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. Poisoning Childhood Commentary by Jane Jimenez It's the lead in an Internet article from England about "the escalating incidence of childhood depression and chldren's behavioural and developmental conditions." We are ... poisoning childhood. 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.

...Students at 20 colleges in Virginia have come together to rally support for a November ballot issue that would amend the state constitution to preserve traditional marriage. Working under the banner of Students-4-Marriage, the coalition of university students from across the Old Dominion State will work hand-in-hand with an already-established grassroots organization, va4marriage.org, to inform the public about the marriage amendment to organize get-out-the-vote efforts. The student group hopes to host campus rallies across the state at which representatives from one of the coalition schools, Patrick Henry College, will debate the opposition over the merits of the marriage amendment. Victoria Cobb of va4marriage.org says the students' involvement demonstrates they care about preserving traditional marriage. "Virginia's college campuses are not void of students who hold deep convictions on values that are important," says Cobb in a press release. "This effort by Students-4-Marriage is evidence that these students are willing to stand up for those values." Besides Patrick Henry College, other campuses where students are forming chapters include both the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, George Mason University, Liberty University, James Madison University, Regent University, Roanoke College, and a dozen others. [Jody Brown]

...Senator Russ Feingold is calling on President Bush to refrain from using the phrase "Islamic fascists," saying it offends Muslims and has nothing to do with America's enemies. In a speech to the Arab American Institute in Washington, the Wisconsin Democrat said, "We must avoid using misleading and offensive terms that link Islam with those who subvert this great religion or who distort its teachings to justify terrorist activities." Feingold is a potential 2008 presidential candidate. Bush is not the only politician to use the phrase. Republican Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has drawn parallels between World War II and the current war against "Islamic fascism," saying both require fighting an ideologically-motivated foe in multiple countries. [AP]

...A terrorism expert at a Washington think tank says there's much more to winning the war on terror than prevailing on the battlefield. To win the war on terror, says Jim Phillips of the Heritage Foundation, will take more than killing enemy combatants. Phillips says one of America's greatest generals, George C. Marshall, laid out the formula for victory decades ago. "Military power wins battles, but spiritual power wins wars," Phillips quotes Marshall. And in the case of the war on terror, Phillips adds "to defeat the enemy in this struggle, this long war, we must first understand their motivation, their strategies, and their ideology." That task, he believes, will take years. "This will be a long war," he says, "and a crucial part of this long war is the struggle of ideas." Islamic ideology teaches that those who do not convert to Islam must be destroyed. [Bill Fancher]

...A conservative activist hops his recently released documentary will awaken Americans to the fact that millions of Mexican nationals truly believe that a vast portion of the southwestern United States belongs to Mexico. David N. Bossie is president of Citizens United Foundation and producer of Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration, which has already been released in selected theaters and will be released in more in the coming weeks. Bossie believes the Aztlan-Reconquista movement is not "on the fringe" -- and he says his documentary proves it must be taken seriously. "I always thought [at the beginning] when I was making this film ... that this was somewhat of a conspiracy kind of angle, like, 'Oh, it's the grassy knoll,'" Bossie comments in reference to an earlier conspiracy theory. "It's one of these theories that I just thought was a fringe element. [But] as I made this movie, I found out it's not a fringe element at all." And for that reason, says Bossie, American leaders must act. "First of all, we have to secure our borders," he suggests. "It is laughable for any politician to say anything other. And there needs to be a lot of things done at the same time, but the first one needs to be to secure the border." [Chad Groening]

...The Republican nominee for Governor of Ohio says despite trailing in the polls, he is confident voters will elect him in November. As the Buckeye State's secretary of state, Ken Blackwell has already proven he can win statewide office. But the black conservative has been trailing Congressman Ted Strickland, who represents a liberal northeastern district of the state. Blackwell believes his poll numbers have been low because he had to spend so much time in a GOP primary battle. "And while we won that primary decisively, winning 71 of 88 counties and winning by a margin of 13 or 14 points, we've had to spend the last 90 to 100 days or so just mending fences and reunifying the base," the gubernatorial candidate explains. Blackwell says Strickland has been rated 402nd out of 435 members of Congress in terms of effectiveness and has not had one bill passed with his name on it. "He has a record that, in his own words, mirrors that of Dennis Kucinich and Nancy Pelosi -- and [to that list] I would add Ted Kennedy," states Blackwell. "So we have a guy who is more of a West Coast, California liberal than he is a traditional Midwestern conservative, and we're going to point that out." Over the past two years, Strickland has received favorable ratings from the pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America. [Chad Groening]

...Hold each political reception close to the church and try to get the pastor to mention it during services. See that the minister invites at least a handful of "money people." Sign up church members to help pass out campaign literature. Those were instructions that Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline gave to his re-election campaign staff in an internal memo outlining an effort to mobilize conservative Christians. Kline wrote the memo on August 8 to campaign manager Bill Roche and a volunteer. Someone leaked it anonymously to Kansas Statehouse reporters. Kline and his campaign confirmed the memo's authenticity, and said his Democratic opponent probably has a similar strategy memo targeting "trial attorneys." [AP]

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