The World & Everything in It

The NBA’s final four

The NBA Playoffs are down to four teams: two superpowers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat, against two upstarts, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers. In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals yesterday, the Spurs pummeled the Grizzlies 105-83, with San Antonio point guard Tony Parker leading the way with 20 points and nine assists. It also helped that the Spurs hit a franchise playoff-record 14 three-pointers. The Heat and Pacers begin their Eastern Conference matchup

Big Government: Too big to function

The biggest push to expand government from any administration since the 1960s is alternately unraveling in scandal and flying out of the grip of its makers. A $787 billion stimulus effort got diverted into projects designed for political, not economic, payoff and speculative green energy disasters like Solyndra and Fisker Automotive, or was simply lost in the spending frenzy. Its healthcare reform law was so big and complicated that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told us we had to pass

Midday Roundup: Fox News reporter targeted by Justice...

Another target. The Washington Post reported this morning that the Justice Department targeted another journalist in response to fears about a possible intelligence leak. Officials seized the personal emails of Fox News reporter James Rosen and tracked his visits to the State Department in an attempt to prove he met with a security advisor to obtain secret material. According to the WaPo story, "The case of Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, the government adviser, and James Rosen, the chief

Ball State investigating intelligent design class

Ball State University is looking into complaints by evolutionists that a science and religion class using material on intelligent design is promoting Christianity to its students. “It is our information and understanding that this class has been used to proselytize students and advance Christianity by using gaps in scientific knowledge—the ‘boundaries of science’—in an attempt to prove religious belief correct,” read a letter sent to the school by the Freedom From Religion

Signs and Wonders: Prom queen gender confusion

Say what? Nearly 30 years ago, I taught 10th grade English, and a big decision for me was whether to teach Fitzgerald or Faulkner, since I would likely not be able to get to both. (I chose Faulkner.) These days teachers, at least those in the public schools, have to make more complicated choices, or they risk a lawsuit. Take, for example, the case of Coy Villasenor, who thinks he is a homosexual male. He wants to compete for the title of prom queen at his high school in Kyle, Texas.

Weekend Reads: Contemplating death, Chesterton’s mind,...

Traditional marriage group to sue IRS

WASHINGTON—The National Organization for Marriage intends to sue the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) next week amid allegations that the government tax-collecting agency leaked confidential donor information to a key political rival. The accusation is one of many coming to light this week against the IRS, which has admitted to targeting conservative groups for audits and denying others tax-exempt status. But John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), told me

‘Horrible customer service’

Lawmakers grill outgoing IRS chief as he tries to deny any political partisanship in the agency’s actions against conservative groups

Midday Roundup: Boston bombing investigation targets...

Radical links? A former Chechnyanseparatistwho is now a refugee in the United States has become a key focus in the Boston Marathon bombing investigation. Federal investigators trying to establish whether suspected bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev had any contact with members of the radical Islamist community have questioned Musa Khadzhimuratov, searched his apartment and computers, given him a lie detector test, and taken samples of his DNA. Khadzhimuratov knew Tsarnaev and his wife

No matter what, keep learning

As I’ve alluded to before, my 8-year-old, Cooper, went to school this year for the first time and had the rudest awakening of his life. Apparently, although he already knows how to read, his teacher expected him to (get this) … keep reading . “But I already know how to read!” he whined numerous times during the fall semester, as we sweated through Pinocchio and Pippi Longstocking . To my little one, reading was a subject with a box next to it: “Can decipher the phonetic alphabet? Check.

Grace Forfeited: Adam, Tamerlan, and the Lady

Below is a first for WORLDmag.com but a new start of an old tradition in American journalism: the news poem. Hardly a vile murder or a military victory went by without colonial poets bemoaning or celebrating the occasion in verse, with the work then published on a single page “broadside” and sold for a penny. Happily, my favorite pastor/theologian, John Piper, is also a poet, and below are his thoughts on justice in regard to Connecticut’s school shooting and Boston’s Marathon

California lottery asks residents to ‘believe in...

The ad starts with a soft choral singing of “California Dreaming,” and small white balls falling out of the sky like snowflakes onto sequoia forests, the Golden Gate bridge, downtown Los Angeles, the beach. Regular folks look up in wonder, enjoying the “snowfall” until one man joyously finds a red ball in his hand. The screen cuts away to the pseudo-religious phrase “Believe in something bigger,” and the purpose of the ad: California Lottery Powerball with jackpots starting at

The World and Everything in It - May 17 2013

Today's news and a Friday visit from cultural commentator John Stonestreet, plus: a report on the scandal involving IRS targeting of conservative groups that has widened to include Christian organizations, a profile of Baltimore Orioles star Chris Davis, a look at the National Hockey League playoffs and some of its unusual traditions, and more

The NEH ‘Muslim Journeys’ reading list

Tomorrow WORLD will publish a story about the National Endowment for the Humanities promotion of Islam. During the past three days we’ve posted lists of books that provide a realistic view of Islam. To find out which libraries and humanities councils (there are 953) received the NEH’s “Muslim Journeys bookshelf,” download this PDF. Here’s the list of the 25 books on Islam the NEH shipped out: Minaret: A Novel by Leila Aboulela (Black Cat, Grove/Atlantic, 2005) A Quiet Revolution: The

Suspension policy thrown out of L.A. schools

Los Angeles public schools banned suspensions for misbehaving students on Tuesday, becoming the first district in the state to do so. Instead of being sent home, students will face disciplinary measures while staying in school. The school board voted 5-2 to turn back the zero-tolerance policy put in place a decade ago, after the Columbine shootings. Board members cited reports that suspending students leads to poor academic achievement and causes an increase in crime because students are

Finding a real God in a chasm of unreality

In a world distorted and shattered by schizophrenia, one man clings to mercy and grace

Midday Roundup: Boston bombs ‘payback’ for Americans...

Payback. Suspected Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a message for authorities in the boat where he thought he would spend his last hours on earth: He and his brother Tamerlan planted the bombs at the Boston Marathon on April 15 as payback for U.S. wars in Muslim lands. In the message, the surviving brother said an attack on one Muslim is an attack on all. The note makes clear Tsarnaev did not expect to survive—he said he would not miss his brother because he would soon be joining

Texas prosecutors investigate Gosnell-like center in...

Just days after a Philadelphia abortionist learned he will die in prison for his horrific late-term abortion practices—including snipping the spines of babies born alive—a Houston abortionist’s former employees are accusing him of similar criminal acts. Late Wednesday evening, the Harris County District Attorney’s office confirmed to Houston’s local KHOU 11 News that the allegations were indeed under investigation and are “very similar on the surface” to the Gosnell case,

Jurors aren’t the only ones who need counseling

My son and I had dinner with a young couple who are expecting a baby in four months. I asked the husband so many questions about what it feels like to be a father and whether it is an emotional experience that my son finally started making fun of my oddly misdirected concern: “You would think he’s the one carrying the baby and having morning sickness, Mom! Why don’t you ask her how it feels?” That incident came to mind when I learned that Judge Jeffrey Minehart offered the jurors from

Obama vows to hold IRS accountable

In a brief statement from the White House this evening, President Barack Obama tried to get ahead of the IRS scandal by laying out a three-point plan for punishment and prevention of any similar future incidents. The misconduct outlined by a report detailing the specifics of IRS agents targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny was inexcusable, the president said. “Americans are right to be angry about it,” he said. “I’m angry about it. I will not tolerate this behavior in

More books to read about Islam

On Friday, WORLD will publish an article showing how the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is using taxpayer funds to send books promoting Islam to 953 libraries and humanities councils throughout the United States. On Monday we posted a bibliography of 20 books that scholar Daniel Pipes says promote a far more accurate picture of Islam than the NEH’s choices offer. And yesterday we added 11 more book recommendations from author and retired college professor Alvin Schmidt, who

Nigerian president declares a state of emergency

Northeast Nigeria is in a state of emergency after the country’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, announced Islamic extremists control some of the area’s villages and towns. Jonathan declared a state of emergency yesterday in the Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states and is sending more troops to fight what he calls an open rebellion. The president warned on live state radio and television that any building suspected of housing Islamic extremists would be occupied in what he called the

Gosnell gets another life term at final sentencing...

Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, sentenced to two consecutive life terms on Tuesday for killing babies born alive, received another life sentence today. Gosnell, 72, avoided the death penalty by agreeing to give up his right to appeal if he could spend the rest of his life in prison for his first-degree murder convictions. But jurors on Monday also convicted the abortionist of hundreds of other counts, for which he was sentenced today. In addition to the extra life sentence,

When government abuses its power

What’s the old saying? It’s not paranoia if they’re really out to get you. By now you’re probably aware that the IRS, the taxpayer-supported government agency charged with collecting chunks of our income and enforcing the Byzantine tax code, told its processors to scrutinize “political action type organizations involved in limiting/expanding government, educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, social economic reform/movement” applying for tax-exempt status. This

Signs and Wonders: EPA takes cue from IRS in dealing...

Easier being green. The IRS is not the only federal agency making it difficult for conservative groups. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is getting in on the IRS act. According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a conservative group that follows environmental issues, among others, the EPA has a “pattern of making it far more difficult for limited-government groups—in particular those who argue for more freedom and less EPA—to access public records.” One

The World and Everything in It - May 15 2013

Today's news and a discussion of the military questions on Benghazi, plus: the Justice Department and press freedom, appreciating Hating Breitbart, introducing a robot you can wear, Jeopardy gets a place in the Smithsonian, and more

Saudi Christian convert’s helpers beaten and jailed

Saudi Arabian officials have sentenced two men to flogging and prison for helping a women convert to Christianity and escape the country. The uproar started last summer when a video clip surfaced showing a young woman in a hijab relating to an Arabic Christian TV host how she converted to Christianity after Jesus came to her in a dream. She is the first Saudi Arabian woman to publicly convert to Christianity. “I have quit the darkness of Wahhab Islam and entered the light of

More good reading on Islam

Alvin Schmidt, a retired Illinois College professor, has written How Christianity Changed the World (Zondervan, 2004), a terrific history, and The American Muhammad: Joseph Smith Founder of Mormonism (Concordia Publishing House, 2013). His book The Great Divide: The Failure of Islam and the Triumph of the West (Regina Orthodox Press, 2004) answers lots of questions about Islam. For example, do you want to know whether beheading is part of traditional Islamic practice? Schmidt notes that

Holder orders IRS investigation

Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra tax scrutiny. Holder made the announcement during a news conference this afternoon, during which he called the bias against conservatives “outrageous and unacceptable.” President Barack Obama used similar words when he denounced the IRS during a news conference Monday. He claimed he had no knowledge of what the IRS was doing

Midday Roundup: Vermont voters get their death wish

Dispensing with dignity. Vermont is expected to become the fourth state to legalize euthanasia later today when Gov. Peter Shumlin signs an assisted-suicide bill into law. Assisted suicide advocates began championing the legislation in the mid 1990s but didn’t have enough support to get it through both houses of the state legislature until now. The bill passed 75 to 65 in the House and 17 to 13 in the Senate. Once Shumlin gives the bill it’s final authorization, Vermont will become

Benghazi is not ‘a sideshow’

When the deputy chief of mission in Libya gives an anguished account of last September’s attack for the first time—as Gregory Hicks did last week—a legitimate chronology of events suggesting the United States may not have done all it could to protect U.S. officials who came under attack, here’s the response you’d expect from the White House: “We regret the loss of life, especially of men with outstanding records of civilian and military service to the United States, and we

Spending a day in the Light

“But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible” (Ephesians 5:13). I had a fantasy for Mother’s Day and the Lord graciously made it come true. I wished to play baseball with my children and my father, along with a sufficient number of friends to serve as fielders. And I wished to be perfectly happy, and for hurts and sins never to be brought to mind. A few things had to fall into place to make the dream happen. One was that I had to find a park with picnic tables and

Weighing a verdict

Pro-life leaders say Kermit Gosnell’s guilty verdict should energize America’s abortion conversation

Obama administration secretly seized AP phone records

WORLD normally does not post articles directly from the Associated Press, given the news agency ’s ideological bias, but we are publishing this story unedited because the AP itself is the subject, and the story ’s tone and substance are significant in themselves: While AP journalists have been heavily pro-Obama, this new incident, along with growing concern about the Libyan cover-up, suggests the marriage of press and state may be breaking up. —Marvin Olasky The Justice Department

Private college ‘tuition discount’ hits record high

As worries about college costs rise, schools are forced to lower tuition or face declining enrollment

Midday Roundup: Everyone wants a piece of the IRS

Piling on. Three Democrats have joined a chorus of Republicans calling for the IRS to be held accountable for targeting conservative groups for heightened scrutiny during the 2012 presidential campaign. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, of Montana and Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Joe Manchin of West Virginia all called for an investigation and corrective action. “These actions by the IRS are an outrageous abuse of power and a breach of the public’s trust,”Baucus

Tax collection as a political weapon

The IRS has “apologized” to the Tea Party and other conservative groups for “overzealous audits.” Between 2010, the year of President Barack Obama’s first midterm elections, and 2012, the year of his reelection campaign, groups with names containing words like “Tea Party” and “patriots” were singled out for strict scrutiny and intrusive questioning when they applied for non-profit, tax-exempt status. The New York Times reports, “The questionnaires demanded detailed

Globe Trot: Former PM Nawaz Sharif returns to power in...

Pakistanis returned to high office Nawaz Sharif, after parliamentary elections this weekend gave his partya commanding new hold on power. Sharif’s win—14 years after he was toppled in a military coup—is said to rest on his pro-business background, butsome worry he will be soft on Islamic extremists. Is Benghazi about more Clintonian fecklessness and GOP defensiveness and overreaction? Not according to Peter Feaver, political science professor at Duke University, who says

The World and Everything in It - May 13 2013

Today's news and a review of the weekend political shows, plus: the IRS's singling out conservative nonprofits, a Louisiana ruling on school vouchers, remembering the first inauguration of George Washington, celebrating a slice of life that makes America unique, and more

A Christian conversation on immigration

Two different perspectives on how believers should approach the immigration reform debate

Growing up together

For one young woman, a premature birth was a crash course in motherhood

The World and Everything in It - May 11 2013

Benghazi hearing, Boy Scouts, Obama administration backs off Tyndale case, BraveLove honors birth mothers, immigration reform, border security, Cal Thomas on state of news media, Pentagon and proselytizing, markets and economy, Notable Speech by Senate Chaplain Barry Black, Mother’s Day movies, cultural commentator John Stonestreet, VE Day anniversary, The History Book, and moreThe World and Everything in It podcast is supported in part by Audible.com. Click here for a 30-day trial offer...

Judge revives Geneva College's contraceptive mandate...

A federal judge reinstated Geneva College’s lawsuit against the health insurance contraceptive mandate Thursday after acknowledging that the school is experiencing immediate harm from the mandate. Geneva—a Christian college in Beaver Falls, Pa., affiliated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church in North America—objects to providing insurance coverage to employees and students that includes Plan B (the so-called “morning-after” pill) and Ella (the “week-after” pill). The

This sin but not that sin

Last week I wrote about how Christians should respond to NBA player Jason Collins coming out as gay. Later a young gay man challenged me as to why Christians feel the need to respond with such bold clarity to homosexuality while not doing the same to other cultural sins. He pointed out some of the well-publicized stories of sexual infidelity and divorce in the NBA, as well as the underground culture in pro basketball involving groupies and prostitutes. Why, he asked, does homosexuality

Tamerlan Tsarnaev buried in Virginia

A small Muslim cemetery in Virginia is responsible for offering Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev a final resting place, The Washington Times reported today. The Al-Barzakh Cemetery in Doswell, about 15 miles from Richmond, is the first Muslim resting place in the region. Arrangements for Tsarnaev’s burial came after a woman saw the protestors outside the Worcester, Mass., funeral home holding the body. She contacted the Islamic Society of Greater Richmond and asked its members to

Masking shameful realities with words

“You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)—then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have

Dollars and Sense: Bad news in Europe might be good news...

Up, up, and away. The markets just keep climbing. The Dow closed above 15,000 for the first time ever on Tuesday, and it continued to set new records on Wednesday and Thursday. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 are up about 14 percent for the year, which by any historical measure is outstanding performance. The economic recovery, though weak, is fueling some growth. Corporate earnings were strong in the second quarter, and that led lots of analysts to believe stocks are not over-valued.

Signs and Wonders: Wall Street heavyweights insist...

Banker objections. Those of us opposed to Ben Bernanke’s quantitative easing scheme could take solace from a new report issued this week. Bloomberg is reporting that members of the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee (TBAC)—made up of high-level executives at Wall Street's biggest investment banks and asset managers—warned the Federal Reserve Board chairman that farmland, junk bonds, and mortgage real estate investment trusts were overvalued because of the “free money” the Fed

Saeed Abedini released from solitary in hopeful sign

Iranian authorities released American pastor Saeed Abedini from solitary confinement today after forcing him to spend the week of his birthday in a “small dark hole,” according to the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). Abedini, imprisoned for 225 days in Evin Prison because of his Christian faith, turned 33 on May 7 while in solitary confinement. Supporters sent more than 52,500 birthday messages to the prison addressed to Abedini. His wife, Naghmeh, wrote in a

Cleveland captor faces rape, kidnapping charges

Ariel Castro, the man accused of holding three Cleveland women hostage for nearly a decade, was charged on Wednesday with three counts of rape and four counts of kidnapping. Castro, 52, a former school bus driver, did not speak when he appeared in court to hear the charges read. He bit his collar and signed documents with handcuffed hands while the judge set his bond for $8 million. Castro kept Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight, and Amanda Berry in separate rooms, bound by ropes and

Taxing internet sales isn’t about ‘fairness,’ it’s about...

In 1998 when President Clinton signed the bipartisan Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibited state and local taxation of internet access and internet-only services, the purpose was to promote the commercial potential of the internet, especially for start-ups and small businesses. Congress extended the bill three times, the latest until 2014. Now there’s the Marketplace Fairness Act, which, writes the Washington Post , “would allow states and local governments to require

A ballad for the babies and the mothers

PHILADELPHIA—On the day everybody who was anybody was in court, on the day of closing arguments in abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s murder trial, a woman made her way to me through the crowd. Her face was different from the faces of the hard-nosed reporters milling about—those recorders of facts for the afternoon deadline whom I had seen for a month. I could read on her face the pain of being in the room, and the death she had to die to breathe that air. The woman leaned in close and

The World and Everything in It - May 9 2013

Today's news and a look at yesterday's extraordinary congressional hearing on the deadly terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, plus: Cal Thomas on the proposed new tax increase on internet sales, third in a series of reports on what drug-war violence has done to once flourishing border communities, remembering theologian Dallas Willard, and more

Christian philosopher Dallas Willard dies

Dallas Willard, Christian philosopher and best-selling author, died today from cancer. He was 77. Willard is best known for his work on Christian spiritual formation, which he said “is the process of establishing the character of Christ in the person,” according to a 2005 interview with Christianity Today . Willard also taught philosophy at the University of Southern California since 1965, and headed the school’s philosophy department from 1982 to 1985. Born in Buffalo,

Midday Roundup: No aborted babies found at Cleveland...

Missed opportunities? Cleveland investigators did not find any human remains at the house where three women spent the last 10 years in captivity. Investigators said they were looking for the bodies of babies possibly aborted while the women were being held. One of the victims, Amanda Berry, had a daughter conceived with one of her captors. The girl is now 6 years old. Several neighbors said on Tuesday they saw suspicious activity around the house during the last decade and reported what

When the pressure is on, continue to speak boldly

Bold: not hesitating or fearful in the face of actual or possible danger or rebuff; courageous and daring … Several WORLD writers have covered the Chris Broussard story, but I’d like to approach it from a slightly different angle. In 2007, then-Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Pat McCrory, said that too many young people, mostly black, were imitating the gangster lifestyle in behavior and dress. He wasn’t stating his opinion or waxing philosophical; he was stating bald facts. When it comes to

Globe Trot: The State Department has some explaining to...

The second-highest serving officer at the U.S. mission in Libya is set to testify today in Congress against the White House version of events surrounding the 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. If you don’t read anything else, scroll through the article linked above to see Gregory Hicks’ scheduled testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: “I never reported a demonstration; I reported an attack on the consulate.” The U.S. Air Force has

Same-sex marriage advocates win victory in Delaware

Delaware became the 11th state in the nation to redefine marriage Tuesday when Democratic Gov. Jack Markell signed a same-sex marriage bill into law just minutes after the state Senate passed it. The bill, passed two weeks ago by the state House on a 23-18 vote, was introduced in the Democrat-controlled legislature about a year after the state began recognizing same-sex civil unions. The bill doesn’t give same-sex couples any more rights or benefits under Delaware law than they

Twisted imagery

Meat, pickaxes, trains: A new undercover video and recording is a glimpse inside a late-term abortionist’s callous imagination

Family feud

Conservative groups at odds over immigration policy

Chinese military grows on land, sea, and internet

In a report detailing Chinese military might, the Pentagon has for the first time publicly accused the Chinese government and military of conducting cyber-espionage against the United States. Computer analysts tracing hacker activity have blamed China for cyber-attacks in the past, but the new Department of Defense report is the first time the Obama administration has publicly linked the attacks to government agents. “China is using its computer network exploitation capability to

Midday Roundup: Military plagued by spike in sexual...

Sad statistics. According to a Defense Department report due out later this week, sexual assaults in the military have increased by more than a third in the last three years. Officials estimate 26,000 service members suffered a sexual assault in 2012, compared to 19,300 in 2010. The estimates are based on a survey, not on actual reports of assault. The numbers suggest only about one-in-10 victims stepped forward last year to report an incident. Some lawmakers want to give victims an extra

U.S. ordered troops to ‘stand down’ during Benghazi...

For more than six months, a gap has been yawning wide in the Obama administration’s storyline on the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others. At 4:30 p.m. in Washington that day, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta learned of the attack underway against the U.S. Consulate in Libya. He was meeting at the time with President Barack Obama in the White House. Yet reportedly 90 minutes passed before Panetta authorized

Anglican Church in New Zealand faces discrimination claim

A gay man in New Zealand who wants to become an Anglican priest is taking the Bishop of Aukland to the country’s Human Rights Tribunal for discriminating against him. The man, whose name has not been released, claims the Rev. Ross Bay refuses to allow him to enter the Anglican Church’s training or discernment program for priests because he is gay, according to a report at TVNZ.com. Bay told the television station church rules determine who can be ordained. He refused the gay applicant

Being persistent in persuading

PHILADELPHIA—You may have noticed over the past month I have been trying, from different angles, to be as clear as I can, using the measure of gifting God gave me, to describe the truths regarding abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s murder trial. For example, I have strained to show the hypocrisy of arbitrary legalities that mask morality—gestational age limits (24-week terminations are OK but not 25), methods of killing babies born alive after a failed abortion (the active scissor method

The World and Everything in It - May 7 2013

Today's news and a look at today's special congressional election in South Carolina, plus: TWE begins a series on border security, as senators take up the immigration-reform bill, what to watch for in the coming debate over homosexuality and the

Take the plunge and get married

At the end of days, our grandparents and great-grandparents will rise up and ask us, “How did things get so complicated?” For centuries, men and women have met and sparked and—almost inevitably—married, as though the pattern were programmed from the beginning of time—which, in fact, it was. But for the last half-century, “developed” cultures have been drifting away from their solid mooring in marriage and family. Christians rail against marriage innovations, but we’ve also

Midday Roundup: Chris Christie rescues children, rankles...

Spidey spin. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie—hero to children and PETA’s new evil nemesis. Christie incurred the wrath of the animal rights group over the weekend after he posted a video of himself squashing a spider on his desk during a visit to his office by a group of schoolchildren, who cheered their support for his bravery. “He probably did it without thinking,” said Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals.”Some people put the spider

Globe Trot: Israel targets Syrian weapons with dual...

Israel, largely staying on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war, this weekend launched a pair of airstrikes,including an attack near a sprawling military complex close to Damascus that reportedly killed 42 Syrian soldiers.The attacksare to prevent advanced Iranian weapons from reaching Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, which last week vowed to defend the Assad regime. Among many strange facets to this conflictisthe prospectthat aggressive Israeli military

Signs and Wonders: Democrat James Carville praises...

Praise for Cruz. If you’re a Republican, you’ve got to worry at least a little bit when Democratic strategist James Carville praises you. Does he have an ulterior motive, or is he simply being ironic? While those are legitimate questions, I think the answer to both in this case is “no.” The veteran political analyst seems genuinely impressed with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Judge Carville’s words for yourself: “I think [Ted Cruz] is the most talented and fearless Republican

Taking heart

For many years, health issues complicated Dick and Sherry Truman’s life together, but those trials prepared them to help others

The Orioles’ Chris Davis is impressive—but not perfect

When I pitched in a city league as an 18-year-old in 2001, I kindly served up a home run to a lanky 15-year-old named Chris Davis. That’s why I like to think of myself as having helped develop the guy who would become the Baltimore Orioles’ first baseman. This week Davis was named the American League Player of the Month for April after posting impressive numbers in virtually every offensive category. He led the league in slugging percentage (.728) and total bases (67), tied for the

Weekend Reads: Heaven according to the Bible and...

Troubling trend in middle-aged suicides

A decade of surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a troubling rise in suicide among American middle-aged men and women. In a report published Friday, the agency suggested the trend was at least partly due to the economic downturn. Among Americans ages 35 to 64, suicides have increased nearly 30 percent since 1999. By 2010, the most recent year for which data is available, the suicide rate in this age group had increased to 17.6 deaths for every

Rhode Island green lights gay marriage

Rhode Island on Thursday became the 10th state in the nation to legalize gay marriage. The bill passed the state House 56-15, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee didn’t hesitate to sign it into law. Rhode Island’s decision highlights the state-level debate over same-sex marriage, even as the U.S. Supreme Court mulls its ruling on the federal Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. It also raises questions about the future of this debate in other states: Is Rhode Island, a

We are hypocrites

According to a new Barna study, 51 percent of Christians have attitudes and actions more like those of the hypocritical, self-righteous Pharisees than of Jesus. More people identified with the following statements than statements about Christlike actions and attitudes: I tell others the most important thing in my life is following God’s rules. I don’t talk about my sins or struggles. That’s between me and God. I try to avoid spending time with people who are openly gay or lesbian. I

Indiana issues recess for Common Core State Standards

The Indiana General Assembly passed a bill Monday night that would delay implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) until state officials study and hold public hearings on them. Gov. Mike Pence must still sign the legislation, but according to the Indianapolis Star , he said his team worked with the legislature “on language in that bill and from what I know of the bill it came in right where we wanted it to.” The Common Core State Standards provide guidelines for what

Responding to Jason Collins’ coming out: Conviction vs....

Jason Collins, though not a star, carries great social cachet as an NBA player. Earlier this week he became the first active player to openly come out as gay. Doing so was a brave act. Collins took a risk by declaring his homosexuality in a league full of jocks and overflowing with bravado. He might have been ostracized or even out of a job. In the days since, though, the overwhelming response from players, fans, and the media to Collins’ announcement has been supportive. But not all

What newborns don’t like … before their appointment with...

PHILADELPHIA—I didn’t know that babies right out of the womb don’t like bright lights. I should have guessed it, I suppose, being as they have swum for nine months in the opaqueness of a mother’s watery womb. I wouldn’t think they like loud noises either, come to think of it, since for nearly a year the blare of radios and screech of trains and human altercations came to them muffled through the layerings of a mother’s skin and fluids. Nor did I think about the fact that

Religious battle lines

Controversy erupts over a Pentagon meeting concerning Christians being able share their faith within the military

Filipino Christian teen invited to sing on Ellen

Fourteen-year-old Aldrich Lloyd Talonding, from the southern Philippines, said he was just having fun when he recorded a soulful rendition of Luther Vandross’ “Dance with my Father.” But his at-home recording could launch a music career in America. After seeing his video’s success on YouTube—the clip garnered more than 1 million hits in a week—talk show host Ellen DeGeneres invited Talonding, a Christian who enjoys singing in his church’s choir, to fly to the United States

Midday Roundup: Obama supporters rewarded with Cabinet...

Appointments. President Barack Obama made two more Cabinet appointments Thursday morning, tapping Penny Pritzker as commerce secretary and Michael Froman as U.S. trade representative. Pritzker, a Chicago billionaire, is a longtime Obama supporter who played a major fundraising role during his first presidential campaign. She is known for her business success in the real estate and hospitality industries, including her family’s ownership of the Hyatt hotel chain. Froman currently serves

Kissing college good-bye

A few nights ago, during my last undergraduate class ever, the clock’s hands moved like a twitchy mustache. I couldn’t decide what to do with my legs. “College has been glorious,”I said to myself, “but I will never do it again.” We closed the semester, appropriately, with The Tempest , Shakespeare’s final work. In the play, the girl Miranda has lived on a desert island since toddlerhood and as far as she can remember has never seen any person besides her father. At the end,

North Korea sentences Christian American to 15 years...

Six months after detaining Korean American Kenneth Bae, North Korea has sentenced the man believed to be a Christian missionary to 15 years of hard labor. Bae is charged with “hostile acts” against the state, the country’s media reported Thursday. If history is any guide, this move could elicit a visit by a high-profile American—and that’s the whole point of his punishment, according to Ahn Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies, a think tank in South

When ‘comfort’ is nothing more than killing

PHILADELPHIA—The messy state of homicide law reflects the messy state of legal and moral reasoning in our times. “Patricide” means the killing of one’s father, with no differentiation for age. But “infanticide” does not neatly correspond in the killing of an infant without age distinctions. If it did, both “-cides” would seem to invite the same degree of punishment. A jury is deliberating on whether abortionist Kermit Gosnell committed first-degree murder of four babies

Yahoo adopts new family-friendly policies

Whoa, baby! Working moms at Yahoo will now receive up to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, and working dads? Take up to eight weeks, the company announced today. As if that doesn’t give the nation’s non-Yahoo employees the baby blues, the Sunnyvale, Calif., internet company also will offer a $500 cash bonus to every new parent, according to a company spokeswoman. The company also will offer premier parking spaces for its pregnant personnel. And the plush perks aren’t just limited to

Suspected bomber's buddies guessed his guilt and...

UPDATE (4:15 p.m.): The three college friends who removed a backpack and a laptop from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s dorm room hoped to keep their friend out of trouble, even though they knew he was a wanted man. One of the friends charged today with conspiring to obstruct justice, Dias Kadyrbayev, told investigators when he saw fireworks emptied of their gunpowder in Tsarnaev’s backpack, he knew his friend was involved in the attack. But he still wanted to stop law enforcement officials from

Globe Trot: European workers cry ‘May Day’ over...

Workers across Europe are protesting on this May Day, demanding their governments tackle record-high unemployment with (surprise) more government bailouts. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy took aim at the liberal economic policy of his successor. Speaking publicly for the first time since losing office last year, he told Canadian businessmen, “If the euro implodes, the EU will explode,” and blamed President François Hollande for sparking further unrest with a divisive push to

Using deception to expose the truth and save lives

On Monday, Slate.com writer Will Saletan wrote the following on Twitter: “What’s more disgusting than late-term abortion? This scheme to exploit it by hiring actors & secretly taping doctors. http://wapo.st/11wBHIW“ What an odd thing to think, let alone state publicly, even if you are a pro-abortion liberal. The hidden-camera exposure of what goes on behind the scenes at an organization in the business of killing unborn babies is worse than infanticide? Can you wrap your mind

Human jurors deciding the fate of human beings

PHILADELPHIA—The court gallery at abortionist Kermit Gosnell’s murder trial was back to pre-Kirsten Powers days yesterday. After a spillover crowd on Monday for closing arguments by the defense and prosecution, only the usual media suspects dotted gap-toothed benches to watch Judge Jeffrey Minehart give formal instructions to the jury, prompting from him a self-deprecating remark about his popularity. In contrast to the histrionics of Gosnell’s attorney, Jack McMahon, and the

‘Morning-after’ pill goes OTC to 15-year-olds

The Food and Drug Administration announced today that the so-called “morning-after” pill will now be available over-the-counter without a prescription to girls as young as 15. The drug, sold under brand names like Plan B and Ella and marketed as a method of “emergency” contraception, prevents implantation of a fertilized egg or causes an early abortion. According to today’s FDA ruling, drugstores will be able to stock the drug on store shelves just like condoms, but buyers would

Proposed bill would strip thorns from discrimination...

A new bill filed in Washington state aims to protect a florist being sued for refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding. The bill, introduced Thursday by Republican Sen. Sharon Brown, would amend the state’s non-discrimination statute by differentiating between actual discrimination based on characteristics like race, religion, or sexual orientation and personal decisions not to provide services for activities that the business does not support. Brown’s district

Watertown remains tense amid manhunt aftermath

At 2 a.m. on April 19, Colin Landry woke to the sound of a ringing phone. The caller I.D. beamed, “9-1-1.” When he answered, the voice on the other end warned him Monday’s Boston Marathon bomber was headed for Watertown. “Stay inside,” it urged. “Lock your doors.” A few hours later, his wife woke, and together they explained to their five children what was happening. “You know the bombers we talked about?” they said. “Well, one was killed, the other one … he’s

Full court press on Chris Broussard over comments on...

ESPN analyst and sportswriter Chris Broussard is feeling the heat today after calling homosexuality a sin during a televised discussion Monday. Broussard, a well-known and committed Christian who has written about his beliefs before, was asked to comment on NBA player Jason Collins’ announcement that he is gay. In an article for Sports Illustrated published online Monday, Collins talked about his sexuality and his belief in God. During the ESPN program Outside the Lines , which also featured

The 1950s vs. Obama’s 21st century

Addressing a meeting of Planned Parenthood last Friday, President Obama accused pro-lifers of wanting to “turn back the clock to policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century.” Like any decade, the ’50s had its problems—racism, discrimination, sexism—but I’ll defend the ’50s on other grounds, if the president will defend the decade that followed. In the ’50s, for much of mainstream America drugs were something you bought at a pharmacy with a prescription; living

Me, myself, and my selfie

The craze of snapping self-portraits and posting them on social media appeals to a generation enamored with disposable identities

Message received

Wycliffe pledges to comply with an audit panel’s recommendations on controversial Bible translation practices

From near death to NFL draftee

D.J. Hayden sat in his mother’s house Thursday night, surrounded by friends and family and dozens of cameras. Then the phone rang, with the caller on the other end informing him that the NFL’s Oakland Raiders had drafted him in the first round. His family didn’t wait for the phone call to end before shouting for joy and rushing to hug the former University of Houston cornerback as he wiped away tears. While it is not unusual for college players to celebrate being drafted by an NFL

American Christian may face death penalty in North Korea

North Korean officials announced Saturday that detained American citizen Kenneth Bae will be tried before the country’s Supreme Court on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. If convicted, Bae could face the death penalty. According to media accounts, including one from The Telegraph , Bae is thought to be a Christian missionary linked with an Ohio organization called The Joseph Connection, although all references to his faith connections appear to have been removed recently