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 2) Commentary by Jane Jimenez Ask anyone. Love makes the world go 'round. So ask anyone. Why are we all hurting for lack of love? Less of Themselves Commentary by Brad Locke The Super Bowl is upon us, which means a showcase of remarkable athletic talent will be on display for all to enjoy. Look a little closer, and you'll see some remarkable people as well. 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.

...Election victories by Hamas in Jerusalem could heighten religious tensions. A victorious Hamas candidate says the election results show that Jerusalem "is Islamic" and that Palestinian voters "want Islam." A spokesman for the International Christian Embassy, which promotes Christian involvement in Israel, says Christian tourists "are going to be very uncomfortable going into Hamas areas." He adds that life could become more difficult for Palestinian Christians, many of whom live in east Jerusalem. It includes the Old City, with its key holy sites for Jews, Muslims and Christians. The main site is the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third holiest shrine, which is built atop the ruins of the biblical Jewish Temples, Judaism's holiest. [AP]

...Pro-Israel advocate Gary Bauer says this week's victory by Hamas in the Palestinian elections should be a "wake-up call" for both the United States and Israel. Why? Because when given the choice, Palestinian voters "picked the most ardent and committed Jew-killers and America-haters," he says. He explains that during the last couple of weeks of the campaign, spokesmen for Hamas made it clear their primary objective remains the same: to replace the nation of Israel with a "Islamofacist" Palestinian state. And now, Bauer adds, "the darkest forces in the Middle East are gloating and lusting for blood." He wonders why free nations -- such as the U.S. -- should continue to push for a Palestinian state when it now clear it will be a terrorist state. "Why should the U.S. and Europe continue to send millions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies to such a corrupt regime?" he asks. "On what basis can anyone in Israel or the U.S. still argue that the answer to Hamas' success is to give away more precious land and force more Jews out of their homes, while putting Israel at greater and greater risk?" Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats in the parliament; the ousted Fatah Party -- the party of the late Yasser Arafat -- got only 43. [Jody Brown]

...The head of a pro-Israel ministry believes it was a mistake for the Bush administration to have an unwavering faith in democracy in the Middle Ease, in light of the victory by the terrorist group Hamas in the Palestinian elections. Jan Markell, a Messianic Jewish believer, is founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries in Minnesota. Markell believes the White House erred when it approved Hamas' participation in the elections because of that group's continued resistance to Israel's existence. "The Bush administration had unwavering faith in democracy, which probably isn't very realistic -- it's just an earthquake in the Middle East that's going to destabilize the entire [region]," Markell says. And while she acknowledges it may be too early to determine how the election results are fully going to play out, she asserts the Hamas victory does not bode well for those who want a real Palestinian nation. "It is not a nation," she emphasizes. "Now they're trying to create the nation of Palestine, but the Palestinians keep shooting themselves in the foot, which is what they've done with these elections -- putting into office the most brutal group of terrorist thugs on the Earth known as Hamas." So Markell believes the Hamas victory may drive a nail in the coffin of President Bush's "roadmap to peace." [Chad Groening]

...The pro-life cause is trying new tactics as bloggers fight from their computer chairs to save lives. About 30 bloggers meet in Washington, DC, this week, on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, to network for the pro-life cause. Pro-life blogger and syndicated columnist Kathryn Lopez, one of the speakers at the Family Research Council's first annual Blogs for Life conference, says blogging is making a difference in the abortion debate. Encouraging her fellow pro-life bloggers, she said, "What you do is important, whether it feels important everyday or not." And the "blogosphere," she said, is an amazing thing. "Anyone can do it -- you just need an Internet connection," Lopez stated. "And then on the other side of the web connection, anyone can get it." Lopez is editor of National Review Online and she posts on NRO's blog "The Corner" at corner.nationalreview.com. [Natalie Harris]

...The Mexican government has decided to nix plans for distributing maps and other information to help their citizens to illegally enter the United States. But authorities there deny the decision was the result of pressure from the Bush administration. Instead, it said it was worried anti-illegal immigration groups in the U.S. would get the material and try to stop the Mexican lawbreakers from crossing the border. [Fred Jackson]

...Internet giant Google is under fire for the compromises it has made in order to operate in Communist China. The Family Research Council has joined others in expressing dismay over Google's deal with Beijing. In order to get permission to get into the lucrative Chinese Internet market, Google has agreed not to give Chinese web surfers access to "Free Taiwan" websites, or to let them research the truth about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. FRC notes that this is the same Google that is fighting requests from the U.S. Department of Justice for information about exploitive child porn websites. Meanwhile, an editorial in the International Herald Tribune made this assessment of the Google deal with the Communist regime: "By introducing a self-censored search engine for China, Google has effectively said that certain freedoms -- to, say, use the word democracy -- are the price to pay for access." [Fred Jackson]

...A family advocate in Massachusets says the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is holding a retreat this weekend where member teachers will be taught how to push the homosexual agenda in public schools. Brian Camenker of the Massachusetts pro-family organization Article 8 Alliance says the event is an annual affair. "They have these retreats where, for an entire weekend, they really talk about pushing homosexuality in the public schools -- and schools across Massachusetts send teachers to this," he explains. The participants, he says, come from every level of the education system. He says the people who are being invited are "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual adults working in any school system, pre-K through high school." Camenker says the retreat will focus on how to subvert parents and the school system in order to advance the homosexual agenda. [Bill Fancher]

...A Nebraska state senator says unborn babies need to have more protection under the law. But his efforts are meeting some resistance. Senator Mike Foley recently introduced Senate Bill 57, which says anyone who harms an unborn child will face criminal charges. He describes a possible scenario that he says proves the law has not been evenhanded when it comes to unborn babies. "If I were to walk out onto the street and kick the first stray dog that crossed my path and broke the dog's leg, I could be criminally prosecuted under the laws of Nebraska," the lawmaker says. "But if I were to walk on further and kick a pregnant woman in the stomach and injure her unborn child, I could not be prosecuted for what I did to the child -- even if the child had permanent brain damage." Foley says his state is interested in raising the legal status of the unborn child. He says the bill passed through one round of debate, even though some senators tried to filibuster it. Foley says he is confident he has the support to see the legislation through to Governor Dave Heineman, who says he will sign it into law. [Mary Rettig]

...Hundreds of church leaders are gathered in Orlando, Florida, at a conference whose ambitious goal is to convert one billion people to Christianity. The conference, which wraps up on Friday, is sponsored by the Global Pastors Network, part of the legacy of Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright, who died two and a half years ago. His widow, Vonette Bright, told the assembled pastors that her husband was committed to helping fulfill the Great Commission to disciple and baptize all nations for Jesus Christ. She said, "We're so nearly there." The president of the Southern Baptist Convention, Rev. Bobby Welch, declared, "We can reach a billion, but we have to start somewhere, and this is as good a place as any." [AP]

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