That champion of Christian love and human rights, Pat Robertson, is suffering from the after effects of a recent case of foot-in-mouth disease. Did anyone see this news item (after the jump)?

It looks like Medea Benjamin and several others were able to get a message across to Condoleeza Rice about US torture policy: from Reuters

This is a hastily written but heartfelt plea for some members of this community to moderate their comments about the death of Pope John Paul II. I write this, knowing that many people here on both "sides" of this issue are hurting.

To Roman Catholics, I extend my sympathy for the loss of your spiritual leader.

To all those who feel victimized by the church and its policies, I extend my sympathy for the very real hurt you have suffered.

The United Church of Christ (UCC) has concerned itself for a long time with the issue of fair access to the public airwaves.

The part of the church specifically charged to champion the cause of fair and ethical representation of public issues in the media is called the "OC, Inc." (Office of Communication).

This cartoon appears on the UCC website homepage.

Does Gallup Have a Christian Agenda?

My mother recently told me that several years ago she attended a lunch event at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago at which George Gallup Jr. was a featured speaker.

Chris Suellentrop of Slate has posted an article called, "The Right Rev. George W. Bush: Among the worshippers at the president's traveling revival show"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5625320/

The author of the piece gushes over George Bush and his ability to work a crowd like a revival preacher. A couple of points in this paragraph struck me as noteworthy:

"After last week's Democratic convention, I felt that John Kerry had become the favorite in the presidential race. Now, after only two days with President Bush, I'm not so sure. He's that good. Unlike many people, I'm not threatened by the president's religious rhetoric. It must be the Midwestern Catholic in me. Like the people in the audience, I find it familiar and comforting. I can see why so many people believe the president is "one of us," no matter how rich or how elite his background. And I can see that Kerry will have a tough time besting Bush in all three debates."