On a cloudy morning, sometime around 5:00 a.m., a lone commuter drives to work, and not in the best frame of mind. As he leaves his neighborhood, he heads out onto the highway that will take him to his office. He barely notices that the road is still a little slick from some drizzling rain. Vaguely aware of the need to watch for roadside deer (and for other early-birds like himself), he is not operating at full capacity. His thoughts are elsewhere.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg recently banned religious observance and prayer at the tenth-anniversary memorial ceremony of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.  The decision has drawn some harsh comments.

Fears of a “double-dip” recession, or an economic depression are growing.  Some financial experts now urge: “Buy gold. Buy silver. Get as far away as you can from U.S. currency and the U.S. economy” (YahooFinance.com, August 4, 2011).  Considering recent stock-market trauma, and recent record gold highs approaching $1,850/oz., many are turning to gold.  So, what is a Christian’s best investment strategy?

Recent archaeological findings near the ancient Philistine city of Gath have unearthed evidence of fighting around this town known in the Bible as the home of Goliath.  “Diggers at Gath have also uncovered traces of a destruction of the city in the 9th century B.C., including a ditch and embankment built around the city by a besieging army—still visible as a dark line running across the surrounding hills.  The razing of Gath at that time appears to have been the work of the Aramean king Hazael in 830 B.C., an incident mentioned in the Book of Kings” (see 2 Kings 12:17).

Vanderbilt University in Tennessee has added Wiccan and pagan holidays to its annual academic calendar.  The university calendar informs faculty and students what days qualify for excused absences.  This calendar recognizes Christian holidays, Jewish holidays, Muslim holidays—and now Wiccan/pagan holidays.  Wicca is an officially recognized “religion” in the United States and many other nations.  So now, witches can request days off to observe the Feast of the Dead and worship the sacred marriage goddess (USA Today, August 17, 2011).