OUR COLUMNISTS An Optimistic Pro-Lifer: A Sea-Change in the Courts Guest Commentary by Daniel Lennington A Michigan attorney says pro-lifers everywhere should take comfort in the fact that we could be seeing a sea-change in the courts, prompted by state and federal legislation banning that dreaded procedure: partial-birth abortion. The Complicit Conscience Commentary by Brad Locke If you're a prominent sports figure, and you get caught in a compromising situation, be it a DUI, illegal gambling, or an illicit night on the town, don't worry. You did nothing wrong. You simply exercised 'poor judgment.' By Faith Commentary by David Sisler Faith is a simple trust. It is not as someone callously suggested, 'Call on God, but row away from the rocks.' Faith is an act of our will that puts us at another person's disposal, even if we crash onto the rocks. Abortion: Striking at the Root of the Problem Commentary by Mark Creech Most pro-life Protestants today would readily acknowledge certain types of contraception might be wrong, but they would bristle at any suggestion all contraception is wrong. This poses a theological dilemma, as well as a practical one, that's becoming more pervasive on the front lines of the abortion war.

...A new online tool has been developed for Christian donors who want to support organizations and ministries that line up with their personal interests. The GGMarketplace.org website is a project of Generous Giving, a non-profit organization that helps Christians give according to their personal values. Daryl Heald, president of Generous Giving, says the concept of GGMarketplace.org is simple. "That's the impetus -- we're trying to create an 'eBay-like' atmosphere where ministries and givers have an opportunity to look, explore, and search particular issues or a geographic area so they can be more strategic and intentional in their giving," he says. The free service offers a library of charitable organizations and initiatives that are seeking financial assistance. Heald says it is important for Americans to understand what it means to give not only generously but also strategically. He encourages families to develop a year-long plan for sacrificial giving, and to look at long-term giving as well. He encourages individuals and families to set a lifetime giving goal and to ask God how much out of what He has entrusted to them they should give away or invest in His kingdom. [Allie Martin]

...A major watchdog group is putting advertisers on notice about a show that celebrates drinking and immorality and is being marketed to kids. MTV's reality show The Real World is in its 14th season. Elizabeth Kramer with the Parents Television Council says the show started out bad and has gotten worse. "We've seen a marked increase in the amount of sex, underage alcohol use, dangerous and risky behavior, and adult-themed material," she says. MTV rebroadcasts the show during after-school hours when kids as young as 12 and 13 are tuning in. The PTC wants advertisers such as Burger King and Frito Lay brought to account. [FNIF]

...Defying his church's declaration that Roman Catholic politicians must oppose abortion, Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry has pledged only to appoint Supreme Court justices who would keep abortion fully legal. Kerry professes a strong Catholic faith, but refuses to impose it on anyone, including himself. The Massachusetts senator has said, "I don't make decisions in public life based on religious belief." He also supports civil unions for homosexuals. Another Roman Catholic in Congress, Republican Congressman Michael Ferguson of New Jersey, notes that all of the Democrats running for president "support abortion on demand." At last week's March for Life, Ferguson noted that American law currently protects developing turtle eggs, but not "developing baby humans." [AP]

...Conservative spokesman Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families says the carefully crafted comments on marriage that President George W. Bush gave during the recent State of the Union Address satisfied no one. Bauer feels the president needs to get off the sidelines and give real support to an amendment that will protect marriage. While Bush's emphatic speech defending marriage as the union of one man and one woman garnered applause from pro-family listeners, many conservatives were disappointed when he stopped short of saying he would fight for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing that marriage would remain unchanged. Although radical homosexual rights groups were incensed by what many perceive as Bush's indirect attack on homosexual marriage, the liberal Washington Post said on Monday that conservatives were being offered "verbal Pablum" while the president avoided taking any real action. Pro-family advocates fear that the proposed marriage amendment will go nowhere while Bush continues to stand on the sidelines. Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia is telling reporters that Bush has "essentially shelved" any anti-homosexual marriage amendment for the time being. The issue is turning into a political disaster for the White House, but Bauer says it need not. "First, a moral, conservative, pro-family Republican president should be leading the charge on this issue because it is the right thing for the country and our children," he says. Secondly, Bauer contends that the pro-homosexual marriage advocates will never support Bush anyway, so his advisors should stop worrying about them and tell the president to do the right thing. [Jenni Parker]

...A special seven-member Alabama Supreme Court has been sworn in to hear Roy Moore's appeal of his ouster as chief justice of the state's high court. Former governor and former criminal appeals court judge John Patterson is serving as chief justice for the special Supreme Court. The other members are also retired appellate court and circuit court judges. The special court was selected because all members of the regular Supreme Court stepped aside from hearing Moore's case. Moore is appealing his ouster by the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. He was removed from office for failing to obey a federal judge's order to remove his Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the state Judicial Building. [AP]

...An attorney with a pro-family law firm is applauding a South Dakota lawmaker for attempting to save lives and right a three-decades-old wrong. With the assistance of the Thomas More Law Center, South Dakota State Representative Matt McCaulley introduced a bill last week that makes abortion a crime unless medically necessary to save the life of the mother. House Bill 1191 was introduced on January 22 -- the 31st anniversary of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision overturning the ban on abortion. The bill, already supported by South Dakota's House and Senate majorities, directly confronts the Roe v. Wade ruling. If approved, the legislation would go to Governor Mike Rounds, who has previously vowed to protect life under all circumstances. Richard Thompson, the Thomas More Law Center's president and chief counsel, acknowledges that a court battle will likely follow if the legislation passes. He calls the 1973 Supreme Court ruling an exercise of raw judicial power, not based on any reasonable interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. He compares the decision to lift the ban on abortion with the infamous Dred Scott decision that upheld slavery by regarding a segment of the population as non-persons. "The court was wrong then, and the court is wrong now," Thompson says. He feels citizens have a moral responsibility to confront the lawless decision. The bill would make abortion a crime punishable by up to five years in prison. [Jenni Parker]

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