c. 2000 Religion News Service
Average Southern Baptist Pastor Earns $39,187
(RNS) The average Southern Baptist pastor working full time earns $39,187 a year and a total compensation package _ including benefits and expenses _ of $51,589.
A biennial survey of churches in 18 Baptist state conventions found that the best-paid pastors were in Georgia, where the average salary and housing allowance totaled $43,560. Those earning the least were in Iowa, where the average Southern Baptist pastor earned $29,814.
The survey included states known for large Southern Baptist populations, such as Alabama and Georgia, as well as smaller conventions like New England and Hawaii, reported Associated Baptist Press, an independent news service.
The average pastor’s salary rose by $3,141 since the last survey, or 8 percent over two years.
The survey also revealed the annual earnings of other church employees.
Full-time ministers serving in roles other than that of pastor averaged $38,879 for salary and housing. “Bivocational” pastors, or preachers who also work outside the church, were paid an average of $12,046.
The average full-time church secretary earned $19,724 and full-time church custodians earned $19,895 on average.
Judge Bars Ten Commandments Monument at Kentucky Capitol
(RNS) A federal judge has barred the placement of a monument of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of Kentucky’s state Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood, siding with the American Civil Liberties Union, ruled July 25 that the monument would amount to a government endorsement of religion.
“I think the purpose of this is not secular, but I think it is religious,” the judge said after a hearing that lasted about an hour.
The monument is a dark stone tablet _ 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide _ that was scheduled to be placed near the floral clock on the grounds of the Capitol in Frankfort.
The ACLU sued after the General Assembly passed a law requiring that it be placed on the grounds.
David Friedman, a lawyer for the ACLU, said the display was a religious one that did not belong on state property, the Associated Press reported.
“The text itself talks about God, religion and the Bible,” Friedman said. “Government must remain neutral toward religion.”
Rep. Tom Riner, D-Louisville, who authored the final version of Senate Joint Resolution 57, believes the ruling by Hood ignores history.
“The intent of this legislature was not to indoctrinate the young people or citizens of the commonwealth, but simply to give credit to the source of our statutes historically,” Riner said.
The resolution called for the display of the monument and encouraged local governments and schools to post the commandments.
The monument had been displayed in an obscure corner of the grounds but has been in storage since about 1988 when it was removed to make room for the Capitol complex’s heating and cooling plant.
In a separate but related matter, a federal judge issued a temporary injunction on Friday (July 28) preventing the state of Indiana from erecting a Ten Commandments monument on the Statehouse lawn.
The Indiana Civil Liberties Union is suing the state, claiming the monument is unconstitutional.
Women Can Lead Prayer, Shiite Muslim Leaders Decide
(RNS) For the first time in history, Shiite Muslim leaders in Iran have issued a decree permitting women to lead congregational prayers.
The decision, handed down by six top Islamic jurists, allows women to lead female congregations in worship, Reuters news agency reported. The edict _ or “fatwa” _ was revealed by an education official, according to an article published Tuesday (Aug. 1) by the state news agency.
“The fatwa helps solve a problem in mass prayers in girls’ school. It is useful in persuading schoolgirls to pray,” said the official, who gave no explanation for the jurists’ decision.
Legality of Philadelphia Church Lotteries Questioned
(RNS) Concern about the legality of parish lotteries has prompted several Roman Catholic churches in the Philadelphia area to put an end to the practice.
The lotteries _ the source of funding for parish or school expenses for some parishes _ are under review by lawyers for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia after a newspaper reported earlier this month that several parishes may be in violation of state gambling laws.
State law excludes lotteries from the games of chance through which charities and fraternal organizations can raise money.
Parishioners at St. George Church in Glenolden, Pa., were not happy with the news, the Rev. Michael P. McCorman told the Associated Press. About 14 percent of the church’s budget is derived from its lottery, which raises some $168,000 annually.
“People were upset it was coming to an end,” said McCorman, who informed his congregation of the ban on Sunday (July 30).
Neither the number of church lotteries in the diocese nor the amount of money collected through such lotteries is recorded by the archdiocese, said spokeswoman Cathy Rossi.
The lotteries have never generated any complaints to their office, prosecutors said.
Carey, at Amsterdam 2000, Denounces Modern Idolatries
(RNS) Preaching Monday (July 31) at the Amsterdam 2000 conference that brought together 10,000 preachers and evangelists from 185 countries, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey warned against finding the answer to the West’s malaise in anything or anyone other than Christ.
The conference had been intended to be the occasion for the veteran evangelist Billy Graham to pass the torch to the next generation. But he was too ill to attend.
Citing G.K. Chesterton’s observation that original sin was “the only directly observable Christian doctrine,” Carey said that “while the predicament of human nature was so clearly shown in our powerlessness over wrongdoing and our consequent need for radical transformation in Christ,” solutions are often sought in things which, though good in themselves, are “no substitute for Christ and are indeed false gods.”
“Western culture today is obsessed with three alternative `Saviors’ _ therapy, education and wealth, among many others _ none of which can provide lasting healing for our broken world,” Carey said.
Carey said there is nothing wrong with many therapeutic practices, but therapy could easily fail to face up to the reality of sin in people’s lives.
“And when therapy replaces faith and when therapeutic techniques are seen as the total answer to humanity’s deepest needs and longings, another idolatry is introduced,” he said.
“And that idolatry reveals itself when it replaces the gospel by focusing solely on satisfying `my happiness, my needs and my desires.’ Christ the `savior’ is then replaced by Christ the `counselor.”’
Similarly education is rightly seen as a major way of bringing communities out of poverty but when it is seen as the answer to humanity’s problems, serious trouble begins, he said. “Indeed, one asks: Why is it that, in spite of universal education in First World countries, there is such crime, vandalism and breakdown of family life?” he said. “Why is it that many terrible atrocities have occurred in advanced societies?”
Again, he said, there is no denying the obvious benefits brought by wealth, but the power of money to corrupt must not be underestimated. “It is a false god when wealth, riches and possessions become the ultimate aims of life,” he said.
“Think of the number of telly evangelists for whom the lure of money has become an inescapable part of their gospel,” Carey told his audience of budding young evangelists.
Survey Finds Women More Active in Parish Life Than Men
(RNS) Women are much more involved in parish life than men, according to a survey undertaken by the Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland. Only as caretakers and gardeners are men predominant.
As far as ministry is concerned, 49.5 percent of the 236 out of Scotland’s 460 parishes responding to the survey reported that altar servers were equally balanced between male and female, while 22.4 percent reported mostly female and 1.7 percent all female, and 13.5 percent reported mostly male and 8.9 percent all male. Women altar servers were officially allowed only in 1994.
When it comes to catechists, or teachers, the imbalance is much greater: 20.3 percent reported an equal balance, 32.2 percent mostly female, and 20 percent all female.
Turning to practical services, the survey found that in 41.1 percent of parishes church cleaning was done mostly by women and in 47.4 percent entirely by women. There was even a predominance of women among parish council members, with 63.1 percent of the parishes reporting an equal balance, 18.2 percent reporting mostly female, and just 1.7 percent mostly male.
Methodist Theologian John Deschner Dead at 76
(RNS) The Rev. John W. Deschner, a United Methodist theologian known for his involvement in ecumenism, died July 28.
Deschner died of complications of dementia at a Dallas nursing home, reported United Methodist News Service. He was 76.
Deschner was professor emeritus of Christian doctrine at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas.
While teaching at Perkins, he continued his involvement in ecumenical activities. He was moderator of the World Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith and Order from 1983 to 1991. He also was a participant in the Roman Catholic-United Methodist bilateral dialogue.
Quote of the Day: The Rev. Jerry Falwell, religious right leader
(RNS) “This is a political party, not a church. … If I were running for president, I would want their (gays’) support, too.”
_ The Rev. Jerry Falwell on why gays should be welcomed into the Republican Party. He made his comments during a Tuesday (Aug. 1) interview with CNN.
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