RNS Daily Digest

Southern Baptists Link with `Ex-Gay’ Ministries

PHOENIX (RNS) A Southern Baptist task force has formalized the denomination’s interest in working with so-called “ex-gay” ministries by launching an initiative called “The Way Out.”

Announced Tuesday (June 17) during the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention, the initiative is a joint project of two entities of the denomination, LifeWay Christian Resources and the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Those agencies have developed Web site resources, including articles, research, Bible studies and links to other ministries that believe people can overcome homosexuality with a Christian approach.

“We as Southern Baptists believe that a person can experience … sexual purity in their lives and freedom,” said Southern Baptist Convention President Jack Graham. “We do not believe that people are captured by a way of life that does not please God. That person can come out of that lifestyle.”

Part of the effort reflects a desire for a gentler approach to homosexuals while still opposing the gay lifestyle, Southern Baptist officials said.

“Perhaps some would assume that Southern Baptists are angry or full of hatred towards this group of people,” said Graham. “We want every person to know that Jesus loves them and that the message of the gospel is important for every person. … We oppose the homosexual lifestyle but we lovingly and compassionately seek to bring people to faith and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.”

Although he believes “ex-gay” ministries usually fail, the Rev. Mel White, executive director of Soulforce, an interdenominational gay group, said he appreciates the change in tone about approaching homosexuals.

“I think they’re really wise to turn down the rhetoric because the rhetoric really hurt,” said White, who hopes the four years of protests by his group at the Baptist denomination’s conventions have influenced that change.

“But the untruth has not changed,” he said. “At the core of the Southern Baptist church is a great untruth. … God created gays and loves us as we were created.”

_ Adelle M. Banks

Canadian Government Assures Churches on Sex-Sex Marriages

OTTAWA (RNS) The Canadian government moved quickly Tuesday (June 17) to assure churches and religious groups that planned laws allowing for same-sex marriages will not be imposed.

“We’ll be proposing legislation that will protect the right of churches and religious organizations to sanctify marriage as they define it,” Prime Minister Jean Chretien said, after announcing his government will not appeal three recent court rulings that said banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

Chretien said Ottawa will rewrite the traditional definition of marriage to allow for same-sex matrimony. If successful, that will make Canada just the third country in the world after Belgium and the Netherlands to recognize gay marriages.

The landmark legislation will be drafted within weeks _ unusually speedy for such controversial legislation _ then sent to the Supreme Court of Canada for a legal opinion, and put before the House of Commons in a free vote by MPs months from now.

Chretien acknowledged some religious groups and individual Canadians won’t agree with the decision. But he said it will balance the need for equality with religious freedoms guaranteed in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

And he stressed that Ottawa would not impose the new law on religious groups, who can still refuse to perform same-sex weddings.

“What we’re doing at this moment might put Canada at the forefront of any solutions that exist,” Chretien said. “What is important for me is the freedom of the churches to interpret according to their faith.”

Officials said the religious exemption is also intended to help assuage the fears of some skeptical members of the Liberal caucus and make the bill easier to pass.

Despite the concession to religious groups, the government’s decision came as a blow to the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, which had led a coalition of faith groups that vigorously opposed allowing same-sex marriages.

“We are deeply concerned that the effect of the redefinition will be to begin a process of marginalization for many churches and their clergy who currently participate in the civil registration of marriage,” said EFC President Bruce Clemenger.

“Marriage and family have been recognized by governments and societies around the world because of their unique role in providing for a stable and committed relationship between women and men and for providing a setting for the raising and nurturing of children,” Clemenger said. “It is important that we retain the ability to recognize this distinctive relationship in public policy and in society.”

Polls have suggested Canadians are almost evenly split on the issue.

Quebec and Manitoba immediately endorsed the federal announcement, and Ontario is already issuing same-sex marriage licenses because of this month’s Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that legalized gay unions in the province.

But Alberta appears headed for further court battles. The province’s justice minister, David Hancock, said his government will invoke the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause if Ottawa tries to force compliance with the planned same-sex law. The clause allows governments to override parts of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for a five-year period.

_ Ron Csillag

Episcopal Bishop Promotes `Day of Hope’ for the Mideast

(RNS) As violence in the Mideast threatens to discourage peace projects, an American bishop is using his stature to draw attention to signs in the troubled region that would make Wednesday (June 18) a “Day of Hope.”

The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts, led journalists to witness ongoing peace projects in Israel that he says tend to be overlooked whenever violent attacks are making headlines. His campaign is part of a 10-day pilgrimage and an ongoing Anglican effort to redirect media attention toward the conflict’s greatest sufferers as well as would-be peacemakers.

“Most Palestinians and Israelis are tired of the fighting,” Shaw said in a prepared statement. “What we don’t hear about is the fact that Israelis and Palestinians have been quietly working together, united by a common grief and determined to mend the fabric of their relationship. We want to be with them in support of this work and as a sign of the Christian hope for reconciliation in even the most intractable situations.”

On Wednesday Shaw brought those partnerships into the limelight. He was scheduled to visit, for instance, the Seeds for Peace project where Israeli and Palestinian youth learn to cooperate through physical activities and intense discussions. He also visited Hadassah Hospital, where some wounded in the conflict are treated, and “The Parents Circle,” a support group for Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones from the war-torn West Bank village of Beit Omar.

Shaw’s trip, which concludes Friday, marks the latest attempt by Massachusetts’ Episcopal bishops to draw attention not only to peace efforts in the Middle East but especially to the Palestinian plight. Last year, the bishops’ protests in front of the Israeli consulate in Boston drew written counter-protests from supporters of Israel, including 150 Massachusetts Episcopalians who denounced their diocese in a petition for being “unbalanced.”

_ G. Jeffrey MacDonald

Church of England Bishops Criticize Naming of Gay Bishop

LONDON (RNS) A quarter of the Church of England’s serving diocesan bishops, from both the evangelical and the Anglo-Catholic wings of the church, have publicly criticized the controversial decision by Bishop Richard Harries of Oxford to appoint Canon Jeffrey John suffragan bishop of Reading.

John is not only a well-known advocate of gay rights but has also, it was recently disclosed, been living in a same-sex relationship since before his ordination even though he has assured Harries that for some time there has been no sexual activity.

The continuing dispute not only threatens to harden the Church of England’s existing divisions but also serves to undermine the authority of recently installed Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

Citing the traditional teaching that the only proper place for sexual relationships is within marriage, the nine diocesan bishops and seven suffragan bishops said, “Any departure from such fundamental teaching must be viewed with grave concern, especially in the case of those who are ordained and called to be examples to God’s people.”

They noted that not only bishops but clergy and lay people, too, were “troubled” by John’s appointment even though he has “many admirable qualities” for the work of a bishop.

“But the issue is: What is acceptable sexual behavior in God’s sight?” the bishops said in their statement.

“By his own admission he has been in a same-sex relationship for 20 years. We value, of course, the gift of same-sex friendship, and if this relationship is one of companionship and sexual abstinence, then we rejoice. We warmly commend such relationships to the church as a whole.”

They said they were glad for Harries’ reassurance that John’s life was now celibate. “But it is the history of the relationship, as well as Dr. John’s severe criticism of orthodox teaching, which gives concern,” the bishops said.

“We must, therefore, express our concern because of the church’s constant teaching, in the light of Scripture, and because of the basic ordering of men and women in creation,” the bishops concluded. “We must also express our concern because of our responsibility for the church’s unity, both in this country and throughout the world.”

The Church of England has two archdioceses and 42 dioceses, six of which are currently vacant.

In response, Harries said he was “saddened that the well-organized public campaign against Canon Jeffrey’s appointment has now been joined by senior diocesan bishops.”

“Given that a number of diocesan bishops have assured me of their support for this appointment, it is hard to see what effect this letter can have apart from highlighting the fact that the whole church is divided on this issue.”

_ Robert Nowell

`Nightline’ Looks at Young Preachers’ Competition

(RNS) Ben Shuler, 18, an athletic-looking high school senior from Columbus, Ga., says he feels different from other teenagers. He doesn’t go to movies or parties. He isn’t interested in having a girlfriend. And in his free time, he practices giving sermons to prepare for a life as a preacher.

“What scares me is that I would never want to do something to be unfaithful to the Lord,” he tells ABC’s “Nightline.” “I never want to do something that would ruin my testimony, that would cause me to have to leave the ministry.”

In a compelling two-part documentary series “The Messengers,”’ set to air on ABC on Thursday (June 19) and Friday (June 20), “Nightline” profiles three high school students competing in a national preaching competition hosted by Bob Jones University, a conservative Christian university in North Carolina.

For four months last spring, “Nightline” followed Shuler, Isiah Lewis, 16, of Concord, N.H., and Eric Stanley, 18, of Odessa, Mo., in their quest to win their state preaching competitions. It was just by chance that the three students “Nightline” chose were selected to go to nationals, said Leroy Sievers, the executive producer of the series, adding that he was attracted to the project because it sheds light on a little known community.

“The evangelical community is not one that receives a lot of coverage from “Nightline” or the mainstream media in general,” Sievers said. “Our goal with this series is not only to tell a great story, but also to begin to pay more attention to a large community in this country that often goes uncovered.”

Nearly 3,000 students participate in the annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Christian Schools, an organization with more than 1,000 member schools nationwide. For the last 27 years, the preaching competition has given high school students who hope to take the pulpit one day a chance to develop their skills. Preaching contestants must be male and between the 10th and 12th grade.

Judges at the national competition said they select winners based on the content of their sermons, the cadence of their voices and their ability to impact the audience.

But Carl Herbster, AACS president, who doles out trophies to the three winners, tells “Nightline” that the competition is not about the prize:

“There is a lot of controversy about a preaching competition because we don’t preach to win, you preach to please the Lord and impact people.”

_ Alexandra Alter

Quote of the Day: Paul Pfaffenberger of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

(RNS) “His decision with sexual abuse was to discredit, deny or run away from victims and to protest his priests. Unfortunately, faced with a traffic accident, he once again ignored the victim and drove away.”

_ Paul Pfaffenberger, organizer of the Phoenix chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), comparing Phoenix Bishop Thomas O’Brien’s treatment of sex abuse victims to allegations O’Brien was involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident. He was quoted by the Associated Press.

DEA END RNS