OUR COLUMNISTS (Click on photos for archives) Are Pastors to Blame for the Divorce Epidemic? Commentary by Matt Friedeman We have a divorce epidemic in America today -- and I am wondering how much pastors are to blame. Too few of us pastors take seriously the words "holy matrimony." 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. Christmas Wish Commentary by Brad Locke It was little Sam's turn to sit on Santa's lap at the mall. Sam was five years old, and he was a big sports fan. He had his list memorized. Wanted: More Ministers Like Vincent Fields Commentary by Mark Creech Would that all of America's pastors were like Vincent Fields -- spiritual leaders who provide a moral compass for the nation; clergy who are bold enough to say with the prophets of old, "Thus saith the Lord."

...The Urbana '06 missions conference kicks off tonight (Tuesday, Dec. 26), but not in Urbana. The student missions conference, which has been held every three years since 1946 on the University of Illinois campus, has moved to St. Louis for the first time this year. An estimated 20,000 young people are expected to take part in five days of seminars, Bible studies, worship, music and drama as they learn about the opportunities and challenges of spreading the Gospel worldwide. This week's speakers include Rev. Rick Warren. Urbana '06 Director Jim Tebbe says he cannot wait to see what God will do. [AP]

...A public university in Texas is being sued for religious discrimination. Linda Shifflett and Mickey Shatkin both worked for the University of Texas at Arlington until they were recently fired, allegedly for praying after work for an absent colleague. The two women had worked in the Development Department of UTA, which is part of the University of Texas system. According to the lawsuit filed by Liberty Legal Institute, UTA officials said the women were fired because their prayer near an absent co-worker's cubicle was harassment. Liberty Legal president Kelly Shackelford says the law is clear when it comes to religious discrimination. "This [rationale for firing the women] is against the federal law," he explains. "We have federal law specifically that says employers, and certainly the government, cannot discriminate against employees because of their praying on their own time -- and that's what happened here." Shackelford points out that other employees were not even there at the time of the prayer. "The only reason anybody knew about it is that it was mentioned to one of the superiors, and when the superior found out, the women were fired, because this was after work when all the employees had gone home," he says. The Liberty Legal attorney points out that both women had excellent employment records during their time at UTA. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and asks the school to change its policies regarding employees' religious practices after work. [Allie Martin]

...Chevron scholarships are available to students in the University of Colorado's School of Engineering who are in the "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender" community or who support its activities through volunteering. WorldNetDaily reports that CU engineering students received an e-mail recently that offered $1,000 scholarships from Chevron for meeting those qualifications, and writing about their involvement in an essay. It was a move the story quotes a school official as saying is Chevron's attempt to benefit engineering field minorities that are "under-represented." Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth, a group that monitors homosexual activity in the culture. LaBarbera thinks the scholarship symbolizes a society that increasingly rewards people for sinful behavior. "It's a shocking thing when you come to the point where America is going to have affirmative action based on affiliation with homosexual practices," says the activist. According to LaBarbera, the practice of affirming homosexuality is everywhere -- from the educational and corporate worlds to the political realm. "America is becoming a society that is rewarding people for practicing homosexual sin, essentially -- and it's incumbent upon Christians to speak up and say how wrong that is," he adds. The Americans for Truth spokesman says a society cannot be healthy when it rewards people for what he describes as "unhealthy and immoral behavior." [Ed Thomas]

...A congressional investigation finds the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, demonized one of its research associates for publishing a peer-reviewed article critical of Darwinian evolution. A report from the House Government Reform Committee says Smithsonian officials retaliated against biologist Dr. Richard Sternberg for publishing an article by Dr. Stephen Meyer that discussed the scientific evidence for intelligent design (ID) relating to the "Cambrian Explosion." The report concluded that Sternberg's civil and constitutional rights were violated. Dr. John West, a spokesman for the Seattle-based ID think tank Discovery Institute, says government officials at the Smithsonian tried to harass Sternberg into resigning, and conducted a witch hunt into his political and religious beliefs. "The government officials even basically colluded with a pro-evolution interest group called the National Center for Science Education and asked them to spy on Dr. Sternberg's outside activities to keep tabs on his activities critical of evolutionary theory," West contends. "Dr. Sternberg is not an avowed proponent of intelligent design, but he is skeptical of neo-Darwinian evolution." The House report concludes the Smithsonian's harassment of Dr. Sternberg "was reinforced by anti-religious and political motivations." Because he published the pro-ID article, Sternberg was demoted to "research collaborator," a position reserved for less-qualified individuals. [Jim Brown]

...A conservative icon predicts the new Democrat-controlled Congress will be pushing to enact hate crimes legislation and increase federal funding for abortions. Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation says if Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and other Democrats in the 110th Congress finally succeed in enacting a hate crimes bill government-wide, "all kinds of trouble" will ensue. According to Weyrich, one cannot legislate what people think. "And I would say every crime is probably a hate crime in that people are doing it who get angry or hate the system or whatever," says Weyrich. It is wrong, he says, to presume that one knows what a criminal is thinking when committing a crime and then to double the punishment because the victim belongs to a racial minority. "You know, you may have just wanted to rob me -- you didn't care what color I was; I was convenient," he suggests. Weyrich expects another top priority of Democrats in 2007 will be to appeal the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of Medicaid funds for abortion. [Jim Brown]

...The leader of a ministry that trains church leaders says Christians in the U.S. must re-evaluate their commitment to local churches. Larry McKain is founder of New Church Specialties, a ministry that provides resources and training for church leaders. McKain says many churches are trying to be "lifestyle-friendly" and are emphasizing individuality instead of focusing on the biblical model and role of a church. NCS has launched a "Love the Church" campaign to help believers put Christ and His Church at the center of their lives. "As the culture becomes more secular, the temptation is to put everything aside so that I spend time with me and mine," says McKain. "And what better time to set aside our own preferences and put God first?" The ministry leader is convinced a revival in the United States is still possible through Bible-believing churches. "What we pray is that the same spirit and attitude that's capturing the hearts of people internationally ... would come back to America, and that America would really experience a rebirth of spiritual renewal," he shares. But he insists that is going to require people to put the Church and the head of the Church at the center of their lives. McKain has written Falling in Love With the Church, a book that seeks to lead church members in building harmony, love, and health back into the local church. [Allie Martin]

...Some American scholars want to retrace the biblical patriarch Abraham's journey through what is now the Middle East. Organizers of the Abraham Path Initiative hope their 600-mile trek through what is now Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine will help connect Jews, Christians, and Muslims -- all of whom are descended from Abraham. They started by charting Abraham's likely path, from where he heard God's call to his burial site. The route starts at the ruins of Harran in what is now southeastern Turkey and ends at Abraham's tomb in Hebron. Roman Catholic Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson says such a pilgrimage can be beneficial because -- in his word, "The Bible and the Quran and really many sacred writings tell us humanity is on a journey of spiritual discovery." [AP]

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