OUR COLUMNISTS Is the Church Ready for the Competition? Guest Commentary by Dr. Marc Newman What goes on in a movie theater is the same thing that goes on in church -- worldviews are being established, behaviors are condemned or condoned, even issues about transcendence are being resolved. Deadly Ambition Commentary by Brad Locke Many athletes can't see beyond the finish line. Life to them is empty without a trophy to be won. If they only knew that there is a prize so much greater than those perishable wreaths, a glory so much more worth their time and energies (I Corinthians 9:25). Voting: Privilege and Responsibility Commentary by David Sisler The 2000 campaign should have erased forever the excuse of non-voters that, "My vote doesn't matter." As an American, voting is your privilege. As a Christian, voting is your responsibility. Forgotten by Men and Nations Commentary by Mark Creech America is a deeply divided nation. Why are we so fractured? I suggest it is because we no longer have a point of reference for morality. We live in a time when every man does that which is "right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6).

...A political observer says the war against terrorism should be foremost on voter's minds as they go to the polls. Robert Spencer, executive director of "Jihad Watch," believes that issue alone will determine the outcome of the presidential race. "The question facing us in the 2004 election is only about the war on terror," he says. "This is not only the primary issue that we're facing, but it's really the only one that ultimately matters." And within that question, Spencer says, are many other crucial ones. "Are we going to go back to September 10th policies, or acknowledge that we are facing a September 12th situation?" he asks. "Are we going to continue to make a strong defense against the global jihad network, or try to pretend that an adjustment in American policies or ... in [American] activities in various ways, or various kinds of negotiations are going to end this problem?" The head of Jihad Watch says he doubts Islamic terrorists will negotiate sincerely if at all, and he is convinced their goal is to destroy the U.S. and all it stands for. Spencer fears John Kerry would take America back to pre-9/11 policies, while he is confident George W. Bush would continue to take the fight to the terrorists. [Bill Fancher]

...A pro-family Canadian activist believes it will be a great detriment to the United States if its citizens elect John Kerry president. Brian Rushfeldt is co-founder and executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition. He says his country has given up much of its autonomy because of the foreign policy of its liberal prime ministers, and he fears Kerry would do the same in the U.S. "We have seen the consequences of taxation problems, of control problems between the central government and the provinces, wrong foreign policy decisions because of the very liberal directions that these past prime ministers and governments have taken us," Rushfeldt says. He also notes that the Canadian government apparently has no problem with "turning over Canadian autonomy to certain segments, whether it be the United Nations [or] now the Chinese government," and he says "If that's the way John Kerry was to go, then we have a complete North America, which is going to, I believe, give up much of its autonomy to all kinds of outside influences." Rushfeldt is also concerned that the Democratic candidate would tend to copy Canada on the social issues. The Canadian conservative notes, "I've heard John Kerry speak on the abortion issue, the homosexual issue, and various other social segments, and I actually think it will be to great detriment of the United States and the people of the United States if he becomes your next president." Rushfeldt says he is praying that American voters will not make the same mistake Canadians made earlier this year by keeping the liberals in power. [Chad Groening]

...One pro-life activist is asserting that when history looks back at the 2004 election, it will be clear that one issue captured the voter's hearts more than any other. Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry says despite all the campaign rhetoric, when the dust clears, history will record this presidential race as a single-issue election. According to Terry, the voters who are passionate about the sanctity of life, if they turn out as expected, could very well make the difference in who sits in the Oval Office for the next four years. On the other hand, Mark Brumley of Ignatius Press believes two key issues will prove decisive in the November 4 election. He also sees the sanctity of life as being a pivotal issue, but he predicts the traditional marriage question will affect a majority of the voters as well. Brumley contends these two issues -- life and marriage -- will override all others for people who are governed by their religious faith. [Bill Fancher]

...The president of a group that prays for America's commander in chief says whether U.S. citizens elect George W. Bush or John Kerry on November 2, the prayer team will continue praying for the person who occupies the Oval Office. John Lind is the head of the Presidential Prayer Team (PPT), a coalition of some three million volunteer prayer warriors who have committed to intercede regularly for America's leader in the White House. The PPT was formed after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and has been recruiting volunteers to pray for George W. Bush ever since. According to a recent Associated Press report, the team members have been preparing for the 2004 presidential election for several months now, asking God to help the electorate choose the best man to lead and unite a troubled and divided America, and Lind says they are also praying for a clear election result that will precede national reconciliation and a rally of support for the new president. In a pre-election communication, Lind told PPT members to keep in mind that many critical decisions will be made by the people voted in, from "the likelihood of new Supreme Court justices, to the value we place on life, marriage and more." The PPT president says he is confident, because of the prayers that have been offered, that God's grace will be covering the elections. [Jenni Parker]

...Thousands of Jewish settlers and supporters have held a massive prayer service in downtown Jerusalem. An estimated 20,000 people crowded into Zion Square, seeking divine intervention to stop Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank. Men blew horns and trumpets to evoke the biblical conquest of Jericho and ancient Israel, denouncing Sharon's pledge to abandon land they consider the biblical birthright of the Jews. Segregated groups of men and women turned toward the holy sites of Jerusalem's Old City to pray for the failure of the plan, under which Israel will pull out of Gaza and four West Bank settlements next year. The Jerusalem demonstration occurred the same day that a Palestinian suicide bomber killed three people in an open air market in Tel Aviv. [AP]

...Africa's Anglican bishops say they will stop all theological training of Africans in Western seminaries where homosexual behavior is viewed as acceptable. The declaration came at the end of a six-day bishops' conference in Nigeria. Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola said the bishops will weigh proposals to build new theology institutions to train its priests on theology that is consistent with the Bible and African culture. The world Anglican Communion has been deeply divided by the election of a homosexual bishop by the U.S. Episcopal Church and the blessing of same-sex marriages by the New Westminster diocese of Canada. Africa accounts for about half of the world's Anglicans, and African churches are the fastest-growing in the worldwide Anglican Communion. [AP]

...Vision Forum Ministries has announced the semi-finalists in the first ever San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival and Jubilee Awards. The 38 film shorts were chosen from entries covering a broad range of themes and topics, from creation and comparative worldviews, to politics and the presidential election, to the meaning of boyhood and time travel back to the Garden of Eden. The festival awards ceremony will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio, Texas, November 11 - 13, and the Best of Festival winner will receive a beautiful Jubilee Award along with a prize check worth $10,000. The semi-finalists were selected from a field of more than 120 entries, including submissions from professionals and first-time filmmakers. More than 75 percent of the applicants were either home-school parents or their students. Vision Forum president Doug Phillips says the ministry knew there would be risks in launching the massive and costly festival project. "We knew there would be many who would be uncomfortable with our criticisms of the negative influence of Hollywood on the American family," he says, "and with our call to make films that reflect a distinctly Christian view of culture. Nonetheless, we believed in the mission and put our reputation and our money on the line to pursue this very special dream." Phillips feels the massive response to the project has given Vision Forum reason to believe God has blessed its vision. [Jenni Parker]

© 2004 AgapePress all rights reserved.

E-mail this page to a friend

Printer-Friendly Version

Read all of our current headlines