As churches push donations, congregants balk at tithing
Birth control pill for men moves beyond an idea
Chemical Fallout

As churches push donations, congregants balk at tithing
The Tennessean
Sunday, Dec. 2

Can you put a price on faith? That is the question churchgoers are asking as the tradition of tithing — giving 10 percent of your income to the church — is increasingly challenged. Opponents of tithing say it is a misreading of the Bible, a practice created by man, not God. They say they should be free to donate whatever amount they choose, and they are arguing with pastors, writing letters and quitting congregations in protest.

In response, some pastors have changed their teaching and rejected what has been a favored form of fundraising for decades.

The backlash comes as some churches step up their efforts to encourage tithing. Some are setting up "giving kiosks" that allow congregants to donate using their debit cards when they attend services. Others are offering financial seminars that teach people in debt how they can continue tithing even while paying off their loans.

James Hudnut-Beumler, dean of Vanderbilt University's divinity school and author of the book In Pursuit of the Almighty's Dollar: A history of Protestant fundraising, is quoted.

Birth control pill for men moves beyond an idea
The Tennessean
Sunday, Dec. 2

A drug that could one day be used as a male birth control pill has been developed by researchers at the University of Tennessee and a Memphis-based pharmaceutical company.

The drug, dubbed C-31, has been shown to make animals temporarily infertile by stopping the production of brain hormones necessary to create sperm. Early studies show the drug to be 100 percent effective in preventing pregnancy in rats, and fertility was restored when the drug was discontinued.

Though years away, the availability of such a pill could have a significant worldwide impact.

Laura Carpenter, a Vanderbilt University assistant professor of sociology, is quoted.

Chemical Fallout
The Journal Sentinel
Sunday, Dec. 2

For more than a decade, the federal government and chemical-makers have assured the public that a hormone-mimicking compound found in baby bottles, aluminum cans and hundreds of other household products is safe.

But a Journal Sentinel investigation found that these promises are based on outdated, incomplete government studies and research heavily funded by the chemical industry.

In the first analysis of its kind by a newspaper, the Journal Sentinel reviewed 258 scientific studies of the chemical bisphenol A, a compound detected in the urine of 93% of Americans recently tested. An overwhelming majority of these studies show that the chemical is harmful - causing breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, obesity, low sperm counts, miscarriage and a host of other reproductive failures in laboratory animals.

Simon Hayward, professor of prostate biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, is quoted.