is handling heath care. MORE Aid Agencies Warn of 'Untold Suffering' for Haiti Quake Survivors Survivors of a massive earthquake that struck Haiti on Tues- day face “untold suffering,” warns Christian Aid. Thousands are feared dead following the 7.0 magnitude quake which struck 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince just before 5 p.m. local time. Buildings across the capital were toppled, including the presidential palace and the headquarters of the UN mission in Haiti. It is believed that there are no survivors inside the collapsed UN building.  MORE Study Says Larger Churches Hit Harder by Economy  The economic recession has hit larger churches harder than it has smaller ones, according to a new survey by the Barna Group. Percentage-wise, churches with fewer than 100 members lost more of their income than churches larger than 1,000 adults (16 percent of income for smaller churches versus 9 percent for large churches). Large churches, however, were more likely to report being under financial duress. Researchers speculated that belt tightening... MORE Prop 8 Backers, Opponents Face Off in Federal Court A federal trial over California’s voter-approved marriage definition opened Monday with some unexpected questioning from the judge during the opening statements followed by the personal stories of the two gay couples behind the landmark case.   MORE High Court: No Cameras at Gay Marriage Trial The Supreme Court on Wednesday indefinitely blocked cameras from covering the high-profile federal court trial on the constitutionality of California's ban on same-sex marriage. The high court split 5-4 Wednesday, with the conservative justices in the majority. Now in its third day, the trial in federal court in San Francisco concerns the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage.  MORE Baptist Ministries Affected by Haitian Earthquake A powerful earthquake struck southern Haiti on Tuesday, destroying most of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Baptist organizations are struggling to obtain news about mission churches and relief organizations that may have been damaged in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere...The Haitian tragedy has also affected believers in the U.S. One member of Eglise Evangelique Baptiste, Elmont, N.Y., has reported a mother’s death, according to Pastor Jacquelin Saint-Preaux...“We recognize God’s sovereignty,” Chris Hindal says of the tragedy. “He still controls the wind, the waves, and holds the planet in His hand. God is up to something. His glory is about to be displayed as people are offered hope for eternity through faith..." MORE Another Council, Another Prayer, Another Threat Buncombe County, North Carolina, commissioners and Tampa City Council members are the latest to deal with threats over opening sessions with prayer. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel tells OneNewsNow that this is another ridiculous attempt by atheist, secular organizations to remove Christianity from the public square, even though in this case most of the residents who spoke on the issue favored the continuation of an invocation following the Pledge of Allegiance. MORE Quake-Stunned Haitians Pile Bodies By Fallen Homes Anguished Haitians pile bodies along the devastated streets of Port-au-Prince as they plead for help after powerful earthquake.  MORE U.S. Envoy: N. Korea's Human Rights Situation is 'Appalling' The human rights situation in reclusive North Korea is one of the worst in the world, declared the new U.S. envoy for human rights in North Korea on Monday while in Seoul.  MORE 30 Chinese House Church Leaders Detained, Says Rights Group Thirty house church leaders were detained in a northern province in China last week, according to a human rights group specializing in Chinese house churches. MORE Haiti Archbishop Killed in Quake...Cathedral Reduced to Rubble The archbishop of Port-au-Prince was killed in the devastating earthquakes that have demolished the Haitian capital and taken untold lives since striking Tuesday, according to the Vatican.  MORE Texans Debate Adding Religious Emphasis in History Class The Texas State Board of Education on Wednesday begins hearing testimonies regarding proposed revisions to the social studies curriculum.  MORE Iran Named 2nd-Worst Persecutor of Christians Christians in Iran continue to face tough times as unrest grows throughout that country. MORE Mideast Evangelicals OK Women Ordination Leaders of evangelical churches in the Middle East unanimously voted Tuesday in favor of a statement supporting the ordination of women as pastors. MORE   Baptist Mid-Missionaries Presumed Safe After Haiti Earthquake ...Baptist Mid-Missions has one missionary couple currently residing in Haiti, Roy and Ruth Shelpman. The Sheplmans live in Grand Goave, approximately 30 miles from Port-au-Prince. Given the circumstances and with the limited information we have received thus far, it is reasonable to expect that the Shelpmans are well but have experienced damage to their residence. MORE MLK's Niece: What Reid Was Really Saying is 'Now We Have a White House Negro' The niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has denounced racially charged comments Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) made about then-Sen. Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.  MORE McCain Strategist: Palin Believed VP Pick Was 'God's Plan' Sarah Palin, who was virtually unknown to Americans before 2008, believed her selection as the Republican vice presidential candidate of Sen. John McCain was “God’s plan,” said a top political strategist for the McCain campaign. MORE Trial Under Uay for Former Baptist Preacher Charged with Murder Jury selection got under way Jan. 12 in a murder trial of a former Baptist minister accused of killing his wife. Matt Baker, 38, a former pastor at several churches in Texas, is on trial for the April 2006 death of his 31-year-old wife. MORE / Update for January 12th-13th, 2010   Gay Marriage Ban Goes on Trial in California California's ban on gay marriage goes to trial on Monday in a federal case that plaintiffs hope to take all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and overturn bans throughout the nation. Victory for gay rights groups in the Supreme Court, which might not choose to take the case if it is appealed that far, would make marriage a fundamental constitutional right without exception and overturn laws and state amendments limiting marriage to a man and a woman in 40 states. A loss in the top court, two ranks above the action that starts on Monday, would derail efforts to win in state courts that have been a hallmark of the gay rights movement thus far.  MORE Witchdoctoring and Child Sacrifice Are on the Rise in Uganda  A BBC investigation into human sacrifice in Uganda has heard first-hand accounts which suggest ritual killings of children may be more common than authorities have acknowledged. One witch-doctor led us to his secret shrine and said he had clients who regularly captured children and brought their blood and body parts to be consumed by spirits.  Meanwhile, a former witch-doctor who now campaigns to end child sacrifice confessed for the first time to having murdered about 70 people, including his own son. MORE Jack Kelley: 2010… What’s Likely, What’s Not The following is not intended as prophecy. The only thing I can safely say I got from the Lord is the idea to write it. But with things happening so quickly these days I think it’s good to get some perspective on Biblical events that may affect our lives in the coming 12 months. It’ll be a good follow-up to our recap of 2009.  The Battle of Psalm 83 … Likely Something big seems to be brewing on both Israel’s northern and southern borders. In the south, Egypt and the US are said to be teaming up with Israel. Their plan is to drive Hamas from power in Gaza. Egypt is already building an iron wall along its border to prevent Palestinian entry into the Sinai desert. There are 2 motivating factors at play. MORE Skewed China Birth Rate to Leave 24 Million Men Single More than 24 million Chinese men of marrying age could find themselves without spouses in 2020, state media reported on Monday, citing a study that blamed sex-specific abortions as a major factor. The study, by the government-backed Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, named the gender imbalance among newborns as the most serious demographic problem for the country's population of 1.3 billion, the Global Times said. "Sex-specific abortions remained extremely common- place, especially in rural areas," where the cultural preference for boys over girls is strongest, the study said, while noting the reasons for the gender imbalance were "complex." MORE Malaysia 'Allah' Ruling Sparks Arson Attacks on Eight Local Churches Police on Monday reported the eighth arson attack on a church in Malaysia since the High Court ruled that non-Muslims can use the word “Allah” to refer to God. Sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. local time, unknown vandals attacked Sidang Injil Borneo Church on the western coast of Malaysia. Burn marks were found on the church’s main entrance door, according to local newspapers. But the arson did not affect the interior of the building. MORE Battle Over Gay Marriage Reaches Federal Court A highly anticipated trial is set to begin to determine whether gay marriage is a constitutional right and, in effect, whether the decision of the majority to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman violates that right.  MORE New Payroll Tax About to Be Hiked for Second Time The new Medicare payroll tax hasn't even become law yet, and it's already on its way to being hiked for the second time.  MORE Gas Prices Hit Highest Level In More Than Year The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States rose 14 cents in the last three weeks to their highest level in more than a year, reversing a decline that began in November.  MORE Church Votes to Split from Lutheran Denomination Members of a church in Roanoke, Virginia, have voted to leave the country's largest Lutheran denomination over its policy to allow homosexual clergy. MORE U.N. Humanitarian Chief Shows Need for Int'l Church Networks Egeland complimented ACT for its professional standard and said church-based and other religious groups were most important in the post-tsunami rebuilding phase.  MORE What's Islam? Don't Ask Google Type "Islam is" into the search engine and Google's auto-results pane mysteriously vanishes, leading some to conclude that Google, whose mantra is "don't be evil," is censoring its search results.  MORE Serious charges fail to stop abortionist A well-known abortionist in California retains his medical license for now as he faces a number of medical discrepancies.  MORE   Phil Johnson: Emergent Church Heresy Collapsing Online Emergent Village is collapsing on itself. The EV Weblog, once a busy and heavily-trafficked stream of Emergent semi- consciousness (replete with a near-manic discussion forum) is barely functioning these days. The current average wait-time between posts over there is at least two weeks. In fact, the eight posts currently residing on the EV blog's front page constitute everything that has been posted on that blog since September 9. One of the posts is a...  MORE Theologian: Brit Hume is Right on Christianity, Buddhism Difference Journalist Brit Hume who urged Tiger Woods to “turn to the Christian faith” was right when he drew distinction between Buddhism and Christianity in terms of the concept of forgiveness and redemption, said a prominent evangelical theologian. “I admire Brit Hume for saying something that was at the risk of bringing on this controversy because...  MORE Obama's Gay Activist Says God is a “Sinful Homophobic Bigot” Frank Kameny, a “pioneering” homosexual activist who was honored by President Obama and his administration, says the God of the Bible is a “sinful homophobic bigot” who needs to “repent of his sinful homophobia. ”Kameny made the assertions about the Judeo-Christian God in a letter  to Peter LaBarbera...“Your God of Leviticus (and of the whole Bible) is clearly a sinful homophobic bigot.  He should repent of his sinful homophobia.  He should atone for that sin...."   MORE //// Update for January 9th-10th, 2010   New Jersey Senate Rejects Same-Sex Marriage Bill New Jersey’s Senate turned down a bill to legalize gay marriage Thursday, scoring another win for traditional marriage advocates. Once again the gay marriage advocates forced a vote, and once again they learned the truth: the American people do not want their politicians spending time passing gay marriage,” commented Brian Brown, executive director for the National Organization for Marriage.  MORE Jerusalem Post: Most Ancient Hebrew Biblical Test Deciphered A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible was written, testifying to Hebrew writing abilities as early as the 10th century BCE, the University of Haifa announced on Thursday. Prof. Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical.... MORE More Independents Call Themselves ‘Conservative’ in Obama’s First Year, Survey Says More self-identified Independents are labeling themselves as “conservative” in 2009 than at any time during the past decade, the Gallup organization found in a recently released study. In fact, the percentage of American Independents who identified as conservatives – 35 percent – increased at the fastest rate in 10 years between 2008 and 2009, the latter Obama’s first year in office. “The rather abrupt three-point increase between 2008 and 2009 in the percentage of Americans calling themselves conservative is largely owing to an increase – from 30 percent to 35 percent – in the percentage of political independents adopting the label.  MORE Brit Hume: 'Jesus Christ' the 'Most Controversial Two Words You Can Utter in the Public Square' Today Brit Hume said he was “not surprised” by the media backlash over his remarks to Tiger Woods on “Fox News Sunday” this week. There is a “double-standard” when it comes to speaking publicly about Christianity versus other religions, he said. Hume, a Fox News analyst, told CNSNews.com: “There is a double standard. If I had said, for example, that what Tiger Woods needed to do was become more deeply engaged in his Buddhist faith or to adopt the ideas of Hinduism, which I think would be of great spiritual value to him, I doubt anybody would have said anything.”  Last Sunday, Hume suggested the golfer  look to Christianity...   MORE Q & A: Brit Hume Fox News analyst Brit Hume received backlash this week over his suggestion that Tiger Woods should turn to Christianity. The former news anchor says he became serious about his Christian faith about 11 years ago, when his son Sandy committed suicide at age 28. Hume spoke to Christianity Today about his faith and the criticism in response to his suggestion to Woods. MORE Tetrapod Footprint Discovery Busts Evolutionary Paradigm, Says Biochemist The latest discovery of fossilized footprints made by four-legged vertebrates overthrows the evolutionary model for how land animals first emerged, says a biochemist. "This is a huge discovery," said Dr. Fuz Rana of Reasons to Believe, a science-faith think tank. "[It's] another example of supposedly a well-established evolutionary story, that has presumable fossil evidence to support it, that is now blown out of the water by a single find."...What's significant about the discovery is the age of the tracks. While evolutionists have firmly held that tetrapods appeared about 375 million years ago after transitional forms between fishes and land animals appeared 385 million years ago, the latest discovery places tetrapods in existence even before the transitional animals. MORE Three Malaysian Churches Attacked as Protests Rage Three churches in Malaysia were attacked with firebombs Friday as Muslims in the country pledged to stop Christians from using the word “Allah” to refer to God.  MORE Joel Osteen Prays for Houston's First Openly Gay Mayor Globally recognized pastor Joel Osteen has been drawing some flak from the press and the public in the past few months over his comments on homosexuality. MORE N. Korea Likely to Crack Down on Christians after Activist's Entry It is “very, very” unlikely that any good will come to North Korean Christians in the short term from the recent illegal entry of the Korean-American activist, said the president of a ministry that works with persecuted Christians. MORE Ann Coulter:  If You Can Find a Better Deal, Take It! Someone mentioned Christianity on television recently and liberals reacted with their usual howls of rage and blinking incomprehension... Christianity is simultaneously the easiest religion in the world and the hardest religion in the world.  MORE Egyptian Police Arrest Suspects in Drive-By Church Shooting Egyptian police on Friday arrested three men suspected of carrying out the drive-by shooting at a church that killed six people.  MORE Franklin Graham Begins 2010: 'I am Not Ashamed of the Gospel' Evangelist Franklin Graham began year 2010 by declaring he is not ashamed of the Gospel as he predicts greater obstacles for Christians who want to share their faith.  MORE Israel Honors the Man Who Revived the Hebrew Language Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the father of modern-day Hebrew, has been honored by Israel as the leaders of the Jewish state declared Ben-Yehuda's birthday as Hebrew Day, a day when the Jewish people reflect on how one man could almost single-handedly revive the language of the ancient Jewish people.  MORE Ancient Tablet Giving New Shape to the Story of Noah's Ark THAT they led the enormous floating wildlife collection aboard two by two is well known. Less familiar, however, is the possibility that the animals Noah shepherded on to his ark then went round and round inside. According to newly translated instructions inscribed in ancient Babylonian on a clay tablet telling the story of the ark, the vessel that saved one virtuous man, his family and the animals from God's watery wrath was not the pointy-prowed craft of popular imagination but rather a giant circular reed raft. MORE Iran Arrests, Coerces Christians over Christmas Season  A wave of arrests hit Iranian house churches during the Christmas season, leaving at least five Christian converts in detention across northern Iran, including the mother of an ailing 10-year-old girl.   MORE   Pastor Tom Messer: Is the Independent Baptist Movement at a Crossroad?  Over the last several years, pastors have talked with me about my perception of the state of the independent Baptist movement. After years of ministry, and having a passion for pastors and congregations around our country, I do see the independent Baptist movement at a unique crossroad as we enter the second decade of this millennium. There are significant issues that must be addressed if we are going to impact the world in decades to come. MORE 10 Ways to Encourage a Missionary In an effort to learn how we can best encourage missionaries, I emailed some and asked how they would most like to be served and encouraged. This list is drawn from their responses, including many direct quotes. 1. Pray for them and let them know that you are doing so frequently. “One of the most encouraging/inspiring things we receive from people is a quick note via email to say that they are ‘thinking’ of us.” 2. Send “real mail.”  “Send a small care package. Some little fun food items that we can’t get where..."  MORE Southern Baptist Pastor Counters 2012 Doomsday 'Prophecies' A Southern Baptist pastor has launched a media blitz to expose what he calls the delusion of those who believe in the 2012 apocalypse. When the Sony Pictures film, "2012," debuted in theaters at No. 1 last November, Danny Daniels began countering with biblical truths what some interpret as the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar. "Just as Y-2K, the Millennium Bug bugged out, nothing will come to pass in spite of the hype and hysteria over December 21, 2012 and the so-called Mayan calendar 'prophecies,'" Daniels asserted in a statement. "Our trust is in Christ and the Word of God, not in Mayan calendars or in a ‘Galactic Synchroni- zation Beam’ from the center of the Milky Way."  MORE American Thinker: The Tea Party Movement Does Not Need a Leader! A recent article predicted that the tea party movement will fail and fade away because it does not have an official leader promoting a single agenda. I disagree. After attending a Florida tea party, Rhonda Lochiatto, an elementary school teacher, decided to run for school board. In her own words, "I am tired of the mismanagement of funds that goes on in the school district and of the current policies and procedures that are taking place when it comes to grading, etc." Rhonda epito- mizes what the tea party movement is all about: concerned citizens and true patriots stepping up to... MORE /// Update for January 7th-8th, 2010   Pat Robertson's 2010 Predictions... Pat Robertson says God has told him that the U.S. is under a cloud of divine wrath and is headed for financial ruin. The Christian broadcaster announced his 2010 predictions on Monday's broadcast of The 700 Club. Robertson said God won't bless an America that institutionalizes homosexual rights and abortion while prohibiting prayer and Bible reading in public schools. "How can we pray for his blessing when we have that going on?" he wondered. "When we have courts that have ruled repeatedly against him, when we have the Bible taken from schools, where we have prayer taken from children?" MORE Albert Mohler: The Most Newsworthy Events of 2009 The year 2009 is still very close in the rear-view mirror, and what a year it was. The year was significant for any number of reasons, including the fact that it marked so many anniversaries.  2009 marked the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock and the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A good many young Americans see both as ancient history. How will 2009 be remembered? Looking back over the year, ten major developments seem most important to me from this vantage point. A few years from now, 2009 might be remembered differently, but these markers stand out as 2010 begins... MORE Tebow's Faith Raises Sporting Ire With his unconventional pass delivery and a physical style that seems just as comfortable running the ball anyway, some wonder if University of Florida star quarterback Tim Tebow will achieve NFL glory. But football fans just may get to see the story of the Heisman Trophy winner and unapologetic Christian impact the pro sport's biggest game of the year. Colorado- based conservative group Focus on the Family reportedly may buy a Super Bowl spot for an ad about how Tebow's mother carried him to term despite a difficult and dangerous pregnancy.  MORE Obama Official Is 'Fed Up' With Israel, Palestinians White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel denied reports that said he is fed up with Israel and the Palestinians, a White House aide told Haaretz on Wednesday. The White House aide emphasized that Emanuel's statements were distorted. "He expressed frustration with the lack of progress with the peace process, but he certainly didn't threaten to walk away from it. The allegations are completely ridiculous," the aide said.  MORE UK Teacher Suspended After Offer to Pray for Student A Christian home-visit teacher in the United Kingdom was suspended by her company after she offered to pray for one of her sick students. Olive Jones, 54, had given math lessons to a 14-year-old girl who suffers from leukemia at the student’s home. In November, Jones spoke about miraculous healings and offered to pray for the girl in the presence of her mother. When the mother, Stephanie Lynch, said that the family is non-religious, Jones said she dropped the issue. Jones thought she left that day on good terms with the family, but hours later her company, Oak Hill Short Stay School and Tuition Service, called her and told her that the mother had filed a formal complaint against her.  MORE Obama Isn’t the Antichrist. He’s Just Acting Like It! Revelation 13 succinctly spells out that someday in the future a person will head a system that will control the world politically, economically and religiously. At the beginning of his seven year reign, the Antichrist will first endear himself to the unsuspecting and gullible masses who are more than ready to crown him king of the world. Then, through a series of circumstances and controls “for the good of the earth,” the Man of Sin and his lieutenants will begin to systematically eliminate anyone who resists his “benevolent” rule. Eventually, claiming that he is indeed “god,” he will ruthlessly command the complete devotion of the peoples of the world. Before those dark days can unfold however, there will be an extended period of conditioning and preparation. Prophetically speaking, this is surely where we are in time. MORE   N. Korea, Iran Top Oppressors of Christians North Korea is for the eighth straight year the world’s top persecutor of Christians, according to Open Doors' 2010 World Watch List. MORE 9th Circuit Court Says Imprisoned Washington Felons Can Vote A federal appeals court has ruled that imprisoned felons should be allowed to vote in Washington state to ensure that racial minorities are protected under the Voting Rights Act.   MORE Tax Preparers To Face New Regulation, IRS Scrutiny The IRS plans to require tax preparers to pass a test and register with the government to better police a largely unregulated industry used by most taxpayers.   MORE Parents Arrested For Failing To Register Home-Schooled Kids A Montgomery County couple has been arrested on child endangerment charges for failing to register their children with the school district as they were home-schooled.  MORE 'Abortion Super Center' Set To Open In Houston Planned Parenthood is renovating a former bank in Houston, turning it into a 78,000 square foot facility that will include a surgical wing equipped to provide late-term abortions.  MORE Best Christian Workplaces Announced for 2010 A research firm released on Tuesday its list of certified best Christian workplaces in the United States and Canada. This year’s survey involved 6,700 employees in 62 organizations across North America. MORE Twin Towers Shirts Get Mich. Students In Trouble At least nine Detroit area high school juniors are in trouble for wearing sweat shirts bearing a design that evokes the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center's Twin Towers.   MORE Churches Called to 'Do Something' Churches are being challenged to "Do Something" this new year by stepping out and transforming communities. The DO Something! church campaign is a six-week series that includes a service day.  MORE   Fox News' Brit Hume Blasted for Inviting Tiger Woods to Consider Christianity Anyone who doesn't understand the premium that Christianity puts on forgiveness is badly educated, but that is no excuse for the kind of vitriol that has been spewed against Brit Hume. For advising Tiger Woods to consider Christianity, Hume has been roundly condemned by those whose highest virtue is being non-judgmental.   MORE Op-Ed: Creating Crisis to Reduce Freedom The Muslim Christmas underwear bomber incident has prompted a US government crackdown on airport security, but many wonder if the action is the result of creating crisis to reduce liberties. Last year, sources within the US security system said that because of the current Administration's relaxing of security measures and the prohibition of certain security procedures established by the Bush Administration that terrorist attacks against Americans were going to increase in a matter of time.  MORE TN Public Schools Will End Bible Distribution Public school officials in Wilson County, Tennessee, have agreed to stop distributing Bibles to students during the school day on school grounds. The settlement comes after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the district. The ACLU said in a news release that a fifth-grade student was taken into the gym with her classmates and that the principal introduced the children to representatives of The Gideons International.  MORE Pelosi: My Pro-Abortion Stance is Consistent with Catholic Faith In defending her pro-abortion views against the teachings of the Catholic Church in late December, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a professed Catholic, argued that restricting abortion amounts to a violation of women's free will and is inconsistent with her Catholic faith.  MORE // Update for January 5th-6th, 2010   Get Religion: Dr. Dobson's Family Squabble? ...Focus on the Family, which has struggled with declining income and layoffs, has for years been concerned about its future and its transition to a new generation of leaders. Dobson resigned as chairman of Focus’s board in February 2009 and is scheduled to host his last Focus radio program on Feb. 28, 2010. He recently began spelling out his unexpected plans for what he will do after that...Barna quoted some of the usual suspects (Randall Balmer, John Green) who said Dobson’s actions were unusual, but he didn’t feature any parachurch experts or non-official Focus insiders, some of whom have told me that Dobson has long expressed frustration about the board forcing him to leave before he was ready. “He didn’t jump; he feels he was pushed,” one told me months ago.    MORE Most Senior Pastors Work at Least 50-Hour Weeks Full-time senior pastors tend to work 55 hours or more in a typical week, according to a new survey. While the median number of work hours for Protestant pastors is 55 hours. 42 percent work 60 or more hours, LifeWay Research found. When including bivocational pastors, part-time senior pastors and volunteer pastors, 35 percent work at least 60 hours a week and 30 percent work 50 to 59 hours.   MORE Seven Major Prophetic Signs of the Second Coming There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming, and currently all of them are in some stage of fulfillment. As in years past, we list the seven with their primary biblical references and offer commentary from current events. 1. Israel Will Be in the Land … Ezekiel 36:24, 37:21 In 1948, when Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us. I MORE Peace - The Mantra for 2010 Peace is more than the absence of war in which blood is shed while weapons destroy and death tallies their toll. Peace is contentment, with prospects for a future free of worry that conflict will disrupt tranquility. There is neither contentment nor tranquility upon this fallen sphere. Conflict is everywhere one looks. Unsettling issues assault the eyes and ears - the senses - of the world community. Anxieties and perplexities inundate societies and cultures, nations, and continents. The voices of humanity cry "Peace! Peace!" when there is no peace.  MORE Spanked Children More Successful Later in Life, Study Finds A study found that youngsters smacked up to the age of six did better at school and were more optimistic about their lives than those never hit by their parents. They were also more likely to undertake voluntary work and keener to attend university, experts discovered. The research, conducted in the US...  MORE Pro-Abortion Advocates Praise Abortionist, Blast Pro-Life Efforts The pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America is asking visitors to its Web site to cast votes for the person who has done the most for their movement. Nominees include abortionist LeRoy Carhart, who is one of the few to perform late-term abortions in his Nebraska clinic. The group also nominated MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow to its annual "Hall of Fame" for her "thoughtful coverage" of the murder of another late-term abortionist, George Tiller, who was shot by a man known to have mental problems in May.  MORE Family of U.S. Missionary Awaiting Word From North Korea The brother and parents of an American missionary who's believed to be in North Korean custody are anxiously awaiting word on his whereabouts and safety. MORE Group: Persecution in North Korea Set to Worsen in 2010 A charity supporting oppressed believers around the world says persecution against Christians in No Korea will worsen in 2010.   MORE Ministry Endures 'Malicious Persecution' From Officials A federal appeals court is critical of Chicago officials and how they dealt with a ministry's use of an old building.   MORE Rick Warren's End-of-Year Plea Raises $2.4M for Church Megachurch pastor Rick Warren’s call for a special donation two days before the end of 2009 has so far resulted in $2.4 million – more than double the amount he had sought for the church.   MORE Malaysian Gov't to Appeal Christian 'Allah' Ruling Malaysia’s government will file an appeal against a recent ruling by the Supreme Court that found a ban on the use of the word “Allah” by non-Muslims to be unconstitutional, government officials said.  MORE Pray for America Campaigns Kick Off 2010 Christians nationwide are joining one of several prayer-and-fasting campaigns to kick off the New Year and to help the country get “right with God.” Some even more than one.   MORE Montana Dubs Assisted Suicide Constitutional The Montana Supreme Court has paved the way for physician-assisted suicide after judicial activists stretched the original meaning of a clause in the state's constitution.   MORE Senate Abortion Support May Lead to Legal Battles Healthcare reform could lead to court battles if the Senate bill becomes law. MORE Church Votes to Split From ELCA Over Homosexual Clergy The congregation of the First Lutheran Church of Harvey, ND, has cast the first of two votes to split from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. MORE 50 Things That Changed our Lives in the 2000's ...There were, of course, huge political and social upheavals that roiled our world in the past decade. But there were also the gradual lifestyle changes that you don't always notice when they're happening — kind of like watching a child grow older. Here's an alphabetical look at 50 things that changed our lives since the beginning of the millennium: MORE   Christian Mother Fails to Transfer Daughter to Former Lesbian Partner by Deadline A Christian woman in Virginia who was ordered to turn over her daughter to her former lesbian partner in Vermont did not do so by the set deadline, a lawyer for the second woman reported. Lisa Miller had been ordered by a judge in Vermont to turn over her daughter, Isabella, to Janet Jenkins by 1 p.m. Friday, but has not shown up, Sarah Star, Jenkins’s lawyer, told the New York Times. Officer Tawny Wright, a Fairfax County police spokeswoman, meanwhile, said the Jenkins family had called the police and that a detective is investigating.  MORE Thirty Good Things About 2009 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."James 1:17 A variety of consequential things occurred in 2009. The swine flu spread around the globe. Businesses failed and people lost their jobs and the governments of the world tried to spend their way out of recession. The world dealt with slaughter, nuclear proliferation and dead celebrities. However, 2009 offered us more than tragedy. There were excellent things too, things worthy of a second glance as we celebrate the successful completion of one more year on the planet.  MORE Atheists Challenge Ireland's New Blasphemy Law with Online Postings Atheists in Ireland are risking possible prosecution with an audacious online challenge to the country's new blasphemy law. Under the law, which went into effect Friday, a person can be found guilty of blasphemy if "he or she publishes or utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion."   MORE Am. Thinker: Does the Media Misrepresent Obama When It Comes to Israel? Ever since the Jewish community caught on to President Obama's pressure on Israel to impose a "settlement freeze" in Judea,  Samaria ,and parts of Jerusalem, the administration has blamed the media for misrepresenting its overall policy and strategic approach to the "peace process." One article said that "[t]here was concern about an imbalance in pressures placed on Israel as opposed to on the Palestinians and the Arab States ... the President indicated ..."  MORE /////// Update for January 1st-2nd, 2010   AP: Goodbye '09! World Looks For More Hopeful 2010 Fireworks exploded over Sydney's famous bridge and the Eiffel Tower prepared for its own colored-light spectacle as the world celebrated a New Year that many hope will be more prosperous and peaceful than 2009. Revelers across the globe at least temporarily shelved worries about their future prospects to bid farewell to the first decade of the 21st century.  MORE USA Today Year In Review: God, Politics, Pop Culture All Intertwined in 2009 President Obama, a mainline Protestant who currently has no home church, dominated much of the U.S. religion news. His inaugural address called the USA "a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and non-believers." In his first months, Obama lifted a Bush administration ban on federal funding for groups that offer abortion information and services abroad and expanded the policy permitting federal funds for embryonic stem cell research. Scores of Catholic bishops called it a travesty that Notre Dame, a Catholic university... MORE 'Hand of God' Seen in Christmas Eve Revival of Mother, Baby A Colorado woman says a Christmas miracle brought her and her newborn son back from the brink of death after her heart stopped beating during childbirth and the baby was delivered showing no signs of life. "I got a second chance in life," Tracy Hermanstorfer said. Hermanstorfer, 33, was being prepped for childbirth at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs Thursday morning. Her 37-year-old husband was by her side when she began to feel sleepy and laid back in her bed.   MORE Sharper Iron: Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.  MORE Barna Group Spends '09 Studying Religion in America, Post Results A new study offering a year-end perspective on the current state of American churches has been released, unveiling a number of interesting finds. Throughout the past year, the Barna Group has interviewed thousands of pastors on a variety of topics. Now the research group has released a survey focusing on the top themes regarding religion in 2009 and revealing the most prevalent finding: Americans are more interested in spirituality than they are in Christianity.    MORE Korean Christians Divided Over U.S. Activist's  North Korea Crossing A number of South Korean church leaders have criticized a U.S. activist’s illegal entry into North Korea, saying that his action will cause more harm than good for the North Korean Christians and citizens he meant to help. “The Gospel shouldn’t be presented aggressively…It doesn’t help to increase religious freedom,” said the Rev. Kim Tae-hyon, director of the church and ecumenical relationship department of the National Council of Churches in Korea, to the Union of Catholic Asian News. Kim and other Korean church leaders raised concern about how North Korea would interpret actions of Robert Park, who reportedly crossed over into the isolated nation on Christmas Day. They said the North could think the Christian...  MORE Lesbian 'Mother' Case Presents Constitutional Issue A Vermont judge has ruled that the birth mother of a Virginia girl must turn custody of the child over to a former lesbian partner.   MORE Malaysia Court Nixes Ban on Christian 'Allah' Usage Christians in Malaysia have the constitutional right to use the word Allah to refer to God, the country's high court declared Thursday.  MORE Dow Finishes 2009 With Nearly 19% Gain  A late burst of selling left stocks with a hefty loss Thursday at the end of what was otherwise a banner year, highlighted by the biggest annual percentage gain in the Dow Jones Industrial Average in six years. MORE Montana Supreme Court OKs Doctor Assisted Suicide The Montana Supreme Court said Thursday that nothing in state law prevents patients from seeking physician-assisted suicide, paving the way for the procedure.   MORE Salem Judge Disfavors Street Preacher A Salem, Massachusetts, appeals court has upheld the conviction of a pro-life, pro-marriage activist.   MORE Grand jury Clears Police In Shooting of Ga. Pastor  A grand jury has cleared police officers involved in a Sept. 1 shooting that killed a Southern Baptist pastor caught in the middle of a botched drug sting.     MORE Zambian President: Country Should Maintain Christian Identity Zambian President Rupiah Banda said Tuesday that the declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation should be retained in the Republican Constitution. MORE Pastor in Teen Convert Case Denies He Intentionally Broke Law The Florida pastor who sheltered runaway teen convert Rifqa Bary formally denied Tuesday that he knowingly broke the law to hide the Muslim-turned-Christian girl from Ohio.   MORE Survey Shows 'Pew-Versus-Pulpit Divide' On Immigration A new poll shows disparity between religious leaders and those in the pews on the issue of illegal immigration.  MORE Swedish Authorities Frown on Home Schooling A Swedish family is faced with the prospect of losing their children simply because they home school.     MORE Terror suspect should face military court The New York congressman who thinks terrorists should be tried by a military tribunal instead of a civilian court is getting some support from a terrorism expert.    MORE   Dr. James Dobson to Host New Radio Show With His Son Focus on the Family founder James Dobson says he will host a new daily radio show with his son Ryan in 2010. Dobson announced the new show, to be called "James Dobson on the Family," on his Facebook page. Dobson earlier said he planned to leave Focus on the Family and its flagship radio broadcast at the end of February. He says his new show, which will air in March, will cover many of the same topics, including marriage, child-rearing and national issues. Dobson says he wanted to leave Focus on the Family so the ministry could be passed on to the next generation of leaders. How- ever, he says he feels compelled to continue at a time when the nation is in a "moral decline of shocking dimensions." Vermont Tragedy May Bring Change In Law A grieving Vermont mother is fighting for passage of a bill which would declare that unborn babies are human beings. Patricia Blair was driving a car last August when her van was struck head-on by a car that had crossed the center line. Blair's six-month-old unborn twins were killed, and Mary Hahn Beerworth of the Vermont Right to Life Committee explains that the loss was very deep for the mother.  "This is a family [that was] on pins and needles about bringing these young babies into the world because unfortunately, just one year before this terrible car crash, they lost a little baby girl. MORE New 2010 Laws: Cooking to Texting  From same-sex marriage in New Hampshire to payday loans in Kentucky, new state laws taking effect on New Year's Day will change the way people live. California becomes the first state to bar restaurants from cooking with trans fat — partially hydrogenated oils that have been linked to strokes and heart disease.  Restaurants will be prohibited from using oils, margarines and shortening containing more than half a gram of trans fat per serving. Violators subject to $1,000 fines. MORE Rick Warren's Church Seeks $900K in 2 Days to End 2009 Debtless Pastor Rick Warren of the Southern California megachurch Saddleback Church is encouraging his parishioners to donate $900,000 within two days. In an “urgent” letter posted on the church’s web site Wednesday, Warren explained that church expenses went up this year to help care for the financially hurting community while the end-of-year donations are down. Saddleback needs the $900,000 by New Year’s Eve to stay out of debt, the founding pastor stated.    MORE /

//