Focus on the Family Targets Political Battlegrounds
The conservative evangelical group Focus on the Family will mount a voter registration drive in eight battleground states this fall. The Colorado Springs, Colo.-based ministry is also soliciting “church coordinators” to encourage pastors to speak about Christian citizenship, conduct a voter-registration drive, and distribute voter guides. Each of the eight targeted states—Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee—is hosting a race for the U.S. Senate this fall. Focus on the Family staffers say the voter drives are nonpartisan and legal. But critics call them a “shameless partisan scheme” to support Republican candidates. (RNS)
Hockey Team OKs Sabbath Absences
The coach of a hockey team seen as a stepping-stone to the National Hockey league has OK’d Sabbath absences for Benjamin Rubin, an Orthodox Jew from Montreal. Rubin, selected for the Quebec Ramparts, will miss at least half the team’s games, which fall either on Friday night or Saturday—the Jewish Sabbath. And that’s all right with the team’s general manager. “It’s fun to see someone who knows what he wants,” Patrick Roy, a legendary former goalkeeper for the Montreal Canadiens, told CBC News. “We believe that he has good potential, and we’re certainly ready to allow him to stand up for what he believes in. That’s what we want from our players.” (RNS)
