Current Events Archives

Brit Hume and Tiger Woods

FOX News political commentator Brit Hume shocked some people over the weekend by offering the following advice to golfing legend Tiger Woods:

The extent to which he (Woods) can recover (from his extramarital affairs) seems to me depends on his faith. He is said to be a Buddhist. I don’t think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith. My message to Tiger would be, “Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world.”

Not surprisingly, public reaction was swift, mixed and spirited.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, pop culture January 11, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Sign the Manhattan Declaration?

It’s been several short weeks since the unveiling of the Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience, which initially had about 120 co-signers. I’m thrilled to report more than 275,500 have added their signature to this important document. If you’re unfamiliar with the Manhattan Declaration, let me encourage you to read the entire proclamation and then consider lending your support, too.

In short the Manhattan Declaration is both a celebration of, and a commitment to, preserving life, marriage, and religious liberty in America.

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage, policy, religious liberty December 9, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tiger Woods

A little more than a week removed from his now-infamous one-car crash on Thanksgiving night, golf legend Tiger Woods remains front page news, but for all the wrong and sad reasons.

Like most of you, I’m not one to follow the latest Hollywood gossip or eagerly peel through the pages of People Magazine. But it’s hard to miss hearing about the sordid details and accusations surrounding the alleged infidelity of the golfing great. Earlier this week, in an attempt to quell the rumors, Tiger released a statement acknowledging personal “transgressions” but didn’t elaborate and pleaded for privacy.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, marriage, pop culture December 7, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Power of Ultrasound

With the national unemployment rate hitting 10.2%, the highest level in 26 years, it’s the rare individual who willingly quits a job without having another to take its place. But Abby Johnson said she really had no choice. And Abby Johnson didn’t have a run-of-the-mill job, either.

Abby is 29 years old and lives in Bryan, Texas. After she left the organization she had worked at for nine years, her employer filed what’s called a “restraining order of disclosure” against her, suspicious that she had absconded with confidential files.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, pro-life November 10, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

On Michael Vick

Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick is back in the news. After having served 19 months in a federal prison and several months under house arrest for charges related to running a dog fighting ring, the suspended star of the Atlanta Falcons is a free man. But the fate of the 29-year-old Vick’s career rests in the hands of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. When asked last week how he planned to rule, Goodell was non-committal. The two men met last Wednesday to discuss the possibility of reinstatement.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, news, pop culture July 27, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

40 Years Ago Today

I’ve enjoyed the coverage these last few days revolving around the 40th anniversary of men landing and walking on the moon. If you’re in your mid-40’s, I suspect you can recall something about that special week in the otherwise tumultuous summer of 1969. You might even remember where you were when those famous words of Neil Armstrong echoed back to earth: “That’s one small step for man,” he said slowly and deliberately, “one giant leap for mankind.”

What a wave of nostalgia swept over Jean and me as we watched those grainy images again, this time with our own boys by our side.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, technology July 20, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

By now you’ve heard about the murder of a wealthy Pensacola couple named Byrd and Melanie Billings. They were found shot to death inside their nine-bedroom home this past Thursday night, the apparent victims of a robbery gone bad. Late Sunday night, police investigators announced the arrests of two suspects, though more are expected.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said, “We are very anxious to share this story … it’s going to be a humdinger, I’ll tell you that.”

Actually, it already is.

Topics: Current Events Tags: adoption, events, faith, family, news July 13, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Help Me, Hillary

A remarkable event happened recently which was largely ignored by the media. Earlier this year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accepted the 2009 Margaret Sanger Award, the highest honor offered by Planned Parenthood, named after their founder, a noted eugenicist. If you’re unfamiliar with eugenics, it’s an approach to “improving” the human race through the process of “selective breeding.” Yes, for those who know about World War II, this was one of many theories embraced by the Nazis.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, family, news, pro-life July 1, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Definition of Marriage Upheld

Are you ready for some good news?

For the last decade California has been a battleground state in the debate whether to redefine the meaning of “marriage” to include same-sex couples. Last November, 7 million Californians—roughly 53% of those voting—voted in favor of Proposition 8 which amended the state constitution with these fourteen words: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

The people spoke. Case closed. Right?

Not so fast.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, homosexuality, marriage, policy May 27, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Friends in Low Places

Michael Vick was released from prison today. At the time Michael’s story first broke back in April of 2007, there was an aspect of his situation that caught my attention: the power of friends and the need for strong accountability. Who can forget the tragic tale of Michael Vick, one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL.

At age 24, Vick was offered a ten-year, $100+ million dollar contract. His inspiring performances for the Atlanta Falcon’s propelled him to the top of the game.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, news, pop culture May 20, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura