OUR COLUMNISTS Perishable Wreaths Commentary by Brad Locke Victory is a blessing God gives us to help us understand the greater, everlasting and soul-satisfying victory we have over sin in Christ, and the victory God will ultimately have over evil. The Power of the Word Commentary by David Sisler When was the last time you were talking with a friend and you overlooked a kindness that had been done for you? Later, did you think of something special you might have said, and think, "I wish I would have said that." Church Discipline: An Ignored Truth Commentary by Mark Creech Church discipline ought to be understood for what it's really about. It's not about hatred or bigotry or punishment or pushing people away from the church. It's really about love -- church discipline can and should be a demonstration of affection for congregants who have gotten on the wrong side of life.

...A pro-family attorney says a huge rally in Seattle on Saturday (May 1) for traditional marriage is a good indication of how the rest of the country feels about preserving the union of one man and one woman. In an effort to rally evangelical Christians behind traditional marriage, hundreds of churches are gathering in Seattle for an event called "Mayday for Marriage." The event is designed to challenge churches to take the lead in the fight to preserve marriage. Attorney Brian Fahling of the American Family Association's Center for Law & Policy will speak at the event, which will take place at Safeco Stadium. He says he is encouraged that this event is being held in a city known for liberal views -- and where less than three percent of the people attend church regularly. "[Seattle is] a pretty dark area spiritually," the attorney says. "To have this kind of response on the issue of marriage is very encouraging. If this can happen in Seattle, then I would say the rest of the country ought to be in good shape, because Seattle is probably one of the least likely areas of the country to command this type of response in support of traditional marriage." Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family is also scheduled to address the rally in Seattle. Recent polls indicate that 75 percent of people nationwide calling themselves Evangelicals oppose same-sex marriage. [Rusty Pugh]

...Critics of Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry claim the Massachusetts multimillionaire has taken both sides on many issues. Besides giving conflicting statements about his Vietnam War medals, Kerry has also taken both sides on one of today's hottest topics: same-sex marriage. American Conservative Union executive director Richard Lessner says Kerry is trying to be all things to all people, especially when it comes to the marriage issue. "He says he supports marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but he was one of only 14 senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act [in 1996], which even Bill Clinton signed," Lessner notes. "And he's also said he opposes the Federal Marriage Amendment to protect marriage." On another issue, Kerry now says he kept his four medals from the Vietnam War after saying earlier in an interview that he gave them back. In a recent Andres McKenna research poll, 60 percent of Americans said they believe terrorists prefer Kerry in the White House. [Bill Fancher]

...House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says she'll obey her conscience rather than the Catholic church when it comes to abortion. And like her fellow Catholic Democrat John Kerry, Pelosi says she will continue to ask for Holy Communion despite Vatican opposition to pro-abortion-rights politicians doing so. Pelosi, who was raised in a devout Catholic home, told reporters she was taught that "every person has a free will and has the responsibility to live their lives in a way that they would have to account for in the end." The San Francisco Democrat added that she is concerned that her church wants "to sanction people in public office for speaking their conscience and what they believe." But Catholic League president William Donohue says Pelosi has to make a choice: either stop supporting abortion or stop misrepresenting the teachings of the Catholic Church. He says church teachings, while honoring the role of conscience in making moral decisions, emphasizes the need for a "well-formed conscience" that obliges Catholics to acknowledge the central role of church teaching in making such decisions. "Absent such a condition, anything could be justified," Donohue says. "After all, Jeffrey Dahmer invoked his conscience in justifying murder and cannibalism -- yet no one thinks what he did was just." The Catholic League spokesman says Pelosi would do well to read last year's statement from the Vatican on Catholic lawmakers and the issue of abortion -- which says "a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals." [AP/Jody Brown]

...The city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, may want to take note of the ACLU's intrusion in Redlands, California. The Southern California city has agreed to remove a cross from its official seal under pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union. For nearly 40 years, a shimmering cross hovering over a church steeple has been emblazoned on the seal of Redlands, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles. By today (Friday), it will disappear from municipal vehicles, police badges, and the doors of City Hall. The ACLU had demanded the cross be removed, contending it is a Christian symbol and violates the Constitution's ban on government endorsement of religion. The city plans to hire jewelers to modify the badges worn by police and firefighters, turning the cross into a glimmering star. A new seal featuring a tall tree next to a home will be unveiled next week. Why should a New Mexico community be concerned? "Las Cruces" is Spanish for "the crosses." The emblem displayed on the website for the southern New Mexico city -- as well as the patch worn by the city's police force -- incorporates the images of three crosses, side by side. [AP/Jody Brown]

...Conservatives in the diocese led by the Episcopal Church's first openly homosexual bishop have left to form a breakaway parish. About 40 parishioners of the new Anglican Church of the Resurrection are using facilities of the Durham Evangelical Church. New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who has lived with a homosexual partner for years, was elected last year, but his consecration has led to a rift in the Episcopal Church and worldwide Anglicanism. The new parish does not consider itself part of Robinson's diocese. It has joined the national Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, formed by conservatives who remain within the Episcopal Church USA but oppose Robinson's election. [AP]

...The governor of Wisconsin says health-care workers cannot object to taking part in some medical procedures they find morally wrong. Wisconsin Right to Life legislative director Susan Armacost says the "conscience clause" would have been the most comprehensive protection for health-care workers and facilities in the nation. The bill would have kept health professionals from being forced to participate in procedures related to assisted suicide, research involving the destruction of human embryos, and the use of tissue from aborted babies. But Armacost says despite majority support in both the State House and Senate, the bill did not become law. "The thing that is dramatic about this is that there are actually individuals who serve in state government ... who believe that it is perfectly acceptable to force health-care professionals to participate in activities that everyone recognizes deliberately destroys human life," she says, noting that Governor James Doyle was strongly supported in his election bid by Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry. "He was obviously not going to anger them, and he vetoed the bill," she explains. Armacost is not calling Doyle's veto a defeat though -- just a "trial run." She says Wisconsin Right to Life plans to gather all of the objecting health-care workers and come out in full force in support of the bill during the next legislative session. [Mary Rettig]

...Although technology may not be able to prove it, the man financing a summer expedition to find Noah's Ark believes they know the exact location of the ancient vessel. The expedition to the upper reaches of Turkey's Mount Ararat is an effort that organizers hope will prove that an object protruding from the snow and ice is Noah's Ark. Ahmet Ali Arslan, a Turkish mountaineer and leader of the planned expedition, says in 1989 he was able to climb to within a quarter mile of what he believes is the Ark. He says it looks like a "huge barn" with a "roof-life" top. "I saw two windows under the roofing, and then beams that are completely visible, some of them smashed," the guide says. Daniel McGivern, who is financing the trek, says the goal is to enter what they believe to be a mammoth structure that was partially exposed by last summer's heat wave in Europe. "We really feel that we have Noah's Ark," McGivern states. "Do we know it for sure? You never know it for sure until you walk [into] it." Explorers have long searched for an ark on the nearly 18,000-foot mountain, where the biblical account of the Great Flood places it. [Rusty Pugh]

...A study by Christianity Today and the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI) has named the top 50 Christian places to work in the U.S. The May 2004 issue of the magazine includes a story that names the top winners in 12 categories. The top spot in the "Higher Education" category (with 151-300 employees) went to Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Mark Bailey, president of DTS, says the institution values personal relationships. Helen Lee, co-founder of BCWI, says that when workplaces look more like Christian communities than corporations, employees tend to treat each other more like family, and employees feel that employers have their best interests at heart. (PDF Link to the Article) [Mary Rettig]

...ABC's Ted Koppel is being accused of trivializing the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq. The host of the evening program Nightline will use Friday's broadcast to read off the names of more than 700 American soldiers killed in Iraq over the last year. Koppel claims it is a way to honor the fallen -- but some are not buying that. As an example, Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcasting is refusing to run the program on its ABC-affiliated stations. Company president Mark Hyman points to the fact that it is ratings week, and accuses Koppel of trying to use a news platform to undermine the efforts of the U.S. in Iraq. In a Washington Times article, Hyman goes on to question why Koppel is choosing to read the names of war dead "rather than the names of the thousands of private citizens killed in terrorist attacks." He says in Koppel's answer to that question, one will find the real motivation behind his action. [Fred Jackson]

...Opponents of high-school exit exams have argued that such exams drive down already-low graduation rates. But a study released this week shows, in fact, that may not be the case. Two researchers for the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research have found that requiring high school students to pass an exit exam to receive their diploma does not reduce graduation rates -- and that many students unable to pass the test likely would have dropped out anyway. In addition, they say those same exams may actually inspire improvements in school performance that counterbalance the small number of students for whom the exit exam is a barrier to graduation. The end result? "Exit exams may allow states to give more meaningful diplomas to the same percentage of students as before," the researchers state in their report on the study. Twenty-four states have adopted exit exams that students must pass in order to graduate. [Jody Brown]

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