SALVATION ARMY TAKES BIBLICAL STAND . . .The City of San Francisco recently adopted an ordinance that requires all organizations doing business with the city to treat homosexual couples the same as legally married couples. The Salvation Army petitioned for a waiver, arguing that the "domestic partners" ordinance violates its religious beliefs. However, that petition was denied, even though other groups, including Blue Cross, Encyclopedia Britannica and the U.S. Tennis Association, did receive exemptions. Rather than compromise its beliefs, the Salvation Army announced that it would forgo $3.5 million in funding from the city and scale back its programs in the city. "The [partners] ordinance does conflict with our basic theological position, primarily the recognition of the traditional family," explained Salvation Army spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Love. Love added, "The army felt it was necessary to speak with a national voice. We cannot make a decision unilaterally in San Francisco that is not in concert with the rest of the country." The ministry will have to lay off about 60 of its 390 employees because of cutbacks in the meals-on-wheels program for senior citizens, the homeless shelter, and an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center. San Francisco City Supervisor Tom Ammiano said, " ... It's unfortunate the Salvation Army is being so narrow-minded." [The Kansas CHRISTIAN, June 19, 1998, pg 9] MAYOR CLEANS UP NEW YORK CITY . . .New York City Mayor, Rudy Guiliani, is on a crusade to rezone most of the city's pornographic video stores, theaters, and bookstores right out of existence. When the rezoning is implemented, almost all of the city's sexually oriented businesses will either have to close or move to less accessible locations. The New York Supreme Court ruled that the plan was constitutional and on June 3, 1998, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit refused to review that ruling, thus allowing Guiliani's rezoning plan to take effect. Guiliani has said, there are now "... about 16 or 17 separate judges who have looked over this plan and come to the determination that the plan is legal." Lawyers for the sexually oriented businesses plan to appeal to the full circuit court. [Human Events, 6/28/98]PORNOGRAPHIC "ART" CAN BE BLOCKED . . .On June 25, 1998, in an 8-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) can deny grants to "art" it considers indecent. In this case, NEA v. Finley, Karen Finley and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had argued that when the NEA denied funding for Ms. Finley's obscene "performance", her free speech rights had been suppressed. However, Justice Scalia and Thomas, in separate opinions, pointed out that denial of NEA funding does not suppress anyone's free speech rights. Justice David Souter was the lone dissenter in this case. According to Gary Bauer, Family Research Council (FRC), this decision "is a solid victory for American families who object to subsidizing offensive art such as Robert Mapplethorpe's homoerotic pornography, Andres Serrano's photo of a crucifix submerged in a jar of urine, the play, "Corpus Christi", in which Jesus Christ has sex with his disciples, or Karen Finley's so-called "performance art." [FRC, 6/25/98] Congress is currently debating the issue of funding for the NEA -- and hopefully, this recent U.S. Supreme Court decision will encourage them to completely defund the NEA. If there is a need for indecent and/or obscene "art", there is plenty of money in Hollywood and the elite art's community to fund such "art" without asking American taxpayers to violate their moral and religious convictions to fund these materials.VIRGINIA'S PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BAN UPHELD . . .The Virginia General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a partial-birth abortion ban during the 1998 session, but June 25, 1998, a lower court ruled that it was "too vague" and could be interpreted to unconstitutionally ban all abortions during the first six months of pregnancy. Then, on June 30th, Judge J. Michael Luttig of the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the lower court's ruling, thus allowing the partial-birth abortion ban to go into effect on July 1, 1998. Pro-abortion forces say they will appeal Judge Luttig's decision immediately, either to the full 4th Circuit Court of Appeals or to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, three months ago the U.S. Supreme Court evaded a chance to rule on this issue, allowing to stand an Ohio ruling against a partial-birth abortion ban. [Washington Post, 7/1/98]PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BANS OVERTURNED IN SOME STATES . . .On June 25, 1998, a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court suspended the enforcement of Wisconsin's ban on partial-birth abortions, which had gone into effect on May 14, 1998. The ruling suspends the enforcement of the ban until an October hearing to determine the constitutionality of the ban. Bans passed by the Montana and Iowa legislatures have also been struck down by courts in those two states in recent weeks. [Pro-Life Infonet, 6/30/98] Since 1995, 26 state legislatures have passed bans on partial-birth abortions. So far, 12 of those bans have been blocked by federal or state court judges. [Missouri Crusader, July 1998]THE DINOSAUR AGENDA . . .According to Ken Ham, Executive Director of Answers in Genesis (AiG), "evolutionists and humanists are definitely on the warpath. They are out to capture the minds of children one way or another." The National Academy of Sciences recently sent out a 140-page booklet to schools, teachers and school boards across the nation, insisting that evolution -- and only evolution -- be taught as FACT in science classrooms. "The secular world recognizes that dinosaurs can be used to reach people with a message, but sadly, their message is that there is no God and that all life is the result of chance random processes. The creation movement has also recognized that dinosaurs can be used as a vehicle to reach people of all ages, but with the truth of God's Word." [Quote, Ken Ham, Answers In Genesis, June 98] If you are puzzled by dinosaurs or have questions about the creation vs. evolution debate, you will find faith-building answers on the Answers in Genesis' web site at www.AnswersInGenesis. Or call 1-800-350-3232, ext. 400 to receive a free information packet full of faith-strengthening materials. |