I’m in Peoria for the Illinois State Speech/Forensics tournament over the next two days and I’m hoping we can bring home a State Champion (or two)! I’ve been involved in this program as a competitor and coach for nearly ten years — this is my first year as a head coach — and no team I’ve been a part of has ever produced one… hopefully the judges will see in my students what I’ve seen all season. By the way,… Read more
Andrew Marin, a Christian who tries to bridge the gap between the church and the LGBT community, notes that a group of protestors in Illinois stood outside a Catholic church on Sunday to oppose the “anti-LGBT bigotry of the Catholic hierarchy.” They wanted equal rights in Illinois (the recently passed civil unions bill simply wasn’t enough) and they didn’t want taxpayer dollars going to churches that practice anti-gay discrimination. A Christian group also showed up — to protest the protestors…. Read more
Several women are suing former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates because of “the military’s repeated failures to take action in rape cases created a culture where violence against women was tolerated, violating the plaintiffs’ Constitutional rights.” The lawsuit can be read here (PDF). A reader pointed out one particular story about a military chaplain that warrants special attention on this site. Read the disturbing story of what happened to Sergeant Rebekah Havrilla… and… Read more
Rachel Held Evans urges pastors to tell their congregations the truth instead of hiding their true feelings: Tell us the truth when you don’t know the answers to our questions, and your humility will set the example as we seek them out together. Tell us the truth about your doubts, and we will feel safe sharing our own. … Tell us the truth when your position is controversial, and we will grow braver along with you. Tell us the truth… Read more
