Today on Kresta - July 21, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on July 21

3:00 – Kresta Comments

3:20 – Love Is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation With the Gay Community
When three of Andrew Marin's friends came out to him in the span of three months, he was confronted head-on with the question of how to reconcile his friends with his faith. His book, Love Is an Orientation, is the result of years of wrestling with this issue. He speaks out with compassion and conviction, elevating the conversation between Christianity and the homosexual community so that the focus is moved from genetics to gospel, where it really belongs.

3:40 – NASA Celebrates 40 years since the first lunar landing
Yesterday President Obama hosted the Apollo 11 astronauts on the 40th anniversary of the historic U.S. moon walk. Obama praised astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, calling them icons and genuine American heroes. Obama has previously advocated a robust space program, including an endorsement of sending manned missions back to the moon by 2020. The President said the U.S. continues to draw inspiration from the achievements of the historic Apollo mission in 1969. We talk with Catholic astronaut Thomas Jones about the first lunar landing, space, faith and awe in God’s creation.

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – Indonesia in Perspective – A Model Muslim Democracy?
When people hear about the terrible bombings that struck two hotels in Indonesia last week and listen to the cable news reports that note Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population, many listeners may conclude that this is another country where terrorist attacks are a frequent occurrence and where hostility to foreigners, particularly Americans, runs deep. Since most of the world knows so little about Indonesia, it is not surprising if people draw that conclusion, but they would be wrong. It is more appropriate to think of Indonesia as the world's third largest democracy, and to recognize that it has similar disadvantages as other open societies in combating terrorism. We talk with Paul Wolfowitz about Indonesia as a model Muslim democracy.

4:30 – Health Care Reform, Abortion, and Conscience Protection
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says House Democrats are struggling to reach consensus on overhauling health care, a divide that could delay House approval of a plan beyond lawmakers' scheduled vacation in August. Meanwhile, leaders of major pro-abortion advocacy groups have made many public statements in recent months recognizing that the bills, as currently drafted, will result in vast expansions of "access" to elective abortion. Members of the Senate Finance Committee are negotiating behind closed doors to craft an alternative health care bill, and abortion policy is a major issue in those discussions. We talk with Mike O’Dea of the Christus Medicus Foundation.

4:40 – Appeals Court Deals Another Blow to “Islamist Lawfare”
Last week, seven Texas-area Islamic organizations lost an appeal of the unanimous ruling of the Texas Second Court of Appeals at Forth Worth, which protected the free speech rights of internet journalists and at the same time dealt a blow to the legal jihad being waged by radical Muslim groups throughout the United States. The Court upheld the dismissal of the libel lawsuit filed against internet reporter Joe Kaufman by the seven Islamic organizations. The lawsuit against Kaufman was funded by the Muslim Legal Fund for America. The head of that organization, Khalil Meek, admitted on a Muslim talk radio show that lawsuits were being filed against Kaufman and others to set an example. We talk with attorney Brian Rooney.

5:00 – Direct to my Desk