Christian News Brief Monthly Archive - Sep 2004
1 Sep 2004
Liberal Minister Blasts Republicans for Supposedly Using Cross on RNC Lectern
The minister of the liberal Manhattan church where former President Clinton preached last Sunday says Republicans have gone too far by placing crosses on the national convention stage. GOP officials say his eyes are playing tricks on him, but Rev. James Forbes of the Riverside Church says images of ...
1 Sep 2004
Terry Schiavo Case Hands of Florida Supreme Court
The case of Terry Schiavo is now in the hands of the Florida Supreme Court. Schiavo is a severely disabled woman who has been the subject of a major battle over who decides when a human being should be allowed to live. Her husband Michael believes he should be able to make that call. But Terri's pa ...
1 Sep 2004
Michican Canvassing Board Continues to Deny Residents Right to Vote on Marriage Ammendment
For the second time in a week, the canvassing board in Michigan has not been able to come to an agreement on whether to place a marriage amendment on the ballot this fall. Once again, the two Democrats on the boar ...
1 Sep 2004
Louisiana Constitutional Ammendment Vote Nearing - Lawsuits are Flying
Marriage traditionalists in Louisiana have also had their hands full dealing with challenges by homosexual activists to that state's scheduled September 18 vote on a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to a man and a woman and prohibiting "civil unions." But those pushing for the amendment ...
1 Sep 2004
Ohio Supports Traditional Marriage - Gay Activists Challenge Petitions
An Ohio pro-family advocate says homosexual activists hate democracy because any form of government that favors majority rule does not help further their agenda. A recent poll found that at least 56 percent of Ohio residents who said they are likely to vote in November say they would support a const ...
1 Sep 2004
Massachusetts Pastor Says New England a Spiritually Dark Area of Country
A Massachusetts pastor says New England is a spiritually dark area of the country. George Small is pastor of Horizon Christian Fellowship in Fitchburg. He says he is concerned about the direction in which New England's spiritual beliefs are heading. He says evangelical Christians are an increasingl ...
1 Sep 2004
Google Censoring Group Opposed to Homosexuality
The head of a Christian apologetics group says Google, the Internet search engine, needs to hold itself to its own standards when making judgment calls. In August, Google removed a paid advertisement from the group Stand to Reason because, in Google's opinion, the organization's website was a "ha ...
1 Sep 2004
"Not in the Name of Islam"
The Council on American-Islamic Relations says more than 600,000 people have signed its online petition denouncing beheadings and massacres committed in the name of Islam. The petition, which was first posted in May, states that "those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Is ...
2 Sep 2004
RNC Conservatives Voice Muted But Heard
While conservative Christian leaders have been shunned by the planners of the Republican National Convention, some pro-family representatives remain pleased with what they have seen in New York City so far.
2 Sep 2004
Michael W. Smith to Perform Before Bush Speech
You might call it a command performance. Before President Bush takes the stage for his acceptance speech at the GOP convention, Christian singer Michael W. Smith will perform a song written at the president's request. Smith -- a longtime friend of the president and his family -- recalls that a few ...
2 Sep 2004
Fresno Church Wins Property in Court
A Fresno congregation that severed ties with the United Methodist Church has been granted ownership of its church property by a California appeals court. Secular courts usually side with control by denominations when -- like the Methodists -- they have "connectional" rather than "congregational" ...
3 Sep 2004
RNC Demonstrations Degrade into Roving Band of Thugs
Pro-family advocates say there is one aspect of the Republican National Convention that went virtually unreported by the mainstream press. American Conservative Union president Richard Lessner says that after massive demonstrations failed, those protesting the convention tried a lesser tactic. He sa ...
3 Sep 2004
Louisiana Congressman Supported FMA Before Party Switch
A Louisiana congressman who has taken a lot of heat for switching to the Republican Party says he led the effort for a national marriage amendment a long time before deciding to leave the Democratic Party. Despite his controversial last-minute switch to the GOP, polls show Rodney Alexander remains a ...
3 Sep 2004
5 Million in Grants for Workforce Investment Boards
United States Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced $5,808,813 in grants to Workforce Investment Boards to partner with local faith-based and community organizations. The grants will provide employment assistance to disadvantaged individuals throughout the U.S. "The president and I are commit ...
3 Sep 2004
Archbishop of Canterbury Remarks Clarified
A conservative Anglican theologian says recent comments by the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding the doctrine of salvation did not compromise the gospel in a pluralistic context. While at the three-day Greenbelt Festival in England, Archbishop Rowan Williams said he believes Jesus is the way, the t ...
3 Sep 2004
Author Says Racial Profiling a Legitimate National Security Policy
A best-selling author hopes her new book will convince Americans that current "racial profiling" is – and always has been – a legitimate national security policy. New York Times best-selling author Michelle Malkin has done a great deal of research into one of the most controversial events of the S ...
3 Sep 2004
Florida Prepares for Frances
As Florida is preparing for Hurricane Frances, residents prepare with a combination of faith and urgent action. According to Associated Press reports, Governor Jeb Bush says he and a lot of other people "are praying right now that this storm moves in a different direction." Meanwhile, the
3 Sep 2004
Choice of RNC Singers Praised
Who was – and who wasn't – singing at the Republican National Convention last night sends a good message to American youth. Among those included were Dove Award-winning Nicole C. Mullen who opened the convention by singing our national anthem. Just before Bush's acceptance speech, Michael W. Smith ...
3 Sep 2004
Reverend Bobby Welch Making House Calls
Reverend Bobby Welch, the president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is out doing door-to-door evangelism this week in New England. The northeast is home to just 23,000 of the convention's 16.3 million members. His goal is to baptize one million Americans a year. Welch says, Southern Baptists ar ...
7 Sep 2004
Local Houston Architects Pressured to Not do Business with Planned Parenthood
In Texas, the Houston Coalition for Life is putting pressure on local architects, hoping they will not do business with Planned Parenthood. The abortion provider is seeking designs for a 45,000-square-foot facility in that city. The Coalition has sent out more than a thousand letters to architects a ...
7 Sep 2004
Christian Camp Counselors Remembered
Two Christian camp counselors killed on a California beach have been remembered by family and friends for their love of God and nature. A weekend memorial service was held in Coshocton, Ohio, near Lindsay Cutshall's hometown. There still aren't any suspects in last month's shooting of the 23-year ...
7 Sep 2004
John Kerry Addresses National Baptist Convention USA
Senator John Kerry is scheduled to address the nation's largest black religious denomination at their convention this week in New Orleans. The Democratic presidential nominee plans a Thursday speech to the National Baptist Convention U.S.A., which claims more than seven million members. President B ...
7 Sep 2004
Some Conservative Messages Got Through at RNC
A pro-family leader says despite reported efforts to keep social issues out of speeches at the Republican National Convention some conservative messages did get through. For pro-family activist Genevieve Wood of the Family Research Council, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's speech on defending t ...
7 Sep 2004
Left Wing Media Covers RNC as Predicted
A conservative media watchdog says the left wing media did exactly what he expected it would do during last week's Republican National Convention in New York. Last month Tim Graham, director of the Media Research Center (MRC), predicted the mainstream media would treat President George Bush much di ...
7 Sep 2004
Teacher Unions "National Strike Strategy&quo;
A former Washington State legislator is exposing a tactic he calls teachers unions' "national strike strategy." Public school districts in Indiana, Oregon, and Pennsylvania are on the verge of imminent teacher strikes. According to Bob Williams, president of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, the ...
7 Sep 2004
Running a Business is More than a Job
Anne Beiler, owner of Auntie Anne's pretzels says running a business is more than a job, especially for a Christian entrepreneur. Beiler started her soft pretzel company as a humble farmer's market stand in Pennsylvania in 1988, and now the company has over 800 locations worldwide. However, she as ...
8 Sep 2004
Swiftboat Vets Ads Sunk Kerry's Boat
Media watchdog Tim Graham says there is little doubt that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's poll numbers began to fall when a series of ads from a Vietnam veterans group hit the air waves earlier this summer. "I think most people would tell you that that must be a big reason as to why ...
8 Sep 2004
Bush the Premiere World Leader in War Against AIDS
President George W. Bush is getting praise for taking the lead against a foe that is claiming thousands of lives daily. The United States Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Randy Tobias, says Bush has become the premiere world leader in the war against AIDS and HIV infection, and his commitment of ...
8 Sep 2004
Tom Daschle's Seat in Question
The former South Dakota congressman who is challenging Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle's re-election bid is expecting a higher Republican turnout during this November's elections because of the presidential race. The Washington Times reported Friday that polls show Republican John Thune has bee ...
8 Sep 2004
Two Thirds of Alabama Residents Support Ten Commandments Display
A new poll suggests that more than two-thirds of Alabama residents support public displays of the Ten Commandments. But a majority of those surveyed by Auburn University say the issue championed by former Chief Justice Roy Moore has received too much attention. The issue was thrust into the public s ...
8 Sep 2004
National Commentator Says War on Terror is Truly Against Islam
A national commentator says the tragedy in Russia, where Islamic Chechen terrorists slaughtered over 300 people -- many of them children -- is the latest incident in a war very few people recognize. Columnist and talk-show host Don Feder believes such terrorist murders as have been reported in the p ...
8 Sep 2004
Religious Judge has Sentence Overturned
Religious comments by a Nebraska judge have again resulted in a sentence of a child molester being overturned. The Nebraska Court of Appeals has vacated the 15-to-50-year prison sentence of Jay Bruna, a former school bus driver who molested a child on his bus. The court based its reversal on the fac ...
8 Sep 2004
New Book: "A Meeting in the Ladies Room"
A self-published Christian author and longtime abstinence educator in Atlanta, Georgia, is celebrating the debut of her new book that targets an often-overlooked audience -- urban teen girls. A Meeting in the Ladies Room
9 Sep 2004
Texas Republican Says Patriot Act Eroding Peoples Liberties
A Texas congressman claims the federal government has used the 9-11 terrorist attacks on America as an excuse to erode more of the people's liberties. Republican Ron Paul has been concerned over the government's primary legislative tool in fighting terrorism, the Patriot Act. He feels this law is ...
9 Sep 2004
Black Ministers Confront Congressional Black Caucus on FMA
Dozens of black ministers seeking a constitutional ban on homosexual "marriage" have had a heated confrontation with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. At a Capitol Hill news conference, the ministers said most caucus members refuse to support the Federal Marriage Amendment and will not ev ...
9 Sep 2004
Procter and Gamble Pressuring Employees to Support Homosexuality?
An Ohio pro-family leader says the Procter and Gamble company is pressuring its employees to support an immoral lifestyle. He believes P&G has become involved in the homosexual quest to gain special rights based on their lifestyle choice. In Cincinnati, homosexual activists are attempting to have a ...
9 Sep 2004
New USA Today/CNN/Gallup polls Show Bush Lead
New USA Today/CNN/Gallup polls show President George W. Bush has clear leads in two key states. In Missouri, the president has pulled in front of Democrat John Kerry, with Bush leading 55 to 41 percent, a margin of 14 percentage points. And in Ohio, where Bush trailed Kerry before the Republican Nat ...
9 Sep 2004
School Superintendent Refuses to Settle Ten Commandments Lawsuit
A Missouri superintendent has refused to sign a proposed settlement of a federal lawsuit challenging display of the Ten Commandments in a school cafeteria. Humansville School Superintendent Greg Thompson, who was plac ...
9 Sep 2004
FBI in Hot Water with ACLU Over Questioning Muslims
A syndicated columnist and best-selling author says the Federal Bureau of Investigation is being called to task by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups simply for seeking volunteer information at U.S. mosques. Michelle Malkin says the FBI is in trouble because it has sent its agents i ...
9 Sep 2004
Terrorism Expert Points out Muslim Terrorists Perpetrated Russian Slaughter
A terrorism expert is drawing attention to the fact that the recent massacre of men, women, and children in the Russian hostage incident was largely the work of Muslim terrorists. Jim Phillips of the Heritage Foundation says the facts cannot ...
10 Sep 2004
Some Pro-Lifers Feel Constitutional Amendment on Partial Birth Abortion Necessary
Now that a third federal judge has struck down the law banning partial-birth abortions, some pro-lifers are calling for a constitutional amendment protecting all life. Pro-life activist Judie Brown of
10 Sep 2004
The Passion Touches the Homeless
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ has been shown to homeless people on two large screens under a bridge in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. About 400 homeless people quietly watched the film graphically depicting Jesus' arrest, trial and crucifixion. Volunteers from local churches ministered to ...
10 Sep 2004
Birth Rates Decline Except Among People of Faith
The author of the book The Empty Cradle (Basic Books, 2004) says that birth statistics in the United States show an interesting trend that may play a significant role in the future of American politics. Phillip Longman says that birth rates in the nation and worldwide are declining -- except in the ...
10 Sep 2004
Constitution Party Running on the Freedom to Acknowledge God
A "third" political party running candidates in this year's U.S. presidential election says the very first plank in its platform is the freedom to acknowledge and worship God. There has been a lot of talk lately about party platforms, what is in them and what is not. The Constitution Party, one o ...
10 Sep 2004
Congress Pressured to Pass the House of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act
Black pastors demanding a constitutional ban on homosexual "marriage" also want Congress to pass the Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act. The legislation, introduced by Republican Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina, has 165 cosponsors. It would allow preachers to address politica ...
10 Sep 2004
Some Disappointed with Alan Keyes Reparations Plan
The founder and president of a conservative black think tank says he is disappointed that former ambassador and media commentator Alan Keyes is pushing a reparations plan that would exempt African American descendants of slaves from paying federal income taxes. Keyes, who is currently campaigning to ...
10 Sep 2004
Islamic Community Beginning to Show Internal Self-Criticism as Terrorists Violence Rises
A September 8 report in the New York Times notes that some members of the Islamic community are starting to respond to worldwide Muslim terrorist violence with internal self-criticism. The recent tragic school siege in Russia, which left hundreds of adults and children dead or wounded, has touched o ...
10 Sep 2004
Powell Levels Genocide Charge in Darfur Region in Sudan
A U.S. State Department official says the government of the Sudan has used its army and air force to assist Arab terrorist cells in that country. On Thursday, Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that genocide has been committed in the Darfur region of the Suda ...
13 Sep 2004
Christian.com Debuts
It is conceivably the most highly sought-after Internet domain name in the Christian marketplace -- and Christian.com hopes to live up to the expectations of such a website. In fact, Christian.com president Lee Raney says they have set the b ...
13 Sep 2004
Conflict Still Rampant Among Episcopalians
Virginia Episcopalians who reject their bishop's support for homosexual relationships are bringing in former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey to preside at a confirmation ceremony this Wednesday. Hundreds are to be confirmed from 11 parishes that do not recognize the ministry of Virginia Bisho ...
13 Sep 2004
Catholic Church Gives in on Support of Wayward Candidates
A high-ranking Vatican official is giving Roman Catholics some leeway in voting for politicians who support abortion rights. The Washington Post reports that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's arbiter of doctrinal orthodoxy, has written to U.S. Catholic leaders to clarify when a Catholic can ...
13 Sep 2004
National Organization of Women Honored with "Destruction of the Black Family Award"
A group of black pro-lifers has presented a dubious honor to the National Organization of Women, choosing to award that organization with the inaugural "Destruction of the Black Family Award." The National Black Pro-Life Congress says NOW is worthy of the award because it "promotes an attitude of ...
13 Sep 2004
Bishop T.D. Jakes Becoming America's Multi-Media Minister
One of America's most prominent black preachers, Bishop T.D. Jakes, is fast becoming America's multi-media minister. The Dallas pastor, singer, evangelist and playwright will release his first dramatic film -- "Woman Thou Art Loosed" -- into hundreds of theaters nationwide a few weeks from now. ...
13 Sep 2004
Change Good for Point of Grace
The Christian singing foursome known as Point of Grace has gone through some changes in their 14 years as a group. But one member says those changes have helped them reach out. Heather Payne says that a new ministry has sprung from the change ...
13 Sep 2004
National Holiday Celebrating Marriage
A new national holiday celebrating marriage has been proposed by an advocacy group called the "Traditional Marriage Club." Spokesman Lee Wilson says the response to the proposal has pleased organizers, but they aren't satisf ...
13 Sep 2004
Pastor Slapped with Contempt for Refusing to Close Daycare
A Tennessee pastor has been found in contempt of court for not stopping daily child care as ordered by a judge. Pastor Harold Frelix, Sr., and Priest Lake Community Baptist Church of Nashville refused to register as a daycare provider months ago. Tennessee state law says anyone caring for more than ...
13 Sep 2004
Keyes Has Support Despite Reparations Plan
A prominent black pastor and conservative activist says despite his disagreement with Alan Keyes on the subject of reparations, he would vote for the Republican Senatorial candidate from Illinois over his Democrati ...
13 Sep 2004
Despite Leading in Polls, Election Far from Over
A conservative publisher and political activist says despite the fact that President George W. Bush is leading in all the major polls, the election is far from over. He says the election will be determined by whoever can get the vote out. David Horowitz heads up the California-based Center for the S ...
14 Sep 2004
Dr. Adrian Rogers to Retire
A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention will soon step down from the pulpit. Dr. Adrian Rogers has announced his plans to retire in the spring of 2005 as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis, Tennessee. During a news conference, Rogers said he felt Bellevue needed a younger pa ...
14 Sep 2004
Al Gore Under Fire
Former Vice President Al Gore is under fire for comments he made in this month's issue of New Yorker magazine in which he compares President George W. Bush's version of Christianity to radical Islam. In the article, Gore stated the following about the president's public demonstrations of faith: ...
14 Sep 2004
New Political Party: Lighthouse Party
Disgruntled by what he sees as the "dangerous beliefs of the extreme left-wing liberalism" in America -- and focused on motivating Christians to move from the sidelines into the fray -- Steven Remington has launched a new political party. The Lighthouse Party focuses on Christian principles and h ...
14 Sep 2004
People Need Spiritual and Physical Help Battling High Blood Pressure
A spokesman for the Christian Medical Association says people need to take care of more than just their physical body to help prevent high blood pressure. Dr. David Fisher says the spiritual life of a person needs to be checked as well. He says there may be underlying spiritual tension that demand ...
14 Sep 2004
US or Israel May Need to Destroy Iran Nuclear Threat
The head of a Jerusalem-based Christian ministry believes Israel or the United States will ultimately have to destroy Iran's nuclear production facility before the fanatical regime there can produce a bomb. Clarence Wagner, the international chairman and president of Bridges for Peace, says his mi ...
14 Sep 2004
Servicemen Not Tolerating Kerry Service Record Embellishment
A retired Air Force pilot and former military attaché to Bill Clinton says veterans across the U.S. are not tolerating John Kerry's embellishment of his military service record in order to advance his political career. Lt. Col. Buzz Patterson recently published his second book, titled Reckless Dis ...