c. 1998 Religion News Service
Evangelical scholars say Bible calls homosexuality”abomination” (RNS) The Evangelical Theological Society, a group of scholars, have passed a resolution affirming their belief that the Bible”teaches that homosexual conduct is always an abomination,”but sharply criticizing national media for”unsubstantiated, untruthful and hateful accusations”about evangelical Christians concerning the death of gay student Matthew Shepard.”We abhor the terrible sin of doing intentional physical harm to another human being for no reason other than hate,”the scholars said in the statement passed Nov. 20 during the meeting in Orlando, Fla.”… we equally abhor using the rhetoric of hate to prejudice the power of civil government against the open and complete proclamation of moral standards revealed in God’s Holy Word _ including both God’s love for sinners as well as his judgment of sin.” The scholars specifically opposed violence against gays.”We affirm as biblical and do ourselves agree with the position that Christian moral opposition to homosexual behavior is not and can never be license for anyone to engage in any form of slander, harassment or violence against one with whom we disagree,”the resolution continued.
Wayne Grudem, the society’s president, told RNS it was unusual for the society to pass such a resolution but the members decided to do so”because of a sense that the entire evangelical world was under attack and the Bible itself and its teaching were under attack by these untruthful and highly irresponsible media allegations that evangelicals somehow are responsible for the death of a homosexual.” Some media reports linked evangelicals’ promotion of”ex-gay”movements to the death of Shepard, the gay young man who died Oct. 15 after being beaten and tied to a fence in Wyoming.
After floor discussion, the scholars passed the resolution overwhelmingly by voice vote.”One objection was that we shouldn’t get involved in political kinds of things, but the answer to that was this is not merely political,”said Grudem, professor and chairman of the department of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill.”In spite of our differences, denominationally and theologically, it’s an attack on all of us as Christians.” The resolution also voiced opposition to hate crimes legislation.”The idea of hate crime is about adding civil sanctions for something no human being can accurately or fairly discern in any other,”the statement reads.”…Accepting the idea of hate crime invites persecution of any moral belief of the church that is at odds with the desires of sinful human nature.” A record total of 1,296 people attended the three-day meeting of the organization, which has about 2,500 individual members.
Christian programming on television, radio on increase
(RNS) More of America’s television and radio stations are carrying Christian programs, the National Religious Broadcasters reports.
There are 51 more television stations featuring religious programs this year. In 1997, there were 191. Now there are 242, according to data from the new 1999 Directory of Religious Media published by the NRB.
Twenty-eight more radio stations are broadcasting religious programs, increasing from 1,588 in 1997 to 1,616 in 1998.”The increase in the interest in Christian broadcasting attests to the hunger of the American people for something better,”said NRB President E. Brandt Gustavson.”We’re delighted that these stations are meeting spiritual needs.” The state with the largest growth in TV stations broadcasting Christian programs is Texas, which now has 23.”In spite of reports to the contrary, Christian television is alive and growing,”said NRB Chairman David Clark, president of FamilyNet Television.”I see this interest in Christian programming expanding as low-power stations are able to increase power and with the exciting prospect of digital cable carriage.” Kentucky had the largest increase in radio stations, adding 13.
This year also marked a record for the number of religious FM stations, which now total 829.
Preaching and teaching programs remain the most popular radio format, followed by inspirational and Southern gospel formats. A total of 934 stations airing religious programs are commercial and there are 423 noncommercial stations.
Catholic priest in Rochester suspended for breaking church rules
(RNS) A veteran priest in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, N.Y., has been suspended after he conducted same-sex weddings, served Holy Communion to non-Catholics and permitted a woman to perform priest-like duties on the altar.
The Rev. James Callan, who served for 22 years at the Corpus Christi Church, was reassigned in August for violating church policies, the Associated Press reported.
On Monday (Dec. 7), Bishop Matthew Clark announced the suspension, which means Callan cannot administer sacraments or celebrate Mass.
Clark said the suspension was not meant to be punitive, but rather remedial. It can be revoked if Callan assures the bishop that he will abide by church regulations.
Callan was told not to have contact with members of his old parish but had attended liturgical services, said the Rev. Kevin McKenna, chancellor of the Rochester diocese.”It puts the pastor who is attempting to lead the congregation in a very awkward situation,”said McKenna.
Callan did not return a phone call seeking comment. He has been preaching in various Rochester churches since his departure from Corpus Christi.
Bishop J. Delano Ellis, Pentecostal leader, recovering from surgery
(RNS) Bishop J. Delano Ellis, the presiding bishop of the United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, is recovering from surgery for prostate cancer.
Ellis, 54, was released from a hospital in Cleveland, where his denomination is based, on Friday (Dec. 4). His surgeon said the bishop’s cancer was confined to his prostate, the denomination said in a statement.
The United Pentecostal Churches of Christ, founded in 1989, includes 300 churches worldwide.
Ellis also is president of the African-American College of Pentecostal Bishops, which includes 15 U.S. Pentecostal denominations.
Bishop Carl Holloway Montgomery II of Baltimore is helping lead the denomination during Ellis’ absence. Ellis is expected to return to full-time work in the denomination by Easter 1999.
Ellis, who is senior pastor of the Pentecostal Church of Christ in Cleveland, will participate in his church’s Christmas Eve service. The Rev. Sabrina Joyce Ellis, the church’s senior assistant pastor and Ellis’ wife, is leading the congregation during his recovery.
Protestants worship openly for first time in 25 years in Chiapas town
(RNS) Evangelical Protestants held a public prayer service in the Chiapas, Mexico township of San Juan Chamula for the first time since violence erupted between the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities 25 years ago.
About 600 Protestant Indians, singing hymns _ and accompanied by state government officials to ensure against attacks _ held the service Friday (Dec. 4) at a half-built church, the Associated Press reported. The church building, named”The Prince of Peace,”is the first non-Catholic church ever built in San Juan Chamula.
Chiapas, the southernmost Mexican state, is a strife-torn region, beset by poverty and the site of ongoing conflict between the Mexican government and rebel Zapatistas, a guerrilla movement made up largely of Indians. The conflict has at times spilled over into clashes between Protestants and Catholics.”We didn’t come here to provoke our Catholic brothers, we came to invite the mayor … and Catholic residents to unite with us in a search for peace,”said Abdias Tovilla, the legal adviser for the Protestants.
Protestants estimate that since 1974, dozens of evangelical church members have been killed and 25,000 have been driven out of Chamula by neighbors who feel they threaten local cultural, religious, economic and political traditions.
Local Catholics, most of them Indians, practice a mix of Catholicism and pre-Hispanic Mayan Indian beliefs. The hybrid tradition includes such practices as the sipping of a potent alcohol called posh during prayers in the township’s only permitted church.
Many Protestants _ and some Catholics _ object to local mandatory taxes to support religious festivals they maintain involve mass drunkenness.
Quote of the day: Seventh-day Adventist pastor Ian Sweeney
(RNS)”There is no triumphalism, no feeling of one person being better than another. This trophy is in recognition of the sterling work being done in our churches week in and week out. There is no greater calling and no greater privilege than to speak on God’s behalf.” Pastor Ian Sweeney in comments made after being named by the London Times”preacher of the year”on Nov. 27.
DEA END RNS
