Do you read the True Hoop blog by Henry Abbot? Keeping up with the NBA is my one hobby. Okay, that’s not exactly true. Keeping up with the Blazers who, by the way, have the first pick in this year’s spectacular draft, is actually my hobby. Henry Abbot happens to be a rabid Blazers’ fan and a blogger at ESPN.

I appreciated Greg’s sermon yesterday (Psalm 139) and his comments on abortion in our culture. As individual Christians in our culture, we need to give thought to our roles in society with particular attention to the issue of abortion. While driving to work this morning, I happened to hear a tragic account of Chinese provincal authorities forcing abortions on women even late in their pregnancies (7-9 mos.) One couple that was interviewed was identified as a Christian family who were pregnant with their second child. They were forcibly taken to the hospital where the wife’s pregnancy was terminated by lethal injection. You can hear the whole story at NPR. We should be advocates for cultures of life not only in the USA but also throughout the world. Kudos to NPR for running the story.

The funny thing about so-called “one-issue voting” is so many people think it leads to or results from politicians who are two-dimensional (or, perhaps, one-dimensional); mere caricatures. It does not have to be this way. I worked for a couple of years for Senator Mark O. Hatfield, an evangelical Senator from Oregon. He is retired from politics now, teaching at George Fox University.

Keith, I never said and am not saying that the North was righteous or blessed. Far from it. I only wanted to point out that the South was not “blessed” — that is what you called the culture that had a system of cruelty. No place but heaven is blessed, although New England would be if there were such a place. Alas, there is not. I just wanted you to admit that the evils in the South disqualified it from being considered blessed. Now that we have that established, I do hope that you can forget the past and press on toward the higher calling you have received — the one other than eating grits and greens. If I didn’t know better I would think that you were like those Israelites who desired the leeks and cukes of Egypt over the promised land. They were reserved for destruction and perished in the wilderness . . . Take heed son of the Confederacy.

Keith, in Christ there is no east or west or south or north. You need to leave your southern-ness at the door brother. Unless of course your kingdom is of this world, in which case you may want to get out your rifle. Inasmuch as I am a northerner, I will still not defend all that happened in that “period of unpleasantness”. I will remind you of a couple things though. First, your brothers in So. Carolina cheered when the war began and thereby welcomed the devastation that came to them. Sherman’s approach of total war was in some respects merciful in that it helped end the war sooner and ultimately spared life and property.

Does it seem a little strange that Mel Gibson, the man behind The Passion of the Christ, would in a drunken stupor utter anti-semitic remarks? He reportedly told his arresting officer that the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world. This is a serious issue.

I hate to interrupt Greg’s outstanding contributions to “Friday is for Poetry” but this article in the New York Times is worth taking a look at.  It is old news really: Georgetown College’s move to sever it’s ties from the Baptist convention in the name of academic integrity.  The trustees were convinced that academic integrity and Christianity and mutually exclusive.  Interesting that the NYT would pick up on this.  Those interested in pursuing this further may want to look at George Marsden’s The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship.  He makes the case for secular institutions welcoming Christian thinkers, not casting them out.