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New today (and Friday) from the Century:

• Jana Riess on Mormon assimilation: "Mormons are in the familiar situation of being on the
  defensive theologically and politically. But they are also
  in terra incognita: they are viewed as
  leading the way in preserving family values."
• Peter Marty, do you love people? "A pastor 30 years older than I was interviewing me for my first parish assignment. His final question unsettled me." (subscription required)
• David Heim comments on the fact that almost a third of wedding couples now choose to have a friend or family member preside: "While real ministers may publicly lament this
  sign of decreasing religiosity, many are no doubt secretly happy to be involved
  in fewer weddings with couples who have no religious inclinations."
• Harold Bush reviews Susan Harris's book on American involvement in the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century: "Once upon a time, there was a large, wealthy and powerful country that
  wanted to help a smaller, struggling, powerless country find a pathway
  into a more stable, democratic, freedom-loving and civilized future." (subscription required)
• David Lewicki wants to know what class you are: "I always assumed we were 'upper middle class' with middle-class
  sensibilities. In fact, we probably started that way. But by the time I
  graduated from high school...we were probably rich."
• Clay Oglesbee blogs the lectionary: "Texts about "striving" make me itch. They bring to mind our
  own cultural commitments to speak about lifting ourselves by our own bootstraps
  to reach high goals."

• Three poems by John Petrenka: "–O–," "After" and "Matins"

In the news:

• Criminals in Ala. offered choice between pews and the pokey
• Rob Bell isn't first megachurch pastor to seek life beyond the pulpit
• Muslim students vow appeal in free speech conviction
• Amnesty International slams Irish Catholic Church on abuse
• Suicide bomber attacks packed Indonesian church

Links from elsewhere:

• RIP Wangari Maathai
• A Catholic call to abolish the death penalty
• A legal immigrant is handcuffed for no reason--on church grounds.