updated: 4/07/08 - (MLK, the Olympic Torch, McCain, William F. Buckley, Sin, Election 08, the Clintons, 'The Hobbit', & more)

Eric Clapton, In the Presence of the Lord -The bluesman has been haunted by God through his early years, his born-again period, and his recovery. -by John Powell (Christianity Today)
Alice Cooper and Slash honoured for work with addicts. “I don’t think you need to die for your art...I've made myself very available to friends of mine," says Cooper, who will receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award. "They're people who would call me late at night and say, 'Between you and me, I've got a problem.'" -Reuters
Flyleaf, local bands united in faith -The V247
A review of P.O.D.'s When Angels & Serpents Dance -PopMatters
The night James Brown saved Boston -VH1
2008 Christianity Today Book Awards -Christianity Today
My trust in my Lord: I believe in Jesus Christ and I trust Him. It's that simple and that complex -by Anne Rice (Washington Post)
The other side of the mountaintop: Scholars assess nation's progress -- and an icon's rougher edges -- four decades after assassination -Washington Post
‘I Have a Dream’: On the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, Michael Eric Dyson explains why the civil rights leader's words still matter, and how they're playing into the 2008 presidential race. -Newsweek
Excerpts from King's speeches -Washington Post
Olympic Torch Goes Out, Briefly, in Paris -NY Times
Olympic torch extinguished during Paris leg -CNN.com/europe
McCain sees King speech as chance to mend ties -NY Times
My Old Man and the Sea -by Christopher Buckley (National Review)
Catholic witness: WFB -by Kathryn Jean Lopez (National Review)
Camera-ready conservative: William F. Buckley was always right of center -by Deroy Murdock (National Review)
The complete writings of William F. Buckley Jr. -Hillsdale College
Most Americans believe in sin, but differ widely on just what it is -Ellison
Election 08's 'false clerics and schismatic spirits': The ubiquity of religion in this campaign season is distinctly un-Lutheran. "I belong to Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in downtown Washington, D.C. This is an all-black parish, just like Obama's. My wife and I, along with another congregant and the organist, are the only white members. We did not join Mount Olivet to make a political statement, however; we did so simply because it was closest to our home, and because it was liturgical and faithful to Scripture and the confessional writings of the Lutheran Church. That was all we needed" -by Uwe Siemon-Netto (Christianity Today)
Hot Fuzz duo confirm third movie: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg have confirmed plans for a third spoof comedy, following hit British movies 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz'. -BBC
Spirituality big factor in children's happiness --study -Edmonton Journal
Hitchens goes off on Clintons, calls Bill Hillary's "moral tutor, the man who taught her how to lie" -Huffington Post

updated: 4/03/08 - (Donald Miller, Expelled Movie, the Pope, Obama, Gen. X, & more)

Jazzed about the big screen: Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz been adapted into a screenplay, with The Second Chance director Steve Taylor at the helm—and both men are pretty excited about it -Christianity Today
Expelled enlivens blogosphere: Controversy over new documentary is most blogged-about topic online. Though the Ben Stein-narrated movie doesn't open in theaters until April 18, it has already become the most controversial movie of the year after noted atheist PZ Myers was booted from a recent screening of the film in Minneapolis. Associate producer Mark Mathis sees some irony here. "It is amazing to see the reaction of PZ Myers, Richard Dawkins and their cohorts when one of them is simply expelled from a movie. Yet these men applaud when professors throughout the nation are fired from their jobs and permanently excluded from their profession for mentioning Intelligent Design." -Christianity Today
A Good Book in camouflage: There are more than 50,000 copies of 'Experiencing God, Day by Day' with the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan -by Lisa Miller (Newsweek)
Today's spies find secrets in plain sight -USA Today
Andy Warhol is popping up all over the place -USA Today
Pop culture quiz -HeyNielsen
Ted Turner joins churches to fight Malaria: Apologizes for criticism -AP
Religion at the register: To retailers such as Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby, spiritual principles go hand in hand with profits -by Dana Knight (Indianapolis Star)
Pope on mankind's "anthropological error" -by Rod Dreher (Dallas Morning News)
McKellen hopes for another go at Gandalf in 'Hobbit' -USA Today
Court closes United Methodist church in Russia -UMNS
“To be young was very heaven”: The poetic friendship of Wordsworth and Coleridge. -Christianity Today
Obama bowl-a-rama: gutterballs roll -"How can you [Obama] keep our jobs from going overseas when you can't even keep the ball out of the (bowling lane) gutter?" (John Stewart) -Huffington Post
Scientists probe meditation secrets: Scientists are beginning to uncover evidence that meditation has a tangible effect on the brain -BBC
Photos of massive pillow fight in NYC -Village Voice
How Generation X got the shaft but can still keep everything from sucking: Gen X'ers don't deserve their slacker reputation, argues the author of X Saves the World. After all, they can boast Google and Barack Obama. -Alternet

updated: 4/01/08

Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes Of All Time: (as judged by notoriety, absurdity, and number of people duped). -museumofhoaxes.com
Introducing Gmail Custom Time Be on time. Every time. -Google.com
Introducing Gmail Paper -Google.com
NO FOOLIN': Our picks for the Top 10 science hoaxes of all time -discovery.com
AprilFoolsDayOnTheWeb.com brings you the most complete listing of April Fools' Day Jokes that Web Sites have run each year from 2004 all the way up to today. -AprilFoolsDayOnTheWeb.com
Is God silenced on college campuses? Or is the conversation simply changing? -USA Today
How Generation X got the shaft but can still keep everything from sucking: Gen X'ers don't deserve their slacker reputation, argues the author of X Saves the World. After all, they can boast Google and Barack Obama. -Alternet
Fascist fashion and Spring Czar trends -Dictators of the World Supper Club
Introducing Max the Love Bug: Volkswagen's new ad campaign stars a quirky '64 Beetle -USA Today
Criticism and Islam -Wall Street Journal
Psalms offer source of inspiration for prayer: Worshipers turn to ancient Hebrew verses to discover a powerful tool for intimacy with God. -LA Times
Hollywood counterpoint: 'Grey's Anatomy' actress and Planned Parenthood board member Kate Walsh says teen abstinence is "like asking them not to grow. It's like we don't ask people to not try out for sports." -Breitbart
Islam’s ‘Public Enemy #1’: Coptic priest Zakaria Botros fights fire with fire -by Raymond Ibrahim (National Review)
Muslims now outnumber Catholics -USA Today
The gospel according to Philip Seymour Hoffman: Finding the spirit on stage and in an "unwieldy" Jesus -Busted Halo

updated: 3/26/08

Where angels no longer fear to tread -Scientists try to explain religion -The Economist
Q&A with Francis Collins: Celebrating God through science -Christianity Today
World Food Program calls for donations -USA Today
Jeremiah Wright's preaching to a choir I've left -by Jonetta Rose Barras (Washington Post)
Obama’s talk fuels Easter sermons -NY Times
Bishops in Holy Week shoe-shine: Bishops got down on their knees on Maundy Thursday to shine the shoes of office workers and shoppers in towns and cities across the country. -BBC
Finding a deeper meaning in Easter -Atlanta Journal Constitution
Pews fill at Easter -Washington Times
Back to the day job?: Sen. Fred Thompson set to resume acting -USA Today
Paying for a pastor’s sins: The comments by Barack Obama’s former minister are inexcusable, to be sure. But the freedom and energy of the black church experience must be understood before a judgment is cast. And really, should any of us be held to account for the words of our pastor? -USA Today
McCain's pastor a sharp contrast to Obama's -Washington Post
A guide to the French. Handle with care. -NY Times
Pearl has converted the faithful in Tennessee -Washington Post
Baptism of Muslim stokes controversy -National Post
Gorbachev dispels 'closet Christian' rumors: "Over the last few days some media have been disseminating fantasies – I can't use any other word – about my secret Catholicism, citing my visit to the Sacro Convento friary, where the remains of St. Francis of Assisi lie," Gorbachev says. "To sum up and avoid any misunderstandings, let me say that I have been and remain an atheist.” -Christian Post

updated: 3/20/08

Review: Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Christian George, in Sex, Sushi, and Salvation, offers a plea for authentic Christian faith. -Relevant
Review: Cormac McCarthy: Male or Female? -by Kristen McCarthy (Relevant)
Bad Religion's lead singer Greg Graffin to receive the 2008 Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award in Cultural Humanism from the Humanist Chaplaincy and Harvard Secular Society. -Punk Bands
Band of the week: Evangelicals -Paste
CT Classic: The Scars of Easter -He knows the wounds of humanity. His hands prove it. -By Paul Brand with Philip Yancey (Christianity Today)
Amazing Sin, How Deep We're Bound -Finding the courage to trust in grace. -By Mark R. McMinn (Christianity Today)
'Father, Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit' -Jesus' important addition to David's cry. -By David Neff (Christianity Today)
Peace Be with You -Christ's resurrection not only frees us from death, but also frees us from using it. -By Jonathan R. Wilson (Christianity Today)
Lent: Into Holy Week -Relevant
Is sin dead? No, not by a long shot. Yet as Easter approaches, some pastors and theologians worry: How can Christians celebrate Jesus' atonement for their sins and the promise of eternal life in his resurrection if they don't recognize themselves as sinners? -USA Today
Why Easter matters -by N.T. Wright
Transcript: Barack Obama’s speech on race: "On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike." -NY Times
The Obama speech: Now, I'm still not voting for Obama, who is a conventional liberal, and I believe the latter part of his speech was thoroughly conventional left-liberal politics, blaming right-wingers for "exploiting" racial anger when he'd just got through saying that whites have some reason for being angry.... But that was a magnificent speech. I don't know that I've ever heard a politician give a speech about race in America that was so honest in describing the situation, being fair to both sides, and showing the way forward. It was a speech only Barack Obama could have given -by Rod Dreher (BeliefNet)
Black power from the pulpit: In wake of Obama's speech, author Thabiti Anyabwile, author of The Decline of African American Theology, talks about the appeal of black liberation theology -Christianity Today
Science vs. religion: The ultimate smackdown -Wired
Religion linked to happy life: A belief in God could lead to a more contented life, research suggests. -BBC
Friends, faith and a Feud: A couple of old friends—one a Christian, one not—discuss their disparate views on life in the thought-provoking new film, Purple State of Mind. -Christianity Today

updated: 3/17/08

10 things you should know about St. Patrick's Day -Relevant
St. Patrick revealed: The man behind the green beer and the myth. -Slate
Why it's not St. Patrick's Day today. You may be celebrating St Patrick's Day today as normal, but, at least according to Catholics and Anglicans, you're making a slight mistake. Why is that? - -BBC
Tooting his own horn --buyers agree. Bagpipe maker determined to be the best -Chicago Sun Times
Gone green: These are a few of my favorite Irish things -by Mark Hemingway (National Review)
St. Patrick's Day: Fact vs. Fiction. A true story that trumps the myth -News-Post
Learning from the Irish: The creational theology of the Celts -by Chuck Colson (BreakPoint)
New York and the famine: How Protestants came together to feed the Irish. -Wall Street Journal
Conquered by St. Patrick's Mountain: Ascending the 2,500-foot Irish peak Croagh Patrick proved more difficult than anticipated. -CS Monitor
10 great places to turn green with Irish pride -USA Today
Student power: Venezuela's youth scare Chávez with nonviolence -by Mary Anastasia O'Grady (Wall Street Journal)
Jacob Neusner on Catholic prayer -by Martin E. Marty (Christian Post)
Ben Stein is EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed -expelledthemovie.com

updated: 3/5/08

Manmade flood roars through Grand Canyon - -CNN.com
Huckabee Drops Out - -Christianity Today
Bono to headline 'American Idol' charity show -NME
Staying to help in Iraq: We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact -by Angelina Jolie (Washington Post)
Mother Angelina -Evening Standard
The divine Miss Winfrey? -USA Today
Let's Talk About God, Baby: Pushed to the edge, 'Salt' of Salt-N-Pepa turned to Jesus; now the hip-hop duo is reconciling on VH1. -Christianity Today
The mind of Moby -Relevant
Jack White talks about Hank Williams album -Paste
May we not lose his kind: Bill Buckley lived a great American life. His heroism was very American--the individualist at work in the world, the defender of great creeds and great beliefs going forth with spirit, style and joy. May we not lose his kind. For now, "Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels take thee to thy rest." -by Peggy Noonan (Wall Street Journal)
Larry Norman, 'Father of Christian Rock,' Dies at 60 - -Christianity Today
Obama cites Sermon on the Mount for his support of civil unions: "If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans." - -Christianity Today
Bill Maher and Ben Stein facing off with religious docs - -Paste

updated: 2/28/08

Larry Norman, RIP -by Andy Whitman (Paste)
Remembering Christian rock maverick Larry Norman -by Chris Willman (Entertainment Weekly)
William F. Buckley Jr., RIP -WOR Radio 710
William F. Buckley Jr. is dead at 82 -NY Times
William F. Buckley Jr. dies at 82 -NPR
Up from liberalism: When liberalism was dominant but hidebound, William F. Buckley Jr. pioneered a new direction that transformed American politics. -Wall Street Journal
William F. Buckley on the resurrection of Christ -Culturewatch
"He was a rebel, but not a heretic." William F. Buckley's biographer remembers the great conservative. -The New Republic
Buckley athwart history: He pioneered a new direction for U.S. politics. The wisdom -- and wit – of a giant of American conservatism. -Wall Street Journal
How is it possible to believe in God? -by William F. Buckley, Jr. (NPR)
Bill Buckley is dead. A world ends -by Rod Dreher (BeliefNet)
Nearer My God to Thee: An interview with Bill Buckley -PBS
Chris Matthews remembers William F. Buckley Jr. -MSNBC
There's no sound, but look at the picture first and then watch the video. These two guys reared this lion from a baby in England but the authorities would not allow them to keep it once it reached maturity so they were forced to give it up. They took it back to Africa and placed it in a wildlife sanctuary. A year later they went to see it and were told it would not remember them....
Americans Change Faiths at Rising Rate, Report Finds -New York Times
Survey: Americans freely change, or drop, their religions -USA Today
U.S. Religious Landscape Survey -Pew
Message in a bottle: Americans spent more money last year on bottled water than on ipods or movie tickets: $15 Billion. A journey into the economics--and psychology--of an unlikely business boom. And what it says about our culture of indulgence -Fast Company
Boy Scouts plan 100th anniversary -USA Today
First African President: Bill Clinton might have been America's first black president, but it seems he didn't do as much for Africa as Bush has. Bob Geldof, Irish rocker and Africa activist, says the Texas oilman, who is wrapping up his second trip to the continent, "has done more than any other president so far." -Investors Business Daily
The New Center and A Great Awakening: Are David Gushee and Jim Wallis on to something happening within American evangelicalism? -Christianity Today
Oxford to study faith in God -Time
Women take on the Torah: A women's commentary on the sacred text, 13 years in development, could become a model for future works. -CS Monitor
Churches urged to be more artist-friendly, transform culture -Christian Post
Obama and the power of words: Democrats dismissed Ronald Reagan's rhetoric and refused to take him seriously. Are Republicans now making the same mistake? -Wall Street Journal
Al Gore's $100 million makeover: Not long ago, he was the butt of jokes--lockbox, earth tones, a postelection beard. Then he dusted off an old slide show and jumped with both feet into the private sector. The untold story of how an epic loser engineered what may be the greatest brand makeover of our time. -Fast Company
Speculation swirls around Cuba's next leader -USA Today
Eco-awakening' affects personal lifestyle choices: Consumers start out with small changes -SD Union Tribune
Girl power: No rich relatives? No professional mentors? No problem. Ashley Qualls, 17, has built a million-dollar web site. She's LOL all the way to the bank. :) -Fast Company
After two decades of photographing street artists and urban life, Cheryl Dunn finds creative reinvigoration from an unexpected source -Swindle
Facebook fatigue: tired of social networking? -Economist

updated: 2/20/08

Jesus WEPT: Wife Swap, The Age of American Unreason, Africa & The Demise of Christianity -dick staub.com
Viewer's guide: Total lunar eclipse on Wed. -USA Today
Ready or Not: Navy Prepares to Aim and Fire at Rogue Satellite -NY Times
49 years of Fidel: The ailing communist dictator passed the torch yesterday. It's not a sufficient condition for Cuban freedom, but a necessary one. -Wall Street Journal
Speculation swirls around Cuba's next leader -USA Today
Peter Principle of award shows: A night at the Christian Oscars. -LA Times
Living the Corporate Life -by Michael Kuo (Relevant)
Left wing and a prayer -by R. Scott Appleby (New York Review of Books)
Free speech and radical Islam: All over the world, writers and artists are under siege. -Wall Street Journal
Yep, evangelicals prefer Clinton to Obama: Zogby releases data from pre-election surveys. -Christianity Today
Actions don't match 'green' attitudes -USA Today
Tolkien Estate Sues New Line Cinema -AFP
A Novice Filmmaker Profiles a ‘Lonely Man of Faith’ An audacious biography of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik -NY Times
Cultural Architect: Why Churches are Declining in America -Christian Post
"Nothing in my hands I bring": A review of The Evangelical Conversion Narrative. -Christianity Today (Books & Culture)
The President’s passion play: Nicolas Sarkozy embraces God as good for society, igniting debate over church and state in France. -Newsweek
Bush: Rely on God for 'freer world' -Washington Post
The universe is conspiring to help us: "I've only slowly come to realize that good givers are those who learn to receive with grace as well. They radiate a sense of being indebted and a state of being thankful." -by Kevin Kelly (NPR)
Baghdad's brave librarian: Loud talkers, lost books ... and the occasional sniper fire, rocket attacks, and death threats are what Saad Eskander is up against in rebuilding the National Library and Archive. -CS Monitor
'Devil Toad' Dined on Dinos -Discovery News
Review: Sex, Sushi, and Salvation: Christian George, in Sex, Sushi, and Salvation, offers a plea for authentic Christian faith. -Relevant
Review: Cormac McCarthy: Male or Female? -by Kristen McCarthy (Relevant)
Is R.E.M. at it Again? -R.E.M.'s next album, Accelerate, will be released on April 1st, and, sure enough, will coincide with yet another presidential election year. -Relevant
The New Sound: Five new albums that are gaining a lot of buzz and defining indie rock's new sound -Relevant
Thanking God at the Grammys: Here's a thought: Christian artists should be as real with their flaws and their humanity as they are with their proclamations of praise. -Relevant

updated: 2/13/08

Indiana Jones trailer to premiere 2/14/08 -indianajones.com
Majestic View of a Spectacular Sunset Over the Pacific Ocean -NASA
The Super Bowl spotlight shines on a changed man: "What looked to be the lowest point in my life ended up being the greatest thing that ever happened to me," says New York Giants David Tyree, speaking of his arrest in 2004. From special-teams demon to Super Bowl deity. From moonlighting drug dealer to born-again Christian. From a child who drank alcohol and smoked marijuana with his family to a sober father and husband who started his own nonprofit organization. -NY Times
20 Things I'm Glad Life Taught Me -dumblittleman.com
Putin's torture colonies: While they can't compare to the Gulag in terms of scope or percentage of innocent prisoners, pytochnye kolonii are fast approaching it in terms of sheer cruelty. -Wall Street Journal
Fertilizers Etc. Killing a New Jersey-Sized Swath of Ocean -envirovore.com
Christians and politics: Truth is more interesting than fiction -by John Wilson (Books & Culture)
NASA to broadcast The Beatles into deep space: The transmission of the Fab Four's 'Across the Universe' to the North Star marks the US space agency's 50th anniversary. -CS Monitor

updated: 2/11/08

Stewart, Colbert, O’Brien Feud spans three shows in one night -rawreplay
Super Tuesday results show split between evangelicals and their spokesmen: Dobson's anti-McCain e-mail doesn't seem to have made a difference. -Christianity Today
The John Cleese interview: The Holy Grail, The Life of Brian, and the true quest of faith. "I think that the real religion is about the understanding that if we can only still our egos for a few seconds, we might have a chance of experiencing something that is divine in nature. But in order to do that, we have to slice away at our egos and try to get them down to a manageable size, and then still work some practiced light meditation. So real religion is about reducing our egos, whereas all the churches are interested in is egotistical activities, like getting as many members and raising as much money and becoming as important and high-profile and influential as possible. All of which are egotistical attitudes. So how can you have an egotistical organization trying to teach a non-egotistical ideal? It makes no sense, unless you regard religion as crowd control. What I think most organized religion—simply crowd control." -AV Club
Has Citgo become a political tool for Hugo Chávez? -USA Today
Ledger death: Accidental overdose of prescription drugs -USA Today
More evangelicals join Lent observance -Christian Post
Jimmy Carter launches new Baptist movement that involves Bill Clinton and Al Gore -Christian Post

updated: 1/28/08

The Writers' Strike Dilemma -Relevant
British newcomer Barnes brings sexy back to 'Narnia' -USA Today
Curmudgeonly and courageous: Peter Dinklage is big on his red dwarf role in Disney's 'Chronicles of Narnia' sequel -USA Today
Review: The Bucket List -Relevant
U2 writes Sundance soundtrack with new film '3D' -USA Today
A review of 'There Will Be Blood' -First Things
Q&A: Barack Obama. "I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ." -Christianity Today
One party can't defeat jihadism: Republicans and Democrats must learn how to argue the questions of faith and morals on this war through the art of reason and bipartisanship -by George Weigel (USA Today)
The Rev. Bau Dang is translating the entire Bible into Vietnamese for his homeland. “Only the Word of God can change people’s lives” -UM News Service
Beyond payday loans: Americans squander vast quantities of money on check cashing and short-term debt -by William Clinton and Arnold Schwarzeneggger (Wall Street Journal)
A faith-based stop for the president: Visit to birthplace of Jesus a 'moving' moment for Bush -Chicago Tribune
Choosing life at the movies: 2007 could be remembered as the Year of Pro-Life Cinema -by Mark Morring (Christianity Today)
Bruce Lee vs. Spider-Man -Boundless
Say it with Chocolate Bread -NPR

updated: 1/22/08

Letter from Birmingham Jail -by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
40 years after the riots, King's vision 'unfinished' -USA Today
Truth, love and endurance: Dr. King and Christian activism -by Charles Colson (BreakPoint)
Leaders gather to honor King's legacy -USA Today
Christians remember MLK as change agent -Christian Post
Photographer chronicles Martin Luther King murals -NPR
Why Christians should seek MLK's dream. Despite gains, African-Americans as a whole have yet to attain King’s vision. Christians could be this country’s greatest force by rejecting the temptation of complacency — and a me-first prosperity gospel — while leading the way to racial justice -by Tom Krattenmaker (USA Today)
Huckabee and the values vote: The former minister still has to prove his policy bona fides -Wall Street Journal
Huckabee's off-key political bass: If the former Arkansas governor wants to be the leader, he's chosen the wrong instrument -by Joe Queenan (LA Times)
New Jack Movie: Be Kind -bekindrewind.com
Superheroes in real life: Inspired by comic books, ordinary citizens are putting on masks to fight crime -City Pages

updated: 1/15/08

Nick Cave's new album inspired by story of Lazarus: "Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatized, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ's miracles -- raising a man from the dead -- but I couldn't help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it. As a child it gave me the creeps, to be honest." -NME
Bound together: A mysterious manuscript in Sarajevo sheds light on the tangled history of Jews, Christians, and Muslims -by Lauren F. Winner (Books & Culture)
Christians, get creative: The religious are slacking in the artistic arenas -The Daily Evergreen
What I read: Roger Faxon, chairman and CEO, EMI Music Publishing. "It goes almost without saying that the Bible has had the most impact on my life. It crystallizes in one place the elements that drove the development of two great cultures and religious movements, Judaism and Christianity." -USA Today
Bye-bye, First Baptist: The truly hip church rejects the old naming conventions -Slate
Residents of Austin, Texas, harvest pecans – one nut at a time. The best crop in 40 years sends local scouring neighborhoods for the best bounty to make pies, cakes, brownies, and fudge -CS Monitor
Good works not enough: Latest papal document urges Roman Catholics to win souls. -Christianity Today
Review of Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years by Michael Palin and Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin -PopMatters
Faith without borders -Wall Street Journal
Politics of race and religion: Moral issues leave black evangelicals torn between parties -Washington Post
The Colbert Report - Huckabee 1/9/2008 -The Colbert Report

updated: 1/04/08

Person of the Year 2007 -TIME's Person of the Year is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world—for better or for worse. -Time
The 100 Best Songs of 2007 -Rolling Stone
Pitchfork Picks: Top 50 Albums of 2007 -Pitchfork
The Top DVDs of 2007: Peter Travers' Picks -Rolling Stone
The cross and the crescent -Why Christians feel under threat in today's Turkey -Economist.com
The Bible v the Koran: The battle of the books -Economist.com
American spirituality: Where “California” bubbled up -Economist.com
Rock this way! You, too, can be a music star at fantasy camp -USA Today
UN Attacks Religious Freedom -Korea Times
Bye bye, light bulb: If only Microsoft could argue its competitors hurt the environment. -Wall Street Journal
The pre-election paradox: While 70% say U.S. is a mess, 84% say they're happy. Is progress possible? -Wall Street Journal
How Many Five Year Olds Could You Take In a Fight? -Come and see. -www.howmanyfiveyearoldscouldyoutakeinafight.com

updated: 12/28/07

God and the Olympics: The Beijing Olympics raise tricky questions of religious freedom in China -Economist
The Chronicles of Narnia - “Prince Caspian” Trailer -Release Date: May 16, 2008 -Yahoo.com
Blooper of Year: Brown's stepson makes colossal goof -San Diego Union Tribune
His Dark Material: The unsubtle atheism of Philip Pullman's books -Wall Street Journal
Huckabee the Rebel -washingtonpost.com
Hands off Christmas, say religious leaders "It's time to stop being daft about Christmas. It's fine to celebrate and it's fine for Christ to be star of the show," said Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. -Reuters
Girls Get Their Guide to Adventure -NPR.com
Germany seeks to ban scientology-The German government considers Scientology a commercial enterprise that takes advantage of vulnerable people. -Time
A religious movement with an edge: Youth With a Mission takes in just about anyone -- even an unstable young man who would later shoot and kill 4 in Colorado. -LA Times
How to build your vocabulary – and feed the world. A charity website donates rice to the UN every time you choose the correct definition of a word. -CS Monitor
Singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson, the latest in a series of unsigned artists who have broken through thanks to the likes of MySpace, Grey's Anatomy, or Google. -A.V. Club

updated: 12/11/07

The Chronicles of Narnia - “Prince Caspian” Trailer -Release Date: May 16, 2008 -Yahoo.com
'Wild' man Bear Grylls keeps his cool -USA Today
Over the Rhine, Michelle Shocked succed in keeping the faith humble by Louis R. Carlozo -Chicago Tribune
The mission of business: Companies around the globe are mixing profits with gospel ministry. -Christianity Today
Bono's Calling-The Irish Rocker Has a Mission: To Fight Poverty, and Enlist the Powerful in the Battle -washingtonpost.com
Two for the Herry Potter Fans: Quidditch grows as college sport -Rutland Herald &
Collegiate Quidditch takes off — figuratively, at least -USA Today -Really? Isn't this a bit like playing polo, but without the horse?
Bloggers keep the faith, contentiously -USA Today
Susan Sarandon's spiritual activism -Beliefnet
Indie Christmas music online -Woxy
Mailer vs. Hitchens: On either side of the divine divide -Here's a provocative theological-literary smackdown: atheist-turned-believer Norman Mailer vs. professional atheist Christopher Hitchens -USA Today

updated: 11/16/07

TV Ad: Chuck Norris Approved -Presidental ad campaigne by Mike Huckabee -MikeHuckabee.com
Terms for Texas Citizenship for Craig Ferguson -Letter from Rick Perry's Office -Boots&Sabers.com
New book: “Do you believe? Conversations on God and Religion” features interviews with Jane Fonda, Scorsese, Elie Wiesel, and more. When Antonio Monda, the American cultural correspondent for the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, interviewed Grace Paley two years before her death in August, she wondered why he wanted to talk about religion and her views on it. “I think it’s the most important subject of our time,” he said. “Rather, the most important of all times.” -Antonio Monda/The New York Times
Surfer dude stuns physicists with theory of everything -Telegraph.co.uk
Reinventing the Wheel: A Buddhist Response to the Information Age-This article by Jeffrey Barlow of Pacific University discusses the impact of the internet on modern cultures. Using 2 differing texts, he discusses how the internet positively and negatively effects the way we act in society. -Internet Studies at Pacific University
Santas warned 'ho ho ho' offensive to women -Yahoo! News
Central Texan was a Munchkin on the Yellow Brick Road. Now he's a star on the Walk of Fame -Austin native and Pflugerville resident Clarence Swensen, 89, loves talking about 'Wizard of Oz' to fans. -The Statesman

updated: 11/13/07

Bella -reviewed by Frederica Mathewes-Green -Christianity Today
Men's Journal: You plan to get baptized now, at 43? Russell Crowe: Yeah. I'd like to do it this year. My mom and dad decided to let my brother and me make our own decisions about God when we got to the right age. I started thinking recently, If I believe it is important to baptize my kids, why not me? I do believe there are more important things than what is in the mind of a man. There is something much bigger that drives us all. I'm willing to take that leap of faith." -Men's Journal
Bono on Iraq and terrorism: -"I think the president genuinely felt that if we could prove a model of democracy and broad prosperity in the Middle East, it might defuse the situation. I don't believe that, and in the capacity I had, I told them that. ...I want to be very, very clear, however: I understand and agree with the analysis of the problem. There is an imminent threat. It manifested itself on 9/11. It's real and grave. It is as serious a threat as Stalinism and National Socialism were. Let's not pretend it isn't." -Rolling Stone
Building a following: The charitable inclination is commendable on its face. But it took trials by fire for bands Switchfoot and Relient K to find deeper meaning in a tour that’s benefiting Habitat for Humanity. -Journal Register
Godless: I’m not here to mock God and his fanatical fan club, but rather to sit back and let much more clever men and women mock them for me -by Monte Williams -PopMatters
Mike Huckabee: a conservative with a social gospel. The former Arkansas governor and ordained Baptist minister speaks the language of Christian Evangelicals on social issues, but his concern for the poor means he's willing to spend more than fiscal conservatives would like -CS Monitor
Former atheist philosopher Anthony Flew: -A convert? Or a confused old man? -BeliefNet
Saving civilization from itself: -Churchill understood that the Jews are the bedrock of Western tradition. -Wall Street Journal