Thanks again to everyone who has blogged and commented here. And to those who have linked here and said it’s a site worth reading/visiting. That meant a lot to me.

The closing of this blog is a change. What hasn’t changed at all is my belief in, and commitment to, respectful engagement with people whose views differ from mine.

Off The Map shares that commitment – it’s a big part of why I got involved. I’m staying involved because respect for ‘outsiders’ is inherent in The Practicing Church, Off The Map’s focus going forward. It has to be – I don’t see how anyone who has read about Jesus touching the leper or having dinner with Zaccheus can seriously call themselves a follower of Jesus if they don’t seek to do likewise.

I hope I’ll continue to have respectful conversations in various places online after this blog is closed, in which I listen and learn. I hope you all will too.

I’m here in Florida with a group of students from Liberty University, the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s “Bible Boot Camp” for young evangelicals. But I’m not a young evangelical — not even close. Two months ago, I transferred to Liberty from Brown, a school whose overall social climate, according to Falwellian standards at least, is only a notch or two above Sodom and Gomorrah. I had a secular liberal upbringing and I’ve always considered myself pretty ambivalent about God, but I decided to enroll at Liberty for a semester to learn about my conservative Christian peers and find out whether any common ground existed between my world and theirs. Since then, I’ve been living undercover in an all-male dorm (Liberty’s 46-page code of conduct, called “The Liberty Way,” prohibits all but the most innocent gender mingling), taking courses like young-earth creationism and Evangelism 101, and getting a first-hand look at the other side of the much-hyped “God Divide.” And when March rolled around, I decided to do what many Christian college students do over spring break: take a mission trip.

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Kevin also has a blog with interesting information such as the latest on whether Liberty University bookstore will sell his book and what he learned about Jerry Falwell from being at Liberty.

We appreciate everyone who has blogged for us on these three blogs and participated in the comments conversations. We’ll keep the existing content up even though the blogs are being closed.

The reason for closing them and opening The Practicing Church blog is that Off The Map’s focus has changed. As Jim wrote in From Mirrors to Maps on The Practicing Church blog

As Off The Map enters a new season we’re going to focus less on mirrors and more on maps, less on critiquing the church and more on energizing the church.

I’ll miss the people and the conversations on CatE. Although I do agree that closing CatE makes sense in view of Off The Map’s current focus. I appreciate how you’ve all encouraged and challenged me with your thoughts and comments since CatE opened almost three years ago.

After this blog closes you’ll be able to find me online at my personal blog and on facebook. I’ll also be continuing to help with Off The Map’s web presence.

Esther needs to dress up as a character from the 1920s on Friday for a school field trip. She chose Aimee McPherson.

We went to a thrift shop and bought a sleeveless white dress, a scarf and a sheet. Esther made a cross to go on the front of the dress. Today I cut up the sheet and sewed it into a top with big sleeves to go underneath the dress. Happily, when she got home from school it fit and so her costume is all ready.

I would definitely put the Pope’s belief-based ban on condom use in that category, especially in countries hit hard by AIDS and HIV. He might allow married couples to use condoms when one of them has AIDS but he’s not even sure about that. He’s assembled a council to discuss the issue. From CNN

Pope visits Africa, reaffirms ban on condoms

Pope Benedict XVI refused Wednesday to soften the Vatican’s ban on condom use as he arrived in Africa for his first visit to the continent as pope.

He landed in Cameroon, the first stop on a trip that will also take him to Angola.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been hit harder by AIDS and HIV than any other region of the world, according to the United Nations and World Health Organization. There has been fierce debate between those who advocate the use of condoms to help stop the spread of the epidemic and those who oppose it.

The pontiff reiterated the Vatican’s policy on condom use as he flew from Rome to Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, CNN Vatican analyst John Allen said.

Pope Benedict has always made it clear he intends to uphold the traditional Catholic teaching on artificial contraception — a “clear moral prohibition” — Allen said. But his remarks Tuesday were among the first times he stated the policy explicitly since he became pope nearly four years ago.

He has, however, assembled a panel of scientists and theologians to consider the narrow question of whether to allow condoms for married couples, one of whom has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

It is still not clear how the pope will rule on the matter, said Allen, who is also a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

The Catholic Church has long been on the front line of HIV care, he said, adding that it is probably the largest private provider of HIV care in the world.

Read the rest of the article

Even if the Catholic Church is the largest private provider of HIV care in the world, that doesn’t make up for teachings that if followed, surely contribute to more people getting HIV.

Obama overturns Bush policy on stem cells

President Obama signed an executive order Monday repealing a Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research.

Obama’s move overturns an order signed by President Bush in 2001 that barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time.

Obama also signed a presidential memorandum establishing greater independence for federal science policies and programs.

“In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather than furthering discovery, our government has forced what I believe is a false choice between sound science and moral values,” Obama said at the White House.

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I wondered, if I participate, who would I blog about? No particular woman was springing to mind.

This morning I was driving my daughter Esther to her friend’s Purim festival (the celebration of Queen Esther saving the Jews) and all of a sudden it was obvious who I should be posting about. Can you guess? :)

I love the story of Queen Esther in the Bible. That’s partly why I wanted to name our daughter after her. (Being a good Christian in those days, of course I wanted to name her after a Bible character)

I love how Esther rises to the occasion and shows incredible courage when her uncle Mordecai challenges her to go to the King and beg him not to destroy their people. She thinks she may well achieve nothing and die for her efforts. But she does it anyway and because she is so pleasing to the King he spares her life.

Esther is very smart. She doesn’t come out with her request right away but puts a King-pleasing plan in motion that sets up a good opportunity to make it.

The book of Esther never once uses the word ‘God’, fascinatingly. Yet the invisible hand of God seemingly comes into play, with the King reading about Mordecai’s good deed in the records just at the right time.

I love how Esther triumphs through courage and wise strategy that takes into account the people she’s dealing with. Her beauty gets her into the palace but it’s really these other attributes which enable her to succeed.

If you don’t know the story, here’s a copy.