OUR COLUMNISTS Muslim or Mormon for President? Commentary by Matt Friedeman Better to be Jewish or Catholic rather than evangelical if running for president anytime soon. And, for whatever it's worth, the Oval Office probably won't be used five times a day for prayer facing Mecca anytime soon. Have We Lost the Culture War? Commentary by Joe Murray What is the state of our Union's culture? Poor. In regards to Christian values, Jesus has not just been moved to the back of the bus, he has been thrown out the emergency exit door. m...m...m...Married? Commentary by Jane Jimenez Big things are happening for marriage! A national conference just concluded in Atlanta, with experts from around the country sharing ways to support and save healthy marriages. Gambling With Truth Commentary by Brad Locke Despite what some well-known sports columnists tell you, gambling is dangerous. It can ruin lives, it can cost you your family and dignity, and it is intrinsically bad. Out-of-Bounds Campus Drinking Commentary by Mark Creech Eliminating alcohol outlets, not adding them on college property, is a proven, successful strategy for protecting students.

...One of the nation's most popular preachers says he should have been more forceful during a live television interview last year when asked about salvation through Jesus Christ. Joel Osteen, best-selling author and pastor of Houston's Lakewood Church, appeared on a June 2005 segment of CCN's Larry King Live. During the interview, Pastor Osteen was asked by King if a Jew, Muslim, or anybody could get to heaven without going through Jesus. Osteen stated he could not judge anybody's heart, and left the matter up to the Lord. Osteen was criticized by many evangelical leaders for his response. Last week Osteen was interviewed on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), and he clarified his previous statement. "Before I did that interview, I read the last five interviews Billy Graham did. It's the same thing that he said. He just had 50 years of ministry, where people knew exactly what he stood for," the Texas pastor explained. "Well, our number-one thing is to bring people to Christ -- and He is the way. It's just, again, I don't want to turn off the people we're trying to reach." Osteen was also asked, while on TBN, about critics who say he is too "soft" when it comes to biblical preaching and evangelism. "Every morning I start off the first half hour and just seek the Lord, make sure I'm right on course," he shared. "And when I search my own heart, which I think is the most important thing for each individual, I think, 'God, I believe to the best of my ability I'm doing exactly what you called me to do.'" Osteen admitted that while he does listen to the critics, "the stories of lives changed are a million to one." He added: "A lot of times the people criticizing, that's what they do for a living." Lakewood Church is reportedly the fastest growing church in the United States. [Allie Martin]

...Environmentalism is taking root in religions worldwide. Next week, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, will lead a group of religious leaders, scientists and activists on a week-long voyage along the Amazon River to study the interplay of faith and ecology. In America, the Evangelical Climate Initiative and the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life are linking biblical traditions with efforts to ease global warming. At the Vatican, Pope Benedict has called for the rejection of "fake freedoms which destroy the environment and man." A recent Buddhist conference in China urged greater emphasis on environmental protection. In India, Hindu scholars have raised alarms about environmental damage from rapid modernization. And a Shiite ayatollah in Iran said it is "the duty of every Muslim" to protect the environment. [AP]

...An activist dedicated to a free North Korea says she doesn't think it is a good idea for mega-church pastor Rick Warren to accept an invitation to preach in Pyongyang this summer. Recently Warren drew a collective gasp, then clapping and cheering from his congregation at Saddleback Church when he announced the North Korean regime has invited him to preach this summer to some 15,000 Christians in the Communist capital. Suzanee Scholte, chairman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, believes the extension of an invitation to the Southern California pastor is nothing but a propaganda scheme orchestrated by the Kim John Il regime. "This is a Satanic regime," says Scholte, "and to go in there and believe that you could actually preach freely is an illusion. It won't do anything to help the church. It will only put the true church at risk, and it will be used as a propaganda piece by the Kim Jong Il regime." And the Coalition leader wonders what Warren will be able to preach. "Kim Jong Il has set himself up as a god. Is [Rick Warren] going to say, 'Kim Jong Il is not your god -- God is God'?" she asks. "They are raised to believe Kim Jong Il is god and that the God we worship doesn't exist. And so, what is he going to preach?" Scholte says she fears that after the event is over, anyone who is perceived to be a real Christian will be "rounded up and sent to a political prison camp." [Chad Groening]

...A retired general with the U.S. Marine Corps says the North Koreans are engaged in tough talk -- but he doesn't believe the communist regime will pose a serious threat to the United States. Earlier this week the North was chastised by many nations, including the U.S., for conducting missile tests. At least one of the missiles reportedly had the capacity to reach American soil, but it malfunctioned shortly after launch. Lawrence Snowden, who served with the Marines for 37 years before retiring in 1979 as a lieutenant general, says the North Koreans do not have the capacity to mount large-scale attacks against the U.S. "I hope we are smart enough to recognize that tough talk doesn't necessarily mean they have the capability to follow through," Snowden offers. "Certainly no nation in the world would risk ... taking the first step with a nuclear weapon, knowing that the immediate response from the United States has the capacity to wipe them out 16 to 1." The general says that despite all of the North's "bluster" and "talk and threats," he is hopeful they "recognize in the final instances, they can't overwhelm us militarily, so they shouldn't take the first step." General Snowden, who has served with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, now resides in Florida. [Allie Martin]

...A security expert is voicing his concerns that efforts to deal with North Korea's continued missile testing are on the wrong track. Center for Security Policy director Frank Gaffney says efforts to get North Korea to sit down and begin discussions about its nuclear weapons program and the missile testing will end in frustration. "Negotiating with the North Koreans, like negotiating with the Iranians, is a fool's errand," says Gaffney. According to the Center director, continuing to negotiate with such a radical regime is playing into its hands. "It emboldens them to believe that you will continue to reward them for bad behavior, and it ensures that you will have more bad behavior to deal with in the future," he explains. "This behavior isn't just bad; it's dangerous," he adds. "It's dangerous to our friends in the region, South Korea and Japan most especially; it's dangerous to our forces in the region; and it's dangerous, as clearly the North Koreans want us to understand, even to us here at home." Gaffney says the free world needs to take action to bring about the fall of the Kim Jong Il communist regime. [Bill Fancher]

...An Israeli diplomat says he doesn't believe Hamas is being truthful in its recent "change of heart" when it comes to recognizing the right of Israel to exist. The announcement came after weeks of discussion between Hamas and rival Fatah as to how to deal with the crippling international sanctions being placed on the Palestinian-controlled territories. Shmuel Ben-Shmuel, Israeli consul general to the Southeast, says Hamas has not changed its bad behavior. "It hasn't dismantled its terrorist organization and [it] continues to participate in rocket attacks against Israel," he offers. "A real change will be when they abolish their covenant which calls for the destruction of Israel." Ben-Shmuel describes Hamas as "a very fanatic organization" that has adopted a "very extreme religious school of thought in Islam that actually called for the abolishing of the state of Israel and forming an Islamic republic from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River on the ruins of Israel." Adds the consul general: "So I don't see them changing their view." Still, Ben-Shmuel suggests a wait-and-see attitude. [Chad Groening]

...A Christian college student says violence isn't always evil. Jordan Estrada is a junior at Patrick Henry College, and one of many young people who have participated in a "fight club." Estrada says he joined the club originally to develop his martial arts skills, but dropped out when the club lost focus on skill and the padded gloves and helmets were not preventing injuries. "I honestly think that they just thought as a thrill sort of thing, like a chance to like, beat on someone, because guys have that instinct," Estrada shares. "And I don't think it's entirely a bad thing. I definitely think it's something that should be controlled -- but I also think it's something that should be developed as well in a godly and biblical sense." The college student thinks violence has its place and that many Christians over-react to it. But knowing when to use it, he adds, requires a great deal of wisdom. Estrada says he only plans to use violence if the safety of loved ones is at stake. [Natalie Harris]

...A pioneer of contemporary Christian music, Andrae Crouch, will receive the International Worship Institute's Cherub Award Friday evening in Grapevine, Texas. Past winners include prolific gospel songwriters Bill and Gloria Gaither. In the 1970s, Andrae Crouch and the Disciples recorded songs he wrote that have entered today's hymnbooks, including "Through It All," "To God Be The Glory" and "Bless His Holy Name." Other Andrae Crouch classics include "Soon And Very Soon" and "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power." On Sunday, Crouch is to perform a medley of his songs at the Franklin Graham Festival in Baltimore, sharing a stage with evangelist Billy Graham. The 64-year-old Crouch now pastors the California church founded by his parents. [AP]

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