Since Barack Obama has formally announced his exploratory committee for a run for president, those who are interested may wish to look back on some of the hoo ha following his speech last summer at the Call to Renewal conference in Washington, in which he sought to discuss the role of religion in public life and in the Democratic Party.

Fred Phelps seems to be taking a break from demonstrations at funerals of troops killed in Iraq. Why, you may you ask, would he picket a governor's inauguration? Well... Strickland may have appointed a gay person to his cabinet!

Dr. O'Neal Dozier of the Worldwide Christian Center complains that CNN censored his dominionist comments

The Koufax Awards named for the Hall of Fame left handed pitcher,Sandy Koufax, celebrates the left side of the blogophere.  This year "Sandys" will be awarded in 17 categories -- including Best Post, Best Series, Best Commenter, Best Blog Community, and Best Single Issue Blog.

Participaing is a great way to learn about great blogs and bloggers you have never heard of, and to recognize your favorites.  Anyone can nominate their favorites. Check it out.

The Ellison-Goode controversy has recently led a religious coalition to promote a petition inviting for Virgil Goode to visit a mosque in his Virginia congressional district, as an act of reconciliation following Goode's controversial anti-Muslim statements that Goode aired in a recent letter to his political supporters.

Now, Katie Couric of CBS has jumped into the fray and her framing of the issue is key - "America is about the only nation founded without one dominant kind of faith.". The reality that the US was founded as a secular nation rarely gets expressed so directly in major US media and bears repeated mention. Meanwhile, as Media Matters For America has reported, CNN's Wolf Blitzer has repeatedly made statements suggesting that Congressional Representative Keith Ellison sparked the controversy - presumeably for the indiscretion of being a Muslim or, perhaps, for being so open about his religious belief as to ask to be sworn into office on a Koran. Rather than engaging in innuendo, Katie Couric of CBS has chosen to address the issue honestly and directly.

All day yesterday I tried to think of something to say about the execution of Saddam Hussein--well, bigger than that--about my country and the world at this point in time. But no thoughtful analysis was coming to me. Or at least, nothing that would be a profound, insightful addition to the discussion.

What eventually did come to me over the course of the day was a rather quirky, uneven, but honest prayer for the new year. It's unpolished, I know, and I've hesitated to share it beyond
my own blog. But maybe I'm meant to--maybe some of the words will reach someone in a way I couldn't predict or expect. So here it is...

Part I: Senator Sam Brownback

A story in The Washington Post yesterday takes us right into the fray. It looked like fiercely antiabortion former attorney general, Phil Kline, was on his way out. But Republican precinct leaders in Johnson County, the state's most populous county, were not about to let him leave Kansas politics.

One of my former professors recommended this book to me.

Cross-posted from Biblical America Resistance Front (barf.org)

'Tis the season when it's not unusual to receive a holiday card inscribed, "Peace on Earth."  It's easy to sometimes assume that this sentiment is a universal one, or if it's not, that it's at least shared by one's neighbors, or among Christians.

But if there's one overarching, most important thing I've learned in recent years, it's that one's assumptions can't be trusted when assessing what's going on among American Christians today.

From time to time, you'll see a report from someone who visited a church and experienced something we would consider jarring and unexpected, or, as in my case, came across a blog entry from a member of a church, who's simply relating what they saw, and how much they thought it was just a wonderful thing.

Yesterday I read one such blog entry, which might serve as an indicator of where some portion of American Christianity is headed - and where it very well may end up.

The story of the Christian Embassy video showing generals in uniform proselytizing within the Pentagon was spotlighted today by CNN.  I posted clips from the film on YouTube until the Campus Crusade For Christ managed to take it down for "Copyright" violations.  These are my previous diaries on the subject;   Theocons at the Pentagon; Exclusive Video! and Theocons at the Pentagon, the fight is on

John King, subbing for Paula Zahn,  interviewed Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.  Mikey has led the fight against the theocons in the military.  Mikey has also published a book (With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military  .

The film, the CNN segment and more below.

As Blue NC reports, at a North Carolina Rotary Club last weekend US Representative Robin Hayes ( R-NC ) made a startling and radical proposal to 'solve' the mess that has become the US invasion and occupation of Iraq :

"Stability in Iraq ultimately depends on spreading the message of Jesus Christ, the message of peace on earth, good will towards men. Everything depends on everyone learning about the birth of the Savior."