Devotional: So sweet are the comforts of the Lord...

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. Isaiah 49:13

So sweet are the comforts of the Lord, that not only the saints themselves may sing of them, but even the heavens and the earth may take up the song. It takes something to make a mountain sing; and yet the prophet summons quite a choir of them. Lebanon, and Sirion, and the high hills of Bashan and Moab, He would set them all singing because of Jehovah's grace to His own Zion. May we not also make mountains of difficulty, and trial, and mystery, and labor become occasions for praise unto our God? "Break forth into singing, O mountains!"

This word of promise, that our God will have mercy upon His afflicted, has a whole peal of bells connected with it. Hear their music—"Sing!" "Be joyful!" "Break forth into singing." The Lord would have His people happy because of His unfailing love. He would not have us sad and doubtful; He claims from us the worship of believing hearts. He cannot fail us: why should we sigh or sulk as if He would do so? Oh, for a well-tuned harp! Oh, for voices like those of the cherubim before the throne! ...CH Spurgeon
image by dino olivieri

Gallup: Obama approval among independents down to 38%

July 7, 2010
by Ed Morrissey

Barack Obama won the Presidency by convincing independents to break away from the GOP and from John McCain, promising them a new, post-partisan, centrist direction and agenda. Even after passing Porkulus by locking Republicans out of the process and pushing ObamaCare last spring, Gallup’s survey a year ago showed Obama still holding 56% of independents. Now that number has sunk to 38%, while his rolling 3-day Gallup average job approval drops to 44% (via Andrew Malcolm):

Thirty-eight percent of independents approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, the first time independent approval of Obama has dropped below 40% in a Gallup Daily tracking weekly aggregate. Meanwhile, Obama maintains the support of 81% of Democrats, and his job approval among Republicans remains low, at 12%. …

Over the past year, Obama has lost support among all party groups, though the decline has been steeper among independents than among Republicans or Democrats. Today’s 38% approval rating among independents is 18 percentage points lower than the 56% found July 6-12, 2009. During the same period, his support has fallen nine points among Democrats (from 90% to 81%) and eight points among Republicans (from 20% to 12%). the rest

Bobby Jindal Signs Landmark Abortion Reforms into Louisiana Law

Wednesday July 7, 2010
By Peter J. Smith
BATON ROUGE

(LifeSiteNews.com) – Gov. Bobby Jindal signed three landmark abortion bills on Tuesday that significantly tighten the state’s regulations on abortionists and their practices, and opt out the state from the national health care reform’s abortion mandates.

Jindal signed two bills that were introduced and shepherded through the legislature by the Louisiana Right to Life Federation (LARTL). The Ultrasound before Abortion Act (SB 528) adds strict ultrasound requirements to the state’s informed consent laws. The law requires abortionists to perform an ultrasound on a woman at least two hours before she undergoes the induced abortion of her child, and before she is put under any kind of anesthesia...

...The other bill, the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out (HB 1247), prohibits health insurers from providing abortion coverage within the state-run health insurance exchange that will go into operation in 2014, as mandated by the national health care reform. A provision of the national law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, gives states the explicit right to ban health insurance companies receiving public subsidies under the state health exchange from providing abortion coverage. the rest

A Sexual Education

Jul 7, 2010
Joe Carter

Unless the middle school in Shenandoah, Iowa, is training junior gynecologists, it is unclear why its eighth-graders need to be taught how to perform female exams and to put a condom on a 3-D, anatomically correct male sex organ.

The representative from Planned Parenthood, which provided the instruction, justified the curriculum by saying, “All information we use is medically accurate and science based.” For them, sexual education can be denuded of all moral content as long as research studies and reams of statistics back up their claims.

The advocates of “comprehensive sex education” want teenagers to “just wear a condom.” Planned Parenthood’s amoral appeal to “science” shows why that fails: medically accurate and science-based information doesn’t give children any idea how to use that information, while it makes them think they can do what they want if only they practice the “safe sex” techniques they’ve been taught. But I don’t think the abstinence advocates’ “Just say no” is always an improvement.

Both types of programs are equally flawed and flawed in the same way. Each indoctrinates the children in a particular viewpoint and tries to inoculate them against the negative results of sexual behavior. Neither school of sex educators is primarily concerned with providing an education. the rest

For a program to be truly educational, it must teach critical moral reasoning—an element curiously missing from both approaches. Before they learn the best techniques for conducing pap smears and putting on condoms, children must be taught teleology, values clarification, and information acquisition. A program must not impose views implicitly through slogans, no matter how good the advice the slogans provide.

Is the Christian Legal Society's Loss a Loss for Everyone?

What the Supreme Court's verdict means for campus ministries.
Alec Hill, president of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
7/07/2010

On June 28th, the U.S. Supreme Court—in a bitterly divided 5–4 vote—upheld a public university's right to enforce an "all-comers" antidiscrimination policy against a student group affiliated with the Christian Legal Society (CLS).

As president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA—and as a former professor of law—I have concerns about how this decision may impact our 860 chapters and other campus ministries.

1. Legal Impact
Narrowly construed, the court upheld Hastings Law School's right to require all recognized student organizations to abide by its "all-comers" antidiscrimination policy. This unusual policy mandates that all school-approved groups "allow any student to participate, become a member, or seek leadership positions in the organization, regardless of [her] status or beliefs."

To date, I am aware of only one other public university—a regional school in Maine—that has a similar policy. On its face, the policy seems logically inconsistent and impossible to enforce. Will Democratic student clubs really accept Republicans as leaders? Will Hillel, a national Jewish campus group, embrace Muslim students as voting members? Will Sierra Club chapters follow student leaders who deny global warming?

It is difficult to imagine a large university like Ohio State adopting an "all-comers" policy. Student groups representing affinity groups such as sororities, Latinos, atheists, or the LGBT community would be required to admit anyone and everyone into their inner circles. Sororities, for example, would have to admit male students. The result would be chaotic. the rest

Hawaii Gov. Rejects Same-Sex Civil Unions Bill

Wed, Jul. 07 2010
By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have legalized same-sex civil unions.

"The subject of this legislation has touched the hearts and minds of our citizens as no other social issue of our day," she said as she announced her decision. "After months of listening to Hawaii citizens, ... their deeply held beliefs and heartfelt reasons ... I have made the decision to veto House Bill 444."

The bill would have granted same-sex couples the same rights and benefits that the state provides to married couples. Just as conservative family groups have argued, Lingle felt it was essentially same-sex marriage by another name.

During her nearly eight years in office, Lingle said there has never been an issue or piece of legislation that she has contemplated more on than the institution of marriage. the rest

Dean Jeffrey John, leading gay cleric, rejected as next Bishop of Southwark

By Jonathan Wynne-Jones
July 7th, 2010

I can reveal that Dr Jeffrey John, the openly gay but celibate Dean of St Albans, has been blocked from becoming a bishop once again. He has not been chosen as the next Bishop of Southwark. Liberals will be dismayed that the Church has lost its nerve – but there is no reason for evangelicals to celebrate, either. This is bad news whichever way you look at it:

1) The Church has missed an opportunity to show that it is inclusive of homosexuals.

2) Jeffrey John has gained a reputation as a gifted preacher and effective pastor at St Albans cathedral and would have been a popular bishop.

3) It indicates that the Crown Nominations Commission is afraid of appointing any bishops who might bring a bit of colour.

4) A dignified and talented cleric has been embarrassed again.

5) The row over homosexual clergy could have been brought to a head, but will now fester until a gay priest is finally made a bishop. the rest

Comments at Stand Firm

Comments at MCJ

India: Muslims sever hand of Christian accused of 'blasphemy'

The victim is a college professor who "insulted Muhammad" in an exam questionnaire. Islamic extremism is growing in Kerala: many schools face pressures on the use of the hijab.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
By Asia News

A group of unknown assailants severed the hand and the right arm of a university professor accused of defaming Mohammed months ago. The execution took place yesterday morning in Muvattupuzha, Ernakulam district (Kerala). Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians condemns this "barbaric act" and recalls that "Sharia is not the law of India."

According to the police, Prof. TJ Joseph, was returning with his family from Sunday service when a group of people in a Maruti Omni van drew up beside him stopping him close to home. After forcing Joseph to get out of his car, they attacked him with knives and swords, then cut off his hand and right arm throwing them away after about 200 meters. the rest

Planned Parenthood Defrauded Taxpayers of Millions Claims Reinstated Lawsuit

Monday July 5, 2010
By James Tillman
SAN FRANCISCO, CA

(LifeSiteNews.com) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is reinstating Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles, a case alleging that Planned Parenthood defrauded taxpayers of tens of millions of dollars by overbilling government programs for birth-control pills and similar items.

Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), whose attorneys are handling the case, said that although "this case is by no means over, winning this appeal means we have gotten the federal claim over the threshold hurdles and can now get down to the heart of this case: the alleged fraud.”

Victor Gonzalez, a former Chief Financial Officer for Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles (PPLA), had filed his suit on December 19, 2005, shortly after he was fired allegedly for voicing concerns about PP's illegal accounting practices. the rest

The General Synod of the Church of England: A brief introduction to the issues

By Tom Mendelsohn
Notebook
Monday, 5 July 2010

The latest – and, arguably, the most important – meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod will start this Friday in York.

I may be speaking too soon on this one, considering the Synod’s history of prevarication and issue-dodging, but it’s looking likely that fireworks are on the agenda – this is one of the more eagerly (or bitterly, depending on your point of view) awaited sessions of recent times.

There is plenty of meat on the agenda, but the biggest issue at stake surely has to be the consecration of women bishops, one of the most divisive subjects ever to face the Anglican Communion, and one that could ultimately end in schism.

The General Synod of the Church of England meets three times a year, and issues such as this are discussed without fail during each session, but the reason this particular meeting is quite so important is that draft legislation on women bishops – the actual words that will inform Church practice – is due to be debated in its final form for the first time. The hope is that the wording will be agreed by vote, and that the new legislation can then enter the revision stage – the final stage before it is formally referred to the dioceses. the rest

Meeting on appointment of gay bishop will determine future of the Church
It is exactly seven years since Dr Rowan Williams secretly called Jeffrey John to Lambeth Palace and forced the homosexual cleric to stand down from becoming Bishop of Reading.

Presbyterians to consider redefining marriage

Associated Press
7/6/2010

MINNEAPOLIS- This week's General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will consider redefining marriage to include same-sex couples and allowing ministers to perform same-sex weddings.

Carmen Fowler, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, believes those sorts of initiatives are to blame for the denomination's declining membership.

Her group supports upholding the church's traditional definition of marriage.

The PCUSA's newly-elected moderator, Cynthia Bolbach, supports gay marriage but told the assembly on Saturday that the denomination has become paralyzed. the rest

Obama’s new mission for NASA: Reach out to Muslim world

By Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
07/05/10

In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to “re-inspire children” to study science and math, to “expand our international relationships,” and to “reach out to the Muslim world.” Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is “perhaps foremost,” because it will help Islamic nations “feel good” about their scientific accomplishments.

In the same interview, Bolden also said the United States, which first sent men to the moon in 1969, is no longer capable of reaching beyond low earth orbit without help from other nations.

Bolden made the statements during a recent trip to the Middle East. He told al-Jazeera that in the wake of the president’s speech in Cairo last year, the American space agency is now pursuing “a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world.” the rest

Indonesian Muslims arm for religious war

Paramilitary groups formed to combat 'Christianization,' conversion
July 05, 2010
by Michael Carl

Muslim mobs in the Jakarta suburb of Bekasi are forming small militia bands to stop what they say is the Christianization of this town a few miles east of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital city.

The actions come in response to Christians privately baptizing about a half-dozen Muslim converts to Christianity.

International Christian Concern's Southeast Asian area specialist Logan Maurer reports the "call to arms" is the result of a recent convention. the rest

Musical Kludge Is Beautiful

From the "There, I Fixed It" Website

Stem cells from blood a 'huge' milestone

Advance may prove easier, cheaper and faster than other harvesting methods
By Laura Sanders
Thursday, July 1st, 2010

Blood drawn with a simple needle stick can be coaxed into producing stem cells that may have the ability to form any type of tissue in the body, three independent papers report in the July 2 Cell Stem Cell. The new technique will allow scientists to tap a large, readily available source of personalized stem cells.

Because taking blood is safe, fast and efficient compared to current stem cell harvesting methods, some of which include biopsies and pretreatments with drugs, researchers hope that blood-derived stem cells could one day be used to study and treat diseases — though major safety hurdles remain.

The findings “represent a huge and important progression in the field,” stem cell biologist Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease in San Francisco, Calif., writes in a commentary appearing in the same issue of the journal. the rest

Devotional: Sometimes when darkness falls...

Sometimes when darkness falls, and every light's gone out,
I wonder to what port my frail ship goes;
Although the night be long, and restless all my hours,
My distant goal, I'm sure, my Pilot knows.
...Thomas Curtis Clark image by mark goble

Controversy Surrounds Construction of Mosques Across U.S.

By Lauren Green
July 02, 2010
FoxNews.com

They're separated by thousands of miles, but they share a common controversy: Mosques. Murfreesboro, Tenn., has joined a growing list of midsized towns in the U.S. that are embroiled in conflicts over proposed mosques being built or bought in their neighborhoods.

Including Murfreesboro, residents have risen up against mosques in two other Tennessee towns; in Staten Island, N.Y.; Sheboygan County, Wis.; and the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, as well as the proposed mosque and Islamic Cultural Center near Ground Zero, which has garnered some of the most heated battles.

A new Quinnipiac Poll shows that well over half of New Yorkers – 52 percent oppose building a mosque near the 9/11 site. Only 31 percent support it. the rest

Britain seeks show of restraint during pope visit

By Avril Ormsby
Mon Jul 5, 2010

LONDON (Reuters) - Campaigners planning to stage demonstrations during Pope Benedict's visit to Britain should show restraint, the prime minister's special representative for the papal visit, Chris Patten, said on Monday.

Various protests are expected during the first papal state visit to the country in September, including by secularists, gay rights groups and those angry at the child-abuse scandal which has spread throughout the Roman Catholic church globally.

But Patten, a former Conservative minister and governor of Hong Kong, who was appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron to help coordinate the four-day visit, said demonstrators should be free to express their opinions, but should not fall into the trap of intolerance.

"I hope that (the protests) will be done with restraint, and that it will be done with a show of tolerance," he told Reuters.

"It would be an extraordinary irony if those who polemicise past intolerance by churches are to become themselves the proponents of intolerance towards churches." the rest

Derided no more, suburban life is turning serious

Jul 5, 2010
By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER
Associated Press Writer

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) -- The numbingly similar tract homes, endless strip malls and multiple minivans filled with youth soccer players indelibly mark this former Indian mission territory as a Kansas City suburb.

Look deeper, and a more nuanced portrait of Johnson County, Kansas emerges: an economic powerhouse that has eclipsed its big-city neighbor in political influence. An educated community with a vibrant arts scene. And a cultural melting pot where Brazilian grocers and Vietnamese nail salons blend in with the Walmarts and Burger Kings.

Suburban America has been the butt of jokes and stereotypes for decades. The portrayal persists in Hollywood, which continues to zing the 'burbs with over-the-top tales of conniving, desperate housewives and wayward soccer moms in bed with Mexican drug lords.

Enough, say the Johnson County civic leaders planning a National Museum of Suburban History. Their contention: With more than 50 percent of the country living in places like Shawnee, it's past time to take the suburbs seriously. the rest Image by austrini

Christian Legal Society v. Martinez - Post-Decision SCOTUScast

June 30, 2010
Richard A. Epstein

On June 28, 2010, the Supreme Court announced its decision in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez. The question in this case was whether a public university's law school may deny funding and other benefits to a religious student organization because the organization refuses to abide by a non-discrimination policy that would prevent it from requiring its officers and voting members to agree with its core beliefs, including beliefs concerning homosexual conduct.

In a 5-4 opinion delivered by Justice Ginsburg, the Court held that the petitioner, the Hastings Christian Legal Society chapter, was bound by its stipulation that Hastings’ policy required student organizations to admit all comers in order to participate in the Registered Student Organization program. The Court further ruled that this policy was a reasonable, viewpoint-neutral condition on access to a limited public forum consistent with the First Amendment.

To discuss the case, we have University of Chicago and New York University Law School Professor Richard A. Epstein, who was Counsel of Record on a brief submitted by the Cato Institute in support of the petitioner. the rest

Audio

ACLU Presses Gov't to Ensure Faith-Based Hospitals Provide Emergency Abortions

Fri, Jul. 02 2010
By Lawrence D. Jones
Christian Post Reporter

The American Civil Liberties Union is pressing a federal health agency to ensure that religiously-affiliated hospitals provide emergency reproductive care as required by federal law.

"The lives and health of pregnant women seeking medical care should be of paramount importance," expressed Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, in a statement Thursday. "No woman should have to worry that she will not receive the care she needs based on the affiliation of the nearest hospital."

In a letter dated Thursday, the ACLU asked the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to investigate situations in which the lives and health of patients were jeopardized as a result of hospitals' adherence to religious doctrine, rather than medical ethics. the rest

Conservatives Are More Than Twice as Likely as Liberals to Be Strongly Patriotic, Says Gallup Poll

Sunday, July 04, 2010
By Terence P. Jeffrey, Editor-in-Chief

(CNSNews.com) - Conservatives are more than twice as likely as liberals to express very strong patriotism, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll in which 48 percent of conservatives said they were “extremely patriotic,” but only 19 percent of liberals made that claim.

The poll asked respondents this question: “How patriotic are you? Would you say extremely patriotic, very patriotic, somewhat patriotic, or not especially patriotic?” The poll surveyed a random sample of 1,014 adults from June 11-13, and the margin of error was plus-or-minus 4 percentage points.

Overall, 72 percent of Americans said they were either extremely (32 percent) or very patriotic (42 percent), with another 19 percent saying they were somewhat patriotic. Only 6 percent said they were "not especially patriotic." the rest

Withholding Care from Vegetative Patients: Financial Savings and Social Costs

L. Syd M Johnson
07/02/2010

In a recent column in the Huffington Post, Jacob M. Appel argues for “rational rationing” of health care resources by withholding and withdrawing life-sustaining medical treatment from patients in a permanent vegetative state. He considers the case of Ruben Betancourt, which will soon be decided by the New Jersey Superior Court in Betancourt v. Trinitas Regional Medical Hospital.

Mr. Betancourt was a patient at Trinitas Regional Medical Hospital in Elizabeth, N.J., where he had successful surgery for a malignant thymoma in January 2008. But Mr. Betancourt suffered oxygen deprivation, resulting in severe brain damage, after accidental extubation of his breathing tube following the surgery. He lapsed into unconsciousness and was subsequently moved to various health care facilities, including a nursing home, where he was sustained on a feeding tube and dialysis.

When Mr. Betancourt was readmitted to Trinitas in July 2008 with renal failure, doctors balked at providing dialysis, artificial nutrition and hydration, and artificial ventilation, claiming that the patient was in an irreversible vegetative state, was actively dying, and that further treatment was medically and ethically inappropriate and inhumane. The hospital sought to remove him from life support. Mr. Betancourt’s daughter objected, saying that she thought her father was aware and reacted to his family, and that he was responding to treatment. Although he left no advance directive, his family believed that he would have wanted treatment continued. A legal battle ensued between the family and the hospital.

Mr. Betancourt died in May 2009, but his legal case remains on appeal. The court’s decision could have important implications for legal debates about medical futility, patient autonomy, and questions about when and under what circumstances doctors and hospitals can refuse to provide life-sustaining care to patients. the rest

There are substantial social costs to declaring an entire class of patients “worthless.” Allowing health care providers, including institutions like acute care hospitals, to unilaterally decide, against the wishes of patients or their legal guardians, to withhold life-sustaining medical treatment invites abuse and diminishes transparency and due process.

The Euthanasia Drumbeat Gets Louder
Across the world, the inexorable push for accepting the new culture of death continues unabated

Planned Parenthood Uses Independence Day to Press for Military Base Abortions

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 5, 2010
Washington, DC

(LifeNews.com) -- Planned Parenthood used Independence Day as an occasion to press its agenda for the military: abortions at taxpayer-funded military base hospitals. In an action alert the abortion giant sent its members Planned Parenthood belittled the July 4th traditions to say they're not as important as abortions.

"This 4th of July, among the outdoor cookouts and fireworks displays, countless politicians and members of Congress will give speeches to honor the women and men serving in our nation's military. But speeches are one thing, and action is another," Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards wrote. the rest

Appointing gay bishop 'risks splitting Church'

Monday, 5 July 2010

A leading conservative Anglican has warned the Church of England could split if an openly gay man is appointed Bishop of Southwark.

Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, is said to be among a number of clergy nominated for the post.

His supporters say Dr John is the right man for the job in a liberal diocese.

But traditionalist Canon Chris Sugden said his appointment would lose the allegiance of orthodox parishes and clergy. the rest

New row set to split Church of England as Cameron pledges support for openly gay cleric

My guess is that Jeffrey John will become the C of E's first openly gay bishop – with David Cameron's support -Damian Thompson

Urgent Call for Prayer from Anglican Mainstream
Reports in the press over the weekend indicate the urgent need for prayer with regard to the nomination of a new Bishop of Southwark. They follow earlier reports about the timing of the proposed changes to the Church of England’s discipline with regard to divorce being driven by the need to consider a particular candidate for Southwark. These reports are speculative but they remind us of the supreme importance of prayer over such appointments, and especially at the moment for the members of the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC) who choose the names to go forward to the Prime Minister and HM the Queen. It has been reported that the CNC is meeting today and tomorrow (5 and 6 July) to consider the Southwark nomination. Please pray, and encourage others to pray too, that the Holy Spirit will so control the meeting of the Commission that the person chosen is a godly person whose life and doctrine is fully in accord with the Church of England’s teaching and formularies, which means most of all in accord with the teaching of Holy Scripture. Pray also for the clergy and people of the Diocese of Southwark.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy:

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry [2 Timothy 4:3-5, RSV]

And may the Lord have mercy on His church.

Wanted: 'worship songs' for men

The Revd John P Richardson
Friday, 2 July 2010

This morning I was tackling another task I find particularly difficult, namely putting together an order of service for Sunday night. Others might find this easy: pick a few hymns, add some suitable prayers, top and tail with an introduction and closing blessing and that’s it.

Unfortunately, I usually get stuck at step one. When it comes to picking the hymns and songs, I go completely blank. This may, however, be connected with the fact that I find so much of what we sing fairly dire, and in particular I think much of it is totally unsuitable for men.

I was especially struck by this with regard to a new song we are going to learn for Sunday night. The author is well-known and well-liked, so I will spare his blushes, but to be honest, the lyrics read like a ‘rush job’ and the tune isn’t much better. the rest

Gay cleric in line to become bishop in Church of England

An openly-homosexual cleric has been nominated to become a senior bishop, in a move that threatens to provoke a damaging split in the Church of England.
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones,
Religious Affairs Correspondent
03 Jul 2010

A confidential meeting, chaired by Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has approved Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans, to be on the shortlist to be the next Bishop of Southwark.

He is understood to be the favoured candidate.

Archbishop of Canterbury in bid to prevent church split over homosexualityDr John is a hugely divisive figure in the church after he was forced to stand down from becoming the Bishop of Reading in 2003 after it emerged he was in a homosexual, but celibate, relationship.

Promoting him to one of the most senior offices in the Church would trigger a civil war between liberals and conservatives and exacerbate existing divisions within the Anglican Communion. the rest

Sharp summertime shadow

Raymond took this picture of the back patio where the high summer sun caused this very sharp shadow line. It shows how high the sun gets in CNY (around the 43rd N parallel) and contributes to the hot and humid weather.

We had a very busy Fourth of July weekend-blogging has been slow as a result. We have to catch up on a few chores today too while Raymond is available.

Archbishop Justice Akrofi resigns from the Standing Committee

July 2nd, 2010

The ACC has today announced the resignation of the Archbishop of West Africa from the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion. Archbishop Justice was the "alternate" from Africa for Archbishop Henry Orombi who has also resigned.

Two new members to be welcomed onto the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion

The forthcoming Standing Committee meeting will welcome two new members from Asia and Africa: Bp Paul Sarker (Moderator of the Church of Bangladesh and Bishop of Dhaka) and Revd Canon Janet Trisk of South Africa (Rector of the Parish of St David, Prestbury in Pietermaritzburg, in the Diocese of Natal).

The two new additions and the existing members face a packed agenda for their July meeting that includes reports on finance, mission, the Anglican Relief and Development Alliance, evangelism and church growth, and unity, faith and order including the progress of consideration of the Anglican Communion Covenant by the Provinces.

They will also be discussing Standing Committee membership issues including electing a successor to Bp Azad Marshall, Bishop of Iran, and noting the resignations of Archbishops Justice Akrofi and Henry Orombi. the rest

Six Months to Go Until The Largest Tax Hikes in History

From Ryan Ellis
Thursday, July 1, 2010

In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect.

First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011:

Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which two-thirds of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions and personal exemptions will again phase out, which has the same mathematical effect as higher marginal tax rates. The full list of marginal rate hikes is below:

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%
- The 25% bracket rises to 28%
- The 28% bracket rises to 31%
- The 33% bracket rises to 36%
- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

the rest

Pro-Abortion Group Wants Pregnancy Centers Removed From Internet Directories

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 1, 2010
Washington, DC

(LifeNews.com) -- They say they support choice, but the pro-abortion activists at NARAL want to leave women in unplanned pregnancy situations with one option: abortion. In a letter to its members today, NARAL president Nancy Keenan announced she is asking two Internet directories to remove pregnancy center listings.

If NARAL is successful, that means millions of people who visit the two prominent directories every year will not see listings for pregnancy centers that provide women with abortion alternatives.

"Today, my team sent our letter with more than 59,000 signatures to YellowPages.com and SuperPages.com asking them to remove misleading CPC ads from their sites," Keenan said this afternoon. "But anti-choice CPCs are still blanketing buses, billboards, and even the airwaves with their falsehoods." the rest

Health law risks turning away sick

By Julian Pecquet
07/01/10

The Obama administration has not ruled out turning sick people away from an insurance program created by the new healthcare law to provide coverage for the uninsured.

Critics of the $5 billion high-risk pool program insist it will run out of money before Jan. 1, 2014. That’s when the program sunsets and health plans can no longer discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.

Administration officials insist they can make changes to the program to ensure it lasts until 2014, and that it may not have to turn away sick people. Officials said the administration could also consider reducing benefits under the program, or redistributing funds between state pools. But they acknowledged turning some people away was also a possibility. the rest

Redefining the First Freedom

More Than Worship
By Chuck Colson
Fri, Jul. 02 2010

For some time now, I’ve been warning you about the various threats to religious freedom. We’ve talked about the gay-rights movement, which insidiously insists that religious believers and organizations bow before the altar of sexual freedom. We’ve talked about the so-called health care reform bill, which does not protect the freedom of conscience of medical practitioners.

But now I’m seeing the threat to religious freedom in its most pernicious and dangerous form ever.

In a nutshell, here’s what happened. In a speech at Georgetown University, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on human rights. Not only did she talk about the right “to love in the way you choose,” (an obvious attempt at making protecting gay rights a top priority for the U.S. government), she also talked about “freedom of worship.”

But she never mentioned freedom of religion. Only freedom of worship. This is a big change.

In the First Amendment, the founders (whose work we celebrate this weekend) wisely ensured that government could not prohibit the “free exercise” of religion. And that means so much more than freedom of worship. It guarantees that we are not restricted to living out our faith in the privacy of our homes or church sanctuaries. It means we are free to exercise our religion-and contend for faith-in every area of life. the rest image

Alone with God

“O God ... your loving-kindness is better than life itself”-Psalm 63:3

Essay by The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner
July 1, 2010

Someone once asked me to visit a woman he knew, who lived alone in her house. So I went to talk to her. “I wish I were dead,” she told me. “I’m just miserable.” “I’ve nothing to do, no place to go. What’s the point?”

“Do you pray?” I asked her.

“I’ve prayed to get out of this place for ages; and God simply doesn’t listen.”

“Do you pray, not for things, but just to be with God?”

“What in the world do you mean be with God?” she asked.

“You know,” I said, “be with God out of love?” the rest-Excellent!

image by Peter Heilmann

Be with God, out of love … Do we know ourselves to be people who are living with God, fundamentally and really, always and everywhere, so that in fact we are never alone? Prayer inhabits the knowledge that “your loving-kindness is better than life itself,” so that “my soul is content, as with marrow and fatness” (Psalm 63:5). These words speak of eating, of sustenance — of life itself. The Church has always taught that prayer lies at the center of human life itself, and of the Christian vocation in particular. I have failed too often, as a teacher of teenagers and confirmands and new members, by neglecting this reality in favor of teaching about “doctrines” and “ministries” and the rest. But prayer! The prayer that constitutes “being with” the Life of our life, with God, as our marrow and fatness. Speaking to him, face to face — that is necessity.

Episcopal church suffers setback in Fort Worth lawsuit

Wed, Jun. 30, 2010
By MELODY MCDONALD
McClatchy Newspapers

A local group representing the national Episcopal Church has hit a legal snag in its attempt to take control of the property of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.

The 2nd Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the group's attorneys, who filed a lawsuit on behalf of "The Corporation and The Fort Worth Diocese," cannot represent those entities because the entities are also associated with Bishop Jack Iker, the defendant in the lawsuit.

The appellate court noted that there is only one corporation and diocese, which both sides are staking claim to.

The opinion, written by Justice Anne Gardner, says that "a corporation cannot sue itself" and that a judge would be "unnecessarily confused by presentations from two opposing factions who claim to be the 'The Corporation' and 'The Fort Worth Diocese.'"

The opinion also says that the work performed by the attorneys, Jonathan Nelson and Kathleen Wells, in the name of the corporation and the diocese should be thrown out but that the attorneys can represent the individuals who hired them. the rest

UK: "Wear your seatbelt" ad

Devotional: Victory...

Victory has to do with my happiness alone; fruitfulness means happiness for others and is only possible through seeming defeat. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die, else it abideth alone, but if it die it beareth much fruit. It is in the fruit, Jesus says, that the Father is glorified. The Savior's ultimate for His followers is much fruit-not safety, not social security, not ease, not pleasure, not prosperity. ...Frederick Huegel
image by Schnittke

Legal assisted suicide creates 'slippery slope' to doctors killing without consent, expert claims

Legalising assisted suicide creates a “slippery slope” that leads to doctors killing patients without their consent, according to an expert.
By Martin Beckford
01 Jul 2010

Prof David Jones said that if society agrees that it is in some people’s interests for them to end their own lives, it is difficult to resist the logical conclusion that others should be helped to die even if they have not made such a request.

He claimed this situation already exists in the Netherlands, where voluntary euthanasia is legal but where about 500 patients are also killed a year by their doctors without requesting to die.

Prof Jones, director of the centre for bioethics at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, said: “My view is that it will lead from people who have asked to die, to people who cannot ask.” the rest

Virtue in Virtual Gomorrah

Jul 1, 2010
Joe Carter

“The Internet was completely funded by porn,” said Greg Fitzsimmons at the twenty-third annual adult entertainment industry awards. He was only half-joking. The pornography industry drove or boosted many of the web’s most useful innovations—live chat, streaming video, online payment systems—as well as the popularity of fast connections. The Internet (in the guise of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is returning the favor by giving the trade its own top-level domain: .XXX.

Ironically, the move is being opposed by an unlikely alliance of pornographers and religious and family organizations. The former thinks it will ghettoize the business while the latter believes it will legitimize the product. No one thinks the change will limit the distribution of content or make it any less accessible.

Although the practical effect will be negligible, the .XXX domain is a potent symbol and cultural marker for our present condition: Technology now allows the unadventurous to explore temptations once reserved for the bold, and to do so with minimal effort and almost no risk of exposure. Where once the curious had to travel to the seedy sections of the city or meet up with shady sleaze peddler, now they can stay safely in their home and just turn on a television or computer. the rest

Albert Mohler: When Feminism Kills — Abortion As ‘The Lesser Evil’

“If you are willing to die for a cause, you must be prepared to kill for it, too.” That statement, published for all the world to see, perfectly distills the inescapable logic of the abortion rights argument. It is based on a willingness to kill — and on the horrifying audacity to call this killing “the lesser evil.”
Thursday, July 1, 2010

Moral earthquakes, like earthquakes of the geophysical variety, most often occur suddenly and without warning. At one moment, the moral argument is framed in conventional and familiar ways. Just an instant later, all is changed. An article that appears in the June 30, 2010 edition of The Times [London] represents a moral earthquake that resets an entire issue — and that issue is abortion. This chilling essay is hard to read, but impossible to ignore. To read it is to feel the moral ground shift under your feet.

In “Yes, Abortion is Killing. But It’s the Lesser Evil,” writer Antonia Senior acknowledges that an unborn child at any stage is a human life. But she then proceeds to assert that feminism is more important than life, and that, when necessary, women must be willing to kill for the feminist cause even as they are willing to die for it. the rest image

In this essay, published in one of the world’s most venerable newspapers, Antonia Senior goes public with the argument that feminists should just admit that abortion is the killing of a human life, and then they should go on to assert that the right to kill an unborn human life is just the price that must be paid if feminism is to be defended.

50th Catholic parish is closing in Cleveland

By MEGHAN BARR
The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 30, 2010

CLEVELAND -- A bell tolled solemnly as a man read the names of the fallen churches like a list of dearly departed saints.

St. Hedwig's, recently sold to a drug rehabilitation agency. St. Andrew's, demolished months ago.

Now joining them is St. Emeric's, an old Hungarian parish, where about 100 parishioners gathered Wednesday to say goodbye. The church is the last of 50 parishes to close its doors, ending a massive downsizing of mostly older, ethnic parishes decreed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland because of falling attendance, a priest shortage and financial problems. the rest

Critics blast Scottish ‘home abortion’ plan

Wed, 30 Jun 2010

Doctors in Scotland are giving women abortion-inducing drugs in hospital before sending them home to have the abortion in a scheme critics have described as “grotesque”.

Before now, women having so-called early medical abortions have been given the drugs and kept in hospital until they are well enough to return home, usually about six hours later.

But under this scheme women are being offered the option of receiving the abortion-inducing drugs and then going straight home. the rest

No condoms for grade schoolers, Mass. schools say

Jun 30, 2010

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. (AP) -- The superintendent of a Massachusetts school district is apologizing to parents for what she calls a misunderstanding over a condom availability policy.

Superintendent Beth Singer said in the letter e-mailed Tuesday that the district will clarify that elementary school-age students won't be able to get a condom if they request one from the school nurse.

The Cape Cod Times reports that she wrote it became necessary to revise the wording after it was "so badly understood and misrepresented by the media." the rest

Supreme Court Deals Blow to Liberty

by David French
06/30/2010

Monday, June 28, 2010, was a landmark day for liberty—but not in the way that most conservatives realize. News outlets led with stories of the Supreme Court’s gun rights ruling in McDonald v. Chicago (Matt Drudge even announced the ruling with one of his famous “siren” graphics) and then quickly shifted their attention to Elena Kagan’s confirmation hearing. Lost in the shuffle was a second Supreme Court decision, one that contains a line of reasoning that threatens our understanding of what liberty is.

That case, Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, dealt with a seemingly simple issue: Could a university require a Christian student organization to open its leadership and voting membership to those who disagree with the group’s faith or who refuse to abide by its code of conduct? In other words, could the university require a Christian group to be led by Muslims or by people who disregard biblical commands regarding, for example, sexual behavior.

Common sense would dictate that a group should be able to limit its membership and leadership to those who share the group’s purpose. After all, who ever heard of a Republican group led by Democrats, an African-American group led by white supremacists, or a vegetarian group led by cattle ranchers? But this involved a university, where common sense is always trumped by political correctness, and this particular school (Hastings College of Law in San Francisco) said that each student group had to open its membership and leadership to every student on campus. the rest

The CLS case and the mirage of the “all comers” policy
The high court upheld the “all comers” policy of the University of California at Hastings (San Francisco) that requires every registered student organization to accept any student as a fully participating member, even students who disagree with the goals advocated by the organization...

Supreme Court Decision May Signal Onset of Church Persecution
A 5-4 Supreme Court decision Monday requiring Christian campus groups on public universities to accept gay students as members and leaders may signal the beginning of religious persecution in the U.S., says prayer leader Lou Engle...

Happy Birthday, My Pat!

A good wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax,and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant,she brings her food from afar.
She rises while it is yet nightand provides food for her householdand tasks for her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it;with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds her loins with strength and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor,and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household,for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
She makes herself coverings;her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates,when he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;she delivers girdles to the merchant.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her:"Many women have done excellently,but you surpass them all."Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,and let her works praise her in the gates.
And she blogs with Godliness!

Proverbs 31 (with a modern suffix added by Raymond)

(Well, thank you, my husband-although you know full well that I fall far short of the Proverbs 31 wife-sigh! love/Pat)