OUR COLUMNISTS (Click on photos for archives) Why Much of Religious Programming Is Just Plain Awful Commentary by Matt Friedeman For the first time, most American homes have more televisions than people. Much of the programming on TV, alas, is religious. Where Have All the Christians Gone? Commentary by Joe Murray Christians have retreated from politics to the subculture and divided amongst themselves. Christians have not remained united in this cultural battle, but have resorted to bickering and infighting -- and in the process have divided our churches and diluted our votes. A Forest of One Tree Commentary by Jane Jimenez No issue this year looms larger than marriage and the fight to define what marriage will be for the next generation. Thousands of words are printed daily on the subject, but they fail to speak to the central point of marriage. Fear Not Commentary by Brad Locke Trusting God with your fears is all about giving Him complete control of the situation. Ah, but that doesn't render us useless. Who Shall Care for the Nation's Soul? Commentary by Mark Creech Make no mistake about it, the November 7 midterm elections are really about to whom Christians will leave the care of America's soul -- which begs several questions.

...A conservative Christian senator says he'll announce soon whether he will run for president in 2008. Kansas Republican Sam Brownback told ABC's This Week that he and his family have been praying about it, and he will make an announcement soon. Later this week, Brownback and another senator who is eyeing the 2008 presidential race, Illinois Democrat Barack Obama, will take part in Rev. Rick Warren's Global Summit on AIDS and the Church. Brownback says he will be tested for AIDS to set an example for people who may be at risk. The Kansas senator also told This Week that he will spend a night in jail soon to highlight the need for good rehabilitation programs. Brownback said faith-based prison programs have shown great promise in cutting the recidivism rate. [AP]

...A Detroit suburb's Nativity scene has been voted off city property. In the latest attack on Christmas, the Berkley City Council, faced with the threat of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, has voted 6-1 to donate its manger scene to the Berkley Clergy Association for display on church property. The Nativity scene had been erected outside city hall every Christmas season for decades. Berkley resident Georgia Halloran and hundreds of her neighbors had signed a petition urging city officials to fight the ACLU with the help of attorneys who offered to represent the city free of charge. But Halloran says the city council rejected the offer. "Moving the Nativity is just nothing but just pure capitulation to the ACLU," the Berkley resident says, "and we feel the City Council buckled and did exactly what the ACLU wanted." Berkley Mayor Marilyn Stephan seems to make no apology for the Council's capitulation to the ACLU. In fact, she indicates she believes the Nativity scene constituted the promotion of religion -- and she says the city should not be doing that. [Fred Jackson]

...It's another television first from Disney-owned ABC. Associated Press reports that ABC's All My Children soap opera will introduce a transgender character to its cast this week. The character, a flamboyant rock star known as Zarf, is beginning to make the transition from a man to a woman. The executive producer, Julie Carruthers, says the show was looking for something new and knows its audience is always interested in anything to do with sexuality. Carruthers says her producers consulted with the homosexual group, Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, to make sure they used the right terms to describe the transgender character. For example, says AP, producers were taught by GLAAD when it is appropriate to call a character "she" -- even before a sex-change operation. Nielsen Media research says that over the last 15 years, the ABC soap's average audience has dropped from over 8 million to 3.1 million last year. The editor of Soap Opera Weekly tells AP that the show's producers are "throwing a whole lot of desperate stuff against the wall to see what sticks." [Fred Jackson]

...A women's advocacy group says all abortion clinics should be forced to show women seeking abortions an ultrasound image of their baby. The State of Oklahoma is the latest to require that abortion providers offer women an opportunity to view an ultrasound picture of their child before an abortion is performed. Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America says women need to be reminded that there is another person involved in the situation -- the child. "And that is equally important," says Wright, "that the woman see what she is paying for and see the human being that would be affected by her decision. The pro-family leader says it was a "smart move" on the part of the Sooner State to require that an ultrasound be done whenever a woman is seeking an abortion so a woman is given all the facts before an abortion is performed. With such information, the woman can then make up her own mind, says Wright -- "and ... she knows there is a second human being who's involved in this decision." [Rusty Pugh]

...An Illinois-based pro-family activist says the Democratic victories during the recent elections should come as no surprise, since it's becoming more evident that many Republicans are supporting the very agenda they have claimed to fight against. Clearly, voters who believe in family values have become disgusted with the GOP's leadership on Capitol Hill -- or so says Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth. He says Americans have been hearing Republicans talk about fighting the radical homosexual agenda for years -- and they are sick of the hypocrisy. "Conservatives have been distraught over the sort of a gay Republican network that exists on Capitol Hill," says LaBarbera, noting the recent Mark Foley scandal and reports that there possibly are homosexual activists working for many Republican senators and congressmen. "And now we learn that the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the group that's responsible for electing Republicans across the country, has a sexual orientation code," he points out. The Americans for Truth president calls that "just amazing." "This is exactly the sort of gay special-rights agenda that we've been working to stop all across the country," he says. LaBarbera says the election showed that many voters are tired of voting strictly along party lines. [Rusty Pugh]

...What are the chances that pro-life Democrats will be able to work with future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the pro-life issue? Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, says she, for one, is hopeful because of several newly elected pro-life Democratic congressmen and a belief that Pelosi is ready to acknowledge that the public wants their agenda included in the party's priorities. "I'm just hopeful that the new leadership will be fair and [will] give people on all sides of the issue a chance to share their views and to promote legislation that they feel is important to their districts and to their constituents," she says. Day says if the Democratic House leadership does not do that, chances are they will not be in the majority for very long. Pro-life Democrats plan to test the waters in the 110th Congress by bringing up the Pregnant Women Support Act for a vote at the start of the new session. [Ed Thomas]

...A Hungarian-based ministry is challenging Europeans to turn to Christ. For years Phil Magnan was a Christian activist based in California. But recently Magnan and his family felt the Lord leading them to spread the gospel throughout Europe. Now Magnan is director of Biblical Family Advocates, which is based in Budapest, Hungary. Magnan says many Europeans are open to the gospel after years of living in a secular humanist society. He describes them as "very inquisitive" and, "unlike Americans ... very respectful." The ministry leader contends Americans have not handled some of their freedoms responsibly. "I think part of [the difference in reactions to the gospel] is ... the United States celebrates our First Amendment to the point of being irresponsible with it," he opines. "We get people [in the U.S.] who are not willing to listen to two sides of the story; and over here ... most people are very interested in thoughtful dialogue." Magnan says in Hungary, 60 percent of pregnancies end in abortion. He is hopeful his ministry can shine light on the horror of abortion and reduce that percentage. [Allie Martin]

...Churchgoers in Australia are praying for rain. Already the world's driest inhabited continent, Australia has been ravaged in recent months by the worst drought in recorded memory, which has devastated crops and bankrupted many farmers. Archbishop Philip Wilson, the president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, called for a national day of prayer Sunday to ask God for rain. Jock Laurie, the president of the New South Wales Farmers Association, said that while crops have already been lost, the day of prayer could help boost morale. [AP]

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