St. John the Evangelist - Ancient Faith, Modern Relevance

Recently, St. John’s reproduced a piece about the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood that has been reported in newspapers and on web sites (see, for example, www.c-fam.org/publications/pub_detail.asp?id=1589). One of our members, Ellen Appleton, herself a former Girl Scout, was alarmed and investigated the matter further. Here is the result of her efforts. She writes:

A federal judge ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday.  She sited that the government cannot call for religious action.

I have a dear brother in the Lord has remarked several times about how ungracious Christians can be - and often are - toward each other. He has also opined that it is necessary for Christians to assume the best about each other.

While preparing for a Bible study recently, I decided to tackle the matter of health care reform. This was prompted by a convergence of two things:

During Super Bowl 44 (or XLIV, if you prefer), commercials are shown which are highlighted as some of the most creative of the year. My favorite is still the series of "Wassaaap" commercials back in the late 90s.

A recent landmark study out of the University of Pennsylvania evaluated sixth and seventh graders undergoing abstinence-oriented education versus traditional sex education. The study looked at the percentage of each group that became sexually active within the next two years.

Only one-third of those students who received abstinence-focused education were sexually active within the next two years versus one-half of those who received the traditional abstinence and contraceptive oriented sex-ed. This is the first study to show a clear benefit to abstinence-only education.

Tim Tebow is the quarterback of the Florida Gators.  He led his team to two national championships and is expected to play professionally for the NFL.  He is also the committed Christian son of Christian parents.

When Tim's mother, Pam Tebow, was pregnant with Tim in 1987, she contracted ameobic dysentary while on a misssionary trip in the Philippines.  Mrs. Tebow's physician advised his patient to terminate her pregnancy claiming that the medications required to treat the disease would cause irreparable damage to her baby.  She refused.

VirtueOnline1 points the reader to a report that King's Glory Fellowship Association, a Christian church in Calgary Canada, has lost its charitable status. Reported in a "National Post" article entitled "Advocacy Costly For Church - Fellowship Loses Tax Status As Charity"2;

1. 1. http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=1196…
2. 2. http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=2475277

In almost any community of ideas, there are topics that are considered forbidden or taboo. For evolutionists, creationism is taboo. For Republicans, any positive comment about welfare is taboo. For Democrats of the Northeastern US variety, laissez-faire economics spells disaster for those in need. For naturopaths, medicine is off limits; and for traditional physicians naturopathy is likewise looked down upon.