c. 2005 Religion News Service
Christian Groups Pray for Brain-Damaged Woman
(RNS) Christian groups are calling for prayers and collecting signatures to urge continued life support for Terri Schiavo, an incapacitated Florida woman at the center of an ongoing legal battle.
Her husband, Michael Schiavo, and her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, have battled in court for 12 years over whether to remove the tube feeding Terri _ who suffered a severe brain injury in 1990.
A Florida judge ruled Wednesday (Feb. 23) that Schiavo’s tube should be kept in place while he considers new legal challenges presented by the Schindlers. Michael Schiavo has contended Terri, 41, did not want to live by artificial measures.
Some Christian groups say ending Schiavo’s life support would amount to a state-sponsored killing.
The Center for Reclaiming America, an outreach of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based Coral Ridge Ministries, is collecting signatures on an online petition demanding “legislative, judicial and executive efforts” by Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida in the Schiavo case. The group said in a statement that 5,000 people an hour were signing the petition at one point Wednesday.
Catholic bishops in Florida _ calling for prayer for Schiavo’s family, including her husband, parents and siblings _ said in a Feb. 15 statement her spiritual needs would be met by St. Petersburg, Fla., Catholic clergy.
Saying time is critical, the American Life League released a statement Wednesday (Feb. 23) demanding stronger action from Florida Catholic bishops, specifically Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, to prevent removal of Schiavo’s feeding tube.
“It is shameful that any bishop could find it acceptable to sit by virtually silent while one of the flock is brutally and publicly murdered,” Joe Starrs, director of the league, said in a statement.
Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, Washington-based conservative Christian organizations, called for legal and medical measures to extend Terri Schiavo’s life.
James Dobson, head of the Colorado-based Focus on the Family, was critical of Judge George Greer of Florida’s 6th Judicial Circuit, saying the judge has “no moral authority” to end a person’s life support.
_ Celeste Kennel-Shank
Evangelicals Rebuke Author Who Disclosed Private Tapes of Bush
WASHINGTON (RNS) Doug Wead, an evangelical Christian and former confidant of President Bush, has become an outcast among some conservative Christian leaders after he shared tapes with The New York Times that recorded private conversations with Bush.
James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, told the New York Times that he was “shocked” by Wead’s “breach of trust.” The tapes were made when Bush was governor of Texas.
Another religious leader, Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, said the actions by Wead, who has written a book on the parents of presidents, weren’t “all that great a career move if he wants to speak at evangelical events.”
The New York Times reported Feb. 20 that Wead recorded numerous conversations with Bush and shared some of the president’s candid comments with a journalist. In the tapes, Bush practices for a meeting with Dobson, and alludes to having smoked marijuana.
After being roundly criticized, Wead, a graduate of Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., and a former Amway distributor, expressed regret. He canceled a Wednesday appearance on MSNBC’s “Hardball.”
“Contrary to a statement I made to The New York Times, I have come to realize that personal relationships are more important than history,” Wead wrote in a letter to “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, according to the Associated Press. “I am asking my attorney to direct any future proceeds from the book to charity and to find the best way to vet these tapes and get them back to the president to whom they belong. History can wait.”
Archaeologists May Have Found Graves of Women Linked to Jamestown Founder
LONDON (RNS) Archaeologists say they have probably identified the location of church graves of two women believed to be relatives of Captain Bartholomew Gosnold, the founder of Jamestown, Va.
After legal permission is obtained from church authorities, the next step is to explore the graves with a camera at the end of a fiber optics cable. The goal is to obtain small bone samples whose DNA can then be compared with that of a 17th century sea captain whose tomb at Jamestown has recently been excavated and who is thought to be Gosnold.
The two graves, both in Suffolk, are believed to be that of Gosnold’s niece, Katherine Blackerby, buried in the family vault in the Stowmarket church of St. Peter and St. Mary, and Gosnold’s sister, Elizabeth Gosnold Tilney, buried in the church of All Saints, Shelley.
The final stage of extracting small samples for DNA analysis is expected to take place in May, and the results of the tests will be shown in a National Geographic documentary to be broadcast in November.
_ Robert Nowell
Adventists Develop Bible Study for Native Americans
WASHINGTON (RNS) The Seventh-day Adventist Church says it will launch a first-of-its-kind Bible study course geared toward Native Americans.
The purpose of the course, to be launched March 1, is to introduce Native Americans to Christ and the Adventist Church, according to Richard Dower, editor of the North Pacific Union Gleaner, a church publication based in Vancouver, Wash.
The Voice of Prophecy, an Adventist media ministry based in California, will handle the logistics of the program. Native Americans can request a free course packet, and the Voice of Prophecy will mail them the materials, including lessons and quizzes.
“This is the first time that there’s ever been anything out there that is specifically slanted to native people, and written for native people,” Monte Church, director of native ministries, said.
There is a large potential for church growth among the Native American population, according to Church.
“Spiritually, I tell you, native people are really interested in what’s happening,” Church said. “The younger generation is changing, they’re becoming more educated. School is becoming more important. When this change comes about, then they are more receptive to learning or correspondence courses.”
The course took 11 years to research and write, cost $182,000 and incorporates American Indian traditions into the lessons.
“Native people love stories. Native people talk in stories, they illustrate in stories, they teach in stories,” Church said. “We’re just giving a very basic understanding of what the Bible teaches.”
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has about 13 million adult members worldwide and has its headquarters in Silver Spring, Md.
_ Andrea James
Harvard Educator to Receive Christopher Award
WASHINGTON (RNS) Harvard educator and Pulitzer Prize winner Dr. Robert Coles will receive the 2005 Christopher Life Achievement Award for his work in bringing attention to the spiritual lives of children living in harsh conditions.
Coles has written 75 books and is a psychiatry and medical humanities professor at Harvard Medical School.
The Christophers, founded in 1945 by priest James Keller, is a New York-based nonprofit organization with the mission of encouraging “people of all ages, and from all walks of life, to use their God-given talents to make a positive difference in the world.” The word “Christopher” means “Christ-bearer,” according to the organization.
The 56th annual awards program is scheduled for March 10 at the Time Life Building in New York.
Other awardees include Pat LaFontaine, who will receive a 2005 James Keller Award for founding the Companions in Courage Foundation, which helps children with life-threatening illnesses.
The 2005 Christopher Leadership Award recipient is Peace Corps founder Sargent Shriver, who served in the Kennedy administration.
The CBS News program “Face the Nation” will receive the 2005 Special Christopher Award for “its no-nonsense format and consistent nonpartisan approach to breaking news and newsmakers.”
_ Andrea James
Quotes of the Day: TV Celebrities Bill Maher and Kathie Lee Gifford
(RNS) “We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that. I think that religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies. … I think religion is a neurological disorder.”
_ Comedian Bill Maher, speaking on MSNBC
“Then I better see a doctor.”
_ Guest host Kathie Lee Gifford, speaking on “Fox and Friends” on the Fox News Channel.
Maher and Gifford were quoted by The Washington Post.
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