Christian News from Christians Unite.

[Shammu]

Feds' Funding for Mexican Education Ticks Off Texas Pro-Family Group

by Jim Brown
June 5, 2006

(AgapePress) - - This fall, two south Texas school districts will be offering Spanish-speaking students access to Mexican curriculum, teachers, and diplomas. A pro-family group based in the Lone Star State is expressing outrage over the program.

An agreement reached between University of Texas president William Powers, Jr., and Mexican education officials paves the way for Texas students to use computers to study math and science courses in Spanish, while they learn English and social studies in their schools. The Donna and Edcouch-Elsa school districts have both received half-million-dollar federal grants to buy computers and pay for the online programs and train Mexican teachers.

Cathie Adams with Texas Eagle Forum says Texans should not be forced to pay for curriculum, teachers, and diplomas from Mexico.

"[N]othing could be more disappointing to taxpayers who are having to pick up the tab not only for the students that are their own children -- citizens -- but we also now are going to be picking up [the tab] and spending more money for those who are Mexican citizens," says Adams. The Bush administration, she contends, is "set on erasing our border with Mexico" with such programs.

And just because federal dollars are being used does not mean Texas taxpayers will not have to foot the bill, she says.

"Yes, we do have a president in the White House who is from our state," the Texas Eagle Forum spokesman notes. "But we are just as upset as [are] the people in Connecticut or the people in California about this [immigrant] invasion. Not only is it costing us as far as our education plan, but our healthcare is costing us -- and it is absolutely wrong for our federal government to not be securing our border."

Under the program, students who receive their diploma from Mexico would be eligible to attend a community college in Texas.

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[Shammu]

Judge Rules Christian Prison Program Unconstitutional; Appeal Planned

by Jody Brown
June 5, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Evidently it matters not that a well-known and highly successful prison ministry believes one of its premier programs is constitutional and well within the guidelines of the First Amendment, or that statistics bear out the effectiveness of the program. A federal judge has ruled the program is unconstitutional -- and now the program that equips prisoners to successfully re-enter society is in jeopardy.

A federal judge has ruled that an Iowa prison program that involves inmates immersing themselves in evangelical Christianity is unconstitutional and must be shut down. Associated Press reports that Judge Robert Pratt, in a ruling expected to have national implications, said Prison Fellowship's InnerChange Freedom Initiative amounts to a government establishment of religion.

Pratt ruled that the Iowa Department of Corrections must close the program within 60 days and that $1.5 million in contract payments must be returned to state officials, but he suspended those orders while an appeal is pending.

Prison Fellowship, which sponsors similar programs in Texas, Minnesota, Kansas and Arkansas, argued that the Iowa program is voluntary and has secular benefits. The ministry claims the program has produced "dramatic results" in the lives of hardened criminals and has been effective in stopping what it describes as "the revolving door of crime."

�   [Photo compliments of DeMoss News Service]
Mark Earley
If Judge Pratt's ruling is allowed to stand, says Prison Fellowship president Mark Earley, it will "enshrine" religious discrimination. The ruling, he states, "has attacked the right of people of faith to operate on a level playing field in the public arena and to provide services to those who volunteered to receive them."

In addition, observes Earley, the federal judge's decision fosters what the ministry leader describes as a "lock 'em up and throw away the key" approach to fighting crime.

"It assumes by warehousing criminals and providing no services to help them change, that society will be safer when they get out," he says. "Nothing could be further from the truth." Prison Fellowship says it plans to appeal the ruling to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and that it believes the case will eventually make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

It was more than three years ago -- February 2003 -- that the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit against the InnerChange Freedom Initiative in Iowa, alleging that it represented an excessive entanglement between state and religion.

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[Shammu]

Watchdog Group: Conservatives' Rights Get Trampled on U.S. Campuses

by Jim Brown
June 5, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A campus watchdog group contends the academic freedom of conservative students and faculty at America's colleges and universities is under constant assault. One example is given of a University of Pittsburgh student Janice Everly, who recently informed her English literature professor that she planned to miss class to take part in a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The professor responded in an e-mail by saying Everly would be given permission to miss class if she agreed to "rabble rouse" against President Bush at the fundraiser. According to the Pitt News, after receiving two more anti-Bush e-mail messages from the professor, Everly dropped the class.

Sara Dogan, national campus director of Students for Academic Freedom, says similar abuses take place on campuses across the United States. She believes one reason conservative individuals and their viewpoints are often discriminated against in academic settings is that the conservatives are simply outnumbered.

"If you look at the ratios of Democratic to Republican professors on campuses," Dogan points says, "Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 10 to 1 in the humanities and by as much as 30 to 1 in certain fields." It is simply the case, she asserts, "that universities have a blacklist against conservatives."

In other words, the academic freedom advocate says, at many institutions of higher learning nationwide, a bias exists against hiring conservatives, and against offering conservative candidates tenure. "And so universities have basically become echo chambers for the left," she contends. "Conservative opinions aren't tolerated."

On the other hand, Dogan contends, rarely do college and university professors attempt to indoctrinate their students with conservative views. But even if that were the case, she says, the grievance process at most schools for students who feel their academic freedom rights have been violated is often long and cumbersome.

Often, the Students for Academic Freedom spokeswoman explains, students with a complaint must first consult the faculty member involved. If that is unsuccessful, they must then seek out the department chairman or dean and address a committee before a formal hearing is granted.

"If students feel that they've been harassed on the basis of their race, of their sex, or if they feel they have been sexually harassed, there's an office that they can go to," Dogan points out. However, she says while many universities have policies regarding professors' academic freedom rights, many schools offer no such protections for students.

"I don't see any reason why something like academic freedom, which is absolutely essential to the mission of a university, shouldn't have its own office or, at the very least, someone who the students can specifically can contact if there's a problem," Dogan says.

In an effort to advocate for students' intellectual freedom and students' rights and to "restore intellectual diversity" to America's college and university communities, Students for Academic Freedom has set up chapters on campuses across the United States. The organization has also established a national office and coordinator in Washington, DC, and has petitioned legislators to enact an Academic Bill of Rights insisting on intellectual diversity in the university curriculum.

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[Shammu]

'Reality TV' Not So Real, Says Article

by AFA Journal
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - It may be the fad that just won't die, and it may be highly popular among couch potatoes, but it seems that the one thing "Reality TV" isn't is, well, real.

An article in Time magazine revealed some of the tricks frequently employed on reality shows. For example, producers of ABC's "The Dating Experience" thought it would make for more interesting television if a female participant was perceived to like one of the male contestants, when in reality she did not.

How did the producers solve this problem? Time's James Poniewozik said: "So they sat her down for an interview. Who's your favorite celebrity? they asked. She replied that she really loved Adam Sandler. Later, in the editing room, they spliced out Sandler's name and dropped in audio of her saying the male contestant's name."

Apparently such tactics are a regular part of reality television. Poniewozik said the above example even has a name -- "Frankenbiting." The moniker comes from the fact that sound bites are "stitched together" to create a sentence that wasn't actually spoken by a participant.

Other tricks: fake settings are built, maybe an office or an apartment that gives the impression the contestants are at a real location; a "misleading montage," in which footage shot days apart is reassembled to create a more interesting story line; or even dubbing in sounds over a scene in which participants are off-screen, to suggest something that never really occurred -- like sex.

Of course, Poniewozik admits that most people who watch reality shows expect some shenanigans. "But even savvy viewers who realize that their favorite reality shows are cast, contrived, and edited to be dramatic," he said, "may have no idea how brazen the fudging can be."

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[Shammu]

The New Faith of Branson

by Cindy Shorey
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The Branson story is not a new story to many: quaint historic town becomes a tourist mecca, seemingly overnight. That line could be true of several great travel destinations, including Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Myrtle Beach. But what sets Branson, Missouri, apart?

Branson has seen its share of successes and even a few failures. That is the normal ebb and flow of business in a tourist-driven economy. Beyond the economics, what has remained is the faith in the heart of Branson and, to many, a faith in a higher purpose for the area. On the surface a new face is evident -- but dig deeper and you will find a rich vein of faith in God, and faith in family. Branson is a town where God, flag, and country take center stage. Perhaps that was the heart of Branson all along.

Back in 1990, Branson saw the arrival of a cavalcade of stars including Mel Tillis, Charley Pride, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Wayne Newton, and comedian David Brenner. All big names to be sure! But the muscle of the bigger names didn't keep the smaller shows from surviving. They have survived and thrived ... and have proceeded to remain atop the list of "must-see family shows" in Branson. The shows you wouldn't be embarrassed to take your family to. And that is a common denominator that 99 percent of the shows share.

It's 2006 and families are expected to pour into Branson. What does the new Branson offer? It no longer caters solely to the stereotypical Branson tourist: the "country music loving, Larry the Cable Guy tourist." Branson has found a way to embrace sophisticated baby boomers. New attractions in 2006 include a $300 million waterfront development known as the "Landing," a new Titanic exhibit, and Silver Dollar City's new expansion, The Grand Exposition.

Some 16 years after the "boom years" of the 1990s, many of the theaters also cater to a new audience -- that of church member. Many theaters in Branson have also become home to several churches. It's not uncommon to find services every Sunday morning at your favorite theater.

Mel Tillis sold his 110,000-square-foot building in 2002 to the Assemblies of God, and it has become home to one of Branson's fastest growing churches and event centers. The center plans to host Christian events and conferences year round. This summer it will host its first children's show, "God Rocks!"

On the other side of town, Keith Moore pastors the popular Faith Christian Church, formerly known as the Tony Orlando Theater. Tourists flock to these and other churches each Sunday, in search of services away from home. Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church has expanded their facility thanks to benevolent tourists each year.

Branson has also become a popular destination for religious meeting planners, conferences, and ministries. Religious conferences are one of the fastest growing meeting sectors nationwide. Speakers such as David Jeremiah, Kenneth Copeland, John Hagee and James Dobson have all appeared at one time or another in Branson. Brannon Howse, director of Worldview Weekend conferences, has indeed been pleasantly surprised at the success of his ministry conference held each year in Branson. "Branson represents a destination that I could not have dreamed up: faith, family, flag," says Howse. His event for 2006, which celebrated the birth of our religious freedom, sold out.

It is safe to say one of the biggest successes of the past 15 years in Branson has not been the "star factor," but the ability of the community to withstand the knock of gambling at its door. The year 2005 saw a successful, and some say surprising, victory against a Rockaway Beach proposed gaming initiative.

When you visit Branson this year, expect to see some familiar sights, marvel at some new ones, and listen closely to the strength of the heartbeat of a new Branson.

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[Shammu]

Moore Joins in PABA Case Before High Court

by Allie Martin
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A candidate in Alabama's gubernatorial race has filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court claiming there is no constitutional right to an abortion.

In October the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Gonzales v. Carhart. That case was picked up by the high court when the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Now former Alabama chief justice Roy Moore, who is running in today's Republican primary for governor, has joined with the Foundation for Moral Law in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the case.

Moore says the nation's highest court was wrong in 1973 when it ruled women have a right to abortions.

"We simply pointed out [in our brief] that the courts are bound by the explicit provisions and terms of the First Amendment and the Constitution in general, and that the judges are not going by the words, they're not going by the terms and definitions," Moore explains. "They're going by the way they feel and by precedent, which has really contradicted the Constitution."

According to the former chief justice, the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment gives Congress the authority to ban a certain type of abortion.

"There is no justification for taking a baby's life just because the head has not come out of the womb," he says, referring to the gruesome partial-birth abortion procedure. "Any decent, sensible person can understand that, and the court should too.

"There is no way to say that life begins when the head comes out. That baby is alive, and to say that partial-birth abortion prohibition is unconstitutional is simply to dispute logic and reason."

Moore is facing incumbent Governor Bob Riley in today's primary. Polls show consistently that Moore trails Riley by almost two-to-one.

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[Shammu]

Religious Conservatives Hail Bush's Renewed Call for Marriage Amendment

by Jenni Parker
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - As the U.S. Senate began debate on the federal Marriage Protection Amendment this week, President George W. Bush urged support for the measure, which many observers expect to fall short of the required two-thirds support needed for passage. With this latest call for a constitutional ban on homosexual "marriage," the chief executive reaffirmed his commitment to a cause close to the heart of religious conservative "values voters."

In a White House address on Monday, Bush told the politically diverse crowd of scholars, community advocates, and pro-family and religious leaders present that, although they came from many backgrounds and faith traditions, they shared a common belief. They were united, he said, in their understanding that marriage is "the most fundamental institution of civilization, and it should not be redefined by activist judges."

The president went on to say he is proud to stand with those who "strongly support a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union of a man and a woman" and is calling on Congress to pass the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) and send it to the states for ratification "so we can take this issue out of the hands of over-reaching judges and put it back where it belongs -- in the hands of the American people."

A marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution is necessary, Bush contended, "because activist courts have left our nation with no other choice" by imposing their "arbitrary will" on the people. Such an amendment would not, as some opponents have argued, take the issue of how marriage is to be defined away from the states, he explained, but would take the issue away from the courts and put it directly before the nation's citizens.

"This national question requires a national solution," President Bush observed. "And on an issue of such profound importance, that solution should come not from the courts, but from the people of the United States."

Religious Conservatives Rally in Wake of Bush's Call for MPA
Several religious conservatives have responded enthusiastically to Bush's words in support of the MPA. Associated Press (AP) reports that Rev. Richard Richardson, a member of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston and Alliance for Marriage, says he is confident a constitutional ban on homosexual marriage will eventually be passed.

"They never told us that the road would be easy," Richardson notes, "but we've come this far; with God on our side, we know we're going to make it. So I'm pleased to stand with Americans of every race, color, and creed in the Alliance for Marriage." He adds that he and other black ministers in Boston are steadfastly opposed to homosexual marriage, even though it is legal in Massachusetts.

And Elder Russell Nelson of the Mormon church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke at a news conference yesterday, saying his church joins others in supporting the federal MPA. "We share a duty to preserve marriage and family as established by God. The time has now come when the constitutional amendment is needed in this country," he said.

In response to Bush's Monday address, Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission remarked, "The President of the United States has once again illustrated ... that he understands what's at stake in the Marriage Protection Amendment debate."

And what is at stake, Land asserts, are "two absolutely critical elements of our society." The first, he says, is the definition of marriage, which he calls the "basic building block of human society," the redefinition of which will "have disastrous effects on marriage, on children, and on society."

The second critical issue that Bush understands, the Southern Baptist leader contends, is that "not only marriage but 'government of the people, by the people' and 'for the people' is at stake here." Judiciaries at the state and federal level are "trying to force upon the American people something they find abhorrent," he says, and he agrees with the president that it is time for a federal constitutional remedy.

"Our forefathers reserved for the American people, not American judges, the right to determine social policy for the nation," Land says. "And when judges get it wrong, our forefathers gave us a method to give the judges further instruction on how we would be governed. It's called a constitutional amendment."

Potential Fallout of Redefining Marriage
Some religious conservatives' calls for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage have focused on the negative consequences of failing to protect marriage from redefinition. Rabbi Nathan Diament, public policy director for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, told Associated Press reporters that his community fears congregations with traditional beliefs will face legal reprisals if they voice opposition to homosexual marriage.

"We are very concerned," Diament said, "deeply concerned that any traditional synagogue or church or other community institution, should gay marriage be legalized, will be confronted with a spate of lawsuits which will effectively put them out of business."

But the Orthodox Jewish leader believes that would only be the beginning of the kind of legal pressure that would be placed on traditional religious groups if marriage were redefined. "It will follow from there to challenging the tax-exempt status of churches and synagogues and other congregations," he says.

"It will follow from there," Diament continues, "to things that we've seen overseas already, such as attacking the free-speech rights of clergy who voice traditional religious perspectives on gay issues." And, according to one Senate Republican, that concern is not unreasonable. U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas noted in floor debate yesterday that when courts declare a right to homosexual marriage, it becomes illegal to disagree.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Brownback pointed out redefining marriage could affect the ability of religious groups to carry out their missions while remaining true to their beliefs. "It's already happening," he said, "as we've seen in Massachusetts, where Boston's Catholic Charities is being forced out of the adoption business entirely rather than violating church teachings on marriage and family.

The senator went on to assert that worse is likely to come, perhaps to the extent of seeing criticism of homosexual marriage banned as hate speech or churches being barred from performing any weddings unless they marry homosexual couples.

"Where courts impose a same-sex marriage regime as a constitutionally guaranteed right," Brownback declared, "a multitude of new religious liberty conflicts will inevitably arise at every point where the law touches marriage and is applied to individuals, businesses, non-profits, and even churches and synagogues."

Also, the Kansas lawmaker suggested, legalizing homosexual marriage would effectively force its acceptance on those who believe it is wrong. Churches and other religious organizations and institutions could eventually lose the right to define marriage as they always had, he warned.

"Religiously affiliated schools, adoption agencies, psychological clinics, social workers, marital counselors, et cetera, will be forced to choose between violating their own deeply held beliefs and giving up government contracts, tax-exempt status, or even being denied the right to operate at all," Brownback said.

In Senator Brownback's view, a federal marriage amendment is needed not only to preserve the traditional definition of marriage but also to protect religious freedom. Nevertheless, Senate Democrats and moderate Republicans are expected to block a yes-or-no vote on the MPA this week, killing the measure for the year.

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[Shammu]

SBC Committee Member Agrees With Call for Public School 'Exit Strategy'

by Jim Brown
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A second member of the Resolutions Committee for the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, says the denomination needs to consider developing a plan to remove its children from America's public schools.

The SBC Resolutions Committee will meet Thursday to begin poring over resolutions that have been submitted for consideration next week. Among them is a proposal authored by Dr. Bruce Shortt and Executive Committee member Roger Moran that calls on the denomination to develop an "exit strategy" from public schools.

While second-year committee member Ida South of Mathiston, Mississippi, would not comment on the resolution, she agrees with Dr. Albert Mohler's belief that such a strategy is needed. Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and host of a daily national radio program, has publicly stated that "now is the time for responsible Southern Baptists to develop an exit strategy from public schools."

South, a veteran educator who is now retired, says the situation in the public schools is "getting worse all across the country." She feels most schools now are teaching a completely secular worldview.

The retired teacher points to one issue in particular as being symptomatic. "The teaching of homosexuality as being perfectly normal is more or less a symbol of what's wrong with our schools," she says, "because all the other things kind of fit in with that."

And South believes it is just a matter of time before Christian views are entirely censored from the public school setting. She admits this is a concern that may slip up quietly on Christian families and educators in the heartland or the "Bible Belt" areas, but she insists that creeping secularism is a rapidly spreading threat.

"I think we who are in areas where there's very little problem are kind of shaken when we find that someone is about to sue because their child heard the word 'God' mentioned in school," the Southern Baptist committee member and former educator says. "So even those of us in areas that have very little problem are beginning to wake up to realize that we do have problems."

As awareness grows among denomination members about the current state of America's public schools, South hopes more Southern Baptists will respond. She says leaders in SBC churches need to get more serious about providing alternatives to public education, including Christian schools and home schooling.

Grassroots political activist Rick Scarborough and evangelist Voddie Baucham, Jr. are also among those Southern Baptist leaders who have endorsed a proposed resolution favoring Mohler's call for an exit strategy from U.S. public schools.

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[Shammu]

Human Rights Group Urges Action on Behalf of Indonesia's Christians

by Allie Martin
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The director of a Christian human rights group says persecution of Christians is on the rise throughout Indonesia. Ann Buwalda, director of the Virginia-based Jubilee Campaign, says recent developments in that country have heightened concerns for her and her staff.

Jubilee Campaign, which monitors countries known for persecuting Christians, reports that rapid growth of Christianity across Indonesia has caused Muslims to claim that Christianity must be resisted with force. In recent years the government of Indonesia has closed more than 150 churches in the capital city of Jakarta and throughout the island of Java, the country's most populous island.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, and that nation's government has been cited in the U.S. State Department's report on international religious freedom as among those nations that have enacted discriminatory legislation or policies prejudicial to certain religions.

Buwalda says Jubilee Campaign is asking Christians in America "to write their congressmen and their senators and encourage efforts to protect the Christian minorities."

Believers in the free world need to put pressure on their own government's leaders, Buwalda suggests, asking them to advocate on behalf of Indonesia's persecuted believers. U.S. leaders could urge that Southeast Asian country's leaders to let Christians in Indonesia "have churches to worship in and permit them to have religious freedom in the country," she says.

"The Indonesian government has given a lot of lip service to their minorities, yet there has not been a lot done to actually protect them," the Jubilee Campaign spokeswoman says. "There's legislation that is now enacted in Indonesia that could shut down hundreds of churches across the country. We would ask people to pray and write their congressmen and senators to take an interest in what's happening there."

A bill proposed by lawmakers in the Province of Aceh would impose Sharia law on all non-Muslims, and Buwalda notes that other legislation recently passed by the Indonesian government could be restrictive to Christians. She says government officials in Indonesia have not stood behind the state's promises of greater freedom for its religious minorities.

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[Shammu]

Utah AG, Education Dept. Asked to Investigate School's Alleged Violation of Laws

by Jim Brown
June 6, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A Utah pro-family group claims a public high school in Highland broke state privacy and sex education laws by allowing its student newspaper to publish articles promoting sexual promiscuity.

The Salt Lake City-based Standard of Liberty Foundation has asked the Utah attorney general and the state Office of Education to investigate whether Lone Peak High School broke two Utah education laws. A state Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) law "forbids schools from allowing any activity which results in students revealing information concerning their sexual behavior, orientation, or attitudes." Also, Utah education law bars schools from advocating homosexuality and extra-marital sex.

Foundation president Steve Graham, whose daughter attends Lone Peak High School, says articles in The Crusader have advocated the formation of Gay Straight Alliance clubs and teenage sexual activity.

"These educators and administrators have this attitude like the parents are a bunch of nit-wits and don't deserve the respect that we actually do deserve," says Graham, "and so they just disregard the parents' desires." And in this case, he adds, "we're convinced they're disregarding the law."

Officials with the school and the state education office deny education laws were broken. But according to the Foundation spokesman, the school violated the state FERPA law by asking his daughter and another student to write opposing opinion pieces regarding a homosexual club on campus.

"And that law," he explains, "says the school is not allowed to ask the student questions in tests or school discussions or any school activity that would cause them to express their opinions or attitudes regarding a number of things, including sexuality."

Graham says the law exists to protect the health and well-being of minors while under the charge of the school and the school district. It is the obligation of the state, he says, to hold school officials responsible for allowing "illegal and harmful information to be published and distributed to thousands of impressionable and vulnerable young students."

According to a press release from Graham's group, the articles in the student newspaper contained information identical to that found on the websites of homosexual activist groups such as the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

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[Shammu]

Local Police Attempt to Block Collection of Pro-Marriage Petitions

by Fred Jackson and Jody Brown
June 7, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A pro-family group in Florida is outraged over the behavior of some police officers last weekend who tried to stop a petition drive aimed at protecting traditional marriage.

Last weekend members of the Florida Family Policy Council were at a Promise Keepers conference in Broward County where they were collecting petitions for the Florida4Marriage campaign, an effort to get onto the November 2008 ballot an amendment protecting traditional marriage. The pro-family group had paid a fee to have a booth at the PK event at which it was collecting the petitions in support of the campaign's goal of gathering 611,009 signatures by July 12, 2006.

Then in what the group calls a "stunning display of unprofessional conduct," several members of the City of Sunrise Police Department arrived at the scene and ordered Council vice president Nathan Dunn to stop collecting the petitions, and then removed the petitions from public view. A discussion ensued, during which John Stemberger -- president and general counsel for the Council -- was summoned to the scene. The group says Stemberger's request for an explanation of what law or ordinance was being violated was ignored by Police Sergeant Stephen Allen, who it says then began lecturing nearby volunteers on what Jesus taught about homosexuality, claiming that the petition effort was a waste of time and that he was the authority and they should obey him.

"It quickly became apparent that [Allen] was a supporter of gay marriage and personally disagreed with the marriage amendment effort," says the Council's press release, which includes a picture of Allen kissing another male officer on the cheek in what the family advocacy group describes as a "mocking" gesture.

Stemberger reportedly returned the petitions to the exhibit table after security and event officials informed the police the petitions were authorized to be distributed at the table. At the height of the confrontation, notes the press release, the police sergeant "continued to interrupt with abusive and irrelevant personal remarks" and even threatened Stemberger with arrest if the petitions were not immediately removed from the table.

"I stood in between the petitions and the officer and told Allen he had no legal authority," Stemberger said later, adding that he informed the sergeant he "had no legal authority, was in violation of the U.S. Constitution, and would have to arrest me because the petitions were going to stay on the table."

The incident finally ended when an official with the Bank Atlantic Center intervened to tell the officers that no laws or rules were being broken, and that the petitions could be distributed at the table. Allen and the other officers then left the scene.

Stemberger says he has never before seen such "unprofessional and bizarre" behavior from a law enforcement officer. Allen, he says, was "abusing" his authority and "trying to bully law-abiding citizens" just because he disagreed with them. "This is unacceptable and a disgrace to the thousands of good cops in Florida that put their lives on the line every day to protect our families and our liberties," the Council president says.

The pro-family group says the officers' "harassment and intimidation" should be a reminder to families of the culture war that is going on. "If we do not stand up to this type of abuse of power, then our constitutional rights will continue to be violated," says Stemberger.

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[Shammu]

Amendment Supporters Vow to Continue Fight for One Man-One Woman Marriage

by Ed Thomas, Jody Brown, and Bill Fancher
June 8, 2006

(AgapePress) - - The founder of a Mississippi-based pro-family group says traditional marriage supporters who are in the fight for the long haul aren't discouraged by yesterday's results in the U.S. Senate. Don Wildmon says the defeat of a move for cloture to end debate on the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) and move it to the floor for a vote only helps voters identify senators who won't stand up for traditional marriage.

The attempt at cloture on the MPA on Wednesday morning fell short of the 60 votes needed due to 48 senators choosing not to advance it. Wildmon says while those four dozen senators stated various reasons, all related to a disbelief that traditional marriage was in danger. But he says senators were actually trying to avoid being put on the record so they could give their constituents a convenient answer.

"[They'll say] 'We didn't vote on the marriage amendment; we didn't have an opportunity. We couldn't get enough votes,'" the pro-family leader supposes. "It's an excuse. It's a political escape."

The final tally -- 49-48 -- fell roughly along party lines, with the sole Independent in the Senate and seven Republicans joining Democrats in rejecting a vote on the measure. Those crossover Republicans were Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Judd Gregg and John Sununu of New Hampshire, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Maine's senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and presidential hopeful John McCain of Arizona. Wildmon has no soft words for those leaders.

"They didn't vote [for cloture] because they were cowards," he states emphatically. "They didn't have enough intestinal fortitude to let the people they represent know where they really stood."

The AFA chairman summed up his feelings with this comment: "The bottom line is this: you had 48 United States senators who voted in favor of allowing homosexuals to be married."

For that reason, he says it is urgent that the American public not allow those same elected officials to be correct in their gamble that voters will forget about this outcome by the time of the next Senate election cycle.

Joining Republicans on the "Yea" side of the vote were two Democrats: Robert Byrd of West Virginia and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. One Republican was not present for the vote, and one religious leader says that senator's constituents should be annoyed by that.

"Chuck Hagel is a senator from a state [Nebraska] which had the values of 70 percent of its citizens negated by one federal judge when he threw out the Nebraska ban on same-sex marriage," notes Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention. "Hagel's absence should be particularly galling to Nebraskans." Seventy percent of that state's voters approved a marriage protection amendment to their constitution in 2000.

A Long -- and Worthwhile -- Endeavor
Still, Land -- like other pro-family leaders -- is not totally discouraged. As he puts it: "One doesn't eat an apple in one bite." The SBC leader notes that most amendment proposals fall short on their first or second introduction. But those who understand that a federal constitutional amendment is the only way to protect the institution of marriage from activist judges must "redouble" their efforts, he says.

Dr. James Dobson agrees. Conservatives across the country, he says, are committed to doing "what it takes, for as long as it takes" to protect traditional marriage from "renegade judges."

"The 48 judges who voted against the MPA ... have left the definition of marriage at the mercy of activist courts intent on forcing a politically correct agenda on our nation," says the Focus on the Family founder in a press release. "Judges already have struck down marriage-protection laws and amendments in Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Georgia. They will continue to do so unless checked."

Amendment supporter Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families says he was prepared for the outcome of yesterday's vote. "First of all, we knew that virtually the entire liberal Democratic Party in the Senate would vote against it," he says, "so right there we had a cap on the number of votes we would get.

"And we had a half dozen or so Republicans jump ship, which is not surprising," he continues. "We've seen that over and over again on votes."

Bauer notes that the process for amending the Constitution can be a long and difficult one, requiring a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress and then ratification by at least 38 states. "Unfortunately," he says, "the courts of our country are continually amending the Constitution by judicial fiat."

Supporters of the Marriage Protection Amendment expect it will be coming up for another vote in the Senate before the end of this congressional session. In addition, House Majority Leader John Boehner is on record as saying that "significant numbers" of House members want a vote. That could come as early as next month, according to news reports.

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[Shammu]

Senators Deep-Six MPA -- For Now

by Jody Brown
June 7, 2006

(AgapePress) - - Supporters of the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) are not distraught over the fact that the U.S. Senate has rejected the call for a vote on the measure. Sixty votes were needed to have the measure come up for an up-or-down vote; the move came up 11 votes short.

Despite that setback, supporters in the Senate are not going to "fall back and cry about it," says Senator Orin Hatch of Utah. "I think they are going to keep bringing it up," says the Republican lawmaker. In fact, according to Associated Press, the measure may come up next month in the U.S. House. It is an issue of "significant importance" to many Americans, says House Majority Leader John Boehner of Ohio. "We have significant numbers of our members who want a vote on this, so we are going to have a vote," he says.

The vote today (Wednesday, June 7) was 49-48, giving many pro-family groups that have lobbied for the MPA what they had hoped for leading up to the elections this fall -- a list of senators they say shows who is willing to fight to protect traditional marriage, and who favors homosexual "marriage."  (Click here for the roll call vote)

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[Shammu]

House May Raise Fines for Broadcast Indecency Standard Violators

by Jenni Parker and Allie Martin
June 7, 2006

(AgapePress) - - A vote scheduled for today in the U.S. House of Representatives could mean a tenfold increase in the amount the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can levy in fines against broadcasters airing indecent material on the public airways. The Senate version of the legislation sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas has already been approved, and if the House gives its nod, President Bush is expected to sign the measure, increasing maximum fines for indecency violations from $32,500 to $325,000.

The House vote on the bill comes at the end of a two-year drive by Congress to crack down on broadcast indecency, an effort that began after an incident of indecent exposure during the live CBS broadcast of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show generated a firestorm of outrage and protest. According to FCC regulations and federal law, radio and television stations broadcasting over the public airwaves may not air indecent material between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., when children are likely to be watching, and may not air obscene material at any time.

Although the flash of partial nudity during the 2004 halftime performance by Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake was supposedly due to a "wardrobe malfunction," critics felt the network could have prevented the incident from airing. Since that broadcast, pro-family groups have pushed with renewed fervor, urging federal officials to crack down on broadcast indecency and advocating higher fines and stiffer penalties for violations. The FCC has responded with increasing vigor to the public's complaints about lewd material, with total fines shooting up from $440,000 in 2003 to nearly $8 million in 2004.

Meanwhile, industry officials and others opposed to stronger penalties for broadcast indecency have argued that government regulation is unnecessary and infringes on freedom of expression and that broadcasters should be allowed to police themselves when it comes to program content.

However, one Christian pro-family spokesman says these industry professionals are out of touch with mainstream America and are trying to abolish existing FCC standards.

Christians Petition Federal Regulators to Enforce Decency Laws
Dr. Gary Cass, executive director of the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ, is hoping an effort spearheaded by the Center will help encourage the FCC to listen not to these broadcast executives but to an American public that has long been calling on federal regulators to rid the public airwaves of indecency.

"This is taxpayer property," Cass insists. "The airwaves are to be used for the public good, and I don't know anybody who can make an argument that a more coarse culture is in the interests of our children or of the future."

The means the Center is using to drive this point home is a petition containing tens of thousands of signatures, scheduled to be delivered today to Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin. The petition asks the FCC to enforce U.S. anti-obscenity laws, and Cass is confident the federal agency's officials are going to listen.

"Maybe some people would like to disparage this, but politicians can count," the Center's spokesman says. "And they know if people will actually take the time to sign a petition, to make a phone call or send an e-mail, those are the people who are going to pay attention when it comes time to vote -- so don't let anybody ever tell you that these petitions don't matter."

It is time for a more consistent and forceful application of existing indecency standards, Cass asserts. That is why he is asking concerned Christians to call Senator Ted Stevens, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, and Congressman Joe Barton, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to make sure they know where their constituents stand on this issue.

Pro-family citizens contacting these lawmakers should urge them to hold hearings examining the networks' legal campaign to legitimize profanity during TV's family hours, Cass suggests. He believes if enough pro-family citizens speak out against broadcast indecency, the FCC will continue to get tougher on broadcasters who air obscene or indecent material.

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[Shammu]

Christian Filmmakers Score With Reissue of The Pistol

by Rusty Benson
June 7, 2006

(AgapePress) - - For Darrell Campbell and Rodney Stone, the legend of basketball great "Pistol" Pete Maravich is a story worth telling and retelling. And that's exactly what these two film producers have spent a good part of their careers doing.

Last year, Campbell and Stone, who co-produced the original 1991 film The Pistol ... The Birth of a Legend, purchased the worldwide rights to the movie. "Our desire was to somehow use the film to tell the rest of the story of Pistol Pete and to glorify God through it," Stone said.

The largely untold part of Maravich's life is the story of his radical conversion from a bitter, rebellious, alchoholic former pro athlete to a bold follower and witness of Jesus Christ.

The DVD "Inspirational Edition" contains bonus content that gives a moving account of Maravich's new life in Christ. In a segment originally filmed only weeks before his death and never before released to the public, Maravich gives his own Christian testimony.

In another powerful bonus feature, Dr. James Dobson, speaking to a group of young people, recounts the day in 1988 when at age 40 Maravich died in his arms after a pick-up basketball game.


Adam Guier as a young Pete Maravich

   �
The Birth of the Film
Stone moved to Van Nuys, California, in the early 1980s to serve as youth minister at a church that included over 200 people who worked in the film industry. One of those was Darrell Campbell, a young screenwriter/producer. The pair of 20-somethings became fast friends.

Along the way, a church connection opened the door for Stone to join the promotion team on the film The Mission, staring Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro. Eventually Stone left his youth ministry post for a job with Warner Brothers.

Meanwhile, Campbell accepted an assignment to co-write the biography of his childhood hero, Pistol Pete Maravich. Campbell quickly recognized the potential in Maravich's story not only for a book, but also for an inspirational feature film. He asked Stone, also a Pistol Pete fan, to join him and Maravich in the venture.

From the beginning it was the intent of Maravich and the producers to make a movie of hope and inspiration. That's why the movie focuses on Maravich as a 14-year-old in 1959. "That was the year Pete became aware of his dream to be the greatest basketball player and to commit himself to the work necessary to reach that goal," Campbell said. "Pete wanted audiences to know that a dream can become a reality."

Over the years The Pistol has been distributed by several film companies and seen in over 60 countries.

In 2004 Campbell and Stone, still close friends, had not worked together in 13 years. Both were living in Georgia when they decided to renew their partnership to produce a new inspirational movie. But as the pair began work on a new project, God sent the opportunity to purchase the rights to The Pistol.

"We see the new DVD as a ministry tool, like a Gospel tract" Campbell said. "If you can get it into the hands of an unbeliever and get them to watch the bonus material, you have made a powerful inroad for the Gospel."

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