Tomorrow I will be submitting my resume to Norwood Baptist Church (NBC, located at 1725 Wilson Road). The church’s pastor left abruptly and is presently seeking a pastor. The church’s secretary is LLR, my friend PCR’s mother. Please keep this church and my possible involvement in your prayers.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Prayer Blog - 2/24/2009
Tomorrow at 11 AM my friend and Bearden High School baseketball player MST is having surgery to repair her meniscus at St. Mary's Medical Center. Please keep her and her surgeons in your prayers.
Word of the Day - 2/24/2009
Fatidic
Fatidic means prophetic.
Jeremiah and Hananiah engaged in a fatidic duel. Hananiah predicted that the Babylonian captivity would last only two years while Jeremiah assured that Israel would endure 70 years of bondage.
"Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. (Jeremiah 28:3, NASB)
Jeremiah proved accurate and Hananiah died within a year of his false prophecy. (Jeremiah 28:17)
Note: This woodcut of Hananiah and Jeremiah was created by Johann Christoph Weigel (1654-1726).
Monday, February 23, 2009
Associated Baptist Press - 2/23/2009
Associated Baptist Press
February 23, 2009 · (09-24)
David Wilkinson, Executive Director
Robert Marus, Managing Editor/Washington Bureau Chief
Bob Allen, Senior Writer
In this issue
Upsurge of urban 'creative class' poses challenges to evangelicals (1,454 words)
Churches respond to challenge of new urban 'creative class' (1,309 words)
North Carolina church sets example with eco-friendly building (844 words)
Supreme Court agrees to hear case involvign cross on federal land (622 words)
Russian Baptists denounce bogus newspaper as political smear (570 words)
Opinion: Was Jesus a racist? (978 words)
Upsurge of urban 'creative class' poses challenges to evangelicals
By Robert Marus (1,454 words)
WASHINGTON (ABP) -- If ever there were an archetypal hangout for what author and urban-studies theorist Richard Florida calls the "creative class," Busboys and Poets at 14th and "V" Streets NW in the nation's capital is it.
The combination bookstore-bar-bistro-coffeehouse-theater sits near the heart of a neighborhood once destroyed by Washington's infamous 1968 race riots but that has risen from the ashes in recent years. Opened in 2005 by an Iraqi-American restaurateur and community activist, Busboys' mission includes offering affordable gourmet meals to the hordes of young do-gooders who make Washington their home, providing a performance venue to edgy artists, selling books on lefty political topics and offering a chic meeting space for activist groups like Code Pink, the women's anti-war organization.
It's filled from early morning until late at night with hungry Capitol Hill staffers, social-justice activists, and couples out for romantic meals -- representing almost every ethnic background, national origin and sexual orientation imaginable.
The restaurant and its neighborhood -- like many gentrifying ones in large cities around the country -- are thriving. One-bedroom condos in the building that houses Busboys still sell for upwards of $400,000, despite the nationwide housing bust that has sent the economy into a tailspin.
But, simultaneously, if ever there were a place that would seem less natural a hangout for your average Baptist, Busboys and Poets is also it.
Therein lies the rub for those seeking to minister to the rising class of young, educated professionals who are revitalizing once-blighted urban neighborhoods -- but largely bypassing their struggling churches.
"One of the most significant challenges is that [neither] many churches nor communities really understand each other," said Ron Johnson, an urban-missions professor at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta.
"The churches often have attitudes and assumptions about the communities that are incorrect because so many churches have not had conversation with the community in such a long time. And the community often prejudges the silence of the church as being simply an outdated religious institution and not connected with the real world."
University of Toronto professor Florida argued in his groundbreaking 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, that the young, urban creative types who are revitalizing cities tend to be far more socially liberal and tolerant of diversity than the average evangelical. Florida asserted in the book and works that have followed it such diversity and tolerance helps build the "creative capital" that in turn fuels economic growth and creates thriving, successful cities in today's economy.
"I think Florida's right; that diversity is innately attractive to them," said Peter Brown, a senior vice provost and philosophy professor at Mercer's main campus in Macon, Ga. Brown, who has studied the urban-planning school known as "New Urbanism" under one of its founders at the University of Miami, said he thinks many traditional conservative evangelical churches in urban settings simply will be "left behind" by the trend of young professionals choosing big cities -- or urban parts of smaller cities -- over the suburbs.
"I think the folks that they have reached out to and have continued to reach out to are the people who feel alone and lost in the urban world, and ... the churches at least around here continue to move out to the suburbs," Brown, who has directed Mercer's community-development work with blighted Macon neighborhoods near its campus, said.
"But I think this new demographic we're talking about, they don't feel the same. They enjoy the rootlessness; they like being mobile.... They like that excitement and that diversity, and I'm not sure that evangelicals respond to that or know how to respond to it or know what the gospel means in terms of those folks," he said. "They're seekers, but they're not necessarily seeking ... what the evangelical religion has typically offered, which is a combination of community and clarity or certainty."
Chris Hook, 28, a federal employee who lives in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood, said he lives where he does because he likes "the proximity, the public transportation, the vitality, and the density that urban settings provide." He said he also appreciates the city's diversity, and chose a church -- The First Baptist Church of Washington, within walking distance of his house -- that reflected that diversity.
"I want to be in an environment where we're not all the exact same socioeconomic, demographic, or ethnic background," he said. "Urban churches such as First Baptist allow that in a scope that a suburban church often does not."
Amy Butler could sense the once-blighted Chinatown neighborhood around Washington's Calvary Baptist Church was poised for explosive growth when she was called as the church's pastor in 2003. She was right.
"I remember my first visit to the church and walking around and seeing that sort of edginess and sort of sensing that things were on an upturn. And I had this feeling that, you know, there was nowhere to go but up," she said. "Our congregation is moving in. So, really, it's just been about positioning the church in such a way that we become accessible to our neighbors."
But that could mean difficult change for a church that had been in decline for years and most of whose middle-aged-to-elderly congregation drove in from the suburbs, Butler added.
"The tough thing ... is that institutions are not particularly compliant, they don't change particularly easily. And in order to be the church here and now, we have to adjust."
Some of those adjustments have been ideological. The church developed a motto (complete with logo) heralding that it was "a different kind of Baptist church." Calvary also adopted a policy stipulating that all members "have full and equal access to all pastoral services and opportunities for leadership" regardless of sexual orientation, while respecting the diversity of opinion on sexual-orientation issues among the congregation.
But the church faced less obvious adjustments as well, Butler noted. One was actively marketing itself, adopting what she called "a consumer approach to church."
"On one hand, many churches have taken this approach of, 'We'll have a coffee shop, or we'll give people what they want to bring them in,'" Butler said. "I have been very resistant to that because that's not how I understand my ecclesiology. But I agree that that has to be a reality, and here in D.C., it was easy to identify from the very beginning that the thing that we can give them -- that is our marketing niche -- is community. You know, people are lonely in this city. It's a transient city."
A sense of urban community is important enough to Jay Owen that he and his wife drive in to First Baptist from their home in the close-in Washington suburb of Falls Church, Va.
"Initially, location was simply not a factor in choosing the church," Owen noted. "When FBC fit, it did not matter what its location was.
However, as time has gone on, location has become important to me. I think mainly that is because of the community feel. By having a peer group located near the church, I feel more like I belong in a particular space. The lack of a sense of community has been one of the biggest challenges in my life since ending law school, and the urban church provides that even though we do not live in the neighborhood."
Much of the suburbanization of the United States in the 1950s was a result of young couples looking for idyllic communities in which to raise their children, noted Charles Tolbert, chair of the sociology department at Baylor University. But many of the grandchildren of those couples are moving back into cities to find communities they find idyllic in a different way, because they are diverse, sustainable, walkable and green. "There's a little irony there in the sense that that 1950s America was really full of strong community and, in fact, that strong community is being reproduced in these new urban settings by different kinds of people," he said.
Tolbert said many modern-day white American evangelicals are obsessed with recreating the kinds of communities they imagine existed in that era. The irony is that the new communities don't necessarily reflect their predecessors' social mores.
"What they wish they had actually exists [in new urban communities], but I'm sure there's a sense that, well, 'That's not our kind of people,'" he said.
But Butler said her church's adjustment to its community, although difficult at times, has been worth it.
"I mean, we have a good product; I think the gospel of Jesus Christ is a good product," she said. "And if we build a community that genuinely reflects Jesus' mandate to love God and love others, I think people are going to notice that."
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press. He is also a member of The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington and a resident of its Dupont/Logan Circle neighborhood.
Churches respond to challenge of new urban 'creative class'
By Robert Dilday (1,309 words)
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) -- Lights strung from a sanctuary's ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music venues.
In meeting the challenges of revitalized urban neighborhoods across the country, urban churches are rethinking the ways they connect with their adjacent communities, combining an eclectic mix of edgy art and ancient Christian traditions.
For some 20 years, many of America's cities have been seeing a trend toward reverse migration from the suburbs to increasingly vibrant downtowns. There, the new urban dwellers are finding an array of lofts and condominiums, restaurants and clubs, lively street festivals and vibrant art and music scenes. The urban neighborhoods are attracting artists, musicians and others of what sociologist Richard Florida calls the "creative class," as well as professionals, students and retirees -- all seeking the energy and spontaneity often missing in the suburbs.
It's new territory for many Christian congregations that fled deteriorating downtowns in the 1960s for more fruitful fields of harvest in the burgeoning suburbs -- and now see a growing and culturally influential class of creative people populating inner cities.
"I wouldn't say we're going after a niche market," says Winn Collier, pastor of the newly planted All Souls Church in Charlottesville, Va. The congregation -- affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia -- ministers in Charlottesville's lively downtown area, not far from the University of Virginia. "We want to be a church for the whole city. But one of the cultures that we have a deep resonance with and in which we want to see the gospel take root is the artistic, progressive urbanite."
"These people have an incredible cultural, as well as social and economic, influence," said Pastor Jonathan Dodson of Austin City Life, a Baptist church in the Texas capital's downtown. "They can help renew the social fabric of the city, and if they are brought to redemption, they can apply those redemptive elements to the city as well." To connect with the new urbanites, churches in their midst reflect a potent blend of artistic integrity, authentic community and groundedness -- a sense of place that might surprise suburban dwellers -- while also navigating the tricky terrain of increased diversity and tolerance.
"The creative class moves around a lot, and so they're attracted by the idea of being rooted," said Chris Backert, co-pastor of Imago Dei, a new church gathering people from the Fan and Museum districts in Richmond, Va. "That's why you find them in older, renovated urban neighborhoods, because they find there a sense of rootedness."
That rootedness often is expressed in worship that closely follows ancient Christian traditions -- with a contemporary twist. "We need to be in touch with the broader church," said Collier, whose Charlottesville church follows Celtic Christian patterns of worship.
"We cross geographic lines, and we need to cross historical lines as well. We're asking less and less what radical new things must be done [in worship], but asking what have God's people, when they have been faithful, done to incarnate the gospel in worship time and time again? What are the common themes and strands?"
"We are drawn to the traditions of the ancient church and the teachings of St. Benedict and the Desert Fathers," said Don Vanderslice, pastor of Mosaic, another Austin church with Texas Baptist ties. "There is a strong contemplative and liturgical strain that informs our worship, and we follow the Christian calendar and the lectionary."
A sense of community, especially across social and economic barriers, also is key, Dodson added. "I think the idea of the new urbanism, apart from making it a more attractive city to live in, is to create more community within the city. The church has a big part to play in that."
At Ecclesia, a Baptist congregation in Houston's trendy Montrose district, Pastor Chris Seay has tried to create community by finding the places where "people naturally connect." Identifying those places is "the postmodern equivalent of knocking on doors," he said. It also led Ecclesia to operate Taft Street Coffee.
"When you create space for people to talk and drink coffee, allow a place for people to converse, it creates community," Seay says. "We really believe that to be salt in our society, we need to begin the conversation."
That led Seay, when Ecclesia was first gathering a congregation, to "office" at a local coffee house and bar with a regular supply of tickets to Houston Astros games in his pocket -- and invite people he met to join him at the stadium.
"Baseball's slow pace is beautiful. It allows for conversation and eating in a relaxed atmosphere," he explained.
The result was a number of additions to the church's faith community, including two bartenders who invited friends from their extensive network.
Community often comes out of churches' artistic endeavors, said Sterling Severns, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, a 118-year-old congregation in Richmond's Fan District. Last year before Pentecost, the church printed photographs of items from its history and of current ministries and church members, cut the photographs into the shapes of doves and asked members to write prayer requests on the back. For Pentecost Sunday, dozens of the doves hung on strings from the sanctuary's ceiling. "That creative exercise took a group of people who didn't really know each other and helped transform them into the community that people are longing for," said Severns. "By finding a creative way for people to express themselves, it facilitated people getting to know each other."
An artistic vision drives worship at Austin City Life as well. "We very much reflect our surroundings of music," says Dodson, whose church meets in a music venue in Austin's Sixth Street entertainment district.
"We have three worship leaders, all remarkable musicians, all write their own music. We delight in seeing these musicians growing in their faith and seeing how it influences their art, and that way it influences the community."
At Mosaic, which maintains an art gallery, "We had to make a conscious decision about how to use limited space, which is valuable," said Vanderslice. "To dedicate space to an art gallery is a strong statement."
The diversity and tolerance that allows art to flourish also stretches churches seeking to engage those who practice and value that art.
"We believe the church doesn't exist to be anti-culture," said Dodson. "Some churches begin with sin; we try to begin with the gospel, which of course addresses sin. But it's a hopeful beginning, not a condemning one. We're trying to take the redemptive approach, though we don't run away from issues."
"The foundation we stand on is respect," Tabernacle's Severns said. "It's not that we're opening the doors to encourage diversity but that whoever walks through the doors deserves respect. It's not diversity for diversity's sake; all God's people deserve respect -- period."
"Diversity is a tough question and stretches us in ways that are messy," All Souls' Collier said. "It comes down to authenticity. If we are a community of faith living out a believer's lifestyle, then a lot of things happen in the context of relationships, and acceptance comes bottom-up, not top-down."
Vanderslice agreed authenticity is critical. "In our worship [at Mosaic] we're not very smooth.... But we're OK with mistakes, with the fact that it's not an air of professionalism but of genuine authenticity. There's a draw there for artists because they know the creative process is not a smooth process. There are lots of mistakes, lots of do-overs.... I think that the liturgy rings true for our people because the liturgy seems creative. It can be messy, but in the end, something beautiful has been created."
Robert Dilday is associate editor of the Virginia Baptist Religious Herald.
North Carolina church sets example with eco-friendly new building
By Bob Allen (844 words)
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) -- Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2009, is turning heads with a new eco-friendly building addition that eases overcrowding, allows for expanded missions and establishes a strong architectural presence along a prominent business and cultural thoroughfare in Raleigh, N.C.
On Feb. 1, the church dedicated a metal-shingled 9,800- square-foot addition. Although it has already been affectionately nicknamed the "shiny diner," architecturally it is tied in with Pullen's original Romanesque brick-and-mortar sanctuary, built in 1923.
"We've been holding Sunday school in the hallways for more than 15 years, so it was clear the church needed a solution," said Nancy Petty, the church's co-pastor.
More than 200 people have joined Pullen Memorial since 2000, according to the church website, bringing the church membership to 700 and active participants to more than 1,000. Youth and children make up a large part of the growth. Youth Sunday school classes previously scattered throughout three floors now have their own classrooms alongside a new nonprofit Hope Center to minister to the community's homeless, jobless and marginalized.
A 2003 master plan set goals of making the building more welcoming and accessible and expanding the church's mission. "The more we discussed it, the clearer it became that we also wanted to have as 'green' a structure as we could," said Regina Parham, chair of the church's design and construction committee.
Building "as green as can be" while remaining affordable in a flagging economy provided a major challenge.
Since heating and cooling account for 30 percent of an average building's energy consumption and power-plant emissions contribute significantly to air pollution, Pullen Memorial opted for a geothermal heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
Composed of 20 wells drilled to a depth of 375 feet to tap Raleigh's average soil temperature of 64 degrees, the HVAC unit cost $170,000 more than a regular heat-pump unit. But church leaders believe the system, with a 50-year lifespan, will begin paying for itself after 10 years.
The system is expected to save $6,000 a year at current energy costs, and will stop more than 250,000 pounds of carbon emissions into the atmosphere -- the equivalent of taking 22 cars off the road each year.
Other green features include orienting the building and placing windows to make best use of natural light. The design provides sunlight to 80 percent of the new space, including work and dining areas.
The addition also implements a "green roof" -- covered with vegetation and soil over a waterproofing membrane -- expected to reduce storm-water runoff, the No. 1 source of water pollution, by 25 percent. An underground cistern captures runoff from three areas, including the original church roof. The water will be used for landscape irrigation. Waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets and water-conserving appliances will further cut water use and save costs.
Recycled building materials were used where possible. The wall and roof shingles are made from recycled metal and never will need painting, while flooring is made of renewable resources.
Pullen Memorial has a high-profile location on Hillsborough Street, a historic Raleigh thoroughfare viewed as a front door to North Carolina State University and corridor to the North Carolina Capitol, but primary access to the old building was from a smaller side street.
The new addition opens up access to Hillsborough Street. A contemplation garden of preserved trees and replanted flowers, shrubs and bushes adds a touch of green space open to the public to a crowded urban area.
The addition also allows Pullen Memorial to expand services to the working poor, an emphasis that characterized the congregation at its founding in 1884. Created for people who fall through the gaps in social services, the Hope Center contains two offices for staff, a multipurpose space with computers to aid job seekers, expanded space for tutoring programs and restrooms with showers and laundry facilities for the down-and-out.
Architecture critics have praised the building. New Raleigh magazine described its design as "simple," "confident" and "sensitive."
"This addition to a historic building melds the slope of the earth with new and redefined usable spaces," the magazine said. "The lower story of the building addition cuddles up to the existing structure and acts to negotiate all of the elements of the project: a new chapel and fellowship hall, a roof garden, and a new entrance to the church. A courtyard space outside of the original sanctuary on the Cox Avenue side continues around to the rear of the building and becomes the vegetative roof of the new spaces. This exercise in placemaking yields an elegant transition that weaves the building and its surrounding landscape into a singular architecture."
Another conscious decision for the church involved forgoing construction on undeveloped land. Instead of adding parking, Pullen Memorial members reduced their 28 parking spaces to 14, meaning most worshipers will continue to park at nearby businesses or on the street.
The new building cost $3.7 million. A three-year capital campaign raised $2.2 million in gifts and pledges. An unexpected bequest in 2008 left just 20 percent of total costs to be financed with a bank loan.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Supreme Court agrees to hear case involving cross on federal land
By Robert Marus (622 words)
WASHINGTON (ABP) -- The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could lead to the first major church-state decision under the panel's current makeup.
The justices announced Feb. 23 they would hear Salazar v. Buono (No. 08-472). The case involves a cross -- a predecessor of which was first erected as a World War I memorial in 1934 -- standing on government-owned land in California's Mojave National Preserve.
The current version was built of painted metal pipes by a local resident in 1998. The next year the National Park Service, which oversees the land, denied an application to build a Buddhist shrine near the cross.
The agency studied the history of the monument and, determining that it did not qualify as a historic landmark, announced plans to remove it. Congress intervened with a series of amendments to spending bills attempting to preserve the cross.
In 2001 Frank Buono, a former Park Service employee who once worked at the preserve, filed suit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. They claimed that the cross violated the Constitution's ban on government establishment of religion.
A series of federal court decisions ruled against both the cross and the government's attempts to preserve it through legislative maneuvers. In 2007, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a 2003 law that ordered the government to give the parcel of land the cross sits on to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in exchange for a privately owned plot elsewhere in the park.
"We previously held that the presence of the cross in the preserve violates the Establishment Clause [of the First Amendment], wrote Judge Margaret McKeown in that decision. "We also concluded that a reasonable observer aware of the history of the cross would know of the government's attempts to preserve it and the denial of access to other religious symbols."
McKeown said even an observer who didn't know the monument's history would assume that it was a government symbol, because the vast majority of land in the area is owned by the government -- even if a private organization actually owned the small plot on which the cross stands.
"Under the statutory dictates and terms that presently stand, carving out a tiny parcel of property in the midst of this vast preserve -- like a donut hole with the cross atop it -- will do nothing to minimize the impermissible governmental endorsement."
Supporters of the cross -- including the VFW, the American Legion and other veterans' groups -- argue in a brief that a decision allowing removal of the cross would endanger other religious symbols on federal property, such as grave markers in national cemeteries.
The last time the court handed down decisions involving religious displays on government property was in 2005. That was before Chief Justice John Roberts took over for the late William Rehnquist and Justice Samuel Alito replaced retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
O'Connor -- considered a moderate on church-state issues -- voted against Ten Commandments displays in Kentucky and Texas. Alito is likely to be more open to such monuments on public property.
But the case may turn on a different issue -- whether Buono has the legal standing to assert the case in the first place. The high court's 2007 decision in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation significantly limited most potential plaintiffs' ability to sue over government endorsements of religion.
The justices won't hear the Salazar case until their 2009-2010 session begins in October. While President Bush's administration defended the cross, President Obama's administration may have a view of the First Amendment more in line with the 9th Circuit's. They could withdraw the appeal altogether or simply choose not to defend vigorously Congress' attempts to preserve the cross.
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington Bureau Chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Russian Baptists denounce bogus newspaper as political smear
By Bob Allen (570 words)
MOSCOW (ABP) -- Russian Baptists denounced the injection of religion into politics after a bogus newspaper circulated in a mayoral race falsely identified a candidate as a Baptist in an effort to besmirch his character.
According to Internet reports, a counterfeit newspaper stuffed into mailboxes in the western Russian city of Smolensk claimed Baptists were supporting a mayoral candidate in hopes that his election would cause Baptists to rival the Russian Orthodox Church for influence.
"Russian Baptists are for Maslakov!" appeared as a banner headline in the supposed special edition of The Protestant, presumably forged as a political dirty trick.
The article claimed that Baptists all over Russia and from around the world were hoping candidate Sergy Maslakov "will become the first Baptist mayor in Russia" in the upcoming March 1 election. But Baptist leaders said Maslakov, one of 10 candidates running for mayor, is largely unknown outside the region and has no known ties to Baptists.
The article alluded to rumors of rampant sexual immorality and pedophilia among Baptists, and implied Russian Baptist churches are funded largely by Western sources, including the government of the United States.
"Political con-artists are trying to turn the respected, 140-year history of Baptists in Russia into a horror story in hopes of helping and hurting certain political parties," said Vitaly Vlasenko, the Russian Baptist union's director of external church affairs.
Vlasenko accused campaign workers of "sowing hatred between the [denominational] confessions," an act he termed "ugly and totally unacceptable."
The article reportedly included comments falsely attributed to the head of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists from an interview that did not take place. The paper carried photos of Baptist leaders with mismatched captions that identified them with incorrect names.
Viktor Ignatenkov, pastor of First Baptist Church of Smolensk, told the Slavic Legal Center the candidate has no relationship to Baptists and has never been a member of a Baptist church. He said the anonymous authors apparently intended to inflame irreligious strife with statements about Baptists that are patently false.
Anatoly Pchelintsev, a university professor and chief editor of the Religion and Law journal told Slavic Legal Center that Baptists have never conducted themselves in ways described in the newspaper or interfered in political activity. He joined Russian Baptists in saying law enforcement should investigate who was behind the publication.
Smolensk, with more than 300,000 citizens, is one of Russia's oldest cities and scene of some of the heaviest fighting during World War II. Located on the Dnieper River, it is a port city and important rail junction for distribution of agricultural products and other goods.
It is also hometown of the new Russian Patriarch, Metropolitan Kirill, who supports better relations between the Orthodox Church and other faith groups.
Vlasenko of the Baptist union called the bogus publication a "nasty farewell" and "grievous insult" to the patriarch, who was metropolitan of Smolensk from 1991 to 2008, and said it "besmirches that which it intends to defend: the Russian Orthodox Church."
Tensions between Orthodox leaders and minority faiths are not uncommon in the former Soviet Union. Last year a court in Smolensk dissolved a Methodist church for having a Sunday school attended by four children, but Russia's Supreme Court later reversed the decision.
The First Baptist Church of Smolensk, on the other hand, was recognized by the government of Vladimir Putin with a medal recognizing its social ministries.
The International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic, recently sponsored a groundbreaking conference aimed at improving Baptist-Orthodox relations in European contexts with an Orthodox religious majority.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Opinion: Was Jesus a racist?
By Miguel De La Torre (978 words)
(ABP) -- Our faith tells us that anyone can come to Jesus. The evangelistic message is that Jesus will turn no one away. We can come just as we are, ill and diseased. All who seek healing will find salvation and liberation in the arms of Jesus, for his unconditional love accepts everyone -- regardless of their race or ethnicity. Or does it?
Matthew 15:21-28 recounts the story of a Canaanite woman who came to Jesus desperately seeking a healing for her daughter.
The Canaanites during Jesus' time were seen by Jews as being a mixed race of inferior people, much in the same way that some Euro-Americans view Hispanics today, specifically the undocumented. The Canaanites of old -- like Latino/as of our time -- did not belong. They were no better than "dogs."
For this reason Jesus' response to the Canaanite woman is troublesome. When she appealed to Jesus to heal her sick child, our Lord responded by saying: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs."
No matter how much I try to redeem the text, I cannot ignore the fact that Jesus called this woman of color a dog! I am forced to ask the uncomfortable question: Was Jesus a racist?
In this story, I find myself relating more with the Canaanite woman than with Jesus.
When Arizona recently passed Proposition 200, a template for subsequent legislation throughout the country that restricts or denies medical and other services to immigrants who lack documentation, I was reminded that we are the dogs of society.
When congressman and former presidential candidate Tom Tancredo states that Hispanics are "coming to kill you, and you, and me, and my children and my grandchildren," I am reminded that we are the dogs of society.
When Latina/os are more likely than the general population to lack basic health coverage, less likely to receive preventive medical examinations, and less likely to receive early prenatal care, I am reminded that we are the dogs of society.
And when Latino/as are more likely to live with pollution, exposing them to greater health risks, I am reminded that we are the dogs of society.
In the fullness of Jesus' divinity, he had to learn how to be fully human. His family and culture were responsible for teaching him how to walk, how to talk, and how to be potty-trained.
He also learned about the superiority of Judaism and the inferiority of non-Jews, in the very same way that today there are those within the dominant culture who are taught America is No. 1
For some, this superiority takes on a racial component where European descent makes one more advanced than does Hispanic ancestry. The minority who insist on voicing their superiority can easily be dismissed as racist and thus ignored.
However, there remains an unexamined majority who are complicit with social structures that -- whether they like it or not -- are racist in their favor. They may not go to the extreme, like Jesus did, in refusing a medical healing to a woman of color while calling her a dog; nevertheless, the inherent racism in the medical establishment accomplishes the same goal without having to overtly refuse a healing or call people of color dogs.
Latino/as as today's dogs is evident in a quality of health care that ranges from poor to non-existent.
Nevertheless, for Christians, the imago Dei finds its fullest expression in the personhood of Jesus as he turned many "rules" upside down. This is a truth that even Jesus, in his full humanity, had to learn.
To deny this woman a healing and call her a dog reveals the racism his culture taught him. But Jesus, unlike so many within the dominant social structure of today, was willing to hear the words of this woman of color, and learn from her.
And thanks to her, Jesus' ministry was radically changed. The Canaanite woman responded by saying, "For even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters."
Her remark shocked Jesus into realizing that faith was not contingent on a person's ethnicity. In fact, Jesus had to admit that this was a woman of great faith.
This woman of color had to cross the "border" demarcated by Jesus' culture. But she crosses this border not to worship her oppressor (Jesus), but to demand an equal place at the table of the Lord. She demands to be treated as an equal.
It matters little if she belongs. It matters less if she has proper documentation. Her daughter was sick and because of her humanity, she was entitled to a healing. She was more than the dog he called her.
Up to this point, the gospel message was exclusively for the Jews. In Matthew 10:5, Jesus sends his 12 disciples on their first missionary venture. He clearly instructs them, "Do not turn your steps into other nations, nor into Samaritan cities, rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Yet five chapters later, Jesus encounters the Canaanite woman who existed on the margins of his society. She challenged Jesus with the good news that healing was not the exclusive property of one ethnic group. Instead, healing should be available to all who come.
Jesus learned something about his mission from this woman of color. How do we know this? By the end of his ministry when he gives the Great Commission, he commands his followers to go out to all nations, not just the people of Israel.
Now, if Jesus is willing to learn something from the margins of society, from those who he was taught were his inferiors, no better than dogs, shouldn't Euro-Americans who call themselves his disciples today be willing to do likewise?
-- Miguel De La Torre is associate professor of social ethics at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.
February 23, 2009 · (09-24)
David Wilkinson, Executive Director
Robert Marus, Managing Editor/Washington Bureau Chief
Bob Allen, Senior Writer
In this issue
Upsurge of urban 'creative class' poses challenges to evangelicals (1,454 words)
Churches respond to challenge of new urban 'creative class' (1,309 words)
North Carolina church sets example with eco-friendly building (844 words)
Supreme Court agrees to hear case involvign cross on federal land (622 words)
Russian Baptists denounce bogus newspaper as political smear (570 words)
Opinion: Was Jesus a racist? (978 words)
Upsurge of urban 'creative class' poses challenges to evangelicals
By Robert Marus (1,454 words)
WASHINGTON (ABP) -- If ever there were an archetypal hangout for what author and urban-studies theorist Richard Florida calls the "creative class," Busboys and Poets at 14th and "V" Streets NW in the nation's capital is it.
The combination bookstore-bar-bistro-coffeehouse-theater sits near the heart of a neighborhood once destroyed by Washington's infamous 1968 race riots but that has risen from the ashes in recent years. Opened in 2005 by an Iraqi-American restaurateur and community activist, Busboys' mission includes offering affordable gourmet meals to the hordes of young do-gooders who make Washington their home, providing a performance venue to edgy artists, selling books on lefty political topics and offering a chic meeting space for activist groups like Code Pink, the women's anti-war organization.
It's filled from early morning until late at night with hungry Capitol Hill staffers, social-justice activists, and couples out for romantic meals -- representing almost every ethnic background, national origin and sexual orientation imaginable.
The restaurant and its neighborhood -- like many gentrifying ones in large cities around the country -- are thriving. One-bedroom condos in the building that houses Busboys still sell for upwards of $400,000, despite the nationwide housing bust that has sent the economy into a tailspin.
But, simultaneously, if ever there were a place that would seem less natural a hangout for your average Baptist, Busboys and Poets is also it.
Therein lies the rub for those seeking to minister to the rising class of young, educated professionals who are revitalizing once-blighted urban neighborhoods -- but largely bypassing their struggling churches.
"One of the most significant challenges is that [neither] many churches nor communities really understand each other," said Ron Johnson, an urban-missions professor at Mercer University's McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta.
"The churches often have attitudes and assumptions about the communities that are incorrect because so many churches have not had conversation with the community in such a long time. And the community often prejudges the silence of the church as being simply an outdated religious institution and not connected with the real world."
University of Toronto professor Florida argued in his groundbreaking 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, that the young, urban creative types who are revitalizing cities tend to be far more socially liberal and tolerant of diversity than the average evangelical. Florida asserted in the book and works that have followed it such diversity and tolerance helps build the "creative capital" that in turn fuels economic growth and creates thriving, successful cities in today's economy.
"I think Florida's right; that diversity is innately attractive to them," said Peter Brown, a senior vice provost and philosophy professor at Mercer's main campus in Macon, Ga. Brown, who has studied the urban-planning school known as "New Urbanism" under one of its founders at the University of Miami, said he thinks many traditional conservative evangelical churches in urban settings simply will be "left behind" by the trend of young professionals choosing big cities -- or urban parts of smaller cities -- over the suburbs.
"I think the folks that they have reached out to and have continued to reach out to are the people who feel alone and lost in the urban world, and ... the churches at least around here continue to move out to the suburbs," Brown, who has directed Mercer's community-development work with blighted Macon neighborhoods near its campus, said.
"But I think this new demographic we're talking about, they don't feel the same. They enjoy the rootlessness; they like being mobile.... They like that excitement and that diversity, and I'm not sure that evangelicals respond to that or know how to respond to it or know what the gospel means in terms of those folks," he said. "They're seekers, but they're not necessarily seeking ... what the evangelical religion has typically offered, which is a combination of community and clarity or certainty."
Chris Hook, 28, a federal employee who lives in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood, said he lives where he does because he likes "the proximity, the public transportation, the vitality, and the density that urban settings provide." He said he also appreciates the city's diversity, and chose a church -- The First Baptist Church of Washington, within walking distance of his house -- that reflected that diversity.
"I want to be in an environment where we're not all the exact same socioeconomic, demographic, or ethnic background," he said. "Urban churches such as First Baptist allow that in a scope that a suburban church often does not."
Amy Butler could sense the once-blighted Chinatown neighborhood around Washington's Calvary Baptist Church was poised for explosive growth when she was called as the church's pastor in 2003. She was right.
"I remember my first visit to the church and walking around and seeing that sort of edginess and sort of sensing that things were on an upturn. And I had this feeling that, you know, there was nowhere to go but up," she said. "Our congregation is moving in. So, really, it's just been about positioning the church in such a way that we become accessible to our neighbors."
But that could mean difficult change for a church that had been in decline for years and most of whose middle-aged-to-elderly congregation drove in from the suburbs, Butler added.
"The tough thing ... is that institutions are not particularly compliant, they don't change particularly easily. And in order to be the church here and now, we have to adjust."
Some of those adjustments have been ideological. The church developed a motto (complete with logo) heralding that it was "a different kind of Baptist church." Calvary also adopted a policy stipulating that all members "have full and equal access to all pastoral services and opportunities for leadership" regardless of sexual orientation, while respecting the diversity of opinion on sexual-orientation issues among the congregation.
But the church faced less obvious adjustments as well, Butler noted. One was actively marketing itself, adopting what she called "a consumer approach to church."
"On one hand, many churches have taken this approach of, 'We'll have a coffee shop, or we'll give people what they want to bring them in,'" Butler said. "I have been very resistant to that because that's not how I understand my ecclesiology. But I agree that that has to be a reality, and here in D.C., it was easy to identify from the very beginning that the thing that we can give them -- that is our marketing niche -- is community. You know, people are lonely in this city. It's a transient city."
A sense of urban community is important enough to Jay Owen that he and his wife drive in to First Baptist from their home in the close-in Washington suburb of Falls Church, Va.
"Initially, location was simply not a factor in choosing the church," Owen noted. "When FBC fit, it did not matter what its location was.
However, as time has gone on, location has become important to me. I think mainly that is because of the community feel. By having a peer group located near the church, I feel more like I belong in a particular space. The lack of a sense of community has been one of the biggest challenges in my life since ending law school, and the urban church provides that even though we do not live in the neighborhood."
Much of the suburbanization of the United States in the 1950s was a result of young couples looking for idyllic communities in which to raise their children, noted Charles Tolbert, chair of the sociology department at Baylor University. But many of the grandchildren of those couples are moving back into cities to find communities they find idyllic in a different way, because they are diverse, sustainable, walkable and green. "There's a little irony there in the sense that that 1950s America was really full of strong community and, in fact, that strong community is being reproduced in these new urban settings by different kinds of people," he said.
Tolbert said many modern-day white American evangelicals are obsessed with recreating the kinds of communities they imagine existed in that era. The irony is that the new communities don't necessarily reflect their predecessors' social mores.
"What they wish they had actually exists [in new urban communities], but I'm sure there's a sense that, well, 'That's not our kind of people,'" he said.
But Butler said her church's adjustment to its community, although difficult at times, has been worth it.
"I mean, we have a good product; I think the gospel of Jesus Christ is a good product," she said. "And if we build a community that genuinely reflects Jesus' mandate to love God and love others, I think people are going to notice that."
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press. He is also a member of The First Baptist Church of the City of Washington and a resident of its Dupont/Logan Circle neighborhood.
Churches respond to challenge of new urban 'creative class'
By Robert Dilday (1,309 words)
RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) -- Lights strung from a sanctuary's ceiling at Epiphany. Art galleries and exhibits. Bicycle repair seminars. Cafes and coffee houses. Worship gatherings in downtown music venues.
In meeting the challenges of revitalized urban neighborhoods across the country, urban churches are rethinking the ways they connect with their adjacent communities, combining an eclectic mix of edgy art and ancient Christian traditions.
For some 20 years, many of America's cities have been seeing a trend toward reverse migration from the suburbs to increasingly vibrant downtowns. There, the new urban dwellers are finding an array of lofts and condominiums, restaurants and clubs, lively street festivals and vibrant art and music scenes. The urban neighborhoods are attracting artists, musicians and others of what sociologist Richard Florida calls the "creative class," as well as professionals, students and retirees -- all seeking the energy and spontaneity often missing in the suburbs.
It's new territory for many Christian congregations that fled deteriorating downtowns in the 1960s for more fruitful fields of harvest in the burgeoning suburbs -- and now see a growing and culturally influential class of creative people populating inner cities.
"I wouldn't say we're going after a niche market," says Winn Collier, pastor of the newly planted All Souls Church in Charlottesville, Va. The congregation -- affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia -- ministers in Charlottesville's lively downtown area, not far from the University of Virginia. "We want to be a church for the whole city. But one of the cultures that we have a deep resonance with and in which we want to see the gospel take root is the artistic, progressive urbanite."
"These people have an incredible cultural, as well as social and economic, influence," said Pastor Jonathan Dodson of Austin City Life, a Baptist church in the Texas capital's downtown. "They can help renew the social fabric of the city, and if they are brought to redemption, they can apply those redemptive elements to the city as well." To connect with the new urbanites, churches in their midst reflect a potent blend of artistic integrity, authentic community and groundedness -- a sense of place that might surprise suburban dwellers -- while also navigating the tricky terrain of increased diversity and tolerance.
"The creative class moves around a lot, and so they're attracted by the idea of being rooted," said Chris Backert, co-pastor of Imago Dei, a new church gathering people from the Fan and Museum districts in Richmond, Va. "That's why you find them in older, renovated urban neighborhoods, because they find there a sense of rootedness."
That rootedness often is expressed in worship that closely follows ancient Christian traditions -- with a contemporary twist. "We need to be in touch with the broader church," said Collier, whose Charlottesville church follows Celtic Christian patterns of worship.
"We cross geographic lines, and we need to cross historical lines as well. We're asking less and less what radical new things must be done [in worship], but asking what have God's people, when they have been faithful, done to incarnate the gospel in worship time and time again? What are the common themes and strands?"
"We are drawn to the traditions of the ancient church and the teachings of St. Benedict and the Desert Fathers," said Don Vanderslice, pastor of Mosaic, another Austin church with Texas Baptist ties. "There is a strong contemplative and liturgical strain that informs our worship, and we follow the Christian calendar and the lectionary."
A sense of community, especially across social and economic barriers, also is key, Dodson added. "I think the idea of the new urbanism, apart from making it a more attractive city to live in, is to create more community within the city. The church has a big part to play in that."
At Ecclesia, a Baptist congregation in Houston's trendy Montrose district, Pastor Chris Seay has tried to create community by finding the places where "people naturally connect." Identifying those places is "the postmodern equivalent of knocking on doors," he said. It also led Ecclesia to operate Taft Street Coffee.
"When you create space for people to talk and drink coffee, allow a place for people to converse, it creates community," Seay says. "We really believe that to be salt in our society, we need to begin the conversation."
That led Seay, when Ecclesia was first gathering a congregation, to "office" at a local coffee house and bar with a regular supply of tickets to Houston Astros games in his pocket -- and invite people he met to join him at the stadium.
"Baseball's slow pace is beautiful. It allows for conversation and eating in a relaxed atmosphere," he explained.
The result was a number of additions to the church's faith community, including two bartenders who invited friends from their extensive network.
Community often comes out of churches' artistic endeavors, said Sterling Severns, pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church, a 118-year-old congregation in Richmond's Fan District. Last year before Pentecost, the church printed photographs of items from its history and of current ministries and church members, cut the photographs into the shapes of doves and asked members to write prayer requests on the back. For Pentecost Sunday, dozens of the doves hung on strings from the sanctuary's ceiling. "That creative exercise took a group of people who didn't really know each other and helped transform them into the community that people are longing for," said Severns. "By finding a creative way for people to express themselves, it facilitated people getting to know each other."
An artistic vision drives worship at Austin City Life as well. "We very much reflect our surroundings of music," says Dodson, whose church meets in a music venue in Austin's Sixth Street entertainment district.
"We have three worship leaders, all remarkable musicians, all write their own music. We delight in seeing these musicians growing in their faith and seeing how it influences their art, and that way it influences the community."
At Mosaic, which maintains an art gallery, "We had to make a conscious decision about how to use limited space, which is valuable," said Vanderslice. "To dedicate space to an art gallery is a strong statement."
The diversity and tolerance that allows art to flourish also stretches churches seeking to engage those who practice and value that art.
"We believe the church doesn't exist to be anti-culture," said Dodson. "Some churches begin with sin; we try to begin with the gospel, which of course addresses sin. But it's a hopeful beginning, not a condemning one. We're trying to take the redemptive approach, though we don't run away from issues."
"The foundation we stand on is respect," Tabernacle's Severns said. "It's not that we're opening the doors to encourage diversity but that whoever walks through the doors deserves respect. It's not diversity for diversity's sake; all God's people deserve respect -- period."
"Diversity is a tough question and stretches us in ways that are messy," All Souls' Collier said. "It comes down to authenticity. If we are a community of faith living out a believer's lifestyle, then a lot of things happen in the context of relationships, and acceptance comes bottom-up, not top-down."
Vanderslice agreed authenticity is critical. "In our worship [at Mosaic] we're not very smooth.... But we're OK with mistakes, with the fact that it's not an air of professionalism but of genuine authenticity. There's a draw there for artists because they know the creative process is not a smooth process. There are lots of mistakes, lots of do-overs.... I think that the liturgy rings true for our people because the liturgy seems creative. It can be messy, but in the end, something beautiful has been created."
Robert Dilday is associate editor of the Virginia Baptist Religious Herald.
North Carolina church sets example with eco-friendly new building
By Bob Allen (844 words)
RALEIGH, N.C. (ABP) -- Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, which celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2009, is turning heads with a new eco-friendly building addition that eases overcrowding, allows for expanded missions and establishes a strong architectural presence along a prominent business and cultural thoroughfare in Raleigh, N.C.
On Feb. 1, the church dedicated a metal-shingled 9,800- square-foot addition. Although it has already been affectionately nicknamed the "shiny diner," architecturally it is tied in with Pullen's original Romanesque brick-and-mortar sanctuary, built in 1923.
"We've been holding Sunday school in the hallways for more than 15 years, so it was clear the church needed a solution," said Nancy Petty, the church's co-pastor.
More than 200 people have joined Pullen Memorial since 2000, according to the church website, bringing the church membership to 700 and active participants to more than 1,000. Youth and children make up a large part of the growth. Youth Sunday school classes previously scattered throughout three floors now have their own classrooms alongside a new nonprofit Hope Center to minister to the community's homeless, jobless and marginalized.
A 2003 master plan set goals of making the building more welcoming and accessible and expanding the church's mission. "The more we discussed it, the clearer it became that we also wanted to have as 'green' a structure as we could," said Regina Parham, chair of the church's design and construction committee.
Building "as green as can be" while remaining affordable in a flagging economy provided a major challenge.
Since heating and cooling account for 30 percent of an average building's energy consumption and power-plant emissions contribute significantly to air pollution, Pullen Memorial opted for a geothermal heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
Composed of 20 wells drilled to a depth of 375 feet to tap Raleigh's average soil temperature of 64 degrees, the HVAC unit cost $170,000 more than a regular heat-pump unit. But church leaders believe the system, with a 50-year lifespan, will begin paying for itself after 10 years.
The system is expected to save $6,000 a year at current energy costs, and will stop more than 250,000 pounds of carbon emissions into the atmosphere -- the equivalent of taking 22 cars off the road each year.
Other green features include orienting the building and placing windows to make best use of natural light. The design provides sunlight to 80 percent of the new space, including work and dining areas.
The addition also implements a "green roof" -- covered with vegetation and soil over a waterproofing membrane -- expected to reduce storm-water runoff, the No. 1 source of water pollution, by 25 percent. An underground cistern captures runoff from three areas, including the original church roof. The water will be used for landscape irrigation. Waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets and water-conserving appliances will further cut water use and save costs.
Recycled building materials were used where possible. The wall and roof shingles are made from recycled metal and never will need painting, while flooring is made of renewable resources.
Pullen Memorial has a high-profile location on Hillsborough Street, a historic Raleigh thoroughfare viewed as a front door to North Carolina State University and corridor to the North Carolina Capitol, but primary access to the old building was from a smaller side street.
The new addition opens up access to Hillsborough Street. A contemplation garden of preserved trees and replanted flowers, shrubs and bushes adds a touch of green space open to the public to a crowded urban area.
The addition also allows Pullen Memorial to expand services to the working poor, an emphasis that characterized the congregation at its founding in 1884. Created for people who fall through the gaps in social services, the Hope Center contains two offices for staff, a multipurpose space with computers to aid job seekers, expanded space for tutoring programs and restrooms with showers and laundry facilities for the down-and-out.
Architecture critics have praised the building. New Raleigh magazine described its design as "simple," "confident" and "sensitive."
"This addition to a historic building melds the slope of the earth with new and redefined usable spaces," the magazine said. "The lower story of the building addition cuddles up to the existing structure and acts to negotiate all of the elements of the project: a new chapel and fellowship hall, a roof garden, and a new entrance to the church. A courtyard space outside of the original sanctuary on the Cox Avenue side continues around to the rear of the building and becomes the vegetative roof of the new spaces. This exercise in placemaking yields an elegant transition that weaves the building and its surrounding landscape into a singular architecture."
Another conscious decision for the church involved forgoing construction on undeveloped land. Instead of adding parking, Pullen Memorial members reduced their 28 parking spaces to 14, meaning most worshipers will continue to park at nearby businesses or on the street.
The new building cost $3.7 million. A three-year capital campaign raised $2.2 million in gifts and pledges. An unexpected bequest in 2008 left just 20 percent of total costs to be financed with a bank loan.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Supreme Court agrees to hear case involving cross on federal land
By Robert Marus (622 words)
WASHINGTON (ABP) -- The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could lead to the first major church-state decision under the panel's current makeup.
The justices announced Feb. 23 they would hear Salazar v. Buono (No. 08-472). The case involves a cross -- a predecessor of which was first erected as a World War I memorial in 1934 -- standing on government-owned land in California's Mojave National Preserve.
The current version was built of painted metal pipes by a local resident in 1998. The next year the National Park Service, which oversees the land, denied an application to build a Buddhist shrine near the cross.
The agency studied the history of the monument and, determining that it did not qualify as a historic landmark, announced plans to remove it. Congress intervened with a series of amendments to spending bills attempting to preserve the cross.
In 2001 Frank Buono, a former Park Service employee who once worked at the preserve, filed suit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union. They claimed that the cross violated the Constitution's ban on government establishment of religion.
A series of federal court decisions ruled against both the cross and the government's attempts to preserve it through legislative maneuvers. In 2007, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a 2003 law that ordered the government to give the parcel of land the cross sits on to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in exchange for a privately owned plot elsewhere in the park.
"We previously held that the presence of the cross in the preserve violates the Establishment Clause [of the First Amendment], wrote Judge Margaret McKeown in that decision. "We also concluded that a reasonable observer aware of the history of the cross would know of the government's attempts to preserve it and the denial of access to other religious symbols."
McKeown said even an observer who didn't know the monument's history would assume that it was a government symbol, because the vast majority of land in the area is owned by the government -- even if a private organization actually owned the small plot on which the cross stands.
"Under the statutory dictates and terms that presently stand, carving out a tiny parcel of property in the midst of this vast preserve -- like a donut hole with the cross atop it -- will do nothing to minimize the impermissible governmental endorsement."
Supporters of the cross -- including the VFW, the American Legion and other veterans' groups -- argue in a brief that a decision allowing removal of the cross would endanger other religious symbols on federal property, such as grave markers in national cemeteries.
The last time the court handed down decisions involving religious displays on government property was in 2005. That was before Chief Justice John Roberts took over for the late William Rehnquist and Justice Samuel Alito replaced retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
O'Connor -- considered a moderate on church-state issues -- voted against Ten Commandments displays in Kentucky and Texas. Alito is likely to be more open to such monuments on public property.
But the case may turn on a different issue -- whether Buono has the legal standing to assert the case in the first place. The high court's 2007 decision in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation significantly limited most potential plaintiffs' ability to sue over government endorsements of religion.
The justices won't hear the Salazar case until their 2009-2010 session begins in October. While President Bush's administration defended the cross, President Obama's administration may have a view of the First Amendment more in line with the 9th Circuit's. They could withdraw the appeal altogether or simply choose not to defend vigorously Congress' attempts to preserve the cross.
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington Bureau Chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Russian Baptists denounce bogus newspaper as political smear
By Bob Allen (570 words)
MOSCOW (ABP) -- Russian Baptists denounced the injection of religion into politics after a bogus newspaper circulated in a mayoral race falsely identified a candidate as a Baptist in an effort to besmirch his character.
According to Internet reports, a counterfeit newspaper stuffed into mailboxes in the western Russian city of Smolensk claimed Baptists were supporting a mayoral candidate in hopes that his election would cause Baptists to rival the Russian Orthodox Church for influence.
"Russian Baptists are for Maslakov!" appeared as a banner headline in the supposed special edition of The Protestant, presumably forged as a political dirty trick.
The article claimed that Baptists all over Russia and from around the world were hoping candidate Sergy Maslakov "will become the first Baptist mayor in Russia" in the upcoming March 1 election. But Baptist leaders said Maslakov, one of 10 candidates running for mayor, is largely unknown outside the region and has no known ties to Baptists.
The article alluded to rumors of rampant sexual immorality and pedophilia among Baptists, and implied Russian Baptist churches are funded largely by Western sources, including the government of the United States.
"Political con-artists are trying to turn the respected, 140-year history of Baptists in Russia into a horror story in hopes of helping and hurting certain political parties," said Vitaly Vlasenko, the Russian Baptist union's director of external church affairs.
Vlasenko accused campaign workers of "sowing hatred between the [denominational] confessions," an act he termed "ugly and totally unacceptable."
The article reportedly included comments falsely attributed to the head of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists from an interview that did not take place. The paper carried photos of Baptist leaders with mismatched captions that identified them with incorrect names.
Viktor Ignatenkov, pastor of First Baptist Church of Smolensk, told the Slavic Legal Center the candidate has no relationship to Baptists and has never been a member of a Baptist church. He said the anonymous authors apparently intended to inflame irreligious strife with statements about Baptists that are patently false.
Anatoly Pchelintsev, a university professor and chief editor of the Religion and Law journal told Slavic Legal Center that Baptists have never conducted themselves in ways described in the newspaper or interfered in political activity. He joined Russian Baptists in saying law enforcement should investigate who was behind the publication.
Smolensk, with more than 300,000 citizens, is one of Russia's oldest cities and scene of some of the heaviest fighting during World War II. Located on the Dnieper River, it is a port city and important rail junction for distribution of agricultural products and other goods.
It is also hometown of the new Russian Patriarch, Metropolitan Kirill, who supports better relations between the Orthodox Church and other faith groups.
Vlasenko of the Baptist union called the bogus publication a "nasty farewell" and "grievous insult" to the patriarch, who was metropolitan of Smolensk from 1991 to 2008, and said it "besmirches that which it intends to defend: the Russian Orthodox Church."
Tensions between Orthodox leaders and minority faiths are not uncommon in the former Soviet Union. Last year a court in Smolensk dissolved a Methodist church for having a Sunday school attended by four children, but Russia's Supreme Court later reversed the decision.
The First Baptist Church of Smolensk, on the other hand, was recognized by the government of Vladimir Putin with a medal recognizing its social ministries.
The International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic, recently sponsored a groundbreaking conference aimed at improving Baptist-Orthodox relations in European contexts with an Orthodox religious majority.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Opinion: Was Jesus a racist?
By Miguel De La Torre (978 words)
(ABP) -- Our faith tells us that anyone can come to Jesus. The evangelistic message is that Jesus will turn no one away. We can come just as we are, ill and diseased. All who seek healing will find salvation and liberation in the arms of Jesus, for his unconditional love accepts everyone -- regardless of their race or ethnicity. Or does it?
Matthew 15:21-28 recounts the story of a Canaanite woman who came to Jesus desperately seeking a healing for her daughter.
The Canaanites during Jesus' time were seen by Jews as being a mixed race of inferior people, much in the same way that some Euro-Americans view Hispanics today, specifically the undocumented. The Canaanites of old -- like Latino/as of our time -- did not belong. They were no better than "dogs."
For this reason Jesus' response to the Canaanite woman is troublesome. When she appealed to Jesus to heal her sick child, our Lord responded by saying: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. It is not good to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs."
No matter how much I try to redeem the text, I cannot ignore the fact that Jesus called this woman of color a dog! I am forced to ask the uncomfortable question: Was Jesus a racist?
In this story, I find myself relating more with the Canaanite woman than with Jesus.
When Arizona recently passed Proposition 200, a template for subsequent legislation throughout the country that restricts or denies medical and other services to immigrants who lack documentation, I was reminded that we are the dogs of society.
When congressman and former presidential candidate Tom Tancredo states that Hispanics are "coming to kill you, and you, and me, and my children and my grandchildren," I am reminded that we are the dogs of society.
When Latina/os are more likely than the general population to lack basic health coverage, less likely to receive preventive medical examinations, and less likely to receive early prenatal care, I am reminded that we are the dogs of society.
And when Latino/as are more likely to live with pollution, exposing them to greater health risks, I am reminded that we are the dogs of society.
In the fullness of Jesus' divinity, he had to learn how to be fully human. His family and culture were responsible for teaching him how to walk, how to talk, and how to be potty-trained.
He also learned about the superiority of Judaism and the inferiority of non-Jews, in the very same way that today there are those within the dominant culture who are taught America is No. 1
For some, this superiority takes on a racial component where European descent makes one more advanced than does Hispanic ancestry. The minority who insist on voicing their superiority can easily be dismissed as racist and thus ignored.
However, there remains an unexamined majority who are complicit with social structures that -- whether they like it or not -- are racist in their favor. They may not go to the extreme, like Jesus did, in refusing a medical healing to a woman of color while calling her a dog; nevertheless, the inherent racism in the medical establishment accomplishes the same goal without having to overtly refuse a healing or call people of color dogs.
Latino/as as today's dogs is evident in a quality of health care that ranges from poor to non-existent.
Nevertheless, for Christians, the imago Dei finds its fullest expression in the personhood of Jesus as he turned many "rules" upside down. This is a truth that even Jesus, in his full humanity, had to learn.
To deny this woman a healing and call her a dog reveals the racism his culture taught him. But Jesus, unlike so many within the dominant social structure of today, was willing to hear the words of this woman of color, and learn from her.
And thanks to her, Jesus' ministry was radically changed. The Canaanite woman responded by saying, "For even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the table of their masters."
Her remark shocked Jesus into realizing that faith was not contingent on a person's ethnicity. In fact, Jesus had to admit that this was a woman of great faith.
This woman of color had to cross the "border" demarcated by Jesus' culture. But she crosses this border not to worship her oppressor (Jesus), but to demand an equal place at the table of the Lord. She demands to be treated as an equal.
It matters little if she belongs. It matters less if she has proper documentation. Her daughter was sick and because of her humanity, she was entitled to a healing. She was more than the dog he called her.
Up to this point, the gospel message was exclusively for the Jews. In Matthew 10:5, Jesus sends his 12 disciples on their first missionary venture. He clearly instructs them, "Do not turn your steps into other nations, nor into Samaritan cities, rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Yet five chapters later, Jesus encounters the Canaanite woman who existed on the margins of his society. She challenged Jesus with the good news that healing was not the exclusive property of one ethnic group. Instead, healing should be available to all who come.
Jesus learned something about his mission from this woman of color. How do we know this? By the end of his ministry when he gives the Great Commission, he commands his followers to go out to all nations, not just the people of Israel.
Now, if Jesus is willing to learn something from the margins of society, from those who he was taught were his inferiors, no better than dogs, shouldn't Euro-Americans who call themselves his disciples today be willing to do likewise?
-- Miguel De La Torre is associate professor of social ethics at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.
Prayer Blog - 2/23/2009
Word of the Day - 2/23/2009
Nutation
A nutation is an act or instance of nodding one's head, especially involuntarily or spasmodically.
Felix's nutation was Paul's cue to address the court in his own defense. (Acts 24)
When the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense,” (Acts 24:10, NASB)
Note: This image of Paul addressing Felix was engraved by William Hogarth (1697-1764).
In Eckleburg's Eyes - 2/23/2009, Part 5
News & Notes from Sunday, February 22nd, 2009, Part 2
-After JTH (pictured) attended a deacon’s meeting at the Central Baptist Church of Bearden, he met ALK and I at my house at 6:55 PM. ALK had completed handbell practice and opted to spend the evening with us instead of studying. Irresponsible or brilliant decision? You be the judge. (Note: All cartoons in this post were created by CartoonMe.com.)
-Due to my faulty scheduling, I drove like Jehu to pick up MST at her home. (See II Kings 9:20.). (We were supposed to pick her up at 7 PM.) We took her to Sam and Andy’s to eat and to talk.
-MST is doing well in spite of less than perfect circumstances of late. Her junior basketball season at Bearden High School ended due to injury. She has surgery scheduled on Wednesday (February 25th) at St. Mary’s Medical Center to repair her meniscus. She will not know the time of the surgery until the day before. Please pray for her surgeons and that she finds where she is supposed to be in the maze that is St. Mary’s.
-On Tuesday night, her basketball team plays for the district championship against Heritage High School. Bearden has won the two previous meetings between the two teams. Amazingly, Heritage also has a Morgan Thomas who plays guard and wears jersey number 2 (MST’s number). Win or lose, Bearden has qualified for the regional tournament. Actually, since their top seed merited two byes in the district tournament, they would have qualified without winning a game.
-After eating, we took MST to MoFoS and let her select some movies. We ended up with Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Raise Your Voice (my choice, everyone needs some Hilary Duff), and Step Up 2: The Streets. More importantly, we let her get out some frustration by destroying VHS tapes with a baseball bat. This may have amused us more than it helped MST but, hey, it accomplished something.
-After dropping off MST, JTH, ALK (pictured) and I returned to my house where we watched the 81st Annual Academy Award. We enjoyed it but it seemed at times like the same four movies were nominated for every award. I was most pleased that Heath Ledger won for best actor in a supporting role for The Dark Knight and most disappointed that Mickey Rourke did not win for best actor in a leading role for The Wrestler.
-JTH raised a valid question upon seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sitting together at the event: “Who’s watching their 48 children?”
-During the event we all tried Baskin-Robbins Candy. We ate the mint chocolate chip soft candy. Neither JTH nor ALK enjoyed it. I did not mind it though the ice cream is far better. Honestly, it tasted like swallowing mint chocolate chip chewing gum.
-After JTH (pictured) attended a deacon’s meeting at the Central Baptist Church of Bearden, he met ALK and I at my house at 6:55 PM. ALK had completed handbell practice and opted to spend the evening with us instead of studying. Irresponsible or brilliant decision? You be the judge. (Note: All cartoons in this post were created by CartoonMe.com.)-Due to my faulty scheduling, I drove like Jehu to pick up MST at her home. (See II Kings 9:20.). (We were supposed to pick her up at 7 PM.) We took her to Sam and Andy’s to eat and to talk.
-MST is doing well in spite of less than perfect circumstances of late. Her junior basketball season at Bearden High School ended due to injury. She has surgery scheduled on Wednesday (February 25th) at St. Mary’s Medical Center to repair her meniscus. She will not know the time of the surgery until the day before. Please pray for her surgeons and that she finds where she is supposed to be in the maze that is St. Mary’s.
-On Tuesday night, her basketball team plays for the district championship against Heritage High School. Bearden has won the two previous meetings between the two teams. Amazingly, Heritage also has a Morgan Thomas who plays guard and wears jersey number 2 (MST’s number). Win or lose, Bearden has qualified for the regional tournament. Actually, since their top seed merited two byes in the district tournament, they would have qualified without winning a game.-After eating, we took MST to MoFoS and let her select some movies. We ended up with Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, Raise Your Voice (my choice, everyone needs some Hilary Duff), and Step Up 2: The Streets. More importantly, we let her get out some frustration by destroying VHS tapes with a baseball bat. This may have amused us more than it helped MST but, hey, it accomplished something.
-After dropping off MST, JTH, ALK (pictured) and I returned to my house where we watched the 81st Annual Academy Award. We enjoyed it but it seemed at times like the same four movies were nominated for every award. I was most pleased that Heath Ledger won for best actor in a supporting role for The Dark Knight and most disappointed that Mickey Rourke did not win for best actor in a leading role for The Wrestler.-JTH raised a valid question upon seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sitting together at the event: “Who’s watching their 48 children?”
-During the event we all tried Baskin-Robbins Candy. We ate the mint chocolate chip soft candy. Neither JTH nor ALK enjoyed it. I did not mind it though the ice cream is far better. Honestly, it tasted like swallowing mint chocolate chip chewing gum.
In Eckleburg's Eyes - 2/23/2009, Part 4
News & Notes from Sunday, February 22nd, 2009, Part 1
-For the third consecutive week, I attended the Soul Purpose community group at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church. For the first time since I have joined, the class met in its traditional room. Matthew Loy facilitated the third session in a series on the Beatitudes entitled “Jesus’ Guide to True Happiness.” This week’s installment was based on Matthew 5:5. Once again, the lesson was great and garnered great class participation.
-Afterwards, JTH and I ate at the Great American Steak and Buffet Company. We spent the afternoon driving to various Goodwills and discussing life, God and where the two intersect.
-We also visited with JTH’s parents, CEH (aka “Homer”) and KTH. CEH is still plagued with painful symptoms that have not been diagnosed. CEH continues to see a neurologist in hopes of finding a treatment. One of CEH’s friends discovered a similar case online where an endocrinologist successfully treated a thyroid condition. Whereas CEH has what feels like a perpetual, unbearable sunburn throughout his body, the patient in question experienced this phenomenon only in his arms. They admitted they may be grasping at straws but they are desperate for help. Please keep Homer in your prayers.
-For the third consecutive week, I attended the Soul Purpose community group at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church. For the first time since I have joined, the class met in its traditional room. Matthew Loy facilitated the third session in a series on the Beatitudes entitled “Jesus’ Guide to True Happiness.” This week’s installment was based on Matthew 5:5. Once again, the lesson was great and garnered great class participation.“Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5, NASB)
-Afterwards, JTH and I ate at the Great American Steak and Buffet Company. We spent the afternoon driving to various Goodwills and discussing life, God and where the two intersect.-We also visited with JTH’s parents, CEH (aka “Homer”) and KTH. CEH is still plagued with painful symptoms that have not been diagnosed. CEH continues to see a neurologist in hopes of finding a treatment. One of CEH’s friends discovered a similar case online where an endocrinologist successfully treated a thyroid condition. Whereas CEH has what feels like a perpetual, unbearable sunburn throughout his body, the patient in question experienced this phenomenon only in his arms. They admitted they may be grasping at straws but they are desperate for help. Please keep Homer in your prayers.
In Eckleburg's Eyes - 2/23/2009, Part 3
News & Notes from Saturday, February 21st, 2009, Part 2
-On Saturday night, JTH, ALK, and I went to see the 7 PM showing of Twilight at Carmike Movies Seven. JTH alerted ALK that she needed to be ready ASAP. At 6:11 PM, he received the following reply: “I am not ready. How soon is ASAP?”
-The last time JTH and I attended the former dollar theater, admission was $4 but the customer was also entitled to popcorn and a beverage. That offer still stands but now the customer can simply pay $2 for admission. The ambience is well worth the $2. Our theater was cordoned off by tape and a large bucket (no clue) at the front and there were holes visible in the ceiling.
-JTH and ALK had both already seen the film while I had not. ALK, an avid fan of the books, still loves it while JTH hated it more than ever. He balked at the acting of Robert Pattinson and the film’s premise. Commenting on the foolishness of a vampire dating a human (its food), JTH examined, “I’m sorry. I’m not making friends with a freaking green bean!” Fair enough.
-We went at my request. Though strange for a guy, I love chick flicks but don’t especially like vampire films. To be honest, I really liked the movie. It is definitely my favorite vampire film of all time, though that is not saying much. I would be lying if I said I could not tell it was written by a woman. Still, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
-Also, I must note that in any other known situation, Edward Cullen would be labeled a stalker. Still, the only part I found totally ridiculous was when Billy Black (Gil Birmingham, the wheel chair bound Native American) gave Edward the evil eye. I am no acting critic but that was way over done. I involuntarily laughed out loud offending the many tweens in attendance.
-I think one of the key messages of this movie is to never date a vegetarian.
-While at the theater, we got to see De La Rosa, who takes tickets for the theater, for the first time in some time. He noted that he had been away taking care of business. (I was scared at what that might entail seeing as how he takes tickets for a living.) His disdain for the name “De La Rosa” persists. He said that De La Rosa is dead and that he in fact killed him. Perhaps he has been away burying “De La Rosa”’s body...
-After the movie, JTH, ALK and I ate at O’Charley’s. Our waitress, MMK, was excellent. We also learned that Megan, a former hostess at Applebees now works at O’Charley’s. She left her previous employer due to personality conflicts.
-ALK filled us in on a book that she has been reading - Danielle Steel’s A Good Woman. Her mother recommended the novel. The content is so depressing she feels it has been keeping her up nights. What were her mother’s motivations?
-In the book, the main character is shunned. I have never shunned anyone. I am thinking of doing so just to use the word. Then again, I am not sure that is not what God is doing to me...
-Finally, Saturday was AMTT’s birthday. Happy birthday, Cheezette. I hope to take you out to celebrate soon.
-On Saturday night, JTH, ALK, and I went to see the 7 PM showing of Twilight at Carmike Movies Seven. JTH alerted ALK that she needed to be ready ASAP. At 6:11 PM, he received the following reply: “I am not ready. How soon is ASAP?”-The last time JTH and I attended the former dollar theater, admission was $4 but the customer was also entitled to popcorn and a beverage. That offer still stands but now the customer can simply pay $2 for admission. The ambience is well worth the $2. Our theater was cordoned off by tape and a large bucket (no clue) at the front and there were holes visible in the ceiling.
-JTH and ALK had both already seen the film while I had not. ALK, an avid fan of the books, still loves it while JTH hated it more than ever. He balked at the acting of Robert Pattinson and the film’s premise. Commenting on the foolishness of a vampire dating a human (its food), JTH examined, “I’m sorry. I’m not making friends with a freaking green bean!” Fair enough.
-We went at my request. Though strange for a guy, I love chick flicks but don’t especially like vampire films. To be honest, I really liked the movie. It is definitely my favorite vampire film of all time, though that is not saying much. I would be lying if I said I could not tell it was written by a woman. Still, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
-Also, I must note that in any other known situation, Edward Cullen would be labeled a stalker. Still, the only part I found totally ridiculous was when Billy Black (Gil Birmingham, the wheel chair bound Native American) gave Edward the evil eye. I am no acting critic but that was way over done. I involuntarily laughed out loud offending the many tweens in attendance.-I think one of the key messages of this movie is to never date a vegetarian.
-While at the theater, we got to see De La Rosa, who takes tickets for the theater, for the first time in some time. He noted that he had been away taking care of business. (I was scared at what that might entail seeing as how he takes tickets for a living.) His disdain for the name “De La Rosa” persists. He said that De La Rosa is dead and that he in fact killed him. Perhaps he has been away burying “De La Rosa”’s body...
-After the movie, JTH, ALK and I ate at O’Charley’s. Our waitress, MMK, was excellent. We also learned that Megan, a former hostess at Applebees now works at O’Charley’s. She left her previous employer due to personality conflicts.
-ALK filled us in on a book that she has been reading - Danielle Steel’s A Good Woman. Her mother recommended the novel. The content is so depressing she feels it has been keeping her up nights. What were her mother’s motivations?-In the book, the main character is shunned. I have never shunned anyone. I am thinking of doing so just to use the word. Then again, I am not sure that is not what God is doing to me...
-Finally, Saturday was AMTT’s birthday. Happy birthday, Cheezette. I hope to take you out to celebrate soon.
In Eckleburg's Eyes - 2/23/2009, Part 2
News & Notes from Saturday, February 21st, 2009, Part 1
-On Saturday morning I ate with my parents at IHOP before chauffeuring my mother around town. First, at my suggestion, we attended the Million Dollar Book Sale. This is a massive charity book sale that is being housed for two weekends in Knox Plaza in a space that was once occupied buy Hancock Fabrics. For $30, the customer is entitled to a box filled with books of her choosing. Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
-To be honest, all of the books were remaindered (meaning they could not sell at various retail outlets) and my mother and I opted not to buy a box. Still, if you like mainstream fiction, they will be back next week in the same location from February 26th-March 1st.
-Afterwards, I drove my mother to Borders (where she bought Jefferson Bass’ new book Bones of Betrayal for her book club) and then to Walgreens. Walgreens had my mother’s Revlon Coffee Bean lipstick on sale. (Sorry. This entire paragraph was an attempt to get my mother an endorsement deal.)
-I made it home in time to watch the Tennessee basketball team play at Kentucky. As has been the case all season during road games, the Vols dug themselves into a hole, battled back before the half and then were blown away in the second period. The deficit was greater than normal on this day as the Wildcats scored the game’s first 13 points. The Vols did not score until J.P. Prince completed a put back with 11:56 remaining in the first half! Yes, the Vols went over eight minutes without scoring.
-Both teams’ strategies worked. Kentucky dared Tennessee to shoot perimeter jump shots assuming they could not hit them. The Wildcats were correct. In the first half, the Vols hit only nine of 32 shots and connected on just two of thirteen three-point attempts. Tennessee set its defense in attempt to prohibit Jodie Meeks (left) and Patrick Patterson (above, right) from defeating them. Meeks, who scored 54 points in the teams’ first meeting, had only four points at the half and finished with 14. Unfortunately, his teammates picked up the slack and Kentucky won, 77-58. Patterson did have some impressive dunks once the game was already decided.
-The Vols lost both games to Kentucky this year, giving Bruce Pearl a 3-5 record against the Wildcats. The team is running out of time to gel and it appears highly likely that the Vols are headed for the NIT.
-Former Vol and Kentucky native Chris Lofton was in attendance for the first time since he last played for the Vols.
-On Saturday morning I ate with my parents at IHOP before chauffeuring my mother around town. First, at my suggestion, we attended the Million Dollar Book Sale. This is a massive charity book sale that is being housed for two weekends in Knox Plaza in a space that was once occupied buy Hancock Fabrics. For $30, the customer is entitled to a box filled with books of her choosing. Proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.-To be honest, all of the books were remaindered (meaning they could not sell at various retail outlets) and my mother and I opted not to buy a box. Still, if you like mainstream fiction, they will be back next week in the same location from February 26th-March 1st.
-Afterwards, I drove my mother to Borders (where she bought Jefferson Bass’ new book Bones of Betrayal for her book club) and then to Walgreens. Walgreens had my mother’s Revlon Coffee Bean lipstick on sale. (Sorry. This entire paragraph was an attempt to get my mother an endorsement deal.)
-I made it home in time to watch the Tennessee basketball team play at Kentucky. As has been the case all season during road games, the Vols dug themselves into a hole, battled back before the half and then were blown away in the second period. The deficit was greater than normal on this day as the Wildcats scored the game’s first 13 points. The Vols did not score until J.P. Prince completed a put back with 11:56 remaining in the first half! Yes, the Vols went over eight minutes without scoring.
-Both teams’ strategies worked. Kentucky dared Tennessee to shoot perimeter jump shots assuming they could not hit them. The Wildcats were correct. In the first half, the Vols hit only nine of 32 shots and connected on just two of thirteen three-point attempts. Tennessee set its defense in attempt to prohibit Jodie Meeks (left) and Patrick Patterson (above, right) from defeating them. Meeks, who scored 54 points in the teams’ first meeting, had only four points at the half and finished with 14. Unfortunately, his teammates picked up the slack and Kentucky won, 77-58. Patterson did have some impressive dunks once the game was already decided.-The Vols lost both games to Kentucky this year, giving Bruce Pearl a 3-5 record against the Wildcats. The team is running out of time to gel and it appears highly likely that the Vols are headed for the NIT.
-Former Vol and Kentucky native Chris Lofton was in attendance for the first time since he last played for the Vols.
In Eckleburg's Eyes - 2/23/2009, Part 1
News & Notes from Friday, February 20th, 2009
-On Friday, I was forced to get a new phone from Verizon. The port on my LG VX8350 was defective. Since I could no longer charge the phone (which is slightly problematic), I replaced it with the LG VX8360. My salesperson, LAH, informed me that so many customers have had the same problem as I have that the port is no longer covered under warranty. The new phone comes with a newly designed port.
-The new phone also meant that I lost all of my photos of KJW on my phone as well as my ring tones. I guess I am just going to have to take countless photos of the toddler to replace the old ones. Yes, I realize I would have done that anyway.
- I did start downloading some new ring tones from Phonezoo. (It is a free site). My mother’s ring tone is “Funeral March”. She was not nearly as amused by this as my father and I were.
-On Friday night, JTH and I ate at Mangia Pizza & More. This guy sat in the booth behind us and coughed vigorously for a half an hour straight. I was torn between haranguing him for exposing myself and the other patrons to his germs and pitying him as I sincerely wondered whether his lung would materialize in his booth. (Note: I apologize for the picture quality. This was the first photo taken with the new phone and I had yet to figure out how to zoom in.)
-On Friday, I was forced to get a new phone from Verizon. The port on my LG VX8350 was defective. Since I could no longer charge the phone (which is slightly problematic), I replaced it with the LG VX8360. My salesperson, LAH, informed me that so many customers have had the same problem as I have that the port is no longer covered under warranty. The new phone comes with a newly designed port.-The new phone also meant that I lost all of my photos of KJW on my phone as well as my ring tones. I guess I am just going to have to take countless photos of the toddler to replace the old ones. Yes, I realize I would have done that anyway.
- I did start downloading some new ring tones from Phonezoo. (It is a free site). My mother’s ring tone is “Funeral March”. She was not nearly as amused by this as my father and I were.
-On Friday night, JTH and I ate at Mangia Pizza & More. This guy sat in the booth behind us and coughed vigorously for a half an hour straight. I was torn between haranguing him for exposing myself and the other patrons to his germs and pitying him as I sincerely wondered whether his lung would materialize in his booth. (Note: I apologize for the picture quality. This was the first photo taken with the new phone and I had yet to figure out how to zoom in.)
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Prayer Blog - 2/22/2009
This afternoon, JTH and I ate at the Great American Steak and Buffet Company. Our server, Yvonne, asked for prayer for her daughter Trish. Trish was a waitress at the restaurant years ago when JTH and I were almost regulars. Though young, Trish, has already undergone two back surgeries, and is still struggling to recuperate. Please keep her in your prayers.
Bible Trivia - 2/22/2009
Question: Who built the Hanging Gardens?
Answer: Nebuchadnezzar.
Comments: Though the Hanging Gardens of Babylon do not appear in the Biblical text, they were created by a Biblical figure. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon reportedly built the gardens around 600 BCE to comfort his wife, Amytis (or Amuhia) of Media, who missed the pastoral scenes of her native Persia.
In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. (II Kings 24:1, NASB)
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were numbered among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Bible Trivia - 2/21/2009
Question: How many people altogether survived in Noah’s ark?
Answer: Eight. (Genesis 7:13)
Comments: Though numerous animals survived the Flood described in Genesis, only eight humans withstood the deluge: Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. (Genesis 6-8)
On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark,14they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, all sorts of birds. (Genesis 7:13-14, NASB)
Note: This oil on canvas, L’Arche de Noé (The Ark of Noah), was painted by Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Friday, February 20, 2009
Associated Baptist Press - 2/20/2009
Associated Baptist Press
February 20, 2009 · (09-23)
David Wilkinson, Executive Director
Robert Marus, Managing Editor/Washington Bureau Chief
Bob Allen, Senior Writer
In this issue
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent, partners by 30 percent (695 words)
Survey: Crisis has some churches slashing budgets, more worried (707 words)
Baptist pastor convicted in Azerbaijan (520 words)
Lutheran task force proposes process to allow gay relationships for clergy (687 words)
Opinion: In vitro industry out of control (721 words)
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent, partners by 30 percent
By Bob Allen (695 words)
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) -- Starting March 1, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will operate on a contingency spending plan that cuts staff salaries by 1 percent and reduces funding for theology schools and other CBF partner organizations by 30 percent.
The plan, adopted by the CBF advisory council and reported to the full CBF Coordinating Council Feb. 19-20, saves $5.5 million over the next 19 months.
Connie McNeill, the Fellowship's coordinator of administration, said the cutbacks anticipate a worst-case scenario of revenue projections during the current economic recession. Should the financial picture get brighter, she said, the cuts will be only temporary.
"You can imagine that these have been painful and thoughtful decisions," McNeill said. "We are fully aware of the possible implications to the entire Fellowship movement. We also know that we are held responsible by you to be good fiscal managers of CBF."
McNeill said no current CBF employees will lose their jobs in the contingency plan, but some vacant positions will not be filled. She said further staff reductions could come in the future, however.
Daniel Vestal, CBF's executive coordinator, is recovering from surgery and did not attend the meeting.
The plan cuts salaries by 1 percent across the board and decreases contributions to employees' retirement plans by 3 percent. It includes no raises in 2010, reduces travel by 20 percent and requires employees to reimburse CBF for personal use of their cell phones.
CBF has about 60 paid employees at its headquarters in Atlanta, along with 135 global-mission personnel in 29 countries. Thirty-five of those missionaries are CBF "affiliates," who are commissioned by CBF but provide or raise their own support.
The contingency plan also cuts funding for 15 theological schools and 17 other autonomous "partners" that receive part of their support through CBF. They include Associated Baptist Press, which stands to see its $110,000 annual CBF allocation -- about a fifth of its annual budget -- reduced by $33,000 in each of the next two budget years.
Jack Glasgow, CBF moderator, said receipts early in the fiscal year were about 79 percent of budget levels, prompting CBF to cut back spending to 80 percent of amounts approved in the 2008-2009 budget adopted at last year's General Assembly in Memphis, Tenn.
"This is a spending plan that is an effort to match our current spending with receipts, and it is based on the early-fiscal-year look at receipts," said Glasgow, pastor of Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, N.C.
Glasgow said in an interview that partners would be cut at a higher level -- 30 percent instead of 20 percent -- because they have the possibility of making up the difference from other sources. "With partners and schools, CBF funding is a piece the funding," Glasgow said. "A 20 percent cut is a real 20 percent cut to us."
CBF leaders said they decided to tighten the belt now, rather than waiting for a crisis that could force even harder decisions down the road.
"We're trying to figure out how not to panic," said Colleen Burroughs, chair of the CBF finance committee. "Everybody in America is panicking right now. It's better to come up with a plan now to spend wisely on the front end rather than to panic on the back end."
Burroughs said if the economy rebounds and revenues increase, CBF can go back to spending at budget levels. Glasgow said any funding due partners and schools would be made up at the end of the year.
"We did not feel reserves were at a place where we could ignore this revenue shortfall," Glasgow said. He added that if revenues are lower than the contingency plan anticipates, such as 78 percent instead of 80 percent of budget levels, reserves could be tapped to make up the difference.
In other business, the Coordinating Council approved a $16,150,000 budget for 2009-2010. The contingency plan continues into that budget year, however, meaning that unless revoked the new budget will start out with spending at 80 percent.
The proposed budget, to be presented for approval at the CBF General Assembly July 2-3 in Houston, is 2 percent lower than the $16.5 million originally budgeted for 2008-2009.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Survey: Crisis has some churches slashing budgets, more worried
By Robert Marus (707 words)
DALLAS (ABP) -- Churches that aren't cutting their budgets due to the economic downturn are, by and large, taking measures to curb expenses, according to a survey the National Association of Church Business Administration has done of its members.
The organization -- the professional society for church administrators of all denominations -- released the study Feb. 20. It found that 57 percent of the congregations represented by members surveyed had experienced a slowdown in contributions.
Thirty-two percent of the churches' administrators said the dip was "not common for our congregation this time of year," while 25 percent could not say for certain whether the downturn was due to the economy.
Meanwhile, 30 percent of the respondents said their churches were "doing okay" but "not seeing strong growth in financial support." Twelve percent said their giving was "strong" and continuing to grow, while only 1 percent said their financial support was "very strong."
Twenty percent of the respondents said their churches had been forced to lay off employees and 26 percent said they had postponed a major capital project. Nearly half -- 47 percent -- said they had reduced or frozen staff compensation packages.
Phill Martin is NACBA's deputy chief executive and a veteran Baptist church administrator. He said the 32 percent of members who believed the economy had definitely affected their congregations was much higher than the 14 percent who thought so when they answered a similar survey in August.
"I think we are starting to see more pain felt -- although nothing like in the private sector," Martin, who is also a member of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, said.
Martin noted that it is often more difficult for churches than businesses or secular non-profits to judge whether the economy is responsible for a dip in contributions or if it owes to some other factor, such as church conflict or the a lack of a pastor.
"Our local ABC [TV] affiliate came and asked me to give them the names of five churches in [economic] trouble," he said. "But I can give you five churches in trouble when the economy's in good shape."
He also noted the differences in local economic effects are causing differences between metropolitan areas and regions of the country in how particular churches fare.
"If we look at North Dallas, things are pretty good," he said Feb. 19, noting he had just come from a meeting with 40 local church administrators and that they simply "had a good dialogue" about the state of the economy. "But [members of] our chapter in Phoenix are really struggling because so many people there have lost their jobs because of downsizing."
That's the case in Dalton, Ga., a small city about an hour northwest of Atlanta where floor-covering manufacturers dominate the local economy.
"There have been layoffs in almost all of the major carpet companies located in Dalton," said Debra Haney, administrator at First Baptist Church of Dalton. "These layoffs have been necessary due to reduced need for floor covering. Of course, this need is directly tied to the declining housing market."
Haney said the church has cut its 2009 budget by more than 11 percent -- across all budget categories and including reductions in working hours for some staff.
Bill Wilson, the church's pastor, is a member of the Associated Baptist Press board of directors.
The cuts may only be the beginning. The economy shows no obvious signs of a quick recovery, and many economists are predicting a multi-year recession.
Martin pointed to a study by the Christian research organization Empty Tomb, Inc., showing that there has not necessarily been a correlation between nationwide recessions and declines in annual per-capita giving to churches in the last 40 years.
However, Martin noted, between 1968 and 2005, church giving declined in three of the 10 years that showed one month or more of economic contraction. Out of those three years of drops in church giving, two were the last year of recessions that stretched over multiple years.
"What I got out of that is that a lot of times multi-year recessions tend to catch up with the church; they're not instantly affected," he said. "And so I think it is a wise caution that churches are displaying."
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Baptist pastor convicted in Azerbaijan
By ABP staff (520 words)
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) -- A Baptist pastor in the South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has been found guilty of what supporters say are bogus weapons charges and given "a two-year corrective labor sentence," according to a worldwide Baptist group.
The Virginia-based Baptist World Alliance announced Feb. 20 that Hamid Shabanov, who pastors a house church of approximately 60 members in the town of Aliabad, had been convicted. He was arrested on June 20, 2008, after police claimed to have found an illegal weapon in his home after a raid.
Denying the allegations against Shabanov, and claiming that the weapon was planted by the police, Baptist Union of Azerbaijan General Secretary Elnur Jabiyev said the arrest "was a provocation by the police" and that it was "a deliberately targeted action," according to a BWA press release. Jabiyev claimed "the police's aim is to halt Baptist activity and close the church in Aliabad."
"I will continue to fight against this sentence and to clear my name," Shabanov said after his Feb. 11 conviction. The two-year labor sentence is equivalent to eight months in prison. Thus Shabanov, who has already spent more than seven months in detention or under house arrest, will not be locked up. He was ordered to pay a fine to cover the remainder of the sentence.
After his arrest, the trial against Shabanov began on July 22, 2008, but the case was referred back to the prosecutor by the judge on July 29 for further investigation. Another hearing was called on Aug. 22 without the knowledge of Shabanov, his lawyer or family. This hearing extended his detention by a further two months, which ended on Oct. 21.
The trial was scheduled to begin on Oct. 28. But it did not begin -- despite his lawyer traveling 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku -- because police failed to bring Shabanov from jail to the court.
In addition, neither the pastor's family nor lawyer had received a copy of the indictment against him. "They haven't even given us the case materials," Shabanov's lawyer said.
After another hearing on Jan. 26, Shabanov's trial began on Feb. 4 and the verdict was handed down Feb. 11.
Shabanov is the second Baptist pastor in Aliabad to be convicted of a crime. Zaur Balaev was arrested in May 2007 and given a two -ear sentence after being convicted in August of that year for beating up five policemen and damaging a police car door.
Members of Balaev's church and residents in the town also disputed the charges against Balaev, who was released in March 2008 after protests from officials of the BWA, the European Baptist Federation and former United States President Jimmy Carter.
The EBF, one of six regional fellowships of the BWA, led a delegation to Azerbaijan in January to meet with government, diplomatic, and religious leaders, partly in response to the cases against Balaev and Shabanov.
Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country, gained its independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. There are 22 Baptist churches and 3,000 baptized believers in the country of 8.7 million people.
Lutheran task force proposes process to allow gay relationships for clergy
By Robert Marus (687 words)
CHICAGO (ABP) -- An ad hoc panel for one of the nation's largest Protestant bodies is recommending a four-part process to begin allowing members of its clergy to live openly in committed same-sex relationships.
But both supporters and opponents of gay rights in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America expressed mixed reviews of the Feb. 19 proposal by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality.
The denomination represents nearly 5 million Lutherans in centrist-to-liberal congregations nationwide.
The proposal is divided into two main parts: First, a proposed "social statement" that affirms the multiple "conscience-bound" views of ELCA members on the propriety of monogamous same-sex relationships, to be voted on by the denomination's Churchwide Assembly, scheduled for Minneapolis in August.
Second, the task force recommended a four-step process for beginning to allow the "rostering," or official denominational recognition, of clergy members in monogamous gay relationships. The recommendation also will be voted on during the Minneapolis assembly.
The first step would be an affirmation that the assembly "is committed to finding ways to allow congregations and synods that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships."
If it were to fail, the rest of the proposals would die. But if it passed, the assembly would then be asked to affirm recommendations that the church allow rostering of partnered gay clergy, in good faith respect the consciences of those who disagree and finally create a process for allowing such rostering while allowing exceptions for congregations, synods and bishops who do not want to act in ways they view as affirming homosexual behavior.
It stopped short of recommending specific marriage rites or liturgies for same-sex unions in the church.
A group that supports full equality for gay Lutherans praised most of the recommendations, but expressed reservations about churches or clergy from areas with conservative bishops.
"Clearly, the Lutheran Church has ample room for conscience-bound opposition, but that ought to lie at the congregational level," said Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned North America, in a press release issued in reaction to the task force's recommendations.
"[T]he recommendations provide for a framework in which congregations, synods, candidacy committees and bishops may discriminate at will against ministers and candidates in a same-gender relationship," Eastwood said. "In the ELCA, congregations retain the right to call the minister of their choosing from approved rosters of the whole church. The recommendations could restrict a congregation's ability to call a well-suited minister in a same-gender relationship. Candidates in locations with unsupportive leadership could be denied candidacy."
A conservative group of ELCA leaders, meanwhile, expressed strong opposition to the task force's recommendations as well as the proposed social statement.
"When any church finds itself accommodating its teachings to the ways of the culture, that church is in trouble," said Erma Wolf, a Lutheran minister from Brandon, S.D., in a statement released by Lutheran CORE. The group opposes gay equality in the ELCA.
"In these documents the ELCA would accommodate itself to the demands of our culture that the desires and needs of individuals trump everything else," Wolf, vice chair of the Lutheran CORE steering committee, continued. "The exceptions become the rule, until finally there are no rules. That movement is happening in a number of areas, including human sexual relations. But no church has the authority to overturn the Word of God that protects sexual relations by placing them properly in the structure of marriage, and establishes marriage as being between male and female."
The task force report builds on an earlier set of recommendations. In 2007, the church asked its bishops to refrain from enforcing the previous policy barring gay ministers in same-sex relationships pending the outcome of the task force's study. Earlier that year, an Atlanta pastor was defrocked after announcing to Lutheran officials that he was living in a same-sex relationship.
The ELCA's approximately 4.8 million members are spread throughout the country but concentrated most heavily in the Midwest. Two much smaller Lutheran denominations -- the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod -- are far more conservative on issues such as homosexuality and women in leadership.
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Opinion: In vitro industry out of control
By David Gushee (721 words)
(ABP) -- In January, a California woman named Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets through in vitro fertilization. These eight babies were added to six others that Suleman had also conceived through in vitro procedures.
Nadya Suleman is an extreme example of a growing trend. The reproductive-technology industry is booming, with over 130,000 procedures and 50,000 births a year, up from around 65,000 procedures and just below 20,000 births a little over a decade ago. Almost 90 percent of in vitro procedures involve transferring more than one embryo; nearly a third of in vitro live births involve multiple children; 2 percent of them involve triplets or more. And these multiple births often come with health consequences such as the need for long-term care due to low birth weights and various disabilities. Sometimes these long-term expenses are paid by the taxpayer.
Demand for in vitro and other reproductive technologies is driven from a number of directions. Infertility rates among couples seeking children now stand at over 10%, due to social and environmental factors. Single and divorced women, and some men, also have turned to the industry in search of the children they cannot have any other way. The breakdown of marriage has produced more and more people in such situations.
The reproductive-technology industry is almost entirely unregulated. Professional standards for the industry are primarily framed as guidelines and not enforced by law. For example, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine established a guideline, not a rule, that doctors should transfer no more than two embryos for women under 35, and no more than five (!) for women over that age. But this is just a guideline, and even statistical reporting of what fertility clinics are doing is voluntary.
As a competitive industry, reproductive clinics must sell themselves based on their results. The bottom line is that people are desperate to make babies. Implanting multiple embryos, it has been believed, increases the likelihood that at least one will survive to birth. It is therefore in the business interest of fertility clinics to do whatever maximizes their live birth rate. Meanwhile, the expense of these procedures motivates patients to make the most of every round of in vitro fertilization.
The spate of well-publicized multiple births appears at least partially related to a striking paradox -- conservative religious believers who do not believe in wasting, destroying, or "selectively reducing" the embryos from their in vitro processes. These are people whose religious beliefs do not prohibit them from intervening via technology in the procreative process, but do prohibit them from destroying embryos once they have been produced. It makes for an uneasy combination of tradition and innovation, of ancient beliefs partially adapted to contemporary medical practices.
Certainly reproductive technologies have brought into the world hundreds of thousands of children much loved by their families. No one can or should question that. In a society in which over a million babies are aborted each year, it is heartening that the desire to give birth to new life still runs so deep in so many.
But this industry needs better regulation. Federal law is required to establish basic professional standards for the industry in areas such as physician training, reporting and practices. I would like to see a healthy debate on a ban of the transfer of more than two embryos, as well as on "selective reduction." Any reform of our health-care and health-insurance system requires consideration of the cost and value of these procedures.
Meanwhile, Christian ethics has work to do. While Roman Catholic ethics officially has rejected any technological intervention in the procreative process, Protestant ethics has tended to offer an uncritical blessing, to try to suggest a few caveats or limits, and mainly to say nothing. A handful of recent younger ethicists and social critics have begun exploring the deeper implications of this increasingly massive industry. But this analysis hasn't really filtered to the grass roots. Most local-church pastors have little background or training to help couples and families think through the theological, financial, and moral issues raised by the reproductive-technology choices they are presented with when they face fertility problems.
Absent any serious reflection or guidance from their churches, many of our people gradually wander into the thicket of reproductive technology without a guide. The churches must do better. Our nation must do better.
David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University.
February 20, 2009 · (09-23)
David Wilkinson, Executive Director
Robert Marus, Managing Editor/Washington Bureau Chief
Bob Allen, Senior Writer
In this issue
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent, partners by 30 percent (695 words)
Survey: Crisis has some churches slashing budgets, more worried (707 words)
Baptist pastor convicted in Azerbaijan (520 words)
Lutheran task force proposes process to allow gay relationships for clergy (687 words)
Opinion: In vitro industry out of control (721 words)
CBF cuts spending by 20 percent, partners by 30 percent
By Bob Allen (695 words)
DECATUR, Ga. (ABP) -- Starting March 1, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will operate on a contingency spending plan that cuts staff salaries by 1 percent and reduces funding for theology schools and other CBF partner organizations by 30 percent.
The plan, adopted by the CBF advisory council and reported to the full CBF Coordinating Council Feb. 19-20, saves $5.5 million over the next 19 months.
Connie McNeill, the Fellowship's coordinator of administration, said the cutbacks anticipate a worst-case scenario of revenue projections during the current economic recession. Should the financial picture get brighter, she said, the cuts will be only temporary.
"You can imagine that these have been painful and thoughtful decisions," McNeill said. "We are fully aware of the possible implications to the entire Fellowship movement. We also know that we are held responsible by you to be good fiscal managers of CBF."
McNeill said no current CBF employees will lose their jobs in the contingency plan, but some vacant positions will not be filled. She said further staff reductions could come in the future, however.
Daniel Vestal, CBF's executive coordinator, is recovering from surgery and did not attend the meeting.
The plan cuts salaries by 1 percent across the board and decreases contributions to employees' retirement plans by 3 percent. It includes no raises in 2010, reduces travel by 20 percent and requires employees to reimburse CBF for personal use of their cell phones.
CBF has about 60 paid employees at its headquarters in Atlanta, along with 135 global-mission personnel in 29 countries. Thirty-five of those missionaries are CBF "affiliates," who are commissioned by CBF but provide or raise their own support.
The contingency plan also cuts funding for 15 theological schools and 17 other autonomous "partners" that receive part of their support through CBF. They include Associated Baptist Press, which stands to see its $110,000 annual CBF allocation -- about a fifth of its annual budget -- reduced by $33,000 in each of the next two budget years.
Jack Glasgow, CBF moderator, said receipts early in the fiscal year were about 79 percent of budget levels, prompting CBF to cut back spending to 80 percent of amounts approved in the 2008-2009 budget adopted at last year's General Assembly in Memphis, Tenn.
"This is a spending plan that is an effort to match our current spending with receipts, and it is based on the early-fiscal-year look at receipts," said Glasgow, pastor of Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, N.C.
Glasgow said in an interview that partners would be cut at a higher level -- 30 percent instead of 20 percent -- because they have the possibility of making up the difference from other sources. "With partners and schools, CBF funding is a piece the funding," Glasgow said. "A 20 percent cut is a real 20 percent cut to us."
CBF leaders said they decided to tighten the belt now, rather than waiting for a crisis that could force even harder decisions down the road.
"We're trying to figure out how not to panic," said Colleen Burroughs, chair of the CBF finance committee. "Everybody in America is panicking right now. It's better to come up with a plan now to spend wisely on the front end rather than to panic on the back end."
Burroughs said if the economy rebounds and revenues increase, CBF can go back to spending at budget levels. Glasgow said any funding due partners and schools would be made up at the end of the year.
"We did not feel reserves were at a place where we could ignore this revenue shortfall," Glasgow said. He added that if revenues are lower than the contingency plan anticipates, such as 78 percent instead of 80 percent of budget levels, reserves could be tapped to make up the difference.
In other business, the Coordinating Council approved a $16,150,000 budget for 2009-2010. The contingency plan continues into that budget year, however, meaning that unless revoked the new budget will start out with spending at 80 percent.
The proposed budget, to be presented for approval at the CBF General Assembly July 2-3 in Houston, is 2 percent lower than the $16.5 million originally budgeted for 2008-2009.
Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.
Survey: Crisis has some churches slashing budgets, more worried
By Robert Marus (707 words)
DALLAS (ABP) -- Churches that aren't cutting their budgets due to the economic downturn are, by and large, taking measures to curb expenses, according to a survey the National Association of Church Business Administration has done of its members.
The organization -- the professional society for church administrators of all denominations -- released the study Feb. 20. It found that 57 percent of the congregations represented by members surveyed had experienced a slowdown in contributions.
Thirty-two percent of the churches' administrators said the dip was "not common for our congregation this time of year," while 25 percent could not say for certain whether the downturn was due to the economy.
Meanwhile, 30 percent of the respondents said their churches were "doing okay" but "not seeing strong growth in financial support." Twelve percent said their giving was "strong" and continuing to grow, while only 1 percent said their financial support was "very strong."
Twenty percent of the respondents said their churches had been forced to lay off employees and 26 percent said they had postponed a major capital project. Nearly half -- 47 percent -- said they had reduced or frozen staff compensation packages.
Phill Martin is NACBA's deputy chief executive and a veteran Baptist church administrator. He said the 32 percent of members who believed the economy had definitely affected their congregations was much higher than the 14 percent who thought so when they answered a similar survey in August.
"I think we are starting to see more pain felt -- although nothing like in the private sector," Martin, who is also a member of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, said.
Martin noted that it is often more difficult for churches than businesses or secular non-profits to judge whether the economy is responsible for a dip in contributions or if it owes to some other factor, such as church conflict or the a lack of a pastor.
"Our local ABC [TV] affiliate came and asked me to give them the names of five churches in [economic] trouble," he said. "But I can give you five churches in trouble when the economy's in good shape."
He also noted the differences in local economic effects are causing differences between metropolitan areas and regions of the country in how particular churches fare.
"If we look at North Dallas, things are pretty good," he said Feb. 19, noting he had just come from a meeting with 40 local church administrators and that they simply "had a good dialogue" about the state of the economy. "But [members of] our chapter in Phoenix are really struggling because so many people there have lost their jobs because of downsizing."
That's the case in Dalton, Ga., a small city about an hour northwest of Atlanta where floor-covering manufacturers dominate the local economy.
"There have been layoffs in almost all of the major carpet companies located in Dalton," said Debra Haney, administrator at First Baptist Church of Dalton. "These layoffs have been necessary due to reduced need for floor covering. Of course, this need is directly tied to the declining housing market."
Haney said the church has cut its 2009 budget by more than 11 percent -- across all budget categories and including reductions in working hours for some staff.
Bill Wilson, the church's pastor, is a member of the Associated Baptist Press board of directors.
The cuts may only be the beginning. The economy shows no obvious signs of a quick recovery, and many economists are predicting a multi-year recession.
Martin pointed to a study by the Christian research organization Empty Tomb, Inc., showing that there has not necessarily been a correlation between nationwide recessions and declines in annual per-capita giving to churches in the last 40 years.
However, Martin noted, between 1968 and 2005, church giving declined in three of the 10 years that showed one month or more of economic contraction. Out of those three years of drops in church giving, two were the last year of recessions that stretched over multiple years.
"What I got out of that is that a lot of times multi-year recessions tend to catch up with the church; they're not instantly affected," he said. "And so I think it is a wise caution that churches are displaying."
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Baptist pastor convicted in Azerbaijan
By ABP staff (520 words)
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (ABP) -- A Baptist pastor in the South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has been found guilty of what supporters say are bogus weapons charges and given "a two-year corrective labor sentence," according to a worldwide Baptist group.
The Virginia-based Baptist World Alliance announced Feb. 20 that Hamid Shabanov, who pastors a house church of approximately 60 members in the town of Aliabad, had been convicted. He was arrested on June 20, 2008, after police claimed to have found an illegal weapon in his home after a raid.
Denying the allegations against Shabanov, and claiming that the weapon was planted by the police, Baptist Union of Azerbaijan General Secretary Elnur Jabiyev said the arrest "was a provocation by the police" and that it was "a deliberately targeted action," according to a BWA press release. Jabiyev claimed "the police's aim is to halt Baptist activity and close the church in Aliabad."
"I will continue to fight against this sentence and to clear my name," Shabanov said after his Feb. 11 conviction. The two-year labor sentence is equivalent to eight months in prison. Thus Shabanov, who has already spent more than seven months in detention or under house arrest, will not be locked up. He was ordered to pay a fine to cover the remainder of the sentence.
After his arrest, the trial against Shabanov began on July 22, 2008, but the case was referred back to the prosecutor by the judge on July 29 for further investigation. Another hearing was called on Aug. 22 without the knowledge of Shabanov, his lawyer or family. This hearing extended his detention by a further two months, which ended on Oct. 21.
The trial was scheduled to begin on Oct. 28. But it did not begin -- despite his lawyer traveling 450 kilometers (280 miles) from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku -- because police failed to bring Shabanov from jail to the court.
In addition, neither the pastor's family nor lawyer had received a copy of the indictment against him. "They haven't even given us the case materials," Shabanov's lawyer said.
After another hearing on Jan. 26, Shabanov's trial began on Feb. 4 and the verdict was handed down Feb. 11.
Shabanov is the second Baptist pastor in Aliabad to be convicted of a crime. Zaur Balaev was arrested in May 2007 and given a two -ear sentence after being convicted in August of that year for beating up five policemen and damaging a police car door.
Members of Balaev's church and residents in the town also disputed the charges against Balaev, who was released in March 2008 after protests from officials of the BWA, the European Baptist Federation and former United States President Jimmy Carter.
The EBF, one of six regional fellowships of the BWA, led a delegation to Azerbaijan in January to meet with government, diplomatic, and religious leaders, partly in response to the cases against Balaev and Shabanov.
Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country, gained its independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. There are 22 Baptist churches and 3,000 baptized believers in the country of 8.7 million people.
Lutheran task force proposes process to allow gay relationships for clergy
By Robert Marus (687 words)
CHICAGO (ABP) -- An ad hoc panel for one of the nation's largest Protestant bodies is recommending a four-part process to begin allowing members of its clergy to live openly in committed same-sex relationships.
But both supporters and opponents of gay rights in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America expressed mixed reviews of the Feb. 19 proposal by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality.
The denomination represents nearly 5 million Lutherans in centrist-to-liberal congregations nationwide.
The proposal is divided into two main parts: First, a proposed "social statement" that affirms the multiple "conscience-bound" views of ELCA members on the propriety of monogamous same-sex relationships, to be voted on by the denomination's Churchwide Assembly, scheduled for Minneapolis in August.
Second, the task force recommended a four-step process for beginning to allow the "rostering," or official denominational recognition, of clergy members in monogamous gay relationships. The recommendation also will be voted on during the Minneapolis assembly.
The first step would be an affirmation that the assembly "is committed to finding ways to allow congregations and synods that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships."
If it were to fail, the rest of the proposals would die. But if it passed, the assembly would then be asked to affirm recommendations that the church allow rostering of partnered gay clergy, in good faith respect the consciences of those who disagree and finally create a process for allowing such rostering while allowing exceptions for congregations, synods and bishops who do not want to act in ways they view as affirming homosexual behavior.
It stopped short of recommending specific marriage rites or liturgies for same-sex unions in the church.
A group that supports full equality for gay Lutherans praised most of the recommendations, but expressed reservations about churches or clergy from areas with conservative bishops.
"Clearly, the Lutheran Church has ample room for conscience-bound opposition, but that ought to lie at the congregational level," said Emily Eastwood, executive director of Lutherans Concerned North America, in a press release issued in reaction to the task force's recommendations.
"[T]he recommendations provide for a framework in which congregations, synods, candidacy committees and bishops may discriminate at will against ministers and candidates in a same-gender relationship," Eastwood said. "In the ELCA, congregations retain the right to call the minister of their choosing from approved rosters of the whole church. The recommendations could restrict a congregation's ability to call a well-suited minister in a same-gender relationship. Candidates in locations with unsupportive leadership could be denied candidacy."
A conservative group of ELCA leaders, meanwhile, expressed strong opposition to the task force's recommendations as well as the proposed social statement.
"When any church finds itself accommodating its teachings to the ways of the culture, that church is in trouble," said Erma Wolf, a Lutheran minister from Brandon, S.D., in a statement released by Lutheran CORE. The group opposes gay equality in the ELCA.
"In these documents the ELCA would accommodate itself to the demands of our culture that the desires and needs of individuals trump everything else," Wolf, vice chair of the Lutheran CORE steering committee, continued. "The exceptions become the rule, until finally there are no rules. That movement is happening in a number of areas, including human sexual relations. But no church has the authority to overturn the Word of God that protects sexual relations by placing them properly in the structure of marriage, and establishes marriage as being between male and female."
The task force report builds on an earlier set of recommendations. In 2007, the church asked its bishops to refrain from enforcing the previous policy barring gay ministers in same-sex relationships pending the outcome of the task force's study. Earlier that year, an Atlanta pastor was defrocked after announcing to Lutheran officials that he was living in a same-sex relationship.
The ELCA's approximately 4.8 million members are spread throughout the country but concentrated most heavily in the Midwest. Two much smaller Lutheran denominations -- the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod -- are far more conservative on issues such as homosexuality and women in leadership.
Robert Marus is managing editor and Washington bureau chief for Associated Baptist Press.
Opinion: In vitro industry out of control
By David Gushee (721 words)
(ABP) -- In January, a California woman named Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets through in vitro fertilization. These eight babies were added to six others that Suleman had also conceived through in vitro procedures.
Nadya Suleman is an extreme example of a growing trend. The reproductive-technology industry is booming, with over 130,000 procedures and 50,000 births a year, up from around 65,000 procedures and just below 20,000 births a little over a decade ago. Almost 90 percent of in vitro procedures involve transferring more than one embryo; nearly a third of in vitro live births involve multiple children; 2 percent of them involve triplets or more. And these multiple births often come with health consequences such as the need for long-term care due to low birth weights and various disabilities. Sometimes these long-term expenses are paid by the taxpayer.
Demand for in vitro and other reproductive technologies is driven from a number of directions. Infertility rates among couples seeking children now stand at over 10%, due to social and environmental factors. Single and divorced women, and some men, also have turned to the industry in search of the children they cannot have any other way. The breakdown of marriage has produced more and more people in such situations.
The reproductive-technology industry is almost entirely unregulated. Professional standards for the industry are primarily framed as guidelines and not enforced by law. For example, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine established a guideline, not a rule, that doctors should transfer no more than two embryos for women under 35, and no more than five (!) for women over that age. But this is just a guideline, and even statistical reporting of what fertility clinics are doing is voluntary.
As a competitive industry, reproductive clinics must sell themselves based on their results. The bottom line is that people are desperate to make babies. Implanting multiple embryos, it has been believed, increases the likelihood that at least one will survive to birth. It is therefore in the business interest of fertility clinics to do whatever maximizes their live birth rate. Meanwhile, the expense of these procedures motivates patients to make the most of every round of in vitro fertilization.
The spate of well-publicized multiple births appears at least partially related to a striking paradox -- conservative religious believers who do not believe in wasting, destroying, or "selectively reducing" the embryos from their in vitro processes. These are people whose religious beliefs do not prohibit them from intervening via technology in the procreative process, but do prohibit them from destroying embryos once they have been produced. It makes for an uneasy combination of tradition and innovation, of ancient beliefs partially adapted to contemporary medical practices.
Certainly reproductive technologies have brought into the world hundreds of thousands of children much loved by their families. No one can or should question that. In a society in which over a million babies are aborted each year, it is heartening that the desire to give birth to new life still runs so deep in so many.
But this industry needs better regulation. Federal law is required to establish basic professional standards for the industry in areas such as physician training, reporting and practices. I would like to see a healthy debate on a ban of the transfer of more than two embryos, as well as on "selective reduction." Any reform of our health-care and health-insurance system requires consideration of the cost and value of these procedures.
Meanwhile, Christian ethics has work to do. While Roman Catholic ethics officially has rejected any technological intervention in the procreative process, Protestant ethics has tended to offer an uncritical blessing, to try to suggest a few caveats or limits, and mainly to say nothing. A handful of recent younger ethicists and social critics have begun exploring the deeper implications of this increasingly massive industry. But this analysis hasn't really filtered to the grass roots. Most local-church pastors have little background or training to help couples and families think through the theological, financial, and moral issues raised by the reproductive-technology choices they are presented with when they face fertility problems.
Absent any serious reflection or guidance from their churches, many of our people gradually wander into the thicket of reproductive technology without a guide. The churches must do better. Our nation must do better.
David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University.
Word of the Day - 2/20/2009
Natation
Natation is an act or the skill of swimming.
The only time Biblical characters engage in natation occurs when Paul and his companions are shipwrecked in Acts 27.
but the centurion, wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,(Acts 27:43, NASB)
All of those involved in the shipwreck made it successfully to shore.
Note: This illustration of the shipwreck in Acts 27 was painted by Gustave Doré (1832-1883).
In Eckleburg's Eyes - 2/20/2009, Part 2
News & Notes from Thursday, February 19th, 2009
-On Thursday night, I attended Bible Study at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church. The class I attended is entitled “I Corinthians: The Christian’s Guide for Living in a Hostile World” and meets from 7 PM-8:15 PM in the Fellowship Prayer Chapel. On this night, Dr. Kevin Huggins taught on I Corinthians 4. I highly recommend this group.
-After briefly visiting JTH at MoFoS I picked up soup at Panera Bread for KLTW, RAW, and myself. They had requested I bring the warm soup as they were having a bonfire outside.
-After getting the food, I joined the Walkers and MPW in RAW’s backyard for the fire. KJW was having her usual Thursday night slumber party at her aunt PWC’s home. I love the child but prefer bonfires without her as the combination of KJW and fire makes me nervous. Case in point: KLTW, a grown up, actually melted some of her shoe by sticking it too close to the fire.
-Having not known of this plan when I left the house, KLTW provided me with a jacket and toboggan to wear. KLTW wore the Barack Obama beanie I picked her up in DC. The coolest item used on this day was a cup that lit up in different colors. One of RAW’s customers at Best Buy had done promotional work for Ziggy Marley and gave it to him.
-I enjoyed the hours I spent talking to my friends but to be honest, I have never understood the draw of sitting outside in the freezing cold to do so. That’s why God invented heating units.
-Finally, Thursday was my high school friend CAR’s birthday. I never forget you, Courtney!
-On Thursday night, I attended Bible Study at Fellowship Evangelical Free Church. The class I attended is entitled “I Corinthians: The Christian’s Guide for Living in a Hostile World” and meets from 7 PM-8:15 PM in the Fellowship Prayer Chapel. On this night, Dr. Kevin Huggins taught on I Corinthians 4. I highly recommend this group.
-After briefly visiting JTH at MoFoS I picked up soup at Panera Bread for KLTW, RAW, and myself. They had requested I bring the warm soup as they were having a bonfire outside.
-After getting the food, I joined the Walkers and MPW in RAW’s backyard for the fire. KJW was having her usual Thursday night slumber party at her aunt PWC’s home. I love the child but prefer bonfires without her as the combination of KJW and fire makes me nervous. Case in point: KLTW, a grown up, actually melted some of her shoe by sticking it too close to the fire.-Having not known of this plan when I left the house, KLTW provided me with a jacket and toboggan to wear. KLTW wore the Barack Obama beanie I picked her up in DC. The coolest item used on this day was a cup that lit up in different colors. One of RAW’s customers at Best Buy had done promotional work for Ziggy Marley and gave it to him.
-I enjoyed the hours I spent talking to my friends but to be honest, I have never understood the draw of sitting outside in the freezing cold to do so. That’s why God invented heating units.
-Finally, Thursday was my high school friend CAR’s birthday. I never forget you, Courtney!
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