In February, the average commercial plane in the U.S. flew 76.6% full, the highest percentage for that month since World War II, according to the Transportation Department.

All airline mileage reward programs are not created equal. In fact, finding the right one is more crucial than ever.

For the complete story, see this Los Angeles Times article.

To my utter amazement, at around 2 minutes 28 seconds into the video, Huckabee begins to compare the Manhattan Declaration to Martin Luther’s 95 Thesis, placing the two on equal footing with regards to their significance. That is just insane. There is no comparison in my mind. One document, the 95 Thesis, kick started the Reformation, the other, the Manhattan Declaration, will most likely be a footnote in history.

Don’t get me wrong, social justice, the sanctity of life and marriage, etc. all worthy issues for Christians to focus on. It’s the ecumenical nature of the Manhattan Declaration that has me concerned. Read this.

And just when you thought you could no longer be shocked. Well, sit down. Planned Parenthood of IN is selling Christmas gift certificates. And yes, they can be used toward abortion.

Can’t respond any better than Matt did at LoneStarTimes.com:

… celebrating the most important crisis pregnancy of all time by selling gift certificates, perfect for the woman who has everything but moral fiber…. And it’s so much easier than finding the perfect “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament.

Here’s the story, from WISH-TV…

Gift certificates have become a popular holiday gift option, but a controversial new one, already has people talking.For the first time, Planned Parenthood in Indiana is offering gift certificates. The organization said a big increase in calls and visits from newly unemployed and uninsured Hoosiers prompted what it calls the unusual, yet practical gift option.

“People are making really tough decisions about putting gas in their car and food on their table, so we know that many women especially put healthcare at the bottom of their list to do,” said Chrystal Struben-Hall, VP of PP of IN.The certificates come in $25 increments. They can be used for everything from birth control to $58 examinations that include breast exams and pap tests. Men who receive healthcare at PP can use them too.

“They can be seen for sexually transmitted disease screenings, HIV tests and general prostate exams and those kinds of things,” said Struben-Hall.

Some Hoosiers… asked if the gift certificates could be used towards abortions. The answer is yes. But, PP said that’s not the purpose of the gift certificates.

Struben-Hall said, “They really are intended for preventative healthcare. We decided not to put restrictions on the gift certificates so it’s for whatever people feel they need the services for most.”…

Oh, please.

Planned Parenthood, this generation’s King Herod, you know, the guy who ordered the mass slaughter of babies when Jesus was born.

[HT: friend John E.]

A major survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, for instance, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion. This openness to a range of religious viewpoints is in line with the great diversity of religious affiliation, belief and practice that exists in the United States, as documented in a survey of more than 35,000 Americans that comprehensively examines the country’s religious landscape.

Most Americans agree with the statement that many religions – not just their own – can lead to eternal life. Among those who are affiliated with a religious tradition, seven-in-ten say many religions can lead to eternal life. This view is shared by a majority of adherents in nearly all religious traditions, including more than half of members of evangelical Protestant churches (57%). Only among Mormons (57%) and Jehovah’s Witnesses (80%) do majorities say that their own religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life.

A similar pattern is evident in views of the Bible. Nearly two-thirds of the public (63%) takes the view that their faith’s sacred texts are the word of God. But those who believe Scripture represents the word of God are roughly evenly divided between those who say it should be interpreted literally, word for word (33%), and those who say it should not be taken literally (27%). And more than a quarter of adults – including two-thirds of Buddhists (67%) and about half of Jews (53%) – say their faith’s sacred texts are written by men and are not the word of God.

You can digest the complete report here.

Related Links:

1. NY TIMES: Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance
2. ABC Report on Pew Survey
3. New Survey Maps Shifts in the U.S. Religious Landscape
4. Eye To Eye: Religion Survey
5. More Than 90 Percent of Americans Believe in God, Study Finds

A three-judge panel of the California Court of Appeal has determined parents in that state have no legal right to home school. A Christian attorney in Sacramento says unless the ruling is reversed, literally thousands of students in the Golden State will be subject to criminal sanctions.

Read the complete story here.

The Weblog Awards are the world’s largest blog competition, with over 525,000 votes cast in the 2006 edition for finalists in 45 categories. Nominations for 49 categories ended October 17, 2007 and voting began November 1, 2007. Final results will be announced November 8, 2007 at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas.

It’s really an indictment on the state of the church when a Catholic blog gets the top vote. What Does the Prayer Really Say? was the top vote getter with 42.6 % of the votes.

However, it is encouraging to see that Steve Camp’s blog, CAMPONTHIS, came in 4th place with 7 % of the vote.

KEEP BRINGIN IT STEVE !!!!!

Excerpt from the article

With flushed red cheeks and a pudgy, dimpled chin, Fox roared down from Immanuel’s pulpit about the wickedness of abortion, evolution and homosexuality. He mobilized hundreds of Kansas pastors to push through a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, helping to unseat a handful of legislators in the process. His Sunday-morning services reached tens of thousands of listeners on regional cable television, and on Sunday nights he was a host of a talk-radio program, “Answering the Call.” Major national conservative Christian groups like Focus on the Family lauded his work, and the Southern Baptist Convention named him chairman of its North American Mission Board.

Emerson University follows disturbing trend by making restrooms gender-neutral to accommodate “transgender” students

Jeff Robinson –September 5, 2007

Summary: To accommodate the Boston school’s “transgendered” student population, Emerson has changed the formerly gender-specific signs on 21 of its restrooms and in one of its two dorms, opening them to both men and women.

Officials at Emerson College believe they are bringing “more equal opportunities” to their students at the outset of the new school year by making all their bathrooms gender-neutral.

To accommodate the Boston school?s “transgendered” student population, Emerson has changed the formerly gender-specific signs on 21 of its restrooms and in one of its two dorms, opening them to both men and women. Emerson is not the first to make the bizarre shift; Tufts University and the University of Vermont both moved to unisex restrooms over the past four years.

See the complete story here.

GUWAHATI, India – About 2.5 million people have been made homeless in India’s northeast state of Assam after a second wave of flooding caused by heavy rains over the past three days, an official said on Monday.

The flooding has affected about seven million people and killed 12 people since Friday and has washed away thousands of homes, bridges, electricity poles and telecommunications towers — disrupting power and phone networks in many areas.

Read the complete story here.

(HT: JT)

Taliban militants in Afghanistan released seven hostages Thursday evening in two batches of four and three.

A Taliban negotiator Mullah Bashir told The Korea Times over the telephone that the release of the group of four _ two men and two women _ had been confirmed, while confirmation of the freeing of the other three had been delayed due to the long distance they had to travel. However, he said they were handed over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). [read full article]

Now, another long drama of words and worldviews will ensue. Korean officials also agreed to order all Christian missionaries out of Aghanistan by this Friday as well. As a Christian pastor, I have incredibly conflicted feelings over this matter but will post more on this later. The political implications are also potentially far-reaching as well.

Read the complete post here.

The Taliban has agreed to release the 19 South Korean aid volunteers that have been held hostage by the militant group in Afghanistan for over a month, Al Jazeera reported.

The Qatar-based television channel said it had received the report from its Kabul correspondent, which stated: “There was an agreement between the Taliban and a South Korean delegation to release the hostages in return for the withdrawal of the troops before the end of the year.”

Read the complete story here.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown file legal briefs saying the California Legislature can eliminate marriage rights and get rid of marriage

Contact: VoteYesMarriage.com, 916-265-5643

SACRAMENTO, Aug. 27 /Christian Newswire/ — In legal briefs submitted to the California Supreme Court, which is considering whether to license “same-sex marriages” next year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown both stated that a future Legislature could abolish marriage and yank marriage rights from a married husband and wife.

It was revealed today that Attorney General Jerry Brown [see PDF of AG Jerry Brown's 8/17 brief ] and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger [See PDF of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 8/17 brief ] said the following in their August 17 supplemental briefs responding to questions from the California Supreme Court:

Marriage can be abolished in the future by the California Legislature

BROWN: …the words “marry” and “marriage” have no essential constitutional significance under the California Constitution. Thus, the Legislature could change the name of the legal relationship now known as “marriage” to some other name without any constitutional impediment.

SCHWARZENEGGER: …The Administration submits that use of the words “marry” and “marriage” is not required by the California Constitution. Thus, the name of the legal relationship now known as “marriage” could be changed.

Marriage rights and marriage benefits for a husband and wife can be eliminated by the California Legislature

BROWN: …except for this essential ability to choose and declare one’s life partner in a reciprocal and binding contractual commitment of mutual support, any of the statutory rights and obligations that are afforded exclusively to married couples in California could be abrogated or eliminated by the Legislature or the electorate for any rational legislative purpose.

SCHWARZENEGGER: …except for the ability to choose and declare one’s life partner in a reciprocal commitment of mutual support, any of the statutory rights and obligations that are afforded to married couples in California could be abrogated or eliminated by the Legislature or the electorate for any rational legislative purpose.

“This is proof positive that the VoteYesMarriage.com initiative, which will prevent marriage from being abolished and prevent marriage rights from being eliminated, is absolutely needed to protect the sacred institution of marriage from activist judges and liberal politicians,” said Randy Thomasson, an organizer of the VoteYesMarriage.com California Marriage Amendment, which is aiming for the 2008 ballot.

“Protecting the word ‘marriage’ in the state constitution is useless if the politicians can still get rid of marriage and marriage rights for a man and a woman,” concluded Thomasson. “Clearly, the VoteYesMarriage.com amendment, which will override the judges and politicians and preserve everything about marriage for one man and one woman, is the only way to protect this special institution for future generations to respect and enjoy.”

Spread the word. Shout. Cry. Pray. Blog. Kneel, stand, and shout in solidarity. But don’t be silent. Love wins.

On July 19, 2007, 23 Korean Christian relief workers [16 women and 7 men] went to Afghanistan on a short term relief and mission trip. The majority of them were from Saemmul Presbyterian Church in Bundang, Korea [just south of Seou]. Thus far, two of the male hostages – Pastor Bae Hyung Kyu and Shim Seong Min – have been killed and two of the female hostages were recently released. After one month, 19 hostages still remain in captivity and their lives still remain uncertain.

Read the complete post here.

Disclaimer: Eugene Cho is the pastor of Quest Church, an emergent church in Seattle. Any of our regular readers should have no trouble in understanding that we have many concerns related to all things emergent. That being said, Eugene Cho has done an excellent job of keeping us up to date on the hostage crisis in Afghanistan. So, we ask everyone everywhere to continue to pray for the release of these hostages and that God be glorified in the midst of this situation.

Eugen Echo has done an excellent job of tracking the events releated to the Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan.

You can view the complete post here.

Update [August 22] Negotiations between the Taliban and Korean officials have been at a near standstill since the release of the two Korean female hostages. New reports indicate that the Taliban are losing patience. Meanwhile, the Korean officials are simply asking for more time. Several of the Korean hostages seem to have grown in their resolve and courage and have gone on a hunger strike.

I recently received an email today from a fellow minister in the United States who “confessed” that he had no idea that this was going on until he stumbled onto this blog. Let’s do our part to both pray and help bring light to this situation.

• I recently did an interview with a reporter for the Covenant Wire about the situation. Click here to read it.

• Here’s a video timeline produced by a Korean TV station.

I’m approaching the busiest 6-8 week stretch in a while. If you run into resources, news, or other contributions, send them this way…

Catholic churches in the Netherlands should use the name Allah for God to ease tensions between Muslims and Christians, says a Dutch bishop.

Tiny Muskens, the bishop of Breda, told the Dutch TV program “Network” Monday night he believes God doesn’t mind what he is called, Radio Netherlands Worldwide reported.

The Almighty is above such “discussion and bickering,” he insisted.

Muskens points to Indonesia, where he served 30 years ago, as an example for Dutch churches. Christians in the Middle East also use the term Allah for God.

“Someone like me has prayed to Allah yang maha kuasa (Almighty God) for eight years in Indonesia and other priests for 20 or 30 years,” Muskens said. “In the heart of the Eucharist, God is called Allah over there, so why can’t we start doing that together?”

Muskens thinks it could take another 100 years, but eventually the name Allah will be used by Dutch churches, promoting rapprochement between the two religions, he said, according to Radio Netherlands.

However, a survey published today in the Netherlands’ largest newspaper, De Telegraaf, showed 92 percent of the more than 4,000 people polled oppose the bishop’s view, the Associated Press reported.

Some letters to the paper were filled with ridicule for the bishop.

“Sure. Lets call God Allah. Lets then call a church a mosque and pray five times a day. Ramadan sounds like fun,” wrote Welmoet Koppenhol.

The chairman of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, Gerrit de Fijter, told the Dutch paper he welcomed any attempt to “create more dialogue,” according to the AP. But he said, “Calling God ‘Allah’ does no justice to Western identity. I see no benefit in it.”

A Muslim spokesman, for Amsterdam’s union of Moroccan mosques, said Muslims had not asked for such a gesture from Christians, the AP reported.

Tensions with the Netherlands’ 1-million-strong Muslim community have been high since the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a Muslim avenging a film critical of Islam.

Last week, politician Geert Wilders talked about banning the Quran, shortly after the head of a group of former Muslims, Ehsan Jami, compared Islam’s prophet Muhammad with al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Muskens made similar remarks several year ago about using the name of Allah, Radio Netherlands reported. He also suggested replacing the national Christian holiday Whit Monday – celebrated the day after Pentecost – with an Islamic religious day.

The bishop also has offended Muslims, saying in 2005 Islam was a religion without a future because it has too many violent aspects.

A Taliban spokesman said Saturday that face-to-face negotiations with the South Korean delegation over the fate of 19 kidnapped aid volunteers have failed and future talks are unlikely.

After two rounds of in-person talks – with the last meeting held Thursday – the Taliban complained of lack of progress and said on Saturday that they are currently deciding the fate of the Koreans.

“The negotiations have failed. The Taliban leading council is making its decision now on the fate of the hostages,” spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told Agence France-Presse.

Read the complete story here.

Read this story from Baptist Press.

Eun Jo Park is senior pastor of Saemmul. Park has been criticized for allowing the trip to proceed in spite of the potential dangers. He has publicly apologized on two separate occasions and has taken responsibility for the deaths of Bae and Shim.

Sitting on the floor with the families of the hostages, he casts his eyes downward and whispers, “I know that dying for the Lord is noble and that these men will be rewarded in heaven for their sacrifice. But to actually lose two friends was something that was unexpected and for which I was unprepared. To see it happen has been very, very difficult.”

Conversations with those close to the situation reveal that the team members were fully aware of the risk they faced. This was the second trip to Afghanistan for 39-year-old Jung Hwa Yu. Last year, she accompanied a group from Saemmul to Afghanistan to teach English. Her mother, Ok Kang Kwak, said, “Her heart was so touched by the needs she saw that she returned again this year.”

Daniel Lee, senior pastor of the Global Mission Church, a Baptist congregation one hour south of Seoul in Suwon, is a good friend of Park. Lee recounted a sermon that Hyung Kyu Bae preached just two weeks before the group departed. “Dying for Christ is a glorious thing,” Bae said. “Don’t cry for me if I die in service to my Lord. Put on my tombstone, ‘He died training young people to make a difference in the world.’”

“Where in the Bible,” Daniel Lee asked, “does it say that we should not go to difficult places? We must be willing to share the love of God wherever He compels us to go.”

Taliban Says It Has Now Released Two South Korean Hostages

Read the complete story here.

So, if you have not registered here at the blog, please consider doing it today.

You can register by clicking here.

A Detroit-area newspaper says the results of Tuesday’s primary could lead to Hamtramck, Michigan, becoming the first city council in the U.S. to be controlled by Muslims.

Read complete post here.

Afghan Doctors Deliver Drugs for Korean Hostages
Korea Agrees to Direct Talks with Taliban

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

GHAZNI PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN (ANS) — Amid mounting concerns for the health of the 21 Koreans held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Afghan doctors delivered medicines for the hostages, Reuters reported on Sunday (August 5, 2007).

Read full story here.

Both speakers fingered the “Religious Right” as a threat to American democracy. Moyers specifically warned against the Institute on Religion and Democracy for supposedly attempting to disrupt the UCC. Neither speaker offered any criticisms that might apply particularly to their left-leaning UCC audience.

(Read the full story here)

As you read this story keep in mind I teach my kids theology directly from the Word of God and they love it. They don’t even know what the word relevant means or who the Simpsons are. The Church is in a sad state of affairs when the leader of a major denomination actually likes to watch this junk and advocates its use as a means of teaching biblical principals to our children.

The Church of England believes that the beer-drinking Homer Simpson and his street-wise son, Bart, have addressed religious issues in a way that makes them interesting to teenagers who would normally be bored by long sermons from the vicar. This from the same church who has developed the “Alpha in a Catholic Context” course for the apostate Roman Catholic Church.

The Church continues its downward spiral. Lord may we return the Word of God to its proper place in our churches.

Consider the following portion of scripture and Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the same.

Isaiah 29:9-16

9Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.
10For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
11And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
12And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
13Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
14Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
15Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
16Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary: The security of sinners in sinful ways, is cause for lamentation and wonder. The learned men, through prejudice, said that the Divine prophecies were obscure; and the poor urged their want of learning. The Bible is a sealed book to every man, learned or unlearned, till he begins to study it with a simple heart and a teachable spirit, that he may thence learn the truth and the will of God. To worship God, is to approach him. And if the heart be full of his love and fear, out of the abundance of it the mouth will speak; but there are many whose religion is lip-labour only. When they pretend to be speaking to God, they are thinking of a thousand foolish things. They worship the God of Israel according to their own devices. Numbers are only formal in worship. And their religion is only to comply with custom, and to serve their own interest. But the wanderings of mind, and defects in devotion, which are the believer’s burden, are very different from the withdrawing of the heart from God, so severely blamed. And those who make religion no more than a pretence, to serve a turn, deceive themselves. And as those that quarrel with God, so those that think to conceal themselves from him, in effect charge him with folly. But all their perverse conduct shall be entirely done away.

By Eric Young, Christian Post Reporter Tue, Jun. 26 2007 01:46 PM ET (Online Source)

LONDON – The Church of England is getting help from the Simpsons to provide a more relevant way of teaching children about theology and to give a boost to dwindling congregations.

Mixing it Up with the “Simpsons”, a book to be released by the Church of England’s publishing company, will be sent to youth advisers in every diocese across the country next week, the Sunday Telegraph reported, with the hope of showing how Christianity is relevant to life today through issues tackled in the popular U.S. TV cartoon series. Clergy will be urged to show episodes of “The Simpsons” that focus on Christian themes such as love and punishment.

The book’s author, Owen Smith, is a youth worker in the Kent Diocese of Rochester and insists the cartoon series is filled with biblical references. He looks to illustrate this in the book with quote comparisons.

Smith told the Sunday Telegraph: “’The Simpsons’ is hugely moral, with many episodes dealing with issues and dilemmas faced by young people. The willingness of the show’s writers to deal with questions of both morality and spirituality makes the program an ideal tool.”

Mixing it Up with the “Simpsons” has been made specifically to help keep youth interested in church, as the number of under-16s attending worship in the Church of England on Sundays has decreased by 12 percent over the five-year period between 2000 and 2005.

The initiative has received backing from the Church, with Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams speaking of his adoration of the show.

The Church of England head said that the cartoon was “generally on the side of the angels and on the side of sense,” and also explained that beneath the dysfunctional image of the animated family lay an example of “remarkable strength and remarkable mutual commitment.”

“For all that Homer is a slob and Bart is a brat and Lisa is a pain in the neck, you know there’s real affection and loyalty,” Williams said.

According to Church House Publishing, the official publisher of the Church of England, Mixing it up with The Simpsons is split into two parts each with six sessions; the first part is for those who are newer to church and the second part is for young people who have been coming to church for a little longer.

We would like to celebrate the fact that Jerry Falwell was a man of biblical conviction. Falwell was openly faithful to the truth of God’s Word when addressing issues of the day like same sex marriage, homosexuality, pornography, and abortion. He was a major force in bringing conservative Christians together to participate in the political process here in the United States.

No doubt evangelicals disagreed with Falwell’s position on many issues. May we put those disagreements aside long enough to remember his life and pray for his family. May the Lord guide those who take up where he left off.

Stories in the News:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/15/jerry.falwell.ap/index.html
http://www.onenewsnow.com/2007/05/falwell_will_be_remembered_for.php
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=25646&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0515
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=25647&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0515
http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=25656
http://www.erguncaner.com/site/?p=162 

LYNCHBURG, Va. – Rev. Jerry Falwell, who founded the Moral Majority and built the religious right into a political force, died Tuesday shortly after being found unconscious in his office at Liberty University, a school executive said. He was 73.

Read complete story here.

HT: OneNewsNow

Todd Friel and Brian Sapient continue to talk after the NIGHTLINE FACE-OFF Debate on ‘Does God Exist?’

Find out more about the debates here.

You can find the article at this link. The title of the article is Romney Pursues Christian Electorate and again, I am discusted that men like Jay Sekulow, Pat Robertson, Chuck Colson, James Dobson, and maybe even Franklin Graham would even consider Romney a viable candidate for Christians to support. Jay Sekulow has even agreed to be an advisor to Romney and even travel the campaign trail with him.

Christians, wake up and smell the coffee. Raise your voice. May a standard of righteousness be lifted up again in this land.

Please, consider contacting these ‘evangelicals’ and demand they retreat from even a hint of support for Romney. I will be doing just that.

Stay tuned for more on this issue tomorrow and the weeks and months ahead.

In the spirit of balance, over the next several weeks, we will highlight ministries that we see doing a good work for our Lord and King.

In [bibleblock]John 4:34[/bibleblock] we see why Jesus was here. Then in [bibleblock]John 20:21[/bibleblock] we see that Jesus is sending us to do the same as Him.

Thank the Lord there are individuals and ministries who have answered the call and are walking in it through the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Shane Trammel

The ‘best-selling’ author is Ray Comfort and you will not want to miss this debate.

Read full story here.

Related Links:

• Way of the Master News Blast
• http://www.livingwaters.com/
• http://www.wayofthemaster.com/
• http://www.wayofthemasterradio.com/

“On the National Day of Prayer, a majority of the Members of the House of Representatives have slapped Christians in the face with passage of H.R. 1592. Though allegedly designed to help local law enforcement officials deal with violent hate crimes, this legislation actually creates two new federally-protected minority groups: “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” – both of which are undefined by the law.

“This legislation strikes at the heart of free speech and freedom of religious expression. Why? Because statements critical of sexual orientation or gender identity can be prosecuted – if those statements were part of the motivation of a person committing a crime against a homosexual or cross-dresser.

“If a pastor, for example, speaks out against homosexuality and a church member commits a violent crime against a homosexual, the pastor’s sermon can be considered as an inducement to the crime! Pastor’s sermons can be considered hate speech under this bill.

“Fortunately, President Bush has just issued a statement through the Office of Management and Budget stating that if this bill comes to his desk, he will veto it. We applaud the President for his courage. He rightly notes that crimes of violence are already being prosecuted locally and no such national hate crime law is needed. He also noted that this legislation is undoubtedly unconstitutional because it relies on faulty reasoning to justify federal intervention in local law enforcement efforts.

“It is my hope that the Senate will have the good sense to reject a similar bill being proposed by Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA).”

HT: Traditional Values Coalition

Other links of Interest on this topic:

• House OKs bill on anti-gay hate crimes
• H.R. 1592: Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007
  • PDF
• Congress debates ‘jail grandma’ hate speech
• Christians in bull’s-eye in new ‘hate crimes’ plan
• So-called Hate Crimes Bill Paves Way For Prosecution Of Christians
• House OKs Bill to Expand Hate Crimes Law to Attacks on Gays
• Hate crimes bill passed (Bush veto likely)
• House adds homosexuality to hate crimes

Disclaimer: As I understand it, Keyes is a Roman Catholic. With that in mind, take what value you can from the article but know I consider the Roman Catholic Church apostate. I have studied Roman Catholic dogma, doctrine, and teachings extensively and find them in serious error with regard to the essential doctrines of biblical Christianity.

Alan Keyes
April 28, 2007

Link to source: http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/keyes/070428

Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Gonzales v. Carhart (the case that involved a challenge to the federal law restricting so-called partial birth abortion), I received an email reporting the decision with a copy of the ruling attached. Unlike many whom the media identify as leaders in the pro-life movement, I felt no inclination to leap for joy at the news that the Court’s opinion upheld the constitutionality of the law.

In the first place, I have never been convinced that the legislative action in question had much significance for the pro-life cause. I believe it was mostly intended to provide cover for pro-abortion Republican politicians, who could offer their vote for the PBA restriction as a fig leaf to cover the shame of their supposedly pro-life supporters who put partisan politics above their obligations of conscience. In the second place, it seemed unwise to react to the decision before carefully considering the argument that produced it.

Abominable affirmation

Having done so, I cannot join in, or even understand, the approbation which others have expressed for this decision. It is in fact an abominable affirmation of the Court’s unconstitutional decisions in Roe and Casey. With grotesquely meticulous care, the man whose pivotal vote preserved so-called abortion rights in the Casey decision (Justice Kennedy) carves out an exception intended to prove and strengthen the rules set forth in Roe and Casey.

As my good friend Judie Brown put it recently (at a Colorado Right To Life dinner in Denver), Kennedy played the part of a skillful gardener, cutting back the evil planted by Roe/Casey in order to strengthen and extend its roots, hoping no doubt to make it harder to overturn in any subsequent ruling. While allowing for a state interest in restricting one brutal way of murdering the nascent child, he makes it clear that this restriction is tolerable under Roe/Casey only because abortionists still have access to other equally brutal modes of killing.

At one point, with what seems like dogged satisfaction, Kennedy describes such an alternative in almost clinical detail, no doubt because he knows that in doing so he implicates all the justices who join his reasoning in explicit support for the right to use this alternative to kill the child, even though it is just as horrendous as the one restricted by the “partial birth” legislation.

Arcane logic

This reminds me of the careful logic that I’m told is often characteristic of serial killers, psychopaths who follow arcane rituals in order to distinguish their killings from anything so profane as ordinary murder. In like fashion, Kennedy makes clear that the abortionists who rip the child limb from limb while it is still within the womb are doctors helping a woman to exercise her “right to choose” — while those who mangle the child when it has emerged past a certain point are violators, subject to the restrictive force of law. Though the child is in principle the same person in both situations, the Court’s glassy-eyed observance of its own fanatically arcane and ritualistic logic is supposed to establish some invisible line of demarcation separating one act of murder from the next.

This decision is not a harbinger of hope for an end to the Court-imposed reign of terror in the womb. It is evidence of a legal elite gone mad, hopelessly lost in the maze of its own psychopathic logic. We might think them pathetic if we did not have to live in a nation whose conscience is compromised and confused by the holocaust their insanity has unleashed.

Compromised abettors

After reading the text of the decision, my heart sank at the thought that all four of the supposedly pro-life appointees to the Court had voted to accept its lethal implication. Then I saw the saving grace of Justice Thomas’s brief but clarion concurring opinion, in which he stated simply that although he voted for the decision’s result, he continues to reject the Roe/Casey regime it relies upon, in the conviction that “the Court’s abortion jurisprudence, including Casey and Roe v. Wade, . . . has no basis in the Constitution.” Justice Scalia joined in this morally and constitutionally essential declaration.

But these two stood alone. Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, the two G. W. Bush appointees who supposedly offer hope for an eventual return to constitutional sanity, were silent. They let the Gardener of Evil speak for them, with the clear and tragic implication that they concur in his mad, immoral effort to make Gonzales v. Carhart the exception that firmly proves and establishes the murderous rule of so-called abortion rights.

Since all things are possible with God, we must hope that events will disprove this implication. As things now stand, however, Gonzales v. Carhart offers clear evidence that G. W. Bush’s appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court are the compromised abettors of unconstitutional abuse that some of us feared they might be, rather than the constituents of constitutional restoration for whom we still pray.

It points to the sobering probability that the Supreme Court now has a 7-2 majority in favor of persisting in its unconstitutional assertion of the right to murder our posterity. It confirms the truth that I have long asserted, that we cannot expect the restoration of the Constitution to come from the usurping branch of the federal government whose ambitious members have engineered its overthrow.

Ultimately up to us

If we want constitutional rule, we must act so that the other branches can unite to restore it. We must elect to Congress and the Presidency only those candidates who pledge to respect the constitutional imperative “to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,” and to abide by the oath of office that requires them to use their constitutional powers to that end.

We need representatives in Congress and the White House who will say “yes” to the Constitution and “no” to the judges and justices who discard it. And we need fervently to pray for God’s help in finding the courage, discernment, and faith to be the kind of citizens who will vote for and support them, no matter what.

We will finally get the leaders America needs only when we resolve to become the citizens of conscience and principle that we ought to be. For God and our posterity, now is the time.

© 2007 Alan Keyes

Read this sobering entry from the desiringGod Blog !

Scientists believe that stem cells have the potential for medical breakthroughs in treating debilitating medical diseases and disorders. However, the advancement of science and medicine need not conflict with the ethical imperative to protect every human life. I am a strong supporter of scientific research — which is why I authorized the first federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells, under careful safeguards, starting in 2001.

My policy unleashed an unprecedented scientific effort using the stem cell lines my policy approved for funding. While encouraging — not banning — research, my policy also ensures that federal funds are not used to create incentives to destroy, or harm, or create living human embryos for purposes of research.

The Senate today voted in support of legislation to overturn these safeguards. I believe this will encourage taxpayer money to be spent on the destruction or endangerment of living human embryos — raising serious moral concerns for millions of Americans.

Research using human embryonic stem cells is still at an early stage, and it will be years before researchers know how much promise lies in therapeutic applications. I believe this early stage is precisely when it is most important to develop ethically responsible techniques, so the potential of stem cells can be explored without violating human dignity and life.

S.5 is very similar to legislation I vetoed last year. This bill crosses a moral line that I and many others find troubling. If it advances all the way through Congress to my desk, I will veto it.

Meanwhile, exciting and significant scientific advances have been reported over the past few years on uses of stem cells that do not involve the destruction of embryos. These advances using adult and other forms of stem cells are exciting. Some have even produced effective therapies and treatments for disease — all without the destruction of human life.

The second bill that passed the Senate today, the Hope Act, builds on this ethically appropriate research by encouraging further development of these alternative techniques for producing stem cells without embryo creation or destruction. I strongly support this bill, and I encourage the Congress to pass it and send it to me for my signature, so stem cell science can progress, without ethical and cultural conflict.

Original Post @ Christiannewswire.com

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 5, 2007

Lausanne, Switzerland (LifeNews.com) — A decision by the highest court in Switzerland could pave the way for expanding assisted suicide there to include physicians helping mentally ill patients kill themselves. The nation already allows the grisly practice for patients with a wide range of physical disabilities, diseases or illnesses. The decision by the Swiss Federal Court puts mental disabilities on par with physical ones.

The ruling means a decision to end one’s own life is not limited to people with physical illness but now based on whether a person believes that their life is “not worth living anymore.”

“It must be recognized that an incurable, permanent, serious mental disorder can cause similar suffering as a physical (disorder), making life appear unbearable to the patient in the long term,” the court said, according to an AP report.

“If the death wish is based on an autonomous decision which takes all circumstances into account, then a mentally ill person can be prescribed sodium-pentobarbital and thereby assisted in suicide,” the court added.

In a statement provided to LifeNews.com, Alex Schadenberg, of the Canadian-based Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, condemned the decision.

“The Swiss have now opened the door to a free-fall into the abyss of the culture of death,” he said.

“The end of this free-fall is the societal pressure and culture that demands an obligation to die for the weakest members of society who are seen as lacking the quality of life or too stupid to recognize that their life is not worth living,” he added.

The decision came in a case where a mentally disabled member of Dignitas, a pro-euthanasia group that runs assisted suicide houses in Switzerland, was not able to get a prescription for the lethal drugs for his suicide.

The 53 year-old man suffers from bipolar disorder wanted to be able to get the drugs without a doctor’s order, though the court said he would still have to get a prescription.

Schadenberg said he’s worried that the decision will lead to killing the mentally disabled without their consent. He said there are no safeguards or concerns for people with disabilities and other vulnerable people to make sure ending their lives is truly their wish.

He’s also worried the ruling upheld not only the right to assisted suicide in Switzerland but may compel the government to assist in the suicides.

Only a couple of other nations allow assisted suicide, with the Netherlands legalizing it in 2001 and Belgium in 2002. The state of Oregon has legalized assisted suicide as well.

Printed from: http://lifenews.com/bio1970.html

Read this report at CBN.com.

But the most eggregious error of this shallow preacher of the self comes at 19:53 when Rick Warren asks a room full of people, may of whom are non-believers:

Did you know that God smiles when you be you… God gets pleasure out of watching you be you. Why; because He made you.

If this was true; then what did we need the Cross for Rick?

You can read the article here.

I would like to comment on the following portion of the article.

In a follow-up phone conversation, Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger stood by Dobson’s claim. He said that, while Dobson didn’t believe Thompson to be a member of a non-Christian faith, Dobson nevertheless “has never known Thompson to be a committed Christian—someone who talks openly about his faith.”

“We use that word—Christian—to refer to people who are evangelical Christians,” Schneeberger added. “Dr. Dobson wasn’t expressing a personal opinion about his reaction to a Thompson candidacy; he was trying to ‘read the tea leaves’ about such a possibility.”

From a biblical perspective, it is news to me that the definition of ‘committed Christian’ is one who openly shares his faith. It is sad that such a weak description of Christianity would come from a respected organization like Focus on the Family.

John 8:32

I am asking all true Christians out there to wake up. Find the candidate that will best represent a truely Christian worldview and govern with support from God.

Former President Jimmy Carter is at it once again. In a recent interview with Beliefnet.com, Mr. Carter stated once again his belief that there is salvation outside of faith in Christ. But this time he seems to have gone even further, suggesting openly that all persons will be saved.

Here is the relevant exchange at Beliefnet.com:

Do you believe that grace ultimately applies to people who don’t presently believe in Jesus?

Yes, I do. I remember two things. One is that in John 3:16, which is probably the best known verse in the Bible – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” And Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, said we should love our neighbors, but also love those who despise us and hate us and our enemies. So, the opportunity for everyone to be saved through the grace of God with faith in Christ applies to everyone.

And I have been asked often, you know, in my Sunday School classes, which are kind of a give and take debate with people from many nations and many faiths – what about those that don’t publicly accept Christ, are they condemned? And I remember that Christ said, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” And so, my own personal belief is one of God’s forgiveness and God’s grace. That’s the best answer I can give.

Well, that’s not good enough. The former president’s answer is a confused mash of out-of-context biblical citations set to the music of universalism. For some time Mr. Carter has been arguing that explicit faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is not necessary for salvation. Now, he takes this argument further, and the inescapable conclusion a reader of his latest comments must reach is that President Carter evidently believes that all persons will be saved.  This, in fact, is how Beliefnet.com characterized his position.

But Mr. Carter’s argument, if one can call these sentences an argument, is also self-contradictory.  In one sentence, he argues that “the opportunity for everyone to be saved through the grace of God with faith in Christ applies to everyone.”  Does the opportunity apply to all, or does salvation?  If he means the former, how do all persons confront this opportunity?  The tragic reality is that millions of persons have never heard the Gospel of Christ. As the Apostle Paul makes clear, this is the central thrust of the missionary mandate.

The apparent contradiction in Mr. Carter’s argument comes with the second paragraph of his answer, in which he argues that God’s grace and forgiveness is extended even to those who do not profess faith in Christ.  He goes on to suggest that when Jesus taught love of neighbor and the limitations of human judgment, He was teaching universalism.  This is nonsense, of course, since those texts mean nothing of the kind.  Beyond this, Mr. Carter’s interpretation would mean that Jesus contradicted himself when He warned of Hell and condemnation for sin.

The Bible is clear that not all persons will be saved.  Jesus contrasted the wide gate that leads to destruction with the narrow gate that leads to salvation.  As the Lord said in Matthew 7:13:

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.

The fact is that many persons are embarrassed by the Gospel as revealed in the Bible and taught by Christ. The central issue of offense is the exclusivity of the Gospel of Christ,  And yet, Christ left no doubt about the matter.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  The first sentence is not the ground of offense.  The second sentence is.  The “but by Me” statement leaves no room for confusion.

In recent decades, some have attempted to argue that faith in Christ is indeed necessary for salvation, but this faith need not be explicit faith in Christ.  This position, known as inclusivism, suggests that persons may know nothing of the Gospel, and yet be saved.  This argument is often used to claim that adherents of other faiths and belief systems will be saved through the work of Christ, even though they may not hear of Him in this life.  Many Roman Catholic theologians have adopted this argument.  The late Karl Rahner put an interesting twist on the theme by suggesting that some persons are “anonymous Christians.”  These would be persons who now think themselves devotees of other belief systems but who are actually Christians who have no explicit faith in Christ. This argument cannot be squared with the biblical witness.

Universalists take the argument even further, with most arguing that all persons will be saved, completely without regard to faith in Christ.  With this latest interview, Mr. Carter appears to join these ranks.

The Apostle Paul refuted both inclusivism and universalism in Romans 10, where he insisted that all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.  Paul explained that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ — which means explicit knowledge of the Gospel.  He explained that salvation comes to all those who confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in their hearts that God raised him from the dead.  Then, just in case we missed the obvious, Paul explains the missionary mandate — a mandate completely undercut and contradicted by inclusivism and universalism (and by President Carter’s comments):

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. [Romans 10:13-17]

The logic of Paul is clear.  If they hear they may believe, but if they never hear they will never believe.  And, if they never hear and believe, they will not be saved.

In a series of books, interviews, and comments, Mr. Carter has dismissed biblical inerrancy and once suggested that his faith would not be shaken, even if Jesus did not perform some of the miracles attributed to him in the New Testament.  He has adopted liberal positions on a host of issues and once identified liberal theologians such as Paul Tillich as major influences in his life and thought. 

Nevertheless, it is tragic to see this man of influence, now releasing another published set of his recorded Sunday School lessons, set himself so clearly against the Bible and the historic faith of the Christian church.  This, like all demonstrations of theological error, is both sad and deeply dangerous.  What could be worse than getting the Gospel wrong? 

Wed, Mar. 28, 2007 Posted: 12:35:52 PM EST

A street evangelist in Goldsboro, N.C., about 200 miles east of Charlotte, recently won a lawsuit solidifying his right to spread the gospel to anyone he chooses while he is in public.

Anthony Denham, a proud public evangelist in his local town, was given full permission on Tuesday to continue on his Christian work when his lawsuit against the city of Goldsboro passed. Previously, he had been told by a city police officer that he would need a permit to express his religious beliefs in public.

“No one should have to obtain a permit in order to talk about their beliefs in public,” said Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) Senior Counsel Nate Kellum in a statement. “The city is to be commended now for agreeing to correct this and no longer apply the law in a way which violates the First Amendment rights of its citizens.”

The contested incident occurred when Denham was handing out religious publications while on a street corner. He was then approached by a police officer who told him that he would need a permit to hand out Christian literature. After speaking to a major at the police department, the evangelist was told that it broke the city’s ordinance on picketing.

When nobody could explain on what grounds the assertion was made, Denham went to ADF, a legal alliance that defends the right to hear and speak the “Truth,” which immediately filed a lawsuit on Jan. 10.

Goldsboro court officials ultimately supported the evangelist’s First Amendment right to share his faith publicly without obtaining a permit.

ADF feels the Denham v. City of Goldsboro case has more than an individual impact, but that many Christians will gain much from the case.

“Speech is protected under the First Amendment and cannot be restricted only to those who have a permit granted by the city. The First Amendment was created to keep speech free and protect speech that may be unpopular,” added Kellum in a statement. “This settlement demonstrates that Goldsboro officials understand that and will no longer require permits for people to simply exercise their constitutional rights.

“That’s good for the entire Christian community and, incidentally, for those of other viewpoints as well.”

Doug Huntington
Christian Post Reporter

WASHINGTON, Mar. 27 /Christian Newswire/ — A national pro-family coalition, http://www.notourkids.com/, is calling upon parents to keep their children home from school on April 18 — to avoid GLSEN’s homosexual “Day of Silence,” in which students and some supportive faculty intentionally remain silent throughout the school day to protest alleged oppression of homosexuals.

“Day of Silence” (DOS) is an annual event promoted by GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network, and is scheduled for Wednesday, April 18 this year.  (Some schools observe DOS a few days earlier or later than the official date.) In 2006, over 4,000 junior highs, high schools, and colleges participated in DOS, according to GLSEN.

Many school district superintendents, principals, and faculty members also endorse, promote or allow DOS — subjecting traditional students to pro-”gay” activism that violates their religious beliefs and right to a non-politicized education. To find out what schools are likely participating in this year’s DOS, please visit: www.NotOurKids.com/schools.html.

According to GLSEN, on last year’s Day of Silence, over 500,000 students nationwide were confronted with mute homosexual peers and “allies” wearing stickers and passing out cards, which stated (in part):

“… My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”

http://www.notourkids.com/  is a coalition of pro-family groups who object to the disruptive political hijacking of

Read the story here or listen to the story here and share your comments.

Beset by questions about his committment to social conservatism, Gov. Mitt Romney today adds two validators to his team.

Gary Marx, the current exec. dir of the Judicial Confirmation Network and formerly the Bush-Cheney campaign’s chief staff liaison to social conservatives, will join Gov. Mitt Romney’s PAC as an adviser, a Romney aide said.

If Romney runs for pres, Marx, along with Romney aide Peter Flaherty, will be in charge of outreach to the Republican base and will advise Romney on his contacts with them. Marx is a vet of Focus on the Family’s VA affiliate and has also worked with Ralph Reed when Reed hung his shingle at Century Strategies.

Also, Jay Sekulow, a constitutional lawyer who’s argued numerous cases of import to social conservatives before the Supreme Court, has endorsed Romney and will serve as an adviser. Sekulow is chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, although his endorsement does not mean that the organization is partial to Romney. Sekulow is close to Karl Rove and to virtually every conservative judicial luminary in the country. [MARC AMBINDER]

Are any of you conservative evangelical Christians concerned that Jay Sekulow is getting involved with someone who is part of a cult.

In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the “25 Most Influential Evangelicals” in America and called the ACLJ “a powerful counterweight” to the ACLU.

WASHINGTON (BP)–New post-abortion electronic cards from an organization with a decidedly pro-choice bent are “infuriating,” says a pro-life leader who has experienced the deadly procedure.

Exhale, which describes itself as the United States’ “only nationwide non-judgmental after-abortion talkline,” is promoting the first e-mail greeting cards for women after they have abortions. The ecards “provide friends and family with an opportunity to express support and respect for loved ones after an abortion,” according to a March 13 news release from the Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit organization.

Each of the five greeting cards on Exhale’s website includes a message, with space also provided for a personal note from the sender. Three of the ecard messages are:

– “I think you’re strong, smart, thoughtful and caring. I believe in you and your ability to make the best decision. I think you did the right thing.”

– “There are no words to express my sympathy for your loss. As you grieve, remember that you are loved. I am thinking of you.”

– “The promise of God is to be with us through all of life’s transitions. God will never leave you or forsake you. May you find comfort in God’s constant love. Know that my prayers are with you at this time.”

Caron Strong, national director of Operation Outcry, decried the incongruity of the messages.

“It is absolutely tragic to affirm life in one card and support the taking of life in another,” Caron said, according to LifeNews.com. “On one hand, ‘You did the right thing’; on the other, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ What contradictions!

“Can you imagine sending a woman a greeting card for murdering her five-month-old son or daughter?” Strong said. “No moral absolutes whatsoever. How can they claim to be truly helping post-abortive women when they will say whatever the woman wants them to say? It’s infuriating.”

Operation Outcry seeks to give voice to women who regret their abortions and now oppose the procedure’s legal status. Strong, a former television and movie actress, had four abortions before her life was changed by “the grace of God,” she says on the organization’s website.

Exhale’s website provides links to two of the country’s leading abortion-rights organizations, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the National Abortion Federation. Exhale’s national advisory council includes representatives from pro-choice organizations such as Catholics for a Free Choice and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, plus Planned Parenthood.

A CROWN FOR A CHILD — Sara Lawrence has resigned as Miss Jamaica World, rejecting an abortion that apparently would have enabled her to retain her title.

Lawrence, 22, announced March 14 she would surrender her position because she is pregnant. Lawrence, who finished in the top six in the Miss World contest in September, told The Jamaica Gleaner she would not consider abortion.

“I believe with all that is within me that it is my moral obligation to do what I believe to be ethically correct and follow what I believe in my heart to be right,” she said in a written statement on the Miss Jamaica World website.

The Jamaica pageant’s promoter seemed to acknowledge an abortion would have enabled Lawrence to keep her crown.

In a statement on the pageant’s website, Mickey Haughton-James said, “There was another way out of the predicament that Sara found herself to be in and many, perhaps most young women, would have chosen that path. The path Sara has taken is a very difficult one.”

Lawrence is facing the consequences of her “error of judgment,” he said, adding she was doing so “in a forthright manner, with class and in keeping with her moral dictates.”

Lawrence, who is 12 weeks pregnant, told The Gleaner her boyfriend agrees with her decision. Lawrence’s parents also announced their support for her action.

She was scheduled to give up her crown in August.

In January, Ashley Harder, Miss New Jersey-USA, surrendered her crown and the opportunity to compete in the Miss USA pageant March 23. Like Lawrence, she did so because she was pregnant.

The Miss USA rules bar contestants from being pregnant, married or a parent, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, leaving open the possibility a secret abortion would have enabled Harder to participate in the national contest.

“Initially, I was a tiny bit disappointed I wouldn’t be competing,” said Harder, 20, according to The Inquirer. “But there was no comparing the two: Miss USA or a baby, a baby that had been sent to me by God.”

NO PARENTS WELCOME – The British Parliament has rejected an attempt to require doctors to inform parents before offering abortion or contraceptive counseling to girls less than 16 years of age.

The House of Commons voted 159-87 against a parental notice measure March 14, thereby maintaining Great Britain’s permissive confidentiality policy for young teenagers, the BBC News reported. About 4,000 girls under 16 have abortions each year in England and Wales, according to the BBC.

Angela Watkinson, a member of Parliament, defended her Contraception and Abortion (Parental Information) Bill, saying the “plethora of information” by means of sex education as now taught is harmful to young teens. “All the indications are that many children are becoming sexually active well before they are either emotionally or physically mature,” Watkinson said, the BBC reported.

Free access to the morning-after pill, a heavy dose of birth control pills that has abortifacient qualities, has not cut into teen pregnancies, Watkinson said. There were nearly 7,500 teen pregnancies in 2005, according to the BBC.

“In education about the real risks involved and the likely outcomes, the advice to underage girls should be to abstain, to wait, to delay, to resist -– not to use contraception and believe they will not come to any harm,” she said, the BBC reported. “Parents need to be part of this process.”

Posted on Mar 9, 2007 | by Michael Foust

WASHINGTON (BP)–Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told the board members of the nation’s largest homosexual activist organization March 2 she plans on working with them if she wins the White House in 2008.

“This is exactly the kind of partnership we will have when I am president,” Clinton, D.-N.Y., told 400-plus board members, staff and supporters gathered in Washington for the Human Rights Campaign’s board meeting.

Clinton is the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, and support from the homosexual community could make a difference in determining if she is successful in making it to the general election.

Speaking to HRC, she listed a number of issues on which she and the organization agree, including their opposition to a constitutional marriage amendment. She has voted against it twice in procedural votes.

“When HRC stood up and took on the federal marriage amendment, you were making an important statement, because this amendment was wedge politics at its worst,” she said. “It was mean-spirited, it was against the entire forward movement of American history. But in the end, we stopped the federal marriage amendment, and we sent a strong message that we will not stand idly by when anyone tries to write discrimination into our constitution.”

Although Clinton didn’t re-state her public opposition to “gay marriage,” she did say once again she supports same-sex civil unions, which grant homosexual couples the legal benefits of marriage. She said as a senator she is co-sponsoring the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, which she said “would grant the same benefits to domestic partners of federal workers as those [that] are given to legal spouses.”

She also said, “We’re going to make sure that nothing stands in the way of loving couples — gay or straight — who want to adopt children.”

Clinton also re-stated her support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would ban discrimination against homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people in both the public and private workplace. Pro-family groups have opposed ENDA because it equates homosexuality with such traits as race, ethnicity, gender and religion and because they say it would violate religious freedoms, forcing church ministries to hire people opposed to orthodox Christianity.

In addition, Clinton said she supports adding sexual orientation to the current hate crimes law and supports overturning the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, which prevents homosexuals from serving openly in the military. It was adopted as a compromise when her husband was president. President Bill Clinton also favored overturning it; U.S. military leaders say open service by homosexuals would harm morale and cohesion.

“[W]e know that courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice — the traits that define our men and women in uniform — have nothing to do with sexual orientation,” she said, adding, it’s a “matter of national security, and we’re going to fix it.”

Clinton also noted that her initials, like the organization’s, are HRC.

“I love the fact that it’s my initials. Have you ever noticed that?” she asked to laughter.

HRC President Joe Solmonese introduced Clinton to the crowd, saying, “You know and I know that every candidate in this field is on their own journey with regard to our issues. I feel very much that Sen. Clinton is on that journey with us.”

Clinton seemed to agree.

“I am proud to stand by your side,” she said in closing remarks. “I want you to know that just as you always have an open door to my senate office, you will always have an open door to the White House.”

THOUSANDS RALLY IN N.C. FOR AMENDMENT — Approximately 10,000 people rallied March 6 in the North Carolina capital of Raleigh, urging state legislators to send a constitutional marriage amendment to voters.

“It’s not right for them to be here, sent by the voters, and not represent the desires of the voters of North Carolina,” said Ron Baity, a Winston-Salem pastor, according to the Associated Press.

A majority of states, 27, have adopted marriage amendments, and North Carolina and Florida are the only two southern states not in the mix. The amendment would protect the natural definition of marriage by preventing state courts from legalizing “gay marriage.” Massachusetts, the only state to recognize such unions, has no marriage amendment. In 2003 its court issued a decision legalizing “gay marriage.”

The Democratic-controlled House and Senate have blocked the amendment in North Carolina previously.

“I have confidence in the people,” Republican state Sen. Fred Smith said, according to AP. “The group that doesn’t have confidence in the people is the power structure here who refuses to let the people vote.”

DOMESTIC PARTNERS ADVANCE IN WASH. — A bill that would legalize same-sex domestic partners in Washington state passed the state Senate by a vote of 28-19 March 1. It is expected to pass the state House and be signed by Democratic Gov. Christine Gregoire, the Seattle Times reported.

The bill would grant some of the legal benefits of marriage to homosexual couples. It also would apply to unmarried heterosexual couples when at least one partner is 62 or older, the Times said.

Opponents say domestic partners are marriage by another name.

“Call it what you want, but this bill is absolutely conferring rights that are reserved for married couples,” Republican state Sen. Don Benton said, according to the newspaper.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Democratic state Ed Murray, said “gay marriage” eventually will pass.

“We’ll keep coming back and keep telling the story and hope people go, ‘Geez, let’s just get it over with, let’s pass marriage,’“ Murray was quoted as saying in the paper.

Washington state has no marriage amendment.

For more information about the national debate over “gay marriage,” visit http://www.bpnews.net/BPDigest.asp?id=4.

Download the MP3.

I would encourage everyone to really research the candidates. Even those who are billed as conservative should be checked out. Keep in mind that even shows like Crosstalk America, which I like, should be listened to with a critical ear.

I think the following is a case in point.

In this program, it is clear why Romney is a candidate any true christian should discount. Romney’s faith in the Jesus of the bible is considered, as well as other issues any Christian would not support. As an alternative, Sam Brownback is suggested as a candidate with values that are compatible with a Christian world view. As for values, this may be true. However, when it comes to faith in the Jesus of the bible, Sam Brownback comes up short too.

Mr. Brownback is a Roman Catholic. Roman Catholic doctrine among other things, denies that salvation is in Christ alone, by His grace alone, and by faith in Him alone. I will eat my words if Sam Brownback, a Roman Catholic, will articulate that salvation comes through Christ alone, by His grace alone, through faith in Him alone (this is the biblical doctrine of justification). That the ‘Church’, it’s traditions, it’s sacraments, etc, have nothing to do with salvation.

How you should vote is up to you. I just think it is important that we know as much as possible about the candidates we are considering. Personally, I am looking for a candidate who has trusted in the Jesus of the bible for the saving of their soul and for direction in every aspect of their life. This includes how they would govern if elected President of the United States of America.

I could continue for pages, but enough has been said for now. Please prayerfully ask the Lord for direction as you cast your vote in 2008.

Ultimately, for the Christian, the question becomes, do I vote with faith first in mind or values? I don’t have to tell you that someone can have values yet be void of an authentic faith in Jesus Christ. Notice, I said, ‘first in mind’. There is no question that both faith and values are important considerations.

In His service,

Shane

ATLANTA (BP)–Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have proposed the establishment of a broadly inclusive alternative Baptist movement to counter what they called a negative image of Baptists and to address poverty, the environment and global conflicts.

Carter and Clinton kicked off their plans with a news conference Jan. 9 at the Carter Center in Atlanta, flanked by leaders of moderate Baptist groups including the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, a breakaway group of an unverified number of churches that objected to the election of conservative leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention. Carter and Clinton announced a “Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant,” tentatively set for Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, which they hope will attract 20,000 Baptists.

“This is a historic event for the Baptists in this country and perhaps for Christianity,” Carter said at the news conference.

About 80 leaders of 40 moderate Baptist organizations claiming to represent 20 million Baptists in the United States, Canada and Mexico met at the Carter Center for the announcement. Leaders from the Southern Baptist Convention were not invited to attend.

“This is an attempt to bring people together and say, ‘What would our Christian witness require of us in the 21st century?’” Clinton said, adding that his goal is to be a “cheerleader” for the group.

Bill Underwood, president of Mercer University in Georgia, said at the news conference that the 2008 meeting is meant to draw attention away from “the Baptists who have the microphone,” meaning conservative leaders who frequently appear in the media voicing conservative views.

“North America desperately needs a true Baptist witness,” Underwood said.

Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and pastor of First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., took issue with Underwood’s assertion and Carter’s and Clinton’s remarks apparently aimed at Southern Baptists.

“Instead of engaging in a war of words, let’s do a reality check,” Page told Baptist Press. “Word games are fine, but reality says Southern Baptists are presenting a positive life-changing message, impacting our culture with our ministries and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Carter and Clinton “said they want to counter concerns that Baptists have been ‘negative’ and ‘exclusionary’ and promised an inclusive organization willing to debate openly on all issues.”

Morris H. Chapman, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, said that Carter’s concerns about negative perceptions of Baptists ring hollow.

“He has been one of the most vocal critics of Southern Baptists, using ‘fundamentalist’ as a pejorative and drawing a caustic comparison between Ayatollah Khomeini’s rise to power in Iran and the resurgence of conservative leadership being elected in the SBC,” Chapman wrote to Baptist Press.

Chapman also disputed Carter’s and Clinton’s notion about a negative perception of Baptists.

“Research shows this premise is false,” he said. “Zogby International conducted a survey for the SBC that showed adults view Southern Baptists favorably, equally to their views about Catholics and United Methodists. Not surprisingly, we fared best in areas where we have a strong presence and the community at large experiences our ministries and is familiar with our beliefs.”

Tentative themes for plenary sessions at the 2008 meeting in Atlanta, according to a CBF communications report, are: Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant, Unity in Bringing Good News to the Poor, Unity in Respecting Religious Diversity, Unity in Seeking Peace with Justice and Unity in Welcoming the Stranger and Healing the Broken-Hearted.

Both Page and Chapman addressed Clinton’s and Carter’s statements that the gathered group offered something new for Baptists.

Page pointed out that although Southern Baptists are painted as a white denomination, “It was not long ago that the Saturday Evening Post described the Southern Baptist Convention as ‘the most ethnically diverse of all U.S. Protestant denominations.’”

According to SBC data for 2002, 4,742 out of 43,071 churches identified themselves as predominately ethnic, with 2,085 describing themselves as African-American. The SBC does not keep demographic information on individuals, so churches identified as predominately one race may have diversity among their members not reported in the data.

Chapman defended Southern Baptists’ record of ministering to the poor.

“Southern Baptists address world hunger in many ways, but a good example this past year was their giving $5.8 million, collected by the SBC Executive Committee, with every penny going solely to combat this global tragedy,” Chapman said.

According to budget allocations, about 20 percent of funds collected for the SBC’s World Hunger Fund are used in the United States and 80 percent overseas.

“In the U.S. alone, Southern Baptists provided over 5 million meals,” he said. “The great difference in our approach from liberals is that in ministering to the body, we do not neglect the needs of the soul, and the Gospel was shared with over 500,000 people with over 32,000 professions of faith resulting.

“When we offer a loaf of bread, no strings attached, we also present Jesus as the Living Bread and lives are changed both physically and spiritually,” Chapman told BP.

The ‘2008′ confabulation Clinton and Carter propose will coincide with a U.S. presidential election year. Clinton’s wife, U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), is a possible candidate and has hired a consultant to advise her on religion. Democrats have made the winning over of “faith voters” a major election strategy.

VIRGINIA BEACH – Selecting presidential candidate Mitt Romney as its May commencement speaker has riled some of Regent University’s students and alumni who say his Mormon faith clashes with the school’s bedrock evangelical Christianity.

“What we’re against is the fact that Mormonism is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Christian values and what we believe,” said Doug Dowdey, a Virginia Beach pastor who said he graduated from Regent’s divinity school last year.

The controversy over Romney’s visit has bubbled for two weeks among students, spilling onto Regent’s internal electronic bulletin board, “The Branch.” Scores of e-mails on both sides of the debate have been posted, a student said.

Pat Robertson, the Christian broadcaster who is Regent’s founder and chancellor, invited Romney to be the keynote speaker, said Sherri Stocks, a Regent vice president. Romney is the former Republican governor of Massachusetts.

Another Republican presidential candidate, ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, will speak at Regent’s executive leadership program in April. Giuliani is Catholic.

“When we issue these invitations, we don’t ask what their political or religion views are,” Stocks said of guest speakers. “The criteria really is proven leadership ability. Clearly, these two individuals have a proven record.”

Robertson made the same point in a memo received last week by Regent alumni, staff and students.

“Gov. Romney is running for the post of Chief Executive Officer, not Chief Theologian,” Robertson stated. He said neither Romney nor Giuliani was expected to talk about his personal religious beliefs.

In the memo, Robertson said that having “people of note” as commencement speakers yielded publicity for Regent and a chance for students “to hear first-hand thinking from prominent individuals.

“I hope this answers some of the questions that have been raised about the choice of speakers at our school,” he added.

Mormons belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints, which espouses some scripture, such as the Book of Mormon, and theology that departs from mainstream Christianity.

Some Christian groups, including the Christian Broadcasting Network, which Robertson heads, are suspicious of Mormonism. CBN’s Web site discusses Mormonism on a page titled, “How Do I Recognize a Cult?”

“When it comes to spiritual matters, the Mormons are far from the truth,” states the site, which adds that Mormon religious beliefs are, “to put it simply, wrong.”

The site also says that the Mormon church has produced “many people of exemplary character.”

Regent regards itself as the nation’s premier Christian university. It has about 5,000 students. According to Regent’s Web site, the university’s goal is to generate leaders who will embody biblical Christian values in their public and professional roles.

But Regent seeks out a cross-section of notable leaders, including non-Christians, as speakers, Stocks said.

“The fact that theologically they may not completely align with us does not eliminate them from speaking on our campus, especially given the fact they’ve been asked to come and speak about their leadership experience,” she said.

Stocks said Regent received positive as well as negative comments from its members about the selection of Romney.

“Our campus is open – they are free to write to the chancellor, they are free to engage and express their opinions,” she said. “We encourage open debate and dialogue and engagement.”

Dowdey said he welcomed diverse viewpoints at Regent but that the university’s commencement should reflect the school’s distinctive religious values.

“If Pat wants to hold a political rally, well, hold one. Why not? Just don’t hold it at commencement,” Dowdey said.

Political scientist John C. Green said the invitations to Romney and Giuliani continue Robertson’s long involvement in national politics. Robertson ran for president in 1988 and in the 1990s, his Christian Coalition was a major force in heightening evangelicals’ influence in presidential races.

“Rev. Robertson has often thought of himself as a bit of a kingmaker in the Republican Party,” said Green, a scholar at the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life in Washington, D.C.

Robertson remains a force among conservative Christians, who carry major clout in Republican primary races, said Larry J. Sabato, who directs the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

He said any candidate seeking the Republican nomination will court evangelicals, as Romney and Giuliani are, by accepting Regent’s invitations.

Last year, U.S. Sen. John McCain, another leading Republican candidate, gave the commencement address at Liberty University at the invitation of evangelical preacher Jerry Falwell, the school’s founder.

McCain’s visit was seen as an attempt to build bridges with evangelicals he had attacked in previous years.

For evangelicals, each of the top Republican candidates has flaws: McCain as a past critic, Romney as a Mormon, and Giuliani as a moderate on social issues such as abortion rights, which he supports. None of the three is considered an evangelical Christian.

But Mark Rozell, a George Mason University political scientist, disagreed with commentators who say evangelicals such as Robertson might abandon the Republican ticket.

Rozell predicted that Robertson eventually will back a specific Republican because “a non-evangelical politician who is sympathetic to the evangelical cause can do a lot of good” on issues important to conservative Christians.

He said Robertson also will be guided by self-interest.

“Robertson, as the saying goes, wants a seat at that table in the next Republican administration, even if it’s moderate or socially progressive,” Rozell said.

Sekulow, the leader of the American Center for Law and Justice, told National Review

I don’t think Mormonism will play as an issue [in 2008]. It isn’t a disqualifier. We’re past that. I’m practical, and I’m impressed with [Gov. Romney] on the things that really matter.

Does Sekulow’s endorcement of Romney concern you, why or why not?

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

BOSTON —

A woman who had an abortion but still gave birth has filed a lawsuit against two doctors and a family planning organization seeking the costs of raising her child.The complaint was filed by Jennifer Raper, 45, last week in Suffolk Superior Court and still must be screened by a special panel before it can proceed to trial.

Raper claimed in the suit that she found out she was pregnant in March 2004 and decided to have an abortion for financial reasons, The Boston Globe reported in its Wednesday editions.

Dr. Allison Bryant, a physician working for Planned Parenthood at the time, performed the procedure on April 9, 2004, but it “was not done properly, causing the plaintiff to remain pregnant,” according to the complaint.

Raper then went to see Dr. Benjamin Eleonu at Boston Medical Center in July 2004, and he failed to detect the pregnancy even though she was 20 weeks pregnant at the time, the lawsuit alleges.

It was only when Raper went to the New England Medical Center emergency room for treatment of pelvic pain in late September that year that she found out she was pregnant, the suit said.

She gave birth to a daughter on Dec. 7, 2004.

Raper and her lawyer, Barry C. Reed Jr., refused comment when contacted by the newspaper, and a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood said the organization does not comment on pending litigation.

Massachusetts’ high court ruled in 1990 that parents can sue physicians for child-rearing expenses, but limited those claims to cases in which children require extraordinary expenses because of medical problems, medical malpractice lawyer Andrew C. Meyer Jr. said.

Raper’s suit has no mentions of medical problems involving her now 2-year-old daughter.