Christian News Brief Monthly Archive - May 2004
3 May 2004
Southern Baptist Convention has Voter Registration Underway
The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical Protestant denomination in the United States, has an Internet-based voter drive under way to encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote and also to encourage them to vote for what they believe is right. Dr. Richard Land of the SBC's E ...
3 May 2004
Pro-Family Candidate Running for Connecticuts Second Congressional House Seat
An independent candidate for Connecticut's Second Congressional house seat is running on a pro-family platform that includes protecting the unborn, defending traditional marriage, and strengthening the family. David R. Lyon of Willimantic announced his candidacy at a recent rally at the Windam Town ...
3 May 2004
Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Cancelled after Muslim Snubbed
Islam is at the root of the cancellation of a mayor's prayer breakfast in Oregon. The event scheduled for May 5 in Washington was called off after controversy erupted when a Muslim was banned from delivering the closing prayer. Beaverton Mayor Rob Drake announced that he would not attend the annual ...
3 May 2004
9-11 Panel Members Early Departure Shows Nature of Proceedings
During testimony by President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, two Democrat members of the 9-11 Commission left the hearings early in order to keep appointments with a member of Congress and an ambassador. Some Republicans are calling the early departures a show of disrespect and anoth ...
4 May 2004
Duluth Minnesota Engulfed in Ten Commandments Dispute
The city council of Duluth, Minnesota, has voted five to four to settle a lawsuit over a Ten Commandments monument outside City Hall. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota sued the city in March on behalf of ten local residents, claiming the Decalogue display violated the alleged constitut ...
4 May 2004
President's Amnesty Plan Does Little to Win Hispanic Vote
It appears that President George W. Bush's plan to grant amnesty to up to ten million illegal immigrants has done little to win the Hispanic vote. Many consider the amnesty plan to be part of a Bush administration effort to win more of the Hispanic vote since it is quickly becoming the largest mino ...
4 May 2004
Liberals Need to Pay Attention to History Says One Author
A conservative author and attorney says liberals never seem to pay attention to history when they demand that the U.S. should appease tyrants and subjugate America's national security to the United Nations. Mark W. Smith, who has been involved in numerous debates with liberals, wrote The Official H ...
4 May 2004
Bush Administration Rejects Calls for Tougher Stance on Chinese Labor Practices
The Bush administration has rejected calls for a tougher stance against Chinese labor practices that some worker and industry groups say allow the communist nation to undersell American-made products. These groups petitioned the Bush administration this week to consider imposing stiff tariffs on Chi ...
4 May 2004
Retired Army General Says US Could Bring North Korea to its Knees in 72 Hours if Needed
A retired Army general says the United States could bring the communist regime in North Korea to its knees within 72 hours if it followed an attack plan that he and another general have devised. Major General Paul Vallely recently teamed up with Air Force Lt. General Thomas McInerney to write End Ga ...
5 May 2004
Cornell University Students Want School to Cut Funding for Conservative Publication
Students at Cornell University (cornell.edu) want the school to cut funding to a conservative publication on the New York campus because of a column it published questioning why it was that, of two racially motivated attacks in Ithaca, only the one with a black victim sparked rallies, forums, and pu ...
5 May 2004
Christian Homeowner in Michigan Says Muslims Trying to Take Over Town
A Christian homeowner in Michigan says Muslims in his area are involved in a calculated effort to take over the once largely Polish Catholic community where he and his wife have lived for years. Bob Golen says the neighborhoods in his hometown of Hamtramck have drastically changed over the past few ...
5 May 2004
Poll Indicates Kerry Aloof, Cold, and Not Someone They Want to Associate with
Polls indicate that most American voters find presidential hopeful John Kerry aloof, cold, and not someone with whom they want to associate. Cliff Kincaid of the advocacy group America's Survival thinks these polling results may have something to do with Kerry's anti-war activities and contacts, i ...
5 May 2004
30 Veterans Who Served with Kerry Question his Fitness to Serve as President
Thirty men who served with John Kerry in Vietnam have questioned his fitness to serve as president of the United States. Representing well over 200 others, members of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth held a press conference to challenge the Democratic presidential hopeful's ability to tell the tru ...
5 May 2004
Middle East Expert Believes Ariel Sharon Wants to Strengthen Position of Palestinian Leader
An Israeli Middle East expert says the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants to strengthen the position of a Palestinian leader in Gaza because it believes he can co-exist with the Jews. Prime Minister Sharon is apparently scrambling to come up with a new plan for an Israeli pullout of som ...
6 May 2004
Texas Pro-Life Group to Release List of Entities Providing Money to Nations Largest Abortion Provider
A Texas pro-life group says concerned citizens have a right to know who is providing money to the nation's largest abortion provider, and it plans to release a list of entities that do. In the Houston/Southeast Texas region alone, Planned Parenthood was responsible for the deaths of more than 6,000 ...
6 May 2004
Idaho Supreme Court Reviewed Case of Homosexual Man Stripped of His Children and Denied Visitation
On Monday the case of a homosexual dad who lost custody of his two children and was denied visitation rights came before the Idaho Supreme Court. Theron and Shawn McGriff divorced six years ago when Theron came out of the closet. A judge had originally given the father custody of the couple's two d ...
6 May 2004
Religious Groups in Texas Oppose Video Gambling
Religious groups in Texas are opposed to video gambling in the state. According to the Dallas Morning News, Texas religious organizations are denouncing plans to finance public education with video gambling revenues as "immoral and evil." The church leaders contend the costs of gambling would actu ...
6 May 2004
Christian Group Calls on Florida Police to do a Better Job of Enforcing Indecency Laws During "Gay Days"
A Christian activist group says police must do a better job of enforcing Florida's public indecency laws during the upcoming "Gay Days" at Walt Disney World. The Christian Action Network has set up an exhibit of photos outside the state capital in Tallahassee. The group says the enlarged photos, ...
6 May 2004
Co-Author of Biography on Bush says 2004 Election will be Close
The co-author of a new biography on the Bush family believes the 2004 election will be close because the country is still very divided on social issues. The conservative writer believes that, in the end, the American people just will not be comfortable with John Kerry's extreme liberalism. Peter Sc ...
7 May 2004
Former Astronaut and Senator John Glenn Honors Two Maryland Youth
Two young home schoolers from Germantown, Maryland, were honored by former astronaut Senator John Glenn for winning "Best Overall" for their age group in the Space Trek Design Challenge with a project that proved a biblical worldview is no hindrance to scientific inquiry. Glenn congratulated young ...
7 May 2004
White House Retracts Endorsement of Summer Youth Health Conference
Under pressure from pro-family activists, the White House has retracted its endorsement of a controversial summer youth health conference. The event, called the Youth Health Conference: Generation On the Edge, is being sponsored by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, Planned Parenthoo ...
7 May 2004
Catholic Pro-Life Group Attempts to Ensure Pro-Abortion Politicians Denied Holy Communion
A Catholic pro-life group has launched an ad campaign aimed at holding Roman Catholic Church officials accountable for not taking steps to ensure that pro-abortion politicians do not receive holy communion. Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church, a splinter group of the American Life League, ...
7 May 2004
Presbyterian Church USA Back in the Spotlight of Homosexual "Marriage"
A Presbyterian Church (USA) commission has ruled that "marrying" same-sex couples is permissible, despite a lower court's previous ruling to the contrary. This latest decision, released Friday, overturned the earlier conviction of Pastor Stephen A. Van Kuiken for performing homosexual "marriages ...
7 May 2004
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says Activist Judiciary Needs to be Reigned In
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has joined with many other Americans in expressing a growing concern that the nation's activist judiciary needs to be reined in. Scalia says judges are to blame for polarizing the judicial nomination process. The very conservative Justice Scalia recalled to ...
7 May 2004
Lt. Colonel Oliver North Speaks at National Day of Prayer
Having just returned from a three-week trip to the combat zones in Iraq, Lt. Colonel Oliver North told a huge audience at the National Day of Prayer ceremonies in Washington yesterday that the present is a crucial time to invoke God's power and that Americans must not forget to pray for the fightin ...
7 May 2004
Israeli Author Believes US and Israel Have Plan for Bringing Down Regime in Iran
An Israeli author and lecturer believes the United States and Israel have a master plan for bringing down the tyrannical regime in Iran. Victor Mordecai has been touring the United States, telling church audiences about the ongoing threat of Islam. Mordecai says Iran is the next rogue regime that mu ...
10 May 2004
Old Kerry Article Once Again Demonstrates Flip-Flop Nature
There's word today about a column written by Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry in 1996 that casts doubt on his commitment to traditional marriage. Baptist Press reports that Kerry wrote the column for The Advocate, a pro-homosexual magazine, when Congress was debating the Defense of Marri ...
10 May 2004
Pro-Family Groups Pressure for "Choose Your Own" Cable Packages
An effort is under way to try to help families who are fed up with being forced to subsidize TV programming that they find objectionable. Brent Bozell of the Parents Television Council says cable companies, by their programming methods, are forcing families to pay for channels they do not want in o ...
10 May 2004
Activist Judges Threatening US Constitution
A pro-family leader has issued a new warning about the threat that activist judges are posing to the future of the U.S. Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council says activist judges are running rampant over the U.S. Constitution. Schenck believes that as more people become aware of what is happe ...
10 May 2004
Democrats "Under God" Slip Ignites More Controversy
Washington Democrat Jim McDermott's recent decision to omit the words "under God" when he led the Pledge of Allegiance in the House chamber has ignited another wave of controversy. Steve Elliott's group Grassfire.org helped organize a massive protest aimed at McDermott's Washington office. El ...
10 May 2004
Washington City Paying Price for Ten Commandments Lawsuit
The legal bills for one city are mounting in a dispute over a Ten Commandments monument. To date, the city of Everett, Washington, has paid more than $70,000 to defend itself against a lawsuit challenging a Decalogue monolith on city property. But city officials estimate the total legal costs coul ...
10 May 2004
Believers Need to Pray Fervently for America's Moral Direction
A co-founder of the world's largest Christian ministry says believers need to pray fervently for the moral direction of America. Vonette Bright spent more than 50 years working alongside her husband, the late Dr. Bill Bright, to oversee Campus Crusade for Christ. She was instrumental in the estab ...
10 May 2004
American Immigration Policy Undermining Homeland Security?
Is American immigration policy undermining its own homeland security efforts? Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, is among those in Washington who thinks it could be. "Federal government runs a lottery for immigrants," he explains, "a visa lottery that give ...
10 May 2004
China Appears Content to Maintain Status Quo in North Korea
A former advisor to the Senate Armed Services Committee says Communist China appears perfectly content to maintain the status quo in North Korea. The expert on China also believes the Korean regime is more dependent on China than ever before. On Wednesday, the six nations negotiating the North Kor ...
11 May 2004
Christian Broadcasters Face Tougher Times Ahead
An attorney with the American Family Association Center for Law & Policy (CLP) says it will be even tougher for Christian broadcasters to get their programs on the public airwaves in light of a new federal court ruling. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has ruled that the Federal Co ...
11 May 2004
Court Orders Man to Stop Fathering Children
More and more, America's courts are being called upon to deal with cases involving the consequences of immorality. In what has come to be known as an order to "pay up or zip up," the Ohio State Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in a case that saw a judge order a man to take "reasonable e ...
11 May 2004
Mississippi "Most Pro-Life State in the Nation"
One pro-life activist says Mississippi has become the "most pro-life state in the nation." Republican Governor Haley Barbour has made good on a campaign promise by signing six new pro-life bills into law. Pat Cartrette, director of the Jackson-based group Pro-Life Mississippi, says the state is ...
11 May 2004
Prayer Should be a Great Adventure in Believers Life
A pastor and author says prayer should be a great adventure in the life of a believer. In his new book Falling in Love with Prayer (Cook Communications, 2004), Mike MacIntosh says conversing with the Creator is an incredible privilege for all Christians -- but the first step is up to us, he says. ...
11 May 2004
One of Nations Leading Pollsters Says Kerry is in the Lead
One of the nation's leading pollsters has some bad news for the George Bush re-election campaign. Cybercast News reports that pollster John Zogby held a closed-door session with conservative leaders about two weeks ago, and the bottom line of that meeting was this: the upcoming presidential electi ...
11 May 2004
Veterans Critical of Kerry May Have Dealt Him Death Blow
Meanwhile, a seniors' group thinks some of John Kerry's former military colleagues may have dealt him a fatal political blow. It was a week ago that a group calling itself "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" held a press conference in Washington challenging Kerry's status as a "war hero." This ...
11 May 2004
Jeb Bush Could Beat Hillary Clinton in 2008
The co-author of a new biography on the Bush family believes the president's younger brother, Jeb Bush, could beat Hillary Clinton if he runs against the former first lady in the 2008 presidential election. Peter Schweizer and his wife Rochelle call their book The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty -- ...
12 May 2004
Honolulu Now Allows Religious Material in Gov. Buildings
Honolulu now allows religious literature in government buildings. Kelly Jenkins sued the Hawaiian capital for violating his religious freedom. The city employee says his maintenance department supervisor threw away business cards left in the lunchroom inviting people to church and providing direct ...
12 May 2004
Friendship or Relational Evangelism Most Effective
What is the most effective way to lead someone to Christ? Almost nine of ten senior Protestant pastors consider relational or friendship evangelism to be the most effective, according to a recent nationwide poll conducted by the Barna Research Group. Also near the top of the list were lifestyle ev ...
12 May 2004
Bush May be "Shooting Himself in the Foot" with Gun Owners
A Second Amendment rights advocate says when it comes to keeping the support of the nation's gun owners, President George W. Bush may be "shooting himself in the foot." Groups that work to preserve the right of Americans to keep and bear arms say they have been betrayed by President Bush. One o ...
12 May 2004
Activist Says Muslims are Colonizing the US
An immigration reform activist says Muslim websites are encouraging people from Islamic countries to colonize the United States. Susan Tully, Midwest director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says she is concerned about what is happening in towns like Hamtramck, Michigan, where Mu ...
12 May 2004
Organization Says Bush Needs to End Castro Dictatorship
An organization dedicated to a free Cuba says President Bush needs to move forward with his pledge to help bring an end to the ruthless and brutal dictatorship of Fidel Castro. A presidential commission has recommended that the United States take steps to subvert the planned succession in Cuba, und ...
13 May 2004
World Quick to Condemn American Abusers, yet Ignore Berg Beheading
A high-profile Senate Republican is wondering why world leaders were so quick to condemn American soldiers for their treatment of Iraqi prisoners, yet have remained almost silent in reacting to the barbaric death of American Nick Berg. There have been very few shouts of outrage from the world's le ...
13 May 2004
Pro-Life Leader Says Look to Our Culture to Explain Abuse, not Leadership
A pro-life leader says while photos of Iraqi prisoners being abused by American soldiers cannot be ignored, they should cause all Americans to examine what that abuse says about the nation's culture. Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council, says it is "ridiculous" to suggest that the ...
13 May 2004
Website Launched to Expose Abortion Funding Sources
In anyone in the Lone Star State would like to know who is providing funding to the world's largest abortion provider, a website run by a Texas pro-life activist can supply the answers. In Texas, Planned Parenthood receives funding from three sources: the government, private individuals or busines ...
13 May 2004
House Working to Correct Head Start Oversight
Members of the U.S. House are working to address an oversight in the Head Start program that shuts parents out of medical decisions for their preschool children. Pro-family lawmakers are pushing a bill that would require a parental consent provision that was not covered for Head Start by the No Chi ...
13 May 2004
Democrats Writing Off the South this Election?
Are the Democrats writing off the South in this fall's presidential election? If you ask New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, chairman for the 2004 Democratic National Convention, that appears to be the case -- unless you ask him while he's in the South. Late last month, Richardson was keynote s ...
14 May 2004
Abuse and Berg Beheading Show Worlds Double Standard
The barbaric beheading of civilian contractor Nick Berg by hooded Islamic radicals has not been condemned by world leaders with the ferocity they have been using to condemn America for the alleged abuses of Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison. That has many people in Washington angry. Family Research Coun ...
14 May 2004
New Report from Planned Parenthood All Out Assault on Parenting
An abstinence education expert says a new report from Planned Parenthood that discredits parents who don't teach their kids about condom use is yet another example of an all-out assault on parenting. The report is called "Parents' Beliefs About Condoms and Oral Contraceptives: Are They Medically ...
14 May 2004
Mississippi Town Considering Dress Code at Local Theater
A Mississippi town says it's time to crack down on offensive clothing at a new movie theater. In Madison, Mississippi, Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler has been working with Malco Theaters to negotiate a dress code for the theater that has not yet been built. Butler says that under the dress code, patro ...
14 May 2004
Pastors Conference Encourages Faith Based Voting
A conference of church leaders has been challenged about encouraging their people to think of godly values when they vote. More than 300 pastors representing about 40 states met in Washington this week at the event sponsored by the Family Research Council. FRC president Tony Perkins said those pas ...
14 May 2004
Maps from Muslim Countries Omit Israel
A Jewish organization has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for newspaper ads that show maps produced in Muslim countries that don't show the nation of Israel. The ads, which have appeared in major newspapers like the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and USA Today, w ...
14 May 2004
Gap Inc. Leads Way in Manufacturing Standards
A faith-based shareholders group is calling it a step in the right direction. Gap, Inc., admits the global manufacturing network it uses to make its clothes offers low-paying work under often hazardous conditions. In an unusual report, assisted by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, ...
17 May 2004
Pro-Abortion Zealots Attack Founder of Popular Fitness Company
A Texas pro-life activist says pro-abortion zealots are attacking the founder of a popular fitness company because he and his wife support the notion that a woman facing an unwanted pregnancy has a choice other than killing her unborn child. Gary Heavin is founder of Curves International, the popula ...
17 May 2004
Trucker Ministry Aims to Help Long Haul Truckers
A ministry aimed at helping the nation's long haul truckers is springing up at truck stops around the country. The high price of fuel is far from the only stress confronting the nation's truck drivers. According to truck stop chaplain Tim Sackett, the long-distance truckers also face lonely weeks ...
17 May 2004
Federal Election Commission Investigates Non-Profits Attacking Bush
The Federal Election Commission is investigating the activities of nearly two dozen newly created non-profit organizations that are spending lots of money attacking President Bush and using the same lines Kerry has adopted. Republicans claim these groups, dubbed 527s, are nothing more than surrogate ...
17 May 2004
A Man of Faith: The Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush
A former reporter for Time magazine is providing an inside look at the faith journey of President George W. Bush. In his new book, A Man of Faith: the Spiritual Journey of George W. Bush, David Aikman says the president's faith in God influences every area of his life. Aikman, who was granted acces ...
17 May 2004
Rebecca St. James Conducts Interviews at Dove Awards
Contemporary Christian music artist and author Rebecca St. James, who is currently touring in Europe, recently hosted a backstage segment at the Dove Awards. That segment was broadcast live to the Dove ceremony audience as well as to 60 movie theaters across America. In this "industry first" broad ...
18 May 2004
50th Meeting of American Israel Public Affairs Committee
The 50th meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is setting records as more than 6,000 supporters of the Jewish state have gathered in Washington, DC, for the three-day event, running from May 16-18. AIPAC spokesman Josh Block says the turnout for the meeting and the caliber of the s ...
18 May 2004
Expert Believes Public Pressure will Urge Public Library to Regulate Porn Access
An expert on the harmful effects of pornography says even though some public library systems around the U.S. seem bent on providing unlimited access to sexual content on computers, the public is not going to let them do it at the expense of losing federal funding. According to the Oregonian newspape ...
18 May 2004
Rebecca St. James Comments on Abstinence Message Cause Stir
Remarks by Christian recording artist Rebecca St. James caused a stir in the U.K. and beyond this weekend when reporters from Reuters International News Service in London interviewed the singer during her current European tour. While talking with St. James about the abstinence message she passionate ...
18 May 2004
British Analyst says UN Resolution in US Best Interest
A conservative British analyst believes that a United Nations resolution on Iraq is in the best interest of the United States, provided it does not limit U.S. forces from operating independently. Dr. Nile Gardiner, visiting fellow for Anglo-American security policy at the Heritage Foundation and a f ...
18 May 2004
Fidel Castro Not Well Liked by Cuban People
A Cuban freedom activist says Fidel Castro is not well liked by the Cuban people, no matter how many Cubans appear in anti-American rallies. Last week Castro was seen in Havana leading thousands of his people in anti-American demonstration, which he said was in protest against Bush's announced meas ...
18 May 2004
Conservative Spokesman Contends both Democratics and Republicans are Moving to the Left
A conservative spokesman contends that both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party in America have moved to the left in recent years. In fact, Howard Phillips of the Conservative Caucus says examining the two largest political parties in the U.S. with respect to a list of core conservative va ...
19 May 2004
Uproar Over Planned Parenthood Report Stating Parents Must Teach Kids about Condom Use
Abstinence education experts are in an uproar over the latest report from Planned Parenthood, which concludes that any discussion about sex by parents with their children must include condom use. Linda Klepacki, the Abstinence Department manager for Focus on the Family, says it is the height of arro ...
19 May 2004
Senator Jim Inhofe Investigating Federal Grant Violations
Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe is continuing his investigation of groups that violate federal grant rules. Inhofe chairs the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee and, in that capacity, the senator is looking into abuses in how the Environmental Protection Agency has been doling out grant mo ...
19 May 2004
Despite Abuse of Iraqi's US has Moral High Ground
A conservative leader says the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison is deplorable, but does not change the fact that America has the moral high ground in the war on terror. Despite the highly-publicized scandal, Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families advises citize ...
19 May 2004
US Pressing On Despite Iraqi Governing Council Assassination
A high-ranking official in the U.S. Department of State is expressing resolve to press on in the wake of the assassination of another member of the Iraqi governing council. Ambassador J. Cofer Black, the State Department's coordinator of counter-terrorism, says he prefers to allow official response ...
19 May 2004
US Must Stay Course in Iraq
Author and lecturer Victor Mordecai says the United States must stay the course in Iraq. The Israeli expert on terrorism believes that, if U.S. forces pull out of Iraq, the Islamic terrorists would not just stay there, but would most likely try to bring the war onto U.S. soil. The Iraqi foreign mini ...
20 May 2004
Ronald Reagan Tribute Dinner
For many political conservatives, the place to be Wednesday night was in Washington, DC, for the Ronald Reagan Tribute Dinner. The gathering, described by some as "the" social event of the season, was hosted by the Leadership Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based organization that offers conserv ...
20 May 2004
"Divorce Industry" and US Family Courts Discriminate Against Fathers
A Texas man who advocates changes in U.S. family courts says it is time to take the profit out of divorce. In fact, he says the "divorce industry" needs to be completely dismantled because it is a system that routinely discriminates against fathers. Doug Henson of Willis, Texas, is with the group ...
20 May 2004
Mexico Must do More to Provide Jobs for its Citizens
A Texas Congressman says Mexico must be willing to do more about providing jobs for its own people if there is to be any hope of stemming the tide of illegal immigration from that country. Senator Charles Stenholm was among a group of senators and congressmen who participated in the annual U.S.-Mexi ...
20 May 2004
Gas Price Soaring Far From Over
It appears the surge in gas prices is far from over, and at least one U.S. analyst is pointing to Saudi Arabia as the likely cause. With gas prices already at record levels across the United States, Milt Copulos of the Resource Security Institute says fuel costs could climb as high as three dollars ...
20 May 2004
British Foreign Policy Expert Questions UN Fitness to Shape Iraq
A British foreign policy expert thinks the United States should question whether the United Nations is truly fit to shape the future of Iraq. With the June 30 deadline for returning sovereignty to Iraq looming, the U.S. has turned over much of the responsibility for picking a new government to a U.N ...
21 May 2004
Two Episcopal Priests Lead Task Force Developing Same Sex Blessing Ceremony
Two priests who favor same-sex blessings are leading an Episcopal diocesan task force to develop a same-sex blessing ceremony that is "classically Anglican in tone and format." Revs. Michael W. Hopkins and Susan N. Blue have already performed several same-sex blessing ceremonies in the Episcopal d ...
21 May 2004
Scientists Fail in Efforts to Manipulate God's Creation
Once again scientists' unnatural efforts to manipulate God's creation have failed. Recently researchers attempted to create life without the benefits of the male genetic contribution. However, it turns out that the male contribution to an embryo brings messenger RNA, a necessary component of life. ...
21 May 2004
US Senator says Abu Ghraib Uproar Due to Loss of Perspective
A U.S. Senate conservative says the uproar and outrage over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib Prison is the result of a loss of perspective. Oklahoma senator Jim Inhofe has been critical of the outrage associated with the prisoner abuse allegations since they first came to light. He mai ...
21 May 2004
Iraqi Insurgents Very Aware of Deadline for Transfer of Power
A member of the House Armed Services Committee believes Iraqi insurgents are very aware that the deadline for the transfer of power in Iraq is approaching, and they are doing all they can to thwart that objective. Kansas Republican Jim Ryun thinks President George W. Bush should be commended for sta ...
21 May 2004
Bush May be Losing Evangelical Base
Not surprisingly, the war in Iraq has generated harsh criticism from President George W. Bush's opponents. But growing concerns about the course of the war have also seeped into the group that has been one of the president's strongest supporters -- evangelical Christians. Evangelicals made up abou ...
21 May 2004
Bush Campaign May Get Boost from Positive Economic Reports
The Bush campaign may be getting a much-needed boost from some positive reports on the economic front. For American voters, economic concerns rank just under the war on terror on their list of priorities. That is why the latest figures on the economy are being hailed as great news by the Bush admini ...
21 May 2004
Gap Inc. Acknowledges Connection to International Manufacuring Group that Treats Workers Unethically
Gap, Incorporated has acknowledged its connection with an international manufacturing group that treats workers unethically, and a faith-based shareholder's group is calling the corporate confession a step in the right direction. Gap, Inc. admit's the global manufacturing network it uses to make it ...
24 May 2004
Activist Judges Causing a Stir
The four justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court who decided homosexual marriage should be legalized are coming under some sharp criticism, along with other judges around the U.S. who seem to be overstepping their constitutionally defined powers. Montana state legislator Jeff Laszloffy ...
24 May 2004
Pro-Family Group Hailing New Bill Requiring Abortionists Advise Patient of Fetal Pain
A pro-family group is hailing the introduction of a new bill in the U.S. legislature requiring that women seeking an abortion be informed about the pain their unborn child experiences during the lethal procedure. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council joined Republican senators Sam Brownback an ...
24 May 2004
Michigan Call to Prayer On Hold Due to Public Outrcy
Residents in a Michigan town have blocked an attempt by their city council to allow Muslim calls for prayer to be broadcast over loudspeakers. The noise ordinance change was to have taken effect on Wednesday, May 19, but Hamtramck residents secured more than enough petition signatures to put the me ...
24 May 2004
UN Dubs 2004 "Year of the Family"
The United Nations has dubbed 2004 as the "Year of the Family." But critics say that based on the U.N.'s actions and edicts, it's anything but that. Ellen Sauerbrey is the U.S. Representative to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, with the rank of ambassador. She says the internationa ...
24 May 2004
American Believers Need the Full Armor of God when Debating Faith in Public Square
A Christian attorney says American believers need to put on the full armor of Christ when debating their faith in the public square. And Dee Wampler says those Christians must be prepared to be called names by those from the left. "Antonin Scalia, who is on the U.S. Supreme Court, said a few year ...
25 May 2004
Missouri Constitutional Marriage Ammendment on August Ballot
It's not surprising when politics plays a huge role in how and whether a state determines it is going to protect traditional marriage, but the situation in Missouri has become rather convoluted. Tuesday (May 25) is the deadline for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage to be placed ...
25 May 2004
Mass. Same Sex Marriage Still Being Fought
The legality of same-sex "marriages" in Massachusetts is not settled, despite what is taking place in the courthouses across the Bay State. Four justices of that state's Superior Judicial Court voted to legalize same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, even though the state constitution limits all de ...
25 May 2004
Episcopal Church USA Faces Expulsion from the Anglican Communion over Pro-Homosexual Stand
The divide between Anglicans in Africa and the Episcopal Church in the U.S. -- both members of the worldwide Anglican Communion -- continues to expand. A group of African and Asian archbishops have given the American church a three-month deadline to respond to their ultimatum: either the ECUSA must ...
25 May 2004
FCC has been Instructed to look into "a la carte" Pricing for Cable
The Federal Communications Commission has been instructed by Congress to look into the ramifications of mandated "a la carte" pricing for cable television. It is a victory of sorts for a coalition of pro-family groups who are lobbying for cable companies to give families the option of choosing wha ...
25 May 2004
US and Great Britian must Remain Dedicated to Accomplishing Mission
A British foreign policy analyst says the United States and Great Britain, the two powers driving the war against terror, must remain dedicated to accomplishing their mission in Iraq -- and that failure would have would have a catastrophic effect on winning the war on terrorism. Dr. Nile Gardiner i ...
25 May 2004
9-11 Commission Trying to put Blame on Bush Rather than on Clinton Where it Belongs
A former government investigator says the 9-11 Commission is trying to put the blame for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, at the feet of President George W. Bush when, in fact, former President Bill Clinton's policies set the stage for the horrific events of that day. David Bossie is t ...
25 May 2004
Conservatives Upset about Bush Caving to Democrats on Bench Appointments
Many of President George W. Bush's conservative supporters are disillusioned following the deal the Administration cut last week with Senate Democrats on judicial appointments. The president vowed to quit making recess appointments of pro-life, pro-family judges if the Senate Democrats would approv ...
25 May 2004
G.P. Taylor's New Book Shadowmancer Competes with Harry Potter with a Christian Twist
An English minister has written a novel that may soon be overtaking the sales records of the internationally popular "Harry Potter" series. G.P. Taylor's new book, Shadowmancer (Putnam, 2004), is a story of good versus evil. Set in the early 1700s, it has all the mystery and intrigue of the J.K. ...
26 May 2004
Salvation Army Vows to Stand By Christian Principles
The Salvation Army is vowing to stand by its Christian principles in a pending battle over the more than $250 million in contracts it has with New York City. The city is on the verge of passing a law which would force entities with city contracts to write same-sex benefits into their hiring policie ...
26 May 2004
Arizona Christian Ministry Concerned about Increase in Child Eating Disorders
A Christian ministry in Arizona is expressing concern about the increase in kids with eating disorders. In an era of diet fixation -- with women wanting to be waif-thin and men wanting to be "pumped up" -- teens, as well, are constantly being assaulted by images portraying the "perfect body." ...
26 May 2004
Business Devoted to Catching Bible Print Errors Before Printing
A Georgia business owner says people who read the Bible expect perfection, so she makes it her business to catch errors in the Word before they go to print. Without Peachtree Editing and Proofreading, one of the few such companies anywhere to specialize in Bibles, the holy scriptures might refer to ...
26 May 2004
Iraqi Soldiers and Police Failed Under Fire
President Bush's plan to bring democracy and independence to Iraq relies on the establishment of a strong Iraqi military security force. But one military analyst, Retired Colonel Bob Maginnis, says while that is a good idea, some problems have surfaced in the heat of battle. "We've recognized t ...
26 May 2004
Fallujah Becoming Islamic Mini-State
Meanwhile, a report about life in one major Iraqi city indicates President Bush's goal of democracy for that country may be impossible to achieve. Associated Press says Fallujah is fast becoming an Islamic mini-state. In the wake of the departure of U.S. Marines a few weeks ago, a strict version ...
26 May 2004
Democrats and Republicans Targeting Overseas Voters
Both Democrats and Republicans are courting American voters overseas. Associated Press reports that Democrats and Republicans from Hong Kong to Hungary are aggressively targeting American expatriates. Ever mindful of the 2000 election, both parties believe the absentee ballots of Americans living ...
27 May 2004
Cheap Online Drugs Raising Concerns
A Christian medical organization is adding its concerns about cheap prescription drug sources found on the Internet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already warned that one out of every three Internet pharmacies is getting their products from the black market. Family News In Focus report ...
27 May 2004
Pro-Family Leaders Still Dismayed Over Bush Deal with Democrats on Judicial Nominees
Pro-family leaders continue to express dismay over President Bush's recent deal with Democrats concerning judicial nominations. What was the president doing when he promised to make no more recess appointments if the Democrats would approve 25 moderate to liberal nominees? That is the question be ...
27 May 2004
American Israel Public Affairs Committee Draws Criticism
An international coalition of Jews and Christians is not happy that the official Israeli lobby in the United States has snubbed opponents of Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. Recently the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its annual three-day policy conference. Among the spe ...
27 May 2004
Free Congress Foundation Spokesman Charges Bush Critiques with Hypocrisy
A spokesman for the Free Congress Foundation is charging critics of the president with hypocrisy. Writer Daniel Jennings finds the outrage of President Bush's critics over the rights of Iraqi terrorist prisoners of war rather perplexing. "It seems interesting that the people who didn't care abo ...
27 May 2004
Missouri Farmer Helps Community, Spreads Gospel in Sudan
A 24-year-old farmer from Missouri has spent the past two years providing physical and spiritual relief for thousands of farmers in Sudan. Tim Windmeyer works for the international relief agency Samaritan's Purse. He has spent two years helping farmers in the Nuba Mountains revive their strugglin ...
27 May 2004
Kathie Lee Gifford's New Christian Album
A former television show host says the trials of her life inspired many of the songs on her new Christian album. Entertainer Kathie Lee Gifford has seen her share of hard times, including her husband's highly publicized infidelity and other unwanted media scrutiny. But she says through it all she h ...
28 May 2004
The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act Introduced in Congress a Victory
The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act recently introduced in Congress is a victory for the Christian Medical and Dental Associations. CMDA president Dr. David Stevens says the legislation would require that women be informed about the pain their unborn child will experience during the abortion proces ...
28 May 2004
Texas Pastor Mails Postcards to Families with Pictures of Porn Shop Patron Family Members
A Texas pastor says it's better to create embarrassment or even problems at home for someone than to allow them to destroy themselves with pornography. Some unsuspecting patrons of an adult business in the Fort Worth suburb of Kennedale have had some explaining to do at home. That's because they ...
28 May 2004
ACLU Attacking LA County Seal
The American Civil Liberties Union wants to take religion out of the Los Angeles County Seal. The seal, designed by late supervisor Kenneth Hahn, contains a tiny cross -- symbolic of the Catholic missions that are so much a part of the county's history. According to the Los Angeles Times, ACLU ex ...
28 May 2004
Agreement Welcome Between Sudan's Islamic Government and Christian Group in South
The head of the Samaritan's Purse ministry says he welcomes the agreement signed by Sudan's Islamic government and a largely Christian group in the southern Sudan. But Franklin Graham is also expressing concern over the sincerity of the government's intentions. Graham says he has reasons to be ...
28 May 2004
Christian Mississippi Guard Member Leaves Childrens Ministry for Military Mission Field
A Christian member of the Mississippi National Guard said he had to pray about his decision to re-enlist in the military because he knew it would affect his ministry at church. But he found out God had a new ministry ready for him. Staff Sergeant Geoff Wagner recently shipped out for his annual tr ...
28 May 2004
Democrat Ready for Challenge of Texas Redistricting Plan
A member of the Blue Dog Coalition of congressional Democrats says even though he is a target of Republican redistricting, he intends to win re-election in his new district. Charles Stenholm was first elected to Congress in 1978. He is now the 29th most senior member of the U.S. House, and the ran ...
28 May 2004
Liberal Talk Radio Experiment, Air America, In Serious Trouble - Media Silent on Subject
It appears the liberal talk-radio experiment known as Air America has run into some severe turbulence. Have you heard the news? Chances are you've not. It only took two weeks for Air America to lose two of the largest markets in the country. Top management has fled. But major news outlets that ...