In the Valley -- There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Trafficking in human beings is one of the most disturbing global issues of our day -- and one that receives almost no media attention. Heidi Metcalf, who works with Geneva Global, did an extensive tour of select Asian locales in June and is in the middle of a five part series on this rampant evil:

You are a woman, and your parents were desperately poor—unable to provide for you and your five siblings on pennies a day in your remote village. They need you to contribute to family income so at 13 years old, you followed a neighbor’s promise for work in the big city. You cannot read nor can you write and when you arrive in the city, a woman meets you and takes you to your accommodation. She locks you in a room, and you are sold to the highest bidder. You spend the next ten years servicing an average of 20 men a night. You lost your freedom, your childhood, and your future… Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.

A must read series on an issue that deserves more of our attention.

Expert Witness Needed -- Instead of bugging my blog buddies about writing the EW feature for me, I thought I'd open it up to everyone. If you'd be interested in writing a post for the Friday feature send it to me at jpcarter[at]evangelicaloutpost.com. You don't have to be a certified expert, just have an above average interest and enthusiasm for the topic you choose. I won't guarantee that I'll use every entry that is submitted, but I'll definitely read each one and put the most interesting posts into the lineup. (Note: This Friday's slot is still open.)

reformation21 -- Last week I commented that theologians need to take advantage of the Internet and especially the blogosphere to fulfill their role of "informing the laity." So I'm excited to see that the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals is doing just that with the launch of reformation21. Justin Taylor, one of my favorite theo-bloggers, will be joined by Alliance Council members Ligon Duncan (Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, MS), Derek Thomas (John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary), Carl Trueman (Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary), Rick Phillips (Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church), and Phil Ryken (Senior Minister of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Margate, FL). An impressive lineup for what is sure to be a must-read online magazine and blog.

Carnival Watch -- Free Money Finance is hosting the sixth edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance.

Psychologists to Philosophers? -- Sometimes trends that you think you should have noticed only become obvious only after they are pointed out to you. Such is the case with Michael Russell who identifies a shift within evangelicalism from the "high priests" of psychologists and counselors to philosophers:

Now the garb of high priesthood is being passed to another, perhaps more fitting group of Christian experts that appear to be poised to take the Christian community in a different direction. The new high priesthood, if I am correct, are those Christian philosophers who books are becoming more and more popular and whose voices are being heeded with greater and greater frequency.

It is an impressive group, including such solid thinkers as Willard, Moreland, Craig, Geisler, and Groothuis. There are many more. (The patron saint, arguably, is Alvin Plantinga, the Notre Dame professor of philosophy whom Christianity Today stated was the leading philosopher - Christian or otherwise - of our day.) Whether intentionally or not, this group stands poised to assume the garments of high priesthood, thereby consummating an betrothal made decades ago with Francis Schaeffer.

Christian (Biblical) counselors have played an important role in the past few decades. But I would certainly welcome a changing of the guard. Evangelicalism desperately needs a shift in intellectual leadership away from an inner-directed therapeutic approach to a rigorous, philosophically and theologically astute apologetic.

Feminist Pro-Lifer? -- Josh Claybourn notices an interesting aspect of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' wife that will surely come out in the nomination hearing.