Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

New Year's Eve

Happy New Year's Eve.  We'll be leaving in the morning from Portland and heading back to St. Louis.  Traveling with us are two very sick babies.  Frances and Katherine got sick over Christmas and by this Monday had developed pneumonia.  We've spent the last five days in and out of doctor's offices.  Both babies are undergoing breathing treatments every three hours and have enough medicines in them to open up a pharmacy.  Our hope is that once home they'll relax and start to feel better.  Your prayers and good wishes for a speedy recovery are appreciated.  Even sick these kids are way cute! 

A Christmas Prayer

In the celebration of Your incarnation the icons of the season mingle with horrific images like so much flotsam in the wake of Tsunami's indiscriminate destruction:

Rachels weeping over lifeless bodies of lost children unable to cling to boats and branches; the desperate flight of families rich and poor - each one holy - racing the deadly embrace of waves reaching for this generation's innocent;

the weak and the vulnerable survivors waiting for food, water, shelter, but even more for some consolation like the ancient survivors Simeon and Anna of old.

Our hearts break, O God, even as our minds resist comprehending the enormity of sorrow spread across southern Asia's vast beauty and poverty.

Amid so much that is superficial may this grim spectacle of loss prompt us to cling ever more closely to all that is precious in our lives, and may it stir in our oft deadened hearts a great generosity of tears and treasure borne by modern magi moved again by cosmic disruptions, gifts worthy of Your epiphany that can even now render this year's terrifying season holy. Amen.

John H. Thomas, General Minister and President, United Church of Christ

Where Is The Religious Right?

This post has been updated

It is one of the biggest natural humanitarian disasters in our lifetime.  It appears that well over 100,000 people will have been killed by the tidal wave in Southeast Asia.  Many religious groups have responded.  But not the religious right in the United States.  Bill Berkowitz takes a look at the Christian right and their web sites in an article for Working for Change and finds something lacking:  any mention of the crisis.  Those groups are too busy fighting gay rights and for conservative economic policies to notice that millions are suffering on the other side of the world.  This should be a scandal for Christians.  But will anyone be surprised that the religious right cannot see past their own narrow self-interest?  These groups have failed God once again. 

Update:  Another sad example of how the religious right is acting this week...  Albert Mohler, one of the best known Southern Baptist leaders, used his column today to attack lesbian parents.  Yes, with 100,000+ dead and millions suffering Mohler is ignoring the crisis in Southeast Asia and is using his position to attack the real crisis the world is facing: parents who love their children.

Update:  Jerry Falwell updated his web site Friday with an urgent appeal for donations.... for him.  No mention of the tidal wave.

Update: It turns out James Dobson from Focus on the Family has been using his Christmas break and New Year to rally support for conservative judges.  He sent out a letter to 1 million supporters.  There was no call asking for support for tidal wave victims.  Read more.

Not Enough

The world-wide response to the tsunami in Southeast Asia will simply not be enough.  Jan Egeland, United Nations Relief Coordinator, has called the aid offered by Western nations "stingy" in the face of 100,000+ deaths.  Economic globalization has already done plenty of damage to the people of India and others in the "third world."  I've seen that damage first hand in the slums of India.  The United States consumes most of the world's resources and more than anyone we take advantage of the economic systems that help cause terrible poverty in Southeast Asia.  Yet as a percentage of the gross national product we give away only 0.14% of our wealth to assist other nations struggling to feed their people.  Our response as a nation to the tsunami is inadequate in the face of such suffering.  Christians - who as a matter of faith are called to put the least of these first - should be particularly upset with how our government has reacted.  It even took the president until today to show his face and offer support for those who have lost their lives.  We need to do better.   

Update: Southern Asia Earthquake-Tidal Wave Emergency

The following is the latest update from Church World Service concerning relief efforts in Southeast Asia.  CWS is the ecumenical relief agency that supports the denominations involved with the National Council of Churches USA.  Please support their work.

Situation Report

The death toll from a devastating series of south Asia's tsunamis now stands at about 52,000, the Associated Press (AP) news agency reported today, with news that emergency personnel had found 10,000 who had been killed in the Indonesia city of Meulaboh, in the Aceh province on the island of Sumatra.

REPONSE: As part of its regional response to this disaster -- which focuses initial support for emergency response efforts in at least three of the most affected areas -- Church World Service today announces that it is sending initial emergency material assistance shipments with a value of more than $900,000.

This initial emergency assistance effort is being implemented by Church World Service with the support of the United Church of Christ (UCC); Disciples of Christ--Week of Compassion; United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR); International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC); Reformed Church of America (RCA); and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).

Specifics:

++ CWS is immediately sending 500 family shelter kits from its regional warehouse in Pakistan to Sri Lanka at the request of the National Council of Churches of Sri Lanka (NCCL). Each shelter kit contains a family tent, a ground sheet and a plastic tarp for a value of $108 for each kit. (Total value: $54,000.) A CWS Emergency Response team from Pakistan will assist the NCCL in distribution and further emergency assessment

++ CWS is also sending 75 Emergency Medicine boxes which will provide basic medicines and antibiotics to 75,000 persons for a period of three months. (Total value: $270,000.) Also being sent are 9,000 CWS "Gift of the Heart" Health kits. (Total value: $108,000.) A CWS Emergency Response team from Pakistan will assist the NCCL in distribution and further emergency assessment

++ CWS is sending 5,000 light-weight blankets and 35,000 CWS "Gift of the Heart" Health Kits to Indonesia for distribution in Ache. (Total value: $486,750.)

CWS is also undertaking the regional deployment of rapid response support and emergency material airlifts of additional shelter and hygiene materials. Further support and assistance from Church World Service will be provided.

Substantial financial assistance will be needed to support country specific emergency appeals. Initial assessments indicate that full recovery from this disaster will require significant resources.

Updates will be provided about the CWS response and recovery actions as they continue and expand.

Contributions to support this work may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515. Contributions may also be made by credit card by calling: (800)-297-1516 ext. 222

Please designate contributions for emergency # 6970 SOUTHERN ASIA EARTHQUAKE-TIDAL WAVE EMERGENCY

For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding please visit the Church World Service Website at www.churchworldservice.org or phone (800) 297-1516.

Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN, 46515.

CWS Emergency Response Program special contacts: (212) 870-3151;

International: [email protected]

Domestic: [email protected]

CWS web site: www.churchworldservice.org

CWS / ERP web site: www.cwserp.org

Christmas in Portland

Yesterday we brought Frances and Katherine to Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ for a blessing and to give thanks for their birth this past July.  Many of our Portland area family and friends were able to attend.  It was a special occasion and we appreciate the kindness of The Rev. Dr. Patricia Ross, senior minister, and The Rev. Paul Davis, associate minister.  We're spending a few days in Oregon and Washington post Christmas and will post photos when we return to St. Louis. 

Southern Asia Earthquake-Tidal Wave Emergency

Last summer I spent time in Southern India studying and visiting congregations with the Church of South India as part of a group from Eden Theological Seminary.  Many of the areas we visited were hit by the tidal wave.  So far I have not received any reports from churches in the area.  My mother and step-father are also waiting for word from friends they have in the area.  Please do all you can to help.  Visit Church World Service for more information.

SITUATION: The fourth largest earthquake in recorded history has wreaked major destruction across eight countries in Southern Asia. The initial quake, which struck 100 miles off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island at around 7:00 a.m. Sunday, measured 9 in magnitude on the Richter scale and was part of a powerful series of earthquakes. The undersea quakes triggered enormous tidal waves which swept across the Indian Ocean, striking coastal regions of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Burma and Malaysia. The tsunami also swept across the low-lying islands that make up the Maldives. At 7:00 p.m. eastern time on December 26, the death toll across the region was estimated at 11,000 and will continue to rise.

As of Sunday evening, news agencies in Indonesia reported over 4,000 dead, many of them in Aceh, in northern Sumatra, 100 miles from the quake's epicenter.

Sri Lankan military authorities are reporting more than 4,500 people killed, most of them in the eastern district of Batticaloa. Several districts in the country's south have still not reported casualty figures, and authorities fear the death toll will rise.

Along India's southeastern coast, several villages appeared to have been swept away, and thousands of fishermen -- including 2,000 from the Chennai area alone -- who were out at sea when the massive waves swept across the waters have not returned. India government officials said at least 2,300 Indians were killed as a result of the massive waves.

Across the entire region emergency officials say thousands are missing and more than a half million people have been displaced.

RESPONSE:

CWS will be undertaking a regional response to this catastrophe, focusing support for emergency response efforts in at least three most affected areas.

INDONESIA:

CWS New York has been in contact with the CWS Indonesia office. CWS staff in Indonesia are assessing the affected area and are planning an initial emergency response. In Indonesia, the province of Aceh on Sumatra's northernmost tip near the epicenter of the undersea quake is reported to have been hit the worst. Reports are that the island of Nias has been hit very hard. The island, which is generally underdeveloped, has a population of nearly 700,000 people. No reports have been received so far from Aceh. Complicating factors could be that Aceh has become increasingly isolated from the world due a clampdown by the Indonesian government in an effort to control fighting between government soldiers and separatist rebels. Access by international relief and development agencies has been limited during the past year.

SRI LANKA

CWS is taking initial planning steps to deploy an emergency assistance team from it’s regional office in Pakistan/Afghanistan. The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), a CWS partner and member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, has already started responding to the emergency brought on by the massive sea surge, which swamped the country's southern, eastern and northern coast lines. NCCSL reports that a sea surge triggered by the undersea quake caused massive inland tides (in some instances up to 2.5 km long) in places like Trinco, Batticaloa, Amaprai, Matara, Galle. NCCSL also reports complete destruction in parts of the capital city Colombo along the seashore where many of the poorest of the city lived. The tides swept most of their homes and belongings out to sea. Telephone lines are also down, making communication difficult.

INDIA

CWS partner the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) will be working together with the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI) to assess emergency needs in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. CASA is deploying two assessment teams (15 people to a team) to travel to the coastal areas of the states early on Monday, December 27. CWS will provide financial assistance to support the CASA response.

Emergency support may be provided by CWS to other affected areas.

SUPPORT:

Regional deployment of rapid response support and emergency material airlifts of shelter and hygiene materials are being considered by Church World Service. Financial assistance will be needed to support country specific emergency appeals. Further support and assistance from Church World Service will be forthcoming. Initial assessments indicate that full recovery from this disaster will require significant resources.

This initial appeal will be updated as response and recovery actions continue and expand.

Contributions to support this work may be sent to your denomination or to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515. Contributions may also be made by credit card by calling: (800)-297-1516

Please designate contributions for emergency # 6970 SOUTHERN ASIA EARTHQUAKE-TIDAL WAVE EMERGENCY

For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding please visit the Church World Service Website at www.churchworldservice.org or phone (800) 297-1516

Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.

CWS Emergency Response Program special contacts: (212) 870-3151; 

Merry Christmas

It is Christmas Eve.  Here in St. Louis the temperature hovers around 10 degrees this morning but I’m soon headed to a milder climate to be with family and friends.  That means no posting here for a day or two (unless something important happens like NASA announces an asteroid is heading toward earth).  Merry Christmas.

PS.  My favorite part of the asteroid story is the NASA illustration of what the end of the earth will look like.

Texas "Christian" School Kicks Out Gay Student

Trinity Christian Academy in Addison, Texas recently kicked out a top student and varsity athletic after finding out he was gay and running a web site support group for other gay students. "We strive to handle each situation, as Jesus Christ would. Since love is at the core of Jesus' nature, we try to ensure each student is surrounded by an abundance of loving care during any disciplinary process,” said school headmaster David Delph. Kicking him out of school was an expression of love? Anyone wondering why the United Church of Christ felt the need to run commercials reminding people that Jesus didn’t turn anyone away should read this story.

When You Count All The Votes…..

Democrats win.  Congratulations, Governor-elect Christine Gregoire of Washington State.

Republicans really have to come up with a better election strategy than demanding that valid votes not be counted unless they are for their candidate.  When you count every vote democracy works.   

"The Compassion of the Christ"

Alternet has published an article by Jeannette Batz Cooperman on the UCC ad controversy (which contains a few quotes from me). She offers a different take on the debate than most of the recent media coverage:

At the surface, the UCC ad controversy looks like it's about a couple of broadcasting corporations holding up fat trembling fingers to see which way the political winds blow. But dig a little deeper, and you strike the gnarled roots of the Tree of Knowledge itself. This is the central religious conflict of our time: literal versus metaphorical understanding.

The religious denominations most outraged by the Night Club ad are those that believe religious teachings must be taken literally and remain unchanged through history. They see it as sinful, arrogant and self-indulgent to loosen our grip on our various sacred texts, placing them in cultural context and allowing our interpretations to evolve. And they're applying their method of Biblical understanding to another denomination's commercial.

The networks are taking the commercial literally too, by categorizing it as advocacy of a public-policy issue and insisting that it implies criticism of other churches. No other denomination is named; gay marriage is never mentioned. The real question the ad raises is not one of public policy, but of "welcome." That's a religious question, and again, its answer hinges on how literally one defines the word. Should people feel welcomed because they have the ability to walk through a church doorway and not be turned away? Or does welcome require unconditional acceptance?

…..

When news of the UCC ad's rejection broke, I asked random acquaintances how they had interpreted the sound bites. Most had automatically assumed that the cause of controversy was the ad's depiction of "gay couples." Outraged, they rattled off apparent contradictions, from Will & Grace to Darwinian reality shows and bared-claw political ads. What they failed to realize was that these networks had drawn lines between political ads, commercial ads, news and entertainment – between persuasion and advocacy, between shock value and real controversy – with different standards and protocol for each.

I squinted to see those lines, but every time I thought I had one in focus, it wiggled and blurred.

NBC's answer sounded so simple: they avoid controversy. But isn't the war in Iraq controversial? What, then, of military ads? There's bitter controversy over global warming, what about those SUV ads? Would a network reject scenic footage of the pristine Arctic wilderness in Alaska because it implied resistance to the president's plans to drill for oil there? Few ideas are more central to the original Christian message than the dignity of the poor and the dangers of wealth and greed, and most Christians at least mumble objections to consumerism – but avoiding that controversy would wipe out TV altogether.

Neither station wanted to discuss its position with reporters or elaborate it for the public. But last year, in a flap over Superbowl advertising, CBS went into detail about its policy: "Advertisers shall be afforded maximum latitude to touch on matters of public concern, either in institutional advertising or in promoting their goods and services, so long as messages do not rise to the level of explicit or implicit advocacy."

In the broadest sense, all advertising is advocacy. But CBS isn't about to draw that line. So we're left with the narrower sense of advocacy: that it pushes a particular viewpoint on a public issue. "If we had said we support gay marriage and disagree with the president's message, sure," says UCC seminarian Chuck Currie. "But this was a theological message."

That, too, is dangerous ground:  The CBS memo said proselytizing was unacceptable, adding, "This commercial does proselytize."

Nothing could have offended the UCC more.

"'Proselytize' means basically sheep stealing – trying to steal members from other churches – and that's not what we're trying to do at all," exclaims UCC spokesperson Powell. "This is a warm message of welcome geared specifically toward people who have no church affiliation whatsoever."

Click here to read the full article. Cooperman is offering readers one of the few in-depth discussions concerning the controversy. Take a look.

Does Prayer Help You Heal? My Fight With Psoriatic Arthritis

Observant readers of this site will remember that about a year ago I posted a short piece about my on-going battle with Psoriatic Arthritis. Psoriatic Arthritis is a disease similar to rheumatoid arthritis. My immune system malfunctions and the result is muscle and bone damage that causes me to have periods where it is difficult to use my hands and sometimes to walk. These days the medicines available for treatment often times keep the disease under control. Before getting a diagnosis and appropriate treatment I ended up in the hospital on three occasions. The medicines, of course, have side effects and I’m always at increased risk for infections and even different forms of cancer. Even a common sinus infection becomes a major ordeal. The worst part for me is that even on good days I live with some measure of pain and on bad days that pain can feel overwhelming.

There have been several studies that show prayer can help in the recovery of those who are ill. My own theological worldview rejects the notion that God only helps those who ask (or even know how to ask). But I have found that meditative prayer during times of increased pain (and the stress that comes with it) helps me become God-centered and more relaxed. I can share the pain and grief that comes with it with God and know that God suffers with all those in pain (mental, physical, spiritual). That is comforting and often allows me the mental space to accomplish tasks that some days feel impossible. Some people have even claimed that through prayer they have been cured from aliments. I won’t reject those claims out of hand, but it always makes we wonder why God would cure one person and not another. My own understanding of God makes these claims suspect.

What I’m wondering is what other people feel about prayer and healing? Have you had a personal experience with it? Do you believe in a God that intervenes with individual cases and offers miracle cures? Or do you think it is a miracle enough that God created humanity with the capacity to treat illnesses?

Related Resources:

Facts About Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic Arthritis Online Support Group

United Church of Christ Online Prayer Chapel

"I Want My Faith Back"

World Wide Pablo (United Methodist blogger / Portland’s most eligible gay Christmas bachelor) sent this great op-ed piece to me from Jennifer Barnett Reed at the Arkansas Times:

There’s only one thing on my Christmas list this year:

I want my faith back.

I didn’t come by it easily. I’m a card-carrying liberal, skeptical by nature, with an almost knee-jerk eye-roll reaction to anyone who’s completely comfortable discussing their religious convictions in mixed company. I spent pretty much the entire decade of my 20s in an uncomfortable agnosticism because I just couldn’t make up my damn mind.

So now that I have — now that words like “sinful” spring to mind when I hear about the $40 million budget for George W. Bush’s inaugural soirees, instead of just “disgusting” — I’m starting to take the right wing’s hijacking of my religion very, very personally.

Click here to read her full article.  Good stuff.

Conquering fear in our church

by Bishop Yvette Flunder

As pastor of City of Refuge United Church of Christ, I view the CBS and NBC rejection of our denomination's TV spots as a conflict of political and spiritual values, and yet another example of how the church is being reformed again, all around us.

In fact, we are in a new Reformation. Open your eyes; take a look. The leadership of the Christian church has become more concerned with institutional and political strength than the needs of the people. They have created two kinds of Christianity: one official, one real.

Official Christians have official Christian bumper stickers, CDs, key chains, bookmarks, signals, sins and a Christian look, a serious official Christian look (they don't grin a lot). There is even a "Christian vote" to identify voter preference in election day exit polling.

What does the real Christianity do? It feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, shelters the homeless and comforts the afflicted. It loves them that hate you.

It's time to change. Today, Christians find their religious beliefs defined by hateful rhetoric, a redefinition of "moral values" and creation of a very real atmosphere of fear. Christianity is becoming the most intolerant, exclusive religion of all time. We say we know Christ, yet we can't stand one another. Christianity is leaning, and it needs to right itself.

Two thousand years ago a charismatic preacher from Nazareth said things like, "The meek will be exalted and inherit the earth," and "Love them that curse you." He said, "When you see them in need of a coat when they are cold, take yours off and give it to them." Also: "Care for the widows and the homeless and the elderly and those in prison."

Could there be a starker contrast between what he said and those who fuel an atmosphere of fear of minorities from a largely racist, homophobic and anti- Muslim religious right? Those people of faith who believe peace is the alternative to war are out shouted down by the "fearful faithful" who cannot believe God can bring peace by any other means but war. Religious leaders, afraid of losing credibility, supporters and resources, weakened the voice of the justice community by failing to speak out publicly.

The church is leaning. Something is wrong. We are at a crossroads and the time has come to take a stand. I have seen people afraid to speak out against the unjust war in Iraq, against homophobia, against assault weapons, against homeland security or anything else the Bush administration supports. The marginalized have not had a voice in much of the recent political fray, because we continue to be separated by our areas of concern.

We need to come together, connect and find strength in our common reality of political powerlessness. We need to find our voice, and then join the choir of people working for the rights of all people. I want to encourage speaking out by declaring we will not be ruled by fear. It is time to get angry, because what is happening is wrong. It is not negotiable, it is wrong. Excluding people from the inclusive love of Jesus and from the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is not debatable; it is wrong. We must have the same determination our forebears had when they sang the lyrics: "And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free."

Bishop Yvette Flunder is founder and senior pastor of City of Refuge United Church of Christ in San Francisco (www.sfrefuge.org). She is also executive director of the Yvette A. Flunder Foundation, an AIDS Service Organization.

This article was published today in the San Franciso Chronicle and is re-printed here with premission from Bishop Flunder.  Please click here to read more about Bishop Flunder's background.  This is one of the most powerful statements that I have read this Advent season.

“Intelligent Design Theory”

Religious conservatives have been touting “intelligent design theory” as an alternative to teaching evolution in the schools.  What is the theory?  In a nutshell: life was created by some sort of intelligence and not simply by a random process of evolution.  Proponents of the theory promote it as being a scientific theory when in reality it is simply creationism all dressed up.  As a Christian, evolution doesn’t take anything away from my faith.  I believe that God created life.  Evolution is not at odds with that.  But I don’t want my faith being taught in public schools as “the answer” and I certainly don’t want the pseudo-science in “intelligent design theory” being taught either.  That is what church is for.  Pat Robertson and Albert Mohler disagree.  Religious conservatives are demanding the theory be taught.  Scientists claim there is no science to teach behind the theory.  Where do we go from here?  The courts, of course.  “The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State filed a lawsuit challenging the Dover (Pennsylvania) Area School District's adoption of the theory of "intelligent design" -- which maintains that an "intelligent force" has directed the evolution of life on earth -- as part of its schools' science curriculum on the grounds that it is a violation of the separation of church and state,” reports Media Matters for America.  Let’s hope the courts have the good sense to defend the Constitution. 

Continued Failure In Iraq

This post has been updated

The death toll continues to climb in an attack today against US forces in Iraq. Very few have confidence in our mission or our leaders. Our prayers must go out to the soldiers, their families, and the Iraqi people.

Related Post: Confessing Christ in a World of Violence

Update: This news story from The LA Times lifts up another important and related issue to the events today in Iraq:

WASHINGTON — FBI agents have lodged repeated complaints of physical and mental mistreatment of prisoners held in Iraq and Cuba, saying in reports that military officials have placed lighted cigarettes in detainees' ears and humiliated Arab captives by wrapping Israeli flags around them, according to new documents released Monday.

The FBI records, which are among the latest set of documents obtained by the ACLU in its lawsuit against the federal government, also include instances in which bureau officials said they were disgusted by military interrogators who pretended to be FBI agents as a "ruse" to glean intelligence from prisoners.

The FBI complained that military interrogators had gone beyond the restrictions of the Geneva Convention that prohibit torture; the agents cited Bush administration guidelines that permit the use of dogs and other techniques to harass prisoners.

The records disclosed Monday are the second set in which FBI officials objected to military detention practices, and are notable because some instances occurred after revelations this year of prisoner abuses at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Full story

2004 Homeless Persons' Memorial Day

Press Statement from the National Coalition for the Homeless

Each year since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has sponsored National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember our homeless friends who have paid the ultimate price for our nation's failure to end homelessness.

In an effort to maximize the impact of the day, NCH has encouraged local and statewide organizations to hold memorials of their own. Last year, over 100 cities across the nation, from Detroit to Seattle to Washington, DC, sponsored events to honor those who had died and to recommit to the task of ending homelessness.

This Year, once again, NCH is encouraging groups to plan a special event on or around December 21, 2004. Some groups may decide to hold their event a day or so before the date.

2004 Homeless Persons' Memorial Day

On December 21, 2004, the National Coalition for the Homeless will sponsor National Homeless Person’s Memorial Day. On this day, over 100 community groups and service providers from around the country will hold memorial services to remember those who died without homes last year.

Last year, NCH held a memorial service at McPherson Square in downtown Washington, DC. A small crowd of homeless people, advocates, and concerned citizens braved the cold and wind to participate in the candlelight vigil and the reading of the names of homeless people who died in the Washington, DC metro area last year. All echoed the distress that many of us feel as our fellow citizens die on the streets, but emphasized a renewed commitment to end homelessness in the United States, so that we will not have to keep having memorial services.

Unfortunately, we will be having another service this December as several homeless people have already been found dead in Washington, DC since that service. It appears that the immediate cause of death was a combination of hypothermia and intoxication. We still have a long way to go in ending homelessness, especially in our Nation’s Capital. Homelessness truly is a matter of life and death.

For more information, please call Michael Stoops at NCH (202) 737-6444, ext. 19 or email at [email protected].

Portland Plans To End Homelessness (Again)

Portland City Commissioner Erik Sten today announced a new plan to end homelessness over 10 years.  This is the first major initiative undertaken by the city since 1991 (I remember it because I chaired the committee).  Sten's plan has the right focus: move people directly into affordable housing instead of warehousing them in shelters.  The downside of the effort: 

Advocates for the homeless raise objections to what they consider the city's parallel criminalization of homeless behavior, such as groups of three or more people sitting and standing in designated pedestrian zones. Last week, the council passed one ordinance that expands the list of offenses allowing exclusion from city parks, and another permitting police to arrest people for obstructing pedestrians downtown.

I would never have agreed to these provisions and hopefully the Oregon Law Center and others will challenge the legality of these actions. I'm sure, however, that Sten made these agreements with the business community in good faith. No plan is perfect. Portland has waited over a decade for a new concentrated effort like this one.

Let's set aside the concerns for a moment and congratulate Sten for his leadership on this issue. Anytime more low income housing is made available to move people from homelessness into housing it is a good day.

Read Sten's release here.

Additional reading: Illegal to be Homeless: The Criminalization of Homelessness in the United States

Report finds families struggling to pay rent this holiday season

Press Statement from the National Low Income Housing Coalition

As housing costs continue to increase faster than wages, millions of working families will spend the holidays struggling to pay for their homes, while many others will bring in the New Year without a home at all.

Out of Reach: 2004, a report released today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) finds that the national Housing Wage for 2004 is $15.37, or $31,970 a year, almost three times the federal minimum wage. The housing wage represents the amount a full-time worker must earn to be able to afford the rent for a modest two-bedroom home while paying no more than 30% of income fro housing. Working families, the elderly, and people with disabilities struggle to pay for their homes and are left to make impossible choices among necessities.

Out of Reach calculates the Housing Wage for every state, region and county in the U.S. and reports that in no community, city, county, or state is housing affordable to low wage workers. Other findings include:

• Families with extremely low incomes (those at 30% or below the area's median income) continue to face the most severe affordability problems. There is not a single metropolitan area where an extremely low income family can be assured of finding a modest two bedroom rental home that is affordable.
• Those families with the most barriers to finding and keeping a modest rental home are those earning the minimum wage. According to the 2004 numbers, housing is out of reach in more counties across the country than ever before, even for a working family with two fulltime minimum wage workers. Renter households in over 990 counties, home to almost 79% of all renter households in the nation, must have at least 80 hours a week of work at the local minimum wage to afford a two bedroom apartment at the local fair market rent.

"Out of Reach shows both the depth and breadth of the housing shortage in our country. The gap between what people earn and what their housing costs is stark," said Sheila Crowley, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "For the one third of the nation paying too much for their homes, the consequences of ends that do not meet are all too real."

The report will be released at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time during a conference call with press on Monday, December 20. Speakers on the call will include Crowley and Danilo Pelletiere of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.  Both speakers will be available for questions during and after the call.

According to Out of Reach: 2004, the least affordable states and their Housing Wages are:

  1.  California $21.24
  2.  Massachusetts $20.93
  3.  New Jersey $20.35
  4.  Maryland $18.25
  5.  New York $18.18
  6.  Connecticut $17.90
  7.  Hawaii $17.60
  8.  Alaska $17.07
  9.  Nevada $16.92
10.  New Hampshire $16.79

The least affordable Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and their Housing Wages are San Francisco, California ($29.60) and Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut ($27.63).

Fair Market Rents

Please find out more about the Fair Market Rents in 2005 in Appendix A at <http://www.nlihc.org/oor2004/appendixa.htm>.

Methodology

For each jurisdiction, the report calculates the amount of money a household must earn to afford a rental unit of a range of sizes at the area's Fair Market Rent (FMR), based on the generally accepted affordability standard of paying no more than 30% of income for housing costs. The FMR is the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) best estimate of what a person seeking housing would have to pay for a modest rental unit in the local market. For the majority of jurisdictions the FMR is defined by HUD as "the dollar amount below which 40 percent of the standard quality rental housing units rent." In some metropolitan areas, this is set to the 50th percentile due to generally high costs and high geographic concentrations of affordable housing. (See Appendix B at <http://www.nlihc.org/oor2004/appendixb.htm for more details on methodology and data used.)

####

About the National Low Income Housing Coalition: Established in 1974, the National Low Income Housing Coalition/LIHIS is dedicated solely to ending America's affordable housing crisis. NLIHC educates, organizes, and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing within healthy neighborhoods for everyone. NLIHC provides up-to-date information, formulates policy, and educates the public on housing needs and strategies for solutions. www.nlihc.org.

St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco

People from all over the country write-in to this blog to share their thoughts, projects, and ideas for being the best Disciples we can be. Mark Pritchard wrote this weekend to share the newsletter of St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco. This is a church that has heard God’s call to be open and affirming of all of God’s people. They have outreach programs in the city and a missionary project in South Africa. Are you a pastor looking for a calling? They’re looking for a new senior pastor. And if you live in San Francisco and are looking for a church to worship at this is one congregation you’ll want on a short list of places to visit.

The Year In Review Part 2

Since we're looking back on 2004 here are ten of my favorite posts from this site over the last 12 months:

Jesus, Truth and Mel Gibson's The Passion / Monday, January 26, 2004

William Sloane Coffin Talks About Bush, Iraq and Leadership / Thursday, April 29, 2004

Bush St. Louis Visit Marked By Protest / Friday, May 14, 2004

The Rev. Dr. Robert Edgar Talks About The National Council Of Churches, Iraq, and Voter Registration / Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Introducing Katherine Chalmers Currie & Frances Bright Currie / Thursday, July 08, 2004

LA Times: My Blog Is "top-tier" / Friday, July 30, 2004

Defend God’s Creation This November / Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Report From St. Louis On The Debate & Kerry Rally / Saturday, October 09, 2004

Biblical Witness: How We Understand the Bible Matters / Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Is It Ok That They’re Dying Because They’re Just Black People? / Friday, November 05, 2004

It is hard to pick just ten. All of the posts on the UCC have been pretty good.  There has also been a lot written about the National Council of Churches that I could have included.  If I did this tomorrow instead of today I might pick a different list. But these are all good examples of what I hope this blog does: providing a progressive view of Christanity and a window into who I am and what I care most about.  If there is anything you've liked reading about this past year (or disliked for that matter) let me know. 

The Year In Review Part 1

It is that time of year.  Time to look back and take account of all the important events that have shaped our lives over the last 12 months.  Did anything good happen?  Not really (unless you count the birth of my girls).  The Religion Newswriters Association has released their Top Ten Religion Stories of 2004 list.  Mel Gibson's bloody film inaccurately depicting the death of Christ and the role of "faith" in the Bush campaign tied for the number one story of the year.  Kevin Eckstrom, a writer with Religion News Service, also has a good article out this week with his review of the year in religion.  Not a lot of positive news make his list either.  Maybe the top story of 2005 will be that Christians the world over promise to stop taking up arms against their neighbors.  We can hope.

Live In Tampa

Yesterday I did an interview with WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa, FL about the controversy involving the United Church of Christ "God Is Still Speaking Campaign."  You can now listen to that interview by clicking here.

United Church of Christ Will Air Second TV Spot Christmas Week

The United Church of Christ will air a second television commercial during the week of Christmas as part of the on-going “God Is Still Speaking Campaign.” United Church News reports:

The UCC's second spot - which, like the "bouncer" ad, was produced last January - begins with a little girl reciting the traditional children's poem, "Here's the church, here's the steeple. Open the door and see all the people." The scene then segues through various shots of diverse people - including an apparent lesbian couple, persons of color, a differently-abled person and someone with a Spanish accent - who echo the refrain, "All the people!" An announcer then says, "God accepts all the people. So do we - the United Church of Christ. No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here."

Click here to view the commercial.

You will be able to see the spot on network television – including CBS and NBC. Look for it next week during “ER” and “Law and Order.”

It's hush, hush about the lesbians though.  CBS and NBC didn't seem to notice this time.  Let's not tip them off. 

Catholic League: Hollywood Controlled By Jews Who Hate Jesus

The same national group that labeled this blog “anti-Catholic” because of my advocacy on behalf of women in the church has now claimed that the “Passion of the Christ” won’t win an Oscar because Hollywood is controlled by Jews. Frank Rich reports in the New York Times:

Will it be the Jews' fault if "The Passion of the Christ," ignored by the Golden Globes this week, comes up empty in the Oscar nominations next month? Why, of course.

"Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular," William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, explained in a colloquy on the subject recently convened by Pat Buchanan on MSNBC. "It's not a secret, O.K.?" Mr. Donohue continued. "And I'm not afraid to say it. That's why they hate this movie. It's about Jesus Christ, and it's about truth." After the show's token (and conservative) Jewish panelist, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, pointed out that "Michael Moore is certainly not a Jew" and that Scorsese, Coppola and Lucas are not "Jewish names," Mr. Donohue responded: "I like Harvey Weinstein. How's that? Harvey Weinstein is my friend."

How’s that? Weird. Sad. Another example of the anti-Jewish sentiment stirred up by this film. Why anyone takes the Catholic League seriously is a mystery to me. Unfortunately, they have become a leading champion of conservative Catholics.

When the film was released Father John T. Pawlikowski, Professor of Ethics and Director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies Program at the Catholic Theological Union and Rabbi David Sandmel, Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies at the Catholic Theological Union, wrote:

Gibson has embellished the Gospel text in order to intensify Jesus' suffering. But in so doing, he draws on his own imagination and a variety of non-canonical sources, including the visions of a 19th century German nun who lived at a time when anti-Semitic homilies were a common tool for rallying mobs against the Jews.

The Holocaust compelled many Christians to examine the historic role of churches in fomenting anti-Semitism. Christian sensitivity in these areas has fostered significant changes in traditional church doctrine and practice on the part of both Roman Catholics and Protestants, such as those stemming from the Second Vatican Council's landmark Nostra Aetate (1965), and the Declaration of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Jewish Community (1994).

A primary focus of this investigation is a single verse in Matthew (27:24-25): "So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.' Then the people as a whole answered, 'His blood be on us and on our children!'" (NRSV)

In the history of Christian anti-Semitism, this verse serves as biblical warrant for holding all Jews at all times responsible for the death of Jesus. Augustine, John Chrysostom, Thomas Aquinas, and Martin Luther all use it in this way. Yet the verse occurs only in Matthew. It is not found in Mark, Luke, or John, and is thus not essential in depicting Jesus' death.

After a group of Catholic and Jewish scholars objected to the presence of the verse in an early script, Gibson said he would take it out. But the film as screened on Tuesday, January 21, 2004 here in Chicago and the following night in Orlando includes the verse, thus repeating for millions of movie-goers around the world a classical indictment of the Jewish People for deicide….

Important Christian leaders such as Pope John Paul II have forcefully condemned anti-Semitism as a sin. The release of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ challenges Christians to address this topic frankly from the pulpit. Christians, especially, must honestly confront the history of anti-Judaism that is tied to the Passion. This challenge must be at the forefront of any evaluation of Mel Gibson's film.

Donahue’s words are a clear reminder that anti-Semitism is alive and well within some Christians (Catholic and Protestant). His words and the actions of the Catholic League must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

Iran: Torture Used to Obtain ‘Confessions’

Not that anyone would expect much more from Iran….

Secret squads operating under the authority of the Iranian judiciary have used torture to force detained Internet journalists and civil society activists to write self-incriminatory “confession letters,” Human Rights Watch said today.

Evidence obtained by Human Rights Watch confirms that secret squads of interrogators—primarily former intelligence officers purged in the late-1990s by President Mohammed Khatami but now employed by the judiciary—forced the detainees to write these “confession letters” under extreme pressure as a condition for their release on bail. In an attempt to cover up the government’s illegal detention and torture of detainees, interrogators have coerced them to write self-incriminatory letters that describe detention conditions as satisfactory and confess that civil society organizations are part of an “evil project” directed by “foreigners and counter-revolutionaries.”

“The Iranian government shouldn’t think for a minute that anyone will believe in the authenticity of these letters. They’re fooling no one,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “With stunts like these, Tehran is rapidly losing its already meager credibility on human rights.”

Click here to read the full story.

Thank God the United States would never engage in such tactics. Oh wait.

There used to be a time when those seeking freedom under oppressive governments could look toward our nation as a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark world. How times have changed.

Patriots everywhere need to make sure that America reclaims our spot as a leader in the fight for human rights. All of us have an obligation to speak out against these injustices in Iran. But we also have an obligation to clean up the mess in our own affairs.

Our Christmas Letter For Family and Friends

Dear Family and Friends,

Without question this has been the biggest year of our lives. On July 8, 2004, we welcomed Katherine Chalmers Currie and Frances Bright Currie into the world. They remain perfect in nearly every way (with the one notable exception of their lackadaisical sleeping habits).

Time flies when you have two babies. It has been two years since we bought our house in Webster Groves, got married, and moved out to Missouri from Portland. Both of us are counting the days until we can return to Oregon (sometime in early-to-mid 2006). Liz is working full time at the house taking care of the children (and some might argue her husband). Chuck is in seminary full time and working part time with St. John United Church of Christ.

We’ve managed to take the babies to Oregon, Washington, California, and South Carolina to visit relatives during brief breaks at the seminary. They’ve met family from across the globe. One special treat was when we surprised Chuck’s grandfather, Rock Bright, by bringing the twins to Puget Island, Washington where he was vacationing with family. Rock loved meeting his great-granddaughters.

Judy Bright (Chuck’s mom) and Alice Smith (Liz’s mom) were both able to be with us the week the twins were born. Alice stayed on for two extra weeks to help out around the house. Chalmers and Carolyn Smith, Liz’s dad and step-mother have also visited. A few of our close friends have also made the trek out here to Missouri over the course of the last years. Visitors are always welcomed and even encouraged.

We hope that all of you have a wonderful holiday season.

Love, Chuck and Liz

Has Anyone Checked The Drinking Water?

Another Alabama judge has gone off the deep end.

Andalusia, Ala. -- A rural Alabama judge began wearing a robe embroidered with the Ten Commandments to court this week, in his own way echoing the statement made by the state Supreme Court chief justice ousted over a Ten Commandments display.

Covington County Presiding Circuit Court Judge Ashley McKathan said he ordered the robe and had it embroidered using his own money. He said he was standing up for his own personal religious convictions.

Click here to read the full story.

The next thing you know some judge in Alabama will have the Ten Commandments tattooed on his forehead.

Catching Up With Les AuCoin

A few days ago, I e-mailed back and forth with an early mentor of mine: former US Congressman Les AuCoin.  Les served Oregon’s First Congressional District from 1975-1993.  While there he fought for light rail for the metro area, fought to stop the Reagan arms build up, and supported important programs designed to fight homelessness and poverty.  I was a very precocious kid when he let me volunteer on his 1982 re-election campaign.  After that I volunteered on all the rest of his races.  His staff took me under their wing, invited me to staff lunches, and let me sit in on meetings to learn about the issues.  They were wonderful to me.  Les was one of the most honorable public servants Oregon ever sent to Congress.  He keeps busy these days by teaching, writing, and offering commentary on public radio.  Visit his homepage and catch up with one of Oregon’s best political leaders.

"Bigotry Is Still Bigotry"

A child of The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s marched this past weekend in an anti-gay protest. The Rev. Bernice King is an evangelical who claims that her father would not have supported gay rights. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, disagrees and has said that her husband would have been a champion of gay rights were he alive today. Earl Ofari Hutchinson, who writes for Alternet and Blacknews.com says there is an easy way to resolve this family debate: look at the relationship between King and his close (gay) associate Bayard Rustin.

King risked much to work with and defend Rustin during the tumultuous battles of the civil rights era. He valued him as an ally and a major player in the struggle. He also believed that deeply embodied in the civil rights fight was a person's right to be whom and what he was. While King may have praised his daughter for having the courage and conviction to march for her beliefs, bigotry is still bigotry, whether it's racial or sexual preference. He would not have marched by her side.

Amen.

Related Post:  Homosexuality and the Bible.

UCC releases 60-second radio spots to complement national television campaign

By J. Bennett Guess
United Church News

Dec. 13, 2004

CLEVELAND -- The United Church of Christ announced today (Dec. 13) the release of two 60-second radio commercials to complement its television advertising campaign, launched nationally - with a touch of controversy - on Dec. 1. 

Utilizing a different script but staying true to the edgy-but-inclusive feel of the allegedly "controversial" television spots, the UCC is hoping to underscore its belief that many people feel alienated by institutional religion, but are willing to return if they are welcomed unconditionally.

"The radio ads were designed to speak past the 'church alarm' that goes off in some people's heads that causes them to tune out a religious message," said Ron Buford, coordinator of the denomination's four-year, $30-million media campaign. "They'll be engaged in the ad before they realize it's a church ad."

In keeping with the Christmas season, one of the spots parodies the words of a traditional Christmas carol, with a chorus singing, "O come, some of ye faithful, powerful and privileged, O come all ye special few to Bethlehem …" An announcer interrupts the music, saying, "God doesn't invite some of the faithful. God invites all the faithful. So do we - the United Church of Christ."

A second commercial pokes fun at a perception that churches - perhaps unwittingly - have secret, unspoken dress codes. In the spot, exuberant fashion-show announcers describe the "matching designer suits" and "Italian leather boots" of congregants as they enter a fictitious, clothes-conscious church. A narrator then proclaims, "God doesn't care what you wear to church. Neither do we - the United Church of Christ."

"The ads are designed to be fun and use an element of humor to help us stay on message that 'no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here,'" Buford said.

The ads are being made available to UCC congregations as part of the church's new media kit. Churches, in turn, have been asked to buy air time on their local radio stations. The ad's closing few seconds include time for churches to customize the commercial.

In many parts of the country, said Buford, UCC churches are banding together to purchase radio time, whereas the television spots have placed nationally by the national offices of the Cleveland-based church.

The denomination's television commercials - which are airing on Fox broadcast and a number of cable networks - set off a national debate over the church's right to air the commercials after CBS and NBC deemed the ads "too controversial" and insisted that the all-inclusive message amounted to "issue advocacy," something the networks say they don't allow.

The new radio spots can be heard online at stillspeaking.com/resources.

"God Wants Me To Be President"

The Washington Post has an interesting article today in which the President’s speechwriter asserts that George W. Bush doesn’t claim to be ordained by God to rule. Alan Cooperman writes:

Like many evangelical Christians, President Bush believes that God is at work in his life. But he has avoided claiming that God is behind his presidency or U.S. foreign policy, his chief speechwriter said.

"The important theological principle here, I believe, is to avoid identifying the purposes of an individual or a nation with the purposes of God," Michael Gerson said. "That seems a presumption to me, and we've done our best to avoid the temptation."

The only problem with Gerson’s remarks is that they aren’t true. Just look at this example from a recent Meet The Press:

MR. RUSSERT: Reverend Land, The Washington Post reported this: "`I believe God wants me to be president,'" the Rev. Richard Land, head of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, quoted George Bush as saying."

When did George Bush tell you that?

DR. RICHARD LAND: Well, he told me that--he told a group of us that the day he was inaugurated for his second term as governor of the state in 1999.

Bush has used his belief that God wants to him to be President in pursuit of foreign policy goals that have cost thousands of lives and polarized the world. The only question is how many more wars will this dangerous theology bring us over the next four years?

What Folks Are Writing

You get a lot of feedback when writing about controversial topics like religion. Often times the feedback helps me. Sometimes the anger directed at my blog means that I’ve said something that needed to be said, other times that I was over the top, or that I simply wasn’t articulate enough to write anything coherent. A lot of folks write more out of anger than they do to offer praise.  But I get both kinds of feedback.  I listen to it.

Much of the recent feedback has dealt with the United Church of Christ's banned ad, abortion rights, and Iraq.  Check it out:

Chuck Currie is a great faith blogger. He has been on my list of pals for a long time now, and he has been all over this thing. One reason- he is UCC. If you have an interest in this, I suggest you go over and check out some of his posts. Chuck deserves a medal for the way he handles the fruitcakes that surf into his blog and argue with him. There is something especially irritating about that brand of Coup-coo birds he deals with, but for the most part he is humble and patient, dare I say...Christ-like, in dealing with them all.

- Distance

Related post: Can Christians Be Pro-Choice? Yes.

UCC blogger Chuck Currie is helping mount a protest against the ad rejection. Currie sees the networks' action as a threat to religious freedom.

Insofar as some major media groups decline to air religious viewpoints unless they are antigay or have the approval of the religious right, I agree that religious freedom is an issue here.

- Ex-Gay Watch

Related Post: Help The United Church of Christ Keep Our Public Television Airways Free From Censorship

Where the UCC and the pro-gay movement are going to get into trouble is in their relentless insistence that homosexual orientation be considered the same as race or sex. Here's an excerpt from Currie's post:

CBS and NBC's refusal to air the ad "recalls the censorship of the 1950s and 1960s, when television station WLBT in Jackson, Miss., refused to show people of color on TV," says Ron Buford, coordinator for the United Church of Christ identity campaign. Buford, of African-American heritage, says, "In the 1960s, the issue was the mixing of the races. Today, the issue appears to be sexual orientation. In both cases, it's about exclusion."

Since when are behaviors and feelings considered on the same level as race or sex? I know plenty of African-Americans who are extremely offended by the comparison.

- Wesley Blog

Related Post: God Is Still Speaking But CBS And NBC Don’t Want You To Hear The Message

Like a frog moving from lily pad to lily pad, I tend to jump around through the blogosphere reading articles and generally seeing what’s going on. Somehow in this process I ran across Chuck Currie’s blog. Currie is self-described as a “United Church of Christ Seminarian” and a “liberal Christian,” which is all fine and dandy. However, in the first post I read, Chuck suggested that abortion was okay. So I got into a little discussion with Chuck.

What I found fascinating is that Chuck Currie won’t answer direct questions or challenges, particularly on key issues. For example, when I asked that he provide a Biblical basis for his belief that abortion is good, he simply referred me to another article, that simply states Christians can be pro-choice with no Scriptural backing (it did include a lot of links to other people, though).

Interestingly enough, he seems to base his entire position on the fact that there are starving children in the world. Odd, huh? So it’s better to kill them before they are born, Currie seems to be saying, than to let them live in hunger. Of course, I did ask this question and Chuck did not answer it.

In my mind this is the exact problem of Sola Scriptura as I know I’ve said before. Virtually all Christians can read the Bible and agree that it requires us to protect life. However, because no Scripture says “Abortion is a horrible sin,” (even though it’s close) there will always be those who try to say it is “okay” or “good.” My question has always been: what about the Chuck Curries’ of the world, how do you point out their error? Chuck seems very unwilling to even reference Scripture, and this guy is supposed to be seminarian!

- DeoOmnisGloria.com

Related post: Can Christians Be Pro-Choice? Yes.

A recent action by the U.S.military appears to have rankled many of my fellow Christians. Chuck Currie says that hearing the news made his blood pressure go up while Canadian blogger Bene lists numerous reasons the decision made was wrong. What heinous act do they find so disturbing? The military giving our troops Bibles.

Yes, my fellow Christians are disturbed that people are receiving Bibles.

Apparently, some people are shocked to find that the government provides Bibles (as well as copies of the Koran and Torah) to military personnel. Although religious materials have been provided by the government since the inception of the Chaplaincy – during the American Revolution -- they act as if this is a shocking new development.

From reading their remarks it appears they’re more concerned that some sacred doctrine of church/state separation might be violated than they are with the spread of God’s word. The fact that men and women in the military might find comfort in having a sacred text available while they are in a foreign land protecting the rights of Americans (and Canadians) to worship as they choose doesn’t seem to be a consideration.

- evangelical outpost

Related Post: U.S. Special Forces Will Get Special Government Issued Bible

Feel free to add your feedback anytime in the comments section. All I ask is that you be respectful of me and others offering their views here.

God is Still Speaking Blog

There's a new United Church of Christ blog on the web:

Yule Blog is written by The Rev. Cliff Aerie and can be found on the God Is Still Speaking site. Click below for his last entry:

God is Still Speaking: Yule Blog - The patron saint of pawnbrokers.

Human Rights Day Statement

A message from Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth

(New York, December 10, 2004) — As we commemorate Human Rights Day, we are challenged by how little the world has done to save the people of Darfur, in western Sudan, from the year’s greatest human rights disaster. With the Sudanese government and its ethnic militia well along in their campaign of murder, rape, pillage, and forced displacement, and after several Security Council resolutions on the Darfur crisis, the governments of the world can no longer claim not to know. Now that tens of thousands of civilians have died and some 1.6 million have been forced from their homes, Darfur is clearly on the international agenda. But that has provided little solace for the victims in Darfur. There has been much international hand-wringing, many expressions of outrage, but far too little meaningful response. The international community has moved from ignorance to concern to feigned action – but not more. Coming a decade after the Rwandan genocide, this meager response mocks our vows of “never again.”

Click here to read the full statement.

Related Post: Is It Ok That They’re Dying Because They’re Just Black People?

Christmas Message 2004 From The World Council of Churches General Secretary

"…in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."
John 1:4-5

The good news of Christmas shines forth upon the world like the summer sun in the southern hemisphere, like a sparkling star in the wintry northern sky. It shines brightly as "good news of great joy" in a world that surrounds us with disturbing news. It renews our faith in the promise of peace on earth, and calls us once again to praise God whose glory extends to the highest heavens. For centuries, the hope of peace inherent in Christmas has been a central affirmation of the church's faith. Each time that we celebrate the birth of Christ, we commit ourselves to live out this hope.

We celebrate the hope of Christmas as the promise of peace. We recall the birth of Jesus who came to us as a child threatened by violence, as a refugee whose family fled due to the ambitions of the powerful. In this season, in this world, we offer our thanks and praise to God for the hope we have in Jesus Christ, for the gift of God's love revealed in human vulnerability.

The good news of Christ's coming and dwelling among us is a source of illumination in this world, for through his life and teachings he has shown us the way that leads to peace. Jesus said, "My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives". This world gives us walls dividing peoples, security strategies, repressive laws and pre-emptive wars. Jesus calls us to discover responsible ways of living in unity as human beings. Jesus Christ has given us the great commandment to love and calls us to overcome the spirit of vengeance, hatred and rivalry; he teaches us to pray for our enemies. Jesus has instructed us not to pursue our own interests at the expense of others, not to be envious when the disempowered are re-empowered, not to obstruct justice when those who have been deprived are restored. He has called us to discern the face of God in the neglected and abandoned. He calls us daily to lives of obedience, through our faith and in our actions.

We in the World Council of Churches have chosen to live together in the light of Christ, the light that shines in spite of darkness, the light that defies the encircling gloom. We celebrate the hope of peace despite continuing conflicts, despite fear and suspicion, hatred and warfare, abuse and greed. Our world is pervaded by cultures of violence that exclude, subjugate, terrify and violate those who are identified by their persecutors as "different". It is alarming that many who engage in this behaviour attempt to justify themselves in the name of "God".

As we proclaim the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we celebrate the hopes of 100 children at La Tablada Disciples of Christ Community Centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which I visited in November. Together with 15 young people, also from the slums and broken homes, the lives of those children are being transformed at the centre, whose ministry is inspired by the love of Christ. Elsewhere in the world, the reality of Buenos Aires and La Tablada is duplicated many times over. We pray that God's light may shine on people in difficult situations, helping them to identify forms of resistance that promote positive change. We celebrate endeavours of co-operation and support among the afflicted, interfaith initiatives for peace and harmony, people's movements for peace and justice - and, in all these, we recognize yearnings for a better world.

Amid this world's divisions and destruction, the good news of Christmas reminds us that God reaches out in love and calls us to a ministry of reconciliation. "…in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
World Council of Churches general secretary
December 2004

Pastor Dan On Daily Kos

I've been thinking that my blog was about the only UCC-related one around.  Not so.  Pastor Dan's diary on Daily Kos is written by a UCC minister.  The site has been added to my list of faith blogs and I hope you'll visit there. 

Help The United Church of Christ Keep Our Public Television Airways Free From Censorship

This morning I posted a press release from the United Church of Christ announcing plans to challenge the pending license renewals of two CBS and NBC owned television stations because of the network’s decision to ban a UCC commercial promoting Jesus’ extravagant welcome.  Click here to read the release.

Shortly after posting that I release I took part in a conference call with officials from the United Church of Christ and other bloggers to discuss how we might ensure that the public airways are open to all and not just those who support the political positions of the White House. 

What can you do to help?  Here is what the UCC is asking of folks:

1. Send a Message to the FCC

It's time to take back the airwaves. Click here to send an "informal objection" to the FCC to support UCC's petition challenging pending license renewals of CBS and NBC-owned TV stations in Florida. 

2. Support Accessible Airwaves

Make a contribution to fund OC inc's legal and media campaign to challenge TV licenses for stations that refuse to provide equal access. Your tax-deductible contribution of $25 or more will help us expand our campaign to assure access to the airwaves

3. Tell Your Friends

Broadcasters who use the public airwaves have a responsibility to operate in the public interest. Spread the word about our campaign! 

4. Help UCC Run the "Still Speaking" Ad

Contribute to the United Church of Christ. Help further the message of extravagant welcome that everyone is talking about.

Visit the new web site Accessible Airwaves for more information.  God Is Still Speaking.  Don't let the networks censor our churches.  Who will be next?

UCC launches campaign over ad refusal

Click here for an update to this story

Breaking News

CLEVELAND -- The United Church of Christ today (Dec. 9) is filing two petitions with the Federal Communications Commission, asking that two network owned-and-operated television stations in Miami be denied license renewals for failing to provide viewers "suitable access" to a full array of "social, political, esthetic, moral and other ideas and experiences."

WFOR-TV (a CBS station) and WJVT-TV (an NBC station) -- whose operating licenses are currently up for FCC review -- are being challenged because "there is substantial and material question" as to whether the stations' parent companies, Viacom, Inc., and the General Electric Company, have operated the stations in the public interest, the petitions state.

The action stems from a much-publicized decision by both networks to deny an advertisement that makes clear the church's welcome of diverse, even marginalized, segments of the population. CBS and NBC have said the all-inclusive ads are "controversial" and, therefore, amount to "issue advocacy," something the networks have said they do not allow.

In a signed statement that accompanies the petition, the Rev. John H. Thomas, the UCC's general minister and president, said, "The religious, ethical and moral right of members of UCC churches and other citizens to have access to diverse programming has been harmed by the refusal of NBC and CBS to carry [the ad], as well as by their failure to carry programming reflecting the full range of religious expression in the United States on their networks and on their owned-and-operated stations."
Similarly signed complaints from a group of UCC members in south Florida make the case that those who live in the network stations' viewing area are being denied a positive message of inclusion.

"Ensuring that all Americans, especially women and people of color, have the opportunity to be seen and heard in today's media-saturated culture is vital to free expression," said the Rev. Robert Chase, director of the UCC's communication ministry. "It gives voice to God's rich mosaic and is essential in a full democracy."
Said Andrew J. Schwartzman, President and CEO of Media Access Project, "Broadcasters agree to serve the needs of the communities where they are licensed in exchange for receiving free use of publicly owned airwaves. That means everyone, not just people their advertisers care about."

"The viewing public is harmed when powerful networks can label an ad 'controversial' and refuse to air it. Repeal of the Fairness Doctrine was supposed to result in the airing of more, not less, 'controversial' programming," said Angela Campbell, Director of Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Public Representation. "It is time for the FCC to re-examine whether some sort of  public right of access is required under the Communications Act and the First Amendment."

Ironically -- long before the current television ad controversy -- the United Church of Christ, through its Office of Communication, Inc. (OC, Inc.), has been at the forefront of media access issues for more than 40 years. During the civil rights era, the UCC was the first voice to demand that those holding FCC licenses and authorizations act on behalf of the public interest and be held accountable as stewards of the public trust.

Only three months ago, on Sept. 1, 2004, the UCC's Office of Communication, Inc., filed a petition with the FCC to deny license renewals of two television stations serving the Washington, D.C., area for failing to serve the educational needs of children.

"Who would have guessed that it would one day be our voice that was silenced?" Chase said. "When CBS and NBC refused to air our commercial because they considered it 'too controversial,' we found ourselves in the very position as other groups for whom we have historically been advocates."

Gloria Tristani, OC Inc.'s managing director and a former FCC commissioner (1997-2001), said, "NBC and CBS and their stations must be accountable to the communities they are licensed to serve.  How can it be in the public interest for television stations to exclude a church's message of inclusion?"

The FCC filing was done on behalf of the United Church of Christ by lawyers from Media Access Project and the Institute for Public Representation at Georgetown University.

More information about the petition and the campaign can be found at:
http://www.AccessibleAirwaves.org

U.S. Special Forces Will Get Special Government Issued Bible

Here’s a story from Sojo Mail that caused my blood pressure to go up:

Custom-printed Bibles for U.S. Special Ops on the way

by Steve Peacock

Although the International Bible Society (IBS) indeed will crank out a limited-run, special edition of the New International Version Bible in the near future, it's unlikely that readers will discover, for example, a previously unreleased surprise ending to the Good Book. Rather, according to FedBizOpps.com, a site for federal government procurement opportunities, the Department of Defense intends to award the IBS a sole-source contract for the production of 10,000 Bibles containing military-specific messages and imagery. The Bibles - which will be distributed to soldiers of the elite U.S. Special Operations Command - will feature a "custom-designed cover" and "Army designed color photographs and text inserts."

It appears that IBS's crafting of the Special Ops Bible will rely on the "new package, same great taste" approach that the commercial sector often takes when introducing a new logo or easy-grip handle for an existing product. It's hopefully safe to assume that though the Bibles are new, they will not be "improved." IBS has an extraordinary task ahead of it, as they must juxtapose, hypothetically, Christ's "Blessed are the peacemakers" pronouncement with army-centric motivational messages and images. A tough job indeed, given the context of 100,000 "excess casualties" - consisting mainly of women and children - that U.S. and British military forces may have caused since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as indicated in the Oct. 29, 2004, edition of The Lancet, a British medical journal.

The army can always use this photo as the cover art for their new Bible.

Mission Broadcasting Will Air UCC Spot For Free In 6 States

Mission Broadcasting Inc, a company that owns 14 television stations in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas will start airing the United Church of Christ television spot banned by CBS and NBC at no charge to the denomination.

"We're responding to the fact that the networks took what we think is a biased and unfair stance on the UCC commercial," Dennis Thatcher, Mission Broadcasting's Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer, said. "We looked at the commercial and didn't get the same take on it. We don't really see what they [NBC and CBS] see. We see it as a message to all people of faith, that we are all equal in God's eyes.

"Mission Broadcasting thinks that is an important message, especially around the holidays," he said.

Thatcher's stance, he said, is supported by the stations' owners, David Smith and his wife, Nancie. Smith, a former Cleveland broadcaster, is now a full-time minister at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Sharon Center, Ohio.

What an amazing gift. Mission Broadcasting is putting principle before profit and helping to ensure that Americans hear at least one positive message during this Advent. CBS and NBC could learn something from this.

Click here to read the full United Church News story.

The following is a list of Mission Broadcasting Inc. stations and their network affiliations:

WYOU CBS-22 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa; KOLR CBS-10 in Springfield, Mo.; KCIT Fox-14 and KCPN (LP) Ind-33 in Amarillo, Texas; KJTL Fox-18 and KJBO (LP) UPN-35 in Wichita Falls, Texas; KODE ABC-12 in Joplin, Mo.; WBAK Fox-38 in Terre Haute, Ind.; KAMC ABC-28 in Lubbock, Texas; KRBC NBC-9 in Abilene, Texas; WUTR ABC-20 in Utica, New York; KSAN NBC-3 (a satellite of KRBC) in San Angelo, Texas; and WTVO ABC-17 and WTVODT UPN in Rockford, Ill.

Can Progressive Christians & Conservative Christians Work Together?

No one paying even the least bit of attention to political affairs in America can question that the polarization of our religious institutions has helped to fundamentally reshape America’s historic commitment to the separation of church and state.

Dr. Muqtedar Khan, political science professor at Adrian College, wrote about this subject in a recent edition of National Catholic Reporter:

Unlike Europe, American has always been a religious nation. Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831 claimed that religion was the first political institution of American democracy. On Nov. 2, we saw this first political institution unleash a backlash against the assault on Christianity from Muslims -- therefore the support for Bush’s irrational and bloody foreign policy and against the growing secularization of American society; therefore the across-the-board support for a ban on gay marriage. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah and Oregon passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriages. A large number of voters, nearly 25 percent, said that the primary issue for them was “moral values.” Moral values are being widely understood as the Christian conservative opposition to gay marriage and abortion rights. But I suspect there is more to it.

The rise of political Christianity -- a coalition of white born-again Christians, conservative Catholics, conservative African Americans and conservative Hispanics -- is concerned with more than gay marriages and abortion rights. Political Christianity seeks to breach the wall of separation between the church and state and wishes to make this country a Christian nation.

America has been experiencing nativist resurgence along with the rise of a form of Christianity -- evangelical -- that is both self-righteous and “untraditional.” It is unwilling to compromise and is uncomfortable with enduring American traditions of religious tolerance, freedom of conscience, fundamental equality of all and appreciation for diversity. This nativism can be heard in the calls for restoring America’s moral values and in political works of scholars such as Sam Huntington who ask, “Who are we?” or in the fears of Pat Buchanan, who declares “the death of the West.”

Click here for the full story.

What are the next steps for religious progressives to undertake in light of these new realities? How do we better engage ourselves in interfaith actions? Are their issues of common concern for both conservative and progressive Christians that could be addressed in partnership despite differences on other issues? And would such a process have the benefit of developing some sense of reconciliation for a faithful people worshiping in a broken church.

Abortion divides us. But love of children unities us. Could we develop projects in different neighborhoods where pro-life and pro-choice people, as an example, work to create after school programs for children who have been left behind? Could we work in a systematic way to promote adoption as an alternative to abortion? These are just some off the cuff ideas.

People with strong differences on important issues have the ability to look past those differences – without ever leaving behind their core values - and the rewards can be great. The World Council of Churches has developed programs with these goals in mind. Visit interreligious relations & dialogue to learn more.

Can the religious “left” find common ground with the religious “right?”

Any thoughts?

UCC reports nearly 70,000 'find a church' online inquiries since ad launch

By J. Bennett Guess
United Church News

Dec. 7, 2004

CLEVELAND -- Since the United Church of Christ's national advertising launch on Dec. 1, nearly 70,000 online visitors to the UCC's websites searched to find a UCC congregation.

During the campaign's first five days, 288,000 users of the UCC's seeker-focused website stillspeaking.com made 54,500 inquiries on the site's "find a church" feature, by entering a zip code to locate a church near them. Meanwhile, at the denomination's primary website ucc.org, 13,000 of approximately 162,000 visitors searched to find a nearby UCC congregation.

"We have never, ever experienced anything like this before," says the Rev. Robert Chase, director of the UCC's communication ministry. "But even more importantly, we are hearing wonderful reports that people are not only finding UCC churches near them, but they are showing up."

This week, churches have been offering anecdotal reports to the church's national offices in Cleveland that attendance and enthusiasm were up considerably on Sunday, Dec. 5, due to the denomination's increased exposure.

The Rev. Greg Smith, senior pastor of Bethlehem UCC in Ann Arbor, Mich., said his congregation welcomed several first time visitors to its Sunday service, including three persons who said their attendance was due explicitly to the advertisements.

"One person doesn't even own a TV set, but heard about the ads on the radio!" Smith said.

St. Paul UCC in Barrington, Ill., had 18 visitors, of which five indicated the ads were the reason.

"I believe that God is speaking in unexpected and wonderful ways with this outreach," wrote the Rev. Jeanne Hanson, the church's pastor, "and I continue to pray for the love of Christ to be seen and felt in the radical welcome and unflinching courage of the church."

The Rev. David Bahr, pastor of Archwood UCC in Cleveland, said at least one family attended services because of the commercial.

"They were amazed that such diversity of race, sexual orientation and family style could live and worship so harmoniously," Bahr said.

Many UCC members reported enthusiasm to be at an all-time high.

Said a UCC member from northern Virginia, "Our folk, if they are typical, were completely fired up about the ads today, and very proud. And we were packed."

Church officials also reported that online documents about the UCC's beliefs, history and social justice commitments were among the most frequently viewed pages and were being accessed at never-before-seen levels.

Hits to this blog have nearly tripled since the ad went public last week.  Around 3,000 hits a day have been recorded since last Monday.  Nearly all of that traffic is due to people looking for information on the controversy.  Most of the feedback has been positive.  The only negative feedback has come from people upset with the UCC’s message that homosexuality is not a sin. 

Sylvester Brown Jr.: "Disputed TV ad on religion hits several hot buttons"

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown Jr. wrote today about the controversy concerning the decision by NBC and CBS to ban the commercial promoting the United Church of Christ. Here are few excerpts:

A local television commercial features a gentleman who reminds me of Eddie Haskell from the classic sitcom "Leave it to Beaver." After pitching furniture, electronics and appliances, "Eddie," the store owner, informs viewers that his store is always closed on Sunday . . . the "Lord's Day."

I don't have a problem with people talking about their churchgoing habits. Tell me a couple of times, it's part of a friendly conversation. Tell me everyday and I figure you're either trying to sell me salvation or, in the furniture guy's case, a sofa…..

Where's the controversy (with the UCC ad)? In this era of racial, sexual and religious intolerance, I can think of no better time to remind people that Jesus opened his arms to all….

The marketing tool employed by the local superstore uses the Lord's Day as a hook. That irritates me. But so what? My feelings don't amount to a thimble of gnat sweat. As long as there's no obvious offensive language or images, the store owner has a right to attract customers his way. It's his money.

The same criteria should apply to the UCC. After all, they're trying to attract new members with a timely message: "Jesus welcomes you."

Some may feel the message insults traditional values or religious institutions. Fine. Don't go to a UCC service. Still, others might respond positively. They might be gay, Muslim, tired of religious intolerance or, even, known to have bought a sofa on a Sunday.

Click here to read the full article.

One of the worst things about living in St. Louis might be having to watch that furniture commercial. How crass can you get? Selling furniture by exploiting your faith as a marketing tool has to be a new low.

But it never occurred to me either that the commercial should be banned just because I don’t agree with the message. Decisions like that only occur in closed and intolerant societies. Is that what America has become?

Study Confirms Flaws with Abstinence Programs

Statement from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice

As reported in the Spring 2004 issue of RCRC’s Faith & Choices newsletter, a new report confirms that federally funded abstinence education programs contain false and misleading information about contraception, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases.

The report from Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), said that 11 of the 13 most widely used programs underestimate the effectiveness of condoms in preventing pregnancy and the spread of disease, exaggerate the prevalence of emotional and physical distress following abortion, blur science and religion or get fundamental scientific facts wrong. These programs are used in 25 states.

The abstinence programs have been embraced by President Bush. They will receive $170 million in the current government spending year, more than double what the government was spending when Bush took office in 2001. The abstinence curriculum may not include instruction in contraceptive use as a condition of federal funding.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other researchers have found that consistent and correct condom use does protect against transmissions of many STDs, the report said.

Some curriculums also rely on what Waxman called damaging stereotypes about boys and girls, including that girls care less about achievement and their futures.

As of 1999, one-third of all schools in the country were teaching abstinence exclusively, according to surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Alan Guttmacher Institute.

Abstinence-only programs rely on a fear-based curriculum to “scare” students away from all sexual activity while simultaneously promoting the belief that the only proper context for sex is marriage. For instance, students in McLennan County, Texas, are told that it’s not uncommon for women to have genital warts “as large as two fists” hanging from their genitalia as a result of premarital sex and that using condoms “is like playing Russian roulette. There is a greater risk of condom failure than the bullet being in the chamber.”

The full report is online at http://democrats.reform.house.gov.

Want information on church-based sex education programs making a difference?  Visit my post Oregon Churches Teaching Sex Education and the web site for Our Whole Lives - Sexuality and Our Faith, a program started by the United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Church.

76% Of Beliefnet.com Readers Support UCC Ad

Beliefnet.com, the national religious web site, has been conducting an online poll asking their readers if the United Church of Christ commercial banned by CBS and NBC should be aired.

76% of their readers believe the ad should have run on CBS and NBC.  23% felt the ad should not have run.  Beliefnet.com's readers come from across the theological spectrum.  These numbers, while not from a scientific poll, represent a strong indication of support for the UCC's message from religious people across the country.

Central City Lutheran Mission in San Bernardino Walks Difficult Path

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has stripped the Central City Lutheran Mission in San Bernardino of its official recognition because the mission hired an openly lesbian associate pastor, reports the LA Times.

"This is the first time in 14 years that any congregation or any pastor has been dealt with this harshly. We thought those days were over," said Pastor David Kalke, who leads the San Bernardino mission. "It appears conservatism has raised its ugly head here in Southern California, much to our surprise….."

(Pastor Jenny) Mason previously served 10 years as an officially recognized Lutheran pastor and missionary in Chile before the church learned of her long-term relationship with another woman and forced her to resign in 2001.

"I don't know the good folks who live in Orange County, but that's where our synod office is and I have a feeling that's what moves decisions more than serving the poor and the oppressed in the inner city of San Bernardino," Mason said. "We don't bring money into the church — we're serving the people Jesus called us to serve."

In addition to conducting eight bilingual worship services weekly, the mission provides housing for HIV-positive homeless people, allows homeless men to sleep in its pews on cold winter nights, and recently opened a medical clinic.

The Pacifica Synod said the mission could continue in its social outreach, without a spiritual component.

But Kalke said that's not enough. He plans to lead Central City as an independent Lutheran congregation, in the spirit of Lutheran churches that voiced dissent during the Holocaust and apartheid.

"I'm going to continue to celebrate Mass," he said. "These people have a right not only for a place to sleep and a bowl of soup but also a right to worship."

My sense is that the real story here isn’t that the mission lost their credentials because they hired a lesbian pastor.

The real story is the remarkable courage shown by Central City Lutheran Mission in moving forward without denominational support. Their leaders have heard the call from God to serve the least of these and are willing to answer despite obstacles set in their path. Pastors Kalke and Mason are acting within Christian prophetic tradition and deserve the thanks of Christians everywhere for being examples we all can follow.

A Virginia UU in King George's War

Here's a new site worth taking notice of:

A Virginia UU in King George's War is written by a Unitarian-Universalist who is a US Marine serving in Iraq. He offers stories on his experiences in the war, insights on the situation there, and a great collection of photographs. The author hopes to attend seminary and become a UU minister after his time in the Marines is up. This is a site well worth visiting.

Credit for finding the site goes to:

Link: Philocrites: UU blogger in Iraq..

Clergy and Laity Network: United for Justice in Public Policy

The Clergy Leadership Network has a new name and a new focus.

CLN was originally started to serve as a progressive religious voice during the 2004 campaign. The group will now be called the Clergy and Laity Network to reflect that the membership of the group is larger than just ordained clergy. CLN has reformed as a 501 ( c ) 4 organization and dropped their status as a 527 group.

“CLN energizes and equips progressive religious leaders of all faiths for public advocacy for justice and peace, shaped by faith-inspired social principles. CLN, in collaboration with an emerging progressive coalition, forms and coordinates networks of local, regional and national interfaith action groups committed to a progressive public policy agenda,” according to the newly adopted mission statement.

Click here to visit CLN’s web site and click here to read a story on CLN recently published in the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Different Opinions

If you’re hoping to find a “right-wing” in the United Church of Christ the place to find it would be with the Biblical Witness Fellowship. As I’ve written before, Biblical Witness is a small movement in the UCC that is concerned with what they see as “the UCC’s theological surrender to the moral and spiritual confusion of contemporary culture.” They reject modern biblical scholarship and suggest that churches within their movement seek ministers trained in more conservative seminaries outside of the UCC tradition. This week they issued a statement condemning the UCC’s “God Is Still Speaking Campaign.”

Biblical Witness is a member of The Association for Church Renewal, which is part of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD). IRD receives funding from Richard Mellon Scaife and other ultra-conservative groups. The group has a long history of promoting intolerance toward gays and lesbians and backs a radically conservative social agenda (the kind you would expect from a Scaife backed group).

The only other “internal” criticism of the UCC commercial that I know of comes from the web site UCCtruths. This web site is dedicated to opposing the UCC less on ideological grounds (though they often promote IRD statements) and more because of a personal dislike of the denomination and UCC leaders. They bill themselves this way:

While it should be obvious at first glance, it needs to be said clearly that this site is in no way affiliated with the United Church of Christ... and we are proud of that.

Only 51 individuals are announced supporters of their site (out of 1.3 million members of the UCC). The UCC could issue a statement praising God for a nice fall day and UCCtruth webmaster James Hutchins would post a statement arguing that the temperature is not warm enough. Some of the time their discussions get down to a pretty infantile level loaded with personal attacks against UCC members. Take this recent exchange from their discussion group (which I took some personal interest in):

See Chuckie's rant about the ad: http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/

Is it me, or does that picture of Chuck on the left-hand side of his website look Hitler-esque?

-James (Hutchins)

James, Let's not go there (ie. comparisons to AH). I've always liked this group because we have strived to beat the odds of Godwin's Law*.

Chuck's choice of this pic for his blog is perfect for a UCC spokesman: A Leftist/"Liberal" elitist looking down his nose at anyone who dares to disagree with him.

- rsmithiiius

Aaah, let's go there. I found the picture more remeniscent of Alfred E Neuman, although the quality of reason and rational thinking was far below Alfred's abilities.

- Grumpy Misfit

I’m never sure if I should be offended by these kind of remarks or just laugh them off. But I do think they are fairly representative of the level of dialogue on the site. Now someone associated with the site is so committed to disparaging the UCC that they are actually paying for advertising to attract readers. If you happen to stumble onto their site it is worth knowing the people behind the message.  Some of their supporters might be members of UCC churches, but the only statement that might be true on their site is that UCCtruths.com is not part of the UCC.  They're quite proud of that.

It is often true that UCC churches disagree with each other on a range of issues. Our polity allows for great diversity of thought. In fact, the denomination describes itself this way on the new God Is Still Speaking web site:

Intelligent dialogue and a strong independent streak sometimes cause the United Church of Christ (UCC) and its 1.4 million members to be called a “heady and exasperating mix.” The UCC tends to be a mostly progressive denomination that unabashedly engages heart and mind. And yet, the UCC somehow manages to balance congregational autonomy with a strong commitment to unity among its 6,000 congregations—despite wide differences among many local congregations on a variety of issues.

While preserving relevant portions of heritage and history dating back to the 16th century, the UCC and its forebears have proven themselves capable of moving forward, tying faith to social justice and shaping cutting edge theology and service in an ever-changing world.

The UCC affirms the responsibility of the church in each generation and community to make faith its own in reality of worship, in honesty of thought and expression, and in purity of heart before God. It looks to the Word of God in the Scriptures, and to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit to prosper its creative and redemptive work in the world. One of the UCC’s distinguishing characteristics is its penchant to believe that ... God is still speaking, ... even when it puts us out there alone. History has shown that, most often, we’re only alone for a while. Besides, we receive so many gifts from our ecumenical partners, being “early” seems to be one of ours.

We don’t always agree on every issue, but the UCC does a pretty good job of respecting differences and encouraging openness. Despite differences we may have there is a love for the church that transcends those differences.  That is a way of being faithful we can be proud of.