OUR COLUMNISTS Discipleship, Training, Holiness -- Greater Needs Than Prosperity Commentary by Matt Friedeman Discipleship and theological training aren't nearly as exciting as a million shouting Nigerians with hands lifted to heaven in pursuit of healing, financial prosperity. But, exciting or not, it is the real need of the hour in Africa. The Pregnant Elephant in the Room Commentary by Jane Jimenez "Comprehensive" has come to mean "condoms and birth control" in debates about sex education. The next time an educator promotes comprehensive sex education to you, ask them if they present the harmful consequences of abortion to young people. Loathing Leon Commentary by Brad Locke Leon, of beer commercial fame, hyperbolically epitomizes our current superstar athletes. Even Randy Moss isn't that arrogant and ingrown -- I don't think -- but as with all good humor, there is an underlying truth present in the Leon character: individuality is the god of many an athlete. Christmas As It Was Originally Celebrated Commentary by David Sisler Christmas used to mean more than great deals on computers and peripherals. The conception of Christmas used to be a teenaged girl, pregnant before marriage, drenched in sweat. She had just pushed her first child into the cold night air of an unheated, smelly barn. The 'Monkey See, Monkey Do' Approach to Science Commentary by Mark Creech The scientific community and the public educational system have essentially embraced a "monkey see, monkey do" approach to science, which is justified by a court's distortion of the First Amendment that establishes evolutionary humanism as the quasi-official religion of the public schools.

...A report indicates ABC News was hoping this week to air stories about the funerals of U.S. soldiers as a way of countering the inaugural celebrations. Cybercast News says Internet bloggers were quick to pick up on a message posted on the ABC News website on Wednesday, soliciting information about whether people knew of any military funerals for Iraq War casualties on Thursday -- the same day President George W. Bush was scheduled to be sworn in for a second term. It went on to ask people to fill out a form if they knew of such an event and whether there might be a family member of the deceased who might be willing to talk to ABC News. Tim Graham of the Media Research Center says ABC News seemed intent all week on diverting the public's attention from the inaugural celebrations by doing stories about the casualties of war. Graham also says his group's research shows that compared to other news agencies, ABC has been the most critical of the Bush administration's handling of the Iraqi war. He says he believes that in some "weird way," this is the network's method of "punishing Bush" for going to war. [Fred Jackson]

...Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions has introduced a bill that will raise death benefits for families of soldiers who die in combat. He says the legislation is needed by the military families who have lost loved ones, and would also correct an injustice. "It will take the basic death benefit from $12,000 to $100,000 and increase a serviceman's group life insurance from $250,000 maximum to $400,000 maximum," Sessions says. This will make a difference for the families, the senator points out, adding, "We need to be generous to families who serve our country and [to the survivors of those] who have given their lives." Sessions contends that this bill to increase military death benefits is one way to honor America's fallen heroes while providing for those they leave behind. The measure is co-sponsored by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. [Bill Fancher]

...Dr. Alberto Mottesi, one of the most prominent and respected religious leaders in the Spanish speaking world, has recently joined the Advisory Board of the Alliance for Marriage (AFM). Mottesi's radio program is transmitted some 1,200 times daily throughout the United States, Spain, and Latin America, and his public rallies are among the largest mass-meeting movements in the history of the Hispanic world. In fact, the Christian leader is widely referred to as "Latin America's Billy Graham" and has also become known in recent years for his ministry to presidents, governors, and politicians in all Latin American countries, where the press often refers to him as "the Pastor of Presidents." AFM is a non-profit research and education organization dedicated to promoting marriage and addressing the epidemic of fatherless families in the United States. The Alliance works to educate the public, the media, elected officials, and civil society leaders on the benefits of traditional marriage for children, adults and society, and to promote reforms designed to strengthen the institution of marriage and restore a culture of married fatherhood in America. [Jenni Parker]

...A scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop in San Antonio, Texas, says she wants to get the word out that a San Francisco software distributor is blatantly discriminating against the Boy Scouts of America. Melissa Holman wanted to purchase a Microsoft program to update her small troop's computer system, so she contacted Techsoup.org, which offered substantial discounts to nonprofit organizations. Holman soon learned, however, that this discount policy apparently did not apply to the Boy Scouts. "The order went unfulfilled," she says, "and I called to find out the status of the order about a month and a half later. And the gentleman on the phone told me, 'Oh, I'm sorry, we don't do business with the Boy Scouts because of their stand against homosexuality.'" When Holman responded by saying she would go to the website to cancel her order, she says the vendor then told her she need not do that. All the scout troop leader had to do, the Techsoup representative told her, was write a letter saying she disagreed with the BSA and its stand on homosexuality, and the company would be happy to fulfill her order. But instead, Holman wrote a letter to cancel the order and contacted Microsoft, asking the software giant to no longer allow Techsoup.org to carry its software. [Chad Groening]

...As President Bush begins his second term, churches that believe abortion should remain legal are afraid the tide may be turning against them. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice gathered on Friday afternoon (January 21) at Washington's National City Christian Church to, quote: "Celebrate and reflect on the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade." The coalition includes mainline Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, Unitarians and Jews. The coalition's president, Rev. Carlton Veazey, says they are concerned that President Bush will appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, and that the Democratic Party will move to accommodate more pro-life views. Veazey says the group believes it is an issue of religious freedom -- that no denomination should be able to set the rules for what others believe. On Monday, pro-lifers will stage their annual March for Life. [AP]

...The pro-life organization Operation Rescue (West) had demonstrators out before sunrise on Tuesday, January 18, at the La Quinta Inn in Wichita, Kansas, holding signs and circling the block with OR's fleet of "Truth Trucks" -- vehicles outfitted with graphic signs depicting the gruesome remains of aborted children. The protest is part of the pro-life group's call for a national boycott of La Quinta Inns until the hotel chain terminates its business arrangement with abortionist George Tiller. For some time OR has known that Tiller offered discounts to his out-of-town patients, who come from all over the world for late-term abortions; however, the group recently uncovered evidence that the abortionist in fact uses the hotel as an annex to his clinic, maintaining a full-time nursing staff on site to monitor women who have begun the three- to four-day abortion procedure. "This is more than a case of abortion collaboration," says OR outreach coordinator Cheryl Sullenger. "This is a matter of aiding and abetting the needless killing of innocent, viable children." The OR spokeswoman contends that, were it not for the "wicked, baby-killing alliance between Tiller and La Quinta Inn," the abortionists' operation would not be able to function as it currently does. OR is urging pro-lifers across the U.S. to contact La Quinta's corporate office and their corporately-owned Wichita facility to ask them to stop endangering women's lives by letting Tiller use them as an extension of his abortion mill. [Jenni Parker]

...American Family Association president Tim Wildmon says there will be no accountability on the part of broadcasters until the Federal Communications Commission stops making deals with media companies for indecency complaints. Viacom, the parent company of CBS, paid the FCC $3.5 million in exchange for the government dropping thousands of complaints for indecent broadcasts. Recently AFA charged that Viacom was simply being allowed to pay "indecency dues" and warned that the broadcaster and companies like it would continue to air offensive programming. It happened again on December 31, when CBS ran a repeat episode of the show Without a Trace, featuring a disturbingly graphic sex scene. AFA's president says this is what happens when the FCC cuts deals with the networks instead of doing its job. When the networks violate federal indecency regulations, Wildmon asserts, the FCC commissioners "need to fine them every time and fine them to the fullest extent of the law. They can't be saying to the networks, 'You pay this money and you have an indecency license.' So they're going to have to hit them and hit them hard." The ministry leader is urging pro-family citizens to get involved by visiting the AFA website, where they can find information on how to file a complaint about network indecency. [Rusty Pugh]

...The organization formerly known as Christian Camping International/USA (CCI/USA) has now become Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA). The name change reflects the organization's desire to communicate more clearly to the public its dual mission: to equip Christian camp and conference leaders by providing training, encouragement, and timely resources; and to proclaim the power of a Christian camp and conference experience, describing and interpreting its benefits. CCCA president John Ashmen believes many people find the original title of the organization somewhat misleading. "The average churchgoer or person on the street would probably guess that [Christian Camping International] is a moniker for young people who like to have Bible studies while backpacking and tent camping all over the globe," he says. "This shift will help the association better describe and better position itself with churches, other Christian organizations, the public, and potential members." In line with its expanded mission, CCCA will step up its public relations efforts and publish a new publicly available magazine called CampSight, which will join the association's flagship magazine, InSite, this spring. Among the other major changes in CCCA's offerings this year is a revamped website that will offer the public more resources to help them understand, appreciate, and experience Christian camp and conference ministry. [Jenni Parker]

FREE...For decades, most American faith-based relief agencies have enjoyed access to government funds in exchange for promises not to seek converts or upset local customs. The American Council for Voluntary International Action, which represents more than 160 relief and development agencies, has standards that discourage proselytizing. Members include Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and Lutheran World Relief. The tsunami disaster, however, has given a high-profile stage to other Christian groups outside the established framework. Their efforts have prompted some Islamic leaders in Indonesia to warn of a sharp response to any Christian visitor accused of proselytizing. Rev. Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse ministry has flown a jumbo jet full of aid to Indonesia. Some ministries view disaster relief as a way to show compassion and share the Gospel. [AP]

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