OUR COLUMNISTS (Click on photos for archives) The Power of Presence Commentary by Matt Friedeman So much about effective ministry is simple. Prayerfully show up. Play it by ear. Be willing to stay kind, gentle, reasonable. Be courteous but also be able to challenge. 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. Missing the Big Picture Commentary by Brad Locke Athletic success is a fine and admirable pursuit, yes, but it seems the most successful are the most consumed by the pursuit. Hard work is good, but it can become an end unto itself if one isn't careful. 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 prayer vigil for the upcoming November 2006 elections will be held Sunday night (November 5) at the U.S. Capitol. Americans head to the polls Tuesday to vote in what many consider the most important midterm elections in a generation. In light of that, Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition is encouraging people to join him Sunday night on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, DC, to pray that God would put men and women in office who will "honor Him and the founding principles of our nation." After listening to months of campaign ads and getting tons of campaign literature, Mahoney says, the faith community and the people of God need "to ask God to superintend and intervene in these elections." He notes that in looking over the history of the U.S., "in times of great crisis, Americans have always turned to God in prayer." Mahoney's group will also be holding a 24-hour prayer vigil outside the Supreme Court from Tuesday morning until Wednesday morning, when arguments are heard in the partial-birth abortion ban case. [Jim Brown]

...A pro-life activist fears the balance of power will shift in the upcoming election, giving control of Congress to abortion advocates. Douglas Scott, president of Life Decisions International, says if the elections were held today, Democrats would control the House of Representatives by as many as ten seats; meanwhile, he thinks the Senate could go either way. But if abortion advocates in Congress win, Scott asserts, pro-life supporters have only themselves to blame. "I'm hearing a lot of people talk about how abortion is not the only issue in this campaign," he says. "Unfortunately, I'm even hearing it from people who are supposed to be pro-family or pro-life leaders, and it's quite surprising." That kind of talk is "the way you lose elections," the pro-life advocate contends, and it is certainly not how the pro-abortion crowd does things. "They stick with abortion as their number one, overriding and overwhelming issue," he says, "and if pro-life people don't do the same thing, we will lose." While there are certainly other important issues to consider, Scott insists that stopping abortions should be Christians' first priority. [Rusty Pugh]

...The Virginia-based Family Policy Network's president, Joe Glover, says he believes Senator George Allen's endorsement of the proposed Virginia marriage amendment will hurt rather than help that measure's passage. Glover believes that accusations from Allen's opponents that the senator is a racist has turned the marriage amendment into a partisan issue. "In every other state where the marriage amendments have passed, the criticism has been it's a form of discrimination to not allow homosexuals to marry, and that's fallen on deaf ears," Glover observes. "But suddenly," he says, "it makes some sense because George Allen, the racist -- so they say -- has embraced the marriage amendment, and suddenly it's a partisan issue in a split Democrat-Republican state like Virginia." Neither of the U.S. senators from Ohio endorsed that state's marriage amendment, the Family Policy Network spokesman notes. And in Ohio, he points out, the marriage protection measure passed by a 60-40 margin. Glover believes it would have been better for pro-family supporters of the Virginia marriage amendment if Allen had said nothing about the issue one way or the other. [Chad Groening]

...Investigators with the Kansas Attorney General's Office are reviewing files from abortion clinics in an effort to determine if crimes have been concealed. For years, Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline waged a legal battle to have access to 90 case records from two abortion clinics: Planned Parenthood and abortionist George Tiller's Women's Health Care Services. Last week, Kline won the legal fight and received the disputed records. His office is now investigating allegations that doctors and abortion clinic workers concealed cases of child rape and illegal late-term abortions. Sherriene Jones, a spokesperson for the attorney general, says the investigation will be exhaustive. "We'll take the same time and diligence to detail that this office does with every criminal investigation," she notes, "because we want to make sure that we get the information right, that we have the charges that need to be filed and make sure that they're correct." However, Jones points out, the women and young girls who received abortions are not under investigation and will not be publicly identified. [Allie Martin]

...Wal-Mart is projecting no improvement in sales this month, meaning it will mark the retail company's worst sales performance in ten years. According to the Bloomberg News Service, Wal-Mart officials blame the poor showing in receipts on such things as disappointing clothing sales and disarray from store renovations. Wal-Mart has also been the target of recent protests from pro-family leaders over the company's decision to partner with a homosexual chamber of commerce group. Wal-Mart recently joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and announced that it would give two large grants to the organization. According to American Family Association sources, the retail giant was rewarded with a position on the board of NGLCC. Wal-Mart has also announced its intention to give preference to homosexual-owned businesses in purchasing products. [Fred Jackson]

...The woman who'll be installed Saturday as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church knows that seven dioceses have asked to be placed under another Anglican leader. Bishop Katharine Jefferts-Schori met with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams last week and says it is "pretty clear" that he will not agree to that request. But if the conservative dioceses' differences with her are irreconcilable, she says it could be necessary to find a "gracious" and "creative way to separate." The Episcopal Church is at the center of a worldwide Anglican feud over how to interpret what the Bible says about sexuality and other issues. Jefferts Schori unapologetically supports ordaining homosexuals and allowing blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. (See related article) [AP]

...A recent religion survey finds Americans less secure about the existence of God than in their responses to the same question three years ago. That survey also seems to show a significant difference in answers from those classifying themselves as "born again." From 2003 to 2006, the October Harris poll of 2,010 people found an increase from 34 to 42 percent of Americans surveyed who say they are not "absolutely certain" about God's existence. Those who are certain include 93 percent of "born again" Christians, 76 percent of Protestants, 64 percent of Catholics, and 30 percent of Jews. And those numbers may tie in to the results on another question: "Does God have control over events on Earth?" Just under a third of adults, including more than half of born-again Christians, answer yes, and 44 percent believe God observes but does not control. More than half of the "born again" believers surveyed also do not believe Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship the same God, while just over half of all the adults polled and 63 percent of Catholics polled, do believe Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship the same God. [Ed Thomas]

...A journalist and author claims the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is stamping every important piece of security information with a classified label in order to cover up its "negligence and incompetence." Former Air Marshal Robert MacLean was the first federal employee at Homeland Security to be fired for releasing what is known as SSI or "sensitive security information." MacLean, who was terminated for notifying the press of a cutback in flight protections following a terror alert, is now suing the department over the validity of the SSI label. Annie Jacobsen, author of the book Terror in the Skies: How 9/11 Could Happen Again, says the DHS has been known to stamp "donut and coffee meetings" with the SSI label. "The danger in this," the writer notes, "is that I believe the American public must be made aware of ... the fact that the Executive Branch, the Department of Homeland Security, has taken sweeping control of what used to be a system of checks and balances in combination with Congress and with the judicial system because of this very issue that Robert MacLean is being fired over." According to Jacobsen, the SSI stamp inside the DHS has given way to what the National Security Archives calls "an unregulated and unmonitored secrecy program." [Jim Brown]

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