OUR COLUMNISTS Repent or Resign -- What to Say and Not Say from the Evangelical Pulpit Commentary by Matt Friedeman Pastors ought to have the constitutional right to say whatever they want from their pulpits. Even inappropriate and stupid things. But a political right doesn't necessary mean the better part of wisdom. SIECUS Redefines Humanity Commentary by Jane Jimenez Since the beginning of history, mothers and fathers have come together in a married sexual union designed to create children and families. When did this change ... and why? Vain Superstition Commentary by Brad Locke Can a ballplayer sitting in the dugout with a rally cap on really affect the outcome of a game? No more than Pharaoh could have submitted to Moses' request before all the plagues had passed. Amnesia Commentary by David Sisler What would it be like to wake up and not remember the evil that you had done, the people you had hurt, the sins you had committed? What would you pay for a little selective amnesia? 'The One Supreme Asset of the National Life' Commentary by Mark Creech Echoing the words of the great preacher Peter Marshall, columnist Mark Creech says "a mother's role in the family is pivotal to the nation." Indeed ... moms are, as Marshall stated, the "keepers of the springs."

...As homosexual activists celebrate today's first anniversary of legalized same-sex "marriage" in Massachusetts, pro-family groups there are continuing their fight to have that right overturned. It is an anniversary that Kris Mineau of the Massachusetts Coalition for Families will not be commemorating. "It's a very sad day for those of us that hold to traditional values," Mineau says. "It's certainly a kind of remorse at where our culture has gone, and how it's been literally hijacked by a radical element." His group has called on people to rise up against the activist judges who ignored 6,000 years of tradition to promote their own view of what marriage should be. People are heeding the call, he says. "We're in the midst of a revolution, and we need minutemen and minutewomen out there who will go out into the highways and byways, into the marketplace, and engage this culture to return it to its foundations," he says. "As the psalmist says, 'When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?'" Mineau says the fight is far from being over. His organization and many more will be working hard to get the state legislature to put forth an amendment that will ban same-sex marriage and same-sex unions. [Bill Fancher]

...A Pennsylvania school district that's being sued by a parent who was barred from reading the Bible in her son's kindergarten class is vowing to "vigorously defend" itself. In a letter sent home to parents, the superintendent of the Marple Newtown School District says it "upheld the law and did not discriminate against anyone or any religion." Donna Busch was invited to her son's elementary school in October as part of an activity in which the class learns more about a particular pupil, including having the pupil's parent read from a favorite book in class. She says her son was upset that she was not allowed to read from the Bible. Her federal lawsuit accuses the district of infringing on her right to express her religious beliefs and discriminating against Christianity. (See related article) [AP]

...The courts will decide whether a teen abstinence program violates federal grant guidelines, as a new ACLU suit claims. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit alleging that a taxpayer-supported teen abstinence program improperly promotes Christianity. The "Silver Ring Thing," which uses music and comedy skits, is an offshoot of the John Guest Evangelistic Team. Since 2003, the program has received more than one million dollars in federal grants as part of the Bush administration's initiative to expand abstinence-only education. The ACLU alleges that the Silver Ring Thing encourages teens to commit themselves to Jesus Christ, and says grant recipients are not supposed to use federal money for religious proselytizing. The lawsuit says youths are given the opportunity to divide into secular and religious groups, but are encouraged to choose the religious option and to enroll in a Bible-based follow-up program. [AP]

...A new website is up and running, providing a valuable service to families and business travelers who don't want to stay in hotels that offer in-room pornography. The website has been in the works for four years -- and now, CleanHotels.com is a reality. Phil Burress of the Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values came up with the idea because he felt there needed to be a resource for people to book a hotel room and be assured there would be no pornography on the room's television. "So rather than just curse the darkness and just keep complaining about this, we decided to launch into an opportunity to offer people a new way of dealing with this problem," Burress explains. "About four years ago, we birthed the idea of CleanHotels.com, and we surveyed 43,000 hotels across America. We identified the hotels that do not offer in-room, hard-core, pay-per-view pornography." Burress says by using the website, not only can families be assured they will not be exposed to pornography, but they will be supporting companies that care enough about their customers to not offer pay-per-view porn. [Rusty Pugh]

...A retired Army officer and military expert says he supports the Defense Department's proposal to shut down nearly three dozen major military facilities he says are being kept open for nothing for political reasons. When the Pentagon announced its latest round of base closing and realignment proposals last week, it created the usual uproar from lawmakers in the states and jurisdictions where those bases are located. But Army Lt. Col. (Retired) Bob Maginnis says it will mean a taxpayer savings over the next 20 years of about $65 billion. "And as tight as things are with regard to our requirements in the global war on terrorism, that's significant savings," he adds. As Maginnis explains, the criteria for base closings is not based solely on cost, but also on which facilities provide the best locations for training and logistics. "I think on balance it's necessary to close or realign so you can optimize the effectiveness of the force that you have and don't waste personnel positions on facilities that really are being held onto exclusively for political reasons," he states. The former Army officer believes most Americans agree that facilities should remain open based on which ones best bolster military capability and readiness. [Chad Groening]

...There's a new record holder for the world's largest tea party. The spokesperson for an event held on Monday night (May 16) at the University of Richmond's Robbins Center in Virginia says more than 7,291 people were in attendance. That breaks the previous mark of 7,121 tea party attenders, set in 2001 in Singapore. Kim Newlin is the founder of "Sweet Monday," a Christian-based women's hospitality organization and ministry that organized the record-breaking attempt. She gives credit to God for accomplishment of their goal. "And nobody could be more surprised than me, except I know He's so big and my heart is just racing right now because only God could do something so big with something so little." The Sweet Monday ministry is based on outreach to women through weekly tea parties in homes. The idea has spread to 32 states and eight countries over ten years. [Ed Thomas]

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