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Obama: Bible is a dangerous guide

Barack Obama warns that the Bible can be a dangerous guide for public policy, Focus on the Family revealed this week. The presidential candidate has suggested that Biblical moral principles could lead to the imposition of Old Testament dietary laws and slavery. Obama's squeamishness about religion, however, is a departure from the tradition established by our first president. Tara Ross and Joseph C. Smith, authors of Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State, show that George Washington believed in a robust public role for religion in America.

For more on Focus on the Family's comments on Obama, click here.

70 percent of Americans say divorce OK

A whopping 70 percent of Americans now say divorce is morally acceptable, reports a Gallup poll, even as the approval rate for gay "marriage" soars. Have we completely abandoned the family? Just in time, the last book of renowned social historian Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, published posthumously, explains why traditional marriage is the bedrock of everything good, true, and beautiful about our culture—and why it's worth saving.

Shelia O'Connor-Ambrose, Fox-Genovese's student and the editor of her landmark book—Marriage: The Dream that Refuses to Die—explains why true marriage is rooted in history and good for all of society.

For the Gallup poll, click here.

Are pro-life demonstrations constitutional?

Peaceful pro-life supporters cannot by silenced by the police, asserts the Alliance Defense Fund in its appeal of a North Carolina case. Indeed, our greatest Founding Father, George Washington, believed it was crucial that this kind of religious conviction undergird our public policy. Tara Ross and Joseph C. Smith, authors of Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State, offer a new and compelling way of thinking about religious freedom.

For more on the ADF case, click here.

Is Christ too scary for children?

Some popular Sunday school curricula won't mention Jesus' death or resurrection because it's too "scary" for preschoolers. They can handle the five loaves and fishes, but when it comes to the battle between good and evil—well, that is too much. This is another reason we need to appreciate dark tales of spiritual quest, says film critic and professor Dr. Thomas Hibbs. In Arts of Darkness: American Noir and the Quest for Redemption, he argues that select mainstream movies, from Casablanca to the Matrix series, compel Americans to be sensitive to sin and the Great Battle between Light and dark.

For more on the curricula, click here.

'Darwin Day' coming to a school near you

On Feb. 12, public schools will celebrate Darwin Day—the message being the Darwin's version of evolution is a fact. But scientists  Dr. William A. Dembski and Dr. Jonathan Wells say Darwinians ignore the solid scientific evidence of a designer. To truly education students, they say, schools should examine both sides of the debate.

In The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligent in Biological Systems, Dembski, a mathematician, and Wells, a biologist, answer the concerns of Darwinists with a comprehensive, research-driven look at the science behind intelligent design

Mexico's aversion to fence is another reason to build it

Mexico President Felipe Calderon's outrageous attack on the border fence—he said this morning that the U.S. should stop illegal immigration by building "bridges" of economic growth in Mexico—reveals why we need the fence, says former deportation office Ames Holbrook. He says we must clean up our streets before trying to fix our neighbor's.

Holbrook's chilling memoir, The Deporter: One Agent's Struggle Against the U.S. Government's Refusal to Expel Criminal Aliens, gives the front-line perspective on the immigration crisis. Movie rights for the books have been optioned.

For more on Calderon's outburst, click here.

Do Republicans have a chance in 2008?

With President Bush's approval rating at an all-time low, according to Reuters, do Republicans have what it takes to win in 2008? An exciting young leader of the Reagan wing of the party, Steve Laffey says the GOP has a fighting chance if it learns from the disastrous 2006 election and stays true to its grassroots.

Laffey has emerged as a leading conservative who won't sacrifice Reaganism to politics or money. He explains what's wrong with the GOP, and how to fix it, in Primary Mistakes: How the Washington Republicans Establishment Lost Everything in 2006 (and Sabotaged My Senatorial Campaign).

For more on Bush's approval rating, click here.

Accused murderer for Russian president?

Andrei Lugovoy, wanted by Britain for poisoning Alexander Litvinenko, announced today he will run for the Russian parliament and hopes to become president, reports Reuters. Russian-affairs expert Yuri Felshtinsky, Litvinenko's co-author of Blowing Up Russia: The Secret Plot to Bring Back KGB Terror, says Lugovoy and his KGB cronies are making a mockery of Russian democracy.

For more on Lugovoy's announcement, click here.

Shake-up of Russian government worries West

President Vladimir Putin's shake-up of the Russian government should make the U.S. nervous, says Russian historian and analyst Yuri Felshtinsky. But while Putin's next prime minister will be seen as his chosen successor, experts fear the president won't give up power when his term ends in March. Felshtinsky, who co-wrote Blowing Up Russia: The Secret Plot to Bring Back KGB Terror, explains Putin's motives and why Americans should care.

For more information, please click here and here.

Why aren't children caring for elderly parents?

While 90 percent of people over age 60 want to live out their lives independently, many are forced to move to an assisted-living facility out of fear of falling or not being able to change their light bulbs, reports the NY Times. But policy experts Dr. Allan Carlson and Paul Mero, who co-wrote The Natural Family, believe children ought to care for their parents when feasible and explain why interactions between young and old should be treasured.

To read the NYT piece, click here.