Signs and Wonders 11.14

Abortion corruption. Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline was only doing what attorneys general are supposed to do: enforce the law. Between 2003 and 2008 he led criminal investigations against abortion providers in his state. For his trouble, he could get his law license permanently revoked on Thursday by Stan Hazlett of the Kansas Judicial Branch Office of the Disciplinary Administrator. According to LifeNews.com, this action is despite a finding by “two investigators working for the Disciplinary Administrator’s office, which is prosecuting Kline … clearing Kline of wrong-doing and recommending that the case not proceed.” So why is the case proceeding? “If ever there was a politically motivated case, this is it,” said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation. “The entire case against Kline is evidence of deep political corruption that has protected the abortion criminals while brutally punishing those who attempt to hold the criminals accountable under the law.”

Stupid human tricks. As a parent, one of my jobs has been to teach my children about “bad words” that they are not supposed to use. In our house, one of those words was “stupid.” We would not let our children use that word to describe other people. But I find myself at a loss for a more appropriate word to describe the woman who called a Denver radio station to brag how she avoided jury duty by lying. Susan Cole, 58, pleaded guilty to attempt to influence a public servant and second-degree perjury. Cole admitted lying under oath on June 28, 2011, during jury selection in Denver District Court. She might have gotten away with it if she hadn’t called a radio talk show to share how she had avoided serving. Cole was sentenced to a two-year deferred judgment for the attempt to influence a public servant and two years of concurrent probation for the perjury count. That means she avoids jail if she keeps her nose clean. She will also be required to perform 40 hours of community service.

Strange house. A bizarre case is unfolding in Kansas City, Mo. Police charged Micah Moore, 23, with first-degree murder of Bethany Ann Deaton, 27. According to The Kansas City Star, prosecutors say Moore murdered Deaton to keep her from revealing a series of sexual assaults on her. Moore lived with Bethany Deaton and Deaton’s husband, Tyler. All of them have been associated with the International House of Prayer-Kansas City (IHOP-KC), a rapidly growing and controversial ministry headquartered in Kansas City and has spread to other cities. Bethany Ann Deaton, originally from Texas, had come to Kansas City to serve as an intern at IHOP-KC.

Immigration reform. A group calling itself the Evangelical Immigration Table has created a document calling for immigration reform. Sitting at the head of this table is Jim Wallis of Sojourners, which is reason enough to be suspicious of the group’s intentions. But a close look at the original 150 signers of this manifesto reveals many names I trust, including Eric Metaxas, Samuel Rodriquez, and Jim Daly. Whatever becomes of this effort, I predict that conservative evangelicals will take the lead in forcing the Republican Party to come to some sort of a compromise with the Democrats on immigration reform. Many of us think that this is an issue that—while not as important as life and marriage—is still a core gospel issue: showing hospitality and compassion to the pilgrim in your land is an important biblical principle. George W. Bush understood this, and conservative evangelicals are prepared to back a compassionate, generous immigration reform plan—so long as it respects the rule of law and doesn’t punish immigrants who have diligently and often sacrificially followed the current legal process. The GOP has taken an unfortunate detour on this issue, but arriving at a biblical position on this question could make a big difference with Hispanics in 2014 and beyond.