Afghanistan REJECTS TALIBAN DEMAND GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) Amid appeals by South Korea and relatives of 21 kidnapped Koreans to the United States for help, Afghanistan says it won't release insurgent prisoners the Taliban's key demand to free the captives.

Afghan police have found the body of the second hostage slain since the Christian church group was seized nearly two weeks ago; the group's pastor was killed last week.

In South Korea, the father of the latest victim described his son as "chivalrous and warmhearted," and wondered how the Taliban could commit such an atrocity.

President Hamid Karzai's spokesman said officials were doing all they could to secure the hostages' release, but that freeing militant prisoners was not an option.

MINISTRY PLANS TO DELIVER NEW TESTAMENTS WITH NEWSPAPERS UNDATED (AP) A Christian ministry plans to deliver New Testaments to newspaper subscribers around the country, but has raised only a small fraction of the money needed to pay for it.

International Bible Society-Send the Light plans to distribute the Scriptures through eleven newspapers between November and May.

The New Testaments would be packaged in pouches on the outside of newspapers, much like soap or other sample products.

But fundraising has been slow. None of the city projects has raised even half the money needed.

And there have been objections from non-Christians who say they'd be offended as well as from some Christians who worry that the Scriptures won't be handled with respect.

A ministry official discounts the objections, saying people can "do with it what they want." The targeted cities include Kansas City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Miami and Fort Worth.

Sound:

Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun), director of special ministries with International Bible Society-Send the Light, in AP interview Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun) says his organization plans to deliver the Scriptures to subscribers to eleven newspapers between November and May.

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:12 "New Testament" Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun), director of special ministries with International Bible Society-Send the Light, in AP interview Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun) says his organization is arranging to have New Testaments delivered with Sunday newspapers.

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:14 "their lives" Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun), director of special ministries with International Bible Society-Send the Light, in AP interview Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun) says New Testaments will be included in sealed packets attached to newspapers' Sunday editions.

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:07 "the newspaper (second reference)" Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun), director of special ministries with International Bible Society-Send the Light, in AP interview Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun) says fundraising in some of the targeted communities is off to a slow start.

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:08 "do this" Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun), director of special ministries with International Bible Society-Send the Light, in AP interview Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun) says some subscribers object to having New Testaments delivered with their newspaper.

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:11 "offend someone" Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun), director of special ministries with International Bible Society-Send the Light, in AP interview Paul Tolleson (TAH'-lah-sun) says some Christians object to attaching New Testaments to newspaper deliveries.

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:12 "say that"


CHRISTIAN PROTESTERS GET NEW COURT DATE, HINDUS SEEK DIALOGUE Washington (AP) Three Christians who interrupted a Hindu cleric's Senate invocation with their own shouted prayers three weeks ago have pleaded not guilty to disrupting Congress.

Ante Pavkovic (AHN'-tay PAV'-koh-vik) says he, his wife and her daughter were told to return to court on September Eleventh, which will be the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Pavkovic says it made them wonder, "Lord, what are you trying to say here?" The Hindu American Foundation, meanwhile, says the protesters' Senate outburst shows the need for interfaith dialogue to resolve misunderstandings. The foundation's executive director says Hindus are not polytheistic, but believe in one god with many manifestations.

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Ante Pavkovic (AHN'-tay PAV'-koh-vik), Christian who disrupted Hindu prayer in the Senate, in AP interview Ante Pavkovic (AHN'-tay PAV'-koh-vik) says he, his wife and daughter appeared in court Tuesday to face misdemeanor charges of disrupting Congress.

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:15 "another date" Ante Pavkovic (AHN'-tay PAV'-koh-vik), Christian who disrupted Hindu prayer in the Senate, in AP interview Ante Pavkovic (AHN'-tay PAV'-koh-vik) says they were ordered to return to court on September eleventh.

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:05 "say here" Ishani Chowdhury (ee-SHAH'-nee CHOW'-dree), executive director of Hindu American Foundation, in AP interview Ishani Chowdhury (ee-SHAH'-nee CHOW'-dree), executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, says the protesters' claim that Hindus are polytheistic are false.

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:13 "Senate prayer" Ishani Chowdhury (ee-SHAH'-nee CHOW'-dree), executive director, Hindu American Foundation, in AP interview Ishani Chowdhury (ee-SHAH'-nee CHOW'-dree), executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, says her organization would like to have dialogue with Christians who objected to the Senate prayer.

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:11 "such disruption"


BROWNBACK COMPLAINS ABOUT Catholic SLUR WASHINGTON (AP) Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback says rival Mike Huckabee should apologize for a supporter's criticism of Brownback for being Catholic.

The Huckabee backer, who pastors an Iowa church, sent an e-mail to Brownback supporters pointing out that Huckabee is an Evangelical Protestant, while Brownback converted to Catholicism in 2002.

The minister, who called himself "a recovering Catholic," wrote that Huckabee is "one of us." A Brownback spokesman condemned the e-mail as part of a "prejudiced whisper campaign." The pastor has apologized, saying he never meant to sound critical of Catholicism.

But Huckabee's campaign did not apologize, noting that the minister is not a campaign staffer and was expressing a personal opinion in what he believed was a private e-mail.

QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT SEVERITY OF BISHOP'S INJURIES GALLUP, N.M. (AP) A police report is raising questions about whether Roman Catholic Bishop Donald Pelotte of New Mexico was injured last week during a fall at his home, as he maintains, or was the victim of a violent assault.

The severity of Pelotte's injuries prompted an emergency room physician, a police officer and the diocese's chancellor to wonder if the 62-year-old bishop may have been attacked.

The bishop's assistant says Pelotte, who's hospitalized in Phoenix, "looks like he got beat up." But Gallup Police say the incident isn't under investigation because of Pelotte's insistence that he was hurt while falling down a staircase.

The vicar general of the Diocese of Gallup insists that the bishop was alone at the time "and there were no signs of a struggle, forced entry, presence of another person or missing items."


BOTTOMS TO BE COVERED IN BILLBOARD ON CHURCH BUILDING NEW YORK (AP) A New York church that went to court seeking to cover up the bare buttocks in a Times Square advertisement will get its way.

A deal has been struck to cover the bare backsides on a planned billboard that wraps around the building which houses Times Square Church.

The church went to court to stop the bidet manufacturer from putting up a cheekier version that featured smiley faces on people's bare bottoms.

The ad will instead show legs and torsos, with the derrieres covered by the company's slogan.

Episcopal PANEL DELIBERATING CASE AGAINST BREAKAWAY LEADER DENVER (AP) An Episcopal Church court is deliberating after hearing testimony in the case of a breakaway church leader who's accused of financial misconduct.

The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado alleges that the Reverend Donald Armstrong had his church pay him almost $400,000 for personal and family use and had the church bookkeeper make false entries.

Armstrong, who boycotted the proceedings, has said that the funds were authorized by his congregation's leaders.

In March, leaders of Grace Church in St. Stephen's Parish voted to leave the Episcopal Church and join the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, a missionary diocese of the Church of Nigeria.

Armstrong, who had been on suspension because of the allegations, returned to lead the breakaway church and says he's no longer under the authority of the Colorado diocese.

MINISTER CHARGED WITH INDECENT EXPOSURE

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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) A Baptist minister has been charged in Tennessee with indecent exposure and driving under the influence.

Police say 58-year-old Tommy Tester of Bristol, Virginia, was wearing a skirt when he was arrested last week after allegedly relieving himself in front of children at a car wash.

Police also say Tester propositioned officers who were sent to the scene.

Authorities identified Tester as the minister of Gospel Baptist Church in Bristol and an employee of Christian radio station WZAP-AM, also in Bristol. WZAP issued a statement asking for prayers and saying Tester has been suspended during an investigation.

Tester was released Friday on $1,000 bail. A hearing is scheduled for October.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 08-01-07 0231CDT | save this article / add to your favorites list