OUR COLUMNISTS Cast Your Vote: Who Is More 'In the Bubble' – George W. or Newsweek? Commentary by Matt Friedeman "Bush's World," reads the front cover of this week's Newsweek. "The Isolated President: Can He Change." Hilarious, really. Failing the Treadmill Test Commentary by Jane Jimenez There's a treadmill made for everyone. Just push the button and start walking. So, why, out of all the tests our children can take, are they failing to pass treadmill 101? Trust Me Commentary by Brad Locke I'm not convinced that poor discipline is the bane of many sports teams today. I think the main cause of discord is a lack of trust. 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. Hawaii Supreme Court: The Unborn Are 'Not Human Beings' Commentary by Mark Creech The ruling in the case and Hawaii's penal code clearly define personhood on the basis of functionalism. The Holy Scriptures, however, define one's personhood not by what one does but by what one is.

... A federal judge's ruling that intelligent design is faith masquerading as science is a setback to the movement offering it as an alternative to evolution. But intelligent design advocates say the judge's rebuke in a Pennsylvania case may energize supporters who view his opinion as part of a broader pattern of judicial hostility to religion. Scientist William Dembski, a leading proponent of intelligent design, says, "This galvanizes the Christian community." Michael Cromartie, chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, adds, "There are all kinds of smart, young scientists who are emboldened by the literature they read in the intelligent design movement, and they're going to become important professors." [AP]

...The struggles the White House has faced regarding those opposed to the Patriot Act have encompassed both political parties; but one conservative senator says the American people need to give President Bush the benefit of the doubt. Kansas Republican Sam Brownback is now taking a more positive stance on the Patriot Act than he has had in the past. "This is something that the President believes strongly is needed to fight terrorism and for national security purposes; and I think it's something we need to do as well. I've been very hesitant about it because I've heard a lot of complaints," he says. Also, Brownback notes, he has not heard of anyone who has been harmed by the act up to this point. "I think this renewal is needed," the senator says. [Bill Fancher]

... Public school officials in Odessa, Texas, have approved an elective course that uses the King James Bible as its main textbook. Saying it had overwhelming community support, the Ector County school board voted four-to-two to adopt the curriculum offered by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools. Board member Carol Gregg noted that the curriculum uses the King James Bible as its textbook, and worried that students who are not Protestant might feel excluded. Gregg favored the other choice before the school board, offered by the Bible Literacy Project, which uses the text "The Bible and Its Influence" and includes broader discussions of other faiths. The elective class will be offered in the district's three high schools starting next fall. [AP]

... A school district in Texas is being sued for banning free speech on public sidewalks. The lawsuit against Crowley Independent School District was filed by Liberty Legal Institute on behalf of Janice Colston, a grandmother who was told by school officials last spring that she could not hand out her religious literature on public sidewalks near Crowley High School after school hours. Jonathan Saenz, an attorney for Liberty Legal Institute, says Colston's rights have been violated. Her legal representatives felt a lawsuit was the only option after months of fruitless negotiations, so "they got the city to deed over the sidewalk, the property rights to the sidewalk, over to the school district. So, they think by doing that, somehow the sidewalk is changed into something else, when in fact it hasn't been," Saenz says. The lawsuit filed on Colston's behalf asks the school to allow her to hand out Christian literature regardless of who owns the sidewalk. "What's at stake is the First Amendment rights of just about anyone," Saenz asserts. "If we allow any governmental entity to foreclose someone's First Amendment rights on a public sidewalk, which the Supreme Court says is a traditional area that public speech and free speech should take place, it could happen anywhere," he says. " [Allie Martin]

...The president of Mothers of Preschoolers, or MOPS, says Christmastime is the perfect time for Christians to share their faith. Elisa Morgan, author of the book Twinkle: Sharing Your Faith a Little Light at a Time (Revell, 2006), says the word "evangelism" often strikes fear into the hearts of Christians, but she maintains this need not be so. Morgan says evangelism can be as easy as chatting with the cashier at the grocery store. Individuals are called to be salt and light, she explains, and that can be done at any time and in the simplest of ways. "We've put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do the perfect holiday symbolic feast or something, where every single act has a deep meaning," Morgan points out, "and I think so much of 'twinkling' -- of just sharing our faith one light at a time -- is reducing the pressure on ourselves and living our faith out naturally through our holidays." It is especially easy to do this during Christmas, the author contends, when a family's Nativity display can be an easy way to show people the true meaning of the season. "A baby in a manger is a profound theological truth," Morgan notes. "A Nativity [crèche] on a coffee table is a simple gesture that expresses that faith." [Mary Rettig]

... A Christian entertainer and a former homosexual is urging people to stay away from the film Brokeback Mountain during this holiday season. Stephen Bennett says the recently released film about "gay cowboys" is dangerous to young minds and presents only one aspect of the homosexual lifestyle. "As a former homosexual who once engaged in the deadly homosexual behavior and lifestyle for 11 years, I've buried countless boyfriends in the ground who've died from AIDS," the ex-gay evangelist says. "I know the reality of Brokeback Mountain. I've lived Brokeback Mountain. I've overcome Brokeback Mountain." Bennett insists that, as more and more people head for the theaters this Christmas holiday weekend, this is one film they should avoid. [Bill Fancher]

...Brad L. Maaske, a former real estate broker who traveled to Iraq and produced a documentary on former dictator Saddam Hussein's brutal regime, says Hollywood liberals refuse to recognize that democracy is taking hold in Iraq. Maaske notes that he is impressed by the huge turnout in the elections, in which 11 million of the country's 15 million registered voters cast ballots; however, he says Hollywood liberals are totally discounting what happened. He says many in this crowd say America "had no right to go in" to liberate Iraq and "wasted hundreds of billions of dollars to set up a civil war -- to set up a constitution that they believe is unfair and is going to create a religious theocracy." Hollywood liberals continue to live in an alternate universe, the filmmaker asserts. In that universe, he says, they don't view the elections as any kind of victory at all ... Maaske says no matter how well democracy catches on, the Hollywood Left will continue to deny it is even a step in the right direction. [Chad Groening]

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