World News: September 16, 2009

September 16, 2009

Reading: World News: September 16, 2009
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  • ChristianNewsWire reports that the California state legislature on Sept. 9 approved Senate Bill 54, authored by Senator Mark Leno (D.-San Francisco), that would require California to validate and recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state before Nov. 5, 2008,the day when California voters approved Proposition 8. Bill 54 was approved by the Democrat majority on a party-line vote in both the Assembly and the Senate. The California Family Council issued a statement in response: “The California Legislature’s majority continues its disregard for the expressed will of their constituents and the state Constitution which affirms traditional marriage’s definition. Article I, Section 7.5 of the California Constitution specifically states, ‘Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.’ . . . The Legislature’s approval of SB 54 demonstrates the Legislature’s contempt and lack of respect for their constituents.”
  • An Internet blogger who has watched closely the case of the teen girl who fled her Muslim family after she had converted to Christianity has reported an Internet threat to the girl’s life, according to WorldNetDaily. Blogger Pamela Geller has posted screen captures of the alleged threat to the girl, whose future remains to be decided by a court process in Florida. The girl is currently in foster care. Robert Spencer, a terrorist expert who posts at JihadWatch.org, noted that as soon as Geller posted information about the threat, the Facebook page on which it appeared was taken down. “Will any authorities take this seriously? Or will they continue to swallow whole the pleasing deceptions coming from the mainstream media and Islamic leaders in Ohio and Florida, to the effect that [the girl] is in no danger at all?” asked Spencer. The girl’s attorney said he would outline in court her family’s ties to terrorism.
  • Various news sources noted that tens of thousands of protesters fed up with government spending marched to the U.S. Capitol this past Saturday, showing their disdain for the president’s health care plan with slogans such as “I’m not your ATM.” The line of protesters clogged several blocks near the Capitol, according to the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Organizers of the protest said they built on the momentum from the “tea party” movement of recent months. Various lawmakers also supported the rally. Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.), chairman of the House Republican Conference, said Americans want health care reform, but they don’t want a government takeover. One protester, a Vietnam War veteran, said as he marched with the use of a wooden cane, “My grandkids are going to be paying for this. It’s going to cost too much money that we don’t have.”
  • Christian Post reported that a large group of pro-lifers representing a number of pro-life organizations gathered Sunday on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol to kick off 27 hours of prayer for divine intervention as Congress and the nation are divided over the current health care reform bill. Specifically, the group is praying that taxpayer monies are not spent on funding abortions. “We . . . are convinced that Congress wants to use this health care bill to sneak in provisions which will publicly finance abortion and human killing research,” warned Peter Shinn, president of Pro-Life Unity. Factcheck.org and other independent agencies have noted that the current House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans, though it does not require federal funds to be used to support abortion coverage. So far, conservative lawmakers have not been able to add language to the bill that would prevent the federal funding of abortion. Surveys indicate that conservative Christians remain unconvinced of Obama’s health care reform following the President’s speech last week. Recently, 1.2 million people signed a petition opposing the plan. Commentator Stephen Brown, writing “A Biblical view of universal health care” in The Layman, noted, “In recent months it has repeatedly been alleged that there are 47 million Americans who lack access to health care. But lack of health care does not equate to unavailable care. The network of free clinics in the U.S. grows every year—not through government incentives, but through the compassionate service of neighbor to neighbor. Politicians appeal to the emotions of Americans stating that dramatic reform must happen to take care of these fellow citizens, but do the statistics actually support the conclusion? The 47 million comes from the U.S. Census Bureau report. According to the Census Bureau, about 10 million are illegal aliens, 17 million are people who make more than $50,000 annually and choose not to have health insurance, and 10 million are people who have access to government plans such as Medicaid and people between jobs who are also between insurance plans. That leaves about 10 million who presumably can’t afford health insurance, about 3 percent of the population.” Also writing in The Layman, editor Parker Williamson noted in an article that Jesus while on earth didn’t heal everyone. “If human beings had a right to good health, then billions of us—ultimately, all of us—may file a grievance against our Creator.”
  • Baptist Press reported that Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, commemorated the 10th anniversary Sept. 13 of the tragic shooting of seven people that stunned the nation. Five others were wounded before the gunman killed himself. A service with the theme of God’s faithfulness provided a time of remembrance and reflection through singing, video testimonies, and prayer. Churchgoers placed “stones of remembrance” on a granite monument, dedicated in 2002, that honors the victims.
  • A webcast on 9/11 involving some 650 churches presented a Christian response to radical Islam. Tom Doyle, a missions leader to the Middle East, said it is the timing of God right now to reach Muslims. Citing Muslims who have become Christians and are very bold in expressing their new faith, Doyle commented, “They are willing to serve, they are willing to be persecuted, they are willing to die for their faith.”
  • President Obama’s choice to monitor school safety once boasted that he introduced homosexual advocacy into the school system in Massachusetts by manipulating the message presented to lawmakers, said Bob Unruh of WorldNetDaily. The revelations about Kevin Jennings, recently named assistant deputy secretary for the office of Safe & Drug Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education, come just as several of Obama’s czars have come under scrutiny for their actions, opinions, and affiliations.
  • The tea party movement has inspired certain Christians in one city to run for office. Mike Wilson, founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party, announced that he is running for the state legislature in Ohio’s Eighth District. Shannon Hartkemeyer is hoping to be the new Fairfield Township Trustee. She reportedly has about 20 years’ experience working in corporate America and has considerable skills in cost reduction, quality management, and strategic planning.
  • A pro-life activist was murdered in Owosso, Mich., as he protested across the street, reported various major news sources. Horrified parents and students witnessed the slaying. Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue, wept when he received the word. “He was just a kind, gentle man who loved life and endeavored to save other people’s lives,” said Newman. Hundreds of people attended a prayer vigil Sunday afternoon and sang, read from the Bible, and shared testimonies. Notes, balloons, and flowers piled on the spot where Jim Pouillon, 63, was gunned down. Daughter Mary Jo, who held her father’s Bible throughout the service, said, “He always told me that when he went to heaven he wanted to go while on the corner saving babies. God heard him.” Pouillon is believed to be the first pro-life activist killed while witnessing for the cause. He has been hailed as the first American pro-life martyr. Michigan Citizens for Life chairman Cal Zastrow said his friend had received numerous death threats over the years.
  • Recent revelations from Rasmussen Reports include 49 percent of people surveyed believing the 9/11 attacks are forgotten by most Americans, voters turning negative on all political labels except “being like Ronald Reagan,” and 42 percent believing terrorism will increase after the U.S. leaves Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • A cache of 120 coins from the Roman period of around AD 135 has been discovered in the Judean hills, the largest find from this period, reported the Israel Government Tourist Office. The gold, silver, and bronze coins were in excellent condition, helping archaeologists to determine their age and use. Most were Roman manufactured, but insignias were imprinted by the Jews.
  • In Maine, the state forced a school in Orono to let a boy use the girls’ bathroom, according to The Record of the Maine Family Policy Council. When the boy so requested, the school offered a compromise of using a unisex bathroom. The boy’s parents then claimed the school was discriminating against their child, who thinks he is a girl. The school agreed, several months before the incident, that it would accept the boy’s use of a girl’s name and would agree to call him “her.” The Maine Human Rights Commission concluded unanimously that the school discriminated against the boy. In other news, the Maine Family Policy Council reported that Larry Bliss, co-chairman of the Main Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, virtually unknown before he became the driving force behind the same-sex marriage bill that was signed into law in May, has had gay connections. In a speech in the Maine Senate prior to the vote, Bliss revealed that he and his male partner had returned to California to be married at a ceremony at the Ventura County Courthouse. Also, Bliss is on the board of a number of organizations dealing with homosexuality, including the AIDS Project, and the Main Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance.
  • Israel’s recent discovery of one of the world’s largest natural gas fields is much larger than previously estimated, according to a new report obtained by Worthy News. The Tamar Gas Field is offshore from Haifa. Officials said natural gas will be flowing into Israel by 2012, and analysts say that it will have a huge impact on Israel’s economy and make the Jewish state more energy independent.
  • A Christian teenager is in jail on charges of blasphemy after being beaten. Several Muslims have demanded a death sentence for him, his family, and supporters, according to International Christian Concern.
  • A religious leader has confirmed that armed groups are killing Christians and others in the south of Sudan, a predominantly Islamic country, reported Worthy News. Dozens are known to have been slain or injured. In Jonglei State, more than 40 people, including women and children, were killed or injured on Aug. 29. Mission Network News reported that Iranian Christians have seen a wave of trouble coming from the government in recent weeks. Authorities last month arrested 27 believers of Muslim background at a home church. Concerns, meanwhile, are arising as a new Pakistan church was attacked, and vigilante attacks were increasing against religious minorities in that country. The church was damaged, weeks after an angry mob killed seven Christians.
  • Martin Colburn, Christian chaplain of two veterans’ organizations, has had his free speech rights restored, reports OneNewsNow. In February he was thrown out of a hospital in Michigan because he had a Bible in his hand and had been meeting with a patient. He met with patients who gave him permission to do so. Colburn then received a letter saying he wasn’t welcome to come back except to receive his own veteran’s benefits because he was a wounded warrior himself. The Alliance Defense Fund took up his case.
  • Open Doors has been working in a new ministry in Iraq to children who have been traumatized by war. OD President Carl Moeller noted, “Many of these children and youth have known nothing but chaos and violence; some since birth. Some have watched as loved ones have been killed or wounded.”
  • HCJB, the longtime shortwave radio station in Ecuador, announced that it is ending shortwave broadcasts sometime between this month and November. All but 14 antennas and towers have been dismantled. The ministry is looking into transferring the 37-year-old FM station in Guayaquil into the hands of local partners. HCJB is focusing on “radio planting,” helping local ministries begin Christian radio ministries. More than 300 local stations have been helped. These stations are staffed and programmed by local believers who “can speak to the culture in their own communities,” said HCJB Global President Wayne Pederson.
  • Chrysler has canceled advertising on the TV program Family Guy after receiving a large number of e-mails from consumers who complained that an episode mocked the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, belittled Judas’s betrayal of Jesus, and mocked the importance of miracles Jesus performed. When the episode recently aired again, companies that did advertise were Microsoft, Geico, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Old Navy, Burger King, Subway, Amscot, Wrigley and Company, and Cadbury Adams.
  • Liberals have been attacking the previous administration in the White House over supposed harsh interrogations of terrorists, but revealing new documents indicate that they saved lives, according to Rowan Scarborough in Human Events. Former vice president Dick Cheney demanded that declassified CIA reports be released after President Obama ordered the release of a Justice Department memo outlining the techniques-but not the results. The reports show the enhanced interrogation techniques protected America. One example cited was that one of three high-value al Qaeda members the CIA water-boarded coughed up the name of Khalid Sheik Mohammed as the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks. He provided an inside look at how al Qaeda operated, from finances to recruitment. And he divulged other attack plans as well as the names of other terrorists who had not before been identified.
  • Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has admitted to pondering a run for the next Republican presidential nomination and is asking for prayer, reports LifeSiteNews. Santorum was a strong pro-life, pro-morality lawman.
  • A Kentucky church has ordained a registered sex offender despite protests in the surrounding area, according to Christian Post. The man was in prison after being charged with sodomy, sexual abuse, and intimidation of an 11-year-old boy back in 1998. The pastor of City of Refuge said the man was converted and eventually led praise and worship after “the Lord touched his heart.” The pastor said he did in no way condone what Mark Hourigan did, but “this man has proven himself and paid his debt to society.” However, said one observer, “A truly remorseful and ‘reformed’ sex offender would not even seek a position like minister, just as a truly repentant and sober alcoholic wouldn’t seek a job in a tavern.” Another statement about the ordination read, “It’s wonderful that he’s a member of this church, but he does not need to be ordained as a minister with that kind of position or authority. . . . It’s wrong.”
  • OneNewsNow reports that the ACLU has sued against Mississippi over an abstinence conference for Mississippi teens. The conference began with prayer, and a speaker told the teenagers about his family and faith.
  • A Barna study has found that the number of female senior pastors in Protestant churches has doubled in the past decade. From the early 1990s through 1999, only 5 percent of the senior pastors of Protestant churches were female. In 2009, it is 10 percent. A large share of the women—58 percent—are with mainline denomination churches that allow women preachers, including American Baptists, Episcopal, United Church of Christ, ELCA, United Methodist, and Presbyterian. Non-mainline churches that have women preachers include several Pentecostal/charismatic groups. The study found that male pastors tend to pastor larger churches than female pastors.