The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has opted to introduce a gender neutral housing option effective next fall.

The Board of Trustees for UNC Chapel Hill made the decision Thursday, acting upon a committee's resolution passed Wednesday. "Gender-neutral housing is an important project that is vital to protecting the safety of our students," said Chancellor Holden Thorp in a statement to the board.

 "Last year, I told students I supported the idea, but wanted to make sure external stakeholders understood what it means." more >>

Voters in 32 out of the 32 states where it has appeared on the ballot have upheld marriage as the union of a woman and a man. Advocates of same-sex marriage are holding out hope that their long losing streak will end on Election Day in Minnesota, Washington, Maryland or Maine.

Increasingly, advocates of same-sex marriage are abandoning legalistic arguments about "equality" and "civil rights," and appealing to emotion and personal relationships instead. "We (gays and lesbians) are your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers, your classmates and your relatives," the argument goes. "If you respect and care about us, how can you deny us what we want?" (namely, to have their same-sex relationships affirmed by the state through marriage licenses).

Polls suggest this approach is having an effect. People who know someone who self-identifies as "gay" or "lesbian" are more likely to support the redefinition of marriage than people who do not. more >>

The president of an ex-gay organization has tried to argue that the push for same-sex marriage, and the elimination of orientation-corrective therapy, is proof that the rights of heterosexuals are being infringed on in the Unites States.

"Homofascism will soon be, if it is not already, the greatest threat to our individual liberties in this country. So-called equality marriage is just the beginning," Greg Quinlan said in a statement. Quinlan is president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) and Executive Director of Equality and Justice For All.

Quinlan said in a recent statement that he feels the push for same-sex marriage is not really about equality, but about elevating gay people above others. more >>

Pundits and journalists have written for months on which swing state or key voter demographic will decide the fate of President Obama in November. But a few million young, white, female voters who may pass by a church they rarely attend on their way to their secretarial or waitressing jobs may be the ones who carry the most weight this year.

A survey conducted by The Tarrance Group and Lake Research Partners contacted 1,000 likely registered voters between October 14-18 and found that young females – a group that voted heavily in favor of President Obama in 2008 – is concerned about the economy and their prospect for a better job. What the poll also uncovered is that the overwhelming majority of these young women are truly undecided voters, thus they are the ones who could tilt a deadlocked race to one side or the other.

As a whole, this year's typical undecided voter is white, a 18- to 29-year-old female who identifies herself as Protestant but rarely attends church, an Independent, single and employed. She has voted for both Republicans and Democrats and is more concerned about fiscal than social issues. And she hasn't had time to watch the debates. more >>

Rowan Williams, the head of the Anglican Communion, is making one final push for the ordination of women bishops before he officially retires from his position as the Archbishop of Canterbury in December.

"No-one is likely to underrate the significance of November's debate on women bishops in General Synod," Williams wrote in an article for the Church Times published on Friday. "It will shape the character of the Church of England for generations – and I'm not talking only about the decision we shall take, but about the way in which we discuss it and deal with the outcome of it."

Although women can serve as deacons and priests in Anglican churches, they are still fighting for ordination into the highest echelons of the clergy. Many from the more liberal side of the Communion have insisted that the law should change to allow women to be ordained as bishops, but conservatives maintain that Christ's disciples were all men, which is an example they should follow. more >>

After many years of ministry to men, it is clear to me how simple men are. They are all threatened with the same basic man-killers. That's one thing I like about working with men. They are not complex.

While the problems of men are simple and easily identifiable, most men believe that their problems are unique to them. They think they are blazing a trail on an uncharted mountain of threats – that no one has experienced quite like they are experiencing it. I am here to tell you, this is a lie. It's an effective lie, because it softens the pain of failure with the legendary uniqueness of their own personal struggles. In contrast, the apostle Paul said, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man" (1 Cor. 10:13). I've discovered that what plagued the heroes of the Bible, men throughout church history, and the men I know in 21st century America are all basically the same. Below is my list of five man-killers. They are wreaking havoc on our churches and leaving families virtually fatherless all around us.

Fear more >>