c. 1998 Religion News Service
NCC upset by `exclusion’ from China delegation
(RNS) The National Council of Churches has written President Bill Clinton to protest its”exclusion”from a delegation investigating religious persecution in China.
Three U.S. religious leaders _ the Rev. Don Argue of the National Association of Evangelicals, Roman Catholic Archbishop Theodore McCarrick of Newark, N.J., and Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation _ are currently in China checking into allegations that Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and other believers face government-orchestrated persecution because of their faith.
In its Jan. 20 letter, the NCC, which represents 34 Protestant and Orthodox Christian denominations, said its inclusion in the delegation would have enhanced the group’s balance and credibility. The delegation was selected by the White House.
In an interview Wednesday (Feb. 18,) the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, NCC general secretary, said the issue of the delegation’s makeup is part of the larger issue of how to deal with reports of religious persecution in China.
China tightly controls religious expression. Christians, for example, may worship in state-sanctioned churches only and Tibetan Buddhists are prevented from venerating their exiled leader, the Dalai Lama.
Some religious and human rights advocates say China severely persecutes religious believers who do not belong to sanctioned groups. The issue has complicated U.S.-China relations and has led to an attempt in Congress to pass legislation _ the Freedom from Religious Persecution Act _ that would economically punish China and other nations found to discriminate on the basis of religious belief.
Both the National Association of Evangelicals and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops support passage of the measure, while the NCC does not, arguing that antagonizing China would only make things worse for Chinese believers. Schneier has taken no public position and the White House opposes the bill.
Campbell said an NCC representative should have been included in the delegation because of its member denominations’ history of involvement in China and their relationships with officially recognized Chinese church groups.
The NCC letter to Clinton said its exclusion from the delegation”is particularly grievous and disquieting when our concerns on these issues continue to parallel many of those voiced by your administration.” The Clinton administration did not respond to requests for comment.
Pope: Lent should be time to”open our eyes to the poverty of many” (RNS) Pope John Paul II has called on Christians to use the Lenten season to”open our eyes to the poverty of many.” John Paul said the 40-weekday season, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, should”become the occasion for each Christian to experience the poverty with the Son of God and to be an instrument of his love in the service of those in need.” Noting that poverty has different meanings, John Paul made it clear he was speaking about both the absence of the material means of life, which he termed a”scandal,”and the poverty that”touches the soul and brings about grave suffering.” Archbishop Paul Cordes, president of Cor Unum, the Vatican agency charged with expressing the Catholic Church’s concern for the poor and needy, and which released the statement, said the pope’s message was meant to encourage”initiatives to again give hope to the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the marginalized within the context of a renewed and vigorous proclamation of the gospel.” In the statement, John Paul said material poverty assumes a multiplicity of forms _”the lack of the necessary means of survival and primary health care, the absence of a home or its inadequacy … the marginalization of the weakest from society and the unemployed from the productive sector … the condition of international refugees and those who suffer from war and its cruelties; the inequality of salaries … and the grave consequences which derive from this such as drugs and violence.” John Paul said the proclamation of the gospel”in word and deed is the response to this poverty.”The Lenten season, he added,”is a special time for the members of the church to recall their task toward helping their brethren.”
Operation Rescue leader convicted of trespassing outside school
(RNS) The Rev. Flip Benham, Operation Rescue International’s director, pledged to continue anti-abortion demonstrations outside public schools after being convicted of trespassing Tuesday (Feb. 17).”Evidently, it’s become an outrageous crime to lift up this gospel to kids,”said Benham, Bible in hand, moments after he was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail.”We’re not going to let this stop us. … It’s just that the cost has gone up.” The charges stem from a Nov. 10 demonstration at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Va., where more than 150 Liberty University students either held anti-abortion signs or greeted arriving students with anti-abortion and religious literature, the Associated Press reported.
Defense lawyers for Benham and two Liberty students who also were convicted of trespassing said the three were using their free speech rights. But police officers testified Benham refused to leave school property when he was asked.
Benham admitted he was requested to leave but instead told a school official,”We have every right to be on a public sidewalk in front of the school … to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.” He added he was not aware he was on school grounds and needed a permit.
Benham, who is based in Dallas, said he has led religious demonstrations at close to 2,000 U.S. schools and the case marked the first time he faced criminal charges. He said he was”flabbergasted”at the decision and his lawyers pledged to appeal.
Benham’s two sons attend Liberty, a Christian school in Lynchburg founded by evangelist Jerry Falwell.
Benham and John Reyes, a Liberty student and organizer of the demonstration, were sentenced to a year in jail with six months suspended if they maintain good behavior. Another Liberty student, Jeff Brown, was convicted of trespassing and sentenced to six months in jail with all but 15 days suspended.
One suit against `Frugal Gourmet’ dismissed, two others pending
(RNS) A sexual abuse suit against”Frugal Gourmet”chef Jeff Smith, a United Methodist minister, has been dismissed, but two other suits involving nine plaintiffs are still pending.
The suit by Clinton Smith, whose case triggered the other claims, was dismissed Friday (Feb. 13) for unstated reasons. Smith, who is not related to the chef, said Tuesday he plans to appeal.
The other two lawsuits have been combined and are scheduled for trial April 28, the Associated Press reported.
Smith, 59, who is married and has two grown sons, is host of”The Frugal Gourmet,”a popular cooking program on public television. Since the lawsuits were filed, he has not recorded any more shows and two books he was planning to write have not appeared.
Clinton Smith, 37, of Eatonville, Wash., began appearing on radio talk shows in mid-1995 claiming that when he was 16, Jeff Smith forced him to have sex and to take part in”sexually oriented parties with other adult pedophiles and other minor boys.” Clinton Smith also claims Jeff Smith made a deal in 1991 to pay him $1 million to keep quiet, but the chef’s lawyer denies such an agreement ever existed.
The other accusers say Jeff Smith assaulted them when they were teen-age employees of his more than two decades ago, except one, who says he was picked up as a hitchhiker and assaulted in 1992.
In 1981, Clinton Smith was sentenced to four years in prison, in part for stealing money from Jeff Smith’s restaurant. He said he stole the money in retaliation for being sexually assaulted. Police investigated his allegation and did not arrest Jeff Smith.
Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman earns nine Dove nominations
(RNS) Contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman earned nine nominations _ the highest number of any artist nominated _ for the 29th Annual Dove Awards, officials announced Tuesday (Feb. 17).
Chapman was nominated for Artist, Male Vocalist and Songwriter of the Year _ all categories in which he won Dove Awards in 1997. He also received nominations in other categories, including Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, Long Form Music Video and Special Event Album of the Year.
Following Chapman in nominations were dc Talk’s Toby McKeehan, with eight, and Jars of Clay lead vocalist Dan Haseltine, with seven.
Newcomer Chris Rice, industry veteran Kathy Troccoli and gospel artist Kirk Franklin each received six nominations. Groups and artists receiving five nominations included dc Talk, Jars of Clay, the late Rich Mullins, Crystal Lewis and BeBe Winans.”This year’s nominations showcase not only the diversity of music in the industry but also the talent and versatility of the songwriters and performers,”said Frank Breeden, president of the Gospel Music Association.”It’s also exciting to see a mixture of new artists and industry veterans being nominated for awards. This mixture of old and new is what fuels the growth of the gospel music industry.” The awards ceremony will be held 8 to 10 p.m. CDT on April 23 at the Nashville Arena and will be broadcast live on The Nashville Network. A televised pre-show, focusing on 1997 highlights of the industry, will air from 7 to 8 p.m. CDT.
Among the 44 categories are:
Artist of the Year: Bob Carlisle, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay, Rich Mullins, Point of Grace.
Female Vocalist of the Year: Crystal Lewis, Rebecca St. James, Kathy Troccoli, Jaci Velasquez, CeCe Winans.
Male Vocalist of the Year: Bob Carlisle, Steven Curtis Chapman, Rich Mullins, Jonathan Pierce, Chris Rice.
Group of the Year: 4HIM, dc Talk, God’s Property, Jars of Clay, Point of Grace.
New Artist of the Year: Avalon, Caedmon’s Call, God’s Property, Chris Rice, Smalltown Poets.
Song of the Year:”A Baby’s Prayer,””Free,””He Walked a Mile,””Hope to Carry on,””Let Us Pray,””Live the Life,””On My Knees,””People Get Ready … Jesus is Comin’,””Shout to the Lord,”and”Stomp.” Songwriter of the Year: Steven Curtis Chapman, Toby McKeehan, Chris Rice, Michael W. Smith, Kathy Troccoli.
Quote of the day: The Rev. Ajongonkulu Ndugane, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa
(RNS)”Scientists should use the skills, the insights and their resources for the well-being of humanity, for bettering people’s lives. Our scientists should be involved in bringing full life to our people and not in playing God.” _ Anglican Archbishop Ajongonkulu Ndugane of Cape town, South Africa, responding Feb. 15 to reports that a South African doctor and his team are preparing to attempt to clone a human.
DEA END RNS
