Saturday, February 21, 2004

(AgapePress) - The mother of a six-year-old Oregon boy is suing the Gresham-Barlow School District, claiming the kindergartner was not allowed to pass out his Christmas cards because they mentioned Jesus.

The American Center for Law & Justice is representing Julie Cortez and her son Justin. Their federal lawsuit charges that when Justin tried to hand out cards at a school Christmas party, they were taken from him.

According to the center's senior counsel Stuart Roth, the Christmas cards suggested that candy canes are shaped like a "J" to symbolize Jesus, with the red stripes symbolizing Christ's blood. He says the ACLJ filed the lawsuit on behalf of Justin and his mother because the school's action violated the kindergartener's constitutional rights.

"Our position is that this type of censorship, solely because of the religious perspective and viewpoint of Justin Cortez's message, violated the United States Constitution -- specifically the free speech clause," Roth says. More...

(AgapePress) - The pastor of a church in lower Manhattan says even though there are many problems and obstacles when it comes to ministering in the largest city in the United States, there are also many opportunities to show the hope found only in a relationship with Christ.

In his book Mercy Streets: Seeing Grace on the Streets of New York (Broadman & Holman, 2003), Taylor Field shows how God works in the urban jungle of the Empire State.

Besides being an author, Field is pastor of New York's East Seventh Street Baptist Church, an institution that has been doing ministry in lower Manhattan for three decades. The pastor, who has served not only in New York but in other urban communities in places like Berlin, Hong Kong, and San Francisco, says ministering in the inner city presents both challenges and opportunities.
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(AgapePress) - As government officials continue to blast MTV for its Super Bowl halftime show, the founder of a national pro-family ministry says support is growing for a boycott of advertisers on the sexually-explicit, teen-oriented cable TV network.

Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of the Mississippi-based American Family Association, has long battled Hollywood and the television entertainment media on behalf of the nation's children and families. In one of its most recent projects, AFA has launched an Internet campaign to boycott sponsors currently supporting MTV -- and the campaign is gaining momentum, he says. In fact, nearly 100,000 people have logged on to BoycottMTV.net since it was launched late last week. More...

(AgapePress) - A new report says textbook publishers are charging too much for college textbooks -- and students are paying the price for the unnecessary "bells and whistles" that drive up book costs.

A report by the State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) Higher Education Project estimates that some public university students will spend nearly $1,000 on textbooks this year. That is about 20 percent of the cost of the average in-state tuition at public universities.

Kate Rube, the State PIRGs' Higher Education Project associate, says textbooks should be priced and sold at a reasonable cost to students. More...

Thursday, February 19, 2004

RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Evangelical Christians are so excited about "The Passion of The Christ" they're almost selling popcorn in the vestibule.

They're definitely screening church-tailored clips of the movie in the sanctuary. My church has shown two promotional trailers. Like many other church groups, our youth and their parents plan to attend the movie and invite non-Christian friends.

With the current media uproar about the movie, millions of curious folks will go see it whether they're invited or not.

I think that's great. It's about time there was some national buzz about something actually worth seeing. And this movie's explicit depiction of Jesus' final hours should add to its power.

Back in high school, my Christian friends helped lead me to faith in Jesus by taking me to see "The Exorcist." It wasn't their only evangelistic strategy, but it helped seal the deal. That film, the scariest ever made in my opinion, shocked me into confronting the reality of supernatural good and evil in the world -- which in turn helped nudge me into the arms of a holy and merciful God.

By faithfully illustrating the Gospel, The "JESUS" film has done the same for tens of millions of seekers around the world, becoming one of the most effective evangelistic tools in church history. More...

(AgapePress) - The founder of a ministry dedicated to evangelism to Muslims hopes to equip Christians for spiritual warfare this weekend.

W.L. Cati, a former Muslim, is founder of Zennah Ministries. February 19-21, she is hosting a conference called "Equipping the Saints for Battle" in Bradenton, Florida. She says the purpose of the conference is to expose the deceptions of Islam and other false religions, and to prepare Christians to confront those deceptions.

While Islam is the primary focus of the conference, Cati notes that it will also include seminars on other religious sects as well. "The Bible says in the last days that even the elect would be deceived if it were possible," she says, "so what we're trying to do is expose and uncover all the deceptions and all the different false religions." More...

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq (BP)--The U.S. military has confirmed that gunmen killed an American pastor when the taxi he was riding in was ambushed outside Baghdad.

John Kelley, 48, was pastor of Curtis Corner Baptist Church, an independent Baptist church in South Kingstown, R.I. He was traveling with about 10 other ministers who went to Iraq on a two-week trip to explore the possibility of starting a church there.

U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division learned of the Feb. 14 attack while they were patrolling in the town of Mahmudiyah, about 15 miles south of Baghdad, according to the Associated Press. They were told the Americans had been riding in a taxi when a white sedan pulled up alongside them and opened fire. More...

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)--FamilyNet, the television broadcast subsidiary of the North American Mission Board, will integrate Fox News Channel reports in its regular programming as part of a three-year strategic alliance with the network. The relationship, announced Feb. 12, gives FamilyNet access to 170,000 stories per year fed through Fox's NewsEdge service.

"NewsEdge will provide FamilyNet stories on American politics, business news and consumer issues, entertainment news, health and medicine and human interest features," said Bob Sutton, chief executive officer of FamilyNet. "Because Fox News' coverage has a commitment to represent all sides, this will be an excellent match for the FamilyNet viewing audience."

"The Fox News service is going to enhance the look and impact of FamilyNet in many ways beginning with our live, daily programs 'At Home -- Live' and 'Your Health.'" said Martin Coleman, vice president of programming for FamilyNet. "We will be able to keep our viewers more informed of issues important to them with some of the best resources and live breaking news coverage available on television." More...