U.S. hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal attend their trial at the Tehran Revolutionary Court, Iran. (AP Images/Press TV)

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison on charges of espionage over the weekend. Terms like “mockery of justice” are floating around, but radical Islam watchers are not surprised.

“The conduct of this trial has quite simply made a mockery of justice. There does not appear to be any substance to the allegations that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal are spies,” says Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International’s Middle East Director.

“The way this case has been handled from the outset strongly suggests that they are being held as a bargaining chip to allow Iran to obtain unspecified concessions from the U.S. government,” Smart continued.

Indeed, no evidence to suggest the men were conducting espionage is known to have been presented in court. The two men, who deny the charges, are planning to appeal the sentence in 20 days, according to their lawyer, Massoud Shafi'e. The men have already spent two years in Tehran’s Evin Prison. During that time, they have seen their family only once. read more

1:46PM EDT 8/22/2011

AP Images/Rogelio V. Solis

In what appears to be a loophole in the famous Roe v. Wade decision that paved the way for legal abortions, Congresswoman Sandy Adams has co-sponsored a bill that would legislatively end the nation’s policy of unlimited abortion-on-demand.

Dubbed the Life at Conception Act, 105 members of the U.S. Congress co-sponsored the pro-life legislation.

The bill aims to leverage the fact that the Supreme Court never actually declared abortion itself to be a constitutional right. In its 1973 abortion decision, the Supreme Court invented a policy that effectively stops any regulation of abortion during the full nine months of pregnancy. read more

12:20PM EDT 8/22/2011

The Bible says when the thief is caught stealing he has to repay sevenfold. But have you ever wished you could just sue the devil?

That’s the idea behind Suing the Devil, a faith-based legal thriller that brings the spiritual battle to the courtroom. The film aims to offer insight into the danger of pride, the power of prayer, and the ultimate victory of faith in Christ over the forces of evil.

At a time when many are questioning the reality of hell and Satan—according to the latest Barna Group poll, only 50 percent of Christians believe in the devil—Suing the Devil aims its guns at Satan's strategy. The film opens in select theaters nationwide on Aug. 26.

In the film, Luke O'Brien (Bart Bronson), a washed-up janitor turned night law student, sues Satan (Malcolm McDowell) for $8 trillion. Satan, who has 10 of the country's best lawyers on his legal team, appears to defend himself on the last day before Luke files a defauly judgment. The whole world watches Legal TV to see who will win "the trial of the century." read more

11:59AM EDT 8/22/2011

Maria Rivera, 4, works on a computer with other classmates at a pre-kindergarten class in Dallas. (AP Images/LM Otero)

Even as the triple-X domain is gaining momentum for pornographers, there’s a new battle in the public school system over Internet access to sexually explicit materials.

It seems the American Civil Liberties Union is demanding that seven public school districts deactivate web filters that block student access to websites with sexually-inappropriate content because the filters also block sites homosexual activist groups run.

The Alliance Defense Fund has sent letters to the districts urging them to reject the ACLU’s demands. In the letter, ADF assures the districts that they are well within their legal rights to retain their filters. The letters also provide the districts with a list of sites that display pornographic images and sexual advice that would be accessible to students if the districts give in to the ACLU’s demands.

ADF sent a similar letter to Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia earlier this month after the ACLU threatened that district over its web filter as part of the ACLU’s “Don’t Filter Me Initiative.” read more

10:57AM EDT 8/22/2011

AP Images/Amanda Rivkin

The famine may be crippling. The Muslim voice may be strong. Fleeing refugees may crowd the borders. But the evangelistic churches in Ethiopia are linked in unity and strength like never before.

Global Advance witnessed this incredible unity at their Frontline Shepherds Conference conducted in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, last month.

With the Frontline Shepherds Conference, pastors were even more equipped with a sense of unity as they were trained in church growth, planting and missions. Pastors were also challenged in their personal walk with the Lord, and many committed to plant a new church within the next 12 months. read more

9:00AM EDT 8/22/2011

American Idol judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez take part in a panel discussion in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Images/Chris Pizzello)

In January of 2010, I claimed that the FOX TV show American Idol hired Ellen DeGeneres to fight the rumors within Hollywood that the show was anti-gay; this after the more talented Adam Lambert lost the competition to a "Teen-Beat" hetero-dreamboat.

Idol's producers allowed DeGeneres to drive the show into the ground to appease a flaming Hollywood minority. Eventually profit-minded heads prevailed and the gay activist was replaced after one horrendous season.

Idol's producers had paid their alms to Hollywood's Gay-McCarthyites and thought they were in the clear. Not so fast claims Idol-rival co-host Adam Levine, a judge on The Voice. This week Levine charged that Idol was not doing enough to promote gay contestants. What does he want, pink-triangle armbands to tell viewers who is gay and who is straight? read more

9:00AM EDT 8/22/2011

AP Images/Ahn Young-joon

While droughts and famine are plaguing some parts of the world, flooding is prevalent in others.

Dozens of people were killed and thousands left homeless by recent flooding in the Kangwon and North and South Hwanghae province of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Forecasts call for continued heavy rains in the coming weeks. The weather has already caused severe damage to farmland and infrastructure.

Christian ministries are working to bring emergency supplies to help those in desperate need. Samaritan's Purse is among the early responders. The U.S. State Department has allocated $900,000 to American organizations to deliver flood relief to the country. Samaritan's Purse is matching the U.S. government's grant, bringing the total amount of assistance to at least $1.8 million. The organization will be providing relief items including blankets, temporary shelter materials and hygiene supplies to meet the critical needs of flood victims in North Korea. Staff members will travel to DPRK to monitor the delivery of this assistance.

"When I was in North Korea in May, I saw the country's increasingly dire needs," said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse. "The recent flooding has made this situation even more acute. I'm very pleased that the United States government is separating political differences from humanitarian need. People are people. God made and created each and every one of us. The Bible teaches us that those who have much should share with those who have little." read more

5:52AM EDT 8/22/2011