OUR COLUMNISTS Is Your Jesus Homogenous? Commentary by Matt Friedeman If the West, especially America, wants to play a major role in the massive expansion of the gospel across the globe in the decades to come, we will need to shuck the homogeneity that bedevils our conception of Christ and begin to grow in our thinking. Pelvic Thrusts Commentary by Jane Jimenez In exercise gyms all around the country, body parts are in motion. So ... when was the last time in your gym when you saw the most common body motion in America? Live Stronger Commentary by Brad Locke Lance Armstrong's ex-wife once told him that his recovery from cancer was a work of God's grace, but Armstrong scoffed at that. I suppose he thought men alone -- himself and the doctors -- were responsible for his regained health. 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.

...The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says he hopes the denomination will remain united, despite disagreements over homosexuality. The ELCA General Assembly is scheduled to vote next month on whether homosexuals in committed relationships should be ordained -- and their same-sex unions blessed -- by the church. In a conference call with reporters, Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson said tensions over the issue show that the "church is struggling with what it means to be centered in Christ." Hanson would not say how he plans to vote. Hanson is also president of the Lutheran World Federation, which represents 138 churches in 77 countries. [AP]

...The American Civil Liberties Union says witnesses in North Carolina courtrooms should be allowed to swear to tell the truth on scriptures other than the Bible. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit to permit oaths to be taken on the holy books of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and other non-Christian faiths. Judges in Guilford County ruled recently that Muslims cannot legally take an oath on the Quran. State law allows witnesses to take their oath either by laying a hand over "Holy Scripture," by saying "so help me God" without the use of a religious book, or by using no religious symbols. The head of the North Carolina ACLU says, "We hope that the court will issue a ruling that the phrase 'holy scripture' includes the Quran, Old Testament, and Bhagavad-Gita in addition to the Christian Bible." [AP]

...A new study released by the Institute for American Values shows that mothers have deep concerns about the impact of negative cultural influences on their children. Called "The Motherhood Study," the survey of more than 2,000 moms was led by researchers Martha Farrell Erickson of the University of Minnesota and Enola G. Aird of the University of Connecticut. The survey found that 95 percent of moms said they "wish American culture made it easier to instill positive values in children." Almost 90 percent expressed concern about the power of the media to influence their children, and specifically noted their concerns about the influence of advertising. Eighty-six percent of moms said they felt that "childhood should be a time when children are protected from large parts of the adult world." [AFA Journal]

...The White House remains solidly behind its first nominee for the Supreme Court. White House Office of the Liaison deputy director Tim Goeglein says the upcoming hearing on judicial nominee John G. Roberts will show that he is the best nominee that could be found. "John Roberts is unquestionably and overwhelmingly so qualified for the Supreme Court," said the White House spokesman. "He is an outstanding nominee. The President has total confidence in this man. He's going to do a superb job." Goeglein says there has been unprecedented consultation with 70 senators on the nomination of Roberts, and that he is confident the confirmation will be swift. [Bill Fancher]

...The president of a Kansas-based pro-Israel group says the so-called disengagement plan by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is a recipe for disaster -- and neither he, nor anyone else in the Israeli government, has a right to give away Jewish land. The plan will force some 10,000 men, women, and children from their homes, businesses, schools, synagogues, and farms. Esther Levens, president of the Unity Coalition for Israel, says the Israeli government is taking the wrong approach by trying to appease the Palestinian terrorists by giving away Jewish land in Gaza. She says a quote from David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, in 1937 sums it up best. "No Jew has the right to relinquish the right to the Jewish nation in the land of Israel. No Jew has the authority to do so [and] no Jewish body has such authority," Levens states. "Even the whole Jewish people alive today has no authority to relinquish any part whatsoever of the land. This is the right of the Jewish nation in all its generations -- a right which may not be forfeited under any condition." And Levens says President Bush is playing into the hands of the terrorists by his support of a Palestinian state. [Rusty Pugh]

...An Ohio lawmaker has introduced legislation that will make English the official language of the Buckeye State. Republican Courtney Combs says his English bill is being co-sponsored by 22 of the 99 members of the Ohio House of Representatives. It will mandate that all official state business be conducted only in English, unless federal statutes supercede. And Combs hopes the bill will convince foreign language residents to learn English. "We are in a position where we are making it so easy for Hispanics not to have to speak English that they don't have the desire to do it," Combs explains. "The statistics show that any immigrant who comes in and speaks English makes 17 percent more income per year, which raises their standard of living." Combs says he has heard the usual excuses from detractors. "We've had basically every excuse in the world," he shares. "You know, 'These people work too much, they work 12 to 16 hours a day, and they don't have time,' 'Is the government going to put up money to teach them?' No, the government is not going to put up money to teach them -- we've got too much of that now. Yeah, there's every excuse in the world." Combs says he is hopeful the legislature will take up the bill when it reconvenes in September. [Chad Groening]

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