Christian News Wire: In response to Time magazine's cover story on teaching the Bible in public school, Nancy Manno, a Christian talk radio personality, released a statement criticizing Charles Haynes. Haynes is part of the Bible Literacy Project which has produced a textbook on the Bible that many school districts use in their course on the Bible. An excerpt:
"The textbook is supposed to be about the Bible, but some have suggested that it follows Haynes' ideology by casting doubt on faith principles of the Bible, placing Islam in a favorable light, suggesting that the Bible was used to justify communism, and by promoting the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization, which uses literacy as a tool to sponsor homosexuality, abortion, and religious pluralism."

News.com.au (AUSTRALIA): Reminding Catholics of Mathew 25:41, Pope Benedict told a crowd in a suburb of Northern Rome that "Hell is a place where sinners really do burn in an everlasting fire, and not just a religious symbol designed to galvanise the faithful."

New York Times (NY): Ministers in the African-American community have begun to embraced the gay community, often at the expense of parishioner membership and financial support. Some black ministers have been moved to reconsider biblical passages about same-sex relations by personal events, like finding out that a friend or relative is gay. “It really bothered my congregation when I said that as people of color who have been ostracized, marginalized, how can we turn around now and oppress other people?” said one pastor. Others have been moved by the need to address the high rates of H.I.V within the African American community.

Christian Post: Risque Bible magazine creates a buzz. “Most people have issues with the Bible,” says Dag Söderberg, the project leader of the Swedish Bible magazine. “They have never gotten into it. They don’t find it accessible. But it’s our history, our heritage. And for most of us, we relate to it more than we think. Religious or not, it shapes much of our moral codes.”

Juneau Empire (AK): Alaskans should vote "no" on April 3 for a law that would prevent non-married couples living together from sharing worker benefits. Among the reasons why this proposal should not come into law is that the Bible supports health care for all, even those who may be considered sinners. "For me, the Good Samaritan story is a clear biblical call for equal health benefits for people we may not religiously agree with." (subscription)

Calvin News (MI): Calvin College now offers HPV vaccinations to students. "Calvin endorses a Biblical context for human relationships," says Nancy VerMerris, the director of health services. "We believe that God intended the blessing of sexual intercourse for men and women who leave their parents and become one in marriage. We advocate abstinence prior to marriage for both Biblical and health reasons." However, “Girls could be exposed after marriage from their husband," adds Barb Mustert, administrator of travel health and immunization. "Our message is always abstinence because that is what God wants us to do. Sex is to be saved for marriage. And the hope would be that your marriage partner wouldn’t be exposed to HPV. Our goal is to prevent something from occurring that is preventable. They are working on a vaccine for males, but it is not available yet."

McCook Daily Gazette (NE): "There is no doubt that the Commandment is thou shalt not murder. Depending upon differing interpretations, there are up to nearly 30 sins/crimes for which God instructs that men shall be put to death -- one of those sins/crimes is murder. Obviously God does not instruct man to violate God's commandments, therefore executing murderers can not be a violation of God's rules."

WorldNetDaily: "Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts" tops World Net Daily's shop list. World Net Daily is a conservative news site with the slogan: "Christians' duty to be armed." Darwin's Deadly Legacy (DVD) came in second on this week's list.