“There are five minutes to go and your team has a 15-point lead. You start to flip the channel but then have a moment of doubt—is there a chance that the other guys could come back and win? From now on, you'll never have to wonder. Last year, Bill James, a lifelong Kansas Jayhawks fan, shared his personal formula to determine when a lead in a college hoops game is safe. If you're thinking about switching to another game during March Madness, just keep this page open and plug the current score into the Bill James Lead Calculator.” (Find it here)
‘American Idol’ Spotlight On Christian Singers Reels In Religious Viewers: “More than half of this year's crop of finalists — including Danny Gokey, Michael Sarver, Kris Allen, Scott MacIntyre, Matt Giraud and Lil Rounds — either have a strong affiliation with the church or are worship leaders in their communities.”
“The vast majority of parents hope their children grow up to live good lives but, for many, parental success does not include faith in God -- even among parents who are evangelical Christians, according to a new study from LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources.” (BP)
“Beach Reach,” a Spring Break ministry at South Padre, was covered in Saturday’s Statesman.
Depressed? Angry? Your Heart May Suffer As a Result
“A cafe owner in Ohio has taken an innovative approach to boosting business: He lets his customers pay whatever they think their meal or drink was worth. Since dropping prices from the menu, Java Street Cafe owner Sam Lippert says his sales and customer count are up between 50 percent and 100 percent.” (Kristin Chapman at World)
The Internet is Graying: “While fewer older Americans were online than their younger counterparts, people ages 55 and up accounted for nearly one-third of Web audiences in late 2008, and typically spent more time online than young adults. What sets older Americans apart is their online activities….More boomers and matures go online to get health information, visit government Websites and look for religious information than members of younger age groups.”
“Baptists may be the grayest of any major religious group in America, according to a study released March 9 by Trinity College of Connecticut….21 percent of the people who identify themselves as Baptists are 70 and older. That compares to 12 percent of the general population, 13 percent of Catholics, 14 percent of mainline Christians and 10 percent of Mormons who fall in that age range. Forty percent of the national population is 50 or older, while 58 percent of Baptists fall into that age bracket. ” (story)
“Nothing brings women and especially men into the pews like marriage and parenthood, as they seek out the religious, moral and social support provided by a congregation upon starting a family of their own. But because growing numbers of young adults are now postponing or avoiding marriage and childbearing, they are also much less likely to end up in church on any given Sunday. America's houses of worship would have about six million more regularly attending young adults if today's young men and women started families at the rate they did three decades ago.” (WSJ)
“Why haven't the atheists embraced Peter Singer? I suspect it is because they fear that his unpalatable views will discredit the cause of atheism. What they haven't considered, however, is whether Singer, virtually alone among their numbers, is uncompromisingly working out the implications of living in a truly secular society, one completely purged of Christian and transcendental foundations. In Singer, we may be witnessing someone both horrifying and yet somehow refreshing: an intellectually honest atheist” (“Staring into the Abyss, Dinesh D'Souza in CT)
“Anyone with a television remote can find scores of ‘health and wealth boys’ who claim that true believers will avoid pain and strife altogether….Get a clue. God’s will for your life is to make you into the image of His Son, and that only happens through the heartaches and trials of life.” (Al Meredith, pastor of Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, speaking to the congregation of First Baptist in Maryville, Illinois. A gunman killed 7 and wounded 7 others at Wedgewood a decade ago; a gunman killed the pastor while he was preaching on Sunday, March 8).
“Until recently some watchers thought Texas could dodge the downturn altogether. The state began 2008 in fighting form. In January 2008 unemployment was just 4.4%, according to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Important parts of the economy such as manufacturing, exports and energy were soaring. The state added thousands of jobs each month, more than any other state, although unemployment kept inching upwards. The housing crisis looming over much of the country seemed manageable; home prices had never reached stratospheric levels. Then things changed.” (The Economist explains what’s threatened and what’s still strong in the economy of the Lone Star state)
Polls show that a majority of Americans support embryonic-destructive stem cell research. But polls also show that Americans know very little about this issue. It might be because the people bringing them the news know very little about it. (HT: Between Two Worlds)
“Obama declares a false unity. He claims that all Americans share in his goal ‘to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make.’ Obama is suggesting that abortion is a human need, which can be reduced but never eliminated.” From a CT Editorial that points out how the actions of the White House will have the opposite effect of the (presumed) desire of the White House to reduce abortion.
“Centrist evangelicals like me embraced Barack Obama’s campaign pledge to help bridge the gaps of the culture wars. Instead, the president’s short record on abortion-related issues is familiar- and disappointing - rather than revolutionary.” (David Gushee, USA Today, “Mr. President, we need more than lip service”. David Gushee, distinguished university professor of Christian Ethics at Mercer University and president of Evangelicals for Human Rights, reflecting on President Obama’s deeply disappointing executive orders and presidential appointments. (HT: Moral Accountability)
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