Barak Obama says he prays to Jesus...

Barack Obama yesterday lashed out at political enemies who are spreading false rumors that he's a closet Muslim as he proclaimed, "I pray to Jesus every night...I am a devout Christian," he told voters in this key state. "I pray to Jesus every night and try to go to church as much as I can." In some of his strongest comments to date, Obama, in response to a question about his religious beliefs, said he wanted to put an end to "so much confusion [that has been] deliberately perpetrated." NY Post 

The Supremes may decide what is decent for broadcast...

The Supreme Court this week may reopen for the first time in more than 30 years the debate over what qualifies as an "indecent" broadcast. The media environment has changed dramatically since the court last ruled on this issue in 1978: Viewers and listeners today are exposed to the more freewheeling cable television, Internet, and "shock jocks" on satellite radio. The issue before the court now is delicately described as the problem of "fleeting expletives" in over-the-air broadcasts, which are still regulated. Television viewers who watch some of the entertainment industry's award shows may be familiar with the phenomenon. Boston Globe 

Martin Sheen is honored for his 'pro-life' work...

Activist-actor Martin Sheen will be honored by the University of Notre Dame with its Laetare Medal for his humanitarian work, the school announced Sunday. Sheen, who played a U.S. president who was a Notre Dame graduate in the TV series "West Wing," is to receive the medal at the school's May 18 commencement. Since 1883, the Laetare Medal has been awarded annually to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity." Recipients include President Kennedy, former Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. and former U.S. House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr. AP 

Warren Buffet says we are in a recession...

Billionaire Warren Buffett said Monday that the U.S. economy is essentially in a recession even if it hasn't met the technical definition of one yet. Buffett said in an interview with cable network CNBC the reports he gets from the retail businesses his holding company owns show a significant slowdown in purchases. Tell us something that we don't already know. Biz Yahoo 

Epic hearing on "marriage" today in California Supreme Court...

As gay-rights groups call for marital equality and opponents warn of a public backlash, societal decay and religious conflict, the California Supreme Court is prepared for an epic three-hour hearing Tuesday on the constitutionality of the state law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It shapes up as the most momentous case the court has heard in decades - comparable to the 1981 ruling that guaranteed Medi-Cal abortions for poor women, the 1972 ruling that briefly overturned the state's death penalty law, and the 1948 decision, cited repeatedly in the voluminous filings before the court, that struck down California's ban on interracial marriage. SF Chronicle 

Teacher changes her oath and loses her teaching job...

California State University East Bay has fired a math teacher after six weeks on the job because she inserted the word "nonviolently" in her state-required Oath of Allegiance form. Marianne Kearney-Brown, a Quaker and graduate student who began teaching remedial math to undergrads Jan. 7, lost her $700-a-month part-time job after refusing to sign an 87-word Oath of Allegiance to the Constitution that the state requires of elected officials and public employees. SF Chronicle 

CBS takes up 'tithing' as an issue; to tithe, or not to tithe...

Tithing, the giving of one tenth of one’s income to a religious group, has its roots in the Old Testament. But some Christians are questioning it, and the answers might surprise you. In an era when contributions to religious groups are growing more slowly than other charitable giving, and as Congress takes a closer look at the finances of some televangelists, Martha Teichner examines the controversy over tithing, and meets some inspiring people who strongly believe in the power of generosity. CBS News 

This story reaches the heart of our Bible League efforts in Cambodia...

Twice he stopped and twice he fell to his knees, hands clasped in tearful prayer for the terrible crimes committed three decades ago. Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Comrade Duch, is now 66 and seemingly frail. But 30 years ago he oversaw a Khmer Rouge torture centre whose victims were taken to the notorious Killing Fields, butchered, and buried in mass graves. The best-known site of mass graves, littered with bones and pieces of ripped clothing, is Choeung Ek, about 10 miles south of Phnom Penh. Duch, a born-again Christian, was taken there in a heavily guarded convoy with up to 80 tribunal staff, judges, lawyers and four witnesses who served as Khmer Rouge guards at Tuol Sleng. Independent News 

John Hagee has endorsed John McCain for President...

Calling Pastor John Hagee a "bigot," the conservative Catholic League is calling for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., to denounce/renounce/reject his endorsement Wednesday . With a Youtube link to prove his point, Catholic League president Bill Donohue said Hagee "has waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church. For example, he likes calling it ‘The Great Whore,’ an ‘apostate church,’ the ‘anti-Christ,’ and a ‘false cult system.’ ...“Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee.” Today Donohue noted that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee expressed disappointment that he hadn't received Hagee's backing. ABC News 

Should President Bush meet political prisoners while in China for Olympics...

President Bush was urged this week by a U.S. religious freedom body to meet with religious prisoners and to attend a house church service when he goes to China for the Olympic Games this summer. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom – a bipartisan federal body created to monitor religious freedom in the world – commended Bush Thursday for pledging to raise concerns about freedom of religion in China with President Hu Jintao while attending the Summer Olympics. But the Commission urged Bush to go one step further and request to meet with people detained by the state for practicing their religion or for advocating freedom of religion and human rights. “President Bush has repeatedly raised religious freedom concerns with the President of China. It is important that this continue,” said Commission Chair Michael Cromartie, in a statement. Christian News 

New Bible highlights God's heart over 'poverty and injustice'...

The Poverty and Justice Bible, the latest release from Bible Society, has broken new ground as the first ever to literally highlight the more than 2,000 passages that reveal God’s sorrow over poverty and injustice, and His command to believers to act to eradicate them. The new edition challenges the notion that the Bible is a dusty, outdated rulebook, and shows that God – through the Bible - was already speaking out on poverty long before anyone else. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Tom Wright, bishop of Durham and Bible Society’s president, said, “Poverty and injustice are two of the biggest issues of our day, challenging the minds of politicians and social activists around the world. Christian News 

My friend, Professor Scot McKnight on a 'more robust Gospel'...

Is our gospel too small? Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament at North Park University, certainly can't be accused of thinking small in his biblical and theological studies. To the contrary, in books like The Jesus Creed and A Community Called Atonement, he has demonstrated a knack for picking big topics and approaching them in surprising and enlightening ways. McKnight's weblog, JesusCreed.org, is an oasis of careful thought and Christian intelligence, finely attuned to contemporary theological debates yet deeply rooted in the study of Scripture and the Christian tradition. These qualities are also evident in his response to our big, small question. Christianity Today 

California Pastor is asking for Christian kids to be removed from public schools...

California pastor Ron Gleason is calling for parents to remove their children from public school after California lawmakers passed their version of affirmative action -- and he's asking churches to ease the discomfort in the process. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed into law SB 777, making it unlawful to criticize homosexual, bi-sexual, and transsexual teachers. Dr. Ron Gleason, director of the group California Exodus, says the bill goes even further. "Schools are not allowed to say 'mommy' and 'daddy' anymore," Gleason states. "Children will be taught that sexual orientation and gender are merely a matter of personal choice -- and they will be taught to find what is 'right' for them." Faith News Network 

Still wondering why 'abortion' is not a Civil Rights issue for Black America...

The niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., has used an appearance at a Black History Month event in Washington, DC, to reject the claim that her famous uncle supported abortion rights for women. Dr. Alveda King says although her uncle -- the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. -- accepted an award from Planned Parenthood in 1966, the abortion group had a "hidden agenda" at the time. "I don't want anybody to be confused by thinking that Dr. King could condone the violent death of the little babies, and the violent consequences that women suffer," King clarifies. "I'm post-abortive myself. I've suffered ... and it was a secret in my family for too long. And so now we’re here today to speak out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. Abortion is a racist, genocidal act." One News Now