OUR COLUMNISTS (Click on photos for archives) The Church and Culture: Never Give Up Commentary by Matt Friedeman When it comes to the culture war, you can either concern yourselves with individuals or concern yourself with the broader culture. Or both. The latter is the only real option for the Christian. Fighting for That City on a Hill Commentary by Joe Murray Does a Christian's responsibility in creating a government that reflects natural and biblical law stop at prayer? Is it enough for a Christian to pray for a Godly government and then go about their business? Not a chance. Fear-Based Sex Education Commentary by Jane Jimenez The time-honored adage is that "we have nothing to fear but fear itself." When it comes to fears about sex education, fearing the fear takes on new meaning! Unfulfilled Commentary by Brad Locke We keep searching and striving for worldly things that we hope will fulfill us, because that gives us an excuse not to turn to God. Real Hope for Stem-Cell Research Commentary by Mark Creech It seems that the direction of stem-cell research has turned a corner. Recent research indicates a growing interest in a more ethical approach -- perhaps even discomfort with destroying human embryos for stem cells.

...President Bush says America's enemies "are driven by a perverted vision of Islam" and want "to build a radical Islamic empire where women are prisoners in their homes, men are beaten for missing prayer meetings, and terrorists have a safe haven." In last night's speech marking the fifth anniversary of the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, the president said, "On 9/11, our Nation saw the face of evil." But he said Americans responded with prayer and acts of courage. Five years later, Bush said the nation faces the continuing challenge with "confidence in our purpose, and faith in a loving God who made us to be free." [AP]

...A terrorism expert with the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, says the U.S. is learning more and more about the nature of the terrorists who attacked the nation five years ago. Jim Phillips says Americans have learned that Islamic terrorists are more than just a group of barbarians who are bent on destroying Israel and the United States. "Al-Qaida is not just a terrorist network, but it's a revolutionary movement that propagates a totalitarian Islamic ideology," says Phillips. "It is this virulent ideology that promotes and legitimizes mass murder." The Heritage Foundation spokesman says it was al-Qaida terrorists who attacked New York and the nation's capital five years ago, killing nearly 3,000 innocent people. Phillips says today's terrorist organizations run hospitals, sponsor soccer leagues, and support political candidates -- but he notes that their murderous ideology remains. [Bill Fancher]

...A new Gallup poll finds that eight out of nine Americans have links to a religious congregation or faith group, and most of the rest still believe in God or a higher power. The survey conducted for Baylor University found that about 60 percent of Americans are Protestant (with evangelicals outnumbering mainline churchgoers) and about 20 percent are Catholics. Jews and other religious groups comprise around eight percent. Another one percent, although unaffiliated with any religious group, said they believe Jesus is the Son of God, and nearly a third of the unaffiliated say they pray at least occasionally. The survey also found that more Americans have read The Da Vinci Code than The Purpose Driven Life or the Left Behind novels. (See related article) [AP]

...While faith affiliation may be on the upswing in America, patriotism may be another matter -- at least in the town of Lompoc, California. The Santa Maria Times reports that following the complaint of a single patron, the local postmaster -- much to the chagrin of other post office employees -- removed from the post office lobby a poster displaying the American flag along with the phrase "God Bless America." According to the report, Matt Hughes is "a vocal atheist" who was offended by the poster and registered a complaint that was initially spurned by a supervisor at the post office. A few days later, however, the poster had been taken down, much to Hughes' delight. "They posted a religious expression -- in this case, a prayer," he tells the Times, "and it's not the business of our government to be promoting religion. I think there's no reason that a government facility should have the largest word in the customer services area be the name of some people's deity." But employees at the Lompoc post office disagree. Cathy Hefferman, lobby director at the post office, tells the newspaper she and her fellow workers are "just upset and ... offended that we can't show support for our country. This is a time that you need to do that." Lompoc is located near Vandenberg Air Force Base along the Pacific Coast in Southern California, northwest of Los Angeles. [Jody Brown]

...A military analyst and Pentagon consultant says he has come to the conclusion that the government of Mexico is, in fact, at war with the United States by deliberately failing to stop the flow of its citizens across the porous U.S.-Mexico border. Retired Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis says he is writing an article for a military journal that asks the question, "Are we at war with Mexico?" The West Point graduate and combat veteran says he thinks the answer is a resounding yes. "There are elements of power that are being executed by the Mexican government, either complicitly or just by nature of the momentum of what's gone on, that would argue that they are," states Maginnis. "And, of course, we are not doing nearly enough to stop that very serious threat." The retired military officer says he is concerned about the recent report that Arabic-speaking individuals have entered Mexico, learned Spanish, and integrated into the Mexican culture before paying smugglers large sums of money to sneak them into the U.S. "A lot of people don't understand how porous our own border is and how easy it is to infiltrate from Mideast countries, where training for jihadists is common, through our southern border area, through Mexico, through Central America. And they come up here fairly easily," he notes. Maginnis says in light of the evidence, one can begin to make a case that through neglect, the Mexican government has really engaged in war against the U.S. [Chad Groening]

...A black commentator and political analyst says he was inspired by the comments of comedian Bill Cosby to write a book about the state of the black community in America. Juan Williams calls the book Enough: The Phony Leaders, Dead-End Movements, and Culture of Failure That Are Undermining Black America -- and What We Can Do About It. The National Public Radio and Fox News commentator says Bill Cosby delivered a controversial speech at a gala event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. "And instead of just being a comedian, he stood up there and said some very important and serious things," Williams points out. "He talked about how kids are dropping out -- more than 50 percent of black children in 2006, dropping out of high school." Williams says Cosby also talked about the high rates of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, as well as the high percentage of black incarcerated in America's prisons. The author and commentator contends black leaders have been fueling the crisis. "[Jesse] Jackson and [Al] Sharpton are like people who say outrageous things and make outrageous claims and statements," he says. "They're always complaining; they're always at the front of any protest, jumping in front of cameras. And so young people see them as kind of the anointed, established leadership." Williams believes there are many better role models for young blacks to hold in high esteem, including several CEOs of major U.S. corporations. [Chad Groening]

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