* U.S. causes China to rethink military strategy, Pentagon says
* Al Qaeda targets US oil supplies
* U.S.Terror Suspect Eyed Hotels

Israel - God's Timepiece

* Egypt tells Arafat: Reform or be removed
* Fearing Islamist takeover, U.S. urges Israel, PA talks on Gaza

A Revived Roman Empire?

* Europeans Disagree on References to Christianity in Constitution

Apostate Christianity

* Canada's Anglicans Pick Liberal Leader

Increase in Knowledge & New Technologies

* Future of Visual Gadgets Rolled Out
* A National ID?
* The Future of Shopping

Christian Worldview & Issues

* Abortion Soars In Quest For Perfect Babies
* Rural, Old Churches Losing Congregations
* Christian lied about faith to survive Saudi siege - what would you do?

Other Events to Watch

* Rarest alignment of planets to occur June 8

Where is the U.S. in Bible Prophecy?

U.S. causes China to rethink military strategy, Pentagon says

The speed with which U.S. ground forces captured Baghdad and the prominent role played in Iraq by U.S. commandos have led China to rethink how it could counteract the American military in the event of a confrontation over Taiwan, the Pentagon says. The Chinese also believe, partly from its assessment of the Bush administration's declared war on ism, that the United States is increasingly likely to intervene in a conflict over Taiwan or other Chinese interests, according to the Pentagon analysis. The assessments are in an annual Defense Department report to Congress on Chinese military power. The report said China is rethinking the concept that U.S. airpower alone is sufficient to prevail in a conflict — a concept it inferred from the 1999 air war over Kosovo, which involved no U.S. ground forces. "The speed of coalition ground force advances and the role of special forces in (Iraq) have caused the People's Liberation Army theorists to rethink their assumptions about the value of long-range precision strikes, independent of ground forces, in any Taiwan conflict scenario," the report said. Because China's leaders believe their military forces are not yet strong enough to compete directly with the American military, they are putting more emphasis on preventing U.S. intervention first. This includes development of what the Chinese call "assassin's mace" weapons, the Pentagon said. The report said U.S. officials are not sure what "assassin's mace" is. "However, the concept appears to include a range of weapon systems and technologies related to information warfare, ballistic and anti-ship cruise missiles, advanced fighters and submarines, counterspace system and air defense," according to the Pentagon. The Pentagon for several years has expressed concern at China's military modernization, especially its emphasis on deploying more shorter-range ballistic missiles that can strike Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory and has threatened to take it by force.

Al Qaeda targets US oil supplies

In two ly attacks here in the past month, analysts see Al Qaeda-linked groups adopting new tactics and targets - encouraging self-organizing cells to hit soft targets in an effort to drive away Western oil workers, damage the Saudi petroleum industry, and slow the US economy. Despite the weekend attack in Saudi Arabia's oil-rich eastern province in which 22 people were killed, oil operations continued uninterrupted Monday amid heightened security. Saudi Arabia is the world's No. 1 oil producer and provides for more than 10 percent of worldwide consumption. "Hurting the US economy is a longtime Al Qaeda goal and is one of the reasons the World Trade Center in New York was targeted. They're now striking these oil- related sites in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to keep oil prices high and hurt the US economy," says Saud al-Sarhan, a Saudi writer and researcher who follows Al Qaeda closely.

U.S. Suspect Eyed Hotels

Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member now held as a ism suspect, sought to blow up hotels and apartment buildings in the United States in addition to planning an attack with a "dirty " radiological device, according to government documents. The documents, released Tuesday by the Justice Department, said that Padilla and an al Qaeda accomplice were to enter the United States through Mexico or Puerto Rico. "Padilla and the accomplice were to locate as many as three high-rise apartment buildings which had natural gas supplied to the floors," the government summary of interrogations revealed. "They would rent two apartments in each building, seal all the openings, turn on the gas, and set timers to detonate the buildings simultaneously at a later time," the papers alleged. Top al Qaeda officials "wanted Padilla to hit targets in New York City, although Florida and Washington, D.C. were discussed as well," the summary said. Padilla was to conduct an Internet search on buildings that had natural gas heating, open a bank account and obtain documents needed to rent an apartment. The plot called for blowing up 20 buildings simultaneously, but Padilla said he could not rent multiple apartments under one identity without drawing attention. The FBI arrested Padilla in May 2002 as he returned from a trip to Pakistan. The U.S. government has designated Padilla an "enemy combatant." The Supreme Court is considering Padilla's case to determine if the government has the authority to designate U.S. citizens enemy combatants and deny them quick access to lawyers or courts.

Israel - God's Timepiece

Egypt tells Arafat: Reform or be removed

Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman has reportedly warned Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to relax his grip on the reins of Palestinian power or face the possibility that Egypt and the US will cease to block Prime Minister Ariel Sharon from carrying out his threat to "remove" the chairman. According to a report Monday in the pan-Arab Al-Quds-al-Arabi, Suleiman handed Arafat three demands: First, to unite all the Palestinian security forces under one command authority, and into three components. These include the police, the Preventative Security Service (equivalent of Israel's General Security Service), and the Palestinian foreign security service (equivalent of Israel's Mossad). Secondly, give PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei complete authority to conduct negotiations with Israel over Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan. Thirdly, stand aside and accept a symbolic position and let others lead the Palestinian Authority. If these demands are not met, the Egyptian-American shield saving Arafat's life may be removed, Al-Quds-al-Arabi reported. Arafat was given a line of June 15 to give a decisive reply with regards to the suggestion or else his future will be "left in the hands of Ariel Sharon."

Fearing Islamist takeover, U.S. urges Israel, PA talks on Gaza

Washington fears Islamic extremists might seize control of the Gaza Strip after Israel's planned withdrawal. In a recent message, the Bush administration has asked Israel to try starting negotiations with any Palestinian empowered to take responsibility for the areas to be evacuated, to try to prevent a takeover by Islamic fundamentalists. If extremists take control of the area evacuated by Israel in the first stage, this will be regarded as an Israeli failure that will further damage America's standing in the region. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak exchanged letters last week with Sharon, after his intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, had meetings with Israeli and PA officials. Egypt has offered to send experts to help organize PA security forces on the Gaza Strip. As Mubarak and his associates see it, Arafat must play a central role in Gaza after an Israeli withdrawal - they believe that Arafat should be allowed to move to the Gaza Strip, and move freely there. Arafat's presence in Gaza will contribute to its security, the Egyptians believe.

A Revived Roman Empire?

Europeans Disagree on References to Christianity in Constitution

As the line nears for adopting a constitution for the newly-enlarged European Union, some new members are demanding that the constitution make a clear mention of Europe's Christian heritage. Last week, the foreign ministers of seven countries wrote a letter to the current Irish presidenct of the EU, urging "a reference to the Christian roots of Europe" in the preamble of the constitution. The draft of the constitution, set to be adopted in mid-June, was authored last year by a committee led by former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing. For now, it only talks about the "cultural, religious and humanist inheritance of Europe" and goes on to list the continent's common values, which include a respect for human rights. In their letter, new members Poland, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic - which joined the EU on May 1 -- along with two older members, Italy and Portugal, said "this issue remains a priority" for their governments and "for millions of European citizens." "We want to talk about Christian tradition or Christian heritage because that is something that actually exists, something you can see around you," says Malgorzata Alterman, the first counselor to the Polish representation at the European Union. France, a secular nation that recently banned overt religious symbols in schools, leads those who oppose any concrete reference to religion

Apostate Christianity

Canada's Anglicans Pick Liberal Leader

Anglican Church of Canada delegates chose the most liberal of four candidates as their new national leader, and turned to a disputed proposal that would give dioceses the go-ahead to perform church blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples. Montreal's Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, selected Monday for the post of primate, favors same-sex blessings - though not gay marriages in church. He told reporters he won't try to impose his thinking on the church and is actually uncertain how he'll vote on the same-sex issue. There will be two hours of debate Tuesday followed by voting the next day. Asked whether his church will eventually accept blessings across the nation, Hutchison responded, "I suspect that's true." The gay question has divided not only Anglicans in Canada but the 77 million members in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Until now, the major flashpoint was last year's consecration of an openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, in the Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of Anglicanism. The 2002 decision of Canada's Vancouver area diocese to approve same-sex blessings also provoked fury overseas. The proposal here would "affirm the authority and jurisdiction" of any diocese and its bishop "to authorize the blessing of committed same unions." A companion bill would order preparation of denominational resources on same-sex blessings. Conservatives say this will effectively alter the church's view of ual morality and the authority of the Bible.

Increase in Knowledge & New Technologies

Future of Visual Gadgets Rolled Out

A television sewn into your shirt sleeve. A dashboard screen to monitor the kids in the back seat. A 3-D computer monitor sharp enough to make a gamer's heart stop - or help a surgeon start one. The gizmo-packed exhibition hall at the Society for Information Display's international symposium offers a tantalizing vision of what's to come. While some tech enthusiasts are willing to shell out thousands of dollars for the next new thing, whether and how soon more mainstream versions of these gadgets will appear in your living rooms - or even clothing - will depend largely on the price. While many companies were promoting super-slim screens for use in cell phones and other handheld devices, researchers from Royal Philips Electronics were showing off technology that would make screens as thin and flexible as plastic. The ultra-lightweight displays, still in development, also promise to be rugged but easier to cut to size, potentially making them much easier for manufacturers to work with. The screens could be used for "wearable displays" sewn onto jeans or a sweater, or to create a low-cost curved computer monitor. But Jagt said such products won't hit the market for at least three years.

A National ID?

The very idea of a national identity card has always rankled Americans across the political spectrum. It conjures images of totalitarianism — Big Brother or even the German SS soldier asking to see a citizen's papers. But in most European countries, people carry national ID's as a matter of course. And pressure is mounting in America for some kind of security card. Private companies in the United States are already marketing the idea of providing a secure card for those willing to submit to extra background checks, similar to a concept proposed by the airlines. Tenants of high-rise buildings or workers at chemical plants, for example, also want security without endless body searches and bag checks. It's time for Congress to begin a serious discussion of how to create a workable national identification system without infringing on the constitutional rights of Americans. Private corporations are now marketing identification systems based on personal and unique "biometrics" like eye scans or fingerprints. The airlines are also considering ways to create a kind of frequent-flier security pass for those willing to submit to a more intense identification check. These private solutions might allow corporations to work out the kinks in these new security systems, a process that could take years if the government tried to do it. But they are only appropriate for limited uses. Otherwise, the country would become a two-tiered security world where the haves zip through lines and have-nots wait endlessly and endure personal searches. But it would probably have to be voluntary. That also means the police must not be allowed to harass those who choose not to have it. If we're going to move to a national identification card, we can't afford to do it badly. Now is the time to figure out how to create a card that helps identify people but doesn't rob them of a huge swath of their civil liberties in the process.

The Future of Shopping

Tiny silicon identity chips being put in everyday objects and even implanted under the skin are changing the way we consume. Will they also invade our privacy? Antoine Hazelaar has a chip on his shoulder—or rather just beneath the skin of his left arm. It's a piece of silicon the size of a grain of rice, and it emits wireless signals that are picked up by scanners nearby. Ever since the 34-year-old Web-site producer had the chip implanted in his arm, he's enjoyed VIP status at Barcelona's Baja Beach Club. Instead of queuing up behind velvet ropes, Hazelaar allows the bouncer to scan his arm, and strolls right in. If he wants a drink, the bartender waves an electronic wand that deducts from the 100 Euro tab on Hazelaar's chip. Such sci-fi clubbing is made possible by Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, technology—tiny digital chips that broadcast wireless signals. RFID tags are cheap and small enough to be disposable, and they're getting cheaper and smaller by the day. Retail stores are beginning to use them as glorified bar codes, putting them on cases of bananas or crates of Coke so they can keep track of their inventory. The technology has the potential to transform our relationship to the objects around us. In theory, stores could dispense with checkout counters—instead, you'd grab items off the rack or shelves and walk out the door, while an RFID reader takes note of the items and takes the money right out of your e-wallet. Your clothes could tell your washing machine what settings to use. "RFID could help give inanimate objects the power to sense, reason, communicate and even act," says Glover Ferguson, chief scientist for the consulting firm Accenture. The prospect is exciting, but it raises troubling questions about the invasion of privacy.

Christian Worldview & Issues

Abortion Soars In Quest For Perfect Babies

Those with conditions that can usually be corrected medically - such as deformed feet and cleft lips and palates - are instead being terminated. And the number of abortions of Down's syndrome babies now outstrips live births, despite the fact that those with the condition can live a long and fulfilling life. As screening techniques improve, the trend is likely to grow - horrifying pro-life campaigners. 'We are obliterating the willingness of people to accept disability. Babies are required to fit a description of normality before they are allowed to be born.' The figures for 2002 - the latest available - from the Office for National Statistics show more women than ever are choosing to terminate babies with potential handicaps, with such abortions rising 8 per cent in a year. It has renewed fears that strict laws on termination due to disabilities are being flouted by doctors. Church of England curate Joanna Jepson, who has spearheaded calls for an investigation into the abortion of a 28-week-old unborn baby with cleft palate in Herefordshire in 2001, said: 'These statistics are horrifying and show the highly consumerist attitude which is now pervading human relationships. Campaigner Patrick Cusworth said: 'Such statistics are an indictment of a society which places a conditional value upon its citizens, based upon how "useful" they may prove to be in later life.'

Rural, Old Churches Losing Congregations

Across the country, rural churches are struggling to maintain their congregations while facing a tough fact - it's hard to get new members in old churches. "Part of the problem with rural churches is that old buildings don't appeal to young couples," said Robert Seater, pastor for New Horizon United Church of Christ in Wisconsin, recently created from three congregations in rural Sheboygan and Washington counties. New Horizon hopes to build a new church and sell the three older buildings. "They're living in homes that are $150,000, $300,000 homes, and they don't want a building that just has a bare basement for their kids' Sunday school," Seater said. "If the church is going to meet the needs of the 21st century, we're going to have to do something with these buildings." But experts say rural churches face particular challenges in trying to maintain both their congregations and their buildings: As the population becomes increasingly urban and suburban, there are fewer people in rural areas to attend those churches. In 2001, the National Trust reported that 20 percent of prairie churches in North Dakota sat vacant. Churchgoers increasingly are looking for more than just a pew and a sermon. Flavil Yeakley, professor director of the Harding Center for Church Growth Studies at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., said churchgoers are seeking out bigger churches that have day care and other services available all week. As people become accustomed to commuting longer distances for work, school and entertainment, they're more willing to commute for church, said David Roozen, director of the Hartford Seminary Institute for Religion Research in Hartford, Conn. There are fewer options for an old, rural church building once a congregation has left. "In urban areas, if one church gives up, often there's another church ready to take over," said Robert Jaeger, co-director of Partners for Sacred Places, a Philadelphia-based organization dedicated to preserving religious properties. "But that's not the case in rural areas, where there's a much thinner population density."

Christian lied about faith to survive Saudi siege - what would you do?

A Christian Arab who was held captive by al Qaeda militants in Saudi Arabia said on Monday he lied to them about his faith and praised their battle against the West, to save his life. Nizar Hajazeen, a Jordanian software businessmen who was at the Tower hotel in the Oasis compound during the 25-hour drama in Khobar, said the militants lectured him about Islam and their aim to liberate Saudi Arabia from "infidels and crusaders". The complex where the militants held about 50 foreigners -- including some Westerners -- was their last target in the in the eastern Saudi oil city in which they killed at least 22 people. I went to the room of a Jordanian colleague. Someone banged violently on the door. We opened and there were two men, one with a machinegun, another with a revolver. They were wearing black track suits," he said, adding that one had a wounded arm. Both were in their twenties." They asked us if we were Arab or Westerners. We told them: 'We're Arab'." One then asked if I was a Christian or a Muslim. I told him we were Muslims and showed him my colleague's Koran as proof. I told him we supported them and that we were against America and Europe. I had to say that." Residents of the compound said the attackers asked everyone they encountered if they were Muslim or Christian, before taking them hostage or them.

Note from Kade - What would you have done in his situation? Join others and discuss this issue at our message board.

Other Events To Watch

Rarest alignment of planets to occur June 8

The world will witness the rarest of planetary alignments June 8 when Venus passes between the sun and Earth. The last time the Venus transit, as it is called, occurred was 1882. After a repeat performance in 2012, Venus and the sun won't be in similar alignment until 2117. "No one alive today can tell us what to expect," said Thomas Willmitch, director of the planetarium at Illinois State University. "It's more than cool." "It's the rarity of the thing, the oddity of the thing," added Dave Leake, director of the William Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College in Champaign. Next week's transit is the latest in a series of recent astronomical events that have turned eyes skyward, Willmitch and Leake said.