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." Who's in First? Commentary by David Sisler Spring is when a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of baseball. And with opening day in sight, that means Barry Bonds is his old surly self. Protecting Christian Health-Care Providers Commentary by Mark Creech What happens if a pharmacist elects not to sell the "morning-after pill"? If over-the-counter sales of the drug become legal, will they be forced to provide it? Amazingly, pharmacists across the country are already dealing with this issue because they have decided not to fill birth-control pills.

...President Bush addressed a Washington conference on his faith-based initiative on Tuesday morning. It was the latest of more than two dozen national and regional meetings on Bush's plan to boost religious charities doing social work. Press Secretary Scott McClellan says the conference is drawing leaders from around the country. Bush's initiative met with mixed success in his first term. He was unable to get Congress to adopt its main planks. But he has implemented some parts through executive order, and aides say religious groups have had more access to federal grants. However, a former top official in Bush's faith-based office recently complained the White House did not back the initiative strongly enough in his first term. [AP]

...An advocate with Rock for Life says Americans should be outraged that the Bush administration gives taxpayer money to a group that not only profits from abortions but also even promotes pedophilia. That the Planned Parenthood Federation of America is the world's largest abortion provider is fairly common knowledge; however, probably less well known is the fact that Planned Parenthood, through its sex-ed website "Teenwire," also promotes risky behavior, such as sex between children and adults. A current advice article on the Planned Parenthood site is about sex between young girls -- or boys -- and older men; and rather than discourage the practice, the article invites youngsters to "think things through" and "enter the relationship with your eyes wide open." Erik Whittington of Rock for Life, a project of the American Life League, feels U.S. taxpayers and values voters should be outraged that the site's abortion-mill sponsor receives government funding. "The public should be contacting their senators and congressman and demanding that not one cent of our tax dollars go to Planned Parenthood," Whittington says, "because not only do they support the killing of one-third of our generation through abortion, but they support all forms of sexual immorality." In Kansas, Planned Parenthood's apparent alliance with pedophiles has led the state's attorney general to investigate the group for refusing to release the names of individuals who may be responsible for raping children. [Rusty Pugh and Jenni Parker]

...A conservative congressman from Wisconsin says Social Security is not the only U.S. government program in need of reform. Republican Representative Paul Ryan feels the federal government must reform several major programs or face imminent fiscal disaster. "Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, which now consume 44 percent of our federal budget, will consume 100 percent of today's budget by the year 2035 after all the Baby Boomers have retired," he warns. "These programs, where current workers support current retirees, will force the growth of government to unprecedented levels if they are not reformed," he adds. While many Democrats continue to maintain that no Social Security crisis exists, Ryan believes the present moment is a watershed for America, and that the crisis not only exists but has put the survival of American families at stake. The Wisconsin Republican says only one path "leads to a future where government exists to serve the individual, to protect life and liberty, and to foster the conditions that allow every American to strive and prosper and live up to his or her potential as a creative human being." Congressman Ryan says that kind of existence is obtained through limited government, while the other path will lead to an unrestricted government that is in charge of those it is supposed to serve. [Bill Fancher]

...A pro-life activist who is working to help save the life of Terri Schiavo says the Florida woman's husband has a serious conflict of interest that should disqualify him from making decisions on his wife's future. The issue of whether Terri Schiavo's feeding tube should be removed at her husband's insistence has been postponed till March 18 by the courts, creating an opportunity for the Florida legislature to act to pass legislation preventing her forced starvation. Meanwhile, the disabled woman's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have asked a judge to allow their daughter to divorce her husband on the grounds of his adultery and failure to act in her best interests. And according to Janet Folger of the group Faith2Action, Terri Schiavo has also suffered tremendous abuse at her estranged husband's hands, being denied rehabilitation and even access to the outside world. Folger contends Michael Schiavo is responsible for this neglect. "He's got the ability, the power of Terri's life or death in his hands," she says, "and you may have heard some of the questions asked, 'Well, shouldn't he be the one making the decisions, because he was closest to her?' But this is a guy with a conflict of interest that he lives with -- a woman whom he calls his fiancée, who he's had two children by. Clearly his conflict of interest is one that removes him from being [eligible to be his wife's] guardian." According to Folger, Michael Schiavo wants Terri dead so he can collect on an inheritance and continue his new life with the woman he now lives with. [Rusty Pugh]

...A former congresswoman who now advocates for victims of human trafficking says it's the watchful eyes of American citizens that help spot victims of the brutal flesh trade who are living in the United States. Linda Smith, a one-time U.S. representative in Washington state, founded Shared Hope International in 1998. The non-profit group assists grassroots efforts around the world to help women and children victims of trafficking and forced prostitution. She says her organization has often found victims inside the U.S. "In America, where we find the girls is often in places that Americans won't look," she says, offering such examples as, "massage parlors, strip joints -- places with prostitution that is tolerated." But the Shared Hope spokeswoman adds that often, citizens can find human trafficking victims even closer to home. "We found they're in our neighborhoods," she says. "Often they're in an ethnic family where they had slavery in their own country -- not every family, but many are there." Smith says watching for situations that "don't seem right" can help identify exploited people as well as those helping to facilitate the trade -- criminals that can be prosecuted under federal law Smith helped to get passed in 2002. [Ed Thomas]

...Three families who agree with a Pennsylvania school district's decision to make students learn about intelligent design in biology class have asked a judge to let them intervene in a federal lawsuit against the district. Their attorney says the lawsuit against the Dover Area School District threatens his clients' First Amendment right to obtain information about intelligent design, which holds that life and the universe are too complex to have evolved by accident. The district has been sued by eight other families who say intelligent design is a secular form of creationism and that teaching it in public schools violates separation of church and state. The school board has said that it wants to present alternatives to the theory of evolution. [AP]

...The board of the Indian River School District in Delaware, which maintains a policy of opening its monthly school board meetings with prayer, is being targeted in a federal lawsuit. A Jewish woman has brought the legal action, accusing the district of imposing religion on students. She initiated the complaint last year after a local pastor led a prayer, in the name of Jesus, at a high school graduation. The school board responded by releasing its policy, which states that voluntary, student-initiated, student-delivered messages at graduations are allowed. Meanwhile, the school board has continued its practice of opening monthly business meetings with voluntary prayer or a moment of silence. That practice has also come under attack in recent months. An official with the Indian River School District's Board of Education contacted The Rutherford Institute for help after the Wilmington branch of the American Civil Liberties Union demanded that the board stop opening their monthly meetings with a prayer. Last summer, despite pressure from the ACLU chapter to end the practice of offering prayer at public events, district officials opened an August 24 meeting with a brief invocation. During the business meeting, the board also issued a reading of district policy concerning school prayer at baccalaureate and commencement ceremonies, stating that voluntary, student-initiated, student-delivered messages at graduation ceremonies are permissible. [Jenni Parker]

...The latest book in the hugely popular "Left Behind" series goes on sale today. The Rising: Before They Were Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins tells what life was like for several of the now-familiar characters in the "Left Behind" saga during the time leading up to the Rapture, the event that formed the basis of the first book in the series, released back in 1995. The latest "Left Behind" novel offers readers a glimpse into the lives of their favorite characters, showing what life was like before the Rapture for Rayford, Irene, and Chloe Steele, Buck Williams, Bruce Barnes, Tsion Ben Judah, and Nicolae Carpathia -- and also answers questions about why Viv Ivins plays such a significant role in Carpathia's life. The "Left Behind" book series, which has also spawned two popular motion pictures so far, is regarded as one of the greatest success stories in publishing history. [Fred Jackson]

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