Author: Gordon Govier

Commentary By the looks of things, it seems that compromise on the contentious issue of immigration is unlikely, if not impossible. The House’s position has been hard-line: We have to stop illegal immigration before we even consider ways we could process illegal immigrants into America properly. Some members have even demanded the wholesale deportation of all illegal immigrants, which would virtually stop the American economy in its tracks. Read more.

Derlen Correa couldn’t help but peek under the hood of each show-piece ride that lined the grassy lawn.The size of one muscle car’s engine prompted a nod of approval. Correa then circled around a royal blue 1972 Chevy Nova and admired its shimmering enamel. The Bainbridge, Ga., resident repeated that routine until he’d seen the rest of what the 25 cars had to offer. Read more.

David Murrow has a theory about why more men don’t attend church. "Men don’t come to church because (churches) have a reputation as a place for women and weirdos and wimps," said the author of "Why Men Hate Going to Church" Read more.

After spending 30 years in the wilderness the "Christian left" is making its voice heard. From Washington, D.C., to Dallas, large conferences have been held in an attempt to politically mobilize these "progressive" Christians. Much can be said about this burgeoning movement, and much will be said in the coming months. Read more.

COMMENTARY In 1911 the English-speaking world paused to mark the 300th anniversary of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, with American political leaders foremost in the chorus of exaltation. To former president Theodore Roosevelt, this Bible translation was "the Magna Carta of the poor and the oppressed . . . the most democratic book in the world." Soon-to-be president Woodrow Wilson said much the same thing: "The Bible (with its individual value of the human soul) is undoubtedly the book that has made democracy and been the source of all progress." Read more.

Cindy and Brian Herbst were in the market for a smaller house when they stumbled across the Pierstorff House, a hundred-year-old, ten-bedroom behemoth of a structure in downtown Middleton.While not exactly the modest quarters they were considering after the last of their children departed for college, the home presented them the opportunity to do something they had been considering for the past five years: create a "transplant house". Read more. News ReleaseHome Page

This summer groups from many Madison churches are traveling to participate in ministry projects. This report is from Angie Meyers, a 2005 journalism graduate of the UW-Madison School of Human Ecology now working as an administrative assistant at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She and her husband Dave were a part of a group of 40 men and women from Blackhawk Church that traveled to Juarez, Mexico, to construct a Sunday School building for a church and a home for a family. We set out on our trek Saturday, June 10 at 5:00am, for a 30 hour bus ride to El Paso, Texas.…

Chaplains have long been staples in the trenches and in hospital wards. In recent years they have become increasing prominent in the workplace as well, and High Point Church’s Associate Minister Steve Cook has brought the trend to Dane County. Read more.

Sixteen Madison area pastors say former University of Wisconsin-Madison Vice Chancellor Paul Barrows was treated unfairly by the university’s provost. Read more.

There’s something awfully syncretistic about the 72-foot Statue of Liberation Through Christ, created by World Overcomers Outreach in Memphis. It looks like the New York Harbor’s Statue of Liberty, only instead of a torch, she’s carrying a cross, and instead of the July 4, 1776, tablet, she carries the Ten Commandments. Her crown says "Jehovah," and a tear is running down her cheek. A tear indeed. World Overcomers pastor Alton Williams says the 12,000-pound statue, which cost $260,000, was created to fight "godlessness in America." The New York Times quotes him saying, "This statue proves that Jesus Christ is Lord…