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When atheist Sam Harris wrote his 2004 bestseller The End of Faith, a radical attack on religious belief in any form, he was prepared for strong rebuttals from Christians. Related articles and links What may have surprised him was the vitriol in which many of the emails and letters were couched. The most hostile messages came from Christians (not Muslims or Hindus). "The truth is," he explained in the forward to his latest bestseller, Letter to a Christian Nation, "that many who claim to be transformed by God's love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism.""How do I know this?"...

Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig framed by shadow of Adam Gadahn Last month, American al-Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn issued a “convert-to-Islam-or-die message to U.S. President George W. Bush, Daniel Pipes, Michael Scheuer, Steve Emerson and Robert Spencer. This attempt at forced conversion to Islam followed the “conversion” at gunpoint of the two kidnapped Fox News reporters Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig. What exactly was the significance of these events? On the one hand, these attempts at forced conversion were in clear continuity with Islam’s long history of calling people to convert before waging war on them. But how exactly...

David Aikman's recent book, A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush, highlights the pivotal role religious faith plays in George W. Bush's life and presidency. The book chronicles Bush's slow ascendancy to his faith, taking note of the key people and seminal events that helped shape his Christian worldview. Aikman, a former senior correspondent for Time magazine, is an open Christian who is sympathetic to Bush's core religious principles. Aikman's work is the second one that touches on Bush's faith. Stephen Mansfield wrote the first, The Faith of George W. Bush, which was released last year,...

A review of A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush by David Aikman The Faith of George W. Bush by Stephen Mansfield George W. Bush on God and Country edited by Thomas M. Freiling Conservative evangelicals have high negatives in public opinion polling, due in large part to public fears that they are rigid, closed-minded, unreasonable, and unwilling to respect the separation of church and state. Many critics of the Bush Administration have attempted to cast Bush himself in such a light, arguing that religious considerations dominate his politics to such a degree that they prevent...

Why does it make so many on the Left uncomfortable that President Bush openly professes his reliance on God in performing his official duties?Actor Richard Gere has joined in the chorus led by Ralph Nader and others condemning President Bush for mixing his faith with his governance. "One thing I've learned in my life is never to trust anyone who thinks that he exclusively has God on his side," said Gere to a crowd of like-minded Hollywooders. Gere's brilliant insight followed a recent statement by perennial presidential aspirant and equal opportunity nuisance Ralph Nader lambasting Bush for not divorcing his...

For the first time in more than half a century, two Christian churches will be built in the capital city. At the same time, plans to renovate two ancient temples for Buddhist and Taoist religious rites are in the works. It is the first time churches are going up in the city since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. One of them will be located in Chaoyang District, the other in Fengtai District in southwestern Beijing, said Hou Xiaoming, an official with the Beijing Religious Bureau. He said construction started in mid-December. Both churches are 1,500 square...

<p>Will China become Christian? Veteran reporter David Aikman thinks so.</p> <p>China's current population is about 1.3 billion, which he says includes about 70 million Protestants and about 12 million Catholics. In 1949, when China had a population of about 500 million, 4 million were Christians.</p>

He is called one of America's most faith-based Presidents, his speeches infused with scriptural references and invocations of the Almighty. George Bush is said to read the Bible daily, pray in the Oval Office, and on occasion, open cabinet meetings with prayer. Mr. Bush jolted the religious establishment when he was asked to name his favorite philosopher in a presidential debate, and he responded, "Christ, because he changed my heart." That change began a decade before, when Bush says the Reverend Billy Graham "planted a seed in his soul" that led to his recommitment to Christ. White House insiders say,...