By William Blazek
Boston College School of Theology and Ministry

Here is a story rarely told: I slept with a man in the U.S. Army Ranger School. Two in fact. But let me explain! On desert patrols in a Utah winter or after slogging all night through Florida swampland, our unit would form teams to take turns on watch. Three exhausted smelly Rangers would pile into a shallow foxhole and take short naps between shifts "on security." We had no sleeping bags, and temperatures ranged as low as 17 degrees. The only way to survive was by sharing body heat. While the lucky member of our Ranger sandwich could sleep fairly well, the two outside men waited for sunrise with either their backside or front frozen. Several soldiers suffered serious frostbite.

Towards the end of the course I found myself teamed with men I knew less well. One was skittish about entering the fighting position after a lengthy march in the dark. "I'm no queer!" he protested. We looked at him incredulously, "How have you survived the cold?" As for "don't ask don't tell," that starry night deep in the swamps of Eglin Air Force Base stands forth in my memory. The effort it took convincing our comrade that it was not "gay" to spoon in a foxhole demonstrates the practical challenges to be faced if "out" homosexuals are to be incorporated into combat units. A challenge, however, is not evidence that something should not be done.

By Robert Jeffress
Pastor First Baptist Church of Dallas

Several weeks ago, Christian leaders, including myself, denounced televangelist Pat Robertson for claiming the Haitian earthquake was the result of God's judgment against the country. Jesus clearly taught in Luke 13 that we are not to make such pronouncements. There are any number of theological possibilities for the "Why do bad things happen?" question, and only God knows which answer applies to which situation.

However, the decision by Air Force Academy officials in Colorado Springs to construct an outdoor space for the worship of pagan deities is an open invitation for God to send His harshest judgments against our nation.

As I read of the Academy's plans to move stones to a nearby hilltop to facilitate the worship of pagans, Wiccans, Druids, and other earth-centered believers, I thought of the Old Testament story of King Manasseh who "did evil in the sight of the Lord. . . . For he rebuilt the high places and erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them" (2 Kings 21:2-3).

By Tim Muldoon
theologian, Boston College

One of the earliest examples of Christian art--a fresco on the Catacomb of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter from the fourth century--depicts the story of the woman with a hemorrhage who surreptitiously approached Jesus in order to simply touch the hem of his garment, in the hope of being healed (see Matthew 9:20-22). The image is one which captures a basic human desire. Illness--like birth, death, hunger, and sexual urges--is an experience of limitation, a reminder that our freedom is circumscribed by factors over which we cannot even aspire to fully control. The spirituality of the fresco is rooted in the yearning for release from illness, for salvation from the sufferings that we all recognize are inextricably linked to the human condition.

Examples across many religious traditions show an intrinsic connection between sickness and religion. The studies of Shamanic practices around the world show a common concern to address physical suffering with spiritual comfort. The scriptures of ancient Israel frequently connect healing with divine power, as in the story of Elisha healing the Syrian Na'aman of leprosy (see 2 Kings 5). In the Buddhist text the Dhammapada there is the story of Kisagotami, who approached the Buddha after the death of her son, also seeking healing. The Buddha sent her to find mustard seeds from a home that did not know suffering; she returned when she understood that no home is free from this most basic element of the human experience. In the Indian subcontinent, the tradition of Vedic healing involves what Westerners would describe as physical and spiritual dimensions. Similarly, the history of Chinese medicine shows a deep reverence for the human body as a small quasi-mystical universe in itself.

By Megan Donovan
legislative advocate, Center for Reproductive Rights

Twenty-two years ago, Pam Tebow made a courageous decision to continue a pregnancy that threatened her life. Thankfully, she and her son lived to tell the tale -- and reportedly will do so again during a Super Bowl commercial. Tim Tebow now happens to be a college football star capable of commanding significant media attention.

Am I happy for the Tebows? Sure. Do I think their story somehow proves that a woman in Mrs. Tebow's situation should be told that she has no choice but to continue her risky pregnancy? Give me a break. As a young woman navigating life in the 21st century, I find it challenging enough to make responsible, informed decisions for myself and in conjunction with my loved ones. I don't presume to make those decisions for others.

According to On Faith guest columnist Katie Walker (Tim Tebow, pro-life and what young women want), this makes me part of a generation of "self-absorbed, Xanax-popping, corporate climbers" that hasn't managed, as she so wisely has, to escape a "me-first" worldview imposed upon us by self-centered feminists. Sadly, the world remains a place plagued by selfishness, racism, and violence. According to Ms. Walker, this means feminism and pro-choice politics have failed.

By Steven Wernick
Executive Vice President and CEO, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Although Jews as a group are not what come to mind when most people summon up images of tough-as-nails men holding machine guns, ask them about Israeli soldiers and it changes. Although the foundational myth has been challenged recently by events, most people still think of Israeli soldiers as strong, proud, attractive, testosterone-filled daredevils, men and women alike, who take life-defying risks for their country.

But Israel's army has accepted gay men and lesbians alongside straight men and women since the country was founded. It's never been an issue. If you can fight, it doesn't matter who you sleep with.

By Alexander J. Shaia
author, educator, spiritual director

With each disaster (Haiti, Katrina, Thailand) we hear responses that run the gamut from Pat Robertson's "caused by their sin" to Eli Wiesel's "[God's] here hanging on this gallows."

Wiesel, a devout Jew, may have a more accurate read of the God of the gospels than many Christians realize. In moments of heart-rending suffering, Christians are often left to throw scripture interpretations like stones, rather than providing messages of comfort, courage, and inspiration. World crises have become a mirror to Christianity's insecurity. How has this happened, and more importantly is there a resolution?

I think there is. And I think the problem is that we have been misreading the Bible itself.

By Chad Hills
Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family advocates abstinence education because it works. Really? Yes - and we have evidence that proves our claim. But first, some context.

Today it's difficult for young people to comprehend sexual purity, much less put it into practice. Our present culture defines relationships as by-products of sexual performance, and its concept of "beauty" straddles a thin gray line between salacious exposure and soft porn. It also doesn't help young adults that their parents and the culture encourage them to put education and career ahead of marriage and family, thus driving the average age of marriage well beyond the mid-20s.

But if you talk to young people, a gradual change is taking place.

By Douglas Wilson
senior fellow of theology, New St. Andrews

We sometimes have difficulty predicting what will be really hot with the buying public and why. Twenty years ago, who would have called teen vampire high school romantic fiction? That kind of thing is just flat unpredictable. But there are other themes in popular entertainment that might seem just as unlikely, but which are actually a staple of our storytelling. I refer to the disaster story--whether it comes in the form of fiction, as the recent movie "2012," or in the form of ostensible science, like "An Inconvenient Truth" --there is something in the purchasing public that thrills to the thought of absolutely everything coming unstuck. And they are willing to pay ready money to get that thrill.

In my recent study of five cities--Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and New York--one possible reason for this presented itself. It is a matter of empirical observation that cities and regional civilizations die. There have been countless Ozymandian figures in history, and where are they all now? It is arguable that at least four of the five cities mentioned above have already seen their high water mark. So it is the simplest thing in the world to look at this common process, and render general by induction. If cities and regional civilizations die, then why not macro-civilizations? Why not worlds? To take this up to the next level is hardly an exercise in squaring the circle. Stories about the end of the world are a commonplace in our history--from Armageddon to Ragnarok and back again. This means that if Al Gore comes along to tell a new story about the pending disaster, it is simply a variation on an old, old theme. Only this time dying polar bears are included.

By Tammy Bundy
EWTN contributor

Before the first Super Bowl football player has even stepped foot into Miami's Sun Life Stadium, two teams are already battling it out. These two teams are not the Colts and the Saints. And it's not about football -it's about a commercial.

Actually the kick-off of this debate did begin with a football star.

Tim Tebow, Heisman-trophy-winning University of Florida quarterback, has filmed an ad paid for by Focus on the Family that is scheduled to air during the Super Bowl. In this commercial, he is seen with his mom, Pam, discussing her 1987 decision to carry her unborn child to term despite her doctor's recommendations to terminate the pregnancy due to possible problems. Her faith encouraged her to have her baby boy--- who would grow up to be the young man whom some regard as the best college player of his time.

By Chad Hennings
author, former NFL player

We, as a nation, are crying out for transparency and authenticity. We want our leaders, heroes and role models -- people like Tim Tebow -- to stand for something. Something that is greater than self. We want them to live up to the words that they profess and not hide behind a façade.

Those are good things to remember amid the controversy surrounding Tim and Pam Tebow's pro-life Super Bowl ad.

In today's culture, we are constantly bombarded with "words" from many sources - print, radio, television, the Internet . . . The list goes on and on. Many times, the words mean nothing more than the spin that they were formed to create. We have become so distrustful of what people say that their words are all but meaningless.

By Tom Kam
Arcus Foundation

My love for my Church is inspired by people whose lives challenge us to bear witness to God's truth to our world. As a child, these people were the saints of my Catholic faith--Francis of Assisi and Teresa of Avila-- prophets and mystics whose very lives challenged the Church's hierarchy and inspired thousands to serve God through prayer and ministry to society's outcasts. As a young man, there were new heroes of faith to admire -- the Berrigan brothers, Catholic priests whose Vietnam anti-war actions reflected the extreme convictions of their faith, and Jean Donovan, the young American Catholic lay missionary who was raped and murdered during the 1980 Salvadoran civil war. These men and women were religious leaders who possessed the courage to enter into the lives of everyday people, and in the midst of religious and political turmoil, proclaim God's unrelenting call of love, truth, and justice.

These voices and lives stand in sharp contrast to the present day leadership of my church. In November, 14 Catholic bishops, along with a group of Evangelical and Orthodox leaders, issued The Manhattan Declaration, in which they announced plans to disobey any civil laws that ensure a women's right to choose, or provide legal rights to same-sex couples in committed relationships.