Commentary & News Briefs
April 15, 2005
Compiled by Jenni Parker
OUR COLUMNISTS
More Women Go to Church Than Men ... and What to Do About It
Commentary by Matt Friedeman
Many times, all things being equal, the men who win men to Christ are those who reflect the life and ministry of Jesus: they are purposeful, biblical, no-nonsense, on a mission, and invite others through personal attention to their objectives.
Why I Teach Abstinence
Commentary by Jane Jimenez
Some would have us believe that teaching abstinence is no more than a brief exercise in repeating "NO" in unison. If that's all it is, then why bother teaching abstinence?
Re-Measuring Success
Commentary by Brad Locke
Measuring excellence requires an awfully long ruler these days. High standards are always good, but now anything short of success' pinnacle is considered a failure. Second place is first loser, it's been said.
The Heat in the Kitchen
Commentary by David Sisler
There is a sad attitude in our world today which says our individual sins should not be pointed out and that we should therefore not be held accountable. It is time and past time for Christians to hold up the standard of righteousness and call evil what it is.
A Dark Day for North Carolina
Commentary by Mark Creech
It was certainly one of the saddest days of my life. The arguments made by certain lawmakers on the floor of the North Carolina House in favor of the lottery were unbelievably shallow and morally bankrupt!
...Although House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been the subject of an ethics investigation, Gary Bauer of the group American Values says the probe has virtually nothing to do with any ethical failures of DeLay's, but everything to do with left-wing attempts to block the conservative agenda. Bauer says it would be "a disaster" for the pro-family and pro-life movements if DeLay were forced out of office, because he is "one of the Republican leaders that is serious about the social issues and the values issues -- which is one of the reasons, I think, that people want to get him." The American Values spokesman predicts that the attempt to oust the majority leader is "going to be a brutal battle, but I believe Mr. DeLay will in fact survive it." Bauer adds that he is not surprised that moderate Republican Chris Shays of Connecticut has called for DeLay to step down. "There's always some moderate-to-liberal Republican that's ready to earn the praise of the New York Times and the Washington Post in exchange for him abandoning one of the Party's leaders," the pro-family leader comments. Meanwhile, Bauer says the Democrats will continue to go after prominent conservatives as long as billionaire George Soros supports them financially. [Chad Groening]
...Washington, DC, lawyer Cleta Mitchell says Democrat money makers are funding a number of attacks on Republican leaders, and they are funding the defense of the activist judiciary and critics of Bush policies and reforms as well. And according to Mitchell, these liberal funding sources all have one goal: to eliminate people from the political process. The attorney contends that many of the so-called "527" corporations formed during the last election in hopes of beating George W. Bush are now raising money to attack other prominent Republicans; meanwhile, she says Democrat millionaires are funding efforts to attack Republicans and manipulate the political system. Mitchell notes that one of the major funders of campaign finance reform happens to be George Soros -- the financier who "single-handedly funded the most egregious speech restraints in any state, the Arizona Clean Elections Law, which absolutely prohibits normal people from participating in the process." According to the conservative Mitchell, these liberal money makers are doing all they can to prevent the American populace from making their own decisions. [Bill Fancher]
...A federal appeals court has ruled against a Wiccan priestess who wanted to give the opening prayer at a county board meeting in Virginia. Cynthia Simpson sued Chesterfield County after she was excluded from a list of religious leaders allowed to pray at board of supervisors meetings. In a letter to Simpson, the county explained that the invocations are "made to a divinity that is consistent with the Judeo-Christian tradition." Wiccans consider themselves witches or pagans whose religion is based on nature. A three-judge appeals court panel reversed a lower-court ruling that the county's policy unconstitutionally favors a particular set of religious beliefs. Simpson says she will seek a full-court review of the decision. [AP]
...Many Christian schools, put off by the racy and suggestive cheers taught at secular cheerleading camps, are opting instead for faith-based camps and competitions. Unlike the short skirts and bare midriffs of secular cheerleading, Christian camps have modest uniforms, cleaner music and dancing, and a stronger focus on good sportsmanship. The Georgia-based Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders works with 15,000 cheerleaders a year in camps and competitions, with a staff of 100 coaches. A North Carolina company, the Christian Cheerleaders of America, teaches another 7,000 cheerleaders a year. The camps work just like secular ones, but with Bible study and devotional time added in mornings and nights. Most of the instructors are college cheerleaders who went to Christian schools, and they are encouraged to talk about their faith. [AP]
...A Louisiana-based pro-family advocate is pleased a three-judge panel has ruled that her state can proceed with selling a specialty license plate that benefits pro-life causes. Pro-abortion forces such as Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union had battled the State of Louisiana over the plates, arguing that the state had no right to allow people to purchase the plates featuring the message "Choose Life." But now, a judicial panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the court cannot prohibit the pro-life specialty plates. Kathleen Benefield, president of the American Family Association of New Orleans, says her group is thrilled that the appellate court has reversed the District Court decision and allowed the Choose Life plates to go back on sale and to help the causes that they represent. "We think this is a victory for the women and children of the State of Louisiana," Benefield asserts, "but also for those who want to help and to provide much needed funding for these crisis pregnancy centers and adoption agencies. The money generated from the plate will be used to help out in crisis pregnancy situations." The AFA of New Orleans spokeswoman says she is also thrilled that Planned Parenthood will have to pay back attorney's fees to the State of Louisiana. [Rusty Pugh]
...Massachusetts resident Bob Casimiro, one of some 1,600 volunteers taking part in this month's Minuteman Project in Arizona, says the illegal alien problem is hardly isolated to the southwestern U.S. border states. In fact, he notes, "Even in my town of Weymouth it's becoming more and more of a problem, and we know that they're getting up to Massachusetts by coming across the [Mexican] border. So I thought it necessary to come down here where the source is and be involved with this -- take some direct action." Casimiro has been involved in the immigration reform movement in his home state for nearly four years, and he currently serves as executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform. He says even his New England state has not been spared the effects of unlawful immigration. For instance, Casimiro says the authorities arrested a group of illegal aliens in a town called New Ipswich, New Hampshire, about six months ago. "Of course, New Hampshire has a border with Canada," the New Englander points out, "but where did these illegal aliens come from? They were from Ecuador. So it's amazing that it's all coming from the southern border." Committed to advocating immigration reform, Casimiro says he intends to spend the entire month of April working the night shift in the Arizona desert with the Minuteman Project. [Chad Groening]
...Last month, the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrest of 103 foreign nationals who had ties to a Central American gang known as MS-13. Authorities have arrested several dozen of the gang's members in the past several months. But John Keeley of the Center for Immigration Studies says MS-13 members number in the thousands, and "have penetrated the United States." The group's operatives "are on the west coast, in the Midwest -- they're all over really," he asserts, "and the brutality associated with this gang is remarkable -- murders, mutilations, maimings, rapes." Keeley says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recognized the threat of the MS-13 and established a task force expressly to address the criminal gang. However, he notes, "because U.S. policies in terms of enforcement of immigration have been so lax, we have now succeeded in importing criminal syndicates the likes of which we have not seen before. The streets aren't safe." Keeley says MS-13 operatives have met with al Qaeda operatives in Mexico, and U.S. intelligence is concerned that the illegal alien syndicate may be assisting the trafficking of al Qaeda operatives into the U.S. using the very corridors that MS-13's own operatives have used. [Chad Groening]
...Homosexual activists are running into lots of opposition as they plan WorldPride 2005, a "homosexual pride" festival scheduled for this summer in Jerusalem, Israel. Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute notes that the ten-day festival, dubbed "Love Without Borders," is not being greeted with open arms. "Resistance is growing in Jerusalem and, really, around the world to this idea of celebrating homosexuality in the holiest city in the world," Knight says. And in the city itself, he adds, "a remarkable coalition of the top Muslim, Christian, and Jewish leaders has come together. They recently held a press conference denouncing the WorldPride celebration, [saying] it would desecrate the holiest city in the world and that they would do anything in their power to stop it." That coalition is doing what it can to pressure the mayor of Jerusalem to withdraw the welcome mat from WorldPride 2005. The event is scheduled for mid-August and will feature parties, a "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender" movie festival, and workshops on homosexual social and political issues. [Bill Fancher]
