Homosexual activists are labeling evangelist Greg Laurie as the "anti-gay California pastor" and are asking government officials to rescind Laurie's invitation to lead National Day of Prayer-related events in Washington, D.C. as the event's honorary chairman.

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) advocacy group in America, contends that Laurie has a history of speaking out against LGBT Americans. And OutServe-SLDN, an association of actively serving LGBT military personnel, is calling on the Pentagon to remove the pastor from the agenda, citing "his blatantly anti-LGBT message."

"Pastor Laurie's message is out of step with what the majority of people of faith across this country believe," said Dr. Sharon Groves, director of HRC's Religion & Faith Program. "In greater numbers than ever before, people of faith are feeling compelled to speak up and organize for equality – because of their faith." more >>

The things we never outgrow.

A friend of mine, a teacher, has been telling me about her efforts to ready her third, fourth, and fifth grade students for a pint-size production of The Music Man. Things aren't going well.

As enthusiastic as the children were to put on the musical-as excited as they were about trying out for featured parts, putting on costumes, and practicing the dances-the bloom is off the rose, now that it all comes down to actually memorizing lines, hitting marks, and, especially, emoting. Several of the parts call for outsized performances, and some players are feeling self-conscious. more >>

Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll in a sermon Sunday discussed what a biblical marriage should look like and what it should not look like, including comparing a wife's nagging to the torture of hearing a dripping faucet.

"And some women – you're a nag. You're disrespectful. You're quarrelsome. Being married to you is like a life sentence, and the guy's just scratching on his wall every day, 'One more day. Just one more day,'" said Driscoll, eliciting laughter from those in attendance at the Seattle-based megachurch. "Proverbs talks about certain women – they're like a dripping faucet. You ever tried to sleep with a dripping faucet? Plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk, plunk. It's what we use to torture people who are prisoners of war."

Driscoll, the preaching and vision pastor of Mars Hill, made the comments in the second half of a sermon titled "I Am Loved" as a part of the church's sermon series about the Book of Ephesians called "Who Do You Think You Are?" Driscoll based his sermon on the text found in Ephesians 5:22-33, which says wives should "submit" to their husbands and husbands should love their wives "as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." more >>

The Rhode Island Senate voted on Tuesday to legalize same-sex marriage in the state, moving it closer to becoming the 10th U.S. state to make such a change to the definition of marriage.

The New York Times noted that the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of including gay and lesbian couples in the definition of marriage by a seven to four vote. The bill, however, seeks to protect religious leaders who oppose such unions from being forced to officiate ceremonies. A secondary Senate vote is to follow on Wednesday, but gay rights supporters are confident that Rhode Island will be the latest New England state to make the switch.

"We think that when the vote is called, we can win," said Ray Sullivan, campaign director of Rhode Islanders United for Marriage. more >>

France is set to become the 14th country in the world to officially legalize same-sex marriage, after the Socialist-majority Assembly voted 331-225 in favor of a bill to allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

As France was getting ready for the vote on Tuesday, a heavy police force with water cannons was set up around France's National Assembly in preparation for protests against the bill.

The gay marriage bill had moved through parliament successfully, and the final vote on Tuesday decided conclusively that gay marriage and gay adoption will become a reality in what has traditionally been a prominent Roman Catholic country. more >>

This is part 4 of a 4 part series. You can read parts one, two and three here.

The battle for the family is heating up with one of the most important issues that could cause a huge tipping point in culture-the redefining of marriage by the Supreme Court. This is the final segment of a 4 part series on the topic of gay marriage. In this segment we look at the history of America. Were we a Christian nation? Are we a Christian nation today? Is a nation required to have a moral compass?

In God We Trust? The moral issue. Does it even matter? We must as a nation acknowledge that our national motto that is on every currency, In God We Trust, no longer represents the belief of the population or its leadership. Our beliefs are reflected in our elections, not our words. Our nation is living a lie. A nation cannot violate the values our Creator expressed in His instruction manual for living, the Bible, and expect God simply to turn His eye from evil. God said in His word to beware of calling things that are evil good. more >>