John 3:16

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gopel to every creature. Mark 16:15

                                                                NEWS BRIEFS

Ex-Gang Member Now Raps Jesus to Youngsters
Feb 26, 2002  

VETERAN PREPARES MARINES 'TO DIE'

Vietnam veteran Udell Meyers is offering some training he says is missing at the Quantico Marine Corps in Virginia. "I want to do everything I can to prepare men to die," he told "The Potomac News." "I want to help them get that settled so that when the time comes they have nothing else to do but die."

Meyers' mission was born when he and another Marine were shot while serving in Vietnam. The other soldier thought he was going to die and wasn't spiritually prepared, Meyers told the newspaper. "The Marine Corps does an excellent job in preparing men and women mentally, physically, as well as with all the tactical knowledge and military prowess that they need," he said. "From my own experience, however, the base is spiritual."

Together with his wife, Janet, Meyers has established Rally Point in the small town of Quantico - population around 500 - that is surrounded by the base. A converted bar and dance hall, the center is decorated with camouflage netting and provides a place for services and socializing.

The Meyerses have "taken an interest in the town and its people," said Mayor Mitchel P. Raftelis. "They are here to help those who need their help. They've added another dimension to our town."

STUDY SAYS CABLE TV IS GETTING CRUDER

Cable is getting cruder, according to a study by the Parents Television Council (PTC). The watchdog group released a report yesterday that found the rate of sexual references, profanity and violence in prime-time cable series to be more than twice that of broadcast television, "USA Today" reported.

"Hollywood's push-the-primetime envelope mindset, it seems, has become established in the cable business," said the report. "South Park," the animated Comedy Central series, was singled out as the most offensive series with an hourly average of 126 violent or raunchy moments.

Next were "Undergrads" and "Celebrity Deathmatch" from MTV, with 73 and 66 such references respectively. The combined average for all shows was 21.7 - compared with the combined average of 9.8 for broadcast network programming studied in 1999. The PTC report was based on a survey of 33 series, totaling more than 130 viewing hours, shown between April and September last year on basic cable -- which reaches about 75 percent of American homes.

Tony Fox, spokesman for Comedy Central, said the PTC report did not "provide context," said "USA Today." Fox added that "South Park" topped the list because of an episode that used a four-letter word 162 times as a satirical commentary on profanity. "[It] had something to say beyond the gratuitous use of swear words," Fox said.

ACLU Wants Repeal Of 'Satan Ban'

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida wants to go to bat for Satan. The ACLU is threatening a separation of church and state lawsuit against Carolyn Risher, mayor of tiny Inglis, who banned the devil from her town's limits in a recent proclamation, "The St. Petersburg Times" reported.

Inspired by the pastor of a local church, Risher crafted a five-paragraph declaration on Halloween night, which said: "Be it known from this day forward that Satan, ruler of darkness, giver of evil, destroyer of what is good and just, is not now, nor ever again will be, a part of this town of Inglis. Satan is hereby declared powerless, no longer ruling over, nor influencing, our citizens."

Referring to Jesus several times, the proclamation was inserted into hollowed-out fence posts at the four entrances to town, and the signs were painted with the words "Repent, Request and Resist." But now the ACLU wants the Town Commission to remove the posts, pass a resolution repealing the proclamation and insist that Risher reimburse the town for any public funds used, the "Times" reported.

To deal with the issue, the mayor for the last 10 years has called a special town meeting tonight. The proclamation, though, has caused Risher to be deluged with media inquiries nationwide and abroad. Despite some negative portrayal, Risher has received dozens of calls and letters of support, the "Times" reported.

NFL Coach, Christian Impacted Community

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy doesn't get too carried away, unless it's for a good cause. When the National Football League (NFL) team fired him earlier this month despite six successful years, Dungy didn't complain, wasn't bitter and didn't used harsh words, "The Indianapolis Star" reported. He instead humbly said thanks for the memories.

A devoted Christian known for his low-key but classy persona on and off the field, Dungy was hired last week to coach the Indianapolis Colts, who gave him a five-year, $13 million contract -- making him one of the league's highest-paid coaches and one of only two black head coaches in the NFL. The "Star" noted that Dungy's character is rooted from the upbringing of schoolteacher parents "who set an old-fashioned example in a Christian home."

The grandson of a Baptist minister, Dungy, 46, was involved in various projects at Idlewild Baptist Church in the Tampa area, including outreach groups and taking in traveling missionaries. Dungy also supported the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was particularly active in Family First, a 10-year-old ministry that strengthens families by reinforcing the importance of fathers' roles, the "Star" reported.

When the father of four wasn't busy with those off-field tasks, he found time to drive neighborhood children to school as part of the weekly Dungy car pool. "We've enjoyed it here," Dungy said in his Tampa farewell address. "We've been able to do some things with our church and Family First, and some other organizations in town that have been wonderful."

Mark Merrill, president of Family First, told "The Tampa Tribune" that he "grieves" Dungy's loss from the community. "Though that might sound a bit dramatic to some, there is really no way to convey what Tony Dungy, the man, has meant to our community," Merrill said.

Dentist Aims to Remove TV ‘Truth Decay’

An Ohio dentist is fighting TV truth decay by urging a toothpaste boycott. Robert J. Rothan has put up a sign in his office advising patients that he no longer recommends Crest for cleaning teeth, and is urging fellow dentists to join his campaign.

Rothan started the action in protest to the TV programs sponsored by Crest's manufacturers, Proctor & Gamble (P&G). He spelled out his concerns in a letter to the locally based company, in which he criticized the "garbage" shows the business sponsored and their "poisoning of the minds and morals of our country."

Rothan was spurred to action by the American Family Association's recent profile of offensive shows sponsored by P&G - among them "The Ellen Show," "Judging Amy" and "Will & Grace." Rothan called P&G one of the leading sponsors of garbage TV, buying ad time for seven of last fall's 11 "immoral, sexually degrading, violence promoting" shows.

Rothan has written to 160 dentists in his area, and plans to spread his campaign nationwide. He told P&G he wanted to see the company thrive, but "I believe this will only happen if you run your company righteously and morally."

Phil Burress of Cincinnati's Citizens for Community Values said that Rothan's efforts had the potential to "shake up a corporate giant and reverse the trend toward trash TV." Other campaigns targeting big business had yielded mixed results because the target was so broad, but focusing on Crest was more likely to yield "a noticeable impact," he said.

Saying Grace Ruled Unconstitutional

A federal judge ruled yesterday that a Virginia college's tradition of mealtime prayers is a "state-sponsored religious exercise." Norman K. Moon said the saying of grace before dinner at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is unconstitutional, noting that "government has become impermissibly entangled with religion," the Associated Press (AP) reported. A VMI spokeswoman said the prayers would be discontinued immediately.

But state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore plans to appeal the decision against VMI, based in Lexington, which has held the nonsectarian prayers since the 1950s. "It's a shame today that while American soldiers are fighting for our liberty in places like Afghanistan, cadets training to be soldiers cannot pray for their safety," Kilgore said, the AP reported. He added that the prayer is part of a "militaristic ceremony" that is central to VMI's mission, making it a matter of academic freedom.

The case started when the American Civil Liberties Union sued the school last May on behalf of two cadets, Neil Mellen and Paul Knick, who had complained about the prayers offered before most formal meals served in VMI's mess hall. Mellen, 23, who will graduate in May, said several angry cadets had confronted him on campus since he brought the lawsuit, local TV news station WJLA reported.

Coin Toss to Decide Easter Dispute

A long-running dispute over the right to stage a historic Easter sunrise service was due to be settled in an unlikely manner today -- by the toss of a coin. Los Angeles County officials were due to make the flip to determine whether the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) or a local civic group should put on this year's service at the Hollywood Bowl.

Hollywood Bowl Easter Sunrise Service Inc. (HBESSI) maintains it should stage the event because its predecessors created the famous Hollywood Bowl more than 80 years ago and gave it to the county in exchange for permission to use the venue each Easter,  "The Los Angeles Times" reported.

TBN gained control of the HBESSI board in the early 1990s and won a permission to broadcast the 1992 service, the newspaper said. But longtime supporters of the event were "irritated by Trinity network personalities who took over" and said the service's traditional multidenominational character had been undermined.

The civic group regained control of the service until this year. County officials decided to pick a producer at random after TBN threatened a lawsuit against the county, HBESSI president Norma Foster told the "Times."

Church Members Indicted For Abuse

The pastor and 10 members of a small Atlanta church that has come under fire from authorities for its use of corporal punishment with children have been charged with child abuse for allegedly beating two boys during services last year. The aggravated assault and child cruelty charges are the latest development in the controversial investigation of the 130-member House of Prayer church, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Those indicted Friday were pastor Arthur Allen Jr., 69, and 10 parents of children who were taken into protective custody during the investigation.

Allen - who espouses Bible-based corporal discipline for children -- said he and the members will plead innocent. "I will call for a trial by jury," said Allen, who has accused authorities of violating his church's religious freedoms, the AP reported. "I'm delighted for the opportunity to face these charges, to resolve everything one way or another." The indictment claims that church members twice beat the boys, then 7 and 10, during church services in February, causing "cruel and excessive mental pain."

Prosecutors alleged that Allen directed the beating in which the children were held in the air by congregants while being struck. Prosecutor Paul Howard said the spankings left both boys with open wounds near vital organs, noting that the youngsters were beaten after refusing to cooperate and just "being kids." "This is not a normal whipping," Howard said. "These are severe and extreme beatings." Allen has acknowledged directing the spanking of children during services, but calls them necessary to maintain discipline. The members face up to 20 years in prison on the assault charges and up to 10 years on the cruelty charges.

                                                                                                                 
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