Pick to Lead Health Agency Draws Praise and Some Concern

Dr. Francis S. Collins, leader of the federal human genome project, was selected to head the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Collins’s selection, which had been rumored for weeks, was praised by top scientists and research advocacy organizations for whom the health institute is a crucial patron. There are two basic objections to Dr. Collins. The first is his very public embrace of religion. NY Times

Love your neighbor

Sermon podcast by Peter Smith, secretary of SPUC Evangelicals. In addition to excellent information on fetal development and abortion methods, this message offers interesting biblical insights. King's Church

NEA declines to remain neutral on abortion

The National Education Association, the nation's largest labor union, voted July 5 to reject a proposal officially to remain neutral on the issues of abortion and family planning. Baptist Press

NIH releases final guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research

On July 6, 2009, the web site of the National Institutes of Health posted the final "NIH Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research." These guidelines allow federal tax dollars to support research on human embryonic stem cell lines obtained from human embryos at in-vitro fertilization clinics and fail to require IVF clinics to inform couples about the possibility of embryo adoption if the clinic doesn’t offer any embryo adoption services. Stem Cell Research Cures

Why we must ration health care

Health care is a scarce resource, and all scarce resources are rationed in one way or another. In the United States, most health care is privately financed, and so most rationing is by price: you get what you, or your employer, can afford to insure you for. Peter Singer

Wesley Smith responds

Obama Science Czar Envisioned "Planetary Regime" of Forced Abortion and Sterilization Program in Book

Although President Obama's choice for science czar received unanimous approval from the US Senate in March, little mention has been made of Harvard professor John Holdren's career as a self-avowed "neo-Malthusian." He has advocated compulsory population control in America, including forced abortion and the addition of sterilizing agents to drinking water, and the creation of what he literally called a "Planetary Regime" that would enforce such a program worldwide. LifeSiteNews

Gallup: U.S. growing more conservative?

Democrats may control the White House and Congress, but a new survey says the country isn't getting more liberal -- in fact, the opposite may be true. Baptist Press

Obama tells pope he will reduce abortions

Bioethics and life issues such as abortion were a significant part of the conversation when Obama met with the pope privately for about 40 minutes at the Vatican. “Obama told the pope of his commitment to reduce the number of abortions and of his attention and respect for the positions of the Catholic Church,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told reporters. A written statement from the Vatican said the discussion between the two men included “the defense and promotion of life and the right to abide by one’s conscience.” ERLC

Nationalizing Health Care is Not the Answer

The U.S. health care system may be sick, but the Obama administration's planned takeover may permanently cripple it, according to Richard Land. ERLC

The Abortion Movement's best-kept secret

In addition to greatly exaggerating (and even inventing) incidents of pro-life violence, the pro-abortion movement is deathly silent about the violence from within its ranks against pro-lifers. Spero News

Clear Conscience Health Care

Clearconsciencehealthcare.org will inform you and help you take action to let our leaders in Washington know that health care can and must reflect our deepest values. This online action center will give you tools to reach policymakers instantly and let them know you want care that is accessible, affordable, transparent and ethical.

Abortion: 10 Bible reasons why it is wrong

Bible Believers

Why is the Church dying?

The Word of God has never changed, but the Church’s perception of the Word of God changed when it failed to engage the evolutionist scientific community on matters of evidence as well as faith. Typical churches use resources that are more geared for what could be called the “Jew in Jerusalem” who has developed a religious background and lives in a religiously friendly society. We are now in the era of the “Greeks”—like the secular philosophers the Apostle Paul encountered on Mars Hill—yet our churches and Sunday schools are still teaching us like Jews. See the problem? Answers in Genesis

If you missed the webcast last week, watch State of the Nation with Ken Ham now.

Adult stem cells a promising market

Amid controversies over embryonic stem cell research, drugs using adult cells are already bearing fruit. When it comes to stem cells, the public -- and the media -- tend to focus on embryos. But researchers and analysts say marketable therapies already are emerging from less controversial work with adult stem cells. The stocks of all stem cell companies tend to trade in tandem. That's why the shares of adult stem cell companies also got a boost when the Obama administration decided to loosen restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. CNN Money

Parents can hold scale model of their unborn baby

Pregnant women are being given the chance to hold life-size models of their unborn babies, thanks to an invention that converts data from ultrasound and MRI scans. Jorge Lopes, a Brazilian designer, uses 3-D printing technology to create the plaster models. “It’s amazing to see the faces of the mothers. They can see the full scale of their baby, really understand the size of it,” said Dr Lopes. A blind woman registered at the clinic has also volunteered to try out the technology at her next scan. TimesOnline, Christian Institute

Christians still giving to charity amid recession

A new poll Premier Christian Radio has found that most Christians are giving as much to charity as before the recession. In the poll of 512 Christians, 85 per cent confirmed their charitable giving had stayed the same or increased since the recession began. Sixteen per cent of those surveyed revealed they had actually increased their charitable donations since the start of the recession, with 69 per cent remaining steady. Only one per cent of the Christians surveyed said they had stopped giving to charity since the start of the recession. Christianity Today

Latest issue of Life Matters available!

Life Matters is a copy-ready piece that you can insert into a bulletin or place in a tract rack. This quarter’s issue of Life Matters is timely and relevant, asking, “Should we use violence to fight abortion?” Most Christians responded appropriately to the news, but it’s helpful for everyone to think through the biblical reasons.

There’s a subtext to the insert. While the numbers of abortion doctors are going down – due to retirement and fewer new doctors learning the “trade” – our pro-life doctors face increased pressure to conform to the “culture of death” or get out of medicine. Pro-death forces are working hard on this. We need to uphold our doctors in prayer.

Access past issues

New Values Group: 'Not Your Daddy's Christian Coalition'

Ralph Reed, the Republican operative who built the Christian Coalition into a potent political force in the 1990s by mobilizing evangelicals and other religious conservatives and who did similar work to help George W. Bush win two presidential elections, is quietly launching a group aimed at using the Web to mobilize a new generation of values voters. In addition to targeting the GOP's traditional faith-based allies—white evangelicals and observant Catholics—the group, called the Faith and Freedom Coalition, will reach out to Democratic-leaning constituencies, including Hispanics, blacks, young people, and women. US News

Pro-Lifers "Loathsome" and "Grotesquely Hypocritical" for Not Caring about Chickens

According to a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which recently decried President Obama’s swatting of a fly during an interview, the organization urges "compassion even for the smallest and least of animals," but has no position on the killing of unborn human beings. The spokesman told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview that it is "loathsome" and "grotesquely hypocritical" that pro-lifers oppose abortion, but are unconcerned about the mistreatment of chickens and other animals used in the food industry. LifeSiteNews

God "Rejoices" over Abortions, Says Episcopal Priestess

The Episcopal Church should clarify God's official position on abortion - at least so says a priestess of the church, who claims that a proposed rite for post-abortive women conflicts with church theology and that the Deity "rejoices" when women elect to abort their children. Rev. Nina Churchman wrote a letter to Episcopal Life Online expressing her outrage upon learning that her church has developed a healing rite for post-abortion women. Churchman said she "was sickened to discover that the rite for abortion is couched wholly in terms of sin and transgression. . . . Women should be able to mourn the loss of an aborted fetus without having to confess anything." LifeSiteNews

Stem Cell Surprise For Tissue Regeneration

Scientists working at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Embryology have overturned previous research that identified critical genes for making muscle stem cells. It turns out that the genes that make muscle stem cells in the embryo are surprisingly not needed in adult muscle stem cells to regenerate muscles after injury. The finding challenges the current course of research into muscular dystrophy, muscle injury, and regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells for healing tissues, and it favours using age-matched stem cells for therapy. Science Daily

Editor: I think this is saying they don't need embryonic stem cells, and that adult stem cells will do.

Extramarital Affairs, Like Sanford’s, Morally Taboo

Gallup's latest Values and Beliefs update shows that 92% of Americans say married men and women having an affair is morally wrong, garnering more opprobrium than any other moral issue tested in the poll. 56% say abortion and doctor-assisted suicide are wrong, beaten out by the cloning of animals -- at 63%! Gallup

The Collapse of Christian America—Live Webcast

Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, will present powerful new research as part of our first-ever live video webcast addressing the current spiritual state of our nation. Find out the reasons behind the collapse of Christianity in the Western world, then participate in a live chat with Britt Beemer, founder of America’s Research Group, and Ken following the webcast. America has more Christian resources and Bible colleges than ever in its history, yet the nation is on a spiritual downward spiral. What has happened? Why is the church not reaching the culture today as it has in the past? Get the full report on June 25 at 8:00 p.m. as Ken, in his dynamic style, recounts the secularization of American culture and explains why we are losing generations from the church—why, in fact, they are already gone! Don’t miss this free webcast. Mark your calendar and visit www.creationmuseum.org June 25 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).

On Nixon Tapes, Ambivalence Over Abortion, Not Watergate

On Jan. 23, 1973, when the Supreme Court struck down laws criminalizing abortion in Roe v. Wade, President Richard M. Nixon made no public statement. But privately, newly released tapes reveal, he expressed ambivalence. Nixon worried that greater access to abortions would foster “permissiveness,” and said that “it breaks the family.” But he also saw a need for abortion in some cases — like interracial pregnancies, he said. “There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white,” he told an aide [Chuck Colson], before adding, “Or a rape.” NY Times

Is There an “Ultimate Proof of Creation”?

We do not have to look for a specific scientific evidence to prove the Bible. Rather, the fact that science is possible at all demonstrates that the Christian worldview is true. Many Christians are under the mistaken impression that critics of the Bible would believe if only they had more evidence of the biblical God. But this just isn’t so. According to Romans 1:18–20, everyone has an innate knowledge of the God of creation. The problem isn't that people lack evidence; the problem is they “suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” They deny what they know in their heart of hearts. The key to success in apologetics is not necessarily to give people more evidence, but to expose their suppressed knowledge of God. Answers in Genesis