Accepted

I write in response to Dan Rodricks ' column, "Same-sex unions: What would Jesus do?" (Oct. 25). I more or less agree with his befuddlement with the "extravagant manifestations" of modern day religious Christianity. Nevertheless, his personal opinion concerning what Jesus would do in regard to homosexual marriage runs counter to Christian doctrine. The Bible preaches repentance, not unconditional love to those in willful rebellion against God. Mr. Rodricks makes the common error of confusing God's unconditional love for those who have repented and turned to him in faith, as manifested in Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, with a generalized, sentimental acceptance of all behaviors that dismissed the evils of sin and the severity of God's response to it. This is a fatal mistake.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Wednesday that Comptroller Joan M. Pratt's use of free legal services from Orioles owner Peter G. Angelos' law firm represents a breach of the city ethics code — an accusation vehemently rejected by Pratt. The Angelos firm is handling without charge Pratt's lawsuit against the administration's efforts to install a new city phone system that Pratt says illegally circumvented the competitive bidding process and wasted taxpayer dollars. Addressing reporters after Wednesday's Board of Estimates meeting, the mayor contended that Pratt's acceptance of the free legal help violates the ethics code, which generally prohibits elected officials from taking gifts from people who do business with their agency.

Immediately after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation's unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent in September, conservatives started attacking the agency for producing figures that sounded a little too convenient for the Obama administration. The most prominent doubter was former GE chairman Jack Welch, who tweeted shortly after the announcement, "Unbelievable jobs numbers..these Chicago guys will do anything..can't debate so change numbers. " But he was hardly alone.

As J.J. Hardy's game-winning double bounced off the outfield wall in the 13th inning, it dawned on 49,307 suddenly quiet New Yorkers that the 2012 Orioles just won't go away. With their 2-1 win over the New York Yankees Thursday, the Orioles kept their season alive and set up a decisive Game 5 in the Bronx on Friday afternoon. Just as the Yankees could not shake the Orioles all season, they could not shake them through a marathon elimination game. "It's been a fight to stay ahead of this team all season, and it seems fitting," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of having to play a fifth game against the Orioles.

Whether or not they accept the scientific evidence that climate change is man-made, Maryland businesses and families with electric lights know that climate change has already had a dire economic impact on our region. Unprecedented weather extremes have pummeled our state and power distribution system. Crippling storms and heat in the summer and snow storms in the winter, previously rare in Maryland, have become commonplace. Such extreme weather events dramatically increase the risk to Maryland's old-fashioned electric utilities, which were built and are managed for a 1950s economy - and climate.

Maryland said Friday it has admitted Dezmine Wells, a highly coveted basketball player expelled by Xavier following a sexual assault allegation that a prosecutor said was unproven. It's uncertain whether Wells will be able to play for the Terps this season. Maryland will soon seek an NCAA waiver -- the process is expected to take about three weeks -- under which the guard-forward would receive an exemption from the transfer rule and not be required to sit out a season. It is difficult to predict the outcome of the request because Wells' case appears unique -- a player expelled from a school but backed by a prosecutor and never criminally charged.

The state panel that is considering whether Maryland's laws and policies on access to guns by people who are mentally ill will hear from the public through Sept. 21 on key issues. Among those issues are whether there should be more gun restrictions for people who are mentally ill and whether current laws that don't allow anyone who's been in a mental facility for 30 or more consecutive days to purchase a regulated gun should be changed. The task force must make suggestions to the governor by the end of the year.

Wedding Day: August 18, 2012 Her story: Nola Dobratz, 33, grew up in Chicago, Ill. She lives in Fells Point and is marketing director for Radcliffe Jewelers. Her father, Walter Dobratz, is deceased. Her mother, Nola Dobratz, is a retired accountant. His story: Christian Martin, 34, grew up in Reisterstown. He lives in Fells Point and is global category manager for DSM Nutritional Products. His father, Dave Martin, is a University of Maryland senior extension agent. His mother, Rose Martin, is a Carroll County family and consumer science high-school teacher.

Warren Hartenstine is a Penn State graduate who played football for Coach Joe Paterno. He is a long-time resident of Harford County and a respected member of the local business community. He wrote a letter to the chair of the Penn State Board of Trustees. A copy was provided for publication. Ms. Karen B. Peetz Chairman, Penn State Board of Trustees Chairman Peetz: I know something about childhood sexual abuse personally, professionally and as a volunteer. I know something about Jerry Sandusky and the incredulity that enabled him. He was my student recruiter and then teammate.

The Episcopal Church took a major step toward recognizing same-sex unions this week when delegates at its triennial General Convention in Indianapolis voted overwhelmingly to allow priests to bestow the church's blessings on gay couples in lifetime committed relationships. Though the resolution stopped just short of declaring the blessing a marriage rite, and its use by priests remains contingent on the approval of local bishops, the move marks a growing acceptance by one of the country's oldest, most established denominations that gay people have always been part of the church and that their presence should be acknowledged in its liturgy.