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A judge in Tennessee changed a 7-month-old boy’s name to Martin from Messiah, saying the religious name was earned by one person and “that one person is Jesus Christ.”

Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered the name change last week, according to WBIR-TV (http://on.wbir.com/1cDOeTY). The boy’s parents were in court because they could not agree on the child’s last name, but when the judge heard the boy’s first name, she ordered it changed, too.

“It could put him at odds with a lot of people and at this point he has had no choice in what his name is,” Ballew said.

It was the first time she ordered a first name change, the judge said.

Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration’s annual list of popular baby names.

The judge in eastern Tennessee said the baby was to be named Martin DeShawn McCullough, which includes both parents’ last name.

The boy’s mother, Jaleesa Martin, of Newport, said she will appeal. She says Messiah is unique and she liked how it sounded alongside the boy’s two siblings — Micah and Mason.

“Everybody believes what they want so I think I should be able to name my child what I want to name him, not someone else,” Martin said.

Ballew said the name Messiah could cause problems if the child grows up in Cocke County, which has a large Christian population.

“The word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ,” the judge said.

The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO), a Congressional agency, has indicated it will conduct an investigation of the Planned Parenthood abortion, business, which was recently busted for millions of dollars of Medicaid fraud in Texas.

The abortion giant has engaged in at least $12.5 million in fraud over multiple states — that has become public knowledge so far.

Representatives Diane Black (R-TN), Pete Olson (R-TX), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA) issued states late Monday saying they are grateful the agency will look into the abortion corporation and its financial dealings.

“The federal government providing funding to abortion providers is a serious problem in our nation,” Rep. Black said.

She added: “I am pleased with the decision from GAO to investigate the use of taxpayer money designated to any abortion provider, particularly Planned Parenthood. This independent study of how much and for what purpose these dollars are allocated to all abortion providers is necessary for Congress to ensure accountability and oversight. I look forward to reviewing the results and ultimately, mobilizing the support needed to stop federal funding of abortion providers once and for all.”

Senator David Vitter added: “Planned Parenthood performed a record 333,964 abortions last year – almost 1 million in the past three years. At the same time, they also received more federal taxpayer dollars than ever before – a record $542 million, an 11 percent increase over the past two years. Planned Parenthood and other organizations that provide abortions clearly benefit from Uncle Sam, but there’s no accounting to prove how they actually use that money. This GAO report would shine a light on how our tax dollars are being spent.”

“I’m thrilled that GAO has agreed to again investigate the amount of taxpayer funding that has been allocated to Planned Parenthood and similar groups that perform or promote abortions,” Rep. Pete Olson said.

Olson continued: “Federal tax dollars are legally prohibited from being used for abortions. Under the U.S. constitution, the Obama Administration has a duty to enforce these laws. And under that same constitution, Congress has a duty to ensure that the executive branch follows the law of the land. I look forward to seeing the report and following up on behalf of all American taxpayers.”

“Despite the best and slickest market branding money can buy, the stubborn fact remains that Planned Parenthood clinics are among the most dangerous places on Earth for a child. It is deeply troubling that despite the fact that Planned Parenthood claims direct responsibility for killing over 6 million unborn babies, including a record 333,964 abortions in 2011 alone, they still receive taxpayer money—since Obama’s election, U.S. subsidies to the abortion industry at home and abroad, have significantly increased,” Olson added.

These members of Congress led a group of more than 50 members of Congress requesting a report from the GAO on how taxpayer funding is specifically used by Planned Parenthood and other federally funded organizations that perform or promote abortion. Black and Vitter are the lead sponsors of the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act (H.R. 217/S. 135), legislation to block any Title X federal funding from going to organizations that perform abortions, such as Planned Parenthood.

Congressman Chris Smith concluded: “It’s time for Americans and especially Congress to take a second look and defund Planned Parenthood. I’m pleased that the GAO will be investigating how much taxpayer money the abortion industry is receiving. Hopefully this will help us finally put an end U.S. taxpayer support, funding and complicity with this violence against children.”

Republican congressman Paul Ryan on Sunday showed a resolve to repeal “Obamacare,” but stressed that efforts to remove President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare law should not use the threat of a government shutdown.

Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the GOP should make efforts to get rid of Obamacare, but not by blocking government funding bills that includes money for the program. A shutdown, he explained, would affect only budgets for government agencies, and not entitlement programs.

“Look – we all, Republicans, want to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Ryan, a former vice presidential candidate, said. “With the government shutdown, so to speak, we’re talking about discretionary spending, government agency budgets, but it doesn’t affect entitlements. Obamacare is an entitlement, you know, like Medicare and Social Security is. And so, the entitlement continues on, even under a government shutdown scenario. So it’s just not that simple and easy.”

The Wisconsin congressman went on to say that rather than “sort of swinging for the fences and trying to take this entire law out with discretionary spending, I think there are more effective ways of achieving that goal.” Republicans “we can do better by delaying this law. We’ve already had votes to delay other parts of it,” said Ryan, a possible Republican presidential candidate for 2016. “Democrats have supported us in that.”

The Obamacare is scheduled for implementation in October, and some Republicans, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, want the party to use the shutdown threat to kill it.

Ryan also differs with some of his colleagues in the party who believe a lack of effort towards immigration reform could harm the GOP politically. “I disagree that we should approach this issue based on what’s right for us politically. We should approach this issue on what we think is the right thing to do, the right policy,” he said.

“…Right now, people come to this country based on family relations, not based on skills,” Ryan added. “Most other countries have a legal immigration system that’s good for their economy – we should do the same. And when it comes to the undocumented, the people who came here illegally, we want to give people a chance to get right with the law while respect the rule of law and that means not doing an amnesty.”

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced on July 24 that his office had obtained a $1.4 million settlement against Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast for Medicaid fraud, with the settlement to be split between the state of Texas, the federal government, and the whistleblower (former PPGC employee Karen Reynolds).

It turns out the AG was apparently only announcing his state’s cut. The total settlement is actually $4.3 million – almost $3 million more than previously known. From the Houston Chronicle today:

Planned Parenthood’s Houston-based affiliate clarified Tuesday that it settled for $4.3 million, three times the $1.4 million that Abbott reported a week ago.

His spokesman tried to explain the discrepancy, indicating Abbott intended to announce the smaller amount, which represents the “state’s designation.” But it’s unclear why Abbott wouldn’t have announced the whole amount.

The attorney general also jumped the gun with his press release, announcing the settlement before it had been finalized. (It has since been signed by all parties.)

When I called the AG’s press office to help me understand the discrepancy I was greeted by a surprisingly rude man who wouldn’t even give me his name. His response before hanging up, “It means the investigation is not over.” Ok. Still don’t understand, but there you go.

Despite the confusion this would all seem to be good news, although the original charge was that PPGC “submitted more than $30 million in fraudulent bills between 2003 and 2009,” according to the Houston Chronicle, July 30.

“If the original claim that PP defrauded the taxpayer of $30 million is near accurate, it means that PP settled for 15 cents on the dollar,” wrote American Life League’s Jim Sedlak to me in an email. “No incentive there to stop committing Medicaid fraud.”

Abby Johnson’s lawsuit against the same Planned Parenthood affiliate is still not settled. Abby alleges PPGC committed “over $5.7 million in fraud,” according to her legal representation, Alliance Defending Freedom.

LifeNews.com Note: Jill Stanek fought to stop “live birth abortions” after witnessing one as an RN at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. That led to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act legislation, signed by President Bush, that would ensure that proper medical care be given to unborn children who survive botched abortion attempts.

Whatever one’s views on the Trayvon Martin controversy and jury verdict, two things are crystal clear. First, the racial divide in America, despite undisputed progress over the last decades, remains deep, wide, and extremely sensitive. Clearly, Americans of different ethnicities often view events through very different prisms.

Second, the controversy exposes the limitations of the legal system in healing American’s racial wounds. While the law can, and should, do many things, it cannot do what matters most: changing hearts and minds.

All Americans of good will should be asking themselves this question: “Where do we go from here and how do we make it better?”

At its most basic level, racism is, and always has been, a spiritual problem. Ultimately, only a spiritual solution can heal the racial wounds that continue to afflict our nation.

The prophet Jeremiah summed it up well many centuries ago when he declared, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

The fact that racism is at its foundation a spiritual issue and will be vanquished ultimately only by spiritual means, does not mean that legislative and judicial remedies must not be applied to racial discrimination and bigotry. The restraint and punishment of “those that doeth evil” was one major reason God ordained the civil magistrate (Rom. 13:2).

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Racial discrimination furnishes an excellent example of this principle. Legislative and judicial remedies radically altered the status of de jure segregation and legally institutionalized racial discrimination in our society. Our history furnished many painful examples and memories of the grievous situation prior to such legislative and judicial restraint. But what about de facto segregation and discrimination? There you are dealing with attitudes, not actions. When you enter the realm of the mind and the heart you are moving beyond the power of legal restraint. If elimination, not restraint, of racial prejudice and bigotry is the goal – and for Christians it must be – then you must move beyond legislative and judicial answers to spiritual ones. We must always remember that the salt of the law can change actions, behaviors, and habits. Only the light of the Gospel can change attitudes, beliefs, and hearts.

The Apostle Peter was taught by the Holy Spirit “that God is no respecter of persons” (Act. 10:34), and Peter was delivered form his ethnic prejudices against Gentiles.

Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” It is noteworthy that He said this in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus related the parable of “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37). Jesus uses the Samaritan, the most despised ethnic group in His society, as the “hero” of the story to underscore that everyone is our neighbor, regardless of racial, national, economic, political, or sexual differences.

Our heavenly Father has called all Christians not only to love our neighbors as ourselves, but to be ambassadors of spiritual reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21).

If America is going to be healed of its racial traumas, the church must lead the way. Christians of all ethnicities must reach out and establish dialogue, relationship, and friendship where we know each other as people and friends who have been transformed by the power of the Gospel.

Everyone is victimized by racism, perpetrator and victim alike. Lillian Smith, in her 1949 book, Killers of the Dream, wrote evocatively of the spiritual corrosiveness of the rigid segregation of her rural Georgia childhood and adolescence. She wrote of how whites and blacks “learned the dance that cripples the human spirit.” In despair, she described the deformation of the human spirit, perpetrated by racism:

Something was wrong with a world that tells you that love is good and people are important and then forces you to deny love and to humiliate people. . . . in trying to shut the Negro race from us, we have shut ourselves away from so many good, creative, honest, deeply human things in life. . . . the warped, distorted form we have put around every Negro child from birth is around every white child also. Each is on a different side of the frame, but each is pinioned there. . . . what cruelly shapes and cripples the personality of one is as cruelly shaping and crippling the personality of the other.

Lillian Smith is right that everyone is victimized when bigotry and racism occur. Sadly, Lillian Smith despaired of the victims’ ever overcoming such formative experiences. Even when they summon the strength and knowledge to escape the frame, she viewed them, and herself, as “stunted and warped and in our lifetime cannot grow straight again.” Joyously, the Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us that Lillian Smith is wrong and that with His help we can be healed and liberated from our past (Col. 2:13-15; 1 John 1:9). Victimizer and victim alike can experience liberation from their victimization in Jesus Christ.

Change can happen. Change must happen. Change will happen.

As Dr. King wrote in his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” the early Church “was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principals of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society.” The church must once again become the thermostat that sets the spiritual temperature rather than merely a thermometer that reflects the spiritual temperature of our society.

My life was changed as a 16-year-old boy when I heard Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” on August 28, 1963. Those eloquent words still challenge us today: a dream of a color-blind society where all Americans will be “not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

As Dr. King said, “This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning, ‘My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.'”

I refuse to abandon the dream. I urge my fellow Christians to join with me in pledging to reach out as His ambassadors of reconciliation and model before our fellow countrymen what true reconciliation looks like and how the resulting racial and ethnic mosaic will behave.