OUR COLUMNISTS Yes, We Have Race Problems ... Yes, We Should Do Something About Them Commentary by Matt Friedeman What am I proactively doing in my community to promote loving others of a different hue? What is my family doing? My church? Typical answer -- not a thing. To Know Love When We See Love (Part 1) Commentary by Jane Jimenez Love American Style is still a television favorite. And the search for love drives nearly every television talk show from Phil to Montel to Oprah. With so many people looking for love, why is it so hard to find? Pursuing Perfection Commentary by Brad Locke When God gives us a blessing, He expects us to use it well. It behooves me to strive for excellence in my work. So it is with my Christian walk. I am instructed to imitate Christ and to please God in all I say and do. The Church Joins the World -- and Almost No One Notices Commentary by David Sisler In the spirit of the season, churches all over our nation will have a very spiritual experience by being closed in celebration of the birthday of our Savior. No matter how you phrase it, no matter how you spin it, that is a prime example of evangelical Christianity having lost its way. The Book of Daniel: A Form of Godliness, But Denying the Power Commentary by Mark Creech Wrapped in the garb of professed good intentions, NBC's The Book of Daniel is really a slight on genuine faith in Christ. It highlights and emphasizes "a form of godliness," but denies the power of the Gospel to transform a life.

...Christians from all over the country are in Washington for today's 33rd annual March for Life. After a rally and speeches on the National Mall, including phoned-in remarks from President Bush, thousands of marchers are to proceed up Capitol Hill to the Supreme Court building. Rev. Damian Hils of North Dakota says he is marching because he believes every step taken moves the nation a step closer to ending what he calls the "abominable crime of abortion." David Bertschinger, a 16-year-old student from Kentucky, says he believes that "God is pro-life" and "abortion is homicide." But many churches disagree. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice includes mainline Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Unitarians and the United Church of Christ. [AP]

...Televangelist Pat Robertson has cancelled a scheduled appearance at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) convention in Dallas next month. The move comes in the wake of a major controversy between Robertson and the nation of Israel. Robertson's decision to cancel his speech to the convention came after a meeting with leaders of the NRB. Associated Press reports that Robertson was to have spoken at the closing banquet, but NRB leaders worried that the furor over his linking Ariel Sharon's stroke to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza could detract from the convention's focus. Israel and the promotion of Holy Land tours by the Israeli government play a major role in the convention events each year. Robertson, who has apologized to Sharon's family, told NRB leaders that he regrets the negative impact his remarks have had on other religious broadcasters, and is taking steps to avoid such controversies in the future. The speech at the convention's closing banquet will now be given by well-known Southern Baptist author and ministry leader Dr. Henry Blackaby. [Fred Jackson]

...Tensions in the Middle East reached another high over the weekend with Israel indicating it is ready to take military action to stop Iran from developing its nuclear capabilities. In carefully worded statements over the weekend, Israel's defense minister warned that Israel will not tolerate a nuclear option for Iran and this his country must develop "the option of our defense with all that implies." While stating that Israel remains committed to resolving the problem through diplomacy, the minister said Israel has no choice but to treat the Iranian nuclear threat "responsibly and with utmost seriousness." Iran responded by saying Israel would be making a fatal mistake if it attacked. But Iran is well aware that Israel is not afraid to act and has done so before. Israel's warplanes destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981. Israel and the United States have both declared Iran to be a major sponsor of terrorism, including the allegation that Iran gives the terrorist group Hezbollah $100 million a year to carry out such operations as homicide bombings in Israel. [Fred Jackson]

...An attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is calling on state legislatures to pass mandatory minimum prison sentences for child sex offenders. Recently a judge in Vermont sentenced a convicted child molester to 60 days in prison, claiming that a long sentence would only anger the convicted felon. Pat Trueman, special counsel with ADF, says sentencing guidelines for child molesters need an overhaul. "I think every state has to have mandatory minimum sentences for child sex abusers -- and a minimum sentence would be 10, 15, 20 years," he says. "When a man sexually abuses a child, he has harmed that child for life -- and the punishment should fit the crime." According to Trueman, judges have too much leeway when it comes to sentencing those found guilty of child molestation. He believes every state legislature should review its sentencing guidelines for child sex abuse and "get rid of the discretion that judges have to avoid prison time for sex abusers." Trueman worked in the Department of Justice during the Reagan administration. [Allie Martin]

...A Christian activist in California says Christians need to know that a major producer of poinsettias for the U.S. is also a major supporter of Planned Parenthood. James Hartline says it is no secret in the San Diego area that the Ecke family has long supported abortion financially. But according to Hartline, many churchgoers across the country do not know that the Eckes produce about 70 percent of all the poinsettias sold in the U.S. "During the holiday season nearly every church in America -- tens of thousands of churches -- are full of poinsettias," he observes. And there's a good possibility that those poinsettias are coming from Ecke Ranch [in Encinitas]." To those who might question how the purchase of poinsettias ties in with support abortion support, Hartline has this response: "[T]hink about the profit in the tens and tens of millions [from the sale of poinsettias], and ... look at how much money the Eckes are pouring into Planned Parenthood, which is hundreds of thousands of dollars." According to the North County Times (San Diego/Riverside), four members of the Ecke family donated a quarter-million dollars to the renovation of building in Carlsbad, California, last year -- a building that was turned into a Planned Parenthood center. Hartline says the family was then given a dinner in their honor, and the center was named by the matriarch of the family. [Mary Rettig]

...A Pentagon advisor and national defense expert believes the U.S. needs to take seriously the recent inflammatory remarks by Iran's radical leader. The Iranian president called the Holocaust a "myth," and suggested that Israel's Jews be relocated to Europe or even to North America. U.S. Army Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bob Maginnis says the United States and Israel must take these kinds of incendiary comments seriously. "Now whether or not we can foment insurrection and revolution in that country to overturn the grand ayatollah and his lackeys in the political fray, that's to be determined," he opines. Maginnis says the radical Islamists have an even bigger goal. "The greater vision of the Muslim world is the return of the 1,400-year Khilafat -- that is, the person who inherits the spiritual throne of Muhammad," Maginnis explains. "If someone were to do that, they would really want to take over the entire world." Maginnis says taking on Iran will be a much more formidable task than Iraq. [Chad Groening]

...In its debut weekend in theaters, the missionary drama End of the Spear has made it into the box office top ten. According to studio estimates, the weekend's biggest grossing film was Underworld: Evolution, followed by Hoodwinked, Glory Road and Last Holiday. End of the Spear tied for ninth with a much bigger-budget film, The New World. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which opened in the U.S. on December 9, was the weekend's seventh most popular film. [AP]

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