Short Spots  

                                                                                                              Vol. XVI, No. 8, Sep/Oct 2003

Amendment only way to prevent same-sex 'marriage': "If marriage is redefined in the foreseeable future, it will not be because of democratic decisions, but because of a few judges who, in response to a carefully crafted activist agenda, take upon themselves the power to do so," a new report by the U.S. Senate's Republican Policy Committee asserts. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision striking down anti-sodomy laws gave same-sex "marriage" proponents "valuable support for their legal arguments," the report says. While the court's decision does not mandate same-sex "marriage," some lawyers will argue differently, it says. The Defense of Marriage Act is not enough to prevent same-sex "marriage," the report says. Signed into law in 1996, DOMA does two things: It states that the federal government does not recognize same-sex "marriage" and it allows other states the option of not recognizing same-sex "marriages" from another state. The Lawrence decision, coupled with a possible pro-homosexual "marriage" ruling in a state such as Massachusetts, means that the "possibility of a court declaring federal DOMA unconstitutional and mandating same-sex marriage is more likely today than ever before," the report says. The issuance of marriage licenses to homosexuals in any state would cause legal chaos nationwide and lead to numerous lawsuits, the report says. A constitutional amendment is the only remedy, the report says, adding that another federal law -- such as a stronger Defense of Marriage Act -- will not solve the problem. "Constitutional amendments ought to be rare -- employed only when no other legislative response will do the job," the report reads. "However, no statutory solution appears to be available to address the current campaign through the courts." [BP]

NAMB website providing 'bridge' for volunteers, ministries: A North American Mission Board website has connected more than 47,000 volunteers with about 1,100 ministry projects since its inception in 1999, and recent changes have made the process easier than ever. The site, located at www.thebridge.namb.net, allows individuals and groups of volunteers to locate churches and other ministries needing help with construction, Vacation Bible School, neighborhood surveys, and other missions efforts. And with a revamp of the site completed earlier this year, churches can now post their projects directly without going through their association or state convention. "It's very user-friendly," said Joel Phillips, coordinator of the site for NAMB. "... It's a simpler registration and simpler search process. Of course we've expanded the project database and more opportunities are out there." The only requirement is that the church or ministry be verified as Southern Baptist, a step taken by either the association, state convention or NAMB. The volunteer's profile also includes special skills the individual or group possesses. The result is that volunteers can search for project needs that fit their criteria, and ministries with projects can search for volunteers who might be available for specific tasks. [BP]