OUR COLUMNISTS WorldCom's Ebbers Gets 25 Years ... Is There a More Christian Way? Commentary by Matt Friedeman America is a long way from devising sentences that take real justice to heart. Until we do, however, we only hurt ourselves. And, in this case, we destroy a man who could still contribute much, given the opportunity. NARAL: The Finer Points of Vulgarity Commentary by Jane Jimenez What better way to let the public know what NARAL stands for than to throw a party and invite everyone you know to "Screw Abstinence." Itching Ears Commentary by Brad Locke Failure is inextricably tied to self-esteem for many people, but those who don't fear failure are the ones who succeed most often. When nothing else can cause a person to re-examine his approach and fix it, failure will often do so. It is a great teacher. 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? Preaching a 'Celebrity Gospel' Commentary by Mark Creech A "celebrity gospel" is when a preacher compromises the gospel of Christ in order to achieve or sustain a celebrity status. Columnist Mark Creech offers two examples of preachers he says are proclaiming a celebrity gospel of late.

...Pro-life and pro-family groups are outraged over suggestions from some GOP officials that sanctity-of-life advocates should restrict their comments in the debate over judicial nominees. Pro-choice Republican Arlen Specter has called pro-life groups counterproductive and insulting for their outspoken pressure on George W. Bush to keep his election campaign promises by nominating pro-life judges to the federal bench. Meanwhile, even the president is urging pro-life supporters to tone down their rhetoric. But at a recent rally at the White House, Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition issued a vehement response to that suggestion. "Mr. President," he shouted, "you cannot tell us to hand out literature during campaigns, make phone calls in phone banks, canvass neighborhoods and then, on the most critical decision you will make, [tell us] to be still." While the rally took place, eight people -- including six teenagers -- were arrested as they knelt and prayed on a public sidewalk outside the White House. [Bill Fancher]

...Massachusetts' Attorney General Tom Reilly has halted a proposed ballot referendum that sought to repeal the state's stem cell law, saying the law's reference to religion exempts it from the referendum process. Legislators passed the stem cell law in May over Governor Mitt Romney's veto. It allows scientists to clone embryos and extract the stem cells, but bans cloning that results in a baby. The law contains provisions that protect nurses, doctors, and other medical employees with "sincerely held religious practices or beliefs" from being required to do stem-cell related work. The attorney general says Massachusetts' constitution states that referendum petitions cannot be used to challenge laws relating to religion. (See related article) [AP]

...A federal judge says he is inclined to dismiss part of a lawsuit brought by an atheist who claims the Pledge of Allegiance is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. Judge Lawrence Karlton says he will let Michael Newdow sue four California school districts where children he represents attend and recite the Pledge. But the judge says Newdow will not be allowed to challenge the Pledge itself and the words "under God," which Congress inserted in 1954. Karlton did not indicate when he will issue a written ruling. This is the second lawsuit that Newdow has filed over the Pledge. The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed his first case last year, saying Newdow lacked standing to bring it on behalf of his daughter because he does not have custody of her. [AP]

...Michael Hartman, a Christian and former American Red Cross employee in San Diego, says he was fired by the agency after protesting its support for a homosexual event. Hartman says the Chief Diversity Officer of the National Red Cross sent out an e-mail to all chapters late in May saying June is "Gay Pride Month" and encouraging them to celebrate so-called "gay and lesbian culture." Hartman says he immediately sent off some e-mails to his supervisors protesting the move and was told his behavior was unacceptable. Then, early this month the Red Cross worker sent off an e-mail message to let a fellow Christian know what was going on. "And, I mean, it was within 15 minutes that the place fell silent and human resources came down," he says. "They wanted my keys and my access badge and stuff, and they just said that they would contact me at that point." Hartman says he was put on administrative leave, and the human resources department requested a conference. When he would not meet with human resources without representation, he was subsequently fired. Now, Hartman says he is talking with the Pacific Justice Institute about his legal options. [Mary Rettig]

...According to a measure developed by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research and education think tank, dependency on federal government funding in America has been rising for years. And indications are that, in recent years, the rise in programs requiring support from the federal purse has been accelerating. The scale known as the "Dependency Index" was established by the Heritage Foundation more than 25 years ago to determine just how much the U.S. is depending financially on "Mama Government." Data analyst Bill Beach says the foundation monitors 34 government programs and, according to its measure, "There's been a 30 percent increase in the index since 1993 -- but 24 points of that 30 have been just since 2001." And since 1980, Beach adds, the U.S. Dependency Index has increased by more than 112 percent. [Bill Fancher]

...Political candidate Tom Gallagher, who hopes to succeed Jeb Bush as Florida's next governor, has recently refunded $3,000 in campaign contributions from companies associated with Penthouse magazine. A spokesperson for the New York-based companies declined to say why Penthouse was supporting the Republican's campaign for governor in the first place. But Associated Press reports that Gallagher, who is Florida's chief financial officer, explained that he rejected the funding because the pornography publication does not reflect his conservative views and he has a strict policy of refusing contributions from "entities that don't share the mainstream Republican values I believe in." He noted that initially there was some confusion as to whether the six $500 donation checks sent to his campaign were connected with Penthouse magazine because of the holding company names under which they were submitted. In the Florida governor's race, Gallagher is running against for the Republican nomination against state Attorney General Charlie Crist. Reportedly Crist has refunded 31 contribution checks, including two for $500 each from a strip club. [Jenni Parker]

...Pro-family pundit Gary Bauer says he is shocked at the intensity of hatred for America that members of the political Left exhibit. He says liberals hold what he sees as an apparent "very deep hatred" for America and what it stands for today. "It's amazing to me," Bauer commented recently, "how often the American Left -- whether it's Michael Moore or now various U.S. senators -- how often and how easily over the last several years they have compared their own country to Germany and President Bush to Hitler." The conservative spokesman says this happens far too often to be a slip of the tongue. Therefore, Bauer concludes, it must be a sincere hatred for the U.S. and its traditional moral values. [Bill Fancher]

...Dr. Michael McMullen, a Southern Baptist seminary professor who was born in England and teaches in the U.S., says he often took one of the very same subway trains that was targeted by terrorists in the recent attacks on London's mass transit system. "I used to take the tube every morning from King's Cross to Russell Square exactly at the time that the explosion went off," McMullen says, "so when I first heard the news and where it had taken place, it was shocking. I was speechless." But in considering how the bombings will affect the spiritual direction of his country, McMullen expresses serious doubts about any long-term impact. He says in many ways God has only "a little place" in Britain today; and, in the aftermath of the bombings, his suspicion about the English, regrettably, is that "I don't suspect this will encourage many more people to seek God at this time." The professor, who teaches at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Missouri, has studied many of the revivals that have taken place in Britain and America. He notes that people in these cultures may have a temporary spiritual revival in the wake of a terror attack. But "very quickly," McMullen says, "within a generation or so, people forget God, the churches become empty once more, and people become very much dependent on self and interested in materialism and the world around them." For that reason, he doubts the London attacks will have much impact at all on British spiritual life. (Read 'Christianity Vanquished in Britain?') [Chad Groening]

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