Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, one of the most prominent Baptist churches in the country, caused an uproar recently when he said Republicans shouldn’t vote for potential Republican Party presidential candidate Mitt Romney because he’s in a cult.

Jeffress made the bold statement before introducing White House hopeful Rick Perry at the Value Voters Summit in Washington D.C. Friday.

Perry distanced himself from Jeffress’ remarks later, saying “No. I don’t think it is,” Perry said when asked by a journalist if he believes the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a cult.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, whose group put on the Values Voter Summit, said that Jeffress’ use of the word “cult”  was unfortunate and that Jeffress’ remarks on Mormonism shouldn’t have been blown out of proportion because the comments were made during a sidebar conversation with the media.

The summit’s purpose is not to discuss theological matters, but rather to unite faith-based voters, Perkins said.

In an interview on CNN after the event, Jeffress clarified his remarks saying, “Historical Christianity has never embraced Mormonism as a part of its faith,” and that Mormonism “doesn’t embrace the historical tenets of evangelical Christianity.”

Romney, a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, was also a speaker at the event.

He did not respond to Jeffress’ remarks, but he did lash out at fellow speaker, Bryan Fischer, Director of Issues Analysis for the American Family Association, who has said in the past that Mormons have “a completely different definition of who Christ is” than the founding fathers did, and do not deserve First Amendment protections as a consequence.

In response Romney said, “One of the speakers who will follow me today, has crossed that line,” Romney said. “Poisonous language does not advance our cause. It has never softened a single heart nor changed a single mind. The blessings of faith carry the responsibility of civil and respectful debate.”

He added, “The task before us is to focus on the conservative beliefs and the values that unite us – let no agenda  narrow our vision or drive us apart.”

Jeffress is not the only evangelical to make headlines for discussing Romney’s Mormonism.

In an interview published Saturday to mark the 50^th anniversary of the Christian Broadcasting Network, Chairman Pat Robertson said he liked Mitt Romney’s political beliefs and viewed the potential Republican Party nominee as an “outstanding Christian.”

In addition, Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, penned a column for CNN’s Belief blog in which he said he doesn’t think Mormonism is a cult.

In a recent Pew Research Center poll 34 percent of white evangelicals said they would not vote for a Mormon candidate, and a quarter of all Americans said they were less likely to do so.

There are many other doctrinal differences between evangelical Christians and the Latter-day Saints. These differences include views on topics such as the Trinity, the Bible, Satan and the Deity of Christ.

The Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry has a fact sheet on the differences between Mormonism and historical Christianity.

Ali Mohamud Rage, spokesman of Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group, announced that it will continue to ban foreign aid in parts of the country that remain under its control, and denied that tens of thousands are on the threshold of starvation.

Al Qaeda-linked Somali terrorists still ban Christian, foreign aid despite famine

Rage said the U.N. claim of famine is without basis, and told Al Jazeera there was just a “shortage of rain,” adding, “The declaration of famine is political and is a lie with hidden agendas.”

Dialogue with Al Shabaab

Rage made the statement after the U.N. World Food Program told CNN of dialogue with Al Shabaab about bringing aid to famine-afflicted areas. WFP said the talks were not negotiations. However, it wanted a guarantee that its staff will be safe, and that there will be no interference by Al Shabaab in its operations.

“We are absolutely prepared to go into southern Somalia and are awaiting guarantees on security … ground rules that would allow us to access, deliver and monitor the huge amounts of food that are needed,” David Orr, WFP spokesman, told CNN.

USAID head Rajiv Shah told CNN, “President Obama and Secretary (of State Hillary) Clinton have asked us to test Al Shabaab, if they’re going to provide humanitarian access. We’re going to stand with the United Nations and other partners to make sure that humanitarian organizations can get in and can reach the most affected people.”

1,500 refugees daily

Despite the claim of Al Shabaab that there is no famine, some 1,500 Somali refugees have been arriving daily in a refugee camp in Dadaab, in northern Kenya.

“Most of the people arriving are dehydrated and very hungry. Many lack clothing and are barefoot,” Lennart Hernander of the Lutheran World Federation told Anglican Journal.

The camp, which is being managed by the LWF, presently has 360,000 refugees.

They are being given shelter, living materials, food and water, including nine tons of a flour mixture for the elderly and little children who lack the strength to eat dry food.

“People … left because they did not have enough to eat,” Sarah Wilson of Christian Aid said, according to Anglican Journal. “They had to sell off their cattle one by one until they had none left…they realized they would not survive and …went to the camp.”

In some cases, whole communities left together. Moses Mukwana of LWF told Anglican Journal, “When the people started arriving, the camp was already full at 90,000. We are now talking about 360,000. This is more than the camp can easily cope with.”

A second camp has been built with new lavatories, water tanks and health care facilities.

Nick Guttmann of Christian Aid said they had urged the Kenya government to open this camp up for refugees as soon as possible.

“It is essential that the new camp is opened up … as part of the urgent humanitarian response to the worsening situation affecting both those arriving in camps and communities across the region,” Guttman said, according to Anglican Journal.

In 2009 Al Shabaab banned a number of foreign aid organizations in Southern Somalia, calling them Christian crusaders and spies. The following year, the U.N. World Food Program withdrew its workers amid threats and harassment.

An inconspicuous church in an English village discovered recently that it possesses a great treasure.

The St. Laurence Church in Hilmarton, England possesses an original copy of The King James Bible, of which only 200 are known to be in existence, CNN News said.

The discovery was made because residents of the village wanted to learn more about the history of the church. Geoff Procter, who is with the St. Laurence church council said they came across a reading about a “fine chained bible in a glass case,” BBC News reported.

That led them to think about an old bible that had been on a shelf in the church for years. Procter looked further into the matter and was able to confirm that the old King James Bible was 400 years old, BBC News said.

In plain view

The irony is that for years the bible had been in plain view of parishioners all along. It sat under a handwritten sign that said it was original, but no one believed it was true, CNN News said.

According to the sign, the ornate bible was discovered in 1857, inside “the parish chest.” It was, the sign said, the second of two copies that were published in 1611, the first year that the King James Bible was printed, CNN News said.

Procter said that the council decided to investigate the matter because the 400^th anniversary of The King James Bible was approaching. He told CNN News, “We had no way of knowing whether it really was a 1611 bible so we had to get it verified somehow.”

The bible was brought to Rev. David Smith, a specialist from the Museum of the Book in London. Immediately, Smith said it was genuine. He based his assessment on a printing error in the book of Matthew, CNN News said.

The bible should have said that Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane to speak to his disciples. Instead, it said “Judas” in place of “Jesus,” CNN News said. The copy did not contain another error in the Book of Ruth, which other copies have.

Fragment

Technically, the St. Laurence copy is considered a “fragment” because although most of it is intact, some pages are missing, such as the first three chapters of Genesis, and the first part of Genesis’ chapter four (up to verse 17), CNN News said.

Also, some parts of the top of the copy were trimmed off because in 1857 Rev. Francis Fisher carved an oak cover for the book and trimmed off the top part to fit the cover, BBC News said.

Moira Goff of the British Library told CNN News that it is possible that other village churches may have original copies as well. Commonly as a church bible became old it was replaced with a new copy and the old one was stored and kept as a treasure.

Phrases and concepts

Goff said a number of phrases that are commonly used today came from the King James Bible, including “born again,” “God forbid,” “an eye for an eye,” and “eat, drink and be merry,” CNN News reported.

It is also partly a product of editing, having been based on “at least two earlier major English translations,” Goff told CNN News. It also influenced the language of great English writers and was of greater influence in the culture than was Shakespeare.

Goff told CNN News, “It’s the Bible that was read to people in church every week,” influencing the work of 17^th century writers like John Milton and John Bunyan, among others. “[T]his was their daily reading. It passed into their works.”

Beyond literature is the fact that the bible is the word of God, however. Goff told CNN News, “[T]hat makes it a different sort of book than the great works of literature. It will be read by people who will possibly never read Shakespeare or Milton.”

Procter told BBC News that this is what is most important about the King James Bible and what sets it apart from other books of literature—the fact that “it was meant to be a living working book for people to live by.”

St. Laurence is now raising funds to have a glass case made for the bible, to keep it safe and protect it from the elements—and because the history books say that that was the way that it had been kept, BBC News said.

An off duty policeman in Egypt boarded a train recently and opened fire at a group of Christians, killing a 71-year-old man and wounding five others.

The gunman, Amer Ashur Abdel Zaher, boarded the Cairo-bound train at about 5 p.m. in a station in Samalut town, which is less than 125 miles from the capital city, CNN News said.

 Zaher, who was not wearing his police uniform, walked through the entire length of the train, then walked back to where the victims were seated. He shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) as he opened fire using his service handgun, Assist News said.

The gunman shot dead Fathy Said Ebeid, 71, critically wounded the dead man’s wife, Emily Hannah Tedly, 61, and wounded Maggie Nabil Thaki, 25, her sister, their mother Sabah Sinot Suleiman, 52, and Maggie’s fiancé Ehab Ashraf Kamal, 26, according to CNN.

Zaher then got off the train and tried to run away, but he was caught and arrested at the train station. According to Assist News, he is still being questioned by the police to determine if the attack was motivated by religion.

Thaki, who was wounded in the leg and chest, and her fiancé were headed for Cairo to buy an engagement ring. Their group sat near Ebeid and Tedly, according to CNN.

Zaher checked the passengers for the green cross that is a traditional tattoo on the wrists of Egyptian Copts before he opened fire, Assist News said. The five victims were flown to Cairo for further treatment, CNN said.

About a dozen Copts rallied in support at the front of the government hospital where the victims received initial treatment. Police dispersed the group by firing tear gas from a fifth floor window, CNN reported.

Hostilities

Recently Pope Benedict XVI urged Egypt and other Muslim majority countries to exert more effort in protecting Christians. The government of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak responded by recalling its ambassador from the Vatican, Assist News reported.

In a statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry said, “We will not allow any non-Egyptian party to intervene in our internal affairs under any pretext,” Assist News reported.

On New Year’s Eve, a suicide bombing in front of a Coptic church in Alexandria killed 21 and injured some 100 others, Xinhua reported. Copts in Egypt also decry the discrimination in building Christian churches, which are heavy laden with numerous requirements, compared to the ease with which mosques are built.

Last November, Copts clashed with police in Giza when the building of a church was halted, resulting in the death of a protester, Xinhua said. Also last November Muslims burned houses owned by the family of a Coptic man who they believed was having a romance with a Muslim girl.

Assist News said the recent incident shows the lack of control by the Mubarak government over the country. Further unrest is likely en route to September 2011 elections, when Mubarak hopes to place his son Gamal in power.

A televangelist and his wife appeared on television together recently to admit that the husband had an affair several years ago, and that people were trying to blackmail them because of it.

Rev. Marcus Lamb, who created DayStar Television Network with his wife Joni, said on his show, “Celebration,” that he and his wife survived an inappropriate affair that he had in the past, and they had already healed their marriage, the AP said.

However, they were now talking about it publicly because three blackmailers were asking for $7.5 million. The Lambs also displayed a message that they posted on the Daystar Television Network website about the affair, according to CNN.

The announcement was made at the start of the program. Marcus said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’re not going to take God’s money and pay to keep from being humiliated,” according to The Dallas Morning News.

Marcus Lamb took full responsibility saying, “Joni has no blame, the other person doesn’t have any blame…I don’t even blame the devil. It’s all on me,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

The Dallas Morning News said Joni Lamb discovered the affair “several years ago.” Fred Kendall, one of their marriage counselors said, “He had one inappropriate period of misbehavior, with one person, and it wasn’t a man. It wasn’t a transvestite. It was with a woman.”

Lamb said, “We’re not here to excuse sin, but we are here to celebrate the goodness and the grace of God,” Gather News reported. The couple went through counseling at Life Languages Institute.

Lamb also confessed of the indiscretion to Joni’s parents and asked some members of DayStar ministry to help hold him accountable to stay faithful, Gather News reported.

Joni Lamb said the Lord told her that her husband was “worth fighting for,” and added, “This is not a secret story that we’ve been hiding—rather, a private matter, from which we have been healing,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

The Lambs were approached by the blackmailers in recent weeks, CNN said. A. Larry Ross of Daystar told The Dallas Morning News that authorities have already been notified.

Daystar, the country’s second largest Christian network, is based in Texas and broadcast in more than 200 countries. Leading evangelists are with the station including T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, John Hagee, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer and James Robinson, The Dallas Morning News said.

Supporters of the Lambs said the devil was trying to discredit the ministry. Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas said, “As Christians, we need to be careful that we don’t shoot our wounded but instead pray for those who are in need of God’s help, and we certainly are praying for Joni and Marcus,” The Dallas Morning News reported.

Gather News noted that while Marcus Lamb sinned, “humans are sinful creatures.” It also noted that Lamb and his wife were able to work past the problem and didn’t try to deny or hide allegations.

Catholic bishops from the Middle East demanded last Saturday at a special synod in Rome that Israel “put an end to the occupation” of Arab lands.

The AP reported that the bishops released the statement on the final day of its two-week Vatican conference that was convened by Pope Benedict XVI. (See  http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/10/pope-urges-christians-jews-and-muslims-to-work-for-peace-14015).

The bishops said Israel should agree to U.N. resolutions for them to leave Palestinian territory, and added that it is wrong of Israel to employ the Bible as defense of “injustices” that were committed against the Palestinians, the AP said.

The special synod was called to thresh out the mass departure of Christians from the Middle East, which is the place where Christianity originated. The bishops also condemned all forms of terrorism and anti-Semitism, the AP reported.

The statement said, “The Palestinian people will thus have an independent and sovereign homeland where they can live with dignity and security,” the Jerusalem Post said. Furthermore,

“The State of Israel will be able to enjoy peace and security within their internationally recognized borders,” CNN reported.

The statement added that this would give Jerusalem its proper status as a holy place for Jews, Christians and Muslims saying, “We hope that the two-state solution might become a reality and not only a dream,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

The first time the pope publicly endorsed the two states coexisting was in May 2009 when he visited the region. The pope at that time expressed support for a sovereign Palestinian homeland, a suggestion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed, CNN said.

Recently, peace talks had been revived between Palestinians and Israelis, but were scuttled because Israel embarked on the construction of 600 housing units in the West Bank. Palestine had said a freeze on Israeli settlements was a precondition for continuing with the talks, CNN reported.

The bishop of a Baptist megachurch in Georgia was charged recently with sexual abuse in two lawsuits that allege he had coerced the plaintiffs, two young men.

Bishop Eddie L. Long, pastor of the 33,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. is also a prominent religious television personality, The New York Times said.

The law suits, which were filed in DeKalb County, state that Bishop Long used his role as a bishop to give a spiritual spin to the sexual abuse, and to bring them overseas and around the country, and then engage them in sexual acts, according to The New York Times.

Maurice Robinson, 20, said that Long had a formed a clique of young men called his “Spiritual Sons,” who were church members, and he lured them gradually to the point where they would have sex, The New York Times reported.

The Spiritual Sons had privileges like riding public and private jets to national and international destinations, staying in luxury hotels, and meeting politicians and Hollywood celebrities such as Chris Tucker and Tyler Perry, CNN News said.

Robinson said Long brought him to Auckland, New Zealand in October 2008 for his 18th birthday, and engaged in oral sex with him. The suit alleges, “Following the New Zealand Trip, Defendant Long regularly engaged in sexual touching and other sexual acts with Plaintiff Robinson,” according to CNN News.

Anthony Flagg, 21, said Long took him on overnight trips to six cities in the U.S. in the past few years adding in his plea, “Long shared a bedroom and engaged in intimate sexual contact with plaintiff Flagg including kissing, massaging, masturbating of plaintiff Flagg by defendant Long and oral sexual contact,” CNN News reported.

Flagg said in his suit that as a high school junior he moved into the home of another New Birth pastor, where Long would sometimes share his bed. Flagg said that when he was later placed on the church payroll his checks would be personally delivered by Long, CNN News said.

Flagg’s suit also mentions a “marriage ceremony” with candles, biblical quotes and the exchange of jewelry. Long called it a spiritual “covenant” ceremony and Bernstein said, “The bishop [told] him I will always have your back and you will always have mine,” CNN News reported.

According to the lawsuits, the men were given free hotel stays in some 12 cities under the alias “Dick Tracey” and were given expensive gifts including money, a Mustang and college tuition, The New York Times reported.

The lawsuits also attest that church officials knew of the sexual acts and covered up for Long, who is married with four children, The New York Times said.

Las June, the police arrested Robinson and charged him with burglary for breaking into Long’s office and taking an iPad, iPhone and other items worth over $1,300. B.J. Bernstein, Robinson’s lawyer said he wanted to get even with Long and upon learning of the suit filed by Flagg, he came to see that there were others and filed his own lawsuit, CNN News reported.

Long, through his lawyer Craig Gillen, denied the accusations. Gillen said, “We find it unfortunate that these two young men have taken these actions. We are reviewing the complaint and will respond accordingly,” The New York Times said.

Long first headed the church in 1987 and under him the congregation grew from 300 to 25,000. Viewed as a leading black preacher, Long’s church was the site of the 2006 funeral of Coretta Scott King, widow of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Among those who attended was then-President George W. Bush and three former presidents, CNN News reported.

Long oftentimes denounced homosexuality and was once considered “”one of the most virulently homophobic black leaders in the religiously based anti-gay movement,” according to CNN News. He authored the book, “What A Man Wants, What A Woman Needs: The Secret To Successful, Fulfilling Relationships,” The New York Times said.

The lawsuits are seeking unspecified punitive damages on various counts, ranging from negligence to breach of fiduciary duty. Bernstein said that she has also informed federal authorities about the sexual abuse charges, CNN News said.

Former President Jimmy Carter successfully secured the release of Christian activist Aijalon Mahli Gomes from North Korea, and the two are heading back to the U.S. at press time.

The Carter Center, in a statement said, “At the request of President Carter, and for humanitarian purposes, Mr. Gomes was granted amnesty by the chairman of the National Defense Commission, Kim Jong-Il,” CNN said.

Although it is not clear why he entered North Korea illegally, Gomes, an English teacher in Seoul, joined rallies for the release of Robert Park, (see http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/08/carter-will-leave-for-n-korea-to-intercede-for-jailed-u-s-christian-13494) whom he met in an overnight prayer meeting at Every Nation Church of Korea, Christianity Today said.

Pastor Simon Suh stated that some church members are defectors from the North. It is possible that both Park and Gomes (who went to North Korea shortly after the former’s release) were moved by the passionate prayers of these defectors. Suh added that neither he nor the church encourage members to go to North Korea, Christianity Today said.

Park, who is now in Arizona, illegally entered North Korea on December 25, 2009 to draw attention to the human rights violations and persecution of Christians in North Korea. He was released by the Pyongyang after six weeks, Christianity Today said.

North Korea’s government-controlled media issued this “statement” from Park: “I trespassed on the border due to my wrong understandings of the DPRK caused by the false propaganda made by the West to tarnish its image. I would not have committed such a crime if I had known that the DPRK respects the rights of all people and guarantees their freedom and they enjoy a happy and stable life,” AolNews said.

Park said he had not spoken to media out of concern for Gomes. He had also been in and out of hospitals since his February release. He had planned a July 16 suicide demonstration to draw media attention to Gomes, “but God stopped it through the intervention of a friend,” Christianity Today said.

Politics Behind Humanitarian Mission

Carter, whose visit to North Korea was purely humanitarian, was greeted by Kim Gye Gwan, North Korea’s chief negotiator during the stalled, previous-held, six-party nuclear talks. While Carter was in North Korea, the envoys of both North and South Korea during the same nuclear talks, namely Wu Dawei (North Korea) and Wi Sung-lac (South Korea) met in Seoul, CNN said.

There is speculation regarding the health of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il, 68, who had a stroke two years ago. Some believe that he may in due time announce that his son, Kim Jong Eun will succeed him, CNN said.

North Korea will hold its third Workers Party Congress next month, which some anticipate to herald a significant political development. The last time a Congress was held was in 1966 when North Korea started its cultural revolution, CNN said.

A source from South Korea’s presidential office said they had received reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il crossed the border into China by train last Wednesday at midnight. The source said, “We assume that Kim is aboard the train, and (we) are trying to find out his destination and the purpose of his visit,” CNN said.

The visit was not confirmed by North Korea and questions submitted to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the visit received no response. North Korea’s embassy in Beijing stated that they did not have any information regarding the visit, CNN said.

Some experts think the visit may be economically motivated due to sanctions on North Korea after several missile launches, nuclear tests and the recent sinking of a South Korean warship, CNN said.

It is not known whether Carter met with Kim. However, some speculate that Pyongyang and/or Beijing wish to resume denuclearization talks, which is why Carter was met by Kim Gye Gwan and is the reason for the meeting of the North and South Korean envoys in Seoul, CNN said.

China has been displeased by U.S. and South Korean naval exercises held in the eastern Pacific after the sinking of South Korea’s warship. China may want to resume nuclear talks to contain any escalation of the military exercises, and to prevent a strengthening of the current alliance of the U.S., Korea and Japan, CNN said.

South Korea on the other hand is bound to seek an apology for the sinking of their vessel Cheonan, and would want a clear indication that denuclearization commitments would be met should resumption of talks be proposed, CNN said.

In 2003 Don Miller, then a freelance writer, published his first book, “Blue Like Jazz”—and became an instant celebrity. Now a movie is being made based on his biographical essays.

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

The bestseller has led some to dub Miller “The voice of a new generation of evangelicals.” Brian McLaren, who wrote A New Kind of Christian said evangelicals have a “profound starvation for honesty,” and Miller responds to that, CNN said.

Miller co-wrote the screenplay with Taylor and Ben Pearson, the movie’s website says.

It is being directed by Steve Taylor, whose also helmed the  film, The Second Chance, starring Michael W. Smith, Christianity Today said.

Blue Like Jazz, the movie, will not be a  strict representation of the book, but will convey the author’s experience and retain the book’s feel. The story is about a young man from Houston who is raised as a Christian, but begins to feel disillusioned. When he goes to college he tries to become the opposite of everything that he had left behind, Christianity Today says.

It is a common Christian dilemma, but the forthright quality of the author is what spells the difference. In his book Miller talks about his experience as a bed wetting ten year old, adolescent angst, dating, shoplifting, and breaking into homes. As he grew older Miller developed a keen dislike for authority and believed only “the intellectually naive” became Christians, CNN said.

But Miller is equally forthright about his Christianity. A popular speaker in the Christian church and conference circuit, he is still unconventional. When a fan asks what inspired Miller to write the book he says, “I needed to pay the rent,” CNN said.

Miller also created “The Mentoring Project,” for children who are growing up without fathers. CNN said, “The Mentoring Project has attracted so much attention that Miller was asked by the White House to join a presidential task force on fatherhood.”

But the verbal gems are what make Miller inspiring to so many young people. He says, “Some people associate Sunday morning with God. One of the things I associate with God is a sunrise. How many sunrises have you missed over the years, and God created that?” CNN said.

Miller places higher priority on devotion to Jesus than adhering to dogma. His church, Journey IFC (Imperfect Faith Community) is a cozy place where people sit on sofas instead of pews, and where the mission statement is the golden rule, CNN said.

A Pew survey released last month showed that four out of ten infants, or 41 percent, are born to unmarried mothers.

The Pew Research Center study compares women who gave birth in 1990 to those who gave birth in 2008.

It also showed that out of the 41 percent (or 1.7 million babies of unwed mothers), more than half or 59 percent were younger than 25, their website says.

In terms of ethnicity, the highest ratio is blacks (72 percent) followed by Hispanics (53 percent).

However, Hispanics and whites (29 percent) showed the most increase. Asians were a t17 percent, the Pew Research website showed.

Many of the single mothers were living with their partner although unmarried at time of birth. However unwed couples separate twice as much as do married couples, the Sunday Gazette Mail said.

President Obama launched recently a Fatherhood and Mentoring Initiative to strengthen families.

 In his speech he said, “My own father left my family when I was 2 years old. I was raised by a heroic mother and wonderful grandparents who provided the support, discipline and love that helped me get to where I am today, but I still felt the weight of that absence throughout my childhood. It’s something that leaves a hole no government can fill. Studies show that children who grow up without their fathers around are more likely to drop out of high school, go to jail, or become teen fathers themselves,” Sunday Gazette Mail reported.

However Obama’s speech also raised controversy when he acknowledged gay parents saying, “nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by a father and mother, a single father, two fathers, a stepfather, a grandfather, or a caring guardian,” CNN said.

This raised the ire of Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council who said, “The President couldn’t resist a shout-out to his homosexual base, marring what should have been a powerful acknowledgement of the family’s importance in American life,” CNN said.

However John Sowers of The Mentoring Project, a Christian group from Portland, Oregon, did not object to the inclusive statement. “We pretty much work with Christian churches. We pretty much have a conservative base. We engage in faith based Christian training, based on love. We don’t discriminate. We focus on the kids,” CNN reported.

Sowers, who also grew up fatherless since he was two years old, authored the book Fatherless Generation. He said, “I had a father shaped hole in my heart [but] the Bible says God is father to the fatherless,” CNN reported.

In his speech Obama said, “Our children don’t need us to be superheros. They don’t need us to be perfect. They do need us to be present. They need us to show up and give it our best shot,” the Sunday Gazette Mail said.