Watchman #94

With Israel facing one of the gravest threats to its existence, many Christians in America are wondering how they can help the Jewish state. This week in Washington, thousands of Christians and Jews banded together to do just that.

With Hezbollah firing Iranian and Syrian-supplied rockets throughout northern Israel and international condemnation building against Israel's response, it seems that other than President Bush, Israel has very few allies right now. But Tuesday night in Washington, thousands of Christians and Jews gathered to prove that idea wrong. The first annual Christians United for Israel Summit played host to an overflow crowd with one unified message: Israel is not alone.

Rev. John Hagee is pastor of Cornerstone church in San Antonio and author of the book, Jerusalem Countdown, hosted the event.

“We organized Christians united for Israel for the purpose of giving every pro-Israel church and Christian in America the opportunity to speak up and stand up for Israel,” Hagee said. “Christians have a bible mandate to support Israel materially, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem in Psalm 22 and to stand up and speak up for Israel in Isaiah 62.

Hagee said Israel is currently facing the most formidable array of enemies it has ever seen. He and others were at the event, including the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa) agreed that Iran is the greatest threat facing Israel and the world today. With that in mind, Christians from every state who've gathered for the summit are meeting this week with U.S. Senators and congressmen in Washington – urging them to stand with Israel.

“Christians understand that the threats facing Israel today are the same threats facing america today. Israel's enemies are America's enemies,” said David Brog of Christians United for Israel.

But a former Israeli general said there's an even greater reason to support Israel.

“Why support israel?” Shimon Erem asked. “Well, there are many reasons. There are biblical reasons, etc. But, I think one of the main reasons should be that we are on the side of God – and God supports Israel.

Pastor Hagee said this event is only the beginning. He's planning a national night to honor Israel in cities across America. And judging by tonight's turnout, he'll have plenty of support from Christians –and Jews.

Back

Rumblings of Revival in New York City

July 24 2006 Prophecy News Watch

Before 9/11, New York City was known as a tough place to evangelize. Some considered its skyscrapers towers to materialism and greed; it shared the crown with Las Vegas as America's "Sin City."

There were those who expected the terror attacks of 9/11 to crush whatever spirit the Big Apple had. But instead, it may have helped spur the rumbles of revival some have already detected in New York City.

Paul DeVries of the New York Divinity School aims to train leaders for revival and awakening. "There's ripeness in the air," DeVries said. "We had the wake-up call with 9/11, but no awakening yet. But I think the seeds are still there."

DeVries said 9/11 opened up hearts. He said, "There was a great interest in understanding more about, 'what is eternal life?' and 'who is God?'"

Ready to answer those questions are thousands of churches that minister to New Yorkers from literally every tribe and tongue.

Dale Irvin, a professor of World Christianity at New York Theological Seminary, said there are about 8, 000 churches in New York City.

He also said there's a sort of slow-motion revival that has been going on for the last few decades, much of it fueled by the flood of Third World citizens emigrating to the metropolis -- many of them deliberate "reverse missionaries."

American missionaries brought the gospel to their native lands, and now they have come here to return the favor.

South Korean Jimmy Lim has the overview from his position with the New York City Council of Churches. He said, "There are approximately 500 Korean churches alone."

"We now count some 150 African churches in New York City," Irvin said.

Pastor Abraham Oyedeji started Christ Apostolic Church 20 years ago in a small home. He said many Africans have seen miracles and now his congregation fills a handsome Brooklyn church. They celebrate that God is still almighty and, "still has the power to perform miracles and wonders now."

And that power's on display across the city.

"There isn't a Sunday goes by that there aren't testimonies of miracles taking place," Irvin said.

DeVries agrees. "People want something that works," he said. "They don't want to just sit around and hear some nice chit-chat."

He believes New Yorkers are wooed by the passion for Christ many Third World Christians feel.

"A lot of the African immigrants and South American immigrants are passionate Christians," he said.

But Korean and Chinese churches are also booming in the big city, and Lim thinks he knows why: "Because they are holding very steadily to the Word of God."

Irvin said immigrants are the number one source of revival in the city, but the number two source is businessmen.

New York has already seen revival in the past, but it did not come from the churches. It started with a group of businessmen praying near Wall Street.

Bruce Berliner helps lead a Wednesday noon prayer-time held literally underground near today's Wall Street. He's also the author of Wall Street Revival in Progress, and he said in 1857 -- about a hundred yards from where today's pray-ers meet -- "a lay preacher by the name of Jeremiah Lamphier fell on his knees and said 'Lord, what would you have me do?'"

Berliner led us along a Wall Street alley and down a dark stairway through narrow underground hallways to the underground prayer-place. He recounted how in 1857 the Lord told Lamphier to hold a noontime prayer meeting at Wall Street; just like Berliner says God told him and a couple of other lay pastors to do.

At the time, they did not even know about Lamphier, and the fact that his meeting was so close to where theirs is now, nor did they know that Lamphier's meeting kicked off a massive prayer revival that eventually brought two million people to the Lord across America and Europe.

Some call it the country's last Great Awakening.

Berliner and the others who meet in this underground church were very excited when they learned all this about Lamphier, and they're praying their mostly unseen efforts of today will help kick off the next great awakening.

They think it's no accident their meeting is underground.

"It's below the surface, and at 12 noon, as it was in 1858, we are on our knees, crying out to God that he will be the root...because we are only the branches," Berliner said.

Another important branch working for revival is the Christian Cultural Center. Here some 25,000 believers are out to revive New York by transforming its culture.

Pastor A.R. Barnard believes the way to lift a city higher is to expose its citizens to higher things.

He said, I've learned that people think only to the level of what they're exposed to. So you've got to expose them to where you want to take them."

So his church offers safe, rigorously-disciplined schools that set high goals. And the congregation built their beautiful new mega-church right in the middle of a run-down section of Brooklyn, where they could really have an impact.

Bernard said, "When you have someone who lives in the projects, who is receiving social assistance, and they come into a building like this, then all of a sudden they're inspired to become more."

Bernard said he sees that kind of transformation in people going on everyday, and even the neighborhood is transforming.

"The prostitution is no longer in this area. The drug-trafficking has moved on." Bernard said.

But Bernard said his church wants to help transform the whole city, by targeting each of the major institutions that shape a society: "family, the church, education, politics and economics. And I've added one more: arts and entertainment."

That transformation in the Arts can be seen in what Mako Fujimura and fellow Christian artists are doing.

They are trying to live for Christ through their art and reach out to other artists with a simple but profound message:

"Your creativity...my creativity came from a Creator. And we can learn to rejoice in this, even though you may disagree or may not believe what I believe," he said.

Many Christian artists in New York meet together for study and prayer, asking God how they can better communicate Him through art.

One stunning way Mako does this is by only using paint carefully ground from precious minerals in Japan so that it captures and reflects light off his canvases.

If you think how God is light, it makes Mako's paintings communicate in a special spiritual way.

Mako said New Yorkers seemed much more open to seeing such symbolism after the shock of 9/11. And Irvin looks at the way citizens, chaplains and churches came together in and after 9/11 as crucial to revival.

"It's always a sign of any revival that there's collaboration across denominational lines," he said.

Lim concurs: "We are coming together as one."

And Berliner thinks it's no accident literally dozens of denominations are represented every Wednesday when the Wall Street workers gather to pray for revival.

And he knows it's no accident God has them praying just five short blocks from Ground Zero.

Berliner says, "It's laying the spiritual foundation before the physical foundation is poured here at Ground Zero. And that's what the Lord wants to do: he wants to bring us back to Ground Zero."

"Every place in this world is having a revival except...seemingly...the United States," he said.

Berliner would love to see it start right here in the country's biggest city.

DeVries agrees: "We really do claim New York as a city for God."

DeVries is sure revival here would have an impact on the entire nation.

"This is one-twelfth of the United States' population," he said.

So just as New York was the place where America's last great awakening began, there are now many area Christians hoping...and praying...the next one will start here, too."

Back

Prayer in Prisons/Soup Kitchens Now Ruled Unconstitutional

July 24 2006 Prophecy News Watch

Evangelical? If you run a soup kitchen, prison ministry, or a home for the mentally disabled, to stay operational you'll need to rethink — or hide — that label if U.S. District Judge Robert W. Pratt's ruling against Prison Fellowship Ministries ‘InnerChange’ is allowed to stand. Otherwise, it could very well cost your ministry a lot of money in punitive damages, or even completely shut down your outreach.

A great deal of Judge Pratt's negative ruling centers on his own concocted definition of evangelical Christianity, said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship (PFM). "His (Pratt's) definition will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, because of the erroneous nature of his definition and its caricature-like quality."

According to Judge Pratt's definition, you'll be surprised to learn that Evangelicals:

"tend to be anti-sacramental, which means it downplays the traditional sacramental Christian events — baptism, Holy Communion or Eucharist, marriage, ordination, etc. — as appropriate ways to interact or meet with God… Whereas traditional, organized religious groups, such as Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, and Lutherans, employ a structured, highly liturgical style of worship, Evangelical Christian worship is free form with individual pastors given authority to determine how services are planned. For instance, Evangelical Christians have embraced contemporary music forms and multi-media presentations" (Case 4:03-cv-90074-RP-TJS Document 367).

Does that mean contemporary music and multi-media presentations may threaten the constitutionality of charitable programs? It appears so, if Judge Pratt's ruling is allowed to stand.

Pratt also ruled:

"The Prison Fellowship and InnerChange belief in the substitutionary and atoning death of Jesus, which reflects a legalistic understanding of the sacrifice of Jesus, likewise, is not shared by many Christians… Belief in the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus is also not shared by many other, non-Evangelical Christians… Belief in an imminent, personal, and visible second coming of Jesus Christ, as held by Prison Fellowship and InnerChange, does not comport with the belief held by other non-Evangelical Christians that, if a second coming of Christ occurs, its nature is unknown, or is more spiritualized" (Case 4:03-cv-90074-RP-TJS Document 367).

And possibly most egregious of all Evangelical activities, Pratt ruled - by definition of what is believed - everything they do is construed to convert someone and is therefore unconstitutional.

Pratt's ruling came about because of a suit filed in U. S. District Court in Iowa by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a self-proclaimed Washington D.C. "liberty watchdog group," against PFM and InnerChange specifically.

InnerChange is a highly structured program run by PFM in ten states that receives tax dollars to educate prisoners academically as well as help with job placement and life skills. It is proven by a study (2004 University of Pennsylvania Center for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society) to dramatically reduce recidivism. While tax monies are used for non-sectarian purposes, 60 percent of InnerChange's budget is made up of donations. But the heart of the suit is InnerChange's bedrock principal that real change comes through the teachings of Jesus Christ, which is now ruled to be a disqualifier for faith-based initiative dollars.

Said Earley: "If this definition is allowed to stand, others — lawyers and courts — can define Evangelical Christianity in an erroneous and caricature-ish way 'as trying to convert someone,' and set the stage for any evangelical ministry in any setting connected with the government -- whether a soup kitchen or a home for the mentally disabled, Salvation Army, or the services provided by Catholic Charities to adults in public institutions that have requested religious services -- to be ruled against anytime there is a challenge to the establishment clause."

In a groundbreaking move, to add more teeth to his ruling and further discourage Evangelical-faith-based partnerships, Pratt has ruled that InnerChange must reimburse $1.5 million to the state of Iowa and that the program be discontinued.

But the use of tax money by an Evangelical group does not seem to be Pratt's bedrock complaint – that is religion et al.

"Even if this program in Iowa was fully funded by private dollars," said Earley, "in Pratt's opinion it would be unconstitutional. This has far-ranging ramifications for any religious group. We're providing religious services and ministry to prisoners. But his ruling means that no one can provide religious services to anyone in a governmental setting, even if it is fully funded by private dollars."

In essence, the same federal courts that took religion out of the schools are now determined to take religion — and hope — out of prisons. There is hope that Pratt's ruling will be reversed upon appeal. If it is, it will be the only way prisoners in America will have a prayer.

Back

Democracy / Security

Iran: Israel's End Near -- Are We Next?

July 24 2006 Christian Newswire

WASHINGTON, Mahmound Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, said Sunday that “Israel pushed the button of its own destruction by attacking Lebanon.”

In Tehran, the Iranian government has approved billboards which say it is the duty of every Muslim to help “wipe out” Israel. That type of thinking doesn’t sound like a government not involved in a war against Israel.

Ahmadinejad has also said, “Britain and the United States are accomplices of the Zionist regime’s crimes in Lebanon and Palestine.”

“The truth of the matter is that radical Muslims are our enemies,” said Don Swarthout, President of Christian’s Reviving America’s Values. “I really hate to say it, but it is true anyhow. Our enemies are the radical Muslims who want to kill the ‘Infidels’ who do not agree with the Islamic religion.”

“Radical Muslims have been preparing for an all out war against the United States and they have been telling us that for years,” Swarthout added.

It has been reported that Iran founded Hezbollah, which has built numerous concrete bunkers 100 feet deep in Lebanon. If that is true, then we can see just how real these threats are, which the radical Muslims are obviously prepared to try and deliver. They have been warning us about this for years.

The Israeli troops are having a very difficult time fighting against the Hezbollah organization and Israeli soldiers say they are surprised by the determination of the Hezbollah fighters. This is still more proof, the radical Muslims are ready for an all out war.

We must win this war, or it may be all over. Some leaders are talking about diplomatic means as a way to end the fighting, but we have already tried that for almost 60 years. Others say that we can either fight or run and if we run we will only put the inevitable off for a very short while.

“The time is now or we will face an even bigger problem in the future. We can either fight now or we will face being defeated later,” Swarthout said. Major General Burton Moore retired from the US Air Force agreed and said, “If we don’t get this under control now, it will just happen again.”

Congressman Dan Burton from Indiana said, “If we don’t take care of this right now we are just postponing the inevitable. The UN is incapable of dealing with Hezbollah.”

The Muslim population is now 25% of the world’s population. Muslims live in every corner of the earth, including the United States. The Muslims are already here in America and they continue to cross our borders everyday. Why President Bush will not secure our border is a total mystery.

Maybe our president thinks we can handle any force that comes against us, but as the Israeli’s are finding out, that may not be as easy as it sounds.

Hezbollah, Hamas and other radical Muslim groups have been getting stronger and stronger every year. Meanwhile, America seems to be afraid to deal with them and seems to hope they will go away. “The truth is, they are never going to go away on their own,” said Swarthout.

Back

The United Nations now wants to impose a whole new level of global taxes on U.S.

July 23 2006 J. William Lauderback Executive Vice President the American Conservative Union

"Hold on to your wallets because the United Nations now wants to impose a whole new level of global taxes on us."

Those were the words of Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) and make no mistake --this threat is very real and imminent!

That's why Paul just succeeded in getting an amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriations bill passed, "that prohibits the Treasury from paying [UN] dues if the UN attempts to implement or impose any kind of tax on US citizens."

And that's why Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) has just proposed the Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006 which withholds a significant portion of United States funding from the United Nations, "if it advocates, promotes or tries to impose global taxes on U.S. citizens..."

But we're not out of the woods yet because passage of the Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006 IS NOT ASSURED in the Senate!

Tax and spend liberals like Ted Kennedy and John Kerry believe in the mission of the corrupt United Nations and they believe MORE of your hard earned money should fund Oil-for-Food scams, third world prostitution rings in Bosnia and child-predator Internet schemes in the Congo!

And they will work tirelessly to PREVENT the Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006 from ever going to the President's desk! In fact, only one Democrat -- Senator Ben Nelson -- has had the courage to break-away from his tax and spend liberal colleagues and co-sponsor this vital legislation.

Why is passing the Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006 so important when it comes to maintaining our national sovereignty and our way of life?

Here's what Ron Paul had to say: "The UN continues to build the foundation for global government, and a worldwide tax is the key to their entire agenda. This is not hyperbole-in fact the UN's own website is quite open about the organization's ambitions. The UN has established a system of international laws and international courts; now it needs an enforcement mechanism in the form of an international army. If UN bureaucrats succeed in creating a worldwide tax, they will become totally unaccountable to national governments and their citizens."

"The UN has sought to impose a global tax for years. The infamous 'Tobin Tax,' imposed on cross-border currency transactions, has been the dream of UN Globalists since the late 1970s. The Tobin Tax was designed to create an independent source of funding for UN bureaucrats, who resent having to rely on what they see as paltry UN dues paid by member nations. A tax on currency exchanges conservatively would raise $300 billion annually, giving the UN an ongoing stream of income."

And here's what Senator Inhofe said when he proposed the Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006: "By collecting enormous global taxes on top of our regular contributions, the U.N. would be accountable to no one. The United Nations' abuse of international trust, rampant corruption and widespread waste are now all well known. Allowing this clearly dysfunctional institution to further extract U.S. dollars is absurd. Permitting this would condone the U.N.'s long sought after goal of U.N.-led global governance - something not in the Unites States' best interests."

"The United States already pays 27 percent of the U.N. peacekeeping budget and 22 percent of the regular U.N. dues and special assessments, the majority of which our government tracks very poorly. To further loosen the reigns on the U.N. would be disastrous. We cannot allow this group to further finance their waste, fraud and abuse on the backs of Americans."

That's why our legislators need to hear from your -- TODAY! The Protection against United Nations Taxation Act of 2006 MUST pass!

And it will only happen if you make your voice heard NOW!

Back

Family / Social

Senate backs curb on minors' travel for abortion

July 25 2006 Joanne Kenen, Reuters

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday easily passed a bill making it a crime to transport a pregnant minor across state lines for an abortion to evade parental notification rules in her home state.

WASHINGTON, the bill, approved 65-34, must be reconciled with the version passed by the U.S. House of Representatives before it goes to President George W. Bush, who strongly supports it.

"Transporting minors across state lines to bypass parental consent laws regarding abortion undermines state law and jeopardizes the lives of young women," Bush said in a statement.

Backers of the legislation said that a minor cannot get an aspirin from a school nurse without parental consent and abortions should be subject to the rule. They also said the bill would protect young girls from male predators who could impregnate them and then arrange a secret abortion to cover up their actions.

But critics said the bill hurts girls who are the most vulnerable, including victims of incest or abuse. "I think it will make them fearful. I think it will make them feel alone," said California Democrat Barbara Boxer. "This bill needs a lot more work."

Fourteen Democrats joined 51 Republicans in backing it. Four Republicans joined 29 Democrats and one independent in voting against it.

The House has passed similar legislation at least four times since 1998, but opponents had maneuvered to keep it from a vote in the Senate. However, Senate anti-abortion forces gained strength in the 2004 elections and Republican leaders pushed to bring up the bill before this November's congressional elections.

Polls have found parental notification laws are popular with voters, including some who favor legal abortion.

According to Senate Republicans, at least 37 of the 50 states require parental notification or consent before an underage girl can get an abortion. Another eight states have passed laws that have been invalidated or are being contested.

This measure would make it illegal for anyone, including an aunt or grandmother, to help a pregnant minor cross state lines to circumvent those rules. The adult could be fined and face up to a year in prison. Unlike the House, the Senate bill does not hold doctors liable. Neither version changes any state laws.

New Jersey Democrats Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez tried to add an amendment to expand sex education including both abstinence and contraception to reduce teen pregnancies but it was defeated, 48-51.

The Senate did accept a bipartisan amendment limiting rights of a father who through incest had impregnated his daughter.

The anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee, which strongly supports the legislation, said circumvention of state notification laws was widespread." Indeed, many abortion clinics advertise across state lines, using 'no parental notification' as a selling point," the group said.

Abortion rights groups said dubbed the law the "Teen Endangerment Act." The American Civil Liberties Union said the bill could "restrict a young woman's ability to obtain an abortion outside her home state even in a medical emergency."

Back

Definition of Marriage Decisions Expected Soon

July 24 2006 Gary Bauer American Values

While pro-family advocates have celebrated six legal victories in defense of traditional marriage this month, we continue to wait for two rulings that could have far-reaching consequences in the national debate over the definition of marriage and there are reports that at least one decision could be handed down in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. These cases have already been argued before state supreme courts in New Jersey and Washington state but for whatever reason the justices are having a hard time issuing their decisions.

What makes these cases so important is that both states will grant marriage licenses to non-residents, unlike Massachusetts, which invoked a rarely used law to restrict the impact of same-sex “marriages” to its own residents. If homosexual activists win these cases, and New Jersey and Washington State begin issuing marriage licenses to homosexual couples from other states, then the nation will witness a flurry of litigation in the federal courts challenging the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

This is a nightmare scenario for those of us who believe marriage should not be defined by unelected judges. I don’t know about you, but I have little faith in the ability of our legal elites to uphold traditional marriage when they are willing to ban our Pledge of Allegiance and the Ten Commandments. I have far more faith in the common sense of the American people! That trust has been borne out in the successful passage of 20 state marriage protection amendments since 1998 and will likely be validated again this November when six more amendments are expected to pass overwhelmingly. Our federal representatives in Congress, however, have yet to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Fortunately, you can do something about that!

Back

North Carolina Judge Lowers Great Moral Standard

July 25 2006 Rev. Mark H. Creech Agape Press

A sheriff's dispatcher in Pender County, North Carolina, Deborah Hobbs was living with her boyfriend when Sheriff Carson Smith ordered her to marry, move out, or give up her employment. Hobbs decided to quit.

Incensed, she said in a statement: "I just didn't think it was any of my employer's business whether I was married or not, as long as I was good at my job .... I couldn't believe that I was being given this ultimatum to choose between my boyfriend or my livelihood because the sheriff was enforcing a 201-year-old law that clearly violates my civil rights."

The American Civil Liberties Union took up Hobbs' case, challenged the law's constitutionality -- and won. State Superior Court Judge Benjamin Alford of New Bern struck down the law, citing the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which knocked down Texas sodomy statutes and declared a right to sexual privacy.

The ruling by Judge Alford doesn't apply statewide and wouldn't unless it should be upheld by the Court of Appeals. It currently only affects those involved in the litigation, which includes the Pender County Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Carson Smith, Ben David, the district attorney for Pender County, and North Carolina's Attorney General, Roy Cooper. Still, the judge's ruling clearly undermined the law and will likely result in its repeal or its never being enforced.

Judge Alford's decision was judicial activism at its best. The state's lawyers rightly argued Hobbs didn't have standing in the case because she never had even been charged with a crime. Moreover, legal experts still debate the meaning of the Lawrence v. Texas case and how it applies to state law.

Nevertheless, the most egregious effect of the judge's ruling was that it lowered a great moral standard. The North Carolina Family Policy Council, in a policy paper titled, "Living Together: How Cohabitation Undermines Marriage and the Family [PDF]," writes:

"North Carolina has many laws reflecting the principle that sexual activity should be reserved for the marriage relationship. These include the crime against nature statute; the torts of alienation of affection and criminal conversation; the abstinence-until marriage law; and rape and incest laws. All of these state laws complement one another as part of a seamless state policy that emphasizes marriage as the appropriate context for sexual activity. At a minimum, North Carolina's law prohibiting cohabitation sends the message that in this state, marriage is an institution that should be encouraged and protected. Out-of-wedlock sexual activity is responsible for the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases, unwed childbirth, abortion and a host of other social ills that, if left unchecked, create significant problems for the state. Promoting marriage and sexual activity within marriage is a policy that encourages what is best for society and, in turn, what is best for the state."

Judge Alford's ruling is also significant as a reflection of the state's departure from what traditionally has been its moral compass -- the Judeo-Christian ethic. Of course, some would argue it's never right to impose one's morality on others by codifying it into law. Yet such is the very purpose of law. No public policy or legislation operates in a moral vacuum. The law has always been the means by which cultures state their values and what it is they want to protect.

The Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," which could also be correctly translated, "Thou shalt not commit sexual immorality," is the Creator's law -- an eternal verity that guards the great institution of marriage, the sanctity of the family, and the preservation of society. God didn't give this law simply because, as someone said, "Everything that's fun is either fattening or sinful." God gave this law because it's the only way that sex works properly.

John Bisagno in his book, Positive Obedience, declares: "When sex is lifted from personal physical fulfillment into the bonds of the union and sanctity of marriage where two personalities are becoming one, then it becomes a physical expression of what it is designed to be. Then it is hallowed.

Back

Students Bringing Bibles to America's Public Schools: 9th Annual Nationwide Scriptures in Schools Week September 24-30

July 20 2006 Christian Newswire

Academic Evangelism -- "Tote 'em and Quote 'em!"

TRENTON, NJ, Christian students, teachers, and support staff in public schools across America will be bringing their Bibles to class during the ninth annual "Scriptures in Schools Week" September 24- 30. Bible references will be used to complete various in-class assignments and homework. The nationwide kick-off event is designed to establish the habit for students to bring Bibles to class all year long and make the Bible a commonplace text in America's schools once again.

SIS Week complements other national student events such as “See You at The Pole” (Sept 27) and “Challenge Sunday-Adopt a School for Christ” (Sept 24). Christian parents can make it a family affair by bringing their Bibles to work for "The Word at Work Week" (Sept 24-30)

Inspired by the Great Commission and Isaiah 55:11, SIS Project is an effective, friendly, low key, legal and ethical way for Christian students in public schools to casually and routinely introduce Biblical concepts into America's public school classrooms using what SIS Coordinator Bob Pawson calls "Academic Evangelism".

"Tote 'em and quote 'em! And use 'em in class." says Pawson, a teacher in the Trenton Public Schools since 1980. “Dare to bring your Bibles. Let's return the Bible to our public schools and restore basic Biblical literacy to America's children."

Pawson says, "Academic Evangelism is legal, non- disruptive to the school, and should lead to enhanced scholarship, as well as improved student behavior. A Great Revival is occurring in a most unlikely place: America's public schools - led by teens and children."

"Academic Evangelism creates daily opportunities for students from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade to share Bible concepts with classmates and teachers in a scholarly manner. Students can present Gospel truths academically by using Biblical references to complete some assignments each week such as essays, book reports, spelling sentences, penmanship or word processing samples, oral readings, dramatic presentations, and biographies. Bible concepts can even be presented in subjects like math, science, social studies, art, and music.”

"Ironically, the only people keeping Bibles out of America's public Schools are - us Christians. All we have to do is bring them in. Let's do so. It’s a real confidence booster to participating students knowing that millions of other people all across America are also bringing their Bibles to public schools that week."

Students and teachers are encouraged to read their Bibles in class, silently or aloud (if circumstances permit), during free periods, lunch, recess, or before and after school. It is absolutely legal to do this. Students can also witness by using textbooks covers featuring the Ten Commandments or Bible verses; wearing Christian t-shirts or patches, buttons, jewelry, and neckties. Bring extra Bibles or tracts as gifts for classmates.

SIS Week is easy to implement in your church, town, school or sphere of influence. Just follow the plan on the web page. SIS Week is a "grass roots" operation which means that you (the Christian reading this press release or article) should exercise personal initiative and leadership to promote or publicize SIS Week in your sphere of influence. Don't wait for a "leader": Be one. Recruit others.

See www.bringyourbible.com for more details about the SIS Project Ministry, student legal rights, creative ideas, printable church bulletin inserts, flyers and more.

On-Air Christian radio and TV personalities are encouraged to promote SIS Week on a daily basis now through September 30. Help to activate Youth Groups in thousands of churches. Encourage Christian recording artists to promote SIS Week at their concerts.

Back

Government / Legislation

Future of Christian ministry hangs in the balance

July 26 2006 News Release Liberty Council

Men of Destiny Ministries Goes To Trial Today
Orlando, FL - Today in federal court, Liberty Counsel will go to trial on behalf of Men of Destiny Ministries, against Osceola County to protect the ministry from being shut down by the County. A trial will be held before Judge Gregory Presnell beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

‘Men of Destiny Ministries’ (MDM) is a Christian ministry that provides healing and regeneration to men who have chemical addictions to drugs and alcohol. Their 'Regeneration Program' consists of discipling men by introducing them to Jesus Christ and helping them gain freedom from addiction in order to become productive members of society. The men in this Christian discipleship ministry do not use drugs. They have come to a point in their lives where they really want to change. For many, secular programs have not yielded success. The men work during the day and have Christian discipleship meetings in the evenings Monday through Friday. During these meetings, Pastor George Shafter leads the men in prayer, teaches them about Jesus Christ, and instructs them on overcoming addictive and dependent behavior.

Osceola County attempted to shut down the 6,300 square foot home where the fourteen men are currently residing due to an obvious so-called "NIMBY" (not in my back yard) syndrome. The County's professional zoning staff recommended approving Men of Destiny Ministries, but then politics and political pressure from some neighbors influenced the elected officials to vote against the ministry because of preconceived stereotypes, and the County ordered MDM to shut down in 45 days. The County ordered the ministry to cease operations in May, but that effort was halted after Liberty Counsel filed for emergency injunction against the County. The three-day expedited trial begins today.

Anita L Staver, President of Liberty Counsel, said, "Men of Destiny Ministries transforms lives and mends broken families destroyed by drugs and alcohol. It is important for the success of the program that it be Christ-centered and residential. Osceola County has a choice - modify your stereotypes of recovering addicts and open your heart to this ministry, or lock your doors and open your jails. We will now let the courts decide. We feel confident that justice will prevail and that this Christian ministry will be able to continue mending broken lives and making productive citizens out of men whose future was once controlled by an evil addition."

Back

Washington Supreme Court Upholds Defense of Marriage

July 26 2006 Citizen Link

Justices strongly oppose legislating from the bench.

After nearly 16 months of deliberations, the Washington Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today in favor of the state's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), issuing a strong rebuke for dissenting justices who favored mandating same-sex marriage.

The case was brought by 19 gay and lesbian couples who challenged the DOMA law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Two lower courts had struck down the law, and the state's highest court heard arguments on March 8, 2005.

The majority opinion, written by Justice Barbara A. Madsen, affirmed the proper roles of the judicial and legislative branches of government.

"A judge's role when deciding a case, including the present one, is to measure the challenged law against the constitution and the cases that have applied the constitution," Madsen wrote. "Personal views must not interfere with the judge's responsibility to decide cases as a judge and not as a legislator."

Back

Parental-Rights Bill Passes Senate

July 26 2006 Wendy Cloyd assistant editor Citizen Link

But disappointed Democrats are trying to keep abortion-notification legislation from reaching the president's desk.

A measure that would make it a crime to take a minor seeking an abortion across state lines to avoid parental-involvement laws sailed through the Senate late Tuesday. But Democrats are trying to stall the bill to keep it from becoming law.

The Child Custody Protection Act (CCPA), which passed the Senate on a 65-34 vote, makes it illegal to transport a girl under 18 from a state that requires parental notification or consent to one that does not with the intention of attaining abortion services. Now the bill, which has already passed the House, has to go to a conference committee to iron out differences between the versions approved in each chamber.

But Democrats, hoping to keep the bill off President Bush's desk, are using a procedural tactic to obstruct the measure. A motion to send the bill to the committee was objected to by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the minority whip, who claimed there was too little debate on the bill and it was "premature" to finish work on the bill.

Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action, praised the Senate's passage of the bill but called Durbin's move odd.

"We are very pleased with the strong vote on the Child Custody Protection Act," she said. "It was especially good to see one-third of Democrats vote in favor of the bill. But that makes it all the more puzzling why Democrat leadership is now blocking the bill from reaching the president for signature."

Lanier Swann, director of government relations for Concerned Women for America, said getting the bill to Bush is vital.

"We must get this bill to the president's desk so parents have a means to ensure their teenage daughters are not smuggled across state lines to secretly have an abortion," she said. "We urge Senate and House conferees to put aside partisan politics and work together to produce a comprehensive bill that can quickly be placed on the President's desk for his signature."

For his part, Bush said the bill will combat a "dangerous practice" and urged Democrats to release it so he can sign it.

"Transporting minors across state lines to bypass parental-consent laws regarding abortion undermines state law and jeopardizes the lives of young women," he said. "I appreciate the Senate's efforts to preserve the integrity of state law and protect our nation's families."

Meanwhile, it is important, Banks said, that the Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Durbin hear from their constituents and others today.

"We must send them a clear message," she said, "that their obstruction must end."

TAKE ACTION
Please take a moment to contact Democrat leaders Reid and Durbin and demand that they release the Child Custody Protection Act to a conference committee so that it can continue its journey to the president's desk to become law. Since both senators are members of the chamber's leadership, you should feel free to contact them no matter what state you live in.

Sen. Harry Reid
Phone: 202-224-3542
Fax: 202-224-7327
E-mail: http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm

Sen. Richard Durbin
Phone: 202-224-2152
Fax: 202-228-0400
E-mail: http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm#contact

Back

Federal Agencies Accused of Hiring Biased Experts for Studies

July 26 2006 Alison Espach CNSNews.com Correspondent

A liberal-funded consumer advocacy group is alleging that government agencies created to provide independent, science-based advice to Congress and the president are instead offering slanted information to appease the industries being investigated.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has targeted the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a new report, accusing those agencies of appointing "biased scientists" who were funded by companies with a vested interest in the outcome of the research. These conflicts of interests, the CSPI alleges, are being hidden from the public.

However, the deputy commissioner of the FDA, who also participated in a panel discussion this week at the National Press Club, said it was essential to have scientists with industry expertise, and an environmental law expert called the CSPI criticism of the government agency scientists a "witch hunt."

The CSPI investigated the backgrounds of 320 scientists from the National Academy of Sciences who were spread out over 21 committees. One hundred thirty-six of the scientists had some ties to industry or some conflict of interest and 56 had direct financial ties to companies involved in the NAS studies, according to the CSPI.

The National Academy of Sciences was also accused of promoting a culture of bias in its appointment of 66 "pro-industry" scientists and its appointment of only nine scientists who had worked for or been connected with environmental or public interest groups.

David Michaels, a George Washington University professor, voiced concern about the growing power of industry over science, claiming that the process of approving medication, food, or national policies based on the research of these "biased" scientists is dangerous.

"The work of these experts has the same relationship to science as Arthur Andersen's work for Enron had to the government," said Michaels. "These are smart people with impressive skills that help misbehaving companies usurp the law.

"They are paid to advance a certain outcome," he added.

CSPI cited examples like the 1980 report released by the NAS Food and Nutrition Board, which told Americans that they did not need to reduce their intake of cholesterol and saturated fat, even though concern was elevating about a link between blood cholesterol levels and heart disease. It was found later that three of the members who had supported the policy statement were food company officials and two others had served as consultants to egg producers, according to CSPI.

Another example cited in the CSPI report was the "State Practices in Setting Mobile Source Emissions Standards" panel. According to the CSPI, four of the 11 members had direct financial ties to oil or vehicle industries. Ten of the 11 scientists who reviewed the "Department of Energy's Carbon Sequestration Program" had ties to carbon-emitting industries, the CSPI reported.

A Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) report from this month stated that of the 997 FDA scientists who responded to its survey, nearly one-fifth (18.4 percent) said they had been asked for non-scientific reasons "to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or my conclusions in a FDA scientific document."

Forty percent of respondents said they feared retaliation for voicing safety concerns in public, while 47 percent said they thought the "FDA routinely provides complete and accurate information to the public."

Debate on the subject was sparked when FDA scientists complained that their findings on the painkilling drug Vioxx, manufactured by Merck & Co., were dismissed. Vioxx was later taken off the market after being linked to increasing cardiovascular problems.

Michaels suggested that any scientists who have worked for or received money from an industry within the past five years should be barred from voting on panels related to that industry because they cannot be "impartial." He also demanded that all conflicts of interest be disclosed to the public.

The CSPI's website lists as its first funding source for Fiscal Year 2004 the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation. The Foundation dispenses grants to leftist environmental and public policy groups and gave the CSPI $225,000 between 1990 and 2002, according to the website ActivistCash.com.

Scott Gottlieb, M.D., deputy commissioner of the FDA, said it is essential that scientists with ties to certain industries serve on panels because their experience and familiarity with the product under question makes them "experts."

He argued that it would be impossible to keep these scientists off panels because they are chosen one to four years in advance and they "do not know what issues will arise." Gottlieb also said this kind of "a priori" exclusion of "expertise scientists" would dramatically decrease the amount of qualified scientists available.

Legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.), which would prohibit the FDA from appointing scientists with conflicts of interest to advisory panels passed the House in May.

Frederick Anderson, attorney and former head of the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Law Institute, said CSPI is "just wrong" in their accusations and that this type of law would cause severe damage to the scientific community.

"It resembles a witch hunt," Anderson said. "To me this report is perhaps the journalistic equivalent claiming to achieve cold fusion."

Back

Life issues / Behavior

Lubbock, Texas, Plans to Pray for Rain

July 24 (UPI) United Press International

LUBBOCK, Texas, July 24 (UPI) -- Public officials in Lubbock, Texas, have organizing a day to pray for rain.

"Nobody is going to tell God what to do and what not to do, but we are in a serious drought in West Texas and since he is the man who controls the rain clouds, we're asking him for his mercy and his help," Mayor David Miller told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

The City Council and the Lubbock County commissioners are expected to adopt resolutions this week asking local residents to both pray and fast for rain this Sunday.

So far this year, Lubbock has received about half of its normal 10 inches. In the weeks since June 1, the growing season for cotton, rainfall has been a scant .75 inches, far less than the normal 4.43 inches.

Officials have tried prayers before and say they were answered. In January 2004, after a year of drought, the city and county set aside a Sunday to pray for rain and got the second-wettest year since records have been kept.

Back

Philadelphia May Evict Boy Scouts Council over Its Policy Against Gay Leaders

July 22 2006 Fox News

PHILADELPHIA — ‘The city of brotherly love’ said it will evict a Boy Scout council from its publicly owned headquarters or make the group pay a fair rent price unless it changes its policy on gays.

The Boy Scouts' Cradle of Liberty Council, the countries third-largest, has been battling with the city for more than three years over the policy, which like the national Scouts organization forbids gays from being leaders.

City Solicitor Romulo L. Diaz Jr. wrote a letter to William T. Dwyer III, president of the Cradle of Liberty Council, stating that the council's "discriminatory policies" violate city policy and law, and that city officials have not been assured the group will not discriminate.

Unless the city gets a "fair-market rent agreement," the council will be evicted, the letter says.

The group has made its headquarters on a half-acre owned by the city in the upscale Philadelphia Art Museum area since 1928, when the city council voted to allow the Scouts to use the property rent-free "in perpetuity." The Scouts pay for building upkeep.

Council spokesman Jeff Jubelirer questioned the timing of the city's move.

"With an epidemic of gun violence taking the lives of Philadelphia's children every day, it is ironic the administration chose this time to destroy programming that services 40,000 children in the city," Jubelirer said.

Stacey Sobel, executive director of Philadelphia's Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, said she's pleased the city is taking action.

"If they are going to discriminate, the taxpayers shouldn't be subsidizing it," Sobel said.

The Boy Scouts of America's policy on gay leaders was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2000.

Back

Harvard Applicants May Now Declare Third "Gender" on their enrollment application

July 26 2006 Terry Vanderheyden LifeSiteNews.com

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, the Harvard Business School has introduced a change to its application--prospective students are now asked to describe their gender as "male", "female", or "transgender" in an online profile they are required to fill out.

Concerned Women for America's Culture and Family Institute (CFI) director Bob Knight criticized the move to introduce and legitimize the third so-called "gender." "I'm not surprised it's coming out of Harvard," he said, as reported by Agape Press. "Because they've flirted with the idea that, in terms of sexuality, anything goes." He also expressed his concern that this was only the beginning of something that could become much larger: "They've given intellectual respectability to it. That kind of thing trickles down to other institutions."

Knight explained, "The foundation of the transgender movement is the homosexual activist movement because their interest lies in getting rid of the traditional morality of God-given division into two sexes, the uniting of those two sexes in marriage."

Traditional morality that defines marriage as exclusively the union of a man and woman, according to homosexual and transgender activists, is "old, taboo, superstitious," Knight added. According to its adherents, "we have to get rid of that, and everybody can be whoever they want to be."

Agape Press' report on Harvard's third "gender" came on the same day that the Scotsman reported on a Chinese website that is catering to what is increasingly being referred to as a new sexual orientation--"asexuality".

See Agape Press' coverage:

Harvard Introduces Third Gender
http://www.wdcmedia.com/newsArticle.php?ID=1526

Back

Media / Internet / Entertainment

Simon & Schuster to publish an Apostate book by Claimed Descendant of 'Jesus'

July 24 2006 Prophecy News Watch

If you're one of the 40 million readers of The Da Vinci Code, get ready to stretch your credulity still further. An author is about to claim that she is the living embodiment of the Holy Grail, a direct descendant of the physical union between Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ. She's American, she's 43, and she means it - every word.

Even though it seems her claim comes straight from the world of fictional make-believe, Kathleen McGowan, a married mother of three, is about to tell her story in a "partly autobiographical" novel that hopes to trade directly on the vast worldwide audience captured by Dan Brown. It promises to light almost as many fires of controversy as Brown's novel itself.

For, however outlandish Ms McGowan's claims, they are being taken seriously by one of the world's most respected publishing houses. Simon & Schuster is publishing her book and ploughing a marketing budget of more than a quarter of a million dollars into promoting it. It has already invested a seven-figure sum in the rights to her book, The Expected One. "I certainly expect there will be a backlash," said Ms McGowan. "But I have the support of my family and friends and that's what I draw from."

Claims to such a genetic lineage might normally draw scepticism from a world where an author's credibility can make or break a book. But rights to Ms McGowan's story of religious intrigue have been sold in more than 20 languages and the first print run in the US alone is 250,000. Her novel - which was first self-published last year and sold just 2,500 copies - goes on sale in Britain next month. It is the first part of a trilogy.

Digby Halsby, of Simon & Schuster's UK division, said Ms McGowan had been working on the book since 1989 and thus predated Dan Brown's efforts. When asked how a publisher could authenticate the author's claim about her heritage, he said: "It's impossible to verify. It's all to do with a matter of faith. She makes a very convincing argument."

Academics are highly sceptical of claims that Mary Magdalene travelled to France and that she and Jesus had a child. Bart Ehrman, chair of the department of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and author of Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend, said: "You can survey anyone who is a scholar of early Christianity and they will tell you the same thing - it's completely bogus. There are no records. We have no account of Mary Magdalene even going to France until the Middle Ages and the legend about her going to France sprung up because there was a cult to Mary Magdalene in southern France."

Ms McGowan's claim to be descended from a child of Mary and Jesus is outlined in the afterword to what she says is a partly autobiographical novel.

She has offered no proof of her heritage but said she had traced it to an ancient French lineage that claimed to trace its roots to the pair.

Back

American Youth Protest MTV in New York City

July 26 2006 Christian Newswire

Stand True Ministries will lead a protest at the MTV studios in Times Square on Friday, July 28th.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va., Stand True Ministries ( www.standtrue.com) will make New York City a stop on their annual summer tour to protest at MTV studios, and pray at local abortion mills. Friday morning, July 28, Stand True will begin a prayer walk in New York City stopping at several abortion clinics. They will end their walk with a three hour protest in front of MTV studios in Times Square at 11:00 AM.

“For years MTV has believed that they own this generation and have fed them complete garbage,” said Bryan Kemper, President of Stand True Ministries. “MTV tries to portray themselves as hip and cutting edge, but they are nothing more than smut peddlers, and their target audience is the youth of America.”

Louis Ruiz, a Stand True tour member said, “It is honestly shocking to me that the feminist movement is not outraged by what is spewing out of the screen on MTV. I don't think there is another network that glorifies the objectification of women more than MTV. They treat young women as nothing more than a commodity as they basically prostitute students for their profit.”

Stand True wants to invite young people to join us as they send a message to MTV stating that the youth of this country have value and deserve to be treated with respect. “MTV thinks they own this generation, and they are wrong,” said Kemper.

Stand True will be meeting on the corner of 34th and Broadway, at 8:00 AM, to walk to area abortion clinics for prayer. They will then meet in front of MTV studios in Times Square.

Back

Politics

Mike Pence and Kay Bailey Hutchison may have a ‘conflict of interest’ by teaming up on their proposed Guest worker Amnesty Scheme

July 26 2006 Cathie Adams

I'm grateful to a faithful friend who's brought to my attention the campaign donations to the two authors of the new guestworker / amnesty scheme. Follow the money!

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) have teamed up on a last-ditch effort to pass a Guestworker/Amnesty scheme into law before the November elections.

Their (un-named) bill would allow most of the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States a chance to work here legally, but only after the government ‘certifies’ that U.S. borders have been sufficiently secured. As far as I can tell, no concrete criteria for: ‘certification’ has been revealed yet. Do they really think we trust the government to tell us that the border has been secured? In addition, the illegals would have to voluntarily return home and apply for what is called a SAFE (Secure Authorized Foreign Employee). Does anyone really think illegals are going to volunteer for this?

You can read the details of this plan at the following Washington Post link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/24/AR2006072401004.html

I checked into the campaign contributions for both Pence and Hutchison. Here is what I found.

Mike Pence:

http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.asp?CID=N00003765&cycle=2006

His top contributors include:

Baker & Daniels (Law firm with a strong Immigration practice)

National Assn of Convenience