Saturday, March 13, 2004

(AgapePress) - The chairman of the University of North Carolina College Republicans is criticizing the school for its handling of the latest incident of anti-Christian bias on campus.

A professor at UNC-Chapel Hill recently singled out a Christian student for saying homosexuality is a sin. In an e-mail to students in her Literature and Cultural Diversity class, Professor Elyse Crystall accused the male student of "hate speech" and making "violent, heterosexist comments." (See Related Article)

Tripp Costas, chairman of the UNC College Republicans, believes school administrators have tried to sweep the issue under the rug. "They've tried to cover this up and issued a blanket apology on behalf of the professor for the comments that she made," he says.More...

(AgapePress) - From Rosie O'Donnell to spokespersons from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance, gay marriage proponents are quick to tell us that opposition to gay marriage is not only "hateful" but an infringement of homosexuals' civil rights. With each passing day, we hear more and more inflammatory remarks from activists who are hell-bent on changing forever the definition of traditional marriage as we know it.

The topic of "gay marriage" has riddled the headlines of local papers and occupied the nation's social consciousness over the last five weeks. However, one line of thinking has not be adequately debated: what would America be like if gay marriage would be legally validated? Three prominent California advocates for traditional marriage have recently provided their thoughts on that prospect.

Paul McGuire, a conservative radio talk-show host for Crawford Broadcasting Corp., speaks to a large syndicated audience every weekday afternoon from his studio in Los Angeles. McGuire believes that if gay marriage is adopted, "5,000 years of civilization will be affected." He realistically predicts that there will not only be a social chaos from such a trend, but legal validation will also result in "a moral anarchy" in our social climate.

McGuire believes a future including gay marriage usurps the traditional components of a union between a husband and a wife. "Social studies confirm that children do best when you have [both] a mom and a dad," the radio host says, adding that "psychological fallout will result" when society confuses its inhabitants by changing a social order (traditional marriage) that has been the cornerstone for every major civilization since the beginning of man.

McGuire is convinced that many citizens who have recently decided to support gay marriage "have not thought things through to the logical conclusion." He sees a society "where there is no need to have any committed relationships" and where homosexual activists will "corrupt heterosexual [marriage] in an effort to make homosexual relationships legitimate." More...

Thursday, March 11, 2004

(AgapePress) - More than a third of all Americans who are connected to the Internet have used it to access religious and spiritual information, a recent Pew Research Center study shows. Moreover, there has been a significant increase in the daily use of the Internet to access religious information.

This compares with 40 percent of American Internet users who have searched the web for political information, and 66 percent who have sought health and medical data. But, while the number of these last two search categories increased 57 percent and 59 percent respectively between March 2000 and November 2002, what researchers call "religion surfers" almost doubled in number over the same period, from 18 million to 35 million -- an increase of 94 percent.

The growth appears to be only slightly linked to the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States. An earlier Pew poll accounted for the "bounce," or heavy upturn in religious interest following the attack. The most recent research found that not only has the interest in religion held since September 11, but it increased 25 percent during the subsequent 15 months. More...

Tuesday, March 09, 2004

(AgapePress) - A biblical scholar and best-selling author says it is quite apparent that Europe is gaining economic influence while the United States is losing its economic clout.

Dr. Hal Lindsey has written about the end of the age for more than three decades. The author of The Late Great Planet Earth (Zondervan, 1976) says while the U.S. has been the dominant power of the world since the end of World War II, the Bible clearly indicates that Europe has to return to dominance before the Second Coming.

Lindsey says current world events appear to be moving in that direction, with the power once concentrated in the U.S. shifting toward Europe. "All indicators are that that's happening right now," he says. "The European Union is really gaining momentum. For instance, the euro is now more valuable than the U.S. dollar."

"The United States has been the leader of the West and of the world since World War II, and yet there's absolutely nothing about a power like the United States even implied in prophecy in the days just shortly before the return of Christ," Lindsey says, "so that means something dramatic has to happen to the United States." More...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--Both the Old and New Testaments teach one way of salvation -- through faith in Jesus Christ, a professor told attendees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s fourth annual Give Me an Answer Collegiate Conference.

Thomas R. Schreiner, professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Seminary, noted that Old Testament saints placed their faith not in works but in Christ by looking forward to the Messiah whom God promised. The New Testament writers, he said, bore witness to the fact that Old Testament believers trusted in the promised One who would come and die for sinners.

"The New Testament writers could say, Isaiah saw Jesus glory and Abraham rejoiced to see my [Christ's] day," Schreiner said during the Feb. 20-21 sessions in Louisville, Ky. "... All the Old Testament saints were putting their faith in the promise of God which has been fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

"The New Testament makes it clear that salvation comes through Christ alone," Schreiner said, "or faith in the promise that points forward to Christ if you are an Old Testament saint."

Scripture makes clear in passages such as Romans 1:18-3:20 and Galatians 3:10 that sinners cannot be made right with God by observing the law, Schreiner said. Salvation is based on the death and resurrection of Christ because He bore the punishment for sin that sinners themselves deserve to bear, Schreiner said.

The law of God does not save but demonstrates the righteous character of God and shows sinful humans their need for a Savior, he said. More...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--As "The Passion of The Christ" took the top spot at the box office for a second weekend and touted estimated earnings in excess of $213 million, the divide remains wide between movie critics and viewers.

"People are checking it out because of word of mouth," Bob Berney, president of Passion distributor Newmarket Films, told USA Today. "It's gone beyond churches renting out theaters. We're across the board with ethnic groups and ages."

The Passion has become the fifth highest-grossing R-rated film ever and has broken into the top 50 films of all time. Theaters have commented that the film is selling out not just on Fridays and Saturdays but most remarkably during the day and on Sundays.

Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center and Parents Television Council, noted in his weekly syndicated column March 5 that "never in history has the chasm between the critics and their public been deeper." More...

Monday, March 08, 2004

DALLAS (BP)--The Baptist General Convention of Texas is ending a longstanding cooperative agreement with LifeWay Christian Resources, the Nashville-based publisher for the Southern Baptist Convention. By pulling out of the ministry investment plan when it expires Sept. 30, BGCT stands to lose several hundred thousand dollars from LifeWay to support ministries and church growth initiatives while gaining the freedom to promote its own BaptistWay Press curriculum.

"I’m surprised and saddened by the decision, but I respect the BGCT’s right to make it," stated LifeWay President and CEO James T. Draper Jr. “LifeWay has enjoyed a long relationship with the convention, and I fully expect this will continue throughout the many Southern Baptist churches and associations in Texas that will keep using our resources." He said LifeWay and BGCT leaders share "a desire that people everywhere would know Christ and make Him known."

Draper acknowledged the challenge to keep providing resources and services to Texas customers. "We understand that we are now in a competitive situation with the BGCT for curriculum sales to Texas churches, but that does not change our commitment to provide biblically sound, relevant and value-priced resources to help people and churches know Christ and seek His Kingdom." More...