Cease Fire Now

Christian Groups Press for Middle East Ceasefire

Christian leaders are pressing for an immediate cease fire in Lebanon, as reported by RNS' Senior Editor David E. Anderson, in the RNS full text article of the week, linked above.

Quote:

The Bush administration, however, has rejected calls for cease-fire as premature or "not sustainable." Instead, it wants Hezbollah removed as a threat to Israel, either by the disarming of the organization, which is both a military force and a political party in Lebanon, or by removing Hezbollah weapons from a buffer zone along the Israeli border, according to wire reports from Beirut.

Connie Statz on AIDS discrimination

Quote of the Day: Connie Statz, Catholic laywoman from Minnesota

"That really hurt me more than anything else, because that's part of being Catholic. That's part of the sacrament."

-- Connie Statz, 50, who attended the 19th annual National Catholic HIV/AIDS Ministry Conference in mid-July at Loyola University Chicago, describing how she still feels rejected 13 years after being told by a priest at her rural Minnesota church that her AIDS diagnosis prevented her from drinking wine at Communion. She was quoted by the Chicago Tribune.

Pharmacist fired for beliefs

Quote of the Day: Gene Herr, pharmacist who was fired in Denton, Texas

"This was the worst-case scenario. This was the hardest decision I ever made. The heinousness of a rape is a horrible thing. But I don't think you should punish a child for the sins of the father."

-- Pharmacist Gene Herr, who was fired by a Denton, Texas, drugstore in 2004 after he refused to fill a rape victim's morning-after pill prescription. He was quoted in a recent interview with The Washington Post.

Gay parents' rights

In Friday's RNS report Mary Ellen Lowney reports on gay parents concerned about their rights: Like any other parent, Karen Bellavance-Grace cherishes the moments big and small: a walk with her sons, a visit with grandparents, a review of a stellar report card. But as a gay mother who adopted her children through the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, she also watches with dismay as Gov. W. Mitt Romney maneuvers to allow the Roman Catholic Church to wiggle around anti-discrimination laws that protect gay adoptions. Romney filed legislation recently to allow Catholic adoption agencies to refuse to consider gays on religious grounds. The move followed a decision by Catholic Charities of Boston to halt its adoption services after learning that it had to accept gay applicants to comply with state law.

U.S. Jews moving to Israel; SBC in N.O.; Israeli Arabs in the middle; Fishing for priests

Jeff Diamant writes in Thursday's RNS report about American Jews who are keeping their plans to move to Israel despite the increased violence in the Middle East since last week: Ideally, they said, they would have picked another week for the biggest move of their lives. Still, 220 Jews with one-way tickets to Israel boarded an El Al plane Wednesday (July 19), and those interviewed said the past eight days of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel never made them doubt their years-old decision to move to the Jewish nation. "Am I nervous? I don't know if nervous is the word. Maybe cautious," Ken Sheff of Passaic, N.J., said an hour before the 3:15 p.m. flight from New York's Kennedy International Airport. He was moving to a town near Jerusalem with his wife and five children.

The new leader of the Southern Baptist Convention has pledged to continue to focus on New Orleans: The new leader of the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention toured New Orleans' vast flood zone this week and, astonished at what he saw, promised to point more volunteers toward the region where tens of thousands of Baptist church members have toiled since the second day after Hurricane Katrina. In a neighborhood off Elysian Fields Avenue on Monday (July 17), the Rev. Frank Page chatted with nearly two dozen sweat-soaked Missouri teens gutting a house along with a few adult chaperones.

Joshua Mitnick reports that Israel's Arabs feel caught in the middle of recent hostilities: Israel was reminded this week that its Arab citizens are just as vulnerable as the Jewish majority in the week-old war, when a rocket that landed in the city of Nazareth on Wednesday (July 19) killed two Arab children. But unlike the overwhelming support for the war among their Jewish countrymen, there is widespread criticism of the government from Israeli Arabs who feel caught in the middle. Arabs make up a fifth of Israel's population, but they represent half the residents in the northern part of the country where Hezbollah has lobbed rockets.

Catholic bishops are "fishing" for new priests as their numbers continue to dwindle, reports Jeff Diamant: The bishops long have been aware of the statistics. There are now about 43,000 Catholic priests in America, down from more than 58,000 in 1965. As the American Catholic population has risen to about 70 million, more churches must share priests. So, Catholic bishops are trying to encourage priests to more actively recruit young men to the priesthood. A new video, "Fishers of Men," is part of a program managed by the bishops that they hope will attract younger blood. The title comes from the Bible, in which Jesus told two fishermen and future apostles that if they followed him he'd make them "fishers of men."

Congress and Marriage

House Marriage Amendment Falls Short

A vote in the House of Representatives failed to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have constitutionally defined marriage as a heterosexual union, as Peter Sachs reports in this week's full-text RNS article, linked above. The Senate had previously rejected the measure.

Interesting quote:

A co-sponsor of the amendment, Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., called for expansion of the amendment to "go after the other major threats to the institution" by blocking people who divorce, commit adultery or are convicted of child abuse from running for public office. But Davis' spokesman, Tom Hayden, said the remark was "more tongue-in-cheek than anything else."

Senate votes on stem-cell research; House votes on gay marriage; Lilly Endowment helps next generation of ministers

RNS National Correspondent Daniel Burke writes in Tuesday's RNS report that the Senate is expected to vote on stem-cell research today: The Senate is expected to vote on three stem-cell related bills late Tuesday (July 18). Two of the bills are expected to be swiftly approved by the House of Representatives and President Bush. The third, however, which would expand federal funding for research using human embryonic stem cells, has been condemned by religious groups, including conservative evangelicals and the Roman Catholic Church. Although the House has already approved that legislation, President Bush has vowed to veto the bill.

In other news on Capitol Hill today, Peter Sachs reports that the House has rejected a gay marriage amendment: The House of Representatives rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage Tuesday (July 18), following hours of fiery debate. Although the amendment garnered 236 votes, it fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Had it passed, the amendment would have added a definition of marriage as between one man and one woman to the Constitution. Closely watched by religious conservatives, many political analysts considered the amendment vote a Republican strategy to galvanize voters ahead of the November elections.

Catherine O'Donnell looks at the Lilly Endowment's "Transition-Into-Ministry Program," which is helping the next generation of ministers: When Amanda Adams was growing up, she considered a number of professions: doctor, nurse, writer, teacher, psychologist and bareback rider. She eventually became a Presbyterian minister because it includes all the things she wants. Adams and two other young ministers arrived at First Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, Mich., last September, committed to two-year residencies. They're part of the Transition-Into-Ministry Program funded by the Lilly Endowment. An Indianapolis nonprofit focusing on education, religion and community development, Lilly in 1999 began a number of pilot programs to help young ministers move from seminary to full-time pastorates. Transition-Into-Ministry has been part of Lilly's larger effort to improve preparation of pastoral leaders. The foundation has invested $38 million in the program and made grants to 31 institutions.

NAACP Chairman speaks

Quote of the Day: NAACP Chairman Julian Bond

"We have values, we vote our values, and we demand to be valued in return."

-- NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, speaking in a keynote address Sunday (July 16) at the African-American organization's annual convention in Washington about how an appearance by President Bush at the meeting would show he hears the concerns of black Americans. He was quoted by the Associated Press.

Gone Fishing

Quote of the Day: Roman Catholic Bishop Charles Grahmann of Dallas

"I hope that he writes on my letter: `You can go fishing.'"

-- Bishop Charles Grahmann, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, commenting on his offering his resignation to Pope Benedict XVI upon turning 75 on Saturday (July 15). He was quoted by The Dallas Morning News.

Psychic cures; and divorce's effect on children's faith

In Monday's RNS report Michelle Roberts writes about the growing number of Americans who are seeking spiritual cures for the modern world: Laura O'Donnell meets you at the door of her brown split-level home in Portland, Ore. The 34-year-old physical therapist invites you to sit down before settling herself in an overstuffed chair. She folds her hands, gives you a beatific smile and asks, "Do you have any questions for the spirit world?" Today, a growing number of Americans are turning to psychics -- or intuitives -- as a way to achieve spiritual wellness. For her part, O'Donnell draws upon myriad disciplines -- psychology, physiology, sociology, theology, anthropology and mythology -- to help her clients achieve harmony and greater consciousness, blending spiritual messages with a score of practical ideas, suggestions and exercises.

Deborah Potter reports on how parents' divorce can lead to a crisis of faith for their children: When Jen Thompson looks at family pictures, the memories are still painful. Her parents divorced when she was 14, and along with the sense of loss came a crisis of faith. A recent national survey of adults who were kids when their parents divorced found that the separation had a major impact on their spiritual lives. They were, for example, much less likely to go to church or to call themselves religious than those adults whose parents stayed married. "One extraordinary finding in our study was that of those grown children of divorce who were active in a church at the time of their parents' divorce, two-thirds say that no one in the clergy or congregation reached out to them at that time," said Elizabeth Marquardt, the author of "Between Two Worlds," a study of children and divorce.

Explaining Catholic annulments

In Friday's RNS report Bill Zajac reports on a nun's efforts to educate Catholics about annulments: Sister Claire D. Lapointe understands why some Catholics may be confused about annulments. It's a complicated process, Lapointe said. It's the reason Lapointe, the director of the Springfield Diocesan Tribunal that decides annulments, addresses the subject at parishes in a talk titled "Myths, Misconceptions and Facts About Annulments." Annulment is a misnomer. "We don't annul a marriage. Marriage is insoluble when you have a valid sacramental marriage. No human power can dissolve that," said Lapointe, who belongs to the Sisters of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin order.

"The Christian Norman Rockwell"

Christ Is Literally at Center of Artist's Work

Chris Meehan profiles Nathan Greene, an artist influenced both by Norman Rockwell and by his faith, in this week's RNS full text article, linked above.

Quote:

One of Greene's most famous paintings is called "Chief of the Medical Staff." It shows Christ in a high-tech operating room with one arm on a surgeon's shoulder and the other guiding the physician's hand as he performs a procedure.

Rick Warren scheduled to preach in North Korea

Quote of the Day: Suzanne Scholte of the North Korea Freedom Coalition

"If Rick Warren goes in there and preaches, Kim Jong Il can say, `What about our lack of religious freedom? We had Rick Warren.' But if Rick Warren says, `Kim Jong Il is not your god,' what will be the ramifications?"

-- Suzanne Scholte, chairwoman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition of 65 human rights, religious and nongovernmental organizations, speaking to The Washington Times about evangelist Rick Warren's scheduled preaching trip to North Korea.

Looking for peace in the Middle East

Quote of the Day: Pope Benedict XVI on the Middle East conflict

"Faced, on the one hand, with blind violence that provokes appalling massacres and, on the other, with the threat of a worsening of the crisis which over the last few days has become even more dramatic, what is needed is justice and a serious and credible commitment to peace, which unfortunately, are nowhere to be seen."

-- Pope Benedict XVI, speaking on July 2 in St. Peter's Square about his concern over growing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. He was quoted by the Web site Catholic Online.

Muslim comedy; Secular Jews

In Monday's RNS report Omar Sacirbey takes a look at Muslim comedy: What tickles the funny bones of the world's 1.4 billion Muslims? Ahmed Ahmed has some answers. "How do you know you're a Muslim?" the Egyptian-American comedian asks, recalling one bit that worked in a recent show in Dubai. "When you drink, gamble and have sex but don't eat pork." Ba-da-boom. Comedy does indeed exist in the Muslim world. Stand-up is still a rarity in Muslim countries, but films, sitcoms and talk shows have been making Muslims laugh for decades. Even jokesters that some regimes just won't tolerate can still find captive audiences in the privacy of dinner parties or the ubiquitous cafes of the Middle East and other Islamic countries, where story- and joke-telling have been elevated to art forms.

Secular Jews find a home in Godless Judaism, report David Briggs: "Good Shabbos." "Good Shabbos to you." The mostly older men and women leave their contributions to the potluck dinner up front, then exchange the traditional greeting throughout the dining room at the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath. In a tradition extending back thousands of years, the Shabbat candles are lit after participants settle in at their tables. The ceremony continues with the drinking of wine and the breaking of bread. There was one strikingly different aspect about this Friday night gathering from most held in Jewish homes and synagogues. And it wasn't that it was taking place in the party room of a condominium complex -- there was no mention of God through the entire ritual.

Bad Rap/Good Rap

Transformed Rapper Spreads Gospel

Michael Heaton interviews Kevin Beebe, a rapper who had a religious conversion while in jail, and who is now training for the ministry, in this week's full-text RNS article, linked above.

Quote:

Q: Are you serious about a career as a rapper?

A: Yes and no. I'm attending Mount Vernon Nazarene University in the fall. It's a Christian college. I'm taking pastoral ministries there. Rap is part of my ministry. I use it to preach the gospel. For me, it's just a tool. A way to reach kids.