OUR COLUMNISTS Time to Define 'Quiver' for Your Young Men and Women Commentary by Matt Friedeman No politician that I know of has really addressed this problem of fatherlessness, nor has a prominent religious leader. We seem to be oblivious to what ails us. Blessed is the man, says the Psalmist, whose quiver is full of sons. Serious Death and Destruction Commentary by Jane Jimenez Miles under the ocean's surface, off the coast of Sumatra, the plates of the ocean floor have once again collided in the tremendous force of an earthquake. Unseen by the human eye, the earthquake threatens possible tragedy ... even as America suffers our own earthquake of a different kind. Re-Measuring Success Commentary by Brad Locke Measuring excellence requires an awfully long ruler these days. High standards are always good, but now anything short of success' pinnacle is considered a failure. Second place is first loser, it's been said. The Heat in the Kitchen Commentary by David Sisler There is a sad attitude in our world today which says our individual sins should not be pointed out and that we should therefore not be held accountable. It is time and past time for Christians to hold up the standard of righteousness and call evil what it is. A Dark Day for North Carolina Commentary by Mark Creech It was certainly one of the saddest days of my life. The arguments made by certain lawmakers on the floor of the North Carolina House in favor of the lottery were unbelievably shallow and morally bankrupt!

...A Louisiana pro-family advocate says the ACLU is doing everything in its power to intimidate anyone who dares to pray. Now the American Civil Liberties Union is asking a judge to throw some Louisiana school board members in jail because someone said a prayer over the public address system before a high school baseball game. Gene Mills, president of the Louisiana Family Forum, says the current ban on all prayers in school settings is currently being appealed, and the ACLU's heavy-handed tactics are just meant to "intimidate and bully the school board away from its policy of allowing the public to speak." In one case, Mills notes, a member of the public actually stood and prayed at a school event, and because the school board "didn't jump up and tackle the member of the public who was in the process of prayer, the ACLU is charging now that they are in contempt of the judge's ruling." The Louisiana Family Forum spokesman says obviously his group disagrees with the civil liberties organization and adds, "We just think this is grandstanding by the ACLU and still think that there's going to be a favorable outcome." The ACLU claims any prayer at a public school event violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment. [Rusty Pugh]

...Biblically-knowledgeable critics are warning Christians about the content of a new TV miniseries that is supposedly based on end-times prophesy in the final book of the Bible. The new series called Revelations premieres Wednesday on NBC and stars Bill Pullman as a skeptical scientist teamed up with a nun who believes the Bible's end-time prophecies are coming true. Pullman says the network has been anxious not to offend anybody; but Christians who have previewed the first episode say it bears little resemblance to the Bible's Book of Revelation. Left Behind co-author Jerry Jenkins says the TV show suggests that Jesus will return as a baby and that people can somehow forestall the apocalypse. "There's nothing in the prophecies or in scripture about Jesus coming back as a baby," he says, "or of human beings having any say in the timing of God and delaying the Apocalypse, or anything like that." Jenkins says NBC's Revelations "seems to be based on myth and new age things that nobody finds in scripture." Meanwhile, radio's "Bible Answer Man," Hank Hanegraaff, says the TV series "must rely on biblical illiteracy for its success." [AP]

...A Washington, DC-based immigration reform activist is impressed that more than 1,600 volunteers are camped out in the Arizona desert to send a message to the U.S. government that unchecked illegal immigration at the nation's southern border must stop. According to John Keeley of the Center for Immigration Studies, the Minuteman Project currently under way in Arizona has already been successful, because the flow of illegal aliens into the area has dropped dramatically. He says ordinary citizens involved in the campaign are making a difference, including "retired police officers, veterans, senior citizens coming from all walks of life, who simply have said the border chaos can't continue." But Keeley contends that the success of the project also demonstrates the disconnect between a vast majority of U.S. citizens and the powerful elites, including President Bush, who has characterized the Arizona campaign as vigilantism and called for "rational law enforcement" instead. "The President's assessment, his characterization of that neighborhood watch -- and that's really what it is; it's a peaceful neighborhood watch -- I find very, very troubling," Keeley notes. But, until something changes, he says America should expect more citizen-organized efforts like the Minuteman Project. [Chad Groening]

...A Christian outreach has been formed to address the issue of inconsistent ministry to the people in the remote islands of Okinawa, Japan. Island Ministries International (IMI) has been formed as a company rather than a non-profit organization so as to avoid being restricted in its activities by the Japanese government; however, the Okinawa-based company considers evangelism its chief product. IMI also offers mission trips for small groups of 8 to 12 people. The area where IMI does its outreach presents a number of challenges for missionaries: the islands are located in the so-called "10/40 Window" and stretch over 600 miles within what is known as "Typhoon Alley" -- a region that often experiences as many as 12 hurricanes annually. Most of the villages on the outer islands are small with limited resources, and they are often characterized by water shortages and lack of medical care facilities. Idolatry and ancestor worship are prevalent, as is poverty. IMI is focused on establishing relationships with the islanders and introducing them to Jesus in the course of addressing their other perceived needs. Island Ministries International encourages supporters to pray for the ministry and partner with it by becoming members, donating supplies, or going on an IMI mission trip. [Jenni Parker]

...Unitarians and Jews who want Canada's Parliament to legalize same-sex "marriage" have held weekend rallies in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Alex Munter of Canadians for Equal Marriage said he will present lawmakers with a petition signed by 175 religious leaders across the country who support the Bill C-38. Canada's Liberal minority government drafted Bill C-38 after courts in several provinces ruled that homosexual couples have a right to marry. But Parliament could vote tomorrow on a motion by Conservative Leader Stephen Harper that would deny the bill a second reading. If the Conservatives win Canada's next federal election, Harper says his government will bring in legislation defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. [AP]

...United Nations critics say they do not trust Secretary General Kofi Annan's promises to clean up the international body. Annan has responded to his wrathful detractors by proposing a plan to address the problems of the scandal-plagued organization, but Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch is not convinced. He says Annan "talked about reforming the U.N. and all he was talking about was making more committees or making them larger. Kofi Annan has overseen a corrupt U.N. bureaucracy. It's been corrupt for many, many years." Multiple instances of fraud and waste have been uncovered over the past few years, and Annan's critics expect more. "The United States gives a ton of money to the United Nations," Fitton says, "and we need to throw our weight around. The U.N.'s got to start paying attention to the concerns of American citizens who've seen this money corrupted." It has been charged that 50 of the U.N. member nation leaders are dictators, despots, terrorist sponsors and "thugs," and that they always vote against U.S. efforts. And Howard Phillips of the group Conservative Caucus asserts that the U.N. itself threatens American sovereignty and freedoms. He contends that the U.S. may be getting sidetracked by focusing on "the imperfections of Kofi Annan" when they ought to be directing their attention to "the fundamental contradiction of our being members of the United Nations while still professing to uphold the Constitution of the United States." Phillips says the likes of Annan will come and go, but unless the United Nations itself goes, America's problems will only get worse. [Bill Fancher]

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