Techcordance

The Slow Slide

“Hypocrisy in one Age,” warned Joseph Addison, “is generally succeeded by Atheism in another.” Consider this in light of charges that America is becoming, according to a Trinity College survey, less Christian. It’s not that Americans are converting to other religions, it’s that they are more willing to avow nothing. One researcher blames Christianity’s association with conservative politics for turning people away. Sexual abuse by Catholic priests also tarnished us, he says. Underlying it all is a cultural shift that makes atheism more publicly acceptable. Recognizing this trend, President Obama became the first president to pay homage to nonbelievers in his inaugural address…
While the vast majority of Americans claim to be Christian, in other words, a good many of us don’t seem capable of explaining what that means. Little wonder the comically vicious Bill Maher had such a field day filming a mockumentary wherein he accosted Christians about their faith. Not knowing what we believe makes it awfully hard to answer why we believe it. It shouldn’t surprise us if Christians who can’t articulate what they believe have children and grandchildren who don’t even bother to try. And this is exactly what we are seeing, as large numbers of young people stop attending church altogether upon leaving home.

Whatever your opinion of Rick Warren and the “Purpose Movement” is,  he is an Evangelical leader with much exposure and influence.  Hugh Hewitt’s interviews this month were very interesting. Thanks to Hugh Hewitt at Townhall.com
*Download* Rick Warren Interview 1

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Attorneys for a high school valedictorian whose microphone was turned off when she began sharing her Christian faith say they’ll appeal her case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Rutherford Institute is representing Brittany McComb, whose lawsuit against school officials was dismissed Friday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court stated that “by preventing her from making a proselytizing graduation speech,” McComb’s free speech and free exercise rights were not violated, nor was her right to equal protection.
n June 2006, McComb strayed from her school-approved script to tell how faith in Jesus had filled a void in her life. Her microphone was shut off in mid-sentence as she said, “God’s love is so great that he gave up — gave up his only Son…” The audience responded with boos and shouts to turn it back on, and responded similarly when school officials attempted to introduce the next valedictorian speaker, saying “she deserves this chance to speak.”

CBNnews

WICHITA, Kan. – Jurors have acquitted one of the nation’s few late-term abortion providers of violating Kansas law requiring an independent second opinion for the procedure.
But moments after the verdict was announced Friday, the state’s medical board made public a complaint against Dr. George Tiller on similar allegations.
Tiller was found not guilty of 19 misdemeanor charges stemming from abortions he performed at his Wichita clinic in 2003. Prosecutors had alleged that a doctor he used for second opinions was essentially an employee of his and not independent as state law requires.

AIG Scandal

On the surface, it sounds like a healthy company was rewarding its best and brightest. Over 400 employees recently received bonuses. Three-fourths of the company received more than $100,000. Fifty-one employees received $1 to $2 million; fifteen received more that $2 million, and six received $4 million. The highest bonus stood at $6.4 million. Bonuses.

That’s on top of a salary we can assume is decent to begin with, given the size of the company. But, hey, this is capitalism. And you reward people for raising the bottom line, making stockholders richer, offering services — in this case, insurance — that betters the lives of your customers and society.

Except for the fact that these bonuses were handed out to executives of a company on the verge of collapse, one that has lost more money in three months — $62 billion in the last quarter alone —