c. 1998 Religion News Service
Federal task force: No national conspiracy in church fires
(RNS) A federal arson task force has reported it again found no evidence of a national conspiracy in arsons at black Southern churches and said that the number of church fires in general has declined since 1996.”Arson is hard to prove,”James Johnson, Treasury Department undersecretary for enforcement, said Thursday (Oct. 22), when the task force on church arson released its second report.
There have been arrests in 34 percent of church fires, a rate more than twice as high as the 16-percent national arrest rate for all arson cases, he said.
The task force, including staff from the Treasury and Justice departments, has tracked arson attacks on churches since 1995. It reported having 243 investigations closed and 427 open, the Associated Press said.”Right now we have found no evidence of a national conspiracy”based on anti-religious or racial motives, said Bill Lann Lee, acting assistant attorney general for civil rights. But clusters of church attacks in some cases indicated”local coordination”among arsonists, he said.
The task force began after a spate of attacks on black churches in the South.
A total of 670 suspicious church fires, bombings or attempted bombings have been tracked by the task force since 1995. Of that number, 225 affected black churches.
In 1996, when church fires reached their peak nationwide, 119 of the 297 affected churches were predominantly black. In 1997, there were 53 attacks on black churches and 155 on other houses of worship. Through August 1998, the task force has tracked 28 attacks on black churches and 86 on other houses of worship.
The task force said 308 people have been arrested in the 670 cases. The racial/ethnic breakdown of those charged is 254 whites, 46 blacks and eight Hispanics. Of the black church cases, those charged included 68 whites, 37 blacks and one Hispanic.
Bob Jones University threatens to arrest returning gay alumni
(RNS) Christian fundamentalist Bob Jones University has threatened to arrest gay graduates who return to its Greenville, S.C., campus.
At first, the school threatened Thursday (Oct. 22) to arrest all homosexual alumni who return to the campus, but then officials partially backed down, allowing them to visit its art museum. A ban extending to the gallery could affect the museum’s tax-exempt status.
Wayne Mouritzen, a retired minister and Bob Jones graduate, received a letter banning him from campus after officials learned he is gay, the Associated Press reported.”With grief we must tell you that as long as you are living as a homosexual, you, of course, would not be welcome on the campus and would be arrested for trespassing if you did visit,”read a letter signed by the university’s dean of students.
Mouritzen, 60, said he was shocked to receive the letter.”They do have a beautiful art gallery, but who wants to go on campus and get arrested?”said Mouritzen, who said he came to grips with his homosexuality just six months ago.”It’s truly not public if it discriminates against gays.” Jonathan Pait, a university spokesman, said administrators customarily write to alumni they believe have strayed from the core beliefs of the school. It was unclear whether university campus officers or local police would be expected to arrest returning gay graduates.
Interfaith Alliance, Christian Coalition trade charges
(RNS) The Interfaith Alliance has accused the Christian Coalition of”manipulation and deceptive tactics”for using churches as distribution points for its controversial voter guides.
The coalition, founded by conservative religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, has announced it will distribute some 45 million voter guides during the current election period.
The Interfaith Alliance, a longtime foe of the coalition, maintained that the guides are partisan political documents that do not belong in houses of worship. It also accused the coalition of putting false information in the guides to favor the group’s Republican leanings.
The alliance also questioned the timing of distribution of the guides, many of which will arrive in churches just days before the Nov. 3 elections. The alliance claimed the late arrival was a ploy to protect the guides against proper analysis.
Alliance officials announced at a Wednesday (Oct. 21) news conference in Washington that 20,000 religious leaders nationwide will be sent letters alerting them of the group’s concerns about the guides.
The Rev. C. Welton Gaddy, Interfaith Alliance executive director, said the Christian Coalition was”seeking to transform houses of worship into precinct halls for espousing partisan politics.” The Interfaith Alliance calls itself a non-partisan coalition of religious leaders”dedicated to promoting the positive and healing role of religion in public life.”But a spokesperson for the Christian Coalition said the alliance is anything but non-partisan.”The Interfaith Alliance was essentially organized with an infusion of money from the Democratic National Committee to basically engage in a publicity campaign at election time directed at the efforts of the Christian Coalition,”said spokesman Arne Owens.”Informed voters need to know that they are coming at this from a liberal theology and liberal political philosophy,”said Owens.”They have an ideological point of view that reflects the liberal theologians that comprise the Interfaith Alliance.”
Jakes'”Woman, Thou Art Loosed”theme to be staged
(RNS)”Woman, Thou Art Loosed,”the name of a book, a conference and a recording by popular Pentecostal preacher Bishop T.D. Jakes is now the subject of a play.
The musical production by T.D. Jakes Enterprises will debut this weekend (Oct. 23-24) in Atlanta and travel to three other cities. It will focus on how child sexual abuse affects the life of the play’s main character.
The script was co-written by Jakes, a Dallas-based pastor, and former Motown Records songwriter Terri McFaddin and is an adaptation of Jakes’ best-selling book that aimed to bring inspiration to women who had suffered from personal tragedies.
After Atlanta, the play will go to Louisville, Ky., (Oct. 30-31), Nashville, Tenn. (Nov. 1) and Detroit (Nov. 12-14).”Every woman is somebody’s daughter, mother, sister or grandmother _ loved and cherished by God,”Jakes said.”Yet sadly, many of them never realize their potential because they harbor a secret that continues to hurt them _ causing them to struggle with anger and hopelessness over the unresolved and unshakable memories of sexual abuse.” Jakes, who also has edited the”Holy Bible, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Edition”that is scheduled to be published n January, drew a crowd of 52,000 women in July to Atlanta’s Georgia Dome for a conference with the same theme.
Quote of the Day: Anne A. and Charles H. Simpkinson
(RNS)”Meditation is a wonderful path to silence and solitude, but paradoxically it is one that is maximized and enhanced by group practice. Instead of creating isolation from life, spiritual practice should connect us to ourselves, to others, and to that which is larger than we are.” _ Anne A. and Charles H. Simpkinson, writing in their new book”Soul Work: A Field Guide for Spiritual Seekers”(Harper Perennial).
IR END RNS
