Report: Rewards Offered in India for Killing Christians

The going rate to kill pastor: $250.

World Net Daily's report on the situation in Orissa, India, cites various leaders of Christian groups working there. The main culprits are leaders of radical Hindu groups that desire to see all other religions removed from Indian life.

The current persecution in Orissa is across the country from Mumbai, where terrorists believed to be Pakistani militants have killed nearly 200 people in coordinated attacks against luxury hotels, a Jewish center, a meditation center, and a train station.

eHarmony Caves In To Lawsuit; Offers Same Sex Matchmaking; Pro-Family Groups Protest

News has probably reached most of us of eHarmony's decision to settle a lawsuit with a homosexual plaintiff who sued them for discrimination. The company was not forced to this settlement; they chose it rather than fight the battle in court. It was a battle others have fought and won, but eHarmony chose not to.

This story in the Christian Post gives details and reaction.

I was disappointed at first when I heard the news; now I am disturbed that the company would rather limit financial losses and continue in business than stand for the principles that governed its founding and were the reasons for eHarmony's strong promotion among Christians and other pro-marriage, pro-family groups.

Baptizing Everything but the Wallet (from Out of Ur)

Check out this cartoon.

"Fort Worth is 4th Episcopal Diocese to Break Away"

The Christian Post reports on the continuing defections from the Episcopal Church of the U.S. over the consecration of an openly gay bishop. The splintering of the U.S. group is further pressure that may lead to an official breach in the worldwide Anglican communion. Go here for the story. Those diocese that leave face lawsuits over property as well as issues related to their identity in the Anglican structure.

"Detroit Automakers a Relic of the Past" by Michael Barone on National Review Online

In this article, one of my favorite commentators takes a view similar to my own on the bailout of the auto companies. I discovered in the article that he is also a native of Michigan (where I also grew up) and feels the pain I do thinking about the difficulties the state faces and will face. Read the article here.

What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? A Parable.

I found this on Todd Rhoades' Monday Morning Insight. Enjoy.

Five Reasons Why Bailing out the Auto Industry is a Bad Idea

In the midst of the current economic maelstrom, we find banks asking for government help to cover bad mortgages that should not have been offered. We have insurers looking for help to deal with losses related to the mortgage crisis. We have two federally managed agencies that offered these mortgages and then encouraged people to buy securities backed by them needing huge infusions of government money to cover yet more losses.

Out of a desire to help, Congress responded to the Treasury Secretary's pleas and created a $700 billion program where the the secretary could exercise broad authority to intervene and help the economy. Everyone assumed he would buy up bad bank assets and stabilize the market. Now he has said he probably won't buy those assets after all, and would instead give money to institutions to encourage them to free up credit. A good lesson to learn: before giving someone three quarters of a trillion dollars to spend, make sure you know how it will be spent.

Meanwhile the Big Three automakers (we should say U.S. big two and a half, since Chrysler isn't really as big and until its recent spinoff was owned by German Daimler Motors. The real big three are, of course, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan) have come, hat in hand, saying they won't be able to pay bills by the end of 2008 without a major "loan" from the government.

I'm not sure I understand the wisdom of the first steps taken above (although I was not favorably inclined toward the bailout, the sense of panic created by the media required something happen). Many of the steps already taken do not seem to have helped. Maybe other steps will. However, I can tell you that helping the automakers ought not to be done, at least not without major stipulations that they probably wouldn't accept. Here are the reasons I hold this view.

1. Autoworkers' compensation is twice the national average for manufacturing jobs. Executive salaries may be outrageously high (how much one should make for failing to make your company profitable is a tough question). However, what is killing the industry is high labor costs. A recent study I read showed autoworker compensation cost at nearly $80 an hour, by the time all employer costs are added to wages. That is twice what factory workers in other manufacturing jobs in America make. The UAW leader has said flatly, "no more concessions" and said the solution is to get the economy going, which to him means freeing up credit so Americans will pony up the big bucks to buy new cars whose labor costs make them more expensive than imports, while quality concerns continue to abound--just examine almost any issue of Consumer Reports to see test data that ranks imports ahead of domestic cars.
2. There is already protection for businesses that can't cover expenses--it is called bankruptcy. Our various U.S. airlines have made this a revolving door of protection, and the big ones are still around. Bankruptcy would allow the companies to reorganize, free themselves of current labor costs, renegotiate realistic contracts, and emerge healthier, even if smaller.
3. Chrysler is about to disappear. Daimler couldn't make it profitable. GM (as bad off as it is) has been trying to buy it, which would remove it from independent operation. Let it go the way of the Studebaker, the Nash, the Packard, and other auto companies no longer in existence. In a free market economy, companies do not have a divine right to exist. Bad management, poor products, and bloated costs are not a good business model. If those are the facts related to any company it will sink. It should.
4. Short term pain is not a reason to avoid good decisions. Yes, our economy will take a hit if the automakers go into bankruptcy. Some will lose jobs. Wages will probably decline for remaining auto workers. But while these are political landmines, they are economic realities. If the government becomes the protector of all failing or struggling businesses, propping them up and making sure wages stay at unsustainable levels, we will become the same kind of economic powerhouse that Britain and France are--strong, but certainly not of the same caliber as the U.S. economy. It is a move toward what is called social democracy, and a repudiation of free market capitalism.
5. How long have people known that U.S. cars needed to be more economical and more reliable? Decades? How long have imports been eating U.S. automakers' lunch? Yet, who set the pace on introducing more economy, more quality, more hybrids? The import companies did. I have often repeated the old line, "Doing the same thing that failed over and over again and expecting a different result is not persistence, it is insanity."

We have a new President

President-elect Barack Obama's convincing victory over John McCain leaves many of us conflicted. Earlier posts make clear my reasons why I could not support the Obama candidacy. However, many of us who have thought much about issues of racial reconciliation have a part of us that rejoices in the fact that an African American was nominated by a major party and elected by a clear majority of our citizens.

I find myself disappointed in the results because of the positions that Senator Obama has taken in his political career and during this election. But I also believe that any doubt that America is the place, where as he said in his victory speech, anything can happen, including ethnic differences not making a difference in a national election, has been soundly addressed and quieted. It would be naive to say that "racism" does not exist--some of his supporters freely admitted that Senator Obama received their votes because of his skin color, and there were, undoubtedly, some who voted for Senator McCain because of the color of his opponent. Yet Americans have demonstrated to the world (again) that those who belong to minorities can and do achieve greatness in this diverse republic.

The new president will be my president. I will oppose his policies when they conflict with God's Word or when, applying what wisdom I have, I conclude that he is wrong. However, I will pray fervently for him, specifically the following:

1. I pray for God to open his eyes and heart to His truth, and that he will receive the grace of hearing and obeying the Word of God.


2. I pray that, as a professing follower of Jesus, he will seek to conform his life to the pattern given to us by the Lord Jesus.


3. I pray that God will grant him wisdom to lead our nation.


4. I pray for his personal protection and for that of his family.


5. I pray for a profound change of heart regarding the sanctity of the lives of the unborn.

I encourage all who love the Lord and seek the mercy of God for our nation to do the same.

John Piper's Heart in the 2008 Election

As you might expect, John Piper takes a view that almost everyone will find either troubling or exhilarating, or both. Watch and see what you think.

Luther's First Thesis and Last Words :: Desiring God

This article can give you some insight into Luther's thoughts and desires, as a follow up to my previous post.