OUR COLUMNISTS Time for the Church to Demand Commentary by Matt Friedeman A high level of ideological commitment to evangelistic action and a lower level of secularism separates the church significantly from, say, the Rotary Club. Today, one senses that people yearn to belong to something with greater meaning and sense of purpose than the local civic organization. Succeeding at Failure Commentary by Jane Jimenez Sixty-five girls are pregnant at Canton, Ohio's Timken High School -- and newscasters have decried this as a terrible failure. Why? Playing Through the Pain Commentary by Brad Locke I once wrote that it's ludicrous to think something as inconsequential as sports could help people cope with tragedy. I fear I misspoke. 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? North Carolina Enacts a State Lottery Commentary by Mark Creech The Tarheel State has now entered the gambling business' world of vice and deception. Mark Creech of the North Carolina-based Christian Action League says only a miracle in the courts could possibly change matters.

...A federal judge has ruled that a Ten Commandments monument can remain on display outside the police station in Everett, Washington. Basing his decision on two recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, Judge Robert Lasnik said, "The display at issue here poses no threat to the religious freedoms of the citizens of Everett." In June, the Supreme Court struck down a framed, relatively new display of the Ten Commandments on the wall of a Kentucky courthouse, but upheld the display of a decades-old Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the Texas state capitol. The Everett monument was erected in 1959, and Judge Lasnik said its placement behind shrubs, overshadowed by lighted war memorials, looks more like "neglect" of religion than promotion of it. [AP]

...Jordan's King Abdullah is calling for interfaith cooperation to defeat extremists promoting conflict between Muslims, Jews and Christians. Speaking at Catholic University in Washington, Abdullah said all responsible religious leaders denounce hatred and violence. But the 43-year-old king said, "There are those who think otherwise; who believe that there is, or will be, a clash of civilizations." The Jordanian monarch told the Catholic audience, "For all our sakes, for our common future, we must turn the world's footsteps away from such a path." King Abdullah added that the devastation of Hurricane Katrina is a reminder that "we are all in God's hands" and should work together "to help, to share, to comfort and heal." [AP]

...An Orthodox Jewish rabbi contends Hurricane Katrina may have been an act of God's judgment for rampant sin in America. Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Jews for Morality believes some parallels can be drawn between the flooding of New Orleans and the biblical flood in Noah's day. Levin, a vocal leader in the pro-family movement, asserts that God does not visit significant calamities or punishments on the world in a merely coincidental way. According to Levin, although people may never completely know what God had in mind with Hurricane Katrina, he still judges sin. Also, the rabbi points out that a horrified public saw "in the aftermath of the flood that there was a significant amount of sexual crime, rape going on there. We know the Days of Decadence immorality, homosexual immorality -- they were expecting at least 125,000 people literally at the time that the flood struck. I mean, I don't think it takes a spiritual rocket scientist to make the connection." But while some Jewish leaders have suggested that God may have sent Katrina to punish the U.S. for urging the evacuation of thousands of Jewish settlers from their land in Gaza, Levin is quick to dismiss that notion. Although there were many reports of violence and depravity in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Levin notes, "We can understand that that sort of represents some of the worst attributes -- or aspects, I should say -- of America, and it's definitely something to be very introspective and repentant about." [Jim Brown]

...A member of the House Energy Committee says Americans will all be riding bicycles if the U.S. continues to let environmental extremists direct its energy policy decisions. Republican Steve King says he cannot understand why the nation has not already drilled in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). He says up to a trillion barrels of oil could be there, and studies have found that the precious crude could be extracted without harm to the environment. "We need to drill for oil on the outer continental shelf," King asserts. "When it goes out 200 miles from the shores of the United States and we have environmental restrictions that keep us from going out there, we've turned this energy supply over to the environmentalists." However, due in part to the current oil crisis, King believes the environmentalist camp is gradually losing its influence. "Now, every time gas goes up another penny," he says, "there are fewer people that stand with the 'green extreme machine' and more people that stand with the 'let's have an energy supply for America' crowd. So I'm hopeful that we can bring something through Congress that gets the rest of the energy policy change that we should have done six years ago." A thousand years from now, King contends, archaeologists who look through America's records will wonder why the nation had not drilled the ANWR by now. [Chad Groening]

...A conservative legal firm is warning a Northern Virginia county that it is facing legal action if it continues to violate federal laws regarding illegal immigrants. According to Chris Farrell of Judicial Watch, Fairfax County, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, DC, is in trouble. He says, "Fairfax County is going to take federal money given to it and turn around and use it to break federal law." The plan, which Farrell points out is unlawful, is to use a $400,000 block grant to set up three day-laborer sites for hiring illegal aliens. He says county officials "are going to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars further into the crime. They're going to subsidize and incentivize [sic] illegal immigrants operating within Fairfax County." Judicial Watch met with county officials Monday and warned of impending lawsuits if the county goes through with its illegal plans. "We put them on notice by letter," Farrell say. "We went to a hearing and spoke before the board of supervisors and let them know in no uncertain terms what their liability -- what their jeopardy -- was if they continued. They were receptive, but they didn't communicate anything in return -- they simply stared at us and looked rather uncomfortable." [Bill Fancher]

...An international organization is giving moms a chance to get away, get trained, and get refreshed. Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) will be holding its annual conference next week near Dallas. The 2005 International Convention runs September 22-24, and MOPS president Elisa Morgan believes the women attending will be greatly encouraged by the speakers at the event. Morgan, who will be one of those speakers herself, says the theme of this year's convention is "Twinkle ... Shine Like Stars in the Universe," which was inspired by Philippians 2:15. "The whole concept there," the MOPS spokeswoman explains, is that "Paul is writing to the Philippians to encourage them to really stand out as those who have hope because of the relationship with Jesus. And because MOPS is a ministry of lifestyle evangelism, encouraging moms to be the best moms they can be, we love this theme because every mom wants to be the best she can be." Quietly and gently, Morgan says, MOPS works to affirm and help each mom to know the help she can have in a relationship with Jesus. [Mary Rettig]

...The second Mid-Western Christian Book Fair is bringing exhibitors and booklovers together from five countries for free public seminars, concerts, and charity events. Over 40 leading Christian authors and publishers from all parts of the U.S. and the U.K., Canada, India, and Croatia will provide the 17 free seminars, as well as free manuscript critiques, a free writing workshop, and a free concert to raise funds for a local charity as part of the September 23-24 Book Fair at Johnson County Fairgrounds in Iowa City. Book Fair founder Paschal Eze says many of the authors and publishers are reaching out to the community; for instance, author Tina Ellis is raising funds for pregnant Katrina victims. Among the Christian authors attending the fair will be Iowa Writer's Workshop alumna Anita Swanson and novelist Ann Bell; Kristi Wilson, a former White House and U.S. Congress staff member; Marvin Sprouse, recipient of two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart; Kevin Berg, disabled author and speaker; and Laurie Winslow Sargent, parenting expert. Also represented is India's biggest Bible printer, Thomas Press, as well as North America's leading publisher, Essence Publishing of Canada. Book Fair founder Paschal Eze says the book fair will feature door prizes for its thousands of visitors, and hot public discussions, including "Can Christian Values Solve Social Problems." [Jenni Parker]

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