c. 2007 Religion News Service
Chicago Lutheran church tests gay policy
(RNS) A Chicago congregation is testing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s new policy on gay clergy by ordaining a lesbian who did not take a vow of celibacy.
Resurrection Lutheran Church ordained the Rev. Jennette Lynn Rude, 27, on Saturday (Nov. 17) despite church requirements that gay clergy be celibate. Rude told reporters the policy is discriminatory since heterosexual ministers take no such vow.
The ceremony was an “extraordinary ordination,” according to a Lutheran group for gay clergy, because it was “performed outside the ordinary guidelines for Lutheran ordinations.”
Rude received all the training and schooling for Lutheran ministry but has not been approved for Chicago’s roster of eligible clergy, said Jeff Drake, a synod spokesman. She is credentialed by Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, an independent group for gay clergy.
Rude’s ordination and installation are believed to be the first test of the 4.8 million-member ELCA’s new policy on gay clergy.
At the ELCA’s national assembly in August, delegates left the celibacy requirement in place but called on bishops to refrain from defrocking any gay ministers.
Bishop Wayne Miller of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod did not attend the ordination; neither did he prohibit it. Drake said Miller was unavailable for comment Monday but provided a statement from the synod dated Nov. 2.
“Bishop Miller has had an honest and constructive conversation with the members of Resurrection Lutheran Church. He will continue to provide pastoral care and leadership to this congregation,” the statement reads.
Rude could not be reached for comment.
In a letter posted on Resurrection’s Web site, the Rev. Brian Hiortdahl said the church’s nine-member council voted unanimously to call Rude to ministry.
“Extending a call to her to serve as pastor in our community sends strong witness to our wider ELCA about our belief that its ongoing policy prohibiting non-heterosexual clergy in committed relationships is unacceptable and must be reformed,” Hiortdahl wrote.
_ Daniel Burke
Jesuits tentatively approve $50 million settlement
PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) An Oregon-based Jesuit province has tentatively agreed to pay a record $50 million to settle 110 claims of child sexual abuse in remote Alaska Native villages, attorneys for the accusers said Sunday (Nov. 18).
The settlement is the largest ever involving a Catholic religious order, according to a statement issued by plaintiffs attorneys.
The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus includes in its territory Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. It is separate from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, which earlier this year agreed to pay clergy accusers up to $75 million to emerge from bankruptcy.
The Rev. John D. Whitney, the Jesuit provincial superior, on Sunday said he was surprised and disappointed by what he called a premature announcement.
“While the Jesuits have been dedicated to finding a just and timely solution to these cases, it is my understanding that there are still many issues that need to be finalized before it is appropriate to make an official announcement about a settlement,” Whitney said in a statement.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs provided a copy of an e-mail in which a Portland attorney for the Jesuits confirmed the agreement on the $50 million settlement, but said it probably would take another month to work out the details.
It is unclear how the Northwest Jesuits will cover the settlement. Two years ago, Whitney said that the organization had settled cases up to that point with insurance money, savings and by asking priestly communities to reduce expenses.
He said none of the money had come or could come from prominent Jesuit-affiliated schools such as Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., or Jesuit High School in Portland because they are independent organizations.
The Jesuits, with 20,000 members the largest Catholic religious order in the world, are known for education and missionary work and report directly to superiors outside the Vatican in Rome.
The child sex abuse incidents at the core of the settlement derive from work in Alaska villages, most of them Eskimo, dating to the 1960s.
“The Society of Jesus is laboring to find just settlements in Alaska and elsewhere for the sake of the survivors of abuse and the many men and women who have had their faith and their lives shaken by the crisis of the last few years,” Whitney said.
_ Ashbel S. Green
Third Canadian diocese approves same-sex blessings
TORONTO (RNS) A third Anglican diocese in Canada has voted to approve conducting same-sex marriages.
Clergy and lay delegates attending the annual synod of the southern Ontario diocese of Niagara voted 239-53 on Saturday (Nov. 17) to allow clergy “whose conscience permits” to bless gay marriages.
Niagara Bishop Ralph Spence said he will allow same-sex blessings in the diocese once a protocol has been worked out.
“Much consultation will take place,” Spence told the Anglican Journal. “When and how this will be implemented will be dealt with in the days that lie ahead. We are aware of the vote’s ramifications.”
Three years ago, the diocese voted in favor of same-sex blessings, but Spence withheld his required endorsement for the measure to take effect.
He changed his stance this time “because the ground shifted underneath us” after Anglicans in Ottawa and Montreal voted to approve the blessing of same-sex marriages, as long as the priest and parish approve and at least one party is baptized.
The Vancouver-based diocese of New Westminster has offered blessings since 2002.
_ Ron Csillag
British cardinal slams lesbian parenting bill
LONDON (RNS) The top Catholic leader in England and Wales has condemned as “profoundly wrong” proposed legislation that would make it easier for lesbian couples to become parents using in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminster said a bill to remove the requirement that IVF clinics make sure a male parent is involved would result in the traditional role of fathers being “radically undermined.”
The legislation is part of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Bill, generated by Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Labor government, which is being debated this week in the House of Lords.
Murphy-O’Connor’s blast, in a letter to The Times newspaper in London on Monday (Nov. 19), spearheads a drive by members of Parliament across the political spectrum to kill the law.
“This (legislation) radically undermines the place of the father in a child’s life and makes the natural rights of the child subordinate to the desire of the couple,” the cardinal wrote. “It is profoundly wrong.”
Under the law, opponents fear, the father’s role in an IVF baby’s life would effectively end once his sperm was deposited in a laboratory test tube.
But Ruth Hunt, a spokesman for the gay rights campaign group Stonewall, insisted the legislation would not be “denigrating the principle of fatherhood.”
Rather, she said, “this is a very logical and timely step, to ensure that a child can have two parents from the moment of conception, and that is safeguarded throughout their upbringing.”
_ Al Webb
Ecumenist sees `new day’ dawn at Global Christian Forum
KENTWOOD, Mich. (RNS) A church leader from Chad told of losing his parents at age 2 but meeting Christ when he was 8. A Canadian Anglican bishop said Jesus told her as a teen she would be a priest.
Their stories stick with the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, after a recent Christian summit in Kenya where Granberg-Michaelson said he sensed God at work in a historic moment for the worldwide church.
“It was thrilling,” Granberg-Michaelson recalled in his office here. “You wouldn’t have seen this 10 years ago. Many have just prayed for a time like this.”
He believes the Global Christian Forum, an unprecedented gathering of 245 church leaders from 72 countries, marks a promising new chapter for the Christian ecumenical movement.
Through personal testimonies, discussions and speaking the Lord’s Prayer in their native tongues, participants paved the way for global cooperation among Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Pentecostal and evangelical believers, the longtime RCA leader said.
“The church’s witness is immeasurably harmed by our divisions from one another, our hostility, judging and fighting with one another,” he said. “At least at this level of leadership, we’re trying to demonstrate our love for one another and our desire to demonstrate God’s love for the world.”
It was the first worldwide gathering of the Global Christian Forum, an organization nearly 10 years in the making. The World Council of Churches in 1998 first proposed the idea of a broader Christian assembly to include both its Protestant and Orthodox members, and Catholic, Pentecostal and evangelical churches outside the WCC.
Granberg-Michaelson, a former WCC staff member, also chairs Christian Churches Together, a new, broad-based fellowship of U.S. denominations.
In Kenya, he met with a diverse lot of leaders from groups including the WCC, the Vatican, the Pentecostal World Fellowship and World Evangelical Alliance.
The broad assembly broke through historic doctrinal barriers, such as churches that emphasize life after death while others focus on this-life issues of justice, Granberg-Michaelson said. It also gathered Northern Hemisphere churches with those of the South, where Christianity is growing the fastest, he said.
“We needed to create some new space where all parts of the body (of Christ) would be brought together and feel safe,” Granberg-Michaelson said.
_ Charles Honey
Diverse group of Christians seek better ties with Muslims
(RNS) A wide range of Christian theologians and leaders have endorsed a document calling for increased efforts to work with Muslims for peace and justice. The move responds to an earlier call from Muslim leaders seeking common ground.
The new document, “Loving God and Neighbor Together: A Christian Response to `A Common Word Between Us and You,”’ was signed by almost 300 Christians and published in a Sunday (Nov. 18) advertisement in The New York Times.
“Given the deep fissures in the relations between Christians and Muslims today, the task before us is daunting. And the stakes are great,” the statement reads. “The future of the world depends on our ability as Christians and Muslims to live together in peace.”
Four scholars at Yale Divinity School initially released the document in mid-October, responding to an open letter by 138 Islamic clerics and scholars to Pope Benedict XVI about the need for partnerships aimed at peace.
The Yale document has expanded to include endorsements from such varied Christian voices as Rick Warren, author and pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.; William A. Graham, dean of Harvard Divinity School; Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary; Robert Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Calif.; Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals; David Neff, editor in chief of the evangelical magazine Christianity Today; and John M. Buchanan, editor of the mainline Protestant magazine The Christian Century.
The Christian leaders acknowledge that people of their faith “have been guilty of sinning against our Muslim neighbors” and ask for forgiveness.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Christian leaders urge compassion in immigrant debate
WASHINGTON (RNS) Several Christian leaders said Wednesday (Nov. 14) that while immigration reform is necessary, the faith community needs to help bridge the gap between immigrants and a society that often rejects them.
“We call on people of faith to stand with immigrants as fellow human beings deserving of God’s love and to advocate for effective immigration policies consistent with our history as a nation,” said James Winkler, who heads the United Methodists’ Board of Church and Society.
As part of the group Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the four leaders said a new attitude toward the ongoing immigration debate is just as necessary as new legislation.
“How we talk about undocumented people is a matter of … life and dignity,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder and CEO of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.
According to a report released by CCIR, the talk about immigrants has worsened recently, resulting in what Winkler called the “demonization of immigrants.”
The report documents “the increasing prevalence of mistreatment of immigrants” in the United States and says “immigrant families are ripped apart and individual undocumented immigrants are treated as less than human.”
The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said that although CCIR does not foresee immigration reform being debated in Congress until early 2009, they are concerned with how immigrants will be treated in the meantime.
CCIR believes U.S. Christians should reach out to immigrants with compassion, an issue at the very heart of the Christian faith, said Catholic Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the Catholic bishops’ committee on migration.
“When Jesus spoke those words in Matthew’s gospel _ when you welcome the stranger, you welcome me _ I can’t help but think he was thinking of his own beginnings when he became one of us,” he said.
_ Heather Donckels
Wife claims husband’s church as asset in divorce case
(RNS) A Brooklyn, N.Y., pastor has used his church as a “personal piggy bank,” his estranged wife says, arguing that it should be considered a marital asset in their divorce proceedings.
New York State Supreme Court Judge Arthur M. Diamond agreed to hear arguments on that claim and ordered a financial appraisal of the church in a decision published earlier this week.
The couple’s names were redacted from the decision.
The husband’s attorney, Eleanor Gery, said she had never seen a court agree to appraise a church in her 16 years practicing law in New York.
Her client may appeal the decision, Gery said.
The couple had been married for 31 years and lived in Baldwin, N.Y.
The wife claims the couple together founded Grace Christian Church in Brooklyn with $50,000 of their money. Her lawyer, Robert Pollack, told The Associated Press, “That church is no different than any other business he might have opened.”
The wife also said her estranged husband helped himself to the church’s coffers whenever he wanted to and ran a business from the church building.
Gery said her client doesn’t own the church.
_ Daniel Burke
Presbyterians clear Citigroup in Israel/Palestine probe
(RNS) The Presbyterian Church (USA) has removed Citigroup Inc. from its list of businesses probed for possible ties to violence and oppression in the Palestinian territories, saying it found no “improprieties.”
The Louisville, Ky.-based denomination had looked into whether the financial conglomerate was helping terrorist groups launder money. The church’s Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee announced the end of its investigation of Citigroup at its meeting Nov. 8-10.
The committee continues to scrutinize four other companies to determine if their dealings with Israel and Palestine comply with the church’s peacemaking policies. Those companies are: ITT Industries of White Plains, N.Y.; Motorola Inc. of Schaumburg Ill.; United Technologies Corp. of Hartford, Conn.; and Caterpillar Inc. of Peoria, Ill.
In a controversial move, the Presbyterian Church, which counts 3 million members in the U.S., promised in 2004 to divest from companies it believed contribute to violence in Israel and Palestine. Under pressure from conservatives and Jewish groups, the church changed plans in 2006, and now works to ensure that its money “be invested only in peaceful pursuits.”
_ Daniel Burke
Police drop plan to `map’ Los Angeles Muslims
LOS ANGELES (RNS) After an angry outcry from Muslim leaders, the Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday (Nov. 14) canceled plans to create a “mapping” database on local Muslim communities to help pinpoint possible Islamic extremists.
“When they are talking about mapping gang areas, Mafia areas, it’s erroneous to transfer that model and then map a mainstream community,” said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council.
“They are mapping criminal areas, and so when they say they want to map us, already they’re treating the Muslim community as suspects, not partners.”
The LAPD’s proposed Muslim mapping became a flashpoint earlier this month after the American Civil Liberties Union and Muslim groups publicly condemned it as a type of racial profiling.
Police officials dropped the plan after initially defending it. Police Chief William Bratton scheduled a Thursday meeting with local Muslim leaders to ease tensions and open up dialogue.
“We’re seeking to increase the engagement with these communities, not antagonize,” Bratton said in a radio interview. “Mapping has a very positive connotation in policing. Unfortunately it’s equated sometimes with the term `racial profiling.”’
Muslim leaders said mapping would be especially problematic because ethnicity and religion blend so easily in America, with Muslims and Jews both coming from Iran or Arab Muslims and Arab Christians emigrating from the same predominantly Muslim countries.
“Most Muslims live around non-Muslims,” Al-Marayati said. “There are no Muslim neighborhoods in Southern California.”
_ David Finnigan
Quote of the Week: Brady Boyd of New Life Church in Colorado Springs
(RNS) “As far as me standing in the pulpit holding a voter guide, that’s not going to happen. I won’t use (my position) to influence their vote.”
_ Brady Boyd, the new pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., speaking to the Los Angeles Times about church-based political activism. Boyd took over after Ted Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, resigned the pulpit in a sex scandal.
KRE/PH END RNS
