Scrolling around...September 2, 2013

Ordinary: The New Radical?
Radical. Epic. Revolutionary. Transformative. Ultimate. Extreme. Emergent. Alternative. Next. Impactful. On The Edge. Beyond. Awesome. Legendary. Innovative. Breakthrough.

Everything has to have an exclamation point to catch our attention these days. For many of us, the worst word in our vocabulary is “ordinary.” Who wants a bumper sticker that announces to the neighborhood, “My child is an ordinary student at Bubbling Brook Elementary”? Who wants to be an ordinary person in an ordinary town, a member of an ordinary church with ordinary friends and callings?

Our life has to count. We have to leave our mark, a legacy, make a difference. And this has to be something that we can manage, measure, and maintain. We have to live up to our own Facebook profile.

Yet there seems to be a restlessness with restlessness. It seems that a lot of us are becoming less eager to jump on bandwagons or trail-blaze totally new paths to greatness.

Truth be told, it is actually easier to dream big, pull up roots, and become anonymous—to start over—with a new set of upwardly mobile peers. And then to do it all over again, somewhere else, reinventing ourselves whenever we want a fresh start and a new set of supporting actors in our life movie. There is nothing wrong with moving to the city or pursuing adrenaline-racing callings. But the hype creeps into every area of our life. It’s making us tired, depressed, and mean...

IG REPORT: Obama’s IRS ‘HINDERED’ Efforts To Stop Illegals From Misusing Social Security Numbers   A recent audit report by the inspector general for the Social Security Administration found that Obama’s IRS was reluctant to penalize any employers who consistently used Social Security numbers that did not match the names.

Case challenging 'Pledge of Allegiance' reaches Massachusetts' highest court A Massachusetts atheist couple’s challenge to the required recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in school – specifically the phrase, “under God” – will reach the state’s highest court this week.

Religion News Services, or RNS, reports Massachusetts’ highest court, the Supreme Judicial Court , will consider Doe v. Action-Boxborough Regional School District on Wednesday, which is expected to rule whether the pledge violates students’ rights.

The verdict may reverberate around the nation...

'Jesus Had Two Dads and He Turned Out Just Fine' - Canada Church's New Billboard Draws Strong Criticism    An Anglican congregation in Ontario, Canada recently posted a billboard in front of its church that includes the pro-gay message: "Jesus had two dads and he turned out just fine." A photo of the billboard has since gone viral on the Internet, sparking anger among many Christian viewers pointing out the sign's contradiction to scripture...

Biola president apologizes to pro-lifers, affirms sanctity of life at university  Biola University's president has apologized publicly for the school's treatment of a pro-life student and has outlined a plan to strengthen the Christian school's longstanding commitment to the sanctity of human life.

Biola President Barry Corey issued an open apology to pro-lifers Aug. 20, saying the La Mirada, Calif., school committed "missteps" in its response to senior nursing student Diana Jimenez and her participation in displaying on campus graphic images of aborted babies.

After Jimenez showed a graphic photo a second time, a Biola administration official threatened to ban her from her graduation and the campus if she committed a third such infraction, according to pro-life blogger Jill Stanek. The school's dean of nursing subsequently ordered faculty in the department not to write employment letters of reference for Jimenez...