OUR COLUMNISTS Truth Isn't Enough ... You Must Weep Commentary by Matt Friedeman Whether making a political case or not, Christians must be people with a testimony, with a compassionate tale to tell, with compelling emotions to accompany our well-crafted arguments. Love Sick Commentary by Jane Jimenez What does it say for a love sick nation that our love doctors (psychologists) study all about our prefrontal cortex but nothing about love? Ever heard of a PhD in Love? Recruiting Season Commentary by Brad Locke We are faced daily with competing philosophies about life; and like coaches who are recruting players, these philosophies' proponents are coming right into our living rooms. But unlike a college recruiting scenario, there are not multiple viable options. When Bigger is Better Commentary by Mark Creech Only a nation that has completely embraced contraception would baulk at a couple having more than two or three children, and be absolutely horrified at the thought of having 17 like Vladimir and Zynaida Chernenko. Yet this is the current situation in America.

...After accusing them of being spies, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has given a group of New Tribes missionaries until Sunday to leave their remote outposts among jungle tribes. Chavez has become well known for his anti-American rhetoric, despite the fact that his regime gets millions of dollars in American money through the CITGO oil company, which his government owns. New Tribes Mission spokeswoman Nita Zelenak says the missionaries facing the Chavez expulsion order are "shattered." She says 35 missionaries have relocated to urban areas while they appeal the order, some after decades of evangelism and Bible translation work amongst the tribes. Zelenak tells Associated Press that Christians' prayers would be appreciated. "Continue to pray for all those involved," she requests. "This has been a very difficult thing, [as] you can imagine, for both the missionaries and the tribal people who are their good friends because it's difficult to say goodbye not knowing when or if you'll be able to see each other again." Still, she says the expulsion has not shaken their faith. "We have very strong confidence that God is in control and that He will bring good from this situation," Zelenak shares. "We just don't know what His purpose is. But we know that whatever it is, it will be accomplished." New Tribes has denied Chavez's charge that it has been spying for the CIA and foreign mining and pharmaceutical firms, and has offered to open its jungle missions to government inspectors. [Fred Jackson]

...A new survey shows Protestant megachurches continue to grow quickly and draw younger Americans and families through contemporary programs and conservative values. The study says there are now more than 1,200 megachurches, defined as those having weekly attendance of 2,000 or more. That is twice as many as there were five years ago. The research was published by the Dallas-based Leadership Network and a research institute at Connecticut's Hartford Seminary that conducted a similar survey in 2000. Common megachurch traits include defined growth goals, orientation classes for new members, programs serving varied demographic groups, contemporary worship styles, multiple services through the week, and emphasis on evangelism propelled mostly by word of mouth from enthused members. The South has almost half of the nation's megachurches and California alone has 14 percent. [AP]

...The United Church of Christ's endorsement of same-sex "marriage" has stirred debate and divided dozens of its churches. Some have stopped sending money to the church's national office while at least 49 churches have left the denomination. But United Church of Christ officials say 23 new congregations joined last year, some because of the homosexual-marriage decision. Individual UCC churches make their own decisions on whether to accept recommendations from church leaders and can decide whether to withhold money from the national office. They also own their own buildings, which makes it easier for them to leave the denomination. The United Church of Christ has a tradition of support for homosexuals, in 1972 becoming the first major denomination to ordain an openly homosexual minister. [AP]

...A family researcher says the evidence is growing -- and more scientific researchers are admitting -- that the traditional family is the "backbone" of society. The Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society produces what it calls a weekly "Family Update" that, according to spokesman Larry Jacobs, details what scientific journals are discovering about the traditional family. "We like to go to these scientific, social science journals and highlight the fact that basic research -- good research that's done well -- supports traditional family values and supports what we know is biblical truth [that] ultimately plays itself out in the world," he says. Jacobs notes a definite trend that can be seen in these journals, and points out that research validates what pro-family groups have been claiming for decades. "As families succeed, everything -- be it drug [or] alcohol abuse ... violence, crime, even economic success or educational success -- is ... tied into our family structure," he says. According to the Howard Center spokesman, more and more researchers are coming around to accept the fact that "as the family succeeds, negative incidences associated with those family members decline." [Bill Fancher]

...A public university in Tennessee is defending its decision to kick a freshman cheerleader off the squad for working at Hooters, a restaurant known for its scantily clad waitresses. Kimberly Sams, 18, was dismissed from the East Tennessee State University cheerleading squad after Coach Tammy Bartow learned Sams was working as a Hooters girl in Johnson City. Sams argued that if the basketball team can eat at the restaurant, she should be able to work there. But ETSU athletic director Dave Mullins rejects that argument. "Well, that's not an accurate statement," Mullins responds. "I really don't have a comment on it, because I know what our teams do. So that's really not an accurate statement that's worthy of comment." Sams is reported to have said: "I'm 18. I should be able to work where I choose." But the athletic director says the young woman violated team policies and an agreement she had with Coach Bartow. "The coach's decision was reviewed by the coach's supervisor, by myself as athletic director, and by university legal counsel," he says, "all of whom supported the process that was used and the decision that was made." According to a Kingsport, Tennessee, publication, Sams has since accepted an offer to be a cheerleader for the Tennessee Raptors, a member of the Alliance Football League. Hooters made national headlines a few weeks ago when a Roman Catholic priest "blessed" a new Hooters establishment at its grand opening in Waco, Texas. [Jim Brown]

...A pro-life activist is considering legal action against authorities in Detroit after he was arrested for demonstrating during Super Bowl weekend. Dennis Green is director of Virginia-based Life and Liberty Ministries. Last week Green traveled to the Motor City with what he calls the "Truth Truck," a cargo vehicle with photos illustrating the reality of abortion. On Saturday -- the day before the NFL championship game -- Green says he was stopped by Detroit police officers, ticketed, and arrested. "As I was standing on the road, the police were debating how to go about cutting the signs from my vehicle," he recalls. "And then a supervisor, a lieutenant, came and said if he cited me he couldn't guarantee that I would stop driving so they would have to 'finish it right now.'" According to the pro-life leader, authorities summoned a tow truck, impounded the Truth Truck, then arrested and charged him with failure to obtain a permit, which relates to advertising during the Super Bowl. "When we went to court, they mysteriously lost all of our paperwork," he adds. "They just asked me to leave town." Green has contacted attorneys with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy for possible legal action. "We're also seeking out what we can do basically to ensure that preachers in the future in Detroit won't suffer the same treatment," he explains. Green claims Detroit police only harassed pro-life demonstrators and chose not to interfere with other street evangelists. [Allie Martin]

...A Louisiana pro-family activist says if the proper rule of law is applied, school boards in that state should be permitted to open their meetings with prayer. The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is being asked to overturn a ban on prayers before meetings of a public school board in the Bayou State. A ruling by federal Judge Ginger Berrigan last year banned the prayers, brought on by a case involving the Tangipahoa Parish school board. This week, the case was heard by a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit, which is being asked to decide if Berrigan used the proper legal test in her original ruling. Gene Mills with the Louisiana Family Forum says she did not. "Our attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund and on behalf of the school board argued that the appropriate test would have been the 'Marsh' test," Mills says. Marsh v. Chambers was a 1983 Supreme Court decision which permitted the practice of beginning a legislative session with a prayer delivered by a publicly funded chaplain. Mills asserts that a school board is "more akin to a legislative body than it is to a general establishment clause, which is what the 'Lemon' test referred to." The Forum's spokesman says he believes the court will come back and ask for more facts -- which he says is a good sign the ban will be overturned. [Rusty Pugh]

...A retired U.S. Army officer turned Pentagon advisor says the Islamic world is simply using the publishing of satiric cartoons of Muhammad as an excuse to wage more violence against non-Muslims, particularly Jews and Christians. Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bob Maginnis says it is completely hypocritical for the Muslim world to get so upset about the cartoons, which were originally published in a Danish newspaper last September but did not attract much attention until they were republished recently in other western European papers. Maginnis says those causing the violence are using the cartoons to foment their own hatred of Jews and Christians. "I suppose from their perspective it's a good excuse, because when they go after Jews or Christians, they are terribly denigrating and they are never apologetic about it," Maginnis observes. "And yet, when someone, for political satire, goes after an image of Muhammed with a fuse going off on his head, that's not supposed to be acceptable, it's supposed to be denigrating." The former military officer says Muslim activists make no effort to respect the beliefs of others but insist that any criticism of Islam is unacceptable. "[T]hey intimidate people through bomb throwing at embassies in Lebanon, protests in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, and even the Gaza Strip," he notes. "So it's unfortunate that the imams and clerics don't see the hypocrisy of this -- but that's the reality of what we're facing with this particular crew." The Guardian website reports today that the Malaysian government has banned distribution and possession of the cartoons. According to the report, it is now forbidden for anyone in that majority Muslim country to publish, import, produce, manufacture, circulate, distribute, or possess the caricatures -- because it may "jeopardize public harmony" and "cause chaos," says a government statement. [Chad Groening]

...When Jordan's King Abdullah spoke at the recent National Prayer Breakfast, many Christians could only scratch their heads and ask why. But Christian activist Randall Terry believes he can explain why the podium was given over to a Muslim. "I think that the U.S. State Department doesn't have a clue as to the real threat that Islamic ideology poses to America," says Terry. And there may be another factor, he says. "I think that some of the president's advisors have never really studied historic Islam, the Quran, or the life of Muhammad -- and they're repeating the new mantra that Islam is a religion of peace." Terry says the president, who has been criticized for embracing Islam, was being gracious to the millions of Muslims who would never threaten or kill anyone over a cartoon. [Bill Fancher]

© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.

E-mail this page to a friend

Printer-Friendly Version

Read all of our current headlines