c. 2008 Religion News Service
Head of White House faith-based office resigns
(RNS) The director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives, Jay Hein, has resigned to care for his ill father.
Hein, the White House office’s third director, will leave Aug. 29 and return to Indianapolis to support his father, who is battling cancer, said spokeswoman Rebecca Neale.
Hein alerted his staff and state liaisons to religious and secular nonprofits during the week of Aug. 11, and met with President Bush earlier to tell him of his plans.
Asked if Hein would be replaced, Neale said, “I think that that’s something the White House senior staff is working through right now.”
Hein, 43, had led the office for two years. The office, which Bush began soon after becoming president, was previously led by University of Pennsylvania political science professor John DiIulio and Saint Vincent College president Jim Towey.
“I think Jay was instrumental in expanding the president’s vision for the initiative outside of Washington,” said Neale. “He helped demonstrate how the initiative is alive in all 50 states.”
Hein hosted monthly roundtable discussions that brought together government, religious and business leaders and philanthropists in Washington and led national and international conferences aimed at highlighting partnerships between nonprofits and the government.
Hein was named in the Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation case, which the Supreme Court decided in the White House’s favor in June 2007. That ruling, which insulated the faith-based initiative from taxpayer legal challenges, has played a role in a series of subsequent court decisions.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Most Americans believe God can save lives, even if doctors can’t
(RNS) A majority of Americans believe that divine intervention can trump doctors’ advice in end-of-life cases, according to a new report published in Archives of Surgery.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut, found that 57 percent of adults believe in the possibility of a miracle even after doctors have told them a family member’s life can’t be saved.
Just 20 percent of trauma professionals felt divine intervention could save a patient.
“Regarding medical futility, the results indicate that physicians can be reasonably sure they are trusted to make those decisions. However, they need to be prepared to deal with families who are waiting for a miracle,” the report concluded.
The study was conducted in the summer and fall of 2005, just a few months after the public debate over whether to remove the feeding tube of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman whom doctors concluded was in a persistent vegetative state.
Although 61 percent of respondents said that “a person in a persistent vegetative state could be saved by a miracle,” only 11 percent said that they would prefer to be kept alive if given the choice.
Researchers surveyed 1,006 adults, and 774 trauma care specialists. Race, age, gender, and education level were weighted to reflect census data, but researchers did not report the religious affiliation of participants.
_ Tim Murphy
Hallmark plan for gay marriage cards angers conservatives
(RNS) Hallmark’s decision to introduce a new line of cards for gay marriages has drawn criticism from conservative Christian groups who accuse the company of promoting immoral behavior.
Hallmark is releasing four cards specifically for same-sex couples in response to increasing demand after gay marriage was legalized in California in May.
Tim Wildmon, president of the Tupelo, Miss.-based American Family Association, called Hallmark’s decision “apalling.”
“I’m pretty jaded now with everything I’ve seen, but Hallmark is synonymous with all-American … wholesomeness,” Wildmon said. “So this does surprise me that they want to get into the culture wars.”
Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said the company began distributing the cards in July, but they will not be widely available until next summer.
Hallmark introduced a new line of cards last year to support people “coming out” _ making public their sexual orientation.
Tony Perkins of the Washington-based Family Research Council denounced Hallmark’s plans and encouraged the council’s supporters to contact the card company.
“Placing profits over character should never be a good business decision,” Perkins said. “This is far from being the `very best.”’
Kathryn Hamm, president of gayweddings.com, said Hallmark’s decision to issue same-sex wedding cards is significant.
Hallmark “is a company that has always sort of been the all-American, feel-good card … so their embracing it is a really big deal,” Hamm said.
_ Tim Murphy
HHS issues proposed conscience rules on health care workers
(RNS) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued proposed rules on protecting health care workers who object to performing certain procedures _ including abortion _ for religious or moral reasons.
“Doctors and other health care providers should not be forced to choose between good professional standing and violating their conscience,” HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said when he released the proposed regulation Thursday (Aug. 21).
The 42-page document is available for public comment for the next 30 days, and organizations on both sides of the abortion issue are urging their supporters to contact HHS.
“Planned Parenthood continues to be concerned that the Bush administration’s proposed regulation poses a serious threat to women’s health care by limiting the rights of patients to receive complete and accurate health information and services,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops urged abortion opponents to thank Leavitt for his action, and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said the proposal will “help protect religious organizations and individuals.”
“These regulations are desperately needed to protect First Amendment rights and implement federal law in what is becoming a jungle of coercion,” said Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical Association.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Most Americans think churches should avoid politics
(RNS) A slim majority of Americans,including rising numbers of conservatives, say churches should stay out of politics, according to a survey released Thursday (Aug. 21) by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Fifty-two percent of Americans say they think houses of worship should not express their opinions about political and social matters, while 45 percent say they approve of such expression.
The center said this marks the first time since it started asking the question in 1996 that respondents who want churches to stay out of politics outnumber those with the opposite view.
Conservatives, especially, have reconsidered the issue, with 50 percent saying congregations should stay out of politics. Only 30 voiced that opinion in 2004.
The survey also showed a slight increase in the percentage of Americans who say they are bothered by politicians’ discussing their religion. Forty-six percent now say they are uncomfortable with that kind of religious talk, compared to 40 percent in 2004.
Researchers found a sharper increase in the number of respondents who view the Democratic Party as friendly toward religion, from 26 percent in 2006 to 38 percent two years later. More than half _ 52 percent _ view the Republican Party as religion friendly, compared to 47 percent in 2006.
The study, conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, was based on telephone interviews from July 31-Aug. 10 with a national sample of 2,905 adults. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 2 percentage points.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Appeals court affirms limits on funeral protests
(RNS) A federal appeals court has upheld an Ohio law that limits picketing at funerals, rejecting an appeal by Westboro Baptist Church, an anti-gay Kansas congregation that has held protests across the country.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of Westboro pastor Fred Phelps, argued that a law amended in 2006 by the Ohio legislature was unconstitutional because it imposed unreasonable restrictions on speech. She suggested that attendees could “avert their eyes” from protests and are voluntary participants at funerals.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed, saying the rule “serves an important governmental interest” and is reasonable.
“Friends and family of the deceased should not be expected to opt-out from attending their loved one’s funeral or burial service,” wrote Senior Judge Richard F. Suhrheinrich. “Nor can funeral attendees simply `avert their eyes’ to avoid exposure to disruptive speech at a funeral or burial service. The mere presence of a protestor is sufficient to inflict the harm.”
Phelps-Roper and other members of her Topeka church picket military funerals because they believe God is punishing America for its acceptance of homosexuality with deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq. They carry signs with messages such as “Thank God for dead soldiers.”
The court also disagreed with Phelps-Roper’s argument that the law was “overbroad,” ruling it was “narrowly tailored” because it restricts protests within 300 feet of a burial or funeral service.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Catholic bishops take Pelosi to task on abortion
(RNS) Prominent Catholic prelates are accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., of misrepresenting church doctrine on abortion, saying Catholic teachings on the issue have been settled for centuries.
Pelosi, America’s highest-ranking Catholic elected official, said on “Meet the Press” Sunday (Aug. 24) that she isn’t sure when life begins, and that “over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy.”
Not so, say several Catholic prelates.
“The church teaches that from the time of conception, each member of the human species must be given the full respect due to a human person, beginning with respect for the fundamental right to life,” said Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia and Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., in a joint statement.
The two prelates acknowledged that theologians during the Middle Ages disagreed about when the soul enters a human body and that canon law once proscribed different penalties for “very early and later abortions.”
But, Rigali and Lori said, “the church’s moral teaching never justified or permitted abortion at any state of development.”
Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington said the church’s catechism is unequivocal on abortion, and it’s important to “make this correction for the record.”
“We respect the right of elected officials such as Speaker Pelosi to address matters of public policy that are before them, but the interpretation of Catholic faith has rightfully been entrusted to Catholic bishops,” Wuerl said in a statement.
Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput said that Pelosi has “many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.”
Pelosi’s comments came in defense of her party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Barack Obama. The Illinois senator on Sunday (Aug. 24) told megachurch pastor Rick Warren that the question of when life begins is “above my pay grade.”
Obama’s selection of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden once again highlights the uneasy relationship between some Catholic Democrats and church leaders. Chaput recently said that Biden, who is Catholic, should not receive Communion because of his support for abortion rights.
_ Tim Murphy
Seventh-day Adventist leader to head religious freedom commission
(RNS) A Seventh-day Adventist legislative expert, James D. Standish, has been named the new executive director of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Standish’s background in human rights and religious freedom advocacy has made him a “respected leader, both on Capitol Hill and among … widely varying constituencies,” said Felice D. Gaer, chair of the 10-year-old commission.
Standish, 43, previously served as director of legislative affairs for the Seventh-day Adventist Church, representing his church on Capitol Hill and visiting several continents.
“The magnitude and severity of violations of the universal right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion worldwide cannot be understated,” he said.
Standish has testified on religious freedom issues before the House of Representatives and has written widely on religious liberty matters.
He succeeds Joseph R. Crapa, who served as executive director of the commission from 2003 until his death in October 2007.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Quote of the Week: Cameron Strang, editor of Relevant magazine
(RNS) “There’s no absolutely right candidate for an evangelical, and there’s no absolutely wrong candidate. They’re both right, and they’re both wrong.”
_ Cameron Strang, editor of Relevant magazine, quoted by The Washington Post, speaking of presidential candidates Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.
DSB END RNS
