New York Times (NY): For archaeologists, there is no evidence of an Exodus out of Egypt. There is only one piece of evidence to suggest Jews were ever even in Egypt. “If they get upset, I don’t care,” said Dr. Zahi Hawass, an archaeologists who works in Egypt. “This is my career as an archaeologist. I should tell them the truth. If the people are upset, that is not my problem.” Books have been written on the topic, but the discussion has, for the most part, remained low-key as the empirically minded have tried not to incite the spiritually minded.

Christianity Today (UK): Polygamy a "misunderstanding"
"Polygamy as a pre-requisite for church membership? This is exactly what one African pastor taught his church when he felt they needed to follow the examples found in Scripture without regard to culture or setting, the Langham Partnership reports. This misunderstanding led to the African pastor making polygamy a requirement for all church members because 'there were so many examples of it in the Old Testament!' The Langham Partnership said that 'in a country where people do not need to go to Bible College before becoming pastors, misguided and dangerous theology can arise.'"

Tyler Paper (TX): The House Public Education Committee is considering legislation that would require the state's nearly 1,700 public school districts to offer elective courses teaching the Bible as a textbook, "not a worship document."

Los Angeles Times (CA): Kingdom Come, the last of the “Left Behind” series of Bible-inspired thrillers written by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, made its way to bookstores across the U.S. yesterday. Though sales have waned throughout the 16 book series, the startling success "Left Behind" has drawn attention to the Christian market. One reader commented, "Somehow, God has blessed these books to reach people like me who would never touch the Bible. And I am so hungry for knowledge." The Times (UK) writes: "The Left Behind series appeared to chime with the sense of the impending Apocalypse among many Americans, reinforced by the election of President Bush on a faith-based platform and global events which — in some eyes — confirm biblical prophecy." As LaHaye said in a television interview, "I’ve come to the conclusion that the world cannot last more than 25 to 50 years."

Haaretz (ISRAEL): "Ruth and the Song of Songs are the most Land-of-Israel books that I know of, then or now. When the question arises of whether there is such a thing as Israeli literature, and not just Israeli writers, these two books are the decisive answer: Indeed there is such a literature. [...] I once suggested to our Interior Ministry that it rely on the Book of Ruth to establish the rules for obtaining citizenship in this country, and now I am suggesting to the Tourism Ministry that it use the Song of Songs to attract tourists in love."