OUR COLUMNISTS Caring for Jesus, Caring for the Poor Commentary by Matt Friedeman There are some new billboards up in Sioux Falls and Mitchell, South Dakota, by some political partisans that, they say, are having the desired outcome. "Jesus cares for the poor -- So do we." The Gift of Fear Commentary by Jane Jimenez In its latest press release, SIECUS decries fear-based sex ed. Maybe SIECUS would do better to explain why it's afraid of fear. Never Be Satisfied Commentary by Brad Locke I know the secret to being a successful coach or athlete. It's the only trait that can lead one to athletic glory, a trait shared by all who have tasted victory again and again. They are never satisfied. 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.

...Thank you for praying, and don't stop. Chief Justice John Roberts says many people have offered him encouragement in recent weeks, assuring him that he and his family are in their prayers. After placing his hand on the family Bible and being sworn in Thursday at the White House, Roberts said, "I want to thank all of those people." He added that he will "need in the months and years ahead that encouragement and those prayers." President Bush praised Roberts as "a man with an astute mind and a kind heart." On Sunday, Roberts and other members of the Supreme Court are expected to attend the Catholic church's annual Red Mass for the judiciary at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington. [AP]

...Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families says John Roberts' service as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court over the coming decades will be one of George W. Bush's "lasting legacies." At age 50, Roberts becomes the second youngest chief justice in American history -- and Bauer is hopeful the new chief justice will model his performance on the high court after that of the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, for whom Roberts clerked. And Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has high hopes as well. Roberts, he says, has the "judicial philosophy, intellect, and dedication to be one of the great chief justices in our nation's history." The president is expected to announce within the next few days his nominee to replace Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. That, says Bauer, could likely determine Bush's legacy with respect to the courts and how he honored the trust of those who elected him to two terms as president. "That is a tremendous burden for the president," he says, "but it is also a tremendous opportunity." The opportunity before the president, Bauer adds, is to "end the hostility of the nation's highest court against America's traditional heartland values." [Jody Brown]

...In Mississippi, the state's gaming commission has approved proposed legislation which would allow casinos to be built on land. Under current law, they are restricted to locations over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the Mississippi River. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the gambling industry and their supporters have been pushing for the law change, which would allow them to be built within 800 feet of the water's edge. Some Christian groups, including the Southern Baptists and the American Family Association, have been speaking out against the proposed change, fearing it will only lead to even more casinos across the state. The state House and Senate have yet to take up the measure. Most of the 13 coastal casinos were severely damaged by Katrina. They employed about 14,000 people and generated about $500,000 a day in state and local taxes. [Fred Jackson/AP]

...A Christian activist says churches and ministries that decide to accept government funds for disaster relief efforts will find they've made a major mistake. Earlier this week the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced it would use taxpayer dollars to reimburse churches and other religious ministries that have provided assistance to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Flip Benham, national director of Operation Save America, has led a team of relief workers on the Gulf Coast as they have provided physical and spiritual assistance. Benham says he would never accept government money for doing God's work. "You know what we need the government to do?" Benham asks rhetorically. "Just rebuild the roads; take care of the infrastructure -- and let us take care of people. What an extraordinary opportunity for the Church simply to say 'We need God -- and we need to repent.'" Benham says true relief can only be found in Jesus. [Allie Martin]

...Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in California, an issue he says should be decided by voters or the courts. In his veto message, Schwarzenegger said AB 849 contradicted a proposition passed by California voters in 2000 that said only marriages between a man and woman are valid. A San Francisco judge has ruled that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, but Schwarzenegger noted that the case is before a state appeals court and will likely be decided by the California Supreme Court. He explained, "If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this bill is not necessary. If the ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective." In the past, however, the governor has put his signature to other bills that undermine marriage -- notably legislation affecting transfer of property ownership between "registered domestic partners," modifying the state's Teachers' Retirement Law so that the term "spouse" includes a person who is a registered domestic partner, and stating that sexual orientation and marital status are among the characteristics protected against discrimination by business establishments. Randy Thomasson of the Sacramento-based Campaign for Children and Families says it is "outrageous" that Schwarzenegger has signed those bills that have "push[ed] the transsexual and homosexual agenda" upon the state's citizens. Still, Thomasson applauds the governor's action on AB 849 and for "doing the right thing by vetoing 'gay marriage' licenses." The CCF spokesman maintains that the only way to protect marriage long-term in the Golden State is for the voters to qualify and pass the Voters' Right to Protect Marriage Initiative on the 2006 ballot. [AP/Jody Brown]

...A new survey on sexuality by the National Center for Health Statistics confirms that despite all the attention they get, homosexuals are still a very tiny segment of American society. The survey found that only 2.3 percent of men and 1.3 percent of women claim to be homosexual. That is not surprising to Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute. "This survey is right in line with others that show the incidence of homosexuality is around two percent or less," Knight points out. "This is far different from the 10 percent estimate we were told for several decades that came out of the old discredited Alfred Kinsey sex studies." Knight was alarmed by one aspect of the survey which said that 10 percent of women had experimented with bi-sexuality, something Knight credits to cultural pressures. [Bill Fancher]

...Israel has unveiled an underground archaeological site near Jerusalem's most disputed shrine that will soon be open to tourists. The site includes a wall that archaeologists say dates to the first Jewish temple. The discoveries are just more proof that, despite Muslim control of the area right now, it was first given to the Jews by God -- as the Bible clearly teaches. Archaeologist Eli Weissbart tells Associated Press that tourists will see ancient infrastructure and artifacts at the underground site. "We found, unexpectedly, an old ritual bath ... which was being used in the days of Maccabees ... more than 2,000 years ago," he says. "People came here [to use the bath] in order to purify [themselves] before entering the temple." Visitors to the center, which opens in a few weeks, will also be treated to a sound-and-light show of Jewish biblical history, and a new glass monument to the twelve tribes of Israel. [Fred Jackson/AP]

...Sunday, October 2, is the annual Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem -- and Christians have an opportunity to participate in a global conference call that will bring together believers from around the world. Greater Calling, a teleconferencing prayer ministry based in Santa Rosa, California, is co-hosting the call with Eagles' Wings Ministry. Beginning at 6:00 a.m. (EST) on Sunday, people can dial 641-985-1131 and enter 3775# to participate in a special 18-hour prayer conference call with a different leader and different topic each hour. Trained prayer leaders in the U.S., in Israel, in Europe, and in Africa will lead specific biblical prayer points for all the people of Israel -- Jewish and Arab alike -- and for the peace promised for Jerusalem. According to the Greater Calling website, callers will have the opportunity to pray aloud or to just listen. Instructions for participating in the conference call are available online. The number for the conference call is a toll number in Iowa, and long-distance charges will apply unless the caller has an unlimited national calling plan. [Jody Brown]

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