c. 2000 Religion News Service

Graham Hospitalized, Treated for Brain Fluid Buildup

(RNS) Evangelist Billy Graham has been hospitalized at the Mayo Clinic and is being treated to relieve a buildup of fluid around his brain.

Graham, 81, entered the hospital in Rochester, Minn., “at least a week” ago, his spokesman A. Larry Ross said Tuesday (June 20). He said the evangelist is stable and his condition is not life-threatening.

Ross said Graham was “very exhausted” after leading a crusade June 1-4 in Nashville, Tenn.

“He was very strong there, preached powerfully each night, but was extremely fatigued,” Ross told Religion News Service. “When he was done with that, the doctors encouraged him to get rest and restrict his schedule in order to prepare for Amsterdam.”

Graham plans to lead an international conference for evangelists in the Netherlands July 29-Aug. 6. About 10,000 evangelists are expected to attend.

Ross called the fluid buildup around Graham’s brain a “recent development.”

Based on tests and procedures at the Mayo Clinic, his physicians expect Graham will be able to travel to Amsterdam as well as to Jacksonville, Fla., where he is scheduled to lead a crusade Nov. 2-5.

“His condition is stable and the doctors have said that he’s been alert and been conversant and is especially talking about plans for the future,” Ross said. “They’re encouraged by his progress.”

Death Toll Rises in Renewed Indonesian Violence

(RNS) More than 100 Christians and a handful of Muslims were killed Monday (June 19) in renewed violence on the eastern Indonesian island of Halmahera after a group of Muslims attacked a Christian village.

Tempers continue to flare in the troubled region, which has seen more than 2,500 people killed since religious fighting broke out 18 months ago. In the latest fighting, at least 108 Christians and eight Muslims were killed, and the death toll could be as high as 135, the Associated Press reported.

According to reports, a band of about 500 Muslims armed with military-style weapons attacked the predominantly Christian village of Duma. During the one-hour clash, Christians fought back with homemade weapons or fled into nearby forests.

Seventy people were reported injured, and 292 homes and a church were torched. An army official said there were only 30 officers on duty at the time of the attack, and they could not slow the fighting until reinforcements arrived.

Military officials were eventually able to bring the village under control, and the wounded were taken to a nearby town.

“It was a massacre by Muslims,” said a Protestant clergyman, Father Hadi. “It was a very quick attack. They had automatic weapons, but the Christians only had homemade weapons.”

While Indonesia is overwhelmingly Muslim, the Maluku islands, where the violence has broken out, are predominantly Christian. Some in the country blame the religious violence on an influx of new residents from other parts of Indonesia.

Procter & Gamble Stands By Decision to Not Support Dr. Laura

(RNS) Powerful TV advertiser Procter & Gamble has told conservative Christian activists it is standing by its decision to not advertise on Paramount Domestic Television’s fall talk show hosted by radio advice guru Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

“We cannot sponsor Dr. Laura’s television show,” wrote Bob Wehling, a Procter & Gamble officer, in a letter faxed last week (June 16) to one of the six Christian groups that met with company officials about its mid-May decision regarding the “Dr. Laura” show.

P&G dropped its advertising plans after heavy lobbying by gay and lesbian activists who object to comments against homosexuality Schlessinger made on her daily radio talk show.

“It’s a shame that she has become so polarizing on several issues, because we think the majority of the advice she gives is good and helpful, if not always compassionate,” Wehling wrote in the letter, obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. “While she has every right to assert her views on all subjects in the context of her show, we have an equal right as an advertiser to place our commercials in less polarizing environments.”

Wehling, however, also described Schlessinger as “an eloquent spokesperson for traditional values.” He wrote that P&G would review its advertising buys on TV shows the Christian leaders singled out for sex-oriented story lines, including Fox’s “Ally McBeal” and NBC’s “Friends.”

P&G met for an hour last week with leaders from the American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, Coral Ridge Ministries’ Center for Reclaiming America, the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family and Citizens for Community Values, a local group in Cincinnati, which is home to P&G world headquarters.

Christian activists have no immediate plans for a P&G boycott. “The `B’ word has not been mentioned,” said Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values. “I do not believe that is a solution to the problem. That’s a quantum leap to the end of everything, and once you do that, you kind of lose your opportunities.”

Ohio Congressman Renews Efforts for Slavery Apology

(RNS) Rep. Tony Hall, D-Ohio, introduced a resolution Monday (June 19) calling on Congress to apologize for its role in promoting slavery, renewing a similar effort he spearheaded in 1997.

“The Apology for Slavery Resolution of 2000” seeks a formal congressional apology as well as the creation of a commission to study the legacy of slavery and the establishment of a national museum and memorial.

“There are numerous reasons why Congress should apologize for its role in promoting and sustaining slavery,” Hall said Monday (June 19). “These three words _ I am sorry _ are a foundation for beginning again, a small price to pay for restoring lost trust, and a necessary first step in moving forward constructively.”

Hall attempted to get Congress to apologize for slavery three years ago, sparking a national debate. But no hearings or votes were held after he made his proposal.

His renewed effort was announced on Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the date in 1865 when the last slaves in America learned of their freedom.

“It is never too late to admit a wrong and to ask for forgiveness,” Hall said. “In giving those our nation wronged the dignity of this honest admission, we might all enjoy some measure of healing. And it will set the right example for our children.”

NETWORK, a national Catholic group that lobbies on social justice issues, is supporting Hall’s initiative.

“It is a grave injustice that our government has never formally apologized for its role in promoting and sustaining the institution of slavery,” said Kathy Thornton, national coordinator of NETWORK. “This is an apology that is long overdue.”

Quote of the Day: Sheila Martin, Survivor of Waco, Texas, Raid

(RNS) “They should never have done what they did, but I don’t blame them. God is the one who will deal with all of us.”

_ Sheila Martin, who escaped with two of her children but lost her husband and four other children in the 1993 fire that ended the siege at a Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. A wrongful death trial has begun to determine if the government is responsible for the deaths that occurred in the final day of the siege. She was quoted in the June 20 (Tuesday) edition of USA Today.

DEA END RNS