OUR COLUMNISTS Truth Will Not Set You Free Commentary by Matt Friedeman Truth will not set a person free. Truth, applied, will. Too many would rather talk the truth, and correct all others' theology, without first applying the truth to their families, to the needy in their communities, to the Christ-less masses around the world. Governed by Faith Commentary by Jane Jimenez Attacks on Christian politicians are frequent. Lacking restraint, critics compare them to Hitler, Nazis, facists ... well, you get the idea. So what is the answer? America without religion? Through a Child's Eyes Commentary by Brad Locke Sometimes it's good for adults to revert to childhood. Blissful ignorance wouldn't solve any problems, of course. But a childlike perspective by all involved could return sports to a more honorable state. Papal Souvenirs! Get 'em While They're Hot! Commentary by David Sisler When Pope John Paul II passed away, it opened the floodgates for the gluttonous and the unappeasable. Shortly after his death, John Paul II souvenirs numbered over 12,000 on eBay. Now they are down to about 5,000. I guess folks are gobbling up the goodies. 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!

...The House sponsor of a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex "marriage" has been honored by the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship. According to an Associated Press report, Colorado Rep. Marilyn Musgrave received the 2005 Distinguished Christian Statesman Award just hours after telling President Bush in a White House visit that the American people "care about marriage," and "they care about the sanctity of human life." Musgrave says she came to the ceremony after helping to pass the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, a bill making it illegal to dodge parental consent laws by taking minors out of state for an abortion. "We are living in times when good is called evil, and evil is called good for some people," the congresswoman remarked. Musgrave also helped defeat a Democratic amendment to the legislation that would have exempted ministers who help young girls get abortions. [Rusty Pugh]

...Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold says his church's consecration of a homosexual bishop is like the apostle Peter welcoming uncircumcised Gentiles into the early church. In a speech at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Salt Lake City, Griswold said "the Holy Spirit prods and prompts us to go beyond what seems acceptable and normative." Conservative Episcopalians and other Anglicans abroad say the Bible is clear that God reserves physical intimacy for a husband and wife. The Episcopal presiding bishop said, "Some of the law needs to be kept, but not all of the law needs to be kept." [AP]

...The Ten Commandments monument that cost Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore his job will be put on display today at the Southern Baptist church he attends in Gadsden, Alabama. Moore was removed from office in 2003 because he refused to obey a federal judge's order to remove the granite monument from the lobby of the Alabama state courthouse. A federal judge declared it an unconstitutional promotion of religion. Moore let a veterans' group take his Ten Commandments monument on a 21-state tour last year. [AP]

...The new director of a group dedicated to stopping the world's number-one abortion provider says the American public needs to know the truth about that organization. David Bereit, the national director of STOPP International, has launched a new campaign aimed at putting an end to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, largely by focusing on the grassroots level. He says, "What's important for people to recognize is how harmful Planned Parenthood's influence has been on America -- not only ending the lives of more than three million innocent children through abortion but also wounding many women, some physically and many more emotionally and spiritually; and also corrupting our youth with messages of promiscuity and false promises of safety through contraceptive drugs and devices and through sex-ed programs in the schools." According to the head of STOPP International, the biggest misconception put forth by Planned Parenthood is that the group seeks to help women -- a notion he calls blatantly false. Bereit says his focus is to expose Planned Parenthood's lies and call people to action to stop the group from killing more unborn children and hurting more women. [Rusty Pugh]

...One of the world's top steroid experts says creeping secularism and poor parenting in America have created an environment ripe for illegal steroid use, and not only among young males but also young females. The government estimates that nearly a million American young people have "cycled" on anabolic steroids -- or have used them over a six- to twelve-week period or longer; and a growing number of these kids are girls, some as young as nine years old. Dr. Charles Yesalis is a professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University. He says those girls who use steroids are hoping either to improve their athletic performance or to look better. There are "not too many cultures where it's good to be an 'ugly loser,'" the doctor notes, "and [these girls are] unfortunately following down the same path as young boys. We ... live in a society that teaches moral relativism and situational ethics -- we see it in journalism, in science, and among CEOs. The kids are following the same path. It's sad, but they are." Yesalis says in order to help curb the steroid use problem, parents need to spend more time with their kids and less time on their careers and themselves. [Jim Brown]

...While President Bush concentrated on Social Security and Iraq in his news conference Thursday night, one of the co-founders of the Minuteman Project has challenged the Commander in Chief to do more about protecting America's own borders. Even though the Minuteman Project is scheduled to wrap up this weekend, its leaders are already planning to do similar operations in other states, possibly along the entire southern U.S. border. At a Capitol Hill news conference earlier this week, project co-founder Chris Simcox issued a challenge to Bush, saying, "While our soldiers, the men and women, are fighting for the cause on foreign soil, it's time we begin fighting for the cause here in America on our own soil. So my message is direct, it's simple, and it's a challenge. We challenge the federal government to relieve us from duty. The time for hand wringing and time for worrying about hurting people's feelings is long past." Simcox says the president is obviously "busy doing other things that he feels are important," but many citizens do not agree with him. The citizen activist says while Congress and the Senate are struggling with how to deal with the border security crisis, "the people are going to pick up the slack from this point on." Simcox says it is time Americans start taking care of their own property, securing their nation's borders, and protecting their families, their neighbors, and their way of life. [Chad Groening]

...The president of a Church health and evangelism ministry will soon have a chance to reach key opinion leaders in the nation of Haiti. This weekend, Dr. Ramesh Richard, founder and president of RREACH, will take part in a talk titled "The Foundations for Public and Private Moral Life." He is confident that this event will provide an excellent opportunity to make a clear presentation of the salvation message. "This is going to be primarily an evangelistic event where people are bringing unbelieving friends and compatriots and colleagues," Richard says. "We're hoping that 50 percent will be unbelievers who have not yet transferred their trust to the Lord Jesus, and to present a message with a follow-through process that will allow them to come to Christ." The evangelist says the talk will also allow him to share the gospel with many of those who help make policy in Haiti. "We know that everybody is in a continuum of approach to the Lord," he says, "and we're hoping that some would be rescued from death into life." For others, he adds, the hope is "that we can plant some seeds that would bear some long-term fruit. That's the evangelism side of it." After the opinion leaders event, Richard will host a conference in which 300 Haitian pastors will receive training in several areas of ministry. [Allie Martin]

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