March 12, 2008

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Citing Faith, Bush Defends War Actions
Sheryl Gay Stolberg/New York Times (03/12/2008)
NASHVILLE — President Bush delivered a rousing defense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on Tuesday, mixing faith and foreign policy as he told a group of Christian broadcasters that his policies in the region were predicated on the beliefs that freedom was a God-given right and “every human being bears the image of our maker.”

Montana Sen. Joins Evangelist Probe
Associated Press (03/12/2008: time.com)
DENVER — The Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee has thrown his weight behind an investigation of allegedly lavish spending and lax oversight at a half-dozen "prosperity gospel" ministries. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana joined with Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley in urging cooperation from four ministries. According to a statement from the senators Wednesday, the four ministries have either refused or failed to respond to questions Grassley first posed in early November.

Second Muslim Elected To Congress
Associated Press (03/12/2008: cbsnews.com)
Democrat Andre Carson won't have much time to bask in his special election victory. In just eight weeks, he faces another vote for the same congressional seat. Carson, who on Tuesday won the office formerly held by his late grandmother and became the second Muslim ever elected to Congress, will face seven challengers in the May 6 Democratic primary for a full two-year term.

Suicide Doctor Plans Congressional Run
Associated Press (03/12/2008: abcnews.go.com)
Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian is planning to run for Congress in Michigan. Kevorkian is on parole since being released from prison last year.

FAITH LEADERS
Pope, at U.N., to Address Issues that Cross Boundaries
Francis X. Rocca/Religion News Service (03/12/2008: faithinpubliclife.org)
VATICAN CITY -- Next month, Pope Benedict XVI will become the third leader of the Catholic Church to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York, following Pope Paul VI in 1965, and Pope John Paul II in 1979 and 1995.

Dobson: Christian Right Needs
Rose French/Associated Press (03/12/2008: ap.google.com)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With a generation of Christian right leaders dead or aging, the founder of the conservative evangelical group Focus on the Family says he's concerned about the movement's future leadership. James Dobson told a group of Christian broadcasters Tuesday night that the passing of Jerry Falwell, the Rev. D. James Kennedy and Ruth Bell Graham represent the end of an era.

Gay bishop won't attend conference
Rebecca Trounson/Los Angeles Times (03/11/2008)
V. Gene Robinson said he would not have been allowed to actively participate in the global gathering of Anglicans in London.

Rev. Jim Wallis searches for old-time justice
Jane Lampman/Christian Science Monitor (03/11/2008)
The author and activist aims to strengthen the link between spirituality and commitment to moral issues like poverty.

ARTS AND MEDIA
Net Neutrality Splits Conservatives, Christians
Paul Bedard/U.S. News & World Report (03/11/2008)
In advance of today's House Judiciary Committee hearing on Internet neutrality, 12 politically conservative and Christian conservative groups have begun lobbying to block the agency's move, which is to be backed by the influential Christian Coalition at the hearing.