OUR COLUMNISTS Saying Sorry for Lynchings and the Cheap Talk of Congressional Apologies Commentary by Matt Friedeman This year's Senate apology casts a vote of regret for Senate inaction on lynchings. All in favor, say "Aye!" And for those who didn't sign up as co-sponsors (only 15 of 100 senators didn't), get ready for reporters' phone calls. Love Affair With Failure Commentary by Jane Jimenez PBS producers have tremendous power to teach children and parents. So where do they put their energies? Sporting Dads Commentary by Brad Locke Father-son relationships can literally be established or destroyed on the playing fields. Fathers who understand this can make a world of difference in the lives of their sons. 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? 'Thou Shalt Commit Sexual Immorality' Commentary by Mark Creech Most people don't usually think of the Bible as a wicked document. But that's exactly what people thought of the 1631 edition of the King James Version. It seems when the printers went to print that particular edition, an error was made, and the word "not" was left out of the Seventh Commandment.

...Delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting have approved a resolution encouraging churches to investigate what impact the homosexual agenda is having on public schools. The resolution that made it to the floor in Nashville did not call for the withdrawal of children from public schools, but for parents to make that decision. During debate, Florida messenger Robert Dreyfuss said overall, public schools cannot provide a biblical foundation for children. "If we continue doing things as we've been doing them, I think we're going to look very much like Europe now looks," the delegate said. "Public schools are a mission field -- but they're a killing field to our children." The co-author of the resolution says he is satisfied the SBC has finally taken a stand on the issue. Bruce Shortt says when churches discover how far-reaching homosexual influence is in public schools, action will be taken. "I think in many cases when our pastors discover that the local school district is betraying the community's trust by collaborating with homosexual activists in the ways that I've described, they'll know what to do," Shortt remarked, "and I think they will be working to find solutions for parents who want to make a change." Evangelist Voddie Baucham joined Shortt in authoring the resolution, which was amended to recognize those Christian teachers and administrators who are serving in public schools. [Allie Martin]

...A well-known Southern Baptist leader has offered his views on homosexuality, including his belief that the sinful lifestyle is actually a symptom of other influences. Dr. Richard Land heads the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. During a speech to the denomination's convention in Nashville on Tuesday, he urged the audience to come to an understanding about the nature of homosexuality. "Homosexuality is not just something that people do. Homosexuals are convinced that their homosexuality is part of who they are," Land stated. "We must come to the place where we understand that homosexuality is a symptom of deeper influences." During the speech, Land also referred to people being "trapped" in the homosexual lifestyle. "Those of you here who may be struggling with same-sex attractions or who are already trapped in a homosexual lifestyle, in love we urge you to reach out to God and a trusted Christian family member or a friend, and to begin to reclaim God's plan for your life," he said. "Walk toward Jesus." [AP/Fred Jackson]

...Meanwhile, the Southern Baptist delegates also voted today to end the denomination's boycott of the Disney Corporation. California pastor Wylie Drake says the boycott served its purpose. "We believe that Disney has shown some change. We'd like to see more [change], of course, but we do believe that they have indeed heard our boycott," Drake says. "We believe it has cost them a lot of money ... and I'm glad to see that we are going to end it at this point, and I hope to see better days for Disney in the future." The SBC decision follows a similar move by the American Family Association a few weeks ago to end its nine-year boycott of Disney. [Allie Martin]

...The Episcopal Church has affirmed its support for homosexual clergy, while urging other Anglican churches not to let the issue divide their worldwide communion. In a document prepared for the Anglican Consultative Council, Episcopal Church leaders say, "We believe that God has been opening our eyes to acts of God that we had not known how to see before." It adds, "Members of the Episcopal Church have discerned holiness in same-sex relationships." Some Anglican conservatives say that makes a schism inevitable. Official Anglican policy declares homosexual acts to be "incompatible with scripture" and opposes homosexual ordinations and same-sex blessings. [AP]

...President Bush says, "Southern Baptists are practicing compassion by defending the family and the sacred institution of marriage." In a live video link from the White House to the Baptists' annual meeting in Nashville, Bush repeated his call for a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. The president also denounced the harvesting of stem cells from human embryos. He said, "A compassionate society will not sanction the creation of life only to destroy it." Bush thanked Southern Baptists for their charitable work and said Congress should pass legislation to ensure that federally-funded religious charities can be open about their faith. [AP]

...A pro-family attorney says it's not too late to stop implementation of an Internet domain designed just for pornography. If approved, the new Internet domain .xxx will open up a whole new world of Internet addresses to pornographers. Contrary to what has been said, Pat Trueman with the Family Research Council says porn will not be limited to the triple-x domain. In fact, he says it will only worsen the porn problem in homes. But he encourages individuals to let their opinion be known on the triple-x domain. "It is not final," Trueman says. "Even though the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers -- which is the corporation that governs the Internet -- says they intend to start a triple-x domain, they have to give final approval to it and the U.S. Department of Commerce, under President George Bush, has to give its approval to it." Trueman says people need to "weigh in" with both agencies. "I believe we can beat this," he adds. The e-mail address to contact the U.S. Commerce Department is publicaffairs@ntia.doc.gov. [Rusty Pugh]

...The former chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court says Christians in America have been deceived by a government forbidding the acknowledgment of God. During his speech to the Southern Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference, Judge Roy Moore said preachers must be sure their congregations are educated about the role of God in the foundation of the nation. Moore gave thousands of pastors a brief history lesson to show how the country's founding fathers recognized God's sovereignty and God's law. He reminded pastors he was removed from Alabama's high court not because of a Ten Commandments monument, but because of his acknowledgment of God. "Without the acknowledgment of God, there would not be a First Amendment," Moore exclaimed. "Let's look at the words in the First Amendment [which] says -- it's very simple, ladies and gentlemen, this is not complicated legalese -- 'Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'" Moore compared the U.S. to Israel in the time of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, when that nation honored God only with their mouth -- but not with their heart. [Allie Martin]

...Even though greatly outnumberd in 2004, films rated PG had a bigger share of the box office than those rated R -- something that hasn't occurred since 1984. According to numbers released by MovieGuide, a publication of the Christian Film & Television Commission, the 98 R-rated movies released last year took in just over $1.8 billion. However, the 43 PG-rated films bested that figure by more than $300 million. The performance of R-rated movies is put into even greater perspective when it is noted that a single R-film -- The Passion of the Christ -- brought in more than $370 million by itself. John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, said, "Diversity is great, but family films sell better than R-rated films. Sometimes it seems like Hollywood overlooks the middle of the country, which wants movies that everyone can enjoy." According to MovieGuide, the total domestic box office for movies in 2004 was more than $8.5 billion. The biggest slice of the pie went to the 104 PG-13 movies, which brought in almost half of the total ($4.2 billion). The five G-rated films in 2004 totaled only $253 million. [AFA Journal]

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