The Tipping Point II
LANSDOWN, Va. (W.) Aug. 31, 2006 -- When it comes to the prison system in America, there's good news and bad news.
Bad news first? The prisons are crowded and corrections is taking up a bigger part of state budgets.
The good news is it's opened the door for ministries like Prison Fellowship to make a difference, says Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship.
To read more visit http://www.wordnews.org
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Christian groups mad at Schwarzenegger
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (W.) Aug. 30, 2006 -Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a measure that Christian groups say would require all businesses and organizations receiving funding from the state to condone homosexuality, bisexuality, and transsexuality or else lose state funding.
There is no exception for faith- based organizations or business owners with sincerely held religious convictions, one group said, WordNews.org reported.
“This isn’t even a veiled attempt at subtly advancing the radical homosexual agenda,” stated Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute. “SB 1441 is an outright, blatant assault on religious freedom in California.”
England said the legislation will prevent parochial schools and religious universities from receiving student financial assistance if they also maintain a student code of conduct preventing behavior deemed immoral by their religious beliefs. She said by withholding state funding from schools, students’ educational opportunities will be severely limited.
“As a citizen of California and a religious person, I am terribly disappointed in Governor Schwarzenegger,” said Meredith Turney, Legislative Liaison for Capitol Resource Institute. “It is bad public policy to add to the list of protected classes a sexual behavior. Equating sexual preference with the immutable characteristics of age, national origin or race will result in other variable behaviors being added to the list of invariable classes rightfully protected.”
Forcing private education institutions to accept students engaged in behavior offensive to the school’s moral code is a serious infringement of the constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, she said.
“This bill is yet another attempt to prevent citizens with moral and religious principles from expressing their beliefs and educating their children according to those beliefs,” said England. “On behalf of California families, private schools and other private organization, I express our outrage at this attack on our freedom. Unfortunately for California families, there are several other radical homosexual bills heading towards the governor’s desk.”
There is no exception for faith- based organizations or business owners with sincerely held religious convictions, one group said, WordNews.org reported.
“This isn’t even a veiled attempt at subtly advancing the radical homosexual agenda,” stated Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute. “SB 1441 is an outright, blatant assault on religious freedom in California.”
England said the legislation will prevent parochial schools and religious universities from receiving student financial assistance if they also maintain a student code of conduct preventing behavior deemed immoral by their religious beliefs. She said by withholding state funding from schools, students’ educational opportunities will be severely limited.
“As a citizen of California and a religious person, I am terribly disappointed in Governor Schwarzenegger,” said Meredith Turney, Legislative Liaison for Capitol Resource Institute. “It is bad public policy to add to the list of protected classes a sexual behavior. Equating sexual preference with the immutable characteristics of age, national origin or race will result in other variable behaviors being added to the list of invariable classes rightfully protected.”
Forcing private education institutions to accept students engaged in behavior offensive to the school’s moral code is a serious infringement of the constitutional rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, she said.
“This bill is yet another attempt to prevent citizens with moral and religious principles from expressing their beliefs and educating their children according to those beliefs,” said England. “On behalf of California families, private schools and other private organization, I express our outrage at this attack on our freedom. Unfortunately for California families, there are several other radical homosexual bills heading towards the governor’s desk.”
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Making Sense of Evil: Book
Making Sense of Evil: Book
ENUMCLAW, Wash. (W.) Aug. 29 --Peg and Lee Rankin stood on their New Jersey balcony on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 with binoculars and watched the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
Later that day, the couple learned two members of their church died in United Flight 93.
What kind of evil was behind these attacks? The answer to Peg Rankin's search is in a just released book, "Making Sense of Evil: 9/11 Eyewitness Finds Answers."
Check http://www.wordnews.org for the rest of the story.
ENUMCLAW, Wash. (W.) Aug. 29 --Peg and Lee Rankin stood on their New Jersey balcony on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 with binoculars and watched the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
Later that day, the couple learned two members of their church died in United Flight 93.
What kind of evil was behind these attacks? The answer to Peg Rankin's search is in a just released book, "Making Sense of Evil: 9/11 Eyewitness Finds Answers."
Check http://www.wordnews.org for the rest of the story.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The Tuesday Edition
Rick Warren: Church needs to play vital role in dealing with AIDS
TORONTO (W.) Aug. 15, 2006 -- Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life" and pastor of the megachurch Saddleback Church in California, says when it comes to battling AIDS and HIV, most prevention efforts focus on slowing its spread, not stopping it.
Warren said those tactics are easier and more popular, including supplying condoms, encouraging limited sexual partners, offering needle exchange and advocating delaying the initial sexual experience.
"Those efforts will slow down the pandemic, but not stop it," he said. "The solution to eliminating the threat of HIV/AIDS is not education, it is transformation. That involves saving sex for marriage, training men to respect women, offering treatment through churches and encouraging individuals to pledge themselves to one partner."
Warren said the church must play a vital role in the global response to AIDS and HIV. Warren and his wife Kay challenged ecumenical Christian leaders from around the world to recognize the unique resources they bring to this struggle at the Ecumenical and Interfaith Pre-Conferences being held over the weekend in advance of the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006), August 13-18 in Toronto.
"We are here at these conferences to say to fellow Christians that we believe the church needs to take the lead in the greatest health concern on the planet," said Warren. "We also want to make a statement to the watching world about how much is already being done by churches around the globe to bring hope where many feel hopeless."
More than 500 participants representing numerous Christian denominations and traditions came together for the two-day pre-conference, followed by a one-day interfaith gathering before the bi-annual International AIDS Conference this week.
Warren told delegates it is imperative to define their purpose in working towards prevention before the solution can be determined.
"Is your goal to merely reduce or to resolve this issue; do you want to decrease or to destroy this pandemic; do you want to just slow it down or stop it altogether?" he asked. "Each requires a different strategy, which can't be addressed until you know the answer to that question."
"I believe that faith, ethics and morals play an important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS," Warren added. "I am not a scientist, a medical professional or activist. I am a pastor, whose motives are different. I love people, and I have a Savior named Jesus who said, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Warren stressed that it is not a sin to be sick.
"We need to move from asking, 'How did you get HIV?' to 'How can I help?'" he said. "This is the greatest opportunity for the church to be the church and meet hurting, suffering people at their point of need."
Go to http://www.wordnews.org for more
TORONTO (W.) Aug. 15, 2006 -- Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life" and pastor of the megachurch Saddleback Church in California, says when it comes to battling AIDS and HIV, most prevention efforts focus on slowing its spread, not stopping it.
Warren said those tactics are easier and more popular, including supplying condoms, encouraging limited sexual partners, offering needle exchange and advocating delaying the initial sexual experience.
"Those efforts will slow down the pandemic, but not stop it," he said. "The solution to eliminating the threat of HIV/AIDS is not education, it is transformation. That involves saving sex for marriage, training men to respect women, offering treatment through churches and encouraging individuals to pledge themselves to one partner."
Warren said the church must play a vital role in the global response to AIDS and HIV. Warren and his wife Kay challenged ecumenical Christian leaders from around the world to recognize the unique resources they bring to this struggle at the Ecumenical and Interfaith Pre-Conferences being held over the weekend in advance of the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006), August 13-18 in Toronto.
"We are here at these conferences to say to fellow Christians that we believe the church needs to take the lead in the greatest health concern on the planet," said Warren. "We also want to make a statement to the watching world about how much is already being done by churches around the globe to bring hope where many feel hopeless."
More than 500 participants representing numerous Christian denominations and traditions came together for the two-day pre-conference, followed by a one-day interfaith gathering before the bi-annual International AIDS Conference this week.
Warren told delegates it is imperative to define their purpose in working towards prevention before the solution can be determined.
"Is your goal to merely reduce or to resolve this issue; do you want to decrease or to destroy this pandemic; do you want to just slow it down or stop it altogether?" he asked. "Each requires a different strategy, which can't be addressed until you know the answer to that question."
"I believe that faith, ethics and morals play an important role in the fight against HIV/AIDS," Warren added. "I am not a scientist, a medical professional or activist. I am a pastor, whose motives are different. I love people, and I have a Savior named Jesus who said, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
Warren stressed that it is not a sin to be sick.
"We need to move from asking, 'How did you get HIV?' to 'How can I help?'" he said. "This is the greatest opportunity for the church to be the church and meet hurting, suffering people at their point of need."
Go to http://www.wordnews.org for more
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