Some bigheaded preachers demand rock star treatment. If the apostle Paul were around today he might throw rocks at them. 
Just when I thought we charismatics had finally taken enough abuse from the egomaniac ministers in our midst, I’ve learned that some of our leaders are taking things to a new extreme. We’ve moved beyond the red carpets, limousines and entourages of the 1990s. A new strain of the celebrity virus is spreading in large segments of the church. 
“What is this sickness spreading in the body of Christ? All I know is that God is grieved by all of this shameful carnality.” 
One friend of mine in Texas recently inquired to see if a prominent preacher could speak at her conference. The minister’s assistant faxed back a list of requirements that had to be met in order to book a speaking engagement. The demands included:
a five-figure honorarium
a $10,000 gasoline deposit for the private plane
a manicurist and hairstylist for the speaker
a suite in a five-star hotel
a luxury car from the airport to the hotel (2004 model or newer)
room-temperature Perrier   
This really makes me wonder how the apostle Paul, Timothy or Priscilla managed ministering ...   more »

by Newt Gingrich
The tragic collapse of the Interstate 35W Bridge has created substantial challenges for the people of Minneapolis. First is the challenge to complete the recovery effort. But then there will be the importance of mobilizing quickly to rebuild this critical artery as efficiently as possible. Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty (R) has already asked his congressional delegation for "prompt assistance to cut through any red tape at the federal level." The loss of this major route from downtown should not cause the residents of Minneapolis to endure a needlessly lengthy bureaucratic rebuilding project best exemplified by both the dismal response to Hurricane Katrina and the insufficient effort to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Moreover, people should not be re-victimized by using this tragedy as an excuse to raise taxes.
There are at least three case studies in which we find that, with the application of the appropriate emergency powers, innovation and the right incentives, an emergency project like the I-35W Bridge can be safely completed in record time and at the least cost to the taxpayers.
Solutions for Faster Bridge Building at Lower Costs and Enormous Savings to the Economy and to the People at Large
If the lessons in ...   more »

Cambridge University Press has defaulted on a libel suit filed against it by a Saudi billionaire, issuing an apology, agreeing to pay court fees and damages and agreeing to destroy all unsold copies of a 2006 book by two American authors, as well as asking libraries to remove the book from their shelves.
In an apology published on its website, the academic publisher wrote:  
"In 2006 Cambridge University Press published 'Alms for Jihad' written by J. Millard Burr and Robert O. Collins which made certain defamatory allegations about Sheikh Khalid Bin Mahfouz and his family in connection with the funding of terrorism.
"Whilst the allegations were originally published in good faith, Cambridge University Press now recognizes that the information upon which they were based was wrong. Cambridge University Press accepts that there is no truth whatsoever in these serious allegations."
Kevin Taylor, intellectual property director at Cambridge, told the Cambridge Evening News the company had agreed to pay out a "fairly small amount" in compensation.
He said three expert academics read books before they are published, and pay particular attention to those with controversial issues, but said, "unfortunately this one slipped through the net."
"We publish 1,500 academic books ...   more »