Pat Boone wins lifetime achievement award
Pat BooneRecording artist Pat Boone, 73, was given a lifetime achievement award at the 14th annual Movieguide Faith and Values Awards. The awards are the brainchild of Christian movie critic Ted Baehr, whose mission is to encourage writers and producers to develop movies with “stronger Christian values and principles.”
Five prizes of $50,000 each were handed out March 2, and a lifetime achievement award was given to Boone “for his tireless and superior efforts over many years to redeem the values of the mass media and to present the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the mass media.”
In the 1950s, Boone, known for his white buck shoes, was so popular that some thought he might rival Elvis Presley. As Boone aged, he became increasingly known for promoting evangelical Christian values.
One of Movieguide’s new awards, the Ware Foundation Libertas Prize, gives $50,000 to the executive producer of a TV show or movie that did “the most to improve cultural understanding between Americans and people in other countries.” The prize was split between the TV series “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and “Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye.”
Movieguide’s other new prize was split between three screenwriters – David Anthony, Heather Hughes and Graham Moes – for most spiritually uplifting screenplays by first-time screenwriters. An episode of “7th Heaven” won the prize for most inspiring TV program, and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” won for most uplifting movie and topped Movieguide’s list of the 10 best family films.
Catholic Dems issue statement touting faith
A group of 55 of the U.S. House of Representatives’ 72 Catholic Democrats recently issued a declaration of the role their faith plays in their lawmaking decisions, seemingly to draw some sought-after values voters in the upcoming mid-term elections. Most surprising may be their attention to the controversial subject of abortion, about which they wrote, “We work every day to advance respect for life and the dignity of every human being. We believe that government has moral purpose.”
Even some of the House’s most passionate pro-choice advocates signed the document, which is an unprecedented attempt by a large number of elected officials to explain the connection between their religion and their public roles.
“We envision a world in which every child belongs to a loving family and agree with the Catholic Church about the value of human life and the undesirability of abortion – we do not celebrate its practice,” the Democrats stated. “Each of us is committed to reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies and creating an environment with policies that encourage pregnancies to be carried to term.”
The 55 Catholic legislators counted among their goals what they consider “basic principles that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching: helping the poor and disadvantaged, protecting the most vulnerable among us, and ensuring that all Americans of every faith are given meaningful opportunities to share in the blessings of this great country.”
Most favor teaching evolution challenges
As the debate over science curriculum in public schools continues, a new Zogby International poll indicates that 69 percent of Americans support the idea of teachers presenting both sides of the evolution controversy. By contrast, just 21 percent of the group of likely voters who participated in the Zogby telephone survey from Feb. 27 to March 2 said that biology teachers should teach only evolution.
“This poll shows widespread support for the idea that when biology teachers teach Darwin’s theory of evolution, they should present the scientific evidence that supports it as well as the evidence against it,” said Casey Luskin, program officer for public policy and legal affairs with Discovery Institute, which commissioned the poll.
Zogby found that among the biggest supporters of teaching the controversy are 18-to-29-year-olds, 88 percent of whom thought it is a good idea. Furthermore, 77 percent of respondents agreed that when Darwin’s theory of evolution is taught in school, students also should be allowed to learn about scientific evidence that points to an intelligent design of life.
Youth raise $4.1 million for charity
Nearly 10,000 organizations, including 607 Baptist churches, have reported raising more than $4.1 million this year for charity through a project called the Souper Bowl of Caring, which coincided with the Super Bowl last month.
The Souper Bowl of Caring is a faith-based crusade against hunger led by young people who collect donations in soup pots as churchgoers leave services on the Sunday of the Super Bowl. Each group of youth sent the donated money directly to the charity of their choice. Baptist youth, which are not limited to Southern Baptists, collected a reported $230,098. Since the program began in a South Carolina church in 1990 and then spread nationwide, youth have raised at least $32 million.