Scrolling around...Janurary 9, 2013

“The principal difficulty lies, and the greatest care should be employed in constituting this Representative Assembly. It should be in miniature, an exact portrait of the people at large. It should think, feel, reason, and act like them.” — John Adams here

Ex-atheist rips into architects of the Sexual Revolution: "we were wrong, wrong, wrong"
..."I’ve lived through the greatest revolution in sexual mores in our history. The damage it’s done appals(sic) me"...

For First Time Ever…Obama to Use Civil Rights Activist and Not Clergy to Deliver Benediction at Inauguration
...President Obama has picked Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of slain civil rights icon Medgar Evers, to deliver the invocation at his public swearing-in later this month. It is believed to be the first time a woman, and a layperson rather than a clergy member, has been chosen to deliver what may be America’s most prominent public prayer...

The Liturgical Cliff
...For over forty years, the vast majority of Catholic parishes have tilted the celebration of the Mass in a manner that was thought to stimulate God's Really Awesome People. The Church, according to cultural trends, needed to be a more welcoming and friendly place. So we placed greeters at the doors, and, just in case we were not welcomed enough the first time, we are then invited by the lector to greet our fellow pew-mates before Mass begins. The music melody and attendant instruments are also intended to appeal to us, not God, so that the celebration may feel meaningful for us, the worshippers. Whether God, the object of worship, will be satisfied by our selections is not even given a thought...

The Millennial Generation's Acceptable Sin
Every human institution and society has its own list of sins and virtues that contradict the law of God. With the rise of the Millennial generation in evangelical churches, a vice is creeping up into the realms of acceptance, indifference, or at least resignation: fornication (i.e. extramarital sex or unchaste living).

A few decades ago, this was one of the main issues that evangelicals hammered in their social witness. The skeptical news cycle and entertainment industry mocked this often; they saw pleas for chastity as a laughable result of pietistic sexual repression and no small bit of hypocrisy. Theological leaders and other influential voices chided their fellow believers for obsessing over a select set of sexual taboos...

Genocide in Shades of Pink
What if every female in America suddenly disappeared? It would feel a lot like Asia, where sex-selective abortion has taken 163 million girls. How the gospel is slowly turning the tide on the quiet holocaust...

Supreme Court Looks Ahead to Gay Marriage Cases; Churches Brace for Outcome
...Two of the cases that the Court is planning to review during March include Hollingsworth v. Perry, which will examine whether gay and lesbian Americans have a fundamental right to marriage, while Windsor v. United States will examine the federal law that defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, ABC News reported.

Other important issues the Supreme Court has on its agenda include affirmative action, voting rights and government secrecy. It terms of same-sex marriage, however, two laws are on the line that might determine the legality of gay marriage throughout the entire country...

Obama administration ends post-9/11 restrictions on Saudis entering U.S.
...Diplomats said the administration of President Barack Obama has removed most restrictions on the entry of Saudis to the United States. They said the percentage of visa approvals for Saudis has reached unprecedented levels...

Muslims protest fall of Islamic Spain and vow to recapture it
...Demonstrator: We are trying to remind people of the history of Andalusia. It was toppled over 500 years ago by the Spaniards, who are occupying it to this day. We want to remind people that no matter how long the Spanish occupation of Andalusia continues, the day will come, Allah willing, when we liberate it and Islam will return...

The San Antonio Theater Shooting the National Media Ignored
...The San Antonio theater shooting was neutralized by armed resistance before anyone was killed. The off-duty officer recognized the threat and was trained to meet it and she did — so successfully in fact that the city gave her a medal for her actions...

Black Church Leaders Vow Political Backlash if Gay Marriage Passes
Leaders of several Chicago-area African American churches on Monday urged state lawmakers to vote against pending legislation that would allow same-sex marriage in Illinois...

We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists
A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey, which has accumulated data for the past 47 years from 9 million young adults, reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing.