OUR COLUMNISTS So, Now the Church Is the New Whipping Boy for the GOP? Commentary by Matt Friedeman While acknowledging GOP Senator Tom Coburn has courage to "slap around" the Religious Right, columnist Matt Friedeman questions the lawmaker's accusation that the church has played a role in food stamp fraud. The Science of Wisdom Commentary by Jane Jimenez The smartest of Americans are able to prove they are the smartest because they have a 3-inch study of research that agrees with them. Could this have been what killed the lemmings? Beware Ready-Made Role Models Commentary by Brad Locke Too often Christians treat born-again celebrities as ready-made role models, expecting them to be as proficient in their theology as they are in their careers. Unfortunately, many of these celebrities seem to buy into this line of thinking. Rebuking the 'Clergy Letter Project' Commentary by Mark Creech It is most unfortunate so many Christian leaders have concluded that evolution is scientific, whereas creationism and intelligent design are simply religious -- when, in fact, evolution is incapable of being scientifically proven.

...A regional judicial panel of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has ruled that Rev. Jane Spahr was "acting within her right of conscience in performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples." Spahr presided at weddings for lesbian couples in 2004 and 2005, although the marriages were not recognized by her denomination or the state of California. The church panel ruled 6-1 that the section of the Presbyterian Church's constitution that reserves marriage for a man and a woman "is a definition, not a directive." The 63-year-old Spahr, who could have faced removal from ministry, rejoiced at her acquittal. [AP]

...Larry Jacobs of the Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society is praising a recent French study, which found that the biblical model for the family -- with a father and a mother -- is the best situation for rearing children. The center is applauding the report on the study from the French government, a report Jacobs says is "really surprising, given so many of the liberal, anti-family measures we've seen out of Europe, even recently." He believes pro-traditional marriage advocates should be encouraged by the French investigators' findings. "They found, not surprisingly, that the biblical model for marriage, between a man and a woman, is what's in the best interests of children," the Howard Center spokesman notes. He claims good research will always support biblical truth; however, he wonders where the national media is regarding this study. "It's quite interesting that I have not seen this report appear on any mainstream or normal media outlet," Jacobs says. "It's a report they're trying to bury." Many pro-family advocates have maintained for years that the national media support same-sex "marriage," and have therefore manipulated news reporting on the subject. [Bill Fancher]

...Pro-life activists have gathered in Connecticut to oppose a bill that would require Catholic hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape victims. The state legislature's Public Health Committee is to have a hearing today on the bill. It would require all hospitals, including Connecticut's four Catholic hospitals, to provide the so-called "morning-after pill" to women who are victims of rape or incest. Connecticut Right to Life held a rally against the bill yesterday at Saint Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, one of the institutions that would be affected. Connecticut Right to Life President Bill O'Brien says the bill would violate religious freedom. [AP]

...Now that Mardi Gras weekend is over, the Big Easy is preparing for a different kind of celebration. Next weekend, a two-day event known as the New Orleans Celebration of Hope will be held in the Louisiana city and will feature world-renowned evangelist Billy Graham and his son, evangelist and Samaritan's Purse founder Franklin Graham, whose organization has raised more than $36 million for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Christian singer, songwriter and recording artist Nicole C. Mullen, who has performed at Billy Graham Crusades in the past, will also be among the featured guests at the Celebration of Hope. She says the city of New Orleans is in need of spiritual, emotional, and physical revival. "Tragedy happens to all of us, different tragedies with different names on it," Mullen says. "Through that and with that, we're able to find a basis of commonality and say, 'We have experienced hope, and so we've come to spread that hope out to you also.'" The singer, who has written and recorded such contemporary Christian anthems as "Redeemer," "On My Knees," and "Call on Jesus" believes the Crescent City event will bring a different spirit than that driving Mardi Gras celebrators' typical festivities. "They have their way of celebrating, and we have ours," she says. "For us, it's about Jesus Christ. It's not centered around anything else but around Jesus Christ and hope in Him." The singer's rousing praise and worship often involve high-energy choreography as well as music, and she promises to be similarly upbeat next weekend (March 11-12) as she and her entourage lift the name of Jesus. "I'll bring my dancers," Mullen says, "and we'll have a great time, and we'll celebrate Him." [Allie Martin and Jenni Parker]

...Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist says Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony is encouraging illegal immigration by calling for the church to assist immigrants without concern for how they got into the U.S., whether legally or illegally. Mahony used a recent sermon to criticize what he calls an increasing hostility toward immigrants. In that address, the Los Angeles, California-based cardinal declared that churches in his diocese will assist parishioners regardless of their immigration status. "The church has always been at the forefront of welcoming all waves of immigrants," Mahony asserted, adding, "We must be able to minister to people, regardless of how they got here." However, Gilchrist believes Mahony's real motivation is church membership. "The Catholic Church wants to increase their market share of parishioners," the Minuteman Project founder contends. "There are a lot of these church groups that are involved in pro-open border lobbying because they stand to gain more souls, which really transfers into more money in the church coffers." According to Gilchrist, Cardinal Mahony deliberately leaves out the word "illegal" whenever he criticizes groups like the Minutemen that oppose illegal immigration. [Chad Groening]

...A deputy director of plans and policy at the U.S. Central Command insists the unrest in Iraq is being spearheaded by al-Qaeda. Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt is convinced that Osama bin Laden's network is trying to push Iraq into a civil war. According to the U.S. military official, the terrorist leader's strategy was outlined by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in an intercepted letter he wrote to bin Laden. "He is trying to become a catalyst for sectarian violence in civil war inside of Iraq. It is his belief that if he can incite civil war, then in fact you will have his movement take over and Talibanize Iraq," Kimmitt says. "It's clearly inspired by this terrorist vision of turning Iraq into the next caliph." This situation will be a crucial test for Iraq's new government, General Kimmitt asserts. [Bill Fancher]

...A former writer for a British tabloid now spends his time informing the world about Christians, including those being persecuted for their faith. In his book, From Tabloid to Truth, Dan Wooding tells the story of his journey from a career in tabloid journalism to his recommitment to Christ and the founding of ASSIST News Service (ANS). ASSIST is an acronym that stands for "Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times." Wooding was born into a missionary family stationed in Nigeria, Africa, and later spent years as an entertainment, feature, and reporter for the British news rag, Sunday People, but has been around the world since he founded ANS in the early 1980s and began reporting on what is going on in the Church and the world. He says Christians, particularly those who undergo persecution in areas hostile to their faith, need to have their stories told. The head of ANS points to his mother's and father's example as the inspiration for what he does. "They were both pioneer missionaries to Nigeria," he explains, "and they lived in mud huts in Africa and had rats in their house and put up with all the terrible stuff that went on in those days. They were just obedient to the Lord. So for me it's exactly the same, and to me it's just a great privilege to be able to not only go to these places but to share about it." And, Wooding notes, the family tradition is extending into the next generation; both of his sons are involved in ASSIST News Service. [Allie Martin]

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