Los Angeles Edition Vol. 23, No. 5
May 2012
www.christianexaminer.com
Cal Thomas
Ministry
History: Monitoring how government monitors us
For government: No limits on control
Outreach team shows rave attendees peace, love come from Christ
page 4
FREE
Robert Tyler
page 9
page 5
Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, dies at the age of 80 America loses one of its most influential Christian leaders Christian Examiner staff report LANSDOWNE, Va. — One of America’s most dynamic Christian leaders and orators has passed away. Charles “Chuck” Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries and once a prison inmate himself, died April 21 in a Washington, D.C. area hospital. He was 80 years old. “Though his monumental voice may be stilled, his message will live on in the thousands of biblical worldview thinkers whom he so skillfully attracted, inspired, and motivated,” said Terry White, a former Vice President of Communications with Prison Fellowship. Colson was hospitalized March 30 after his speech became slurred during a Wilberforce Weekend conference in Northern Virginia. Doctors performed surgery, removing a pool of clotted blood from the surface of his brain. Although his health seemed to be improving in the days following, a statement released April 18 from Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellow-
Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw and his wife Ellen pose for a photo in Lusaka, Africa, where they are building a group home for about a dozen at-risk children. Funding for the project is provided through Kershaw’s Challenge, in which the Cy Young Award winner donates $100 for each strikeout.
Pitching a good cause Chuck Colson’s miraculous conversion and personal experience behind bars led the once-feared Nixon ‘hatchet man’ to commit the rest of his life to bringing compassion and the love of Jesus Christ to those in prison.
ship Ministries, said Colson’s health had seriously degraded and he was not expected to survive. See COLSON, page 2
New initiative effort under way to block SB 48 curriculum law By Lori Arnold SACRAMENTO — Three of California’s religious freedom legal organizations are teaming up with the national Alliance Defense Fund in launching an initiative drive to block SB 48, the new state law that mandates the teaching of homosexual curriculum to children as young as kindergarten. The drive to get the initiative— The Children Learning Accurate Social Science Act—on the ballot is already under way and sponsors have until July 11 to collect the needed 700,000 signatures to qualify. The CLASS Act drive is the second one launched since the bill was signed into law last year by Gov. Jerry Brown. The first campaign, Stop SB 48, was circulated last fall, but fell just short of garnering enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. In addition to the Alliance Defense Fund, the CLASS Act is also sponsored by Advocates for Faith
Dodgers’ Cy Young winner, wife build home in Africa for at-risk kids By Lori Arnold LOS ANGLES — When Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw straddles the mound on game day, his mind is firmly fixed on the strike zone. And with every strikeout the 2011 National League Cy Young winner throws, he’s helping his wife Ellen in striking out on her own dream for Africa. At 23, the Dallas couple is pairing their passions through Kershaw’s Challenge to raise
Dodgers’ pitcher Clayton Kershaw is the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the National League.
money to build Hope’s Home, a children’s home in Lusaka, Zambia. Through the challenge, launched last year, Kershaw has pledged $100 for each strike out he throws. The project caught on last season with college, high school and Little League players also pledging money based on outs or hits. The project is one of four funded through the Kershaw Challenge, which last season raised just See KERSHAW, page 6
Furler, Joel team up for Spirit West Coast
The CLASS Act petition drive seeks 700,000 valid signatures by July 11.
& Freedom, the National Center for Law & Policy and the Pacific Justice Institute. The three groups have been major players in defense of traditional values, including support of Proposition 8. As with same-sex marriage, the pro-family groups said the new state law forces families to subject their children to lifestyles and beliefs contrary to their family and biblical values. In a joint statement from all four groups, the attorneys said the CLASS Act “advocates an accurate See STOP SB 48, page 14
Former Newsboys bandmates part of strong festival lineup at Del Mar By Lori Arnold DEL MAR — Spirit West Coast, looking toward the future with its May 25 to 27 festival after last year’s hiatus, is stepping back into the past to create a special treat for its guests with a reunion appearance of Peter Furler and Phil Joel. “If that’s not worth coming to see, I don’t know what is,” Spirit West Coast promoters posted on the festival’s Facebook page. Furler, former front-man for the Newsboys, will return to Spirit West See SPIRIT WEST COAST, page 8
PHOTO BY BRITTANY KEENER
Peter Furler appears here at Spirit West Coast in 2007 with Newsboys. He returns as a solo act this year, and he will also team up on stage with Phil Joel.
For information about advertising, subscriptions, or bulk delivery, please call 1-800-326-0795