This year, Republican Delegate Wade Kach voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage. What makes him a huge hypocrite is the fact that he was one of the co-sponsors of the following last year, HB-474 - which is summarized as:

Adding a new section to the Maryland Constitution to establish that a marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only domestic legal union valid or recognized in the State; and submitting the amendment to the qualified voters of the State for their adoption or rejection.

Seriously. How do you go from supporting a Constitutional Amendment defining marriage one year, to voting in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage the next unless you have no moral backbone at all. Whatever side of this issue you're on, you have to admit - this wreaks.

Red Maryland has more on a reported promise of a job to Kach by the O'Malley administration which, if true, explains this vote and also reveals the character of this man.

HT to MSOP

The task force appointed to study a possible name change of the Southern Baptist Convention is recommending that the convention maintain its legal name but adopt an informal, non-legal name for those who want to use it: Great Commission Baptists.

Jimmy Draper
The name "Southern," task force chairman Jimmy Draper said, is a barrier to the Gospel in some regions of the country. The task force was appointed by Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright.

The task force made its recommendation during the Executive Committee meeting Monday night. The Executive Committee will consider the recommendation Tuesday.

The recommendation means that the legal name of the convention will remain “Southern Baptist Convention” and can be used by any church who wishes to use it. But other SBC churches can call themselves “Great Commission Baptists” if they wish.

What do you think of the informal name proposal? I get the idea, not sure how I feel. I get the Southern Baptist name sounds very regional, just undecided on the proposed new name. That said - a focus on the Great Commission in name as well as actions can only be a good thing for the church.

More from Dave Miller of SBC Voices.

There are a lot of things you notice when you watch the Star Wars films. Action, adventure, Jedi, Sith, Good, evil, Ewoks, and a plethora of other fun critters, droids, and characters. What is also present is a six-part tale of redemption.

The entire first half, the prequel trilogy, tells the about the fall of Anakin Skywalker. It shows us a man who has pledged his life to goodness and truth, fall victim to self. Instead of focusing on the goodness and truth, he focuses on himself, rage, pleasures of the world, and power he can possess. By the end, the all consuming goal is to become his own personal god where he can control the power of life and death. In the process, he kills the innocent. He has truly fallen into madness and the dark side of the force.

When introduced to Vader in the original trilogy, we are introduced to him as a villain he has become. He tortures and murders without care. He does what he needs to in order to retain the power that he desires. He appears to be nothing but evil. Then, his son enters into the picture.

At the end of Return of the Jedi, we watch Luke and Vader fight in one of the more epic battles in film. When Luke finally gets the upper hand, he begins to succumb to his rage. He then stops. Calms himself and lays himself down at the mercy of his enemy. He says he will not kill Vader, will not surrender to the dark side. So, the Emperor attacks. Luke does not appear to fight back. He allows the Emperor to attack him. Why? To allow Vader an opportunity to rise, have a reprieve, and hopefully to have reached his soul. Behind the mask, behind the evil exterior was still the good man underneath; so Luke was ready to risk his life for his father.

I am reminded of the words of Christ in John 15:13:

No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.

But, the story does not end there. In the end, Vader changes. He has a salvation moment where he realizes the error of his ways and suddenly grabs the Emperor to save his son. Vader saves Luke in the end; he returns to the side of righteousness.

Anakin's story is a story of redemption. He falls further than we can ever imagine, but in the end he accepted and understood the truth, and was freed from the chains of evil.

Star Wars reminds us that through Christ - no man is unable to be redeemed. All man can be forgiven of their sins - no matter how severe. Remember, Moses was a murderer; Paul lead serious attacks on the early church before finding Christ; David, the man after the Lord's own heart, committed adultery then directed the death of her husband. The Lord redeemed each of them. The Lord can redeem you, just as Vader was redeemed for his evil.