It can now be said, MSNBC news anchor Melissa Harris-Perry has clearly shown to all of America that this news network has hired illiterate, agenda-driven news personnel to report the news. Ms Perry was quoted as saying, "Our children really don't belong to you, they belong to the collective," (Reference Agenda 21). Ms. Perry represents the view of a minority who would yet again bring another 'collective' blow to the American family. This time it's hidden in their rhetoric that the 'collective' thinkers have not spent enough money on public education, thus creating illiterate (in this commentary I refer to the definition of illiterate as having little or no knowledge of a particular subject) children across America and they are blaming you.

Let's get something straight right now! Our children attending schools across the country are not illiterate, rather they aren't taught about our great history, about respect, and about consequence for their actions. As Gomer Pyle said so many times, surprise, surprise, surprise!

It's the parent who is illiterate, and the reasons could fill the Rose Bowl ten times over. more >>

Note: This is part two of a four-part interview. You can read part one, Sex Trafficking in America: One Survivors Story here.

This is the second part of Z's story of surviving sex trafficking. In the introductory first part Z explained why she has decided to tell her story. Throughout the interview Kingdom in the Midst will be abbreviated KM.

KM: Tell us a little of your childhood. more >>

In it's deliberations to consider of the legality of same sex marriage, the Supreme Court recently heard arguments from various parties on both sides of this divisive issue. One such supporting argument deserves particular attention for those of us concerned with the health and well being of children. In their recent brief to the Supreme Court, the American Sociological Association states, "Whether a child is raised by same-sex or opposite-sex parents has no bearing on a child's wellbeing". This conclusion is based on various studies that measured such outcomes as "academic performance, cognitive development, social development, psychological health, early sexual activity, and substance abuse" (see Hollingsworth vs Perry, US vs Windsor, NOS. 12-144, 12-307).

However faulty such studies might be (as was addressed quite thoroughly by Napp Nazworth in his recent two part series), I wish to submit that by allowing proponents of same sex marriage to frame the main arguments of this matter, we are allowing ourselves to be distracted from the more genuine central issues that are at stake. It may turn out that same sex couples can raise children just as well as opposite sex couples to achieve success in terms of those various measures. The real problem with this argument is that it draws our attention away from considering the central role that biological fathers and mothers play in our development towards healthy adulthood. And I am afraid this effort is being made not so much out of a willful attempt at distraction as from a gross misunderstanding of the central tenants of human development.

To gain a clear understanding of the important roles our biological fathers and mothers play in our development, we will need to clear the board of our preconceived ideas, and begin again by placing several essential pieces in place and discover how they fit together. The first piece is the most obvious yet essential foundation to our new understanding. We spend nearly one quarter of our lives in the presence of adult caregivers as we mature into adulthood. The second piece will shift us away from a strictly psychological perspective which emphasizes our cognitive and behavioral experience (e.g., the focus in early childhood on our first words and our first steps), and instead correctly places emotional/relational experience at the forefront as the variable which has the greatest impact on our development (see "The Irreducible Needs of Children", by Brazelton & Greenspan, 2000, DeCapo Press). more >>

NEW YORK – David Blankenhorn, who testified as an expert witness on marriage during California's Proposition 8 case (Perry v. Schwarzenegger), surprised supporters when he revealed in a New York Times op-ed last year his radical shift to affirming homosexuality and advocating for same-sex marriage. Blankenhorn discussed Monday evening at The King's College in New York City some of the factors that contributed to his change positioned.

"I said that I changed my position on the issue, and I think that it's very hard to know why one does something of that nature. You'd think it would be simple for you to know how it all came about," Blankenhorn said of his about-face on homosexuality and same-sex marriage. "I still think an awful lot about it and I'm still working through [it]."

He added, "If I had to put it simply, I would say there were two reasons. One was the question of fairness. There are … we have this relatively small number of fellow citizens who are homosexuals, they may be 4 percent of the population. What they are essentially doing, I came to see, is saying they want to be accepted into the mainstream of American life without the stigma and in some respects the criminalization that they have endured historically. They want to be accepted into the mainstream, and I believe they should be accepted because I believe homosexual conduct is benign and I don't believe criminalizing it or stigmatizing it is the right thing to do." more >>

Wedding season is almost here and wedding preparations are in full frenzy. You have so much to think about and plan – invitations, dresses, showers, cake, flowers, ceremony location, reception details, and on and on. The list seems endless! Even so, one vital element for making the day flawless often gets forgotten – deciding how to "manage" your future mother-in-law.

This relationship, after all, may feel a bit awkward at first. Your fiancé's mother is not your mother, and she's also not really your friend – yet she's about to become a big part of what you hope will be the rest of your life. As if that wasn't stressful enough, you have no doubt heard all sorts of stories about what an absolute nightmare mothers-in-law can be. It doesn't exactly tempt you to embrace this near stranger with wild abandon, does it?

Dealing with your future mother-in-law isn't nearly as difficult as you may fear, though. Keep in mind that she is not sure how things are supposed to be either. The situation is just as new to her as it is to you. After all, even if she has other daughters-in-law, the relationship she has with you will be unique to the two of you. And trust me, if she ends up feeling like a fifth wheel during the wedding festivities, that is not going to serve you very well in the future. (Another good thing to remember: You may well be in the same position yourself some day, so have a little heart!) more >>

Jewish and Christian students of the Bible have been given a detailed historical timeline in Scripture. We know that God created Adam and Eve about 6000 years ago. The biblical timeline reveals that Noah was born roughly 1000 years later. Abraham was born close to 1000 years after Noah. David was born around 1000 years after Abraham. And Jesus was born close to 1000 years after David. Christ's miraculous birth took place roughly 2000 years ago, which was about 4000 years after God created Adam and Eve. Do the math. It is laid out clearly in God's Word.

When God created man and woman, He made them equal. He created them to be incredibly satisfied with one another. He created them to produce children. That's why a man and a woman can "make a baby." Two men can't do that, and neither can two women. Two men are not equal. They are simply homogeneous. Two women are not equal. They too are simply homogeneous. Marriage equality is defined by God as a man and a woman who are equal before Him and with one another. It really is a beautiful thing the way these two beings complement each other.

When Adam and Eve chose to sin, it brought all sorts of wrong desires into the heart of man. Some of these impure desires fall in the realm of sexuality, such as tendencies toward fornication, adultery, and homosexuality. We are all sinners. In that sense, we all have a "sinner equality." We all far short of God's standard. Some people struggle with a short temper. Others struggle with jealousy. Still others struggle with greed. And some struggle with fornication or some other sexual temptation. But we all are guilty. We all need God's forgiveness. more >>