Christianity Today

In other Haiti news, Richard Land asked for prayers and (political) petitions for Baptists arrested in Haiti for attempting to take children to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic. Land said, "[T]hese Christian men and women sought to do even more to help alleviate the suffering of some Haitian children. While they may have been operating from a lack of knowledge about the appropriate process for their humanitarian efforts, we are confident that their intentions were not nefarious."

Don't Ask Don't Tell

The debate over repealing the ban on gays serving in the military continued this week, as political advocacy groups offered more reasons for their opposition to allowing gays to serve openly.

The American Family Association has created a website devoted to disseminating materials on the many other reasons the AFA opposes a repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. The focus this week: open showers.

"If President Obama, congressional Democrats, and homosexual activists get their wish, your son or daughter may be forced to share military showers and barracks with active and open homosexuals who may very well view them with sexual interest," said the AFA. "Talk about creating a hostile work environment for people who practice normative sexuality!"

Chuck Colson sees the push to repeal the ban as "all about the status of gay men and women in American society" and "the weakening of our moral will," but not "military necessity." For Colson, allowing gays in the military would change the relationships between servicemen and women.

"'All for one and one for all' could give way to 'sexual competition, protectiveness and favoritism,' with disastrous military consequences," said Colson.

The Center for Moral Clarity, the advocacy arm of Rod Parsley's ministry, argued that we should defer to military leaders. However, if it had its druthers, it would allow gays to serve.

"No, we haven't gone soft; we believe what the Bible says when it calls homosexuality a sin. And for gays, that's the good news, because sins can be and are routinely forgiven. It would be spiteful and unbiblical to seek to prevent people from gainful employment on the basis of who they sleep with—we don't do that for teachers or social workers, two equally important professions. Being pro-family, which we are, doesn't make Christians anti-gay," said the CMC.

Immigration Reform

Faith in Public Life launched a renewed push for immigration reform, which will include 100 local events nationwide. The coalition includes the National Association of Evangelicals, which outlined a list of reforms last fall that includes a path to citizenship and more humane border policies.

Galen Carey, director of government affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals, said evangelical pastors have supported immigration reform, but they have grown even more supportive as immigrants join their churches and tell of their problems with the current system.

"This is why we are stepping up our efforts to hold President Obama and members of Congress accountable for their promises to pass meaningful immigration reform this year," said Carey.

The ERLC also put border security and the status of illegal immigrants on its legislative agenda for this year. The ERLC gives greater priority to border security, but it supports a path to legal residency or citizenship "only for illegal immigrants without criminal backgrounds who accept appropriate waiting periods and pay fines and back taxes." In addition, it would require "an ironclad, non-negotiable requirement" that anyone applying for legal residency must be able to read, write, and speak English.

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