OUR COLUMNISTS The Solution for the Evangelical Scandal Commentary by Matt Friedeman How are we to produce disciples who believe in the full authority of the Bible -- or "super-saints" -- in our churches today? The surprising answer is: convince them of a biblical worldview. Sex Without Value Commentary by Jane Jimenez Some would have us believe that condom-friendly programs will teach our children exactly what they need to know about sex. Think again. Simplicity and Complexity Commentary by Brad Locke Football is a complex beast, as is any sport. Yet its bedrock is always its simplicity. Christianity is no different. Its basic message is that we are all -- as Caedmon's Call so beautifully puts it -- "stillborn and dead in our transgressions." Racism, Abortion and Black Genocide Commentary by Mark Creech One form of racism that has largely gone unnoticed by the African-American community is abortion. Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, about 15 million African Americans have been removed from the population who can never make any contribution to their race or their country.

...The operation that Pope John Paul had yesterday will likely prevent him from speaking for an extended time. But Vatican officials have indicated he could still run the Roman Catholic Church. The tracheotomy, in which a breathing tube was inserted in the pope's throat, was completed successfully, although it is expected to limit his ability to communicate in the short run. A Vatican cabinet undersecretary who visited the pontiff after the operation said that the pope can speak, but doctors are advising against it. The prefect of a Vatican tribunal said recently that John Paul could run the church even if he could not speak, because the pope could express his will through writing or "significant gestures." Meanwhile, the pope's latest hospitalization and surgery to implant a breathing tube in his throat have revived discussion of a possible papal resignation. In the past, most popes have rejected that idea, and no pope has resigned for centuries. But the option remains available to them under church law. A papal resignation must be "freely made and properly manifested," according to church law, but it is unclear what would be done if the pope becomes incapacitated. The Vatican has declined to comment officially on whether John Paul has left a written resignation in the event that he lapses into a coma or other incapacitated state. Other recent popes are said to have done so. John Paul has often declared that he will carry out his mission until the end. [AP]

...A conservative television analyst says the recent remarks by a liberal TV personality illustrates the complete insensitivity the left has for people of faith. Comedian Bill Maher was a recent guest on MSNBC's Scarborough Country, where he said Christians and others who are religious suffer from a "neurological disorder" that "stops people from thinking." Tim Graham of the Media Research Center says that is clearly not the voice of tolerance. "If a conservative had said that homosexuality was a neurological disorder, their career would probably be over," Graham points out. "The fact of the matter is, he is on HBO where he can pop off all the time -- and he's not just on HBO; he's regularly on MSNBC." And Graham says Maher seems to have no problem with radical Islam. "The liberals seem to be much harsher about Christianity than they are about Islam," he says, adding that liberals like Maher can get away with joking that terrorists flying planes into buildings is a faith-based initiative. Maher notes that Maher "is the same guy who tried to suggest that these people [who hijacked the planes] weren't cowards, unlike our pilots." Graham says Maher has become the "voice of the secular jihad." [Chad Groening]

...While investigating local charities and their work in relief for the Third World poor, a U.S.-based grant-making organization has discovered the side-by-side threat of human trafficking. By default, Pennsylvania's Geneva Global, Inc., has become an expert consultant on the problem. Eric Thurman of Geneva Global says his company's discoveries have led him to agree with a statement by the British Broadcasting Corporation. "The BBC says organized crime today makes more money from human trafficking than from its distribution of narcotics," he says. Or in other words, the sale of illicit drugs is not as big a business for organized crime as is human trafficking. Geneva often uncovers both private crime groups and government officials that are complicit in selling humans into slavery. Consequently, the grant company uses its humanitarian aid contacts in native countries to help government and private groups shut down slave-trading networks. Thurman also says the scare over orphan-stealing in the aftermath of the south Asia tsunami was not as much of a threat as perceived, partly because the publicity scared the traffickers away. [Ed Thomas]

...Leaders of the global Anglican Communion say they want the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada to withdraw from the Communion's councils temporarily and to explain their attitudes toward homosexuals. The issue has caused deep division within the church. The statement was issued by Anglican leaders following a retreat this week in Northern Ireland. The U.S. church precipitated the most serious rift in the Communion's history when it affirmed the election of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson, who openly lives with a male partner. Both churches have been criticized by conservatives for sanctioning blessings of homosexual unions. The Anglican leaders are calling for "a moratorium on public rites of blessing for same-sex unions and on the consecration of any bishop living in a sexual relationship outside Christian marriage." [AP]

...A Christian author and former Satanist says winning occultists to Christ takes wisdom and compassion. Jeff Harshbarger was delivered from Satanism in the early 1980s and now runs Refuge Ministries to help others escape the occult. In his book From Darkness to Light, Harshbarger says when a Christian is talking with an occultist, there are two things Christians need to understand. The first, he says, is to avoid going up against the non-Christian in a battle of knowledge. "Every occultist, every Wiccan, every Satanist is going to have their own self-prescribed practice and belief system," he explains. "So to approach them on an individual basis is to the utmost. And number two is to approach them on a heart level." Harshbarger says, like anyone, the occultist wants to be loved. He says that person will key in on the Christian's character, attempting to discover if they are just trying to rein someone into Christianity or there is a genuine compassion . [Mary Rettig]

...Pennsylvania pro-family Senator Rick Santorum is continuing to defend his decision last year to back pro-choice and pro-homosexual GOP Senator Arlen Specter for re-election. Santorum was challenged on that choice during a recent gathering of conservatives in Washington, DC. But Santorum did not back down as he answered the challenge. "I have one response to that: fifty-five -- that's my response," he said. "We had a plan in place to get as many Republican senators elected as possible, because the more Republican senators we have, the better chance we can pass legislation." The plan, the senator continued, was a simple one: "Minimize the problems we have in 'blue states' with open seats and tough races, and maximize the opportunities we have in 'red states' in November." The explanation did not seem to satisfy many of the conservative activists who are not happy with Senator Santorum. [Bill Fancher]

...The United Nations is embroiled in several scandals, but a Washington think tank says one of the most wretched scandals is being completely overlooked. Tom Kilgannon of Freedom Alliance says the scandal he is talking about has nothing to do with the "Oil for Food" program, or the Congolese scandal, or bribes and payoffs. He says this scandal has to do with those members of the U.N. who are supposed to look out for human rights. "In a recent cover story, Parade magazine listed the 20 worst dictators in the world," he notes. "These are leaders who sponsor murder, torture, and oppression -- and nearly half of them enjoy membership on the U.N. Human Rights Commission." Kilgannon says that U.N. commission looks more like a casting call for "America's Most Wanted" than a body that is supposed to be dedicated to protecting rights. [Bill Fancher]

...Conservative voices within the nation's black community gathered in Washington, DC, on Thursday (February 24) to issue a declaration. Jesse Lee Peterson's group -- Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND) -- held a seminar at the Heritage Foundation which Peterson said was to announced that the day of the "current black leaders" is over. Time has run out, he said, for black leaders like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Louis Farrakhan, and the Congressional Black Caucus. Peterson told the audience that the main problem faced by the African-American community today is one of values. "Most black folks are suffering not due to racism, but to lack of moral character," he opined, "and we need to restore those values within the black community." The BOND leader said his group will do all it can to let the nation know the African-American community does not need leaders, because it can speak for itself. [Bill Fancher]

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