Author: Gordon Govier

Not long ago, the families of Fairfax Presbyterian Church spent thousands of dollars to fly their teens to Mexico for eight days of doing good. They helped build homes and refurbish churches as part of an army of more than 1 million mostly Christians who annually go on short-term international mission trips to work and evangelize in poverty-stricken lands. Yet even as those trips have increased in popularity, they have come under increased scrutiny. A growing body of research questions the value of the trips abroad, which are supposed to bring hope and Christianity to the needy of the world,…

Despite all the recent attacks on faith, or, perhaps, because of them, these are definitely the best of times for Christian apologists such as Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig, Ben Witherington III, Darrell Bock, and J. P. Moreland. They are making documentaries, writing books, giving media interviews, attending debates and conferences, and presenting the public with what they say is a growing mountain of scientific and archaeological evidence documenting the truth of Christianity.Read more of this story. What about ApologetiX?

JERUSALEM — A three-foot-tall tablet with 87 lines of Hebrew that scholars believe dates from the decades just before the birth of Jesus is causing a quiet stir in biblical and archaeological circles, especially because it may speak of a messiah who will rise from the dead after three days.Read more of this story. Scholars Downplay Tablet Debate

Earlier this year we asked, "What’s your secret to a happy marriage?" We were overwhelmed by your creative responses. Peri Simmons of Tennessee wrote: "When my husband, David, and I were still single, a common whine we used to hear from ‘old married couples’ was, ‘He’s (or she’s) not the same person I married.’ When we got married, we agreed to remind ourselves, This is the same person I married; I just learned something more about him/her."Read more of this story.

This year’s college graduates owe their success to many factors, from hectoring parents to cherished remedies for hangovers. But one of the most remarkable of the new graduates, Beatrice Biira, credits something utterly improbable: a goat.Read more of this story.

MADISON — Paving the way toward a future of better helping more of the poor and those in need in Dane County, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul officially broke ground at the site of its new Food Pantry and Service Center recently."Poverty in Madison and Dane County is real," said Ralph Middlecamp, executive director of the society’s District Council of Madison. "The need we are working to meet is growing. The larger, better equipped center we are building will serve our clients more efficiently, more effectively, more compassionately, and with due respect for their dignity and privacy."Read more…

COMMENTARYI noticed that the Times of London newspaper yesterday reported on the 100th anniversary of SOS, the universal distress signal. In 1908, when radio communication was new and primarily by Morse Code, the international community decided the three dot, three dash, three dot message was the clearest way to communicate the need for quick action to save a foundering ship. It took a few years to catch on, and a really big disaster involving the Titanic ocean liner. But now everyone knows what SOS means.In 1994 I was reporting from the North American Conference for Itinerant Evangelists, in Louisville, Kentucky, sponsored…

COMMENTARYIt was one of the more awkward moments in the presidential campaign. Senator John McCain was appearing on the ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW, and she was asking why McCain did not support same-sex "marriage." A well-prepared DeGeneres made the usual arguments about inclusiveness, and compared those who reject same-sex "marriage" to those who once refused to allow women or blacks to vote. It was all about fairness, she said.McCain’s response? "I just believe in the status of a marriage between a man and a woman . . . We just have a disagreement."Read more of this commentary. Today’s Follow-up commentary: How…

Record gasoline prices have been painful, but now they have begun to test the limits of faith.In houses of worship nationwide, preachers are railing against the forces of energy evil, and congregations are praying for lower fuel prices.Read more of this story.

With 77 diocesan priests reaching the optional retirement age of 68 within the next five years, change isn’t just in the wind for more Catholics in southeastern Wisconsin.It’s percolating in parish offices as the region’s largest denomination strives to invigorate its flock while creatively countering the priest shortage, declining Mass attendance counts, the impact of the sexual abuse crisis and the deficit-driven downsizing of its central offices.Read more of this story.