“‘In heaven there is no beer, that’s why we drink it here.'” The National Enquirer stumbles into Denver’s prayerful nightclub, The Church at the Bar, and in between dreadful puns, manages to summarize the church’s outreach mission. According to its minister, Mike Shepherd, the bar-church is “where believers are more likely to go if they’re disconnected from God and the traditional church, but still have a tugging in their heart for something more.”

8:30 pm: Bringing God back to the Olympics: “Heracles had his 12 labors. Tom Pappas has his 10.” David Woods begins a series matching figures from ancient Greek mythology with modern athletes in Indystar. The mixing of God-talk and sports-talk is unusually common this week (though generally as superficial as ever), with The Suburban Chicago News’sheadline, “Olympian trusts in God for safety in Athens”; Bryan Brasher’s Ledger-Enquirerprofile of a devout bass-fisherman; Becca Smith’s report at The Carthage Press about Missouri summer campers who “speak to the people…about God through baseball”; and Greg Kuhl’s scoop at DeadBrain: “God: Sick and Tired of Athletes who Thank Him.” “In an abrupt end to a lengthy tradition,” Kuhl writes, “God says He will no longer accept accolades from athletes for their performances in any sport, pro or college.” (And, not to be outdone by a bunch of jocks, Veronica Shunmugam explores “the strong association between writing and God” atThe Star Online.)

7:45 pm: Is Bush’s God a Cruel God? Robert Thompson thinks so, writing at OpEdNewsabout “the very proper adjunction to voters to get rid of Mr. George W. Bush and his cruel god.” He continues, “As a Catholic Christian, I am totally in agreement, and we have traditionally known his god as Mammon…”

6:30 pm: “‘It would be the exact same case. All the work has been done. Just plug in a different name and do it all over again.'” Pledge-plaintiff Michael Newdow spoke with Reuters about a new lawsuit over the Pledge of Allegiance expected to be filed in federal district court in Sacramento in August. Newdow holds a law degree and hopes to represent two families in the renewed objection to the Pledge’s inclusion of the words “under God.” Plus, presidential biographer Walter Isaacson weighs in on the debate over the Pledge, and just what our forefathers would do, at Time.