Supreme Knight Calls on Catholics to Say 'No' to Pro-Abortion Politicians
Leader of largest Catholic fraternal organization exhorts Catholics to live their faith in all areas of life, including politics
QUEBEC, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Addressing the leadership and more than 1,000 members of the Knights of Columbus and their families at the organization's 126th Annual Convention being held in Quebec, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson highlighted the organization's accomplishments over the past year, and laid out a vision for a future in which values play a key role. The speech was also broadcast live throughout Canada and the United States on Catholic television network, and worldwide on EWTN radio and television.
Speaking after greetings to the Knights were heard from the Pope, via the Cardinal Secretary of State, and the presidents of the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines, Anderson highlighted the organization's remarkable charitable giving last year, which totaled more than $144 million and more than 68 million hours donated to charity by the more than 1.75 million Knights worldwide.
Anderson also called on Catholics to "shine a bright line of separation between themselves and all those politicians who defend the abortion regime of Roe v. Wade."
He added: "Imagine if this year millions of Catholic voters simply say 'no' -- no to every candidate of every political party who supports abortion." He added, "It's time we stop accommodating pro-abortion politicians, and it's time we start demanding that they accommodate us. What candidate or political party can withstand the loss of millions of Catholic voters in this election or the next?"
He concluded: "Catholic voters have the power to transform our politics. And if faithful citizens can build a new politics--a politics that is not satisfied with the status quo but one that is dedicated to building up a new culture of life. There are more than 150 million Catholics in North America, and if we stand together and demand better from our politicians, we can transform politics. And if we truly hope for a culture of life and a civilization of love, then we must first think, and then act, in new ways."
A complete transcript is available at www.kofc.org
3mnewswire.org
Monday, September 22, 2008
New Country, New Commitment
New Country, New Commitment
FT WAYNE, Ind., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- On the fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, WinePress announces the release of "Our Walk with God" - a memoir by Tibor Bierbaum. A Hungarian immigrant faced with the challenge of a new country and a new language repays the gift of freedom by serving in the U S Army and later by training future leaders.
The tyranny of Communism propelled Tibor Bierbaum from his homeland to the United States in 1956. Soon his deep sense of gratitude to God and his adopted country translated into a lifetime of service. Joined in that two-fold service was Julia Anne Bierbaum who supported her husband in where ever he was called - from Colorado, to Germany, and finally to Indiana.
"Our Walk with God" relates the story of Major Bierbaum's always challenging and often dangerous career as a paratrooper and special services officer in the Army - a career defined by extended tours of duty in Germany, Korea, and Viet Nam and by eighteen individual honors including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor. Wishing to continue his life of service upon his retirement from the Army, he tackled a new career in secondary education and found fulfillment in training the next generation of America's leaders. Included in the book are several responses of Major Bierbaum upon receiving honors from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge.
Snapshots of the unsettled life of a military spouse are included by Tibor Bierbaum's beloved wife, Julia Anne. Always searching for ways to support her husband and his demanding career, Julia Anne thrived and at times even played a key role in training exercises for military personnel.
This memoir is a story of many things: an escape from tyranny, dedicated patriotism to an adopted homeland, a detailed record of military heroism, a guideline for teaching leadership to adolescents, and lessons on grief and surviving the loss of a loved one. Above all that, however, it is a love story. Tibor and Julia Anne were committed to each other, to their country, and to the Lord.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
FT WAYNE, Ind., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- On the fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, WinePress announces the release of "Our Walk with God" - a memoir by Tibor Bierbaum. A Hungarian immigrant faced with the challenge of a new country and a new language repays the gift of freedom by serving in the U S Army and later by training future leaders.
The tyranny of Communism propelled Tibor Bierbaum from his homeland to the United States in 1956. Soon his deep sense of gratitude to God and his adopted country translated into a lifetime of service. Joined in that two-fold service was Julia Anne Bierbaum who supported her husband in where ever he was called - from Colorado, to Germany, and finally to Indiana.
"Our Walk with God" relates the story of Major Bierbaum's always challenging and often dangerous career as a paratrooper and special services officer in the Army - a career defined by extended tours of duty in Germany, Korea, and Viet Nam and by eighteen individual honors including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for Valor. Wishing to continue his life of service upon his retirement from the Army, he tackled a new career in secondary education and found fulfillment in training the next generation of America's leaders. Included in the book are several responses of Major Bierbaum upon receiving honors from the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge.
Snapshots of the unsettled life of a military spouse are included by Tibor Bierbaum's beloved wife, Julia Anne. Always searching for ways to support her husband and his demanding career, Julia Anne thrived and at times even played a key role in training exercises for military personnel.
This memoir is a story of many things: an escape from tyranny, dedicated patriotism to an adopted homeland, a detailed record of military heroism, a guideline for teaching leadership to adolescents, and lessons on grief and surviving the loss of a loved one. Above all that, however, it is a love story. Tibor and Julia Anne were committed to each other, to their country, and to the Lord.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
Olympic Challenge Brings Double Blessings and Eternal Consequences
Olympic Challenge Brings Double Blessings and Eternal Consequences
VENTURA, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Summer Games begin this week focusing all eyes on Beijing. Gospel Light Worldwide has issued an Olympic challenge that carries double blessings and eternal consequences.
Gospel Light Worldwide has been preparing for China since 2003. Gospel Light Worldwide helps children enter and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through culturally relevant, locally published Bible resources and teacher training.
Recently, Gospel Light Worldwide received a $50,000 commitment to help bring God's Word to the children of China but there was a hook. The contributor will only give GLW the $50,000 when they raise another $50,000 in new gifts.
The GLW goal is to raise the $50,000 before the closing ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics on August 24. Gospel Light Worldwide President Marc Stein continued, "Achieving this goal will be better than winning the gold because the reward is eternal. Our hope is that others will stand victorious with us."
Outside the United States, there is a serious lack of children's Bible teaching materials and teacher training. Local pastors, evangelists and church planters from developing world churches are reaching out for help. As a result, children are rapidly emerging as one of the leading international ministry priorities.
With as many children in China as there are all people in the United States, Stein considers it a "double blessing." He said, "Each dollar received will be doubled, helping twice as many children in China enter and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through culturally relevant, age appropriate Bible curriculum and teacher training. We know the Lord is rousing the hearts of people right now for this Olympic challenge."
Gospel Light Worldwide is the not-for-profit 501(c)3 sister ministry to Gospel Light and Regal Books based in Ventura, California. They are currently participating in 16 international projects focused in four key regions of the world: Asia, Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union, the Middle East and Africa.
For only $1 per child, Gospel Light Worldwide can translate, provide the teacher training, print the appropriate study materials, deliver the lessons and provide evaluation for an entire year.
For more information or to donate, please visit www.glww.org
3mnewswire.org
VENTURA, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Summer Games begin this week focusing all eyes on Beijing. Gospel Light Worldwide has issued an Olympic challenge that carries double blessings and eternal consequences.
Gospel Light Worldwide has been preparing for China since 2003. Gospel Light Worldwide helps children enter and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through culturally relevant, locally published Bible resources and teacher training.
Recently, Gospel Light Worldwide received a $50,000 commitment to help bring God's Word to the children of China but there was a hook. The contributor will only give GLW the $50,000 when they raise another $50,000 in new gifts.
The GLW goal is to raise the $50,000 before the closing ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics on August 24. Gospel Light Worldwide President Marc Stein continued, "Achieving this goal will be better than winning the gold because the reward is eternal. Our hope is that others will stand victorious with us."
Outside the United States, there is a serious lack of children's Bible teaching materials and teacher training. Local pastors, evangelists and church planters from developing world churches are reaching out for help. As a result, children are rapidly emerging as one of the leading international ministry priorities.
With as many children in China as there are all people in the United States, Stein considers it a "double blessing." He said, "Each dollar received will be doubled, helping twice as many children in China enter and grow in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through culturally relevant, age appropriate Bible curriculum and teacher training. We know the Lord is rousing the hearts of people right now for this Olympic challenge."
Gospel Light Worldwide is the not-for-profit 501(c)3 sister ministry to Gospel Light and Regal Books based in Ventura, California. They are currently participating in 16 international projects focused in four key regions of the world: Asia, Eastern Europe/Former Soviet Union, the Middle East and Africa.
For only $1 per child, Gospel Light Worldwide can translate, provide the teacher training, print the appropriate study materials, deliver the lessons and provide evaluation for an entire year.
For more information or to donate, please visit www.glww.org
3mnewswire.org
Standing Out in the World
Standing Out in the World
LAWRENCE, Kans., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Some people walk with God because they were brought up that way. It often takes a crisis for someone to become fully devoted to faith in God. Such was the case of Noah. He grew up in the sheltered society of the children of God. All around them was a world so depraved and corrupted that "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Genesis 6:5 NIV)
Like many of his generation, Noah was attracted to the seemingly glamorous life in the world. He gets sucked into that society until calamity strikes and everything around him collapses. Like the prodigal son, Noah turns back to the ancestral society of the children of God to walk with God (Genesis 6:9b NIV) to become one of the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11:7, "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." He walked with God like his ancestors, even as the world around him scoffed at the warning of a coming flood and mocked him as he worked away at building a large, ominous structure on a high rock ledge near his home.
Author Nick Willems calls the account of Noah and the flood "one of the most dramatic events in human history." He found it so fascinating that he chose it as the subject of his first novel, "Noah". "It's a great example of faith in the face of unbelief," Willems says. "Noah truly lived by faith and not by sight." Nick Willems grew up in Holland and accepted Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade in 1960, while living in Southern Africa. Since then he has maintained a passion for spreading the message of Salvation through Christ. Another of his lifetime passions is history and storytelling. His fictionalized retelling of this inspiring biblical account brings to life the dynamic stories of people who learned, through difficult choices, that believing and obeying God are worth the sacrifice.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
LAWRENCE, Kans., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Some people walk with God because they were brought up that way. It often takes a crisis for someone to become fully devoted to faith in God. Such was the case of Noah. He grew up in the sheltered society of the children of God. All around them was a world so depraved and corrupted that "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Genesis 6:5 NIV)
Like many of his generation, Noah was attracted to the seemingly glamorous life in the world. He gets sucked into that society until calamity strikes and everything around him collapses. Like the prodigal son, Noah turns back to the ancestral society of the children of God to walk with God (Genesis 6:9b NIV) to become one of the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11:7, "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith." He walked with God like his ancestors, even as the world around him scoffed at the warning of a coming flood and mocked him as he worked away at building a large, ominous structure on a high rock ledge near his home.
Author Nick Willems calls the account of Noah and the flood "one of the most dramatic events in human history." He found it so fascinating that he chose it as the subject of his first novel, "Noah". "It's a great example of faith in the face of unbelief," Willems says. "Noah truly lived by faith and not by sight." Nick Willems grew up in Holland and accepted Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade in 1960, while living in Southern Africa. Since then he has maintained a passion for spreading the message of Salvation through Christ. Another of his lifetime passions is history and storytelling. His fictionalized retelling of this inspiring biblical account brings to life the dynamic stories of people who learned, through difficult choices, that believing and obeying God are worth the sacrifice.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
Amsterdam Selected for World Congress of Families V, August 10-12, 2009
Amsterdam Selected for World Congress of Families V, August 10-12, 2009
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Last week, the Selection Committee for World Congress of Families V met in Washington, D.C. and unanimously recommended Amsterdam as the site for the next Congress. Their recommendation was accepted by the WCF Management Committee. The dates of WCF V are August 10-12, 2009.
Previous Congresses have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw (2007).
The 16-member Selection Committee was composed of: Ignacio Arsuaga (HazteOir.org, Spain), Chuck Donovan (Family Research Council), Don Feder (World Congress of Families), Farooq Hassan (Pakistan Family Forum), Jesus Hernandez (The Family Network, Mexico), Marie-Claire Hernandez (Family & Society, Mexico), Randy Hicks (Georgia Family Council), Robert Knight (Culture and Media Institute, Media Research Center), Ewa Kowalewska (Human Life International, Europe), Gwendolyn Landolt (REAL Women of Canada), Yuri Mantilla (Focus on the Family), Dorothy Patterson (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), Austin Ruse (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute), Mary Ellen Smoot, Jennifer Swim (GFC Foundation) and Father Jaroslaw Szymczak (Institute of Family Studies, Poland). The meeting was chaired by Gwen Landolt (Real Women of Canada).
Five countries made formal bids to host World Congress of Families V - Nigeria, the Netherlands, Latvia, Bolivia and Russia. All were represented by delegations led by the following: Theresa Okafor (Nigeria, Chief Executive, Life League), Simon Polinder (Holland, Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Amsterdam), Marika Bertule (Latvia, Founder, Family Association) - Miguel Moreno (Bolivia, Leadership Institute, Trinity Foundation) and Lech Kowalewski, representing Fr. Maxim Obukhov (President, National Russian Pro-Life Movement).
Dr. Allan C. Carlson, WCF International Secretary, who was present at the meeting as a facilitator, commented: "We were gratified by the quality of the proposals and the caliber of the presentations. It wasn't easy for the Selection Committee to reach a decision. Ultimately, it recommended Amsterdam based on the thoroughness of its proposal, the enthusiasm of the local organizing committee and its supporters, the ability of the Local Organizing Committee to fully fund the Congress, location and venue, and a desire to support the budding Dutch pro- family movement."
While unanimously proposing Amsterdam as the site of WCF V, the Selection Committee also resolved that a prep-con (preparatory conference) should be held in Nigeria before WCF V and that the Amsterdam Congress include a panel reporting on the Nigeria meeting.
All of the countries which weren't chosen as the site for WCF V were invited to submit bids for WCF VI, whose location will be determined before the next Congress.
World Congress of Families V will be held at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, August 10-12, 2009. The theme chosen by the LOC is "Family: More Than Only the Sum of the Parts."
The RAI Centre can accommodate as many as 4,000 delegates in one hall, with smaller rooms available for breakout sessions for anywhere from 100 to 700. The Centre is also well equipped for audio-visual, Internet, media and catering. Built in 1893, the newly renovated Centre is the site of over 1,000 national and international conferences and cultural events each year, attracting more than 2 million visitors.
The Management Committee, which has ultimate oversight of the Congress, consists of Carlson, Janice Crouse (Senior Fellow, Beverly LaHaye Institute, Concerned Women for America), Paul Mero (President, Sutherland Institute), William Saunders (Senior Fellow & Human Rights Counsel, Family Research Council) and Christine Vollmer (President, Latin American Alliance for Families).
For more information on World Congress of Families, visit www.worldcongress.org. To schedule an interview with Dr. Allan Carlson, contact Larry Jacobs at 1-800-461-3113.
3mnewswire.org
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Last week, the Selection Committee for World Congress of Families V met in Washington, D.C. and unanimously recommended Amsterdam as the site for the next Congress. Their recommendation was accepted by the WCF Management Committee. The dates of WCF V are August 10-12, 2009.
Previous Congresses have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw (2007).
The 16-member Selection Committee was composed of: Ignacio Arsuaga (HazteOir.org, Spain), Chuck Donovan (Family Research Council), Don Feder (World Congress of Families), Farooq Hassan (Pakistan Family Forum), Jesus Hernandez (The Family Network, Mexico), Marie-Claire Hernandez (Family & Society, Mexico), Randy Hicks (Georgia Family Council), Robert Knight (Culture and Media Institute, Media Research Center), Ewa Kowalewska (Human Life International, Europe), Gwendolyn Landolt (REAL Women of Canada), Yuri Mantilla (Focus on the Family), Dorothy Patterson (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), Austin Ruse (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute), Mary Ellen Smoot, Jennifer Swim (GFC Foundation) and Father Jaroslaw Szymczak (Institute of Family Studies, Poland). The meeting was chaired by Gwen Landolt (Real Women of Canada).
Five countries made formal bids to host World Congress of Families V - Nigeria, the Netherlands, Latvia, Bolivia and Russia. All were represented by delegations led by the following: Theresa Okafor (Nigeria, Chief Executive, Life League), Simon Polinder (Holland, Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Amsterdam), Marika Bertule (Latvia, Founder, Family Association) - Miguel Moreno (Bolivia, Leadership Institute, Trinity Foundation) and Lech Kowalewski, representing Fr. Maxim Obukhov (President, National Russian Pro-Life Movement).
Dr. Allan C. Carlson, WCF International Secretary, who was present at the meeting as a facilitator, commented: "We were gratified by the quality of the proposals and the caliber of the presentations. It wasn't easy for the Selection Committee to reach a decision. Ultimately, it recommended Amsterdam based on the thoroughness of its proposal, the enthusiasm of the local organizing committee and its supporters, the ability of the Local Organizing Committee to fully fund the Congress, location and venue, and a desire to support the budding Dutch pro- family movement."
While unanimously proposing Amsterdam as the site of WCF V, the Selection Committee also resolved that a prep-con (preparatory conference) should be held in Nigeria before WCF V and that the Amsterdam Congress include a panel reporting on the Nigeria meeting.
All of the countries which weren't chosen as the site for WCF V were invited to submit bids for WCF VI, whose location will be determined before the next Congress.
World Congress of Families V will be held at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, August 10-12, 2009. The theme chosen by the LOC is "Family: More Than Only the Sum of the Parts."
The RAI Centre can accommodate as many as 4,000 delegates in one hall, with smaller rooms available for breakout sessions for anywhere from 100 to 700. The Centre is also well equipped for audio-visual, Internet, media and catering. Built in 1893, the newly renovated Centre is the site of over 1,000 national and international conferences and cultural events each year, attracting more than 2 million visitors.
The Management Committee, which has ultimate oversight of the Congress, consists of Carlson, Janice Crouse (Senior Fellow, Beverly LaHaye Institute, Concerned Women for America), Paul Mero (President, Sutherland Institute), William Saunders (Senior Fellow & Human Rights Counsel, Family Research Council) and Christine Vollmer (President, Latin American Alliance for Families).
For more information on World Congress of Families, visit www.worldcongress.org. To schedule an interview with Dr. Allan Carlson, contact Larry Jacobs at 1-800-461-3113.
3mnewswire.org
Amsterdam Selected for World Congress of Families V, August 10-12, 2009
Amsterdam Selected for World Congress of Families V, August 10-12, 2009
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Last week, the Selection Committee for World Congress of Families V met in Washington, D.C. and unanimously recommended Amsterdam as the site for the next Congress. Their recommendation was accepted by the WCF Management Committee. The dates of WCF V are August 10-12, 2009.
Previous Congresses have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw (2007).
The 16-member Selection Committee was composed of: Ignacio Arsuaga (HazteOir.org, Spain), Chuck Donovan (Family Research Council), Don Feder (World Congress of Families), Farooq Hassan (Pakistan Family Forum), Jesus Hernandez (The Family Network, Mexico), Marie-Claire Hernandez (Family & Society, Mexico), Randy Hicks (Georgia Family Council), Robert Knight (Culture and Media Institute, Media Research Center), Ewa Kowalewska (Human Life International, Europe), Gwendolyn Landolt (REAL Women of Canada), Yuri Mantilla (Focus on the Family), Dorothy Patterson (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), Austin Ruse (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute), Mary Ellen Smoot, Jennifer Swim (GFC Foundation) and Father Jaroslaw Szymczak (Institute of Family Studies, Poland). The meeting was chaired by Gwen Landolt (Real Women of Canada).
Five countries made formal bids to host World Congress of Families V - Nigeria, the Netherlands, Latvia, Bolivia and Russia. All were represented by delegations led by the following: Theresa Okafor (Nigeria, Chief Executive, Life League), Simon Polinder (Holland, Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Amsterdam), Marika Bertule (Latvia, Founder, Family Association) - Miguel Moreno (Bolivia, Leadership Institute, Trinity Foundation) and Lech Kowalewski, representing Fr. Maxim Obukhov (President, National Russian Pro-Life Movement).
Dr. Allan C. Carlson, WCF International Secretary, who was present at the meeting as a facilitator, commented: "We were gratified by the quality of the proposals and the caliber of the presentations. It wasn't easy for the Selection Committee to reach a decision. Ultimately, it recommended Amsterdam based on the thoroughness of its proposal, the enthusiasm of the local organizing committee and its supporters, the ability of the Local Organizing Committee to fully fund the Congress, location and venue, and a desire to support the budding Dutch pro- family movement."
While unanimously proposing Amsterdam as the site of WCF V, the Selection Committee also resolved that a prep-con (preparatory conference) should be held in Nigeria before WCF V and that the Amsterdam Congress include a panel reporting on the Nigeria meeting.
All of the countries which weren't chosen as the site for WCF V were invited to submit bids for WCF VI, whose location will be determined before the next Congress.
World Congress of Families V will be held at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, August 10-12, 2009. The theme chosen by the LOC is "Family: More Than Only the Sum of the Parts."
The RAI Centre can accommodate as many as 4,000 delegates in one hall, with smaller rooms available for breakout sessions for anywhere from 100 to 700. The Centre is also well equipped for audio-visual, Internet, media and catering. Built in 1893, the newly renovated Centre is the site of over 1,000 national and international conferences and cultural events each year, attracting more than 2 million visitors.
The Management Committee, which has ultimate oversight of the Congress, consists of Carlson, Janice Crouse (Senior Fellow, Beverly LaHaye Institute, Concerned Women for America), Paul Mero (President, Sutherland Institute), William Saunders (Senior Fellow & Human Rights Counsel, Family Research Council) and Christine Vollmer (President, Latin American Alliance for Families).
For more information on World Congress of Families, visit www.worldcongress.org. To schedule an interview with Dr. Allan Carlson, contact Larry Jacobs at 1-800-461-3113.
3mnewswire.org
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Last week, the Selection Committee for World Congress of Families V met in Washington, D.C. and unanimously recommended Amsterdam as the site for the next Congress. Their recommendation was accepted by the WCF Management Committee. The dates of WCF V are August 10-12, 2009.
Previous Congresses have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004) and Warsaw (2007).
The 16-member Selection Committee was composed of: Ignacio Arsuaga (HazteOir.org, Spain), Chuck Donovan (Family Research Council), Don Feder (World Congress of Families), Farooq Hassan (Pakistan Family Forum), Jesus Hernandez (The Family Network, Mexico), Marie-Claire Hernandez (Family & Society, Mexico), Randy Hicks (Georgia Family Council), Robert Knight (Culture and Media Institute, Media Research Center), Ewa Kowalewska (Human Life International, Europe), Gwendolyn Landolt (REAL Women of Canada), Yuri Mantilla (Focus on the Family), Dorothy Patterson (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), Austin Ruse (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute), Mary Ellen Smoot, Jennifer Swim (GFC Foundation) and Father Jaroslaw Szymczak (Institute of Family Studies, Poland). The meeting was chaired by Gwen Landolt (Real Women of Canada).
Five countries made formal bids to host World Congress of Families V - Nigeria, the Netherlands, Latvia, Bolivia and Russia. All were represented by delegations led by the following: Theresa Okafor (Nigeria, Chief Executive, Life League), Simon Polinder (Holland, Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, Amsterdam), Marika Bertule (Latvia, Founder, Family Association) - Miguel Moreno (Bolivia, Leadership Institute, Trinity Foundation) and Lech Kowalewski, representing Fr. Maxim Obukhov (President, National Russian Pro-Life Movement).
Dr. Allan C. Carlson, WCF International Secretary, who was present at the meeting as a facilitator, commented: "We were gratified by the quality of the proposals and the caliber of the presentations. It wasn't easy for the Selection Committee to reach a decision. Ultimately, it recommended Amsterdam based on the thoroughness of its proposal, the enthusiasm of the local organizing committee and its supporters, the ability of the Local Organizing Committee to fully fund the Congress, location and venue, and a desire to support the budding Dutch pro- family movement."
While unanimously proposing Amsterdam as the site of WCF V, the Selection Committee also resolved that a prep-con (preparatory conference) should be held in Nigeria before WCF V and that the Amsterdam Congress include a panel reporting on the Nigeria meeting.
All of the countries which weren't chosen as the site for WCF V were invited to submit bids for WCF VI, whose location will be determined before the next Congress.
World Congress of Families V will be held at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, August 10-12, 2009. The theme chosen by the LOC is "Family: More Than Only the Sum of the Parts."
The RAI Centre can accommodate as many as 4,000 delegates in one hall, with smaller rooms available for breakout sessions for anywhere from 100 to 700. The Centre is also well equipped for audio-visual, Internet, media and catering. Built in 1893, the newly renovated Centre is the site of over 1,000 national and international conferences and cultural events each year, attracting more than 2 million visitors.
The Management Committee, which has ultimate oversight of the Congress, consists of Carlson, Janice Crouse (Senior Fellow, Beverly LaHaye Institute, Concerned Women for America), Paul Mero (President, Sutherland Institute), William Saunders (Senior Fellow & Human Rights Counsel, Family Research Council) and Christine Vollmer (President, Latin American Alliance for Families).
For more information on World Congress of Families, visit www.worldcongress.org. To schedule an interview with Dr. Allan Carlson, contact Larry Jacobs at 1-800-461-3113.
3mnewswire.org
Recession Proof Your Church's Giving: Bestselling Author of The Giving Myths and Expert in Christian Giving Offers Help to Churches During Economic De
Recession Proof Your Church's Giving: Bestselling Author of The Giving Myths and Expert in Christian Giving Offers Help to Churches During Economic Decline
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- For three decades, I've been invited into virtually every kind of church in America (Evangelical, Protestant, Roman Catholic), and I am frequently asked, "What's the real reason that giving is declining in most churches today? Is it the economy?"
"No." Economic downturns do make religious people more conscientious about how and where they give and invest. When wages are frozen, commissions are smaller, and prices are higher, the coffers will be lighter. That's a fact. But, the economy has very little to do with the decline in the number of coins that ring in today's coffers. Even when the economy was booming, giving was waning. Giving has been declining for decades.
A more important question is: "What motivates generosity at all? Regardless of the economy, why would any person give anything?"
Here's what I know: Generosity is never tied to your circumstances, but to your convictions. If the economy had anything to do with giving, the Macedonians, about whom the Apostle Paul wrote in Second Corinthians 8, had every reason to quarantine the meager resources they did have. Instead, however-- and this is what shocked the Apostle--their generosity was outlandish.
Just as in Macedonia, this kind of outlandish generosity exists today, but it isn't because of sermons on tithing or the pulpit scolding of those who do not give. If you're interest is in growing a spiritually healthy church, motivation for giving must come from somewhere other than guilt for not giving or shame for giving too little. Instead, what makes people genuinely generous is a deep, life-transforming experience of divine grace--the kind of transformational experience I talk about in my book, The Giving Myths. You never have to beg from people who have experienced grace; you almost always have to beg from those who have not.
This isn't rocket science, but it is the key that will unlock the door to generous giving, and it is the only way to make your church recession proof when it comes to giving. If you find there is a decline in giving in your church, look for a deficit of grace in people's lives. It is there you'll find the answers in your search for what motivates giving.
Dr. Steve McSwain has more than thirty years of experience in Christian ministry, Christian giving, and in philanthropy. As the bestselling author of The Giving Myths, Dr. McSwain inspires audiences all over America. His message is warmly received in every Christian communion--whether Evangelical, mainline Protestant, or Roman Catholic. It is not uncommon, for example, to find Dr. McSwain speaking to an audience of evangelicals one week and find him the next week, as he did most recently, inspiring an audience of Roman Catholics--nearly 10,000 strong. Next month, he'll be leading a weekend Get the Life You've Always Wanted - Generosity Workshop at one of the largest churches in the Midwest. If you are interested in booking Dr. McSwain for a speaking engagement or an insightful, humor-filled, and inspirational workshop, contact Jim Rittenhouse at @ www.McKinneySpeakers.com. Or, call Mr. Rittenhouse at (800) 955-4746.
Dr. McSwain's book The Giving Myths is rapidly rising as the most profound and easy-to-read book on Christian giving in the twenty-first century. Dozens of church leaders have written Dr McSwain already to express their gratitude for the forthright, but practical way he deals with one of the biggest issues facing churches today. What's more, Dr. McSwain receives no royalties from the sale of his book. All proceeds are donated to www.ModestNeeds.org. Purchase a copy today from the publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing House at http://helwys.com/books/giving_myths.html. Or, visit one of the on-line retail bookstore outlets: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. Learn more about Dr. McSwain at: www.stevemcswain.com.
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- For three decades, I've been invited into virtually every kind of church in America (Evangelical, Protestant, Roman Catholic), and I am frequently asked, "What's the real reason that giving is declining in most churches today? Is it the economy?"
"No." Economic downturns do make religious people more conscientious about how and where they give and invest. When wages are frozen, commissions are smaller, and prices are higher, the coffers will be lighter. That's a fact. But, the economy has very little to do with the decline in the number of coins that ring in today's coffers. Even when the economy was booming, giving was waning. Giving has been declining for decades.
A more important question is: "What motivates generosity at all? Regardless of the economy, why would any person give anything?"
Here's what I know: Generosity is never tied to your circumstances, but to your convictions. If the economy had anything to do with giving, the Macedonians, about whom the Apostle Paul wrote in Second Corinthians 8, had every reason to quarantine the meager resources they did have. Instead, however-- and this is what shocked the Apostle--their generosity was outlandish.
Just as in Macedonia, this kind of outlandish generosity exists today, but it isn't because of sermons on tithing or the pulpit scolding of those who do not give. If you're interest is in growing a spiritually healthy church, motivation for giving must come from somewhere other than guilt for not giving or shame for giving too little. Instead, what makes people genuinely generous is a deep, life-transforming experience of divine grace--the kind of transformational experience I talk about in my book, The Giving Myths. You never have to beg from people who have experienced grace; you almost always have to beg from those who have not.
This isn't rocket science, but it is the key that will unlock the door to generous giving, and it is the only way to make your church recession proof when it comes to giving. If you find there is a decline in giving in your church, look for a deficit of grace in people's lives. It is there you'll find the answers in your search for what motivates giving.
Dr. Steve McSwain has more than thirty years of experience in Christian ministry, Christian giving, and in philanthropy. As the bestselling author of The Giving Myths, Dr. McSwain inspires audiences all over America. His message is warmly received in every Christian communion--whether Evangelical, mainline Protestant, or Roman Catholic. It is not uncommon, for example, to find Dr. McSwain speaking to an audience of evangelicals one week and find him the next week, as he did most recently, inspiring an audience of Roman Catholics--nearly 10,000 strong. Next month, he'll be leading a weekend Get the Life You've Always Wanted - Generosity Workshop at one of the largest churches in the Midwest. If you are interested in booking Dr. McSwain for a speaking engagement or an insightful, humor-filled, and inspirational workshop, contact Jim Rittenhouse at @ www.McKinneySpeakers.com. Or, call Mr. Rittenhouse at (800) 955-4746.
Dr. McSwain's book The Giving Myths is rapidly rising as the most profound and easy-to-read book on Christian giving in the twenty-first century. Dozens of church leaders have written Dr McSwain already to express their gratitude for the forthright, but practical way he deals with one of the biggest issues facing churches today. What's more, Dr. McSwain receives no royalties from the sale of his book. All proceeds are donated to www.ModestNeeds.org. Purchase a copy today from the publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing House at http://helwys.com/books/giving_myths.html. Or, visit one of the on-line retail bookstore outlets: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. Learn more about Dr. McSwain at: www.stevemcswain.com.
3mnewswire.org
Abortionist Arrested for Violent Attack on Pro-lifer
Abortionist Arrested for Violent Attack on Pro-lifer
Yet another Clinica Medica Para La Mujer abortionist is now in trouble with the law.
SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- A pro-life man was violently attacked by an abortionist on a public sidewalk outside a Santa Ana abortion clinic on Saturday, August 2, 2008. The man, who wants only to be known as Tim, was first shoved, then battered, punched and choked by the abortionist who objected to his attempts to photograph him. Tim sustained lacerations and muscle pain that impaired his ability to conduct his normal activities as a result of the attack.
Tim went to the clinic because he had been told there was a possibility that the abortionist at the Clinica Medica Para La Mujer, located at 120 W. 5th St. in Santa Ana, was operating illegally. He decided to go to the abortion mill to photograph the abortionist and offer help to abortion-bound women.
When the abortionist, who was later identified as Howard Pfupajena, entered the building, he covered his head with his lab coat and told Tim that he had no right to photograph him. Tim later asked a police officer that was ticketing a nearby vehicle if he had the right to take pictures of the abortionist, and he was advised by that officer that he did. Tim then decided to wait until Pfupajena left for the day to try to get a better photograph.
Tim noticed Pfupajena heading for his vehicle, and positioned himself on the public sidewalk to photograph the abortionist as he was about to drive away. At that point, Pfupajena got out of his car and attempted to forcibly remove the camera from Tim's possession. The camera was kicked away from him as he fell against a parking meter. Pfupajena then stomped on the disposable camera in order to destroy it. Tim somehow regained possession of the camera. That is when the attack intensified.
"He got me to the ground and, seeking to jar the camera loose from my hand, was hitting me and, not finding success, he put his knee in my throat and was choking me," said Tim. "At this point I began to yell for help and for someone to call the police."
Police arrested Pfupajena, 66, for assault and battery. He was cited and released. The District Attorney will review the case and determine if the charges should be filed. A check done on Pfupajena's medical license does not show any previous disciplinary action.
"That is about to change," Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Pfupajena obviously has something to hide for him to have reacted so violently. This abortionist is a danger to the public, and should have his license revoked."
The Clinica Medica chain of abortion mills has made recent headlines when owner Bertha Bugarin was arrested for committing abortions without a medical license. Another abortionist in the chain, Laurence Reich, was also arrested earlier this year after a police investigation revealed that he was continuing to do abortions even though his medical license had been revoked last year after a second conviction of having sexually molested and/or raped several of his abortion patients.
View the photos taken by Tim that Pfupajena did not want anyone to see.
About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
3mnewswire.org
Yet another Clinica Medica Para La Mujer abortionist is now in trouble with the law.
SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- A pro-life man was violently attacked by an abortionist on a public sidewalk outside a Santa Ana abortion clinic on Saturday, August 2, 2008. The man, who wants only to be known as Tim, was first shoved, then battered, punched and choked by the abortionist who objected to his attempts to photograph him. Tim sustained lacerations and muscle pain that impaired his ability to conduct his normal activities as a result of the attack.
Tim went to the clinic because he had been told there was a possibility that the abortionist at the Clinica Medica Para La Mujer, located at 120 W. 5th St. in Santa Ana, was operating illegally. He decided to go to the abortion mill to photograph the abortionist and offer help to abortion-bound women.
When the abortionist, who was later identified as Howard Pfupajena, entered the building, he covered his head with his lab coat and told Tim that he had no right to photograph him. Tim later asked a police officer that was ticketing a nearby vehicle if he had the right to take pictures of the abortionist, and he was advised by that officer that he did. Tim then decided to wait until Pfupajena left for the day to try to get a better photograph.
Tim noticed Pfupajena heading for his vehicle, and positioned himself on the public sidewalk to photograph the abortionist as he was about to drive away. At that point, Pfupajena got out of his car and attempted to forcibly remove the camera from Tim's possession. The camera was kicked away from him as he fell against a parking meter. Pfupajena then stomped on the disposable camera in order to destroy it. Tim somehow regained possession of the camera. That is when the attack intensified.
"He got me to the ground and, seeking to jar the camera loose from my hand, was hitting me and, not finding success, he put his knee in my throat and was choking me," said Tim. "At this point I began to yell for help and for someone to call the police."
Police arrested Pfupajena, 66, for assault and battery. He was cited and released. The District Attorney will review the case and determine if the charges should be filed. A check done on Pfupajena's medical license does not show any previous disciplinary action.
"That is about to change," Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Pfupajena obviously has something to hide for him to have reacted so violently. This abortionist is a danger to the public, and should have his license revoked."
The Clinica Medica chain of abortion mills has made recent headlines when owner Bertha Bugarin was arrested for committing abortions without a medical license. Another abortionist in the chain, Laurence Reich, was also arrested earlier this year after a police investigation revealed that he was continuing to do abortions even though his medical license had been revoked last year after a second conviction of having sexually molested and/or raped several of his abortion patients.
View the photos taken by Tim that Pfupajena did not want anyone to see.
About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
3mnewswire.org
Philadelphia Exhibit Explores the Beatitudes in New Zealand Expressionist Paintings and American Abstract Stained Glass
Philadelphia Exhibit Explores the Beatitudes in New Zealand Expressionist Paintings and American Abstract Stained Glass
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Cornelis Monsma, a popular oil painter residing in New Zealand, recently created a series with his distinct expressionist style, exploring the Beatitudes from Christ's "Sermon on the Mount". The exhibit will also include abstract stained glass from North Carolina's Vanessa Wright Hollifield. The Beatitudes, which Monsma and Hollifield have translated into colorful contemporary images, will make their debut at White Stone Gallery, located in the upscale Manayunk section of Philadelphia. The exhibit opens August 15, with a reception from 7 - 9 PM.
Cornelis Monsma is a biblically inspired expressionist oil painter. Over the past forty years, he has built a solid career with his vibrant use of color and unique design to express deep scriptural meaning and purpose. Monsma portrays scripture visually, which seems to capture the meaning of the verse and display it in a fresh perspective.
Friesian-Dutch born Cornelis Monsma is inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall. Monsma says his work is "without a religious aftertaste." He says he "seeks to create modern Christian art work that aims to visualize the deeper truth of Christianity."
The Beatitudes theme was pioneered by Vanessa Wright Hollifield, a stained glass artist in North Carolina. Hollifield, who is currently on exhibit at a national museum in NYC, says, "My work is an expression of faith through art... Nothing says it better than the color, clarity and texture of glass.
"Monsma has fans coming from all over the East Coast to see this series." says Susan Hooks, who owns White Stone with her husband, Derek. "Monsma's work has a way of transcending the physical and connecting with the viewer at a deeper level. When his paintings exhibit some visitors are moved to tears... occasionally me too."
The Beatitudes exhibit ends September 28th. White Stone's upcoming solo exhibits include controversial artist, Edward Knippers; CIVA founding chairman, Sandra Bowden and National Council on the Arts member, Makoto Fujimura.
White Stone specializes in art inspired by the Bible from today's leading Christian artists. Derek Hooks says, "The gallery is a vehicle for notable Christian artists to express their faith. The gallery environment is a powerful tool in reaching the un-churched." Museums, colleges and churches throughout the country have displayed White Stone's exhibits. The gallery is located at 4219 Main Street. Hours are Wed - Sat 11-7, Sun 12-5. For more information, visit whitestonegallery.com, call 215.482.7700 or email info@whitestonegallery.com.
3mnewswire.org
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Cornelis Monsma, a popular oil painter residing in New Zealand, recently created a series with his distinct expressionist style, exploring the Beatitudes from Christ's "Sermon on the Mount". The exhibit will also include abstract stained glass from North Carolina's Vanessa Wright Hollifield. The Beatitudes, which Monsma and Hollifield have translated into colorful contemporary images, will make their debut at White Stone Gallery, located in the upscale Manayunk section of Philadelphia. The exhibit opens August 15, with a reception from 7 - 9 PM.
Cornelis Monsma is a biblically inspired expressionist oil painter. Over the past forty years, he has built a solid career with his vibrant use of color and unique design to express deep scriptural meaning and purpose. Monsma portrays scripture visually, which seems to capture the meaning of the verse and display it in a fresh perspective.
Friesian-Dutch born Cornelis Monsma is inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall. Monsma says his work is "without a religious aftertaste." He says he "seeks to create modern Christian art work that aims to visualize the deeper truth of Christianity."
The Beatitudes theme was pioneered by Vanessa Wright Hollifield, a stained glass artist in North Carolina. Hollifield, who is currently on exhibit at a national museum in NYC, says, "My work is an expression of faith through art... Nothing says it better than the color, clarity and texture of glass.
"Monsma has fans coming from all over the East Coast to see this series." says Susan Hooks, who owns White Stone with her husband, Derek. "Monsma's work has a way of transcending the physical and connecting with the viewer at a deeper level. When his paintings exhibit some visitors are moved to tears... occasionally me too."
The Beatitudes exhibit ends September 28th. White Stone's upcoming solo exhibits include controversial artist, Edward Knippers; CIVA founding chairman, Sandra Bowden and National Council on the Arts member, Makoto Fujimura.
White Stone specializes in art inspired by the Bible from today's leading Christian artists. Derek Hooks says, "The gallery is a vehicle for notable Christian artists to express their faith. The gallery environment is a powerful tool in reaching the un-churched." Museums, colleges and churches throughout the country have displayed White Stone's exhibits. The gallery is located at 4219 Main Street. Hours are Wed - Sat 11-7, Sun 12-5. For more information, visit whitestonegallery.com, call 215.482.7700 or email info@whitestonegallery.com.
3mnewswire.org
Video Game Epidemic: How Should Christian Families Respond to Growing Demand for Violent, Sexually Explicit Games
Video Game Epidemic: How Should Christian Families Respond to Growing Demand for Violent, Sexually Explicit Games
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Getting Serious About Gaming," an in-depth report about the impact of video games on families and the culture, will appear in the August edition of 28 Christian newspapers as part of an ongoing collaborative project. The participating newspapers represent a combined distribution of 557,000 copies in 22 states and Canada.
The project, coordinated by Lamar Keener, publisher of the Christian Examiner newspapers and the Minnesota Christian Chronicle, involved 18 separate newspaper groups, including one translated into Russian. All are members of the Fellowship of Christian Newspapers, an affinity group within the Evangelical Press Association. In all, FCN represents about 40 regional Christian newspapers in the United States and Canada.
Russ Jones, publisher of The Chronicle Newspaper and president of FCN, said the newspapers decided to tackle the topic because of the widespread influence electronic games have on the culture. He publishes newspapers in Kansas, Colorado, Indiana, Texas and Tennessee.
"Today's youth spend untold hours playing violent video games," Jones said. "This addictive behavior is not confined to economic class or race. It fosters dependence and social isolation."
In his article, nationally recognized Christian journalist Steve Rabey, reports that "Grand Theft Auto 4" the most recent big name game release earned more than $500 million in the first week of sales. Annually, video games combine for $9.5 billion in sales.
"Aside from the violence, obscenity and negative themes, the larger and greater problem lies in the fact that video games control many people's hearts and minds, creating a monotonous, zoned-out, new reality," youth Pastor Kody Kirchhoff, of Calvary Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb., told Rabey.
In May, the newspapers gained national attention among various news agencies, including Fox News, USA Today, Religion News Service and the Moody Broadcasting Network for Rabey's story, "Oprah's Gospel," their first cooperative effort which examined the spiritual beliefs of the popular entertainment mogul.
"Racks were empty all over town with the Oprah story on the front cover," Jones said. "Many of the major newspaper publishers benefit from large editorial departments that we simply don't have, and this kind of collaboration allows us to produce well-researched, investigative reporting our readers want."
In addition to the joint writing projects, FCN members participate in frequent online interaction sharing technical, business and philosophical ideas. The group also participates in national advertising buys. Each spring, FCN presents an award for Christian Newspaper of the Year and various other writing awards.
Click here for a full version of the article, " Getting serious about gaming."
Participating newspapers:
B.C. Christian News -- Vancouver, British Columbia
www.canadianchristianity.com/bc
Blue Ridge Christian News -- Asheville, North Carolina
www.blueridgechristiannews.com
Choice News (Russian) -- Southeastern Pennsylvania
www.choicenews.org
Christian Examiner -- San Diego Co., Orange Co., Los Angeles Co., Inland Empire (Southern California); Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
www.christianexaminer.com
Christian News Northwest -- Portland, Oregon
www.cnnw.com
The Chronicle Christian Newspaper -- Wichita, Kansas; Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dallas, Texas
www.thechronicleonline.net
Citizen USA -- Ohio
www.christiancitizen.com
The Desert Voice -- El Centro, California
www.desertvoice.info
The Good News in South Florida -- Broward County, Palm Beach County, Miami/Dade County (Florida)
www.goodnewsfl.org
The Good News Today -- Rhode Island, Massachusetts
www.thegoodnewstoday.org
The Heartland Gatekeeper -- Nebraska, Iowa
www.heartlandgatekeeper.org
Home Times Family Newspaper -- West Palm Beach, Florida
www.hometimesnewspaper.org
Kansas City MetroVoice -- Kansas City, Missouri
www.metrovoicenews.com
Living Stones News -- Duluth (MN), Sioux Falls (SD)
www.livingstonesnews.com
Minnesota Christian Chronicle -- Minneapolis/St. Paul
www.mcchronicle.com
Ozarks/Branson Christian News -- Missouri, Arkansas
www.ozarkschristiannews.com
Tri- State Voice -- New York City, New Jersey
www.tristatevoice.com
Wisconsin Christian News -- Northern Wisconsin, Upper Michigan
www.wisconsinchristiannews.com
3mnewswire.org
SAN DIEGO, Calif., Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Getting Serious About Gaming," an in-depth report about the impact of video games on families and the culture, will appear in the August edition of 28 Christian newspapers as part of an ongoing collaborative project. The participating newspapers represent a combined distribution of 557,000 copies in 22 states and Canada.
The project, coordinated by Lamar Keener, publisher of the Christian Examiner newspapers and the Minnesota Christian Chronicle, involved 18 separate newspaper groups, including one translated into Russian. All are members of the Fellowship of Christian Newspapers, an affinity group within the Evangelical Press Association. In all, FCN represents about 40 regional Christian newspapers in the United States and Canada.
Russ Jones, publisher of The Chronicle Newspaper and president of FCN, said the newspapers decided to tackle the topic because of the widespread influence electronic games have on the culture. He publishes newspapers in Kansas, Colorado, Indiana, Texas and Tennessee.
"Today's youth spend untold hours playing violent video games," Jones said. "This addictive behavior is not confined to economic class or race. It fosters dependence and social isolation."
In his article, nationally recognized Christian journalist Steve Rabey, reports that "Grand Theft Auto 4" the most recent big name game release earned more than $500 million in the first week of sales. Annually, video games combine for $9.5 billion in sales.
"Aside from the violence, obscenity and negative themes, the larger and greater problem lies in the fact that video games control many people's hearts and minds, creating a monotonous, zoned-out, new reality," youth Pastor Kody Kirchhoff, of Calvary Lutheran Church in Omaha, Neb., told Rabey.
In May, the newspapers gained national attention among various news agencies, including Fox News, USA Today, Religion News Service and the Moody Broadcasting Network for Rabey's story, "Oprah's Gospel," their first cooperative effort which examined the spiritual beliefs of the popular entertainment mogul.
"Racks were empty all over town with the Oprah story on the front cover," Jones said. "Many of the major newspaper publishers benefit from large editorial departments that we simply don't have, and this kind of collaboration allows us to produce well-researched, investigative reporting our readers want."
In addition to the joint writing projects, FCN members participate in frequent online interaction sharing technical, business and philosophical ideas. The group also participates in national advertising buys. Each spring, FCN presents an award for Christian Newspaper of the Year and various other writing awards.
Click here for a full version of the article, " Getting serious about gaming."
Participating newspapers:
B.C. Christian News -- Vancouver, British Columbia
www.canadianchristianity.com/bc
Blue Ridge Christian News -- Asheville, North Carolina
www.blueridgechristiannews.com
Choice News (Russian) -- Southeastern Pennsylvania
www.choicenews.org
Christian Examiner -- San Diego Co., Orange Co., Los Angeles Co., Inland Empire (Southern California); Seattle/Tacoma, Washington
www.christianexaminer.com
Christian News Northwest -- Portland, Oregon
www.cnnw.com
The Chronicle Christian Newspaper -- Wichita, Kansas; Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dallas, Texas
www.thechronicleonline.net
Citizen USA -- Ohio
www.christiancitizen.com
The Desert Voice -- El Centro, California
www.desertvoice.info
The Good News in South Florida -- Broward County, Palm Beach County, Miami/Dade County (Florida)
www.goodnewsfl.org
The Good News Today -- Rhode Island, Massachusetts
www.thegoodnewstoday.org
The Heartland Gatekeeper -- Nebraska, Iowa
www.heartlandgatekeeper.org
Home Times Family Newspaper -- West Palm Beach, Florida
www.hometimesnewspaper.org
Kansas City MetroVoice -- Kansas City, Missouri
www.metrovoicenews.com
Living Stones News -- Duluth (MN), Sioux Falls (SD)
www.livingstonesnews.com
Minnesota Christian Chronicle -- Minneapolis/St. Paul
www.mcchronicle.com
Ozarks/Branson Christian News -- Missouri, Arkansas
www.ozarkschristiannews.com
Tri- State Voice -- New York City, New Jersey
www.tristatevoice.com
Wisconsin Christian News -- Northern Wisconsin, Upper Michigan
www.wisconsinchristiannews.com
3mnewswire.org
Sky Angel Teams with Exploration Films to Expand VOD Library
Sky Angel Teams with Exploration Films to Expand VOD Library
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Sky Angel, a national provider of faith-based and family-friendly television and radio programming, is pleased to announce a deal that greatly expands the availability of exciting values- inspired films, stories and documentaries via Video On Demand (VOD) offerings through a partnership with Exploration Films.
"Sky Angel is excited about including the great quality content provided by Exploration Films in our VOD lineup with categories that include history, archeology, wildlife features and biographies. We know our viewers will enjoy watching these additions with family and friends," says Darren Moorman, Assistant Vice President - VOD Director.
Exploration Films offers Sky Angel subscribers high- quality, inspiring, educational and award-winning films and programs through the IPTV platform. These programs complement Sky Angel's mission and vision to inspire their viewers while uniting the kingdom.
"Our goal has always been to create family friendly faith-based adventure programs. We've filmed in over 42 countries of the world, to unveil the mystery of truth through startling discoveries, inspiring history and powerful storytelling that is all designed to elevate people to reach higher in life and live life better. In a world of bad news we focus on the good news! We think that our unique programming will enhance Sky Angel's VOD catalog," says Steve Greisen, Founder and President of Exploration Films.
The expanded VOD library is available with Sky Angel IPTV's subscription service. For more information about Sky Angel, visit www.skyangel.com or call 1-800-SKY-ANGEL (1-800-759-2643).
About Sky Angel:
Sky Angel® U.S. LLC is a Christian-owned multi- channel provider of faith-based and family-friendly television and radio programming. Using the latest technology, Sky Angel IPTV offers television viewers the widest variety of Christian-based channels available, plus family, sports and news programming through a high-speed Internet connection. Sky Angel IPTV also provides subscribers with value-added features including 48-hour playback on all faith-based TV channels plus an ever-growing Video-On-Demand library with free and fee-based selections.
Sky Angel also carries the Parents Television Council's® prestigious Entertainment Seal of Approval, which recognizes excellence and social responsibility in programming.
About Exploration Films:
Exploration Films is a leading producer and distributor of high quality, special interest programming. They distribute programming to the Domestic Home Video Market and also licenses content direct to broadcasts. Based in Monument, Colorado, the company's operating strategy and primary focus is to distribute values- based and family oriented programming. More information is available by calling 719-481-4599 or online at www.explorationfilms.com
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Sky Angel, a national provider of faith-based and family-friendly television and radio programming, is pleased to announce a deal that greatly expands the availability of exciting values- inspired films, stories and documentaries via Video On Demand (VOD) offerings through a partnership with Exploration Films.
"Sky Angel is excited about including the great quality content provided by Exploration Films in our VOD lineup with categories that include history, archeology, wildlife features and biographies. We know our viewers will enjoy watching these additions with family and friends," says Darren Moorman, Assistant Vice President - VOD Director.
Exploration Films offers Sky Angel subscribers high- quality, inspiring, educational and award-winning films and programs through the IPTV platform. These programs complement Sky Angel's mission and vision to inspire their viewers while uniting the kingdom.
"Our goal has always been to create family friendly faith-based adventure programs. We've filmed in over 42 countries of the world, to unveil the mystery of truth through startling discoveries, inspiring history and powerful storytelling that is all designed to elevate people to reach higher in life and live life better. In a world of bad news we focus on the good news! We think that our unique programming will enhance Sky Angel's VOD catalog," says Steve Greisen, Founder and President of Exploration Films.
The expanded VOD library is available with Sky Angel IPTV's subscription service. For more information about Sky Angel, visit www.skyangel.com or call 1-800-SKY-ANGEL (1-800-759-2643).
About Sky Angel:
Sky Angel® U.S. LLC is a Christian-owned multi- channel provider of faith-based and family-friendly television and radio programming. Using the latest technology, Sky Angel IPTV offers television viewers the widest variety of Christian-based channels available, plus family, sports and news programming through a high-speed Internet connection. Sky Angel IPTV also provides subscribers with value-added features including 48-hour playback on all faith-based TV channels plus an ever-growing Video-On-Demand library with free and fee-based selections.
Sky Angel also carries the Parents Television Council's® prestigious Entertainment Seal of Approval, which recognizes excellence and social responsibility in programming.
About Exploration Films:
Exploration Films is a leading producer and distributor of high quality, special interest programming. They distribute programming to the Domestic Home Video Market and also licenses content direct to broadcasts. Based in Monument, Colorado, the company's operating strategy and primary focus is to distribute values- based and family oriented programming. More information is available by calling 719-481-4599 or online at www.explorationfilms.com
3mnewswire.org
Majority of Eating Disorder Patients Experience Childhood Sexual Abuse, Trauma
Majority of Eating Disorder Patients Experience Childhood Sexual Abuse, Trauma
PHOENIX, August 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders, the nation's leading eating disorder treatment center, reports that more than 50 percent of its patients have experienced trauma in their lives. The trauma is usually sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
"Forty-nine percent of our patients have experienced childhood sexual abuse," said Amy Spahr, clinical director at Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders. "This is about 20 percent higher than in the general population. Additionally, in the last five years, 11 percent of adolescent and 20 percent of adult patients were diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)."
Research has shown that childhood sexual abuse increases binge-eating, purging, restricting calories, body shame and body dissatisfaction. Eating disorders become a way of helping victims cope with shame. They feel they may need to modify their body in ways that reduce shame or distress. For example, a woman suffering from trauma and an eating disorder may wish to reduce her breast size in order to appear less feminine and therefore, less appealing to men because of her past sexual abuse.
"At Remuda, we teach patients skills that assist them in achieving recovery from their eating disorder while taking significant steps to work through trauma issues," adds Spahr.
Many times, patients use trauma as an explanation for their continued need to rely on eating disorder behaviors. The center's treatment model aims to teach sufficient skills so the patient trauma issues are no longer so intense. Once in recovery from the eating disorder, they can return as needed to more in- depth trauma work without significant risk of an eating disorder relapse.
"Trauma recovery work, combined with eating disorder recovery, can be challenging and complicated," adds Spahr. "A patient who has been victimized may often have difficulty building trust and acceptance. An essential element that is necessary in assisting the patient in the trauma work is providing an environment of support and acceptance."
About Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
Remuda Ranch offers Christian inpatient and residential programs for women and girls of all faiths suffering from eating or anxiety disorders. Each patient is treated by a multi- disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional staff equips each patient with the right tools to live a healthy, productive life. For more information, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit www.remudaranch.com.
3mnewswire.org
PHOENIX, August 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders, the nation's leading eating disorder treatment center, reports that more than 50 percent of its patients have experienced trauma in their lives. The trauma is usually sexual, physical and emotional abuse.
"Forty-nine percent of our patients have experienced childhood sexual abuse," said Amy Spahr, clinical director at Remuda Programs for Eating Disorders. "This is about 20 percent higher than in the general population. Additionally, in the last five years, 11 percent of adolescent and 20 percent of adult patients were diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)."
Research has shown that childhood sexual abuse increases binge-eating, purging, restricting calories, body shame and body dissatisfaction. Eating disorders become a way of helping victims cope with shame. They feel they may need to modify their body in ways that reduce shame or distress. For example, a woman suffering from trauma and an eating disorder may wish to reduce her breast size in order to appear less feminine and therefore, less appealing to men because of her past sexual abuse.
"At Remuda, we teach patients skills that assist them in achieving recovery from their eating disorder while taking significant steps to work through trauma issues," adds Spahr.
Many times, patients use trauma as an explanation for their continued need to rely on eating disorder behaviors. The center's treatment model aims to teach sufficient skills so the patient trauma issues are no longer so intense. Once in recovery from the eating disorder, they can return as needed to more in- depth trauma work without significant risk of an eating disorder relapse.
"Trauma recovery work, combined with eating disorder recovery, can be challenging and complicated," adds Spahr. "A patient who has been victimized may often have difficulty building trust and acceptance. An essential element that is necessary in assisting the patient in the trauma work is providing an environment of support and acceptance."
About Remuda Ranch Programs for Eating and Anxiety Disorders
Remuda Ranch offers Christian inpatient and residential programs for women and girls of all faiths suffering from eating or anxiety disorders. Each patient is treated by a multi- disciplinary team including a Psychiatric and a Primary Care Provider, Registered Dietitian, Masters Level therapist, Psychologist and Registered Nurse. The professional staff equips each patient with the right tools to live a healthy, productive life. For more information, call 1-800-445-1900 or visit www.remudaranch.com.
3mnewswire.org
Give God the Glory
Give God the Glory
Study Guide enters into final 30 days of the 90-day international pre-publication campaign
CLARKSVILLE, Maryland, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Give God the Glory! nine- book series by multiple-award winning and best- selling Christian author, Kevin Wayne Johnson, continues to expand around the world. Johnson enthusiastically embraces God's Word, not only for his life, but presents it in such a way that it is easy to grasp, encouraging his readers to apply the principles therein for a more victorious Christian life.
The new STUDY GUIDE, scheduled for publication on September 2, 2008, embraces and expands upon the core message of the first book (now in its 5th printing) in the series: Know God (mental) and Do the Will of God (action) Concerning Your Life. Systematically divided into two parts with three chapters each, this STUDY GUIDE format navigates students, readers, booklovers, and Bible teachers through an in-depth Bible study to broaden one's knowledge of God's Word and to develop a closer walk with Him.
Book #6 in the Give God the Glory! series of books and devotionals
Study Aid/Religion/Christian Living/Spirituality/Family/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-9705902-2-0
Trade Paperback / 160 pages / Edited by: Hallagen Ink c/o Tanya Brockett
Pre-Publication Price: $8.00 U.S. / Retail Price: $15.00 U.S.
Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"
Johnson's ministry, Writing for the Lord Ministries, includes the series of books and devotionals, speaking at multiple venues, teaching God's Word, and publishing books, articles and devotionals.
"Give God the Glory! offers useable information that can be referred to time and time again in your library." - Purpose magazine, Columbus, OH
"Give God the Glory! is a literary blessing to all who will read it. - Pastor Ronald L. Owens, New Hope Baptist Church, Metuchen, NJ
"The author has done extensive research of The Holy Bible and various secular resources. Reading this book will provoke one to consider their purpose for living." - Pastor Melvin Johnson, Founder, True Disciple Ministries Bible Institute, Somerville, NJ
"Kevin Wayne Johnson joyously embraces the words of God through the Bible and his acts of Christian faith." - Valder Beebe, Dallas BET Newspaper, Dallas
About the Founder & Author:
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Johnson currently lives in Clarksville, Maryland, with his wife and three young sons. He founded Writing for the Lord Ministries in 2000 and is the author of the nine-book series - Give God the Glory! - winner of twelve literary /media awards, including 2006 and 2007 Christian Publisher of the Year, Book Expo America, African-American Pavilion. Johnson's radio and television show - Give God the Glory! - has aired on VoiceAmerica.com and BlackTVOnLine.com, respectively, from 2004 to 2007, reaching a global audience. When he is not writing, Johnson and his family are active members of Celebration Church, Columbia, Maryland, where he serves as President of the WIN (Bible) Institute, on the ministerial and maturity leadership teams, in the children's church ministry, and as adjunct professor at the National Bible College and Seminary, Fort Washington, Maryland. Kevin also serves as National Secretary, Church of God National Men's Ministry/Conference. He attests everyday that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things!
The Give God the Glory! series of books and devotionals are distributed throughout the United States, Canada, and internationally by STL Distribution of North America - www.stl.distribution.com, INGRAM, and Black Christian Book Distributors, LLC - www.BlackCBD.com.
3mnewswire.org
Study Guide enters into final 30 days of the 90-day international pre-publication campaign
CLARKSVILLE, Maryland, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Give God the Glory! nine- book series by multiple-award winning and best- selling Christian author, Kevin Wayne Johnson, continues to expand around the world. Johnson enthusiastically embraces God's Word, not only for his life, but presents it in such a way that it is easy to grasp, encouraging his readers to apply the principles therein for a more victorious Christian life.
The new STUDY GUIDE, scheduled for publication on September 2, 2008, embraces and expands upon the core message of the first book (now in its 5th printing) in the series: Know God (mental) and Do the Will of God (action) Concerning Your Life. Systematically divided into two parts with three chapters each, this STUDY GUIDE format navigates students, readers, booklovers, and Bible teachers through an in-depth Bible study to broaden one's knowledge of God's Word and to develop a closer walk with Him.
Book #6 in the Give God the Glory! series of books and devotionals
Study Aid/Religion/Christian Living/Spirituality/Family/Relationships
ISBN: 978-0-9705902-2-0
Trade Paperback / 160 pages / Edited by: Hallagen Ink c/o Tanya Brockett
Pre-Publication Price: $8.00 U.S. / Retail Price: $15.00 U.S.
Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"
Johnson's ministry, Writing for the Lord Ministries, includes the series of books and devotionals, speaking at multiple venues, teaching God's Word, and publishing books, articles and devotionals.
"Give God the Glory! offers useable information that can be referred to time and time again in your library." - Purpose magazine, Columbus, OH
"Give God the Glory! is a literary blessing to all who will read it. - Pastor Ronald L. Owens, New Hope Baptist Church, Metuchen, NJ
"The author has done extensive research of The Holy Bible and various secular resources. Reading this book will provoke one to consider their purpose for living." - Pastor Melvin Johnson, Founder, True Disciple Ministries Bible Institute, Somerville, NJ
"Kevin Wayne Johnson joyously embraces the words of God through the Bible and his acts of Christian faith." - Valder Beebe, Dallas BET Newspaper, Dallas
About the Founder & Author:
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Johnson currently lives in Clarksville, Maryland, with his wife and three young sons. He founded Writing for the Lord Ministries in 2000 and is the author of the nine-book series - Give God the Glory! - winner of twelve literary /media awards, including 2006 and 2007 Christian Publisher of the Year, Book Expo America, African-American Pavilion. Johnson's radio and television show - Give God the Glory! - has aired on VoiceAmerica.com and BlackTVOnLine.com, respectively, from 2004 to 2007, reaching a global audience. When he is not writing, Johnson and his family are active members of Celebration Church, Columbia, Maryland, where he serves as President of the WIN (Bible) Institute, on the ministerial and maturity leadership teams, in the children's church ministry, and as adjunct professor at the National Bible College and Seminary, Fort Washington, Maryland. Kevin also serves as National Secretary, Church of God National Men's Ministry/Conference. He attests everyday that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things!
The Give God the Glory! series of books and devotionals are distributed throughout the United States, Canada, and internationally by STL Distribution of North America - www.stl.distribution.com, INGRAM, and Black Christian Book Distributors, LLC - www.BlackCBD.com.
3mnewswire.org
Doug Phillips' Remarks on Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Great 20th Century Prophet
Doug Phillips' Remarks on Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Great 20th Century Prophet
Alexander Solzhenitsyn: The Great 20th Century Prophet of Freedom is Dead at 89
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Doug Phillips, President of Vision Forum Ministries, issued this statement earlier today on the death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn:
"The 20th century was defined by three trends: The battle for freedom in the face of statism, tyranny, and Marxist oppression; the cultural supplanting of Christianity in favor of secular humanism and evolutionary scientism; and the general withdrawal of Evangelical Christianity as a source of cultural transformation in favor of a more ecumenical and sentimental Gospel presentation.
"Just over eighty-nine years ago (and within twelve months of each other), three men were born who would help to define and shape each of these trends, respectively: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Arthur C. Clarke and Billy Graham. Clarke died in March. Solzhenitsyn died yesterday. Only Graham yet lives.
"Today, Vision Forum Ministries and freedom-loving Christians all over the world mourn the death of the man most responsible for revealing the evil of the anti- Christian regime of Joseph Stalin and waging war against a machine of Marxist oppression that caused the death of tens of millions.
"Tortured and persecuted within Stalin's death camps, Solzhenitsyn nonetheless endured, secretly authoring his greatest work, The 'Gulag Archipelago', on scrounged toilet paper. In the years that followed, Solzhenitsyn emerged as the single most important anti-communist voice of freedom in the world. But for Solzhenitsyn's relentless campaign to bring the truth of Marxist tyranny to the public forefront, untold millions more might have died. During the Cold War, his message was pivotal in strengthening the resolve of the West to stand firm against Soviet oppression. In all, he would publish twenty-five books, not including plays and numerous speeches.
"Though Solzhenitsyn was a devoted Russian nationalist, he was also a grateful resident of the United States during his years in exile from his homeland. That gratitude took the form of the message of a prophet committed to helping Americans stay the course by remembering their own Christian foundations and rejecting the destructive trends of humanism and secularism. There were times at the height of the Cold War in which Solzhenitsyn -- a Russian -- appeared the most outspoken conscience of the West, ever reminding us of our Christian foundations and warning us of the consequences of moral weakness and lack of resolve when engaging international Marxism. For this he was often despised by the press, by pundits, and politicians.
"In 1978, Solzhenitsyn made the following appeal during his address at Harvard:
'In early democracies, as in American democracy at the time of its birth, all individual human rights were granted because man is God's creature. That is, freedom was given to the individual conditionally, in the assumption of his constant religious responsibility. Such was the heritage of the preceding thousand years. Two hundred or even fifty years ago, it would have seemed quite impossible, in America, that an individual could be granted boundless freedom simply for the satisfaction of his instincts or whims. Subsequently, however, all such limitations were discarded everywhere in the West; a total liberation occurred from the moral heritage of Christian centuries with their great reserves of mercy and sacrifice. State systems were becoming increasingly and totally materialistic. The West ended up by truly enforcing human rights, sometimes even excessively, but man's sense of responsibility to God and society grew dimmer and dimmer. In the past decades, the legalistically selfish aspect of Western approach and thinking has reached its final dimension and the world wound up in a harsh spiritual crisis and a political impasse. All the glorified technological achievements of Progress, including the conquest of outer space, do not redeem the Twentieth century's moral poverty which no one could imagine even as late as in the Nineteenth Century.'
"The courage of Solzhenitsyn to boldly speak truth in the face of tremendous opposition touched the lives of many individuals, including myself. The name Alexander Solzhenitsyn was spoken almost daily in my home as a boy because my father, Howard Phillips, viewed Solzhenitsyn as 'the greatest man of the 20th century.' Dad required that we know Solzhenitsyn and his writings. Books like the 'Gulag Archipelago' and 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' were an important part of my training as a boy. My own sister, Alexandra, was named after the Nobel Prize winning author.
"The message of Solzhenitsyn's life was opposition to statist tyranny and the imperative of Christian morality to freedom. This message should be remembered as America approaches the Beijing Olympics. Communism is not dead. Nor is the world free from the ravages of statism and tyranny. Nor have we yet to understand the implications of Solzhenitsyn's life message and 'Warning to the West.' We will be a moral and Christ-loving people, or we will cease to be a people."
3mnewswire.org
Alexander Solzhenitsyn: The Great 20th Century Prophet of Freedom is Dead at 89
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Doug Phillips, President of Vision Forum Ministries, issued this statement earlier today on the death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn:
"The 20th century was defined by three trends: The battle for freedom in the face of statism, tyranny, and Marxist oppression; the cultural supplanting of Christianity in favor of secular humanism and evolutionary scientism; and the general withdrawal of Evangelical Christianity as a source of cultural transformation in favor of a more ecumenical and sentimental Gospel presentation.
"Just over eighty-nine years ago (and within twelve months of each other), three men were born who would help to define and shape each of these trends, respectively: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Arthur C. Clarke and Billy Graham. Clarke died in March. Solzhenitsyn died yesterday. Only Graham yet lives.
"Today, Vision Forum Ministries and freedom-loving Christians all over the world mourn the death of the man most responsible for revealing the evil of the anti- Christian regime of Joseph Stalin and waging war against a machine of Marxist oppression that caused the death of tens of millions.
"Tortured and persecuted within Stalin's death camps, Solzhenitsyn nonetheless endured, secretly authoring his greatest work, The 'Gulag Archipelago', on scrounged toilet paper. In the years that followed, Solzhenitsyn emerged as the single most important anti-communist voice of freedom in the world. But for Solzhenitsyn's relentless campaign to bring the truth of Marxist tyranny to the public forefront, untold millions more might have died. During the Cold War, his message was pivotal in strengthening the resolve of the West to stand firm against Soviet oppression. In all, he would publish twenty-five books, not including plays and numerous speeches.
"Though Solzhenitsyn was a devoted Russian nationalist, he was also a grateful resident of the United States during his years in exile from his homeland. That gratitude took the form of the message of a prophet committed to helping Americans stay the course by remembering their own Christian foundations and rejecting the destructive trends of humanism and secularism. There were times at the height of the Cold War in which Solzhenitsyn -- a Russian -- appeared the most outspoken conscience of the West, ever reminding us of our Christian foundations and warning us of the consequences of moral weakness and lack of resolve when engaging international Marxism. For this he was often despised by the press, by pundits, and politicians.
"In 1978, Solzhenitsyn made the following appeal during his address at Harvard:
'In early democracies, as in American democracy at the time of its birth, all individual human rights were granted because man is God's creature. That is, freedom was given to the individual conditionally, in the assumption of his constant religious responsibility. Such was the heritage of the preceding thousand years. Two hundred or even fifty years ago, it would have seemed quite impossible, in America, that an individual could be granted boundless freedom simply for the satisfaction of his instincts or whims. Subsequently, however, all such limitations were discarded everywhere in the West; a total liberation occurred from the moral heritage of Christian centuries with their great reserves of mercy and sacrifice. State systems were becoming increasingly and totally materialistic. The West ended up by truly enforcing human rights, sometimes even excessively, but man's sense of responsibility to God and society grew dimmer and dimmer. In the past decades, the legalistically selfish aspect of Western approach and thinking has reached its final dimension and the world wound up in a harsh spiritual crisis and a political impasse. All the glorified technological achievements of Progress, including the conquest of outer space, do not redeem the Twentieth century's moral poverty which no one could imagine even as late as in the Nineteenth Century.'
"The courage of Solzhenitsyn to boldly speak truth in the face of tremendous opposition touched the lives of many individuals, including myself. The name Alexander Solzhenitsyn was spoken almost daily in my home as a boy because my father, Howard Phillips, viewed Solzhenitsyn as 'the greatest man of the 20th century.' Dad required that we know Solzhenitsyn and his writings. Books like the 'Gulag Archipelago' and 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' were an important part of my training as a boy. My own sister, Alexandra, was named after the Nobel Prize winning author.
"The message of Solzhenitsyn's life was opposition to statist tyranny and the imperative of Christian morality to freedom. This message should be remembered as America approaches the Beijing Olympics. Communism is not dead. Nor is the world free from the ravages of statism and tyranny. Nor have we yet to understand the implications of Solzhenitsyn's life message and 'Warning to the West.' We will be a moral and Christ-loving people, or we will cease to be a people."
3mnewswire.org
Washington Post and Chicago Tribune Feature 'America's Family Manager' Kathy Peel
Washington Post and Chicago Tribune Feature 'America's Family Manager' Kathy Peel
CAROL STREAM, IL, August 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christian organizational expert Kathy Peel is hosting an online parenting blog at 1 pm ET today for the Washington Post in conjunction with this month's release of 'The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home' (Tyndale House Publishers and Picket Fence Press, 304 pages, $16.99). Peel's book and organizational tips for parents were also featured yesterday in the Home and Garden section of the Chicago Tribune.
Kathy Peel is known nationally as 'America's Family Manager' and is the founder and CEO of Family Manager. Her mission is to encourage and equip women worldwide to build strong families and happy, organized homes. Kathy has written nineteen books, which have sold over two million copies. She is AOL's Family and Kids Coach and has written for numerous magazines including Family Circle, Reader's Digest, Parenting, and HomeLife. She is a popular speaker and media personality whose Family Manager Makeover stories have appeared on programs such as Oprah, The Early Show, and HGTV.
Kathy devised the Family Manager system in her own quest to be a good mom and successful manager of her home. The Family Manager system is based on the idea that the strategies that run any organization or business well will benefit homes as well. 'The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home' addresses seven key areas of life:
Time & Scheduling - managing the family calendar and daily schedule.
Home & Property - overseeing the maintenance and care of tangible assets.
Food - meeting the daily food needs of a family.
Family & Friends - fulfilling relationship responsibilities as a parent, spouse, and friend.
Finances - managing the budget, bill paying, saving, investing, and charitable donations.
Special Events - planning and coordinating occasions that fall outside the normal routine.
Self Management - caring for body, mind and spirit
For more information or to book media interviews with Kathy Peel, contact Maggie Rowe, publicist, Tyndale House Publishers, 630-784-5333.
3mnewswire.org
CAROL STREAM, IL, August 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christian organizational expert Kathy Peel is hosting an online parenting blog at 1 pm ET today for the Washington Post in conjunction with this month's release of 'The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home' (Tyndale House Publishers and Picket Fence Press, 304 pages, $16.99). Peel's book and organizational tips for parents were also featured yesterday in the Home and Garden section of the Chicago Tribune.
Kathy Peel is known nationally as 'America's Family Manager' and is the founder and CEO of Family Manager. Her mission is to encourage and equip women worldwide to build strong families and happy, organized homes. Kathy has written nineteen books, which have sold over two million copies. She is AOL's Family and Kids Coach and has written for numerous magazines including Family Circle, Reader's Digest, Parenting, and HomeLife. She is a popular speaker and media personality whose Family Manager Makeover stories have appeared on programs such as Oprah, The Early Show, and HGTV.
Kathy devised the Family Manager system in her own quest to be a good mom and successful manager of her home. The Family Manager system is based on the idea that the strategies that run any organization or business well will benefit homes as well. 'The Busy Mom's Guide to a Happy, Organized Home' addresses seven key areas of life:
Time & Scheduling - managing the family calendar and daily schedule.
Home & Property - overseeing the maintenance and care of tangible assets.
Food - meeting the daily food needs of a family.
Family & Friends - fulfilling relationship responsibilities as a parent, spouse, and friend.
Finances - managing the budget, bill paying, saving, investing, and charitable donations.
Special Events - planning and coordinating occasions that fall outside the normal routine.
Self Management - caring for body, mind and spirit
For more information or to book media interviews with Kathy Peel, contact Maggie Rowe, publicist, Tyndale House Publishers, 630-784-5333.
3mnewswire.org
Knights of Columbus Launches Fatherhood Initiative at Convention
Knights of Columbus Launches Fatherhood Initiative at Convention
QUEBEC CITY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus - the world's largest Catholic men's organization - will launch a major new initiative called "Fathers for Good" at the opening session of its annual convention on Tuesday, August5th. The new program is a 21st Century evolution of the organization's long tradition of building better marriages and stronger families. A special website for the initiative, www.fathersforgood.org, will launch on the same day.
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson will announce the fatherhood initiative during his annual report at the 126th annual Supreme Council convention, being held this year in Quebec City, Canada. The Supreme Knight's report, and other portions of the convention, will be carried live on Catholic television networks in the U.S. and Canada, including the Eternal Word Television Network, Salt & Light Television and Catholic TV.
"Fatherhood is a gift, a privilege and a responsibility," Anderson says in a special video message on the Fathers for Good website. "The way in which we accept this gift, acknowledge this privilege and act upon this responsibility will determine the ways in which we will build up the good of our families and our communities."
"By being faithful to our calling as husbands and fathers," Anderson notes, "we are ultimately being faithful to ourselves."
The Fathers for Good website features an array of resources, expert advice and information to help men embrace the vocation of fatherhood and build better relationships with their wives and children. The site includes videos, podcasts and opportunities for questions to be answered through e-mail exchanges, as well as a number of articles by experts writing on fatherhood, marriage, raising good and happy children, men's health and financial issues. The Fathers' Bookshelf section features dozens of top books that address the common interests, concerns and problems of fathers.
The theme for the launch of the website is "A Father's Identity," which offers men resources on how to build a strong, loving and confident identity in a culture that often does not value fatherhood or masculine virtues. The theme of the site will be updated regularly, based on the votes for the next topic which visitors to the site will be able to cast.
Among the highlighted podcasts is New York Giants Super Bowl champion Chris Godfrey explaining how to talk about sex to your children, and pediatrician Dr. Meg Meeker delivering a special message to fathers about theirrelationships with their children.
In keeping with the Catholic identity of the Knights of Columbus, the website also offers sections on male spirituality and building a better relationship with God, topics that are often overlooked on other sites for men.
3mnewswire.org
QUEBEC CITY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus - the world's largest Catholic men's organization - will launch a major new initiative called "Fathers for Good" at the opening session of its annual convention on Tuesday, August5th. The new program is a 21st Century evolution of the organization's long tradition of building better marriages and stronger families. A special website for the initiative, www.fathersforgood.org, will launch on the same day.
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson will announce the fatherhood initiative during his annual report at the 126th annual Supreme Council convention, being held this year in Quebec City, Canada. The Supreme Knight's report, and other portions of the convention, will be carried live on Catholic television networks in the U.S. and Canada, including the Eternal Word Television Network, Salt & Light Television and Catholic TV.
"Fatherhood is a gift, a privilege and a responsibility," Anderson says in a special video message on the Fathers for Good website. "The way in which we accept this gift, acknowledge this privilege and act upon this responsibility will determine the ways in which we will build up the good of our families and our communities."
"By being faithful to our calling as husbands and fathers," Anderson notes, "we are ultimately being faithful to ourselves."
The Fathers for Good website features an array of resources, expert advice and information to help men embrace the vocation of fatherhood and build better relationships with their wives and children. The site includes videos, podcasts and opportunities for questions to be answered through e-mail exchanges, as well as a number of articles by experts writing on fatherhood, marriage, raising good and happy children, men's health and financial issues. The Fathers' Bookshelf section features dozens of top books that address the common interests, concerns and problems of fathers.
The theme for the launch of the website is "A Father's Identity," which offers men resources on how to build a strong, loving and confident identity in a culture that often does not value fatherhood or masculine virtues. The theme of the site will be updated regularly, based on the votes for the next topic which visitors to the site will be able to cast.
Among the highlighted podcasts is New York Giants Super Bowl champion Chris Godfrey explaining how to talk about sex to your children, and pediatrician Dr. Meg Meeker delivering a special message to fathers about theirrelationships with their children.
In keeping with the Catholic identity of the Knights of Columbus, the website also offers sections on male spirituality and building a better relationship with God, topics that are often overlooked on other sites for men.
3mnewswire.org
Mothers Tell Harry Reid to Read Up On FDA Antidepressant Warnings
Mothers Tell Harry Reid to Read Up On FDA Antidepressant Warnings
The FDA has issued 25 warnings on antidepressants ranging from the suicide risk to cautions against use during pregnancy
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- On July 28, the Senate considered Majority Leader Harry Reid's motion to invoke cloture on a 398-page, $10 billion package dubbed the "Coburn Omnibus." As reported by the New York Times, Reid stated, "Not a single one of the 35 bills in this package are partisan or controversial," He went on to remark that anyone voting "no" would have to explain to his or her constituents. "These bills have been passed by the House of Representatives and their respective Senate committees with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans." Section D of the omnibus is The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which would institute subjective screening for mental illness in expectant and new mothers and increase the sales for antidepressants and other drugs. It has never even been discussed in the appropriate Senate committee, much less approved overwhelmingly.
Reid neglected to mention The MOTHERS Act during his speeches Monday. Yet in a comment to the Washington Post, he accused the Senators who opposed cloture of voting against mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Perhaps Senator Reid can explain to the American people why he supported a bill that would increase cases of spontaneous abortions and fatal birth defects while causing more mothers to kill themselves or their children. On the floor, Senator Dick Durbin alluded to the bill but stated that Melanie Stokes had killed herself just a few days after giving birth. In fact, in 2001 Melanie Stokes took her life when 3 ½ months postpartum, but only after she was given four successive cocktails of antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotic drugs as well as electroshock. The FDA issued the first-ever black box warning for suicide on antidepressant drugs in September, 2004. Numerous media stories have surfaced about objections to The MOTHERS Act and controversy surrounding it. The bill's lead sponsor Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who accepted more than $300,000 from pharmaceutical donors during the last election cycle, even went so far as to tell a reporter from the New Jersey Record that he considers the opposition "wrong-minded." At least for now, the "Coburn Omnibus" seems less of a threat. But victims and survivors are left wondering if Senators Reid, Durbin, and Menendez intentionally disregard matters of life and death, or whether these Congressmen are simply ignorant and out of touch.
For more details, go to http://www.uniteforlife.org/harryreid.pdf.
Read the entire press release, including statements from those whose family members committed suicide under the influence of antidepressant drugs, here.
3mnewswire.org
The FDA has issued 25 warnings on antidepressants ranging from the suicide risk to cautions against use during pregnancy
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- On July 28, the Senate considered Majority Leader Harry Reid's motion to invoke cloture on a 398-page, $10 billion package dubbed the "Coburn Omnibus." As reported by the New York Times, Reid stated, "Not a single one of the 35 bills in this package are partisan or controversial," He went on to remark that anyone voting "no" would have to explain to his or her constituents. "These bills have been passed by the House of Representatives and their respective Senate committees with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans." Section D of the omnibus is The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which would institute subjective screening for mental illness in expectant and new mothers and increase the sales for antidepressants and other drugs. It has never even been discussed in the appropriate Senate committee, much less approved overwhelmingly.
Reid neglected to mention The MOTHERS Act during his speeches Monday. Yet in a comment to the Washington Post, he accused the Senators who opposed cloture of voting against mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Perhaps Senator Reid can explain to the American people why he supported a bill that would increase cases of spontaneous abortions and fatal birth defects while causing more mothers to kill themselves or their children. On the floor, Senator Dick Durbin alluded to the bill but stated that Melanie Stokes had killed herself just a few days after giving birth. In fact, in 2001 Melanie Stokes took her life when 3 ½ months postpartum, but only after she was given four successive cocktails of antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotic drugs as well as electroshock. The FDA issued the first-ever black box warning for suicide on antidepressant drugs in September, 2004. Numerous media stories have surfaced about objections to The MOTHERS Act and controversy surrounding it. The bill's lead sponsor Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who accepted more than $300,000 from pharmaceutical donors during the last election cycle, even went so far as to tell a reporter from the New Jersey Record that he considers the opposition "wrong-minded." At least for now, the "Coburn Omnibus" seems less of a threat. But victims and survivors are left wondering if Senators Reid, Durbin, and Menendez intentionally disregard matters of life and death, or whether these Congressmen are simply ignorant and out of touch.
For more details, go to http://www.uniteforlife.org/harryreid.pdf.
Read the entire press release, including statements from those whose family members committed suicide under the influence of antidepressant drugs, here.
3mnewswire.org
Hope For a Suffering World: A Fresh Tough Look at a Tough Subject
Hope For a Suffering World: A Fresh Tough Look at a Tough Subject
LA PORTE, Texas, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Cancer, AIDS, diabetes, obesity and countless other infirmities, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, auto accidents, plane crashes, domestic violence, tornados, floods, monster forest fires and stock market crashes have no national boundaries, and have been devastating the high and the low, rich and poor alike all over the world for ages. They strike great fear into the hearts of men. "Fear not, for there is a way out," says author Caj Didigu.
Caj Didigu, author of "The Mystery of Suffering", acknowledges the ubiquitous reality of suffering in the world as well as the need to overcome it. "Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden and the resulting consequences continue to assail our lives. But God's message is one of Good News--by understanding suffering from a biblical perspective, then applying and following scriptural truths, we overcome the power of suffering."
Caj Didigu, a first generation member of his family to have formal education, is from Aku in Enugu State of Nigeria and comes from a typically large African family. His parents never received any formal education, but his mother, a Christian, laid the foundation for his Christian upbringing and education.
In his new book, Caj addresses the needs of a hurting world and offers hope from a loving God. He tackles subjects such as:
The relationship between sin and suffering
How Christ suffered on behalf of all mankind
Man's view of suffering
What it means to suffer for righteousness
The keys to overcoming suffering in your life
Caj works for the State of Maryland. He and his wife of thirty-four years have five children and currently reside in the United States.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
LA PORTE, Texas, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Cancer, AIDS, diabetes, obesity and countless other infirmities, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, auto accidents, plane crashes, domestic violence, tornados, floods, monster forest fires and stock market crashes have no national boundaries, and have been devastating the high and the low, rich and poor alike all over the world for ages. They strike great fear into the hearts of men. "Fear not, for there is a way out," says author Caj Didigu.
Caj Didigu, author of "The Mystery of Suffering", acknowledges the ubiquitous reality of suffering in the world as well as the need to overcome it. "Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden and the resulting consequences continue to assail our lives. But God's message is one of Good News--by understanding suffering from a biblical perspective, then applying and following scriptural truths, we overcome the power of suffering."
Caj Didigu, a first generation member of his family to have formal education, is from Aku in Enugu State of Nigeria and comes from a typically large African family. His parents never received any formal education, but his mother, a Christian, laid the foundation for his Christian upbringing and education.
In his new book, Caj addresses the needs of a hurting world and offers hope from a loving God. He tackles subjects such as:
The relationship between sin and suffering
How Christ suffered on behalf of all mankind
Man's view of suffering
What it means to suffer for righteousness
The keys to overcoming suffering in your life
Caj works for the State of Maryland. He and his wife of thirty-four years have five children and currently reside in the United States.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
Luis Palau Book Available at Beijing Olympics
Luis Palau Book Available at Beijing Olympics
BEIJING, China, August 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- A book co-written by American evangelist Luis Palau will be distributed to athletes and the media during the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, according to the Oregon based Luis Palau Association. "A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and A Christian" - a collaboration with Chinese scholar, scientist and diplomat Zhao Qizheng - was launched in 2006 at the Beijing International Book Fair and quickly became a national best-seller in China.
In an historic arrangement, Chinese publisher New World Press has provided thousands of copies of the English version of "A Friendly Dialogue" and made them available at the Olympic Games Main Press Center and Exhibition Hall. It is also being distributed to journalists at the Beijing International Media Center and at newsstands in the Olympic Village, designated Olympic Games hotels, and the Beijing International Airport.
Palau and Zhao began their conversations in May of 2005 when the evangelist was visiting China as part of a delegation of American business, cultural and spiritual leaders. Their initial conversations were so broad, cordial and engaging that they agreed to record and transcribe future exchanges for a book that might build bridges of communication and mutual understanding. Topics included philosophy, history, religion, science, the Bible, politics, ethics and Christianity.
"The true spirit of the Olympics - mutual respect and friendship - was at the heart of 'A Friendly Dialogue' from the beginning," said Luis Palau. "That we can share those conversations, which include a straightforward proclamation of the Gospel, at the Olympic Games is an incredible blessing and honor."
Luis Palau has presented the Gospel to more than a billion people through his global ministry, including more than 25 million face-to-face in 72 countries. He is heard on radio by millions more on 2600+ outlets in 42 nations. His ministry has produced large evangelistic events from south Florida to South America, including a recent festival in Buenos Aires that drew close to 900,000 people.
"A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and a Christian" was recently published in English and Spanish by Zondervan Publishing and is available at bookstores everywhere or online at www.palau.org.
3mnewswire.org
BEIJING, China, August 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- A book co-written by American evangelist Luis Palau will be distributed to athletes and the media during the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, according to the Oregon based Luis Palau Association. "A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and A Christian" - a collaboration with Chinese scholar, scientist and diplomat Zhao Qizheng - was launched in 2006 at the Beijing International Book Fair and quickly became a national best-seller in China.
In an historic arrangement, Chinese publisher New World Press has provided thousands of copies of the English version of "A Friendly Dialogue" and made them available at the Olympic Games Main Press Center and Exhibition Hall. It is also being distributed to journalists at the Beijing International Media Center and at newsstands in the Olympic Village, designated Olympic Games hotels, and the Beijing International Airport.
Palau and Zhao began their conversations in May of 2005 when the evangelist was visiting China as part of a delegation of American business, cultural and spiritual leaders. Their initial conversations were so broad, cordial and engaging that they agreed to record and transcribe future exchanges for a book that might build bridges of communication and mutual understanding. Topics included philosophy, history, religion, science, the Bible, politics, ethics and Christianity.
"The true spirit of the Olympics - mutual respect and friendship - was at the heart of 'A Friendly Dialogue' from the beginning," said Luis Palau. "That we can share those conversations, which include a straightforward proclamation of the Gospel, at the Olympic Games is an incredible blessing and honor."
Luis Palau has presented the Gospel to more than a billion people through his global ministry, including more than 25 million face-to-face in 72 countries. He is heard on radio by millions more on 2600+ outlets in 42 nations. His ministry has produced large evangelistic events from south Florida to South America, including a recent festival in Buenos Aires that drew close to 900,000 people.
"A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and a Christian" was recently published in English and Spanish by Zondervan Publishing and is available at bookstores everywhere or online at www.palau.org.
3mnewswire.org
Mothers Tell Harry Reid to Read Up On FDA Antidepressant
Mothers Tell Harry Reid to Read Up On FDA Antidepressant
The FDA has issued 25 warnings on antidepressants ranging from the suicide risk to cautions against use during pregnancy
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- On July 28, the Senate considered Majority Leader Harry Reid's motion to invoke cloture on a 398-page, $10 billion package dubbed the "Coburn Omnibus." As reported by the New York Times, Reid stated, "Not a single one of the 35 bills in this package are partisan or controversial," He went on to remark that anyone voting "no" would have to explain to his or her constituents. "These bills have been passed by the House of Representatives and their respective Senate committees with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans." Section D of the omnibus is The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which would institute subjective screening for mental illness in expectant and new mothers and increase the sales for antidepressants and other drugs. It has never even been discussed in the appropriate Senate committee, much less approved overwhelmingly.
Reid neglected to mention The MOTHERS Act during his speeches Monday. Yet in a comment to the Washington Post, he accused the Senators who opposed cloture of voting against mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Perhaps Senator Reid can explain to the American people why he supported a bill that would increase cases of spontaneous abortions and fatal birth defects while causing more mothers to kill themselves or their children. On the floor, Senator Dick Durbin alluded to the bill but stated that Melanie Stokes had killed herself just a few days after giving birth. In fact, in 2001 Melanie Stokes took her life when 3 ½ months postpartum, but only after she was given four successive cocktails of antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotic drugs as well as electroshock. The FDA issued the first-ever black box warning for suicide on antidepressant drugs in September, 2004. Numerous media stories have surfaced about objections to The MOTHERS Act and controversy surrounding it. The bill's lead sponsor Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who accepted more than $300,000 from pharmaceutical donors during the last election cycle, even went so far as to tell a reporter from the New Jersey Record that he considers the opposition "wrong-minded." At least for now, the "Coburn Omnibus" seems less of a threat. But victims and survivors are left wondering if Senators Reid, Durbin, and Menendez intentionally disregard matters of life and death, or whether these Congressmen are simply ignorant and out of touch.
For more details, go to http://www.uniteforlife.org/harryreid.pdf.
Read the entire press release, including statements from those whose family members committed suicide under the influence of antidepressant drugs, here.
3mnewswire.org
The FDA has issued 25 warnings on antidepressants ranging from the suicide risk to cautions against use during pregnancy
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- On July 28, the Senate considered Majority Leader Harry Reid's motion to invoke cloture on a 398-page, $10 billion package dubbed the "Coburn Omnibus." As reported by the New York Times, Reid stated, "Not a single one of the 35 bills in this package are partisan or controversial," He went on to remark that anyone voting "no" would have to explain to his or her constituents. "These bills have been passed by the House of Representatives and their respective Senate committees with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans." Section D of the omnibus is The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which would institute subjective screening for mental illness in expectant and new mothers and increase the sales for antidepressants and other drugs. It has never even been discussed in the appropriate Senate committee, much less approved overwhelmingly.
Reid neglected to mention The MOTHERS Act during his speeches Monday. Yet in a comment to the Washington Post, he accused the Senators who opposed cloture of voting against mothers suffering from postpartum depression. Perhaps Senator Reid can explain to the American people why he supported a bill that would increase cases of spontaneous abortions and fatal birth defects while causing more mothers to kill themselves or their children. On the floor, Senator Dick Durbin alluded to the bill but stated that Melanie Stokes had killed herself just a few days after giving birth. In fact, in 2001 Melanie Stokes took her life when 3 ½ months postpartum, but only after she was given four successive cocktails of antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and antipsychotic drugs as well as electroshock. The FDA issued the first-ever black box warning for suicide on antidepressant drugs in September, 2004. Numerous media stories have surfaced about objections to The MOTHERS Act and controversy surrounding it. The bill's lead sponsor Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who accepted more than $300,000 from pharmaceutical donors during the last election cycle, even went so far as to tell a reporter from the New Jersey Record that he considers the opposition "wrong-minded." At least for now, the "Coburn Omnibus" seems less of a threat. But victims and survivors are left wondering if Senators Reid, Durbin, and Menendez intentionally disregard matters of life and death, or whether these Congressmen are simply ignorant and out of touch.
For more details, go to http://www.uniteforlife.org/harryreid.pdf.
Read the entire press release, including statements from those whose family members committed suicide under the influence of antidepressant drugs, here.
3mnewswire.org
Bestselling Author, Vanessa Davis Griggs, Delivers the Second Book in her Blessed Trinity Trilogy, titled: 'Strongholds'
Bestselling Author, Vanessa Davis Griggs, Delivers the Second Book in her Blessed Trinity Trilogy, titled: 'Strongholds'
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Bestselling author, Vanessa Davis Griggs, in her second compelling novel, Strongholds, takes us into the lives of members of the mega-church, Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center, to show us that things are not always what they seem to be on the outside, and that even though many people hope for Heaven, they have to deal with life as it is on earth with its trials and tribulations.
The true Christian life is not one of ease, rather it is a daily battle that we have to fight. In Strongholds, Griggs shares with us the amazing power that redemption and faith can have in people's lives.
When Pastor George Landris, the dreadlock-wearing minister of the new mega-church urges his congregation to approach the altar and cast off their strongholds, also known as their weaknesses, it's the start of intense soul-searching for many congregants: from a married couple's twin addictions of gambling and gluttony, to a female member's adulterous affair, a computer expert's obsession with cyber-porn, and a therapist's workaholism, the pastor's church family is about to open the proverbial floodgates. And that's just the beginning. There's also the woman whose battle with mental illness hides a buried trauma, and the righteous devotee who's so busy fearing the devil she's forgotten what faith is really about. The plot only thickens when the pastor's wife lightens his load by helping him counsel-and finds herself at the center of a decades-long deception.
Vanessa Davis Griggs is an author and motivational speaker who adores the power of words both written and spoken. At the end of 1996, this former BellSouth employee left 18 years of service, stepped out on faith and decided to pursue her purpose and passion-- writing. She travels around the country inspiring others--young and old--to take flight and do the same. Vanessa is the author of several novels.
For more information about Strongholds, visit: www.Van essaDavisGriggs.com.
To book Vanessa Davis Griggs for speaking engagements and/or book signings, please call (205) 956-2889 Ext. 16 or email: Va nessa@VanessaDavisGriggs.com.
Strongholds is available wherever fine books are sold, including: www.Amazon.com, www.Barnes andNoble.com, www.BooksaMil lion.com, and www.BlackCBC.com .
Also, look for Vanessa's upcoming novel, If Memory Serves--in fine bookstores everywhere October 2008.
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Bestselling author, Vanessa Davis Griggs, in her second compelling novel, Strongholds, takes us into the lives of members of the mega-church, Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center, to show us that things are not always what they seem to be on the outside, and that even though many people hope for Heaven, they have to deal with life as it is on earth with its trials and tribulations.
The true Christian life is not one of ease, rather it is a daily battle that we have to fight. In Strongholds, Griggs shares with us the amazing power that redemption and faith can have in people's lives.
When Pastor George Landris, the dreadlock-wearing minister of the new mega-church urges his congregation to approach the altar and cast off their strongholds, also known as their weaknesses, it's the start of intense soul-searching for many congregants: from a married couple's twin addictions of gambling and gluttony, to a female member's adulterous affair, a computer expert's obsession with cyber-porn, and a therapist's workaholism, the pastor's church family is about to open the proverbial floodgates. And that's just the beginning. There's also the woman whose battle with mental illness hides a buried trauma, and the righteous devotee who's so busy fearing the devil she's forgotten what faith is really about. The plot only thickens when the pastor's wife lightens his load by helping him counsel-and finds herself at the center of a decades-long deception.
Vanessa Davis Griggs is an author and motivational speaker who adores the power of words both written and spoken. At the end of 1996, this former BellSouth employee left 18 years of service, stepped out on faith and decided to pursue her purpose and passion-- writing. She travels around the country inspiring others--young and old--to take flight and do the same. Vanessa is the author of several novels.
For more information about Strongholds, visit: www.Van essaDavisGriggs.com.
To book Vanessa Davis Griggs for speaking engagements and/or book signings, please call (205) 956-2889 Ext. 16 or email: Va nessa@VanessaDavisGriggs.com.
Strongholds is available wherever fine books are sold, including: www.Amazon.com, www.Barnes andNoble.com, www.BooksaMil lion.com, and www.BlackCBC.com .
Also, look for Vanessa's upcoming novel, If Memory Serves--in fine bookstores everywhere October 2008.
3mnewswire.org
Kay Warren Reveals Solution to Gender-Based Violence: The Worldwide Church, Which Offers Hope to the World
Kay Warren Reveals Solution to Gender-Based Violence: The Worldwide Church, Which Offers Hope to the World
Warren Presents Church-based Strategy of Hope and Healing in Plenary, Workshop at Ecumenical Alliance Conference in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Kay Warren, international AIDS advocate, author and director of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., today addressed the plenary session of the Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference in Mexico City, offering hope for the problem of gender-base violence through the Church. In a follow-up workshop, husband Rick Warren and colleagues joined in presenting a workshop on the role of the Church in HIV/AIDS.
"If gender-based violence is everywhere, so is the Church," Warren said. "The Church is the hope of the world, and God's plan for dealing with the problems of the world. Whether dealing with violence, poverty, orphans or AIDS - if we don't start with the church, we are starting at the wrong end of the equation."
The plenary focused on dynamics of gender-based violence and trafficking. Joining Warren on the program were Dr. Pauline Muchina, senior partnership adviser, UNAIDS; Dr. Hernán Quezada, HIV advisor to Catholic churches in Mexico; and Heryln Marja Uiras of Churches United Against HIV and AIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa (CUAHA).
Warren addressed the crowd last, and while each of the other presenters gave important stories and statistics about the crisis of gender-based violence and trafficking, she offered a solution for using the worldwide network of the Church to stop the problem.
"Violence against women is everywhere," Warren said. "Where I live in the U.S., we tend to be quiet about it. It is not socially acceptable; we don't talk about it. But just because it is hidden or quiet, doesn't make it right. From Cambodia to Rwanda to women in my own church, it is everywhere."
She continued to speak about her own personal experience of being sexually molested as a child by a family friend. Afterward, Warren said she felt ashamed and alone. Like many other women and young girls around the world who are victims of gender-based violence, she had no one to whom she could turn or with whom she could speak about her situation - especially in her church, so she remained silent.
"We have to ask ourselves, 'What can the church do?' Warren continued. "There is only so much governments, NGOs and relief organizations can do. We have to speak up for those who have no voice."
Warren described three unique characteristics of the Church that enables it to be the answer - the Truth of the Scriptures that sets us free from our hurts, habits and hang ups; the Spirit of God who convicts us of sin and then gives us the power to change our hearts, attitudes and behaviors; and the people of God that are part of a healing community that can link together and be willing to live authentic, vulnerable lives of transparency and accountability.
The model for this solution is The P.E.A.C.E. Plan - a 50-year strategy to mobilize millions of local churches around the world to address five global problems: spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Launched at Saddleback Church by Warren and her husband Rick, prototypes of the Plan have been tested the past four years in 68 countries, and as a result, the P.E.A.C.E. Coalition, involving business, church and government partnerships, was launched in April.
Following her plenary remarks to addressing the Church's leadership and willingness to respond to HIV/AIDS, in an afternoon workshop, the Warrens and their team outlined the specific role the church can play in making a difference, along the acronym "C.H.U.R.C.H."
This blueprint involves six things that any and every church can do to provide hope and healing for this life- defining diagnosis, including: Care for and support the sick; Handle HIV testing and counseling; Unleash a volunteer force of compassion; Remove the Stigma; Champion Healthy Behavior; and Help with HIV medication (ARV's).
The Warrens observed that that many individuals and organizations are working to manage HIV/AIDS, which they summarize as S.L.O.W.: Support correct and consistent condom use; Limit number of sexual partners; Offer needle exchange, where permissible; and Wait for sexual debut
However, the Warrens further challenged that ending AIDS requires a strategy defined by S.T.O.P.: Save sex for marriage; Train men to respect women and girls; Open the door for churches to support care and treatment; and Partner with one person for life through marriage.
The Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference is held in conjunction with the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Aug. 3-8. Along with attending, Warren will continue her involvement through speaking at satellite events, including a Sunday morning worship service.
Founded in 1980 by the Warrens, Saddleback Church is located in Orange County, Calif. With an average weekly attendance of 22,000, it is one of the five largest churches in America. For more information about the Saddleback HIV/AIDS Initiative, visit www.HIVandTheChurch.com.
3mnewswire.org
Warren Presents Church-based Strategy of Hope and Healing in Plenary, Workshop at Ecumenical Alliance Conference in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Kay Warren, international AIDS advocate, author and director of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., today addressed the plenary session of the Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference in Mexico City, offering hope for the problem of gender-base violence through the Church. In a follow-up workshop, husband Rick Warren and colleagues joined in presenting a workshop on the role of the Church in HIV/AIDS.
"If gender-based violence is everywhere, so is the Church," Warren said. "The Church is the hope of the world, and God's plan for dealing with the problems of the world. Whether dealing with violence, poverty, orphans or AIDS - if we don't start with the church, we are starting at the wrong end of the equation."
The plenary focused on dynamics of gender-based violence and trafficking. Joining Warren on the program were Dr. Pauline Muchina, senior partnership adviser, UNAIDS; Dr. Hernán Quezada, HIV advisor to Catholic churches in Mexico; and Heryln Marja Uiras of Churches United Against HIV and AIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa (CUAHA).
Warren addressed the crowd last, and while each of the other presenters gave important stories and statistics about the crisis of gender-based violence and trafficking, she offered a solution for using the worldwide network of the Church to stop the problem.
"Violence against women is everywhere," Warren said. "Where I live in the U.S., we tend to be quiet about it. It is not socially acceptable; we don't talk about it. But just because it is hidden or quiet, doesn't make it right. From Cambodia to Rwanda to women in my own church, it is everywhere."
She continued to speak about her own personal experience of being sexually molested as a child by a family friend. Afterward, Warren said she felt ashamed and alone. Like many other women and young girls around the world who are victims of gender-based violence, she had no one to whom she could turn or with whom she could speak about her situation - especially in her church, so she remained silent.
"We have to ask ourselves, 'What can the church do?' Warren continued. "There is only so much governments, NGOs and relief organizations can do. We have to speak up for those who have no voice."
Warren described three unique characteristics of the Church that enables it to be the answer - the Truth of the Scriptures that sets us free from our hurts, habits and hang ups; the Spirit of God who convicts us of sin and then gives us the power to change our hearts, attitudes and behaviors; and the people of God that are part of a healing community that can link together and be willing to live authentic, vulnerable lives of transparency and accountability.
The model for this solution is The P.E.A.C.E. Plan - a 50-year strategy to mobilize millions of local churches around the world to address five global problems: spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Launched at Saddleback Church by Warren and her husband Rick, prototypes of the Plan have been tested the past four years in 68 countries, and as a result, the P.E.A.C.E. Coalition, involving business, church and government partnerships, was launched in April.
Following her plenary remarks to addressing the Church's leadership and willingness to respond to HIV/AIDS, in an afternoon workshop, the Warrens and their team outlined the specific role the church can play in making a difference, along the acronym "C.H.U.R.C.H."
This blueprint involves six things that any and every church can do to provide hope and healing for this life- defining diagnosis, including: Care for and support the sick; Handle HIV testing and counseling; Unleash a volunteer force of compassion; Remove the Stigma; Champion Healthy Behavior; and Help with HIV medication (ARV's).
The Warrens observed that that many individuals and organizations are working to manage HIV/AIDS, which they summarize as S.L.O.W.: Support correct and consistent condom use; Limit number of sexual partners; Offer needle exchange, where permissible; and Wait for sexual debut
However, the Warrens further challenged that ending AIDS requires a strategy defined by S.T.O.P.: Save sex for marriage; Train men to respect women and girls; Open the door for churches to support care and treatment; and Partner with one person for life through marriage.
The Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference is held in conjunction with the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Aug. 3-8. Along with attending, Warren will continue her involvement through speaking at satellite events, including a Sunday morning worship service.
Founded in 1980 by the Warrens, Saddleback Church is located in Orange County, Calif. With an average weekly attendance of 22,000, it is one of the five largest churches in America. For more information about the Saddleback HIV/AIDS Initiative, visit www.HIVandTheChurch.com.
3mnewswire.org
Luis Palau Book Available at Beijing Olympics
Luis Palau Book Available at Beijing Olympics
BEIJING, China, August 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- A book co-written by American evangelist Luis Palau will be distributed to athletes and the media during the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, according to the Oregon based Luis Palau Association. "A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and A Christian" - a collaboration with Chinese scholar, scientist and diplomat Zhao Qizheng - was launched in 2006 at the Beijing International Book Fair and quickly became a national best-seller in China.
In an historic arrangement, Chinese publisher New World Press has provided thousands of copies of the English version of "A Friendly Dialogue" and made them available at the Olympic Games Main Press Center and Exhibition Hall. It is also being distributed to journalists at the Beijing International Media Center and at newsstands in the Olympic Village, designated Olympic Games hotels, and the Beijing International Airport.
Palau and Zhao began their conversations in May of 2005 when the evangelist was visiting China as part of a delegation of American business, cultural and spiritual leaders. Their initial conversations were so broad, cordial and engaging that they agreed to record and transcribe future exchanges for a book that might build bridges of communication and mutual understanding. Topics included philosophy, history, religion, science, the Bible, politics, ethics and Christianity.
"The true spirit of the Olympics - mutual respect and friendship - was at the heart of 'A Friendly Dialogue' from the beginning," said Luis Palau. "That we can share those conversations, which include a straightforward proclamation of the Gospel, at the Olympic Games is an incredible blessing and honor."
Luis Palau has presented the Gospel to more than a billion people through his global ministry, including more than 25 million face-to-face in 72 countries. He is heard on radio by millions more on 2600+ outlets in 42 nations. His ministry has produced large evangelistic events from south Florida to South America, including a recent festival in Buenos Aires that drew close to 900,000 people.
"A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and a Christian" was recently published in English and Spanish by Zondervan Publishing and is available at bookstores everywhere or online at www.palau.org.
3mnewswire.org
BEIJING, China, August 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- A book co-written by American evangelist Luis Palau will be distributed to athletes and the media during the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing, according to the Oregon based Luis Palau Association. "A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and A Christian" - a collaboration with Chinese scholar, scientist and diplomat Zhao Qizheng - was launched in 2006 at the Beijing International Book Fair and quickly became a national best-seller in China.
In an historic arrangement, Chinese publisher New World Press has provided thousands of copies of the English version of "A Friendly Dialogue" and made them available at the Olympic Games Main Press Center and Exhibition Hall. It is also being distributed to journalists at the Beijing International Media Center and at newsstands in the Olympic Village, designated Olympic Games hotels, and the Beijing International Airport.
Palau and Zhao began their conversations in May of 2005 when the evangelist was visiting China as part of a delegation of American business, cultural and spiritual leaders. Their initial conversations were so broad, cordial and engaging that they agreed to record and transcribe future exchanges for a book that might build bridges of communication and mutual understanding. Topics included philosophy, history, religion, science, the Bible, politics, ethics and Christianity.
"The true spirit of the Olympics - mutual respect and friendship - was at the heart of 'A Friendly Dialogue' from the beginning," said Luis Palau. "That we can share those conversations, which include a straightforward proclamation of the Gospel, at the Olympic Games is an incredible blessing and honor."
Luis Palau has presented the Gospel to more than a billion people through his global ministry, including more than 25 million face-to-face in 72 countries. He is heard on radio by millions more on 2600+ outlets in 42 nations. His ministry has produced large evangelistic events from south Florida to South America, including a recent festival in Buenos Aires that drew close to 900,000 people.
"A Friendly Dialogue between An Atheist and a Christian" was recently published in English and Spanish by Zondervan Publishing and is available at bookstores everywhere or online at www.palau.org.
3mnewswire.org
The Search of Humanity
The Search of Humanity
LA PORTE, Texas, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- If you do a search on Google for the phrase "searching for God" you will find over 300,000 results. Many of these links lead to Donald Miller's site for "the Search for God Knows What". Others include titles like "Beginning questions in your search for God." You'll find personal blogs by believers and skeptics, frequently asked questions, Wikipedia definitions, and stories of spiritual journeys. Whether the links are intended for a Christian audience or not this staggering number of results reflects a basic human need. Whether it is verbalized or not we are all on a search for God. It seems that at some point each man, woman and child wants to know if He exists, who He is and how one can find Him.
For writer Valda Lawrence the answer is simple. God can be found in only one place--through a relationship with Jesus Christ. In her new book "How to Receive Jesus" Lawrence offers answers to questions like "Who is God," "Who is Jesus" and finally "Why should I receive Jesus?" She examines Jesus' life, miracles, death and resurrection, including how to have a personal relationship with God through Him. A Jamaican-born Christian who spent thirty years as a registered nurse, Valda Lawrence is passionate about sharing her faith with others. "The most important decision one makes in life is to receive Jesus," Lawrence says. "It is a lifestyle that determines our eternal destiny." In the preface she explains her purpose behind writing "How to Receive Jesus": "I would like people to know that Jesus loves them and that the reason He suffered and died on the cross is to redeem them back to God." For many who read Lawrence's short book the search for God may be over.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
LA PORTE, Texas, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- If you do a search on Google for the phrase "searching for God" you will find over 300,000 results. Many of these links lead to Donald Miller's site for "the Search for God Knows What". Others include titles like "Beginning questions in your search for God." You'll find personal blogs by believers and skeptics, frequently asked questions, Wikipedia definitions, and stories of spiritual journeys. Whether the links are intended for a Christian audience or not this staggering number of results reflects a basic human need. Whether it is verbalized or not we are all on a search for God. It seems that at some point each man, woman and child wants to know if He exists, who He is and how one can find Him.
For writer Valda Lawrence the answer is simple. God can be found in only one place--through a relationship with Jesus Christ. In her new book "How to Receive Jesus" Lawrence offers answers to questions like "Who is God," "Who is Jesus" and finally "Why should I receive Jesus?" She examines Jesus' life, miracles, death and resurrection, including how to have a personal relationship with God through Him. A Jamaican-born Christian who spent thirty years as a registered nurse, Valda Lawrence is passionate about sharing her faith with others. "The most important decision one makes in life is to receive Jesus," Lawrence says. "It is a lifestyle that determines our eternal destiny." In the preface she explains her purpose behind writing "How to Receive Jesus": "I would like people to know that Jesus loves them and that the reason He suffered and died on the cross is to redeem them back to God." For many who read Lawrence's short book the search for God may be over.
To order, visit: www.winepressbooks.com or call 877- 421-7323. For a review copy or to schedule an interview please contact Adam Cothes at 360-802- 9758 or adam@winepressgroup.com.
3mnewswire.org
McCain and Obama: A Classic Ali-Frazier Fight: Don't Count McCain
McCain and Obama: A Classic Ali-Frazier Fight: Don't Count McCain ('Frazier') Out Yet; He Too can 'Shake Up the World' by Alonzo Brooklyn
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Do you remember the old Ali- Frazier fights? Ah! Those were the days, my friend. For those of you who are young bucks and weren't born when the entire nation, yea, the world, shut down to see the classic Ali-Frazier match-ups, I feel sorry for you. Get the highlight films and be inspired. Today, we have a match-up in politics that is very similar to the old Ali-Frazier fights. Of course, McCain is Frazier and Obama is Ali. (The fact that Obama and Ali both have Muslim names is a coincidence.) The similarities between the boxers in the titanic boxing match-ups of old and the presidential candidates in the political match-up of today are as follows:
McCain, like Frazier, is not pretty. Obama, like Ali, is pretty.
McCain, like Frazier, is charismatically challenged. Obama, like Ali, came out of the womb charismatic.
McCain, like Frazier, is not a great speaker. Obama, like Ali, can string words together almost into a song, "Yes, we can".
McCain, like Frazier, is not as bright. Obama, like Ali, is a genius.
McCain, like Frazier, is more of a stationary duke it out boxer--no showboating, just stand and punch. Obama, like Ali, can bob and weave, shuffle and dance, as well as "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee; you can't hit what you can't see". (Remember the recent trip overseas?)
McCain, like Frazier, is not as liked and admired by the crowds and media. Obama, like Ali, is a "rock star" and a media darling. The comparisons can go on and on.
There were many people back then who counted Frazier out in all three fights that they had, but Frazier never counted himself out. I am a Christian, who happens to be an African-American, and I truly do not have a dog in this fight for the presidency of the United States, but, I feel that many people are counting the old, unglamorous McCain out a little bit too early. Some are predicting the worst landslide in our nation's history. But let me remind you that old Joe Frazier won the first fight, and in McCain's case, all he has to do is win the first one. I am bringing this up because I have seen something in McCain over the past several weeks that I didn't see right after Obama won the Democratic nomination. Back then, he looked stunned, bewildered, and not sure of what to do. But the old man has found his footing and he is looking very presidential, nowadays. McCain has that confident twinkle in his eye. When he smiles now, it is genuine and not forced. He is not trying to be funny anymore, he is being himself, and strangely, he is not being rattled by the bobbing and weaving, shuffling and dancing showmanship of Obama. If you remember the first fight between Frazier and Ali, when Frazier shocked the world and won, Frazier looked like a man possessed. He stayed focused and won. I see that same thing in McCain right now. And when a man gets that look in his eye, he is almost unstoppable. All I am saying is while the world seems to be on the Obama train right now don't count McCain out yet, because he has truly proven himself to be a comeback kid.
And by the way, if McCain wins, I don't think it will be just because of the racial divide in this country, or because of the mistakes of his youthful opponent, (and let me just say here, contrary to what many are saying, old age does have its advantages) but because there is something deep down in McCain that most men simply don't have--that quiet, non- braggadocios, but confident spirit that never gives up. Never count "Frazier" out! He, too, can "shake up the world".
Alonzo Brooklyn is a full-time writer and commentator. His weekly column can be read at www.Black ChristianNews.com as well as http://Alon zoBrooklyn.Wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at: alonzo.broo klyn@gmail.com.
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Do you remember the old Ali- Frazier fights? Ah! Those were the days, my friend. For those of you who are young bucks and weren't born when the entire nation, yea, the world, shut down to see the classic Ali-Frazier match-ups, I feel sorry for you. Get the highlight films and be inspired. Today, we have a match-up in politics that is very similar to the old Ali-Frazier fights. Of course, McCain is Frazier and Obama is Ali. (The fact that Obama and Ali both have Muslim names is a coincidence.) The similarities between the boxers in the titanic boxing match-ups of old and the presidential candidates in the political match-up of today are as follows:
McCain, like Frazier, is not pretty. Obama, like Ali, is pretty.
McCain, like Frazier, is charismatically challenged. Obama, like Ali, came out of the womb charismatic.
McCain, like Frazier, is not a great speaker. Obama, like Ali, can string words together almost into a song, "Yes, we can".
McCain, like Frazier, is not as bright. Obama, like Ali, is a genius.
McCain, like Frazier, is more of a stationary duke it out boxer--no showboating, just stand and punch. Obama, like Ali, can bob and weave, shuffle and dance, as well as "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee; you can't hit what you can't see". (Remember the recent trip overseas?)
McCain, like Frazier, is not as liked and admired by the crowds and media. Obama, like Ali, is a "rock star" and a media darling. The comparisons can go on and on.
There were many people back then who counted Frazier out in all three fights that they had, but Frazier never counted himself out. I am a Christian, who happens to be an African-American, and I truly do not have a dog in this fight for the presidency of the United States, but, I feel that many people are counting the old, unglamorous McCain out a little bit too early. Some are predicting the worst landslide in our nation's history. But let me remind you that old Joe Frazier won the first fight, and in McCain's case, all he has to do is win the first one. I am bringing this up because I have seen something in McCain over the past several weeks that I didn't see right after Obama won the Democratic nomination. Back then, he looked stunned, bewildered, and not sure of what to do. But the old man has found his footing and he is looking very presidential, nowadays. McCain has that confident twinkle in his eye. When he smiles now, it is genuine and not forced. He is not trying to be funny anymore, he is being himself, and strangely, he is not being rattled by the bobbing and weaving, shuffling and dancing showmanship of Obama. If you remember the first fight between Frazier and Ali, when Frazier shocked the world and won, Frazier looked like a man possessed. He stayed focused and won. I see that same thing in McCain right now. And when a man gets that look in his eye, he is almost unstoppable. All I am saying is while the world seems to be on the Obama train right now don't count McCain out yet, because he has truly proven himself to be a comeback kid.
And by the way, if McCain wins, I don't think it will be just because of the racial divide in this country, or because of the mistakes of his youthful opponent, (and let me just say here, contrary to what many are saying, old age does have its advantages) but because there is something deep down in McCain that most men simply don't have--that quiet, non- braggadocios, but confident spirit that never gives up. Never count "Frazier" out! He, too, can "shake up the world".
Alonzo Brooklyn is a full-time writer and commentator. His weekly column can be read at www.Black ChristianNews.com as well as http://Alon zoBrooklyn.Wordpress.com. You may e-mail him at: alonzo.broo klyn@gmail.com.
3mnewswire.org
Troopers Run Amok, Conduct Mass Arrest of Pro-lifers in Maryland
Troopers Run Amok, Conduct Mass Arrest of Pro-lifers in Maryland
BEL AIR, Maryland, Aug. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Eighteen pro-lifers participating in the Maryland Face the Truth Tour were arrested without warning by Hartford County State Troopers in the city of Bel Air, Maryland on Friday, August 1, 2008.
It was during the last tour stop of the week-long event, sponsored by Defend Life when a State Trooper named Bradley approached the group and told them to move and put away their signs or they would be arrested. In an effort to comply, group leader Jack Ames gathered the group and moved down the road, into the city limits of Bel Air, Maryland.
The group stood peacefully on public property and did not "march" into the street as one news organization erroneously reported. Without warning, an estimated twenty patrol cars arrived on the scene and began arresting pro-life participants without a word. Those arrested were not told what they were being charged with, nor were they read their rights.
One of the women who participated in the tour overheard a police radio conversation where an unknown person told the troopers to make the arrests and that they would "figure out later" what charges would be filed.
At least two people suffered medical problems after having to sit for over a half hour with metal handcuffs that were too tight.
Two minors in the group were soon released, but the adults were held overnight. The men and women were held in two separate cells, but could hear each other. They passed the hours joining together in singing Christian hymns. The last of the pro-lifers were released on Saturday, August 2, at about 10:45 AM.
The group was eventually charged with loitering, failure to obey a lawful order, and disorderly conduct.
"There was some question about whether or not the group had a 'demonstration permit.' Are law enforcement officers now imitating the oppressive tactics that are used in Beijing or Tehran? The First Amendment of the Constitution is demonstration permit enough," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who had participated in the Maryland tour earlier in the week. "This is an open and shut case of officers who ran amok, and trampled upon the constitutional rights of their victims. Hartford County can expect to have to answer for these civil rights violations in court."
VIEW PHOTOS
About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
3mnewswire.org
BEL AIR, Maryland, Aug. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Eighteen pro-lifers participating in the Maryland Face the Truth Tour were arrested without warning by Hartford County State Troopers in the city of Bel Air, Maryland on Friday, August 1, 2008.
It was during the last tour stop of the week-long event, sponsored by Defend Life when a State Trooper named Bradley approached the group and told them to move and put away their signs or they would be arrested. In an effort to comply, group leader Jack Ames gathered the group and moved down the road, into the city limits of Bel Air, Maryland.
The group stood peacefully on public property and did not "march" into the street as one news organization erroneously reported. Without warning, an estimated twenty patrol cars arrived on the scene and began arresting pro-life participants without a word. Those arrested were not told what they were being charged with, nor were they read their rights.
One of the women who participated in the tour overheard a police radio conversation where an unknown person told the troopers to make the arrests and that they would "figure out later" what charges would be filed.
At least two people suffered medical problems after having to sit for over a half hour with metal handcuffs that were too tight.
Two minors in the group were soon released, but the adults were held overnight. The men and women were held in two separate cells, but could hear each other. They passed the hours joining together in singing Christian hymns. The last of the pro-lifers were released on Saturday, August 2, at about 10:45 AM.
The group was eventually charged with loitering, failure to obey a lawful order, and disorderly conduct.
"There was some question about whether or not the group had a 'demonstration permit.' Are law enforcement officers now imitating the oppressive tactics that are used in Beijing or Tehran? The First Amendment of the Constitution is demonstration permit enough," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who had participated in the Maryland tour earlier in the week. "This is an open and shut case of officers who ran amok, and trampled upon the constitutional rights of their victims. Hartford County can expect to have to answer for these civil rights violations in court."
VIEW PHOTOS
About Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation. Operation Rescue recently made headlines when it bought and closed an abortion clinic in Wichita, Kansas and has become the voice of the pro-life activist movement in America. Its activities are on the cutting edge of the abortion issue, taking direct action to restore legal personhood to the pre-born and stop abortion in obedience to biblical mandates.
3mnewswire.org
Christian Film, 'Standing Firm' Continues Production Along with the Church of its Creators
Christian Film, 'Standing Firm' Continues Production Along with the Church of its Creators
LEWISTON, Ny., Aug. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Praise Pictures Inc. and the church of the companies owners, are continuing production of their first Christian feature Standing Firm. Praise Pictures Inc. CEO and Executive Producer Kyle Prohaska states, "Christian film is a medium largely untapped when compared to secular media. Now more than ever, Christians have the technology and means available to create impacting and uplifting films that can reach the world for Christ. We are committed to fulfilling that calling."
The film is being created much like the films Facing the Giants and Flywheel. With volunteer actors and a low budget, but with a motivated and committed cast and crew who's goal is to honor the Lord with their talents, and allow the Him to bring the Blessing.
Standing Firm plans to put a different spin on the norm in Christian filmmaking. Kyle Prohaska describes the film as, "the kind of story you wish you saw after a lot of films are over. We have the film start following the usual pattern where a character eventually comes to know the Lord (like many other films), but we take him on the journey afterwards. We want to not only bring him to salvation, but show some of the struggles new Christians deal with. It's something that hasn't been seen much in Christian film, and we hope to bring it to the forefront."
The film is the intense story of widower and construction business owner David Corwin, who has recently lost his wife in a car accident and has thrown the Church and family out the window. Steven (David's older son), attempts to help his father deal with his pain in a healthy manner but their conflicting views on God and the Church create a difficult family battle, especially with Steven's position in ministry. Steven learns to stand firm on the truth of Gods Word and be a Christian example to his father and show him his need for God, and the love and peace that can follow, regardless of his fathers disconnected and antisocial behavior.
Praise Pictures Inc. is continuing shooting for approximately another month, and plans to complete the film in the coming months.
For more information, visit www.standingfirmmovie.com.
3mnewswire.org
LEWISTON, Ny., Aug. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Praise Pictures Inc. and the church of the companies owners, are continuing production of their first Christian feature Standing Firm. Praise Pictures Inc. CEO and Executive Producer Kyle Prohaska states, "Christian film is a medium largely untapped when compared to secular media. Now more than ever, Christians have the technology and means available to create impacting and uplifting films that can reach the world for Christ. We are committed to fulfilling that calling."
The film is being created much like the films Facing the Giants and Flywheel. With volunteer actors and a low budget, but with a motivated and committed cast and crew who's goal is to honor the Lord with their talents, and allow the Him to bring the Blessing.
Standing Firm plans to put a different spin on the norm in Christian filmmaking. Kyle Prohaska describes the film as, "the kind of story you wish you saw after a lot of films are over. We have the film start following the usual pattern where a character eventually comes to know the Lord (like many other films), but we take him on the journey afterwards. We want to not only bring him to salvation, but show some of the struggles new Christians deal with. It's something that hasn't been seen much in Christian film, and we hope to bring it to the forefront."
The film is the intense story of widower and construction business owner David Corwin, who has recently lost his wife in a car accident and has thrown the Church and family out the window. Steven (David's older son), attempts to help his father deal with his pain in a healthy manner but their conflicting views on God and the Church create a difficult family battle, especially with Steven's position in ministry. Steven learns to stand firm on the truth of Gods Word and be a Christian example to his father and show him his need for God, and the love and peace that can follow, regardless of his fathers disconnected and antisocial behavior.
Praise Pictures Inc. is continuing shooting for approximately another month, and plans to complete the film in the coming months.
For more information, visit www.standingfirmmovie.com.
3mnewswire.org
Concerned Roman Catholics Call on Knights of Columbus to Expel Pro-Abortion Politicians
Concerned Roman Catholics Call on Knights of Columbus to Expel Pro-Abortion Politicians
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc. (CRCOA) condemn the Knights of Columbus for their continuing failure to expel pro- abortion and pro-homosexual politicians. The K of C meet in the Hilton Quebec Hotel and in the Quebec City Convention Centre from August 5-7 for their annual Supreme Convention.
Ken Fisher, President of CRCOA, said: "With 50 million abortions since Roe v Wade in 1973, the Knights of Columbus has failed the unborn children miserably. The K of C, founded by Fr. McGivney, ought to be a major force in the pro-life, pro-family movement. Instead, in protecting pro-abortion politician members it has joined the lowest common denominator - "the Culture of Death" - as the late Pope John Paul II named it.
"CRCOA has observed the great decline in Catholic values among the 1.7 million member K of C, which has long claimed to be "the strong right arm of the Catholic Church". Perversely, the K of C has welcomed to its ranks a great number of pro-abortion and pro-homosexual politicians in exchange for a charitable tax-free status on its life insurance business. The charitable work is done, and most of the money is raised, by volunteer K of C members at local and state level - while Supreme Knight Carl Anderson received $1,120,045 in K of C compensation last year", added Fisher.
Boston CRCOA member John O'Gorman said: "Supreme Knight Carl Anderson ignored the situation of 15/Jul/08 when K of C members in the Massachusetts State Senate voted to repeal a 1913 marriage law. State Reps repealed it on 29/Jul/08. The repeal, signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick on 31/Jul/08, allows same-sex couples from all the 50 states to marry in Massachusetts."
"On 14/June/07, at least 16 members of the K of C in the legislature defeated the efforts of 170,000 signatories to put traditional marriage on the 2008 ballot. 170,000 signatures far exceeded the required number to place the question on the ballot! Seven of these K of C politicians have the highest ratings from the USA's biggest abortionists, Planned Parenthood, who performed 289,000 abortions in 2006. On 4/May/08, Supreme Advocate (lawyer) Paul Devin, who gave money to Pro-Abortion politicians Ted and Joe Kennedy (OpenSecrets.org), ruled that a State Convention resolution by Grand Knight Joe Craven to suspend pro-abortion and pro-gay politicians was 'unconstitutional'", said O'Gorman.
Fisher added: "As Supreme Knight for the past 7 years, Carl Anderson has refused to expel the pro- abortion and pro-sodomite politicians and members. They, Anderson and Devin must go! Supreme Chaplain Bishop William Lori and the other bishops must excommunicate the pro-abortion and pro- homosexual politicians and members." Fisher concluded, "Devin is an Attorney and as such he should know Parliamentary Procedure, but he apparently chose to ignore that when he made that ruling. How can a Resolution that merely calls for the Knights to honor their own constitution's article 162.7 be ruled unconstitutional!"
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 2 /Christian Newswire/ -- Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc. (CRCOA) condemn the Knights of Columbus for their continuing failure to expel pro- abortion and pro-homosexual politicians. The K of C meet in the Hilton Quebec Hotel and in the Quebec City Convention Centre from August 5-7 for their annual Supreme Convention.
Ken Fisher, President of CRCOA, said: "With 50 million abortions since Roe v Wade in 1973, the Knights of Columbus has failed the unborn children miserably. The K of C, founded by Fr. McGivney, ought to be a major force in the pro-life, pro-family movement. Instead, in protecting pro-abortion politician members it has joined the lowest common denominator - "the Culture of Death" - as the late Pope John Paul II named it.
"CRCOA has observed the great decline in Catholic values among the 1.7 million member K of C, which has long claimed to be "the strong right arm of the Catholic Church". Perversely, the K of C has welcomed to its ranks a great number of pro-abortion and pro-homosexual politicians in exchange for a charitable tax-free status on its life insurance business. The charitable work is done, and most of the money is raised, by volunteer K of C members at local and state level - while Supreme Knight Carl Anderson received $1,120,045 in K of C compensation last year", added Fisher.
Boston CRCOA member John O'Gorman said: "Supreme Knight Carl Anderson ignored the situation of 15/Jul/08 when K of C members in the Massachusetts State Senate voted to repeal a 1913 marriage law. State Reps repealed it on 29/Jul/08. The repeal, signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick on 31/Jul/08, allows same-sex couples from all the 50 states to marry in Massachusetts."
"On 14/June/07, at least 16 members of the K of C in the legislature defeated the efforts of 170,000 signatories to put traditional marriage on the 2008 ballot. 170,000 signatures far exceeded the required number to place the question on the ballot! Seven of these K of C politicians have the highest ratings from the USA's biggest abortionists, Planned Parenthood, who performed 289,000 abortions in 2006. On 4/May/08, Supreme Advocate (lawyer) Paul Devin, who gave money to Pro-Abortion politicians Ted and Joe Kennedy (OpenSecrets.org), ruled that a State Convention resolution by Grand Knight Joe Craven to suspend pro-abortion and pro-gay politicians was 'unconstitutional'", said O'Gorman.
Fisher added: "As Supreme Knight for the past 7 years, Carl Anderson has refused to expel the pro- abortion and pro-sodomite politicians and members. They, Anderson and Devin must go! Supreme Chaplain Bishop William Lori and the other bishops must excommunicate the pro-abortion and pro- homosexual politicians and members." Fisher concluded, "Devin is an Attorney and as such he should know Parliamentary Procedure, but he apparently chose to ignore that when he made that ruling. How can a Resolution that merely calls for the Knights to honor their own constitution's article 162.7 be ruled unconstitutional!"
3mnewswire.org
Kay Warren Reveals Solution to Gender-Based Violence: The Worldwide Church, Which Offers Hope to the World
Kay Warren Reveals Solution to Gender-Based Violence: The Worldwide Church, Which Offers Hope to the World
Warren Presents Church-based Strategy of Hope and Healing in Plenary, Workshop at Ecumenical Alliance Conference in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Kay Warren, international AIDS advocate, author and director of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., today addressed the plenary session of the Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference in Mexico City, offering hope for the problem of gender-base violence through the Church. In a follow-up workshop, husband Rick Warren and colleagues joined in presenting a workshop on the role of the Church in HIV/AIDS.
"If gender-based violence is everywhere, so is the Church," Warren said. "The Church is the hope of the world, and God's plan for dealing with the problems of the world. Whether dealing with violence, poverty, orphans or AIDS - if we don't start with the church, we are starting at the wrong end of the equation."
The plenary focused on dynamics of gender-based violence and trafficking. Joining Warren on the program were Dr. Pauline Muchina, senior partnership adviser, UNAIDS; Dr. Hernán Quezada, HIV advisor to Catholic churches in Mexico; and Heryln Marja Uiras of Churches United Against HIV and AIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa (CUAHA).
Warren addressed the crowd last, and while each of the other presenters gave important stories and statistics about the crisis of gender-based violence and trafficking, she offered a solution for using the worldwide network of the Church to stop the problem.
"Violence against women is everywhere," Warren said. "Where I live in the U.S., we tend to be quiet about it. It is not socially acceptable; we don't talk about it. But just because it is hidden or quiet, doesn't make it right. From Cambodia to Rwanda to women in my own church, it is everywhere."
She continued to speak about her own personal experience of being sexually molested as a child by a family friend. Afterward, Warren said she felt ashamed and alone. Like many other women and young girls around the world who are victims of gender-based violence, she had no one to whom she could turn or with whom she could speak about her situation - especially in her church, so she remained silent.
"We have to ask ourselves, 'What can the church do?' Warren continued. "There is only so much governments, NGOs and relief organizations can do. We have to speak up for those who have no voice."
Warren described three unique characteristics of the Church that enables it to be the answer - the Truth of the Scriptures that sets us free from our hurts, habits and hang ups; the Spirit of God who convicts us of sin and then gives us the power to change our hearts, attitudes and behaviors; and the people of God that are part of a healing community that can link together and be willing to live authentic, vulnerable lives of transparency and accountability.
The model for this solution is The P.E.A.C.E. Plan - a 50-year strategy to mobilize millions of local churches around the world to address five global problems: spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Launched at Saddleback Church by Warren and her husband Rick, prototypes of the Plan have been tested the past four years in 68 countries, and as a result, the P.E.A.C.E. Coalition, involving business, church and government partnerships, was launched in April.
Following her plenary remarks to addressing the Church's leadership and willingness to respond to HIV/AIDS, in an afternoon workshop, the Warrens and their team outlined the specific role the church can play in making a difference, along the acronym "C.H.U.R.C.H."
This blueprint involves six things that any and every church can do to provide hope and healing for this life- defining diagnosis, including: Care for and support the sick; Handle HIV testing and counseling; Unleash a volunteer force of compassion; Remove the Stigma; Champion Healthy Behavior; and Help with HIV medication (ARV's).
The Warrens observed that that many individuals and organizations are working to manage HIV/AIDS, which they summarize as S.L.O.W.: Support correct and consistent condom use; Limit number of sexual partners; Offer needle exchange, where permissible; and Wait for sexual debut
However, the Warrens further challenged that ending AIDS requires a strategy defined by S.T.O.P.: Save sex for marriage; Train men to respect women and girls; Open the door for churches to support care and treatment; and Partner with one person for life through marriage.
The Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference is held in conjunction with the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Aug. 3-8. Along with attending, Warren will continue her involvement through speaking at satellite events, including a Sunday morning worship service.
Founded in 1980 by the Warrens, Saddleback Church is located in Orange County, Calif. With an average weekly attendance of 22,000, it is one of the five largest churches in America. For more information about the Saddleback HIV/AIDS Initiative, visit www.HIVandTheChurch.com.
3mnewswire.org
Warren Presents Church-based Strategy of Hope and Healing in Plenary, Workshop at Ecumenical Alliance Conference in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Kay Warren, international AIDS advocate, author and director of the HIV/AIDS Initiative at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., today addressed the plenary session of the Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference in Mexico City, offering hope for the problem of gender-base violence through the Church. In a follow-up workshop, husband Rick Warren and colleagues joined in presenting a workshop on the role of the Church in HIV/AIDS.
"If gender-based violence is everywhere, so is the Church," Warren said. "The Church is the hope of the world, and God's plan for dealing with the problems of the world. Whether dealing with violence, poverty, orphans or AIDS - if we don't start with the church, we are starting at the wrong end of the equation."
The plenary focused on dynamics of gender-based violence and trafficking. Joining Warren on the program were Dr. Pauline Muchina, senior partnership adviser, UNAIDS; Dr. Hernán Quezada, HIV advisor to Catholic churches in Mexico; and Heryln Marja Uiras of Churches United Against HIV and AIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa (CUAHA).
Warren addressed the crowd last, and while each of the other presenters gave important stories and statistics about the crisis of gender-based violence and trafficking, she offered a solution for using the worldwide network of the Church to stop the problem.
"Violence against women is everywhere," Warren said. "Where I live in the U.S., we tend to be quiet about it. It is not socially acceptable; we don't talk about it. But just because it is hidden or quiet, doesn't make it right. From Cambodia to Rwanda to women in my own church, it is everywhere."
She continued to speak about her own personal experience of being sexually molested as a child by a family friend. Afterward, Warren said she felt ashamed and alone. Like many other women and young girls around the world who are victims of gender-based violence, she had no one to whom she could turn or with whom she could speak about her situation - especially in her church, so she remained silent.
"We have to ask ourselves, 'What can the church do?' Warren continued. "There is only so much governments, NGOs and relief organizations can do. We have to speak up for those who have no voice."
Warren described three unique characteristics of the Church that enables it to be the answer - the Truth of the Scriptures that sets us free from our hurts, habits and hang ups; the Spirit of God who convicts us of sin and then gives us the power to change our hearts, attitudes and behaviors; and the people of God that are part of a healing community that can link together and be willing to live authentic, vulnerable lives of transparency and accountability.
The model for this solution is The P.E.A.C.E. Plan - a 50-year strategy to mobilize millions of local churches around the world to address five global problems: spiritual emptiness, corrupt leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. Launched at Saddleback Church by Warren and her husband Rick, prototypes of the Plan have been tested the past four years in 68 countries, and as a result, the P.E.A.C.E. Coalition, involving business, church and government partnerships, was launched in April.
Following her plenary remarks to addressing the Church's leadership and willingness to respond to HIV/AIDS, in an afternoon workshop, the Warrens and their team outlined the specific role the church can play in making a difference, along the acronym "C.H.U.R.C.H."
This blueprint involves six things that any and every church can do to provide hope and healing for this life- defining diagnosis, including: Care for and support the sick; Handle HIV testing and counseling; Unleash a volunteer force of compassion; Remove the Stigma; Champion Healthy Behavior; and Help with HIV medication (ARV's).
The Warrens observed that that many individuals and organizations are working to manage HIV/AIDS, which they summarize as S.L.O.W.: Support correct and consistent condom use; Limit number of sexual partners; Offer needle exchange, where permissible; and Wait for sexual debut
However, the Warrens further challenged that ending AIDS requires a strategy defined by S.T.O.P.: Save sex for marriage; Train men to respect women and girls; Open the door for churches to support care and treatment; and Partner with one person for life through marriage.
The Ecumenical Alliance Pre-Conference is held in conjunction with the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, Aug. 3-8. Along with attending, Warren will continue her involvement through speaking at satellite events, including a Sunday morning worship service.
Founded in 1980 by the Warrens, Saddleback Church is located in Orange County, Calif. With an average weekly attendance of 22,000, it is one of the five largest churches in America. For more information about the Saddleback HIV/AIDS Initiative, visit www.HIVandTheChurch.com.
3mnewswire.org
Is the Obama Campaign Orchestrating These Weird Episodes by Blacks and Others
Is the Obama Campaign Orchestrating These Weird Episodes by Blacks and Others to Make Him Look Normal and More Like the Majority Community?
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- I am an African-American Christian, but I find it strange that Barack Obama could suffer so many unfortunate events by his own people who are suppose to be ecstatic about him possibly becoming the first black president of these United States of America.
First, there was the strange "showing out" by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club, after he had been embarrassed for cussing out America from God's pulpit. I found it very odd for a man who has an earned Doctorate to behave like a seventeen year old, defending himself in a high school yard.
Then there was the Catholic priest, who, by the way, preaches just as good as any black Baptist preacher, who went into Trinity United Church of Christ (Barack Obama's home church and Wright's former pastorate) and cussed Hillary Clinton out in God's pulpit.
Then there was our dear friend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who threatened to cut off the presidential candidate's "manhood" on national television, and on FOX at that. And in the same conversation, he called us "niggers". You talk about an unfortunate event. I find it hard to believe that a man of Rev. Jackson's sophistication would be that dumb to say such things on national television or anywhere else for that matter, without getting some reward.
Another recent unfortunate event comes through the "genius" Ludacris, who thought he should help the presidential candidate by calling the former first lady a bitch and disparaging McCain in his rap song that praises Obama. I refuse to believe that the "genius" Ludacris is that dumb.
Finally, we come to this asinine episode of today with some young black dudes holding up a perfectly designed sign, heckling Barack Obama about paying more attention to black issues. Now this one was just plain stupid to me. And I find it hard to believe they did this without some coaching by the Obama camp, because even though Barack Obama has made some mistakes, balancing the race issue is not one of them.
What's next people to prove that Obama is one of them? Rev. Al Sharpton and the NAACP marching against Obama for trying to be the president of all of America and not just Black America?
Alonzo Brooklyn is a syndicated columnist and his articles can be read at www.BlackChristianNews.com as well as http://AlonzoBrooklyn.Wordpress.com.
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- I am an African-American Christian, but I find it strange that Barack Obama could suffer so many unfortunate events by his own people who are suppose to be ecstatic about him possibly becoming the first black president of these United States of America.
First, there was the strange "showing out" by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at the National Press Club, after he had been embarrassed for cussing out America from God's pulpit. I found it very odd for a man who has an earned Doctorate to behave like a seventeen year old, defending himself in a high school yard.
Then there was the Catholic priest, who, by the way, preaches just as good as any black Baptist preacher, who went into Trinity United Church of Christ (Barack Obama's home church and Wright's former pastorate) and cussed Hillary Clinton out in God's pulpit.
Then there was our dear friend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who threatened to cut off the presidential candidate's "manhood" on national television, and on FOX at that. And in the same conversation, he called us "niggers". You talk about an unfortunate event. I find it hard to believe that a man of Rev. Jackson's sophistication would be that dumb to say such things on national television or anywhere else for that matter, without getting some reward.
Another recent unfortunate event comes through the "genius" Ludacris, who thought he should help the presidential candidate by calling the former first lady a bitch and disparaging McCain in his rap song that praises Obama. I refuse to believe that the "genius" Ludacris is that dumb.
Finally, we come to this asinine episode of today with some young black dudes holding up a perfectly designed sign, heckling Barack Obama about paying more attention to black issues. Now this one was just plain stupid to me. And I find it hard to believe they did this without some coaching by the Obama camp, because even though Barack Obama has made some mistakes, balancing the race issue is not one of them.
What's next people to prove that Obama is one of them? Rev. Al Sharpton and the NAACP marching against Obama for trying to be the president of all of America and not just Black America?
Alonzo Brooklyn is a syndicated columnist and his articles can be read at www.BlackChristianNews.com as well as http://AlonzoBrooklyn.Wordpress.com.
3mnewswire.org
Men: Former NFL All-Pro Wide Receiver Wants to be Your Spiritual Coach
Men: Former NFL All-Pro Wide Receiver Wants to be Your Spiritual Coach
IRONDALE, Alabama, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Danny Abramowicz, former NFL all-pro wide receiver and coach, has created a television show with EWTN Global Catholic Network called "Crossing the Goal," which uses a sports show format to encourage men to get into spiritual shape.
"On this show, we talk to men about the things that are happening in their lives right now and we challenge them to do something about it," said Abramowicz, who played for the New Orleans Saints and the 49ers. "Guys respond to a challenge. The Lord will help them, but they have to admit that something is not right in their life."
Abramowicz – who ranked, in varying years, in the Top 10 for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns – admits that he is a former party boy whose life once revolved around his ego and booze. He says he and his three co-hosts – Peter Herbeck, vice-president of Renewal Ministries; Curtis Martin, founder of Fellowship of Catholic University Students; and professional broadcaster Brian Patrick – provide real solutions to the spiritual challenges men face.
Segments include "The Kickoff," where the problem of the day is quickly presented; "The Game Plan," where two team members lay out the facts men need to know; "The Red Zone," where the team talks about how they've dealt with the problem in their own lives, and "The End Zone," where each team member gives the audience a take-away for the week.
Plans also call for a website, where viewers can interact with the hosts.
Abramowicz has high hopes for this show.
"The economy is tough," he said. "Men don't think of the Lord when things are rockin' and rollin'. When things start turning bad, that's when we need to be available to the men."
"Crossing the Goal" will air 6:30 p.m. ET Sundays beginning Aug. 31, and will re-air 9 p.m. ET Fridays and 6:30 a.m. ET Mondays.
EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 27th year, is available in over 148 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN, is the largest religious media network in the world. Note: To interview Abramowicz or his co-hosts, contact EWTN. Also, available for download are publicity stills.
3mnewswire.org
IRONDALE, Alabama, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Danny Abramowicz, former NFL all-pro wide receiver and coach, has created a television show with EWTN Global Catholic Network called "Crossing the Goal," which uses a sports show format to encourage men to get into spiritual shape.
"On this show, we talk to men about the things that are happening in their lives right now and we challenge them to do something about it," said Abramowicz, who played for the New Orleans Saints and the 49ers. "Guys respond to a challenge. The Lord will help them, but they have to admit that something is not right in their life."
Abramowicz – who ranked, in varying years, in the Top 10 for receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns – admits that he is a former party boy whose life once revolved around his ego and booze. He says he and his three co-hosts – Peter Herbeck, vice-president of Renewal Ministries; Curtis Martin, founder of Fellowship of Catholic University Students; and professional broadcaster Brian Patrick – provide real solutions to the spiritual challenges men face.
Segments include "The Kickoff," where the problem of the day is quickly presented; "The Game Plan," where two team members lay out the facts men need to know; "The Red Zone," where the team talks about how they've dealt with the problem in their own lives, and "The End Zone," where each team member gives the audience a take-away for the week.
Plans also call for a website, where viewers can interact with the hosts.
Abramowicz has high hopes for this show.
"The economy is tough," he said. "Men don't think of the Lord when things are rockin' and rollin'. When things start turning bad, that's when we need to be available to the men."
"Crossing the Goal" will air 6:30 p.m. ET Sundays beginning Aug. 31, and will re-air 9 p.m. ET Fridays and 6:30 a.m. ET Mondays.
EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 27th year, is available in over 148 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN, is the largest religious media network in the world. Note: To interview Abramowicz or his co-hosts, contact EWTN. Also, available for download are publicity stills.
3mnewswire.org
The Bestselling and Award-Winning Author
The Bestselling and Award-Winning Author of 'The Amen Sisters' Confronts Temptation and Redemption in a Powerful New Story Titled, 'Up Pops the Devil'
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Essence bestselling author, Angela Benson, returns with UP POPS THE DEVIL (Avon A; Pub Date August 1, 2008; $13.95), a rich and emotional story of faith, love, betrayal, and the rocky path to redemption. "Preacher" Winters has completed a two- year stint in prison determined to live up to his jailhouse conversion and become a law-abiding citizen--but first he has to face the four women who are waiting for him on the outside.
Tanya, the sleek and sexy mother of his two kids, is much too comfortable with her pearls-and-Porsche lifestyle, and she'll do whatever it takes to keep on going--she'll even use Preacher's small sons as weapons...
His sister, Loretta, kept "the business" running smoothly while Preacher was inside, and she can't believe he'd trade Easy Street bling for a nickel- and-dime dead-end job...
His one time girlfriend, Serena, now married to his friend and mentor, Bernard, is hiding a secret, and if past sins come to light, they'll ruin several lives and a very new, very precious friendship between Preacher and Bernard's beautiful, inside-and-out sister, Natalie.
With his world about to explode all around him, Preacher's going to need every ounce of his new- found faith to remain strong because it takes a lot to become a new man--sometimes even a miracle.
Discover the obstacles and surprises that life has to offer in UP POPS THE DEVIL, a powerful, moving, and juicy story as only Angela Benson can tell it.
"With characters you can't help rooting for, Up Pops the Devil, is a wonderful story about hope, faith, and redemption--the kind of story we can all learn valuable lessons from." (Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times best-selling author of Sin No More)
Angela Benson is a graduate of Spelman College and the author of numerous novels, including the Christy Award-nominated Awakening Mercy and the Essence bestseller The Amen Sisters. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama and lives in Tuscaloosa.
For more information about Up Pops the Devil, visit: www.angelabenson.com.
To book Angela Benson for speaking engagements and/or book signings, please e-mail: books@bensonink.com.
Up Pops the Devil is available today, August 1st, in fine bookstores everywhere. It is also available at the following online retailers: www.Amazon.com , www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.BooksAMillion.com, and www.BlackCBC.com
3mnewswire.org
MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- Essence bestselling author, Angela Benson, returns with UP POPS THE DEVIL (Avon A; Pub Date August 1, 2008; $13.95), a rich and emotional story of faith, love, betrayal, and the rocky path to redemption. "Preacher" Winters has completed a two- year stint in prison determined to live up to his jailhouse conversion and become a law-abiding citizen--but first he has to face the four women who are waiting for him on the outside.
Tanya, the sleek and sexy mother of his two kids, is much too comfortable with her pearls-and-Porsche lifestyle, and she'll do whatever it takes to keep on going--she'll even use Preacher's small sons as weapons...
His sister, Loretta, kept "the business" running smoothly while Preacher was inside, and she can't believe he'd trade Easy Street bling for a nickel- and-dime dead-end job...
His one time girlfriend, Serena, now married to his friend and mentor, Bernard, is hiding a secret, and if past sins come to light, they'll ruin several lives and a very new, very precious friendship between Preacher and Bernard's beautiful, inside-and-out sister, Natalie.
With his world about to explode all around him, Preacher's going to need every ounce of his new- found faith to remain strong because it takes a lot to become a new man--sometimes even a miracle.
Discover the obstacles and surprises that life has to offer in UP POPS THE DEVIL, a powerful, moving, and juicy story as only Angela Benson can tell it.
"With characters you can't help rooting for, Up Pops the Devil, is a wonderful story about hope, faith, and redemption--the kind of story we can all learn valuable lessons from." (Kimberla Lawson Roby, New York Times best-selling author of Sin No More)
Angela Benson is a graduate of Spelman College and the author of numerous novels, including the Christy Award-nominated Awakening Mercy and the Essence bestseller The Amen Sisters. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Alabama and lives in Tuscaloosa.
For more information about Up Pops the Devil, visit: www.angelabenson.com.
To book Angela Benson for speaking engagements and/or book signings, please e-mail: books@bensonink.com.
Up Pops the Devil is available today, August 1st, in fine bookstores everywhere. It is also available at the following online retailers: www.Amazon.com , www.BarnesandNoble.com, www.BooksAMillion.com, and www.BlackCBC.com
3mnewswire.org
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