August 22, 2008

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Survey: Bush's term hasn't eroded GOP's evangelical base
Jeffrey Weiss/Dallas Morning News (08/22/2008)
Based on their religious beliefs, voters are divided between Barack Obama and John McCain today in much the same way they were four years ago between John Kerry and George Bush, according to a new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

For Some Evangelicals, GOP Ties Are No Longer Binding
Suzanne Satline/Wall Street Journal (08/22/2008)
For the first time in at least two presidential election cycles, the Republican Party can't assume it has a complete lock on the evangelical vote, which makes up about a quarter of the electorate.

Young evangelical backs out of convention prayer
Eric Gorski/Associated Press (08/22/2008: ap.google.com)
DENVER — It was a coup for Democrats: An emerging young evangelical voice, a registered Republican no less, accepted their invitation to deliver a prayer at next week's Democratic National Convention. But Cameron Strang, the 32-year-old editor of edgy and hip Relevant Magazine, had second thoughts and pulled out of delivering the benediction on the convention's first night, Monday. Citing fears that his bridge-building gesture would be wrongly construed as an endorsement, Strang said he instead hopes to take a lower-profile role, participating in a convention caucus meeting on religion later in the week.

Jackson eclipsed in the age of Obama
David Greising/Chicago Tribune (08/22/2008)
For most of Jesse Jackson's life, his trademark declaration — "I am somebody!" — has been self-evident. But not so much anymore. The rise of Barack Obama and a surge of young leaders in the civil rights movement are raising questions about how big a somebody Jackson really is these days.

ABORTION
Some Worry Underground Abortions Are Still a Reality
Lauren Cox/ABC News (08/22/2008)
Arrests in the News and Doctors' Anecdotes Have Inspired Some to Research Underground Abortions

DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE
Tithing picks up among Christian business owners
Denise Linke/Chicago Tribune (08/22/2008)
Corporate tithing has become more common among Christian business owners, even as the number of churchgoers who tithe their personal incomes has fallen by an estimated 62 percent since 2002, according to Generous Giving, a Christian philanthropic foundation based in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Choosing to forgive -- or not
LifeWire/CNN (08/22/2008)
Although ministers and parents might advise to forgive and forget, forgiveness is rarely that simple.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Oregon tribe to allow same-sex marriages
Associated Press (08/22/2008: msnbc.msn.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. - At the request of a lesbian couple, the Coquille Indian Tribe on the southern Oregon coast, in the U.S. West, has adopted a law recognizing same-sex marriage. Tribal law specialists say the Coquille appear to be the first American Indian tribe to sanction such marriages. Most tribal law doesn't address the issue. The Navajo and Cherokee tribes prohibit same-sex marriages.