Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

Religious Groups Express Concern Over Nomination Of Williams Haynes

There is new cause for concern over the direction of the American judiciary.  The Alliance for Justice reports:

Yesterday, the White House announced its intention to renominate its five most controversial appeals court candidates: William Haynes II, Terrence Boyle, Michael Wallace, William Myers III, and Randy Smith. According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has dubbed the renominations "extremely divisive." "The move sets the stage for yet another election-year battle over the federal judiciary," The New York Times explained, but whether it "will now lead to confrontation," and specifically "the nuclear option," remains "unclear." The Times also quoted our own Nan Aron, who called the president's announcement "nothing more than a ploy to gin up the base in this critical election year," and suggested that "rather than playing politics with our nation's courts, the president should send up nominees who are fair, just and qualified."

Religious leaders have expressed particular concern over the nomination of Williams Haynes.  "We have strong concerns with Mr. Haynes' role in overseeing the development of detention, interrogation, and torture policies for the military's handling of prisoners in Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantánamo Bay, and else where," wrote a coalition of leading Christian and Jewish groups. 

The full letter follows:

"We ended our conversation when she hung up the phone crying"

This morning a young woman called the church office asking for financial assistance.  The call wasn't all that unusual.  People reach out to churches all the time when they're in crisis.  Some churches have limited resources to hand out but smaller churches like mine have fewer resources.

We knew where to direct this young woman.  There are agencies that our church supports financially and with volunteers, and there are other community resources. It turned out the young woman I was talking to was a 10th grader trying to help her family find shelter.  Sadly, none of the agencies we referred her to could help.  There isn't enough funding to help everyone.  We ended our conversation when she hung up the phone crying.  I don't know where she spent the night.

The new poverty census figures came out yesterday and the numbers held steady.  Every year since President Bush took office poverty rates have increased and in the year since he promised to combat poverty in the aftermath of Katrina the best he can say is that life is not worse.  He did nothing to help anyone lift themselves out of poverty and he continues to advance an economic program that cuts from programs that could have benefited that teen-ager who asked me for help today.  Instead of help for those in poverty the president gives tax breaks to the richest of the rich in America while millions search for food and shelter.  Children walk the streets in America so that the president can reward his taskmasters with even more wealth. 

It surprises me that the president and I worship the same God and even claim the name Christian.  How could he read the Bible and walk out of worship services to campaign for economic policies that benefit the wealthiest at the expense of the least of these?  Does the president simply listen to the worlds of scripture but then dismiss them as being irrelevant to his world?  Many people do this and words from James 1:22-26 (NRSV) offer a corrective lesson the president (and the rest of us) should hear:

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act--they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

How many orphans, widows in their distress, homeless, sick and lonely did we turn away today in America?  In a world of plenty that is a great sin against God.  God will forgive us our sins but calls on us always to be "doers of world."  Pray that the Holy Spirit softens the president's heart - and ours - so that we might do more.  No 10th grader should be trying to find shelter for her family. 

Read the comments on this post from Street Prophets   

"UCC ministers help launch HRC's 'Out in Scripture' online resource"

Reprinted from United Church News

Written by J. Bennett Guess

Tuesday, 22 August 2006

The Human Rights Campaign has launched a weekly online preaching resource to provide insights into the Bible from a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and straight-supportive perspective. "Out in Scripture" is being touted as the first and only major online preaching resource devoted to helping clergy with planning gay-affirming sermons and spiritual discussion groups. The website's developers say they hope it will prove valuable in building welcoming and inclusive congregations. "Ministers around the country have been asking for a resource just like this to help them prepare sermons that are faithful to the authentic lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their families while also true to the biblical text," said HRC President Joe Solmonese. "This resource will offer them the tools to do just that. It will also be an empowering resource for people in isolated situations or for those who belong to unsupportive congregations." The Rev. Sidney Fowler, a UCC minister who formerly led the worship, liturgy and arts ministry for the UCC's national setting, is serving as editor of "Out in Scripture." The site's resources are developed, written and reviewed by teams of skilled and reflective scholars from leading theological schools around the country and from a variety of Christian congregations. Conceived as a dialogue between GLBT and straight-supportive scholars, each weekly entry will represent a diversity of cultural, racial and theological perspectives. "The Bible should not be used to beat up our community, but as a tool to lift us all up," said the Rev. Harry Knox, a UCC member who directs HRC's religion and faith program, which assists religious leaders in speaking out for equality and inclusion, and to examine how religion can be a positive resource for LGBT people of faith. "Inside the Hebrew and Christian texts there are messages of liberation and justice. We hope Out In Scripture provides inspiration and insight to a broad array of people and will help change the conversation we’ve been having in our churches on Sunday morning about GLBT people," Knox says. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. HRC lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

One Year Later: Poor Still Suffer Under Bush

The president – widely regarded by Republicans and Democrats alike to have failed the people of the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina– has been touring the area as part of the one-year anniversary. George W. Bush and his allies want you to think they did something right last year and have done more to help since. As the Center for American Progress notes, the reality is quite different:

1,833 lives lost. 270,000 homes destroyed. $55 billion in insured damage. Up to $1.4 billion in American tax dollars wasted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Today, the costs of Hurricane Katrina are still staggering. But even more staggering has been the slow pace of recovery on the Gulf Coast. No one was happy with the federal government's initial response to the hurricane. Eighty percent of the American public think the federal government's response could have been "much better," and in September President Bush stated, "This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina." But on the eve of Katrina's one year anniversary, it is clear that the nation is still waiting for the help Bush promised. Yesterday, as part of the White House's "public relations blitz," Bush trumpeted in his weekly radio address that the federal government has "committed $110 billion to the recovery effort." But those billions of dollars have yet "to translate into billions in building." Perhaps most disappointingly, Bush has forgotten about his promise to the nation to confront poverty "with bold action." As Newsweek's Jonathan Alter writes, "The mood in Washington continues to be one of not-so-benign neglect of the problems of the poor." Lessons haven't been learned and time has run out for excuses. (The Progress Report has compiled a comprehensive timeline of the past year's events and American Progress has developed a list of actions America needs to ensure preparedness and recovery capacity for natural disasters.)

Poverty has increased every year that this president has been in office. So has hunger. What happened during Katrina could happen again in any American city.

Sunday Offertory

All people shall give as they are able, according to the blessings which God has given them.1 

As we mark the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and consider the impact that climate change has on weather patterns it is critical that we voice support for those working to protect the environment.

The Eco-Justice Programs office of the National Council of Churches works... to provide an opportunity for the national bodies of member Protestant and Orthodox denominations to work together to protect and restore God's Creation.

Click here to learn about their programs and here to make a donation.

1. United Church of Christ Book of Worship

Reed College Is #1

Reed College, located right here in Portland, is often ranked as one of the top undergraduate institutions in the United States.  The reputation is deserved.  Reed "ranks in the top three of all U.S. colleges and universities for the percentage of graduates who earn Ph.D.s in all fields" and has produced "31 Rhodes scholars, second only to one other liberal arts college."  Now for the fourth year in a row Reed has been named the "least religious school in America."  Brigham Young University was named the most religious school. 

The Princeton Review rankings categorize schools into quirky lists such as "Dodge Ball Targets" for non-athletic schools and "School Runs Like Butter" for well-organized administrations. The lists are compiled based on students' responses to an 80-question survey.

For the religious questions, participants were simply asked, "How religious are students on your campus?"...

Edward Hershey, spokesman for Reed, attributed the godless designation to the highly intellectual atmosphere and general skepticism of the students.

"It's probably more about the willingness of our students and faculty to question everything, including religion, rather than the anti-religious fervor," Hershey said.

Hershey said the survey actually contradicted recent trends.

"On one level it's kind of ironic, I guess, because in fact, even though Reed has a well-earned reputation as being iconoclastic -- I think that's probably where the notion of our Godlessness comes from -- religion is a growing major here," Hershey said, noting that 34 of 287 graduates in the class of 2006 were religion majors.

Religion also often enters the classroom, especially when students read texts in the humanities. "It's a secular place for sure that studies religion a lot," Hershey said.

Reed might not embrace traditional religion (only around 25% of Oregonians, after all, attend church - making Oregon least "churched" state in the union) but I suspect many of the students and faculty would call themselves spiritual people.  Oregon's church attendance figures say less about the moral values of Oregonians than the growing inability of traditional religion to speak to modern society. 

In the end, I'd bet on a Reedy saving the world over a Cougar any day. 

The reverse would be true in football.

Read the comments on this post from Street Prophets

Florida Baptist State Convention Rejects Democratic Values

...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

- United States Constitution

Our nation has been well served by a Constitution that rejects any religious test for public office.  No one can be denied a public office by virtue of their religion - or lack of religion.  

Someone should read this section of the Constitution to Southern Baptists in Florida.

U.S. Rep. Kathleen Harris, the leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate race in Florida (and the former state secretary of state known for throwing the 2000 election to George W. Bush), made news this weekend for answers she gave in an interview to a state-wide Baptist publication.  Harris called the separation of church and state a "lie" meant to keep Christians out of public life and said that only Christians should serve in office.

If you are not electing Christians, tried and true, under public scrutiny and pressure, if you're not electing Christians then in essence you are going to legislate sin. They can legislate sin. They can say that abortion is alright. They can vote to sustain gay marriage. And that will take western civilization, indeed other nations because people look to our country as one nation as under God and whenever we legislate sin and we say abortion is permissible and we say gay unions are permissible, then average citizens who are not Christians, because they don't know better, we are leading them astray and it's wrong. ...

Take a look at the Florida Baptist Witness 2006 Primary Election Special Report and read the questions they asked all the candidates for governor and senate:

What is your personal religious faith?

Are you a part of a local place of worship, a local church?

....at some point in time we're going to stand before God and give an account. When you are in that position are your confident that you're going to spend eternity with God in Heaven?

Someday when you die, if God asks you, "Why should I let you in My Heaven?" What would your answer be?    

These sound like religious tests for public office.  Clearly, Florida Baptists have a right to judge candidates using any criteria they like.  They can even ask questions like the ones above.  But what does their candidate survey show?

The Florida Baptist State Convention rejects the values embodied in American constitutional democracy.

Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis declined to participate in this survey.  Good for him.  Florida Baptist Witness did not offer the incumbent U.S. Senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, the opportunity to respond. Read the comments on this post from Street Prophets

Statement of the National Council of Churches USA’s Special Commission on a Just Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast – August 29, 2006

Reprinted from the National Council of Churches USA

One year later the struggle to rebuild and reconcile after Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Wilma’s indiscriminate destruction is still a tangible reality in the daily lives of people who experienced firsthand the devastation of the storms. 

As we mark the one-year anniversary Hurricane Katrina, we do so with a mix of profound joy and equally profound sadness. We are deeply grateful the hurricane forecast for more damaging storms has not come true. We continue to pray to God that there will not be another devastating storm this hurricane season. It is hard to imagine how those who are continuing to struggle for justice and to rebuild their lives, homes and communities would be able to bear another storm when the vestiges of the last ones are still a haunting presence on the streets of New Orleans as well as along the entire Gulf Coast in communities such as Pass Christian, Biloxi, Gulfport, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland. 

We recognize the key role churches have played in response to the suffering and pain. The faith community has served as first responders and ongoing community rebuilders.  We are also thankful for the many long hours of hard work and sacrifice of those in our congregations as well as in synagogues, mosques and community organizations, who have stepped in to help in the efforts to rebuild. There have been countless hours of work donated by mission trips or work visits by our 35 member communions. We have sent financial help. We have provided food and shelter. We have prayed with and for the people.

We have advocated for justice for the people of the Gulf Coast region especially those who traditionally have had no voice in the halls of government. We have witnessed for the needs of too many human beings, all created in the image of God, who seem to have been overlooked as plans to rebuild have been developed. We have taken steps to cleanup mold and to make sure that efforts to rebuild are environmentally-friendly so that a rebuilt Gulf Coast is a sustainable one.

Indeed, the people of the Gulf Coast region have been steadfast and unmovable in their determination to rebuild their homes, lives and communities in spite of the fact that they have not had much help from government agencies and very little assistance from the insurance companies whose policies were supposed to protect them.

While we can celebrate the many stories of overcoming incredible obstacles and persevering through the devastation, we are profoundly grieved by the work that still needs to be done. The continuing tragedy is the incredibly slow response by the federal, state and local governments to send the assistance that was promised to the people of the Gulf Coast in the days following the hurricanes.

Many said that they would not forget and yet many have been forgotten. 

Our Christian faith teaches us that the Lord requires us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8). And, Jesus teaches us that we should do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12). Which of us would want our lives to lay in ruin while those who are supposed to help are busy fighting over politics, power and property that does not belong to them? 

The time for restoration and reconciliation in the Gulf Coast region is long overdue. As we remember the devastation, let us remember the faces and the images that played across our television and computer screens beginning on Aug. 29, 2005, and the days that followed.  Let us remember the sorrow, the anger and the other strong emotions that we felt upon hearing about the New Orleans Convention Center and people stranded on rooftops, bridges and bypasses. And, as we remember let us rededicate ourselves to advocating for justice in the Gulf Coast region.  Let us say, “Never again” this time and finally mean it.  Let us commit to working toward a rebuilt and restored Gulf Coast region for all people—regardless of their race, ethnicity, economic status or political affiliation.  The citizens of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas deserve no less.

Let us be unwavering and resolved in our pledge to make sure that this time next year, the Gulf Coast will be much better off than it is now—one year later.

Pew Looks At Religion

The new Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll on religion and American politics was published today and there are some surprising results.  Nearly as many Americans, for example, identify with "liberal Christianity" as with "evangelical Christianity." 

But unlike the religious right, the Pew Research Center notes that those in the "religious left" tend to be more divided and less, well, orthodox about issues.

The survey finds that religious conservatives, and white evangelical Christians specifically, have no equal and opposite group on the religious left. About 7% of the public say they identify with the "religious left" political movement. That is not much smaller than the 11% who identify themselves as members of the "religious right," but the religious left is considerably less cohesive in its political views than the religious right.

The survey traced the spiritual roots of the religious right and left to two broader faith communities. On the right, white evangelical Christians comprise 24% of the population and form a distinct group whose members share core religious beliefs as well as crystallized and consistently conservative political attitudes.

On the left, a larger share of the public (32%) identifies as "liberal or progressive Christians." But unlike evangelicals, progressive Christians come from different religious traditions and disagree almost as often as they agree on a number of key political and social issues.

These differences in the makeup of the religious left and right are an important reason why white evangelicals remain a more politically potent force. On issues ranging from the origins of life to Christ's second coming, evangelicals express distinctly different views from those held by the rest of the public and even other religious groups.

Political partisans who want a counter weight to the Religious Right will be upset that progressive Christians cannot articulate a political vision with the same success as groups like Focus on the Family have done. 

As a progressive Christian, I take (of course) another view:  the divisions among progressive Christians on different social issues may show evidence of a rich theology at work that allows for debate and discernment instead of ridge adherence to a political master. 

With an eye cast to the November elections it is worth noting that only a quarter of Americans viewed Democrats as being "friendly" towards religion.  No surprise there.  When U.S. Senator Barack Obama gave the keynote address earlier this year at the Call to Renewal Conference and spoke about his faith and emerging views on religion and politics there was an outcry from some quarters of the Democratic Party (certainly among many liberal bloggers).  Democrats seem unable to speak about faith even though most of their members are religious.    

There is a wealth of information to read through in this poll.  Enjoy.   

Religious Leaders Support Plan B "Morning After" Pill

The "morning after" pill (or Plan B) has finally received long over-due approval for over-the-counter purchase by those over 18.  From the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights:

The Food and Drug Administration has decided to allow emergency contraceptive to be sold over-the- counter to women 18 and over. Those 17 and younger will still need to have a prescription, despite no medical evidence that the drug is unsafe for use by younger teens.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice finds the FDA's decision to be far from perfect. Women younger than 18, a group that could be most helped by a reduction in unintended pregnancy, are still required to spend additional time and money finding a doctor to write a prescription. The FDA's three-year delay that withheld increased access to a safe and effective contraceptive will go down in history as a dark period in the progress of women's healthcare. Unfortunately, the arbitrary cut-off age of 18 for over-the-counter access shows that young women's health is still a target for ideology and political games.

The question of whether EC will promote promiscuity has been raised. Promiscuity is a moral issue, but whether women and men have the means to help prevent an unintended pregnancy is also a moral issue. Government should leave those decisions to individuals, to be made according to their beliefs, conscience, and circumstances.

We would like to thank RCRC activists who sent letters to their members of Congress and signed petitions to the FDA in support of EC. We are pleased that the views of the pro- faith, pro-choice community were heard and that at least some women will be able to make their own decisions about whether and when to take EC, according to their own beliefs and circumstances.

This is good news - and a real victory for Americans who believe the government ought not to be involved in individual health care decisions - but there is still work to be done.

Jesse Jackson Leads Interfaith Peace Mission

For weeks I've been looking forward to seeing Rabbi Steven Jacobs tonight in Portland.  We were scheduled to be on a panel discussion together.  I first met Rabbi Jacobs during the 2004 election cycle when we were both involved with the Clergy Leadership Network.  But as I was getting ready to head off to the Interfaith Alliance town hall meeting where the panel would take place it was announced on CNN that Jesse Jackson, another veteran of the Clergy Leadership Network, would be leading a peace delegation to the Middle East.  The AP reports:

CHICAGO -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Wednesday he would lead an ecumenical delegation to the Middle East this week to meet with political and religious leaders about troubles in the region, including the kidnapping of two Fox News journalists.

Jackson, the veteran civil rights leader and head of his Chicago-based Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, said the group would leave Friday night for meetings in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. He declined to release his planned itinerary because of security concerns.

"We had been working with the Middle Eastern Council of Churches, but couldn't get in earlier because of the bombings," Jackson said.

He said his delegation would consist of about 10 people representing Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic and Protestant groups.

Jackson said his mission would have three goals: urging the extension of the cease-fire in Lebanon, arranging humanitarian aid in Lebanon and in the Israeli city of Haifa, and inquiring into several hostage situations.

He said his group is concerned about the fate of Israeli soldiers held hostage by Hezbollah, as well as by the kidnapping of Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig, who were kidnapped Aug. 14 from their TV van near the Palestinian security services headquarters in Gaza City.

Jackson has had success several times in the past in negotiating the release of political hostages.

So instead of hanging out in Portland, Oregon Rabbi Jacobs, a longtime associate of both Jackson and Martin Luther King,  is heading off with Rev. Jackson to save the world.  Again.  Please pray for their safety and the success of their mission. 

And Now The Rest Of The Story

There’s more to that story about a New York Baptist church firing a woman who taught Sunday school for 54 years - for being a woman. It turns out the church is involved in a much larger theological dispute. Pastor Dan has the info.

Portland Townhall Meeting Tonight

This evening I’ll be joining The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of The Interfaith Alliance, at a town hall meeting here in Portland that will take place at the Benson Hotel. “The Election Year Program town hall forum will provide expert perspective analyzing and interpreting the role religion is playing in this election year,” states the press release sent out by the Interfaith Alliance. Among the participants are:

Chuck Currie, Blogger on Faith and Politics and interim minister at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ

Rabbi Steven Jacobs, Retired, Kol Tikvah Congregation, Woodland Hills, CA

Phillip Kennedy-Wong, Director of Public Policy, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Brendan McDonald, Producer, Air America Radio & State of Belief

Donna Zajonc, Author of "The Politics of Hope: Reviving the Dream of Democracy," and Former Member of the Oregon House of Representatives

Moderator, Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President, The Interfaith Alliance

The town hall kicks off at 7 pm and will run until 8:30 pm.  The Benson Hotel is located at 309 Southwest Broadway, Portland, 503-228-2000.

"Tell Congress to Fix Health Care"

United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries Action Alert

The Citizens’ Healthcare Working Group is charged by Congress to survey the American public and submit recommendations for congressional action on the nations’ health care needs and a universal health care system. It has published its interim recommendations, which are open to public comment until Aug. 31, 2006, and the final recommendations will be sent to Congress in late September. These interim recommendations do not adequately reflect the overwhelming public support for a universal health care system through which all Americans will receive health care coverage, a comprehensive benefits package, and timely congressional action. Send a message to the Working Group, with copies to Senators Wyden and Hatch, telling the Working Group to more accurately represent the support for a universal health care system.

"Church Fires Teacher for Being Woman"

There are days when I just can't think of anything to write about.  Then stuff like this comes along:

The First Baptist Church dismissed Mary Lambert on Aug. 9 with a letter explaining that the church had adopted an interpretation that prohibits women from teaching men. She had taught there for 54 years.

The letter quoted the first epistle to Timothy: "I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent."

The Rev. Timothy LaBouf (e-mail), who also serves on the Watertown City Council, issued a statement saying his stance against women teaching men in Sunday school would not affect his decisions as a city leader in Watertown, where all five members of the council are men but the city manager who runs the city's day-to-day operations is a woman.

"I believe that a woman can perform any job and fulfill any responsibility that she desires to" outside of the church, LaBouf wrote Saturday.

God is still speaking but someone is ignoring her.

Someone should send LaBouf a copy of The Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause’s 2004 book 1 Timothy. I don’t know if he thinks women can write or not but after studying under Dean Krause I’m willing to go out on a limb and say that she is a top-notch scholar and preacher - one called by God - that LaBouf could learn a thing or two from about the role of women in church life.

Sunday Offertory

All people shall give as they are able, according to the blessings which God has given them.1

This week I'll have the opportunity to join Welton Gaddy and the Interfaith Alliance crew at an event here in Portland, Oregon. 

Over the years the Interfaith Alliance has played an important role in bringing together American religious leaders of all stripes to promote a positive vision of what people of faith can accomplish for the common good.  From their website:

Founded in 1994 by an interfaith group of religious leaders, we work to promote interfaith cooperation around shared religious values to strengthen the public's commitment to the American values of civic participation, freedom of religion, diversity, and civility in public discourse and to encourage the active involvement of people of faith in the nation's political life. We are local religious leaders and activists, some with years of political experience, some just starting out. We work in our communities, in state capitals, in Washington, DC and wherever else our voice is needed.

Our 150,000 members across the nation represent diverse religious and spiritual traditions - Jews, Christians,Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs - 70 faith traditions in all, as well as many Agnostics and Atheists. In Washington, DC, our national office works on Capitol Hill and with the White House, in coalition with denominational bodies and other activist organizations to make sure our unique message is communicated when and where it matters most. Our 47 local Alliances are active in their communities on local issues, carrying The Interfaith Alliance message to decision-makers, the media, and the public at large.

Show them your thanks by offering some supporting.  And if you're in Portland this Wednesday drop by the Benson Hotel. 

1. United Church of Christ Book of Worship

Church Offers Sanctuary

A United Methodist Church in Chicago is providing sanctuary to a single mother facing deportation.  The AP reports:

CHICAGO -- Immigration activists around the country are taking up the cause of a single mother who invoked the ancient principle of sanctuary and took refuge in a Chicago church rather than submit to deportation to Mexico.

Elvira Arellano, 31, was holed up for a second day Wednesday at Aldalberto United Methodist Church with the support of the congregation's pastor. With her was son Saul, 7, a U.S. citizen.

Federal officials said there is no right to sanctuary in a church under U.S. law and nothing to prevent them from arresting her. But they would not say what they planned to do, or when.

"She is the face of the movement," said Emma Lozano, executive director of the Chicago immigration-rights group Centro Sin Fronteras, who was at the church with Arellano.

National United Methodist leaders, including Bishop Minerva Carcaño, are also providing support.  From the United Methodist News Service:

"Here is an opportunity for a country that says they care about children to care for a child," said United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño, on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" show Aug. 16.

Carcaño, bishop of the denomination's Phoenix Area, was in Chicago for the 2006 International Clergywomen's Consultation. She has been a spokesperson for the United Methodist Council of Bishops in calling for immigration reform.

"The United Methodist Church stands with families like Miss Arellano," she said. "It is an issue of justice that she be allowed to stay with her young son."

Carcaño, along with Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Chicago Area, and the Rev. James Preston, Chicago Northwestern District superintendent, visited Arellano in the church Aug. 16.

"You could see the burden in her eyes," Carcaño said. "It was a very moving moment to see her surrounded by others in the community. She is acting out of the motives of a mother and her Christian convictions."

Jung released a statement that Arellano was invoking "the centuries-old Christian tradition of sanctuary" and "the tradition of civil disobedience."

"While as Christians we may disagree over the best way to fix the nation's broken immigration system, we affirm that the Bible directs us to care for foreigners in our midst (Exodus 23:9) and reminds us that we too are sojourners (Leviticus 25:23)," Jung said.

The church has said the current immigration bill in Congress is "unjust," Carcaño told Dobbs. "We are not talking about partisan politics; this is matter of moral justice."

Federal authorities have threatened to take Arellano by force but news reports now suggest they are backing off such plans.  The president of the United States of America would be well served if he gave orders forbidding federal agents from forcibly entering a Christian church.

Let us offer prayers for all those involved.   

Andrew Young's Fall

When Andrew Young, the United Church of Christ minister and civil rights icon who served as mayor of Atlanta and U.N. Ambassador, signed on as a spokesman for Wal-Mart his allies in the church and civil rights community were dismayed.  How could a man so committed to justice take on a client with a record of fighting the unionization of workers?  How could a man so committed to taking care of the poor work for a company that pays such low wages?

Now Young has resigned from his position with Wal-Mart after making truly bigoted comments about Jews, Koreans and Arabs.  The New York Times reports:

The civil rights leader Andrew Young, who was hired by Wal-Mart to improve its public image, resigned from that post last night after telling an African-American newspaper that Jewish, Arab and Korean shop owners had "ripped off" urban communities for years, "selling us stale bread, and bad meat and wilted vegetables."

In the interview, published yesterday in The Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly, Mr. Young said that Wal-Mart "should" displace mom-and-pop stores in urban neighborhoods.

"You see those are the people who have been overcharging us," he said of the owners of the small stores, "and they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs."

Mr. Young, 74, a former mayor of Atlanta and a former United States representative to the United Nations, apologized for the comments and retracted them in an interview last night. Less than an hour later, he resigned as chairman of Working Families for Wal-Mart, a group created and financed by the company to trumpet its accomplishments.

"It's against everything I ever thought in my life," Mr. Young said. "It never should have been said. I was speaking in the context of Atlanta, and that does not work in New York or Los Angeles."

His remarks drew forceful condemnation from Arab, Jewish and Asian leaders.

Rev. Young, bigotry shouldn't work in Atlanta either.

Our religious and political leaders ought to be finding ways to reconcile the American people instead of fostering further division.  Young has done what many good people have done before him:  bow down to the false God of wealth while turning away from the real God's call for us to be a people of justice. Come home, Rev. Young.      

Related Site:  Wal Mart Watch

Labor Day Worship Resources

Labor Day weekend is just a few weeks away. If you’re looking for Labor Day weekend worship resources check out the website of Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ). IWJ “calls upon our religious values in order to educate, organize, and mobilize the religious community in the U.S. on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers, especially low-wage workers,” reads their mission statement. With poverty increasing and the majority party in Congress and the White House opposed to an increase in the minimum wage (but supportive of tax cuts for the richest of the rich) Labor Day weekend is a great opportunity to remind people of faith of our obligation to work towards a just society.

Support Saqib Ali

Sometimes you just shake your head....

BALTIMORE, August 13 - A protester staked out the home of a Muslim candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates, holding a sign and wearing a T-shirt that mocked Islam.

Timothy Truett sat in a folding chair Saturday on the cul-de-sac outside Saqib Ali's home in Gaithersburg with a sign reading "Islam sucks," and a shirt with the slogan, "This mind is an Allah-free zone."

Montgomery County police sent a trespass notification form to Truett warning that he would be subject to arrest on trespassing charges if he steps onto Ali's property within the next year.

Truett called his protest "an experiment," explaining: "I had heard that Muslims were generally intolerant of views other than their own, and so I thought I would put it to the test."

Ali took several photographs of Truett but refused to speak to him, saying he did not get the impression that Truett wanted to start a constructive dialogue.

"We don't waste our time talking to people who hate us," Ali said Sunday.

Truett said he did not think the sign or the T-shirt expressed a message of hate.

"It's an opinion," he said. "I don't think there's anything intrinsically hateful about it."

Ali, a Democrat, would become the first Muslim member of the House of Delegates if elected, but has not made his religion a major tenet of his campaign.

Read the full story on Beliefnet.com.

Want to do something nice today?  Send a note of support to Ali (or leave a comment on his campaign blog).  Tell him that you appreciate his willingness to run for public office and reject the hate that he encountered.

Sunday Offertory

All people shall give as they are able, according to the blessings which God has given them.1

For the global ecumenical community there is no more important Christian body than the World Council of Churches.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is the broadest and most inclusive among the many organized expressions of the modern ecumenical movement, a movement whose goal is Christian unity.

The WCC brings together more than 340 churches, denominations and church fellowships in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world, representing some 550 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of denominations from such historic traditions of the Protestant Reformation as Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed, as well as many united and independent churches. While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches were European and North American, today most are in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific.

For its member churches, the WCC is a unique space: one in which they can reflect, speak, act, worship and work together, challenge and support each other, share and debate with each other. As members of this fellowship, WCC member churches:

• are called to the goal of visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship;
• promote their common witness in work for mission and evangelism;
• engage in Christian service by serving human need, breaking down barriers between people, seeking justice and peace, and upholding the integrity of creation; and
• foster renewal in unity, worship, mission and service.

Conservative political groups within the United States have attacked WCC on more than one occasion for speaking out in favor of peace over war.  WCC preaches a Gospel-centered message instead of a political one and the world benefits from that.

Click here and make a donation supporting WCC.

1. United Church of Christ Book of Worship

Summer Petition 2006: Urge FDA Decision on Emergency Contraception

Action Alert from United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries

The UCC General Synod has long affirmed that women, regardless of their economic resources, should have the right to make decisions about their bodies and unintended pregnancy, and access to safe methods of contraception to carry out those decisions. Plan B Emergency Contraception is safe, effective, and, if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by half. However, despite recommendations from FDA advisory boards to approve Plan B for over-the-counter availability, the FDA has failed to issue a decision, almost a year after the original Sept. 2005 deadline. Quick access to this safe and effective contraception method is essential for women faced with the possibility of unintended pregnancy, and is particularly important for victims of sexual assault and rape. Sign a petition telling the acting director of the FDA to issue a decision on Plan B over-the-counter availability this year.

Return To Puget Island

Last weekend we took off to the Bay Area where we visited Liz's family.  This weekend we've driven up to Puget Island, Washington (in the Columbia River) where my mother and step-father live.  The weather is great and this morning we took the boat out for a very short spin.  Hugo and Hazel, our trusty dogs, are out and about on the property chasing down chickens and goats.  My sister Jennifer and nephew Ian are also here today.

Katherine (left) and Frances

Jennifer and Ian

Grandma Judy and Grandpa John

South Welcome Slough, Puget Island

Hugo along the Columbia River

Hazel

The Columbia River

It Is Tough To Be A Civilian These Days

News today of a foiled terrorist attack against U.S. and U.K. civilian targets reminds us of the horror we all felt on 9/11.  How can these Islamic terrorists be so evil?  Evil is simply what they are.  How can people do such violence in the name of God? 

Somewhere over 40,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq by U.S. forces and insurgents.  Conservative evangelicals, particularly those serving as U.S. military chaplains (along with the president), have been quick to invoke God as their guide in such killing.  I'm a Christian - one who has dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel message - and I don't recognize the God they speak of.  Do you?

The Iraqi insurgents are just as bad.  They target civilians - in the name of Allah - for death.  War criminals abound.    

Around 1,000 civilians have now been killed by Israeli forces in Lebanon and Hezbollah continues to rain down rockets on Israel. 

It is tough to be a civilian when so many Christians, Jews and Muslims have joined together in an unholy alliance in which God has been replaced with the idolatrous worship of weapons and power.  Madness has infested our souls.  Lord have mercy.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- Matthew 5:9 (NRSV)

Israeli Prime Minister Gets Support From Pat Robertson

The Prime Minister of Israel took time out of his busy schedule this week bombing civilians in Lebanon to meet with former U.S. Republican presidential candidate and Religious Right icon Pat Robertson.  Robertson, who was shunned by Israel for suggesting that former Prime Minister Sharon's stroke was God's vengeance for Sharon's modest peace efforts, has bought forgiveness from the Israeli government because of his financial investments there and for his strong support of Israel's military campaigns.  Robertson conducted a long interview yesterday with CNN's Wolf Blitzer about his views on prophecy and how the events occurring today were foretold in the Bible.  Conservative evangelical Christians hold enormous sway over American foreign policy in the Bush Administration and it is simply frightening that the president of the United States is being advised by people willing to quickly justify the death of so many civilians with a desire that war in Israel will usher in the end times.

Here's the interview:    

You're Invited

The Central Pacific Conference
of the United Church of Christ and
the members of
First Congregational
United Church of Christ, Portland
cordially invite your presence and prayers
for the ordination to Christian ministry of

Charles Stephen Currie, Jr.

On Sunday
September Seventeenth
Two Thousand and Six
Three o'clock in the afternoon

First Congregational United Church of Christ
1126 SW Park Avenue
Portland, Oregon

Reception at the church following the service

Clergy are invited to robe
Call 503-228-7219 with questions.

Connecticut Republicans Reject Anti-UCC Campaign, Nominate UCC Minister

Everyone in the U.S. has their eyes fixed on Connecticut tonight (at least the politically obsessed crowd). While I’m interested in the Senate race there are other important races and that includes the fight between Scott MacLean and Miriam Masullo for the Republican nomination for the First Congressional district.

I’m ready to declare MacLean, a political moderate and retired United Church of Christ minister, the winner based on late returns.  From WFSB.com:

With 92% of the precincts counted MacLean is ahead 62% to 38% for Masullo.  Click on the graphic for more.

Now I don’t actually have any creditability in calling races. The final vote count might find me wrong. But this appears to be a good conclusion to a difficult race. Masullo has waged a vicious campaign where she attacked MacLean’s background as a UCC minister. She appears to think you can only be Christian if you back George W. Bush on every issue. Masullu has relied on anti-UCC web site to help spread her message.

Connecticut Republicans seem to have rejected her negative campaign and chosen a moderate (pro-choice, pro-gun control) nominee to face the incumbent this November: U.S. Congressman John Larson. Larson, a progressive democrat, is considered popular in the district and is seen as the strong favorite.

Republican Congressional Candidate Again Attacks United Church Of Christ

A Republican candidate for Congress in Connecticut, who is attacking her Republican opponent for being a minister in the "liberal" United Church of Christ, was highlighted today in an article where she claimed she has been "persecuted by the media, the left" and allies of her opponent.  From The Bristol Press:

(Miriam) Masullo said she is not attacking the church itself, but rather than "the justification of terrorism and anti-Semitic posture" of its president, John Thomas.

(Scott) MacLean, a retired minister in the church, called Masullo's charges "preposterous" and refused to denounce his church's leadership.

"While I don't agree with everything that comes out of the national setting of the UCC, I don't agree with everything my wife says either and I have no intention of divorcing either one," MacLean said.

MacLean is the GOP's endorsed candidate in the little-noticed 1st District congressional primary. The winner will take on U.S. Rep. John Larson, an East Hartford Democrat, in the Nov. 7 general election....

"Nobody will convince me that I am not being attacked because my opponent is a white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant male, and I am a Hispanic woman," she said.

She isn't being attacked based on her race or gender but on her outlandish and bigoted views.  But her views are making the right-wing proud.   

The UCC has come under attack for advocating on behalf of displaced Palestinians and for calling for an immediate cease fire in Lebanon.  Unfortunately, the UCC's stance has been labeled by some to be anti-Semitic.  The UCC's views, however, are shared by the Pope, World Council of Churches, National Council of Churches USA, Human Rights Watch, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Tikkun Magazine, a leading Jewish publication.       

Masullo urged readers of the article to visit UCCtruths.com - an anti-UCC web site that coordinates its message with the Republican Party aligned - Institute on Religion and Democracy and the anti-gay group Biblical Witness Fellowship - to learn more about the UCC.

I have a better idea.

Visit UCC.org.  You'll be directed to a site truly committed to honesty and Christian principles - both of which Masullo and her anti-UCC friends seems to care little about.

The primary election will be held tomorrow.

Related Post:  Republican House Candidate Attacks Opponent For Being United Church Of Christ Member

Sunday Offertory

All people shall give as they are able, according to the blessings which God has given them.1 

All Americans - particularly women - ought to be concerned.  The fundamental right of women to make their own reproductive health care decisions is under attack.  You would think from listening to the media that all religious people back the current attempts to outlaw abortion (even when the life of the mother is in danger) but the reality is quite different.  Many mainline Christian denominations and Jewish organizations back the right of women to make their own choices.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice is the coalition of religious groups advocating for women all across the nation.

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice brings the moral power of religious communities to ensure reproductive choice through education and advocacy. The Coalition seeks to give clear voice to the reproductive issues of people of color, those living in poverty, and other underserved populations.

RCRC was founded in 1973 to safeguard the newly won constitutional right to abortion. The Coalition founders were clergy and lay leaders from mainstream religions, many of whom had provided women with referrals to safe abortion services before the Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe v. Wade. The founders believed that there would be at most a ten-year struggle to secure the right to choose. In fact the struggle is far from over. It has changed and intensified, and the stakes are growing.

Today, the Religious Coalition comprises national organizations from major faiths and traditions, religiously affiliated and independent religious organizations, affiliates throughout the country, the national Clergy for Choice Network, Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom chapters, The Black Church Initiative, and individuals who support reproductive choice and religious freedom.

While our member organizations are religiously and theologically diverse, they are unified in the commitment to preserve reproductive choice as a basic part of religious liberty.

Our rational, healing perspective looks beyond the bitter abortion debate to seek solutions to pressing problems such as unintended pregnancy, the spread of HIV/AIDS, inadequate health care and health insurance, and the severe reduction in reproductive health care services. We support access to sex education, family planning and contraception, affordable child care and health care, and adoption services as well as safe, legal, abortion services, regardless of income. We work for public policies that ensure the medical, economic, and educational resources necessary for healthy families and communities that are equipped to nurture children in peace and love.

Click here to make a donation and support their work.

1. United Church of Christ Book of Worship

Back In The Bay Area

This post has been updated

Today we're in the Bay Area visiting family.  Liz and I went to the Stanford campus this morning where we visited the bookstore and Memorial Chapel.  Hope you're having a good weekend.

Update:  This is the photo that I took of the chapel.

House Attempt To Help Super Rich Fails

Here's some good news from yesterday via Sojo.net:

On August 3, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes required to end debate (prevent a filibuster) on the "trifecta" bill. This legislation (passed last week by the House) would raise the minimum wage, but only by also providing estate tax reform benefitting the wealthiest. The vote was 56-42. This was a victory, and your calls helped! Thank you for acting!

For more information on the fight to increase the minimum wage visit:

www.letjusticeroll.org

Related Post: "Minimum Wage Vote a Dirty Trick"

"Minimum Wage Vote a Dirty Trick"

There have been some important developments on the battle to increase the minimum wage.  As you'll remember, the Senate rejected the attempt.  Now the House has passed an increase in the minimum wage.  But Republicans in the House will only increase the minimum wage if they get massive new tax breaks for the richest of the rich - further harming America's economy and shifting the tax burden further and further on the middle class and working poor. 

The United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries reports:

In the dead of night on July 29, the House leadership pushed through an increase to the federal minimum wage, coupled with tax cuts for the wealthiest heirs to fortunes, and invalidation of important labor protection provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. While justice advocates would normally be in favor of the passage of an increase in the minimum wage, implementation of the new minimum wage will take place over three years, much longer than advocates had been urging. Using the minimum wage as bait to pass the partial repeal of the Estate tax and to roll back provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act is insulting to the very workers the minimum wage sets out to protect. Now the Senate will take up the same bill this week. Send a message to your senators telling them to vote NO on H.R. 5970, the Estate Tax and Extension of Tax Relief Act of 2006.

Click here to send a message.

Sojourners has also sent out an action alert. 

Pope Wants Immediate Cease-fire

The Pope made another call for peace in the Middle East today:

VATICAN CITY, August 2 - Pope Benedict XVI issued an impassioned call Wednesday for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, saying "nothing can justify the spilling of innocent blood."

Clenching his fist and his voice filled with emotion, Benedict said: "Our eyes are filled with the chilling images of torn bodies of so many people, especially children - I am thinking in particular of Qana."

Benedict was referring to the Israeli attack Sunday in the southern Lebanese town of Qana that killed 56 civilians, mostly women and children.

It was the latest in a half-dozen peace appeals by the pope that have consistently included calls for an immediate cease-fire. He has spoken out on every public occasion since the fighting began three weeks ago, reminiscent of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who became a rallying point for critics of the Iraq war.

Click here to read the full story.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued similar calls.

Religious Right: Profit Over Creation

As the Faith in Public Life Blog noted, conservative evangelical Christians gathered this week to promote their view that global warming is not the result of human actions and that American economic interests trump environmental concerns. 

Their event, hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation, was held to announce that the new Interfaith Stewardship Alliance (ISA) would release their document:

...Call to Truth, Prudence and the Protection of the Poor: An Evangelical Response to Global Warming. Endorsed by more than 100 leading evangelical scholars, theologians, scientists, economists, pastors and others, this paper is a direct response to the Evangelical Climate Initiative's "Call to Action" released earlier this year. The ISA paper lays forth solid scientific, economic, ethical, and theological arguments against mandatory carbon-emissions reductions called for by the ECI to mitigate global warming, identifies unintended consequences that would be of serious harm to the world's poor, and articulates a reasoned approach to environmental stewardship.

The Evangelical Climate Initiative is a group of conservative Christians which broke with the Bush Administration earlier this year by claiming that global warming was in fact caused by humans (which they note is the conclusion draw by the world scientific community) and that:

Christians must care about climate change because we love God the Creator and Jesus our Lord, through whom and for whom the creation was made. This is God's world, and any damage that we do to God's world is an offense against God Himself (Gen. 1; Ps. 24; Col. 1:16).

Christians must care about climate change because we are called to love our neighbors, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, and to protect and care for the least of these as though each was Jesus Christ himself (Mt. 22:34-40; Mt. 7:12; Mt. 25:31-46).

Christians, noting the fact that most of the climate change problem is human induced, are reminded that when God made humanity he commissioned us to exercise stewardship over the earth and its creatures. Climate change is the latest evidence of our failure to exercise proper stewardship, and constitutes a critical opportunity for us to do better (Gen. 1:26-28).

Love of God, love of neighbor, and the demands of stewardship are more than enough reason for evangelical Christians to respond to the climate change problem with moral passion and concrete action.

The Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) helped to form the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance.  It is worth noting that the Heritage Foundation is a think-tank closely aligned with the Bush White House.   

Greed clearly motivates the work of the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance.  There is no real scientific debate anymore over global warming and despite their claim they care little for the poor.  Many of the people involved with ISA - including IRD and the Hertiage Foundation - have supported economic policies that benefit the weathly at the expense of the "least of these." 

But truth matters less to these folks than God's call for us to be responsible stewards of creation.  The release of this statement from conservative evangelicals is really a sign of desperation on the part of Republicans concerned that their political reign in Congress may end come November.  History will remember the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance, IRD and the Heritage Foundation as groups that have abandoned God in the pursuit of profit.    

Oregon Will Host Major Conferences On Faith & Politics

Two different and important conferences will be held here in Portland, Oregon in August and September. The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) will be bringing their One Nation, Many Faiths, Vote 2006 conference to the Rose City on August 23rd, featuring TIA executive director and Air America’s State of Belief host Welton Gaddy, and the Faith and American Values Summit 2006, with special guest Jim Wallis, will be held on September 14 and September 16.

Here is the lowdown on The Interfaith Alliance event:

The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) is making a difference in America by working at the intersection of religion and politics. TIA’s election year program, One Nation, Many Faiths, Vote 2006, analyzes and interprets the role that religion plays in an election year.

This election year, TIA is hitting the road -- literally. We are traveling throughout the nation to set the record straight about how religion and government can work together in a manner that both preserves the autonomy of houses of worship and ensures that religious institutions are not reduced to the status of political tools for candidates.

Please join The Interfaith Alliance for a day-long workshop and town hall forum on these important issues. Our Issue Training and Skills Building Workshop will give you the skills you need to educate, train others and initiate faith based activism around issues of concern to you and your community! The Election Year Program town hall forum will provide expert perspective analyzing and interpreting the role religion is playing in this election year. The Interfaith Alliance is committed to providing you with the tools that will enable you to Facilitate community activism; Challenge religious political extremism; and, Encourage civic participation.

I’ve been invited to be a panelist for the Portland town hall forum and look forward to participating with Rev. Gaddy. Similar conferences will also be held in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Detroit.

Download a poster for the August 23rd Portland event (PDF file).

Here’s more information for the September event:

The purpose of the Faith and American Values Summit is to promote dialogue, reflection and action on issues in American politics that have often been overlooked as moral and spiritual values issues in the past, such as...

POVERTY and WEALTH, PEACE and HUMAN RIGHTS, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, & HEALTH CARE

Because moral values should be central to public policy decisions, we are bringing together a nonpartisan group of faith leaders, community advocates, and public citizens to explore how Christian values could shape public policy in America.

Summit participants will deepen their understanding of the spiritual-political connections behind these issues and will network with other citizens, leaders and organizations who want to take action on these issues in their own communities.

This event is sponsored by the new Oregon Center for Christian Values.

Be sure to put these events on your calendar.