c. 1997 Religion News Service
Anti-Clinton church wins round against the IRS
(RNS) A Vestal, N.Y., church stripped of its tax exempt status for declaring in 1992 that it was a”sin”to vote for Bill Clinton has won a key court victory in its fight with the Internal Revenue Service.
U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman ruled that the Church at Pierce Creek had established sufficient evidence that the IRS intentionally discriminated against the church for its legal claim to proceed.
Friedman _ a Clinton appointee _ said in his ruling that the IRS had treated Church at Pierce Creek”in a significantly different fashion from the way it has treated other churches and/or religious organizations that have engaged in overt political campaign activity,”the Washington Times reported Tuesday (July 15).
Just days prior to the 1992 presidential election, the church, its pastor, the Rev. Dan Little, and Branch Ministries Inc. jointly published full-page ads in USA Today and the Washington Times saying that to vote for Clinton was a sin because as Arkansas governor Clinton supported homosexuality, abortion and the distribution of condoms to public school students.
The church _ a conservative congregation associated with Randall Terry, the founder of the militant anti-abortion group Operation Rescue _ argued that it was singled out for IRS retribution. The church noted that other churches that engaged in political activity were not stripped of their tax exempt status.
Friedman appeared to agree, noting in his ruling that the Rev. Jesse Jackson”took up collections at churches around the country”during his 1988 presidential campaign, and that Boston’s Roman Catholic archbishop in 1980 issued a letter urging support for two Democratics that supported abortion rights.
Friedman also noted the IRS had taken away the church’s tax exempt status _ he called it a”draconian measure”_ without first issuing it a warning, fine or suspension.
The judge ruled the IRS must now produce much of the records it used to deny the Church at Pierce Creek of its tax exemption.
German bishop to head Lutheran World Federation
(RNS) German Bishop Christian Krause has been elected president of the Lutheran World Federation.
Krause was elected Monday (July 14) at the federation’s ninth assembly, being held in Hong Kong. Krause succeeds Brazilian Gottfied Braakemeier.
The federation _ celebrating its 50th anniversary while meeting in Hong Kong July 8-16 _ is a worldwide communion of 122 Lutheran churches with more than 57 million members in 68 countries.
Krause is the German Evangelical Lutheran Church bishop in Brunswick (Braunschweig). He was elected president on the second ballot, defeating the Rev. Prasanna Kumari of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church of India, 215 votes to 142. Two other candidates were eliminated on the first ballot.
Before becoming bishop of Brunswick, Krause was general secretary of the German Kirchentag, or church assembly. He has also worked for the Lutheran World Federation in Africa and in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his acceptance speech, Krause stressed the importance of remaining Lutheran while remaining open to the ecumenical movement.
WCC says its finances have”stabilized” (RNS) The World Council of Churches says it has”stabilized”its financial situation following a round of”drastic”cost-cutting measures, although it still suffered a shortfall of about $2 million during 1996.
In 1995, the WCC fell $5.5 million short of covering its operating expenses, prompting the international ecumenical body to reduce its staff of 267 by 67.
In an introduction to the WCC’s 1996 financial report, the Rev. Michael Davies, WCC assistant general secretary for finance and administration, said the”situation relating to General Funds has stabilized. As anticipated, there was an operating shortfall in the year, but steps have been taken to ensure that this is not repeated in subsequent years.” Davies warned that”operating costs must not exceed income from now on,”according to a WCC news release.
Davies said the WCC is working toward having a balanced budget in 1997 and 1998. However, he noted the next WCC assembly is set for 1998, which could complicate further cost-reduction efforts.
Carey condemns homosexuality at Church of England synod
(RNS) Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey told the Church of England’s general synod Monday (July 14) that he found no justification in the Bible or in Christian tradition for sexual activity outside marriage.”Same-sex relationships, in my view, cannot be on a par with marriage,”the Anglican leader said at the meeting that ended Tuesday (July 15) in York.
Carey said he did not believe any major change in his stand was likely in the foreseeable future.
The archbishop also firmly ruled out the involvement of clergy in active homosexual relationships during a debate that showed how deeply divided the Church of England is over the morality of homosexual behavior.
While some decried the dishonesty involved in homosexual clergy hiding their lifestyles, others questioned what they considered self-justifying tactics by a small gay minority.
The synod, voting by a substantial majority, recommended that the church statement”Issues in Human Sexuality”be circulated throughout the church for wider discussion. The statement, published by the church’s House of Bishops in 1991, has been consistently interpreted as tolerating stable homosexual relationships among the laity but not among the clergy.
But Bishop Richard Harries of Oxford described that interpretation as”a widespread misunderstanding.”He believes the document sets forth one standard _ lifelong heterosexual marriage _ but does not reject homosexual laity who believe they are better off in a”faithful homophile partnership”than a celibate lifestyle.
Reuters reported that the synod also passed a motion urging church members to acknowledge that the 1991 statement tolerating gay relationships for the laity but not the clergy was”not the last word on the subject.” The discussion on homosexuality marked the first time the synod had debated the issue since 1987, when it declared that”homosexual acts fall short of (God’s) ideal.” In other matters at the synod, members decided to permit an ethical investment working group to focus more on specific companies rather than whole industries when determining investment policies. In the past, the church’s policy has been to exclude investment in certain categories of business including arms, gambling, breweries and tobacco.
The synod also expressed”alarm and dismay”at standards of broadcasting that allow instances of blasphemy, violence, bad language and casual sex. But members also expressed appreciation for uses of the media for positive education and entertainment.
In addition, the synod endorsed a policy of tackling high unemployment by raising taxes and using the revenue to create more jobs in the public sector. The policy was recommended in a joint report, published in April, by a group set up by British and Irish churches.
South Carolina enters Ten Commandments debate
(RNS) South Carolina has become the most recent battle zone in the debate over the right to post the Ten Commandments in a government facility.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina filed suit Monday (July 14) in the South Carolina Court of Common Pleas seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the Charleston (S.C.) County Council’s plan to post the Ten Commandments in council chambers.
This latest controversy follows recent events in Alabama, where Gov. Fob James has vowed to use the National Guard to keep in place a courtroom display of the Ten Commandments. The issue has become a cause celebre for religious conservatives.
Charleston council members voted May 20 to endorse the posting and said they would use a Ten Commandments plaque donated by a private group.
The lawsuit charges that”the use of religious symbols to adorn Council chambers has as its primary purpose and effect the advancing of religion, and symbolically links the County, the laws of the United States and the State of South Carolina with religion.” The Rev. Barry Lynn, Americans United executive director, said the Ten Commandments are important to many people of faith and should not be used for political purposes. He said the South Carolina action was apparently spurred by the developments in Alabama.”The Charleston County Council has apparently forgotten that the Constitution, not the Ten Commandments, forms the basis of U.S. law,”Lynn said.”The council chamber is a house of government, not a house of worship. It should be a place of welcome for all Americans, not just those with the `right’ religion.”MDUL
United Methodist membership decline continues
(RNS) The three-decade membership decline in the United Methodist Church continued in 1996, although losses were less than in 1995 and 1994.
Fifty of the church’s 66 annual conferences reported losses in 1996, the United Methodist News Service reported July 7.
The denomination, with a U.S. membership of 8.5 million, reported a decline of approximately 42,000 members last year. This compares to declines of 49,308 in 1995 and 62,267 in 1994.
The North Georgia conference reported the largest gain, while West Ohio and the Dakotas reported the largest declines.
ELCA membership stable
(RNS) The Evangelical Church in America experienced a year of membership stability in 1996.
The denomination of 5.2 million members in 10,936 congregations saw a slight membership decline from 1995 of less than two-tenths of 1 percent, according to a report by the ELCA’s news service.
The denomination said that contributions were up 3.8 percent from 1995 to more than $1.8 billion.
A growing arm of the church was featured when the Association of Asians _ ELCA held its Fifth Biennial General Assembly June 26-28 in Los Angeles. There are about 23,000 Asian members in the denomination.”You are the sign of hope, the future of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,”the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, said at the meeting.
Action was taken to change the name of the association to the Association of Asians/Pacific Islanders _ ELCA. The motion was approved and will be referred to the ELCA’s Church Council.
Millard Fuller wins Independent Sector leadership award
(RNS) Millard Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International, has been selected as the 1997 recipient of the John W. Gardner Leadership Award by Independent Sector, a national forum to encourage giving, volunteering and not-for-profit initiatives.
The award recognizes living Americans working in or with the voluntary sector, who build, mobilize and unify people, institutions or causes.
Independent Sector was founded by Gardner, who also founded Common Cause.
Fuller, who co-founded Habitat with his wife, Linda, in 1976, was lauded for the global, self-help building network whose mission is to eliminate substandard housing and homelessness from the world.
Independent Sector reported that Habitat draws an estimated 100,000 volunteers a year and completes at least one house per hour somewhere in the world every 12-hour work day.
National Catholic Reporter appoints new editor
(RNS) Michael Farrell has been appointed editor of the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) after serving on the publication’s staff since 1980.
NCR publisher and former editor Tom Fox made the announcement of Farrell’s promotion July 1 at the publication’s Kansas City, Mo., headquarters.
Farrell, who began as trends and reviews editor, was named executive editor in January. A NCR columnist for 16 years, he has reported from the former Soviet Union, South Africa and Ireland.
NCR is a leading independent Catholic weekly newspaper.
Quote of the day: The Rev. Thomas Morrow
(RNS) In his sermon Sunday (July 13), the Rev. Thomas Morrow, pastor of St. Thomas Apostle Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., spoke about money, greed, the use of credit and tithing. He said, in part:”The world’s philosophy is you party first and then have the hangover. The Christian philosophy is fast first, and then you have the feast.”
MJP END RNS
