I'm headed out of town for the next several days for a campus minister's retreat in Indiana so no new posts until later this week. Prayers for a speedy recovery for blogger Chuck Currie and his family as he confronts medical decisions about a tumor that he's facing.

Two other items: To see how wide and far the pro-torture arguments have reached into the conservative movement and this government The Nation has a torture tree which is worth checking out. And a United Church pastor from Canada says it's time for mainline protestants to speak out for gay marriage and for the media to recognize faith based voices of support.