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? An Olympic Prayer Revisited Commentary by Brad Locke I don't expect Olympic officials to allow any sort of prayer, ever, during the opening ceremonies or at any other time during the Games ... but just in case. Comparing Islamic Fascists to Christian Conservatives Commentary by Mark Creech The media has often compared Christian conservatives in America to violent Islamic radicals. Such comparisons are common today by those on the left, but nothing less than asinine -- and recent events on the world stage prove it.

...U.S. Senate Republicans are pushing for a June vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment. Pro-family leaders have expressed disappointment with how low a priority the marriage amendment has been given so far by Republican lawmakers. Proponents of the Marriage Protection Amendment say the legalization of homosexual "marriage" in Massachusetts -- along with some other court rulings that have granted greater legal status to homosexual civil unions -- provide more than enough proof that a constitutional amendment is needed to protect traditional marriage. Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, one of the 28 co-sponsors of the federal Marriage Protection Amendment, believes the measure is necessary to protect the definition of marriage from judicial activists. In an interview with Associated Press, Brownback noted, "We will be considering a constitutional amendment defining marriage later this year because of the institution being redefined by the courts." Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he will push for a marriage amendment vote on June 5. [Fred Jackson]

...A conservative women's organization leader says despite what others may say, President George W. Bush knows what issues resonate with today's woman. Critics of the Bush administration claim the chief executive did not tough on issues of concern to women in his recent State of the Union speech. However, Michelle Bernard of the Independent Women's Forum disagrees. She says President Bush did "allude to the sort of moral commitment that we have as a nation to help people who are oppressed around the world seek freedom." That issue, Bernard contends, resonates powerfully with women as well as with men. And there are other such issues, the IWF spokeswoman points out, including "social security reform, healthcare reform, and making tax cuts permanent." Bernard says today's women are more informed and aware of what is happening everywhere, and therefore they are concerned about a broader spectrum of issues than ever. [Bill Fancher]

...Republican Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina isn't satisfied with the revised Air Force guidelines on how chaplains can pray. While they now state that chaplains won't be required to pray in a way that's inconsistent with their faith, the guidelines do not state that chaplains can pray however they see fit. A chaplain who believes he must pray in Jesus' name might simply be replaced by a chaplain who will not mention Jesus. Jones says White House domestic policy adviser Claude Allen had suggested that President Bush might order the military to let chaplains pray freely, and acknowledges that Bush's failure to do so may be part of the reason why Allen quit abruptly last week. In a letter, Allen said his resignation after five years in the Bush administration was the best decision for his family. Jones says he will not accept the revised guidelines as final, and will keep pressing the issue. (See related article) [AP]

...A weekend fire at a Baptist church in Alabama has been ruled arson, bringing the total in a string of church fires to ten. But it is not immediately clear if Saturday's fire is connected to the other blazes that have destroyed or damaged nine churches since February 2. Investigators have said they do not know of a motive, and there is no racial pattern. Five of the churches had white congregations and five black. All of the churches were Baptist, the dominant faith in the region, and most were located in isolated country settings. Federal investigators do not have any specific suspects in mind, but are looking for two white men in their 20s or 30s based on witness reports and behavior profiles. [AP]

...The director of a think tank dedicated to exposing the truth about Islam says he is hopeful that the Muhammad cartoon controversy has helped stir European self-defense. Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch is concerned about the recent violence in Europe as Muslims have taken to the streets to protest publication of cartoons depicting Muhammad as a terrorist. Spencer has doubts about whether the secular humanists who control Europe are capable of dealing with the threat. "I don't think secularism has the energy," he says. "I don't think it possibly can hold them off. How can multiculturalist relativism, which refuses to acknowledge that any value system is superior to any other, reject an alien value system? And so, if Europe doesn't recover its own spiritual heritage, then it is lost." Although some scholars of Islam have asserted that old Europe is already dead, the Jihad Watch spokesman refuses to be that pessimistic about Europe's future. "I would like to think, being an American, that things are not quite that bad," Spencer says, "and that there's a chance that Europe will pull through." [Chad Groening]

...A military analyst says America faces great challenges in the near future and must do what it takes to keep its military up to the task. American Enterprise Institute fellow and military expert Frederick Kagan has told a Heritage Foundation audience that the U.S. must continue to "beef up" its military because of what the nation is facing. "We know that we may end up fighting Iran," Kagan asserts, "and we may end up fighting a nuclear Iran. I hope we don't. It's quite possible that we won't. But it would be extraordinarily irresponsible to be unable to do so." The military analyst says the current U.S. armed forces can be described as an "okay" force: For example, he explains, "We don't really have enough soldiers on the ground in Iraq, but that's okay, because we're hoping the Iraqis will come to our assistance. The Iraqis might not come to our assistance, but that's okay because we think the insurgency's pretty much burned itself out. Could we do Iran? Well, no, but that's okay because we really don't think we're going to have to." America must turn around the decimation of its military that occurred during the Clinton administration, Kagan warns, or the U.S. armed services could become a "hollow force," lacking the manpower and equipment to do the task at hand. [Bill Fancher]

...The Internet Evangelism Coalition is offering churches and other Christian groups a focus day program called "Internet Evangelism Day." This year, IE Day is scheduled for observance on May 7, and information about this "web evangelism awareness day" can be found at the Internet Evangelism Day website. Also on the site are downloadable promotional materials and resources, including five-minute video testimonies from people who found Christ online, as well as discussion questions, drama scripts, PowerPoint presentations, and many helpful links. The IE Day team hopes for a range of outcomes from this effort, and high on their list is that churches will create effective websites that reach out into the community, rather than just serving as an online notice board for members. "It's an exciting challenge," says IE Day coordinator Tony Whittaker. "The potential of the Web is enormous." Other leaders share his enthusiasm. "The Internet is one of the most key tools that God has given us in the Church today," writes George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilization. And Dr. David Tucker of Trans World Radio comments, "I am excited to see how God will reveal Himself in mighty ways through the uniqueness of cyberspace." IE Day is endorsed internationally by several Christian organizations and denominations. [Jenni Parker]

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