c. 2000 Religion News Service

Supporters of Marriage Declaration Criticize Edgar, Question Future

(RNS) The decision by the head of the National Council of Churches to withdraw his name from a Christian declaration on marriage has disappointed supporters of the document and could threaten future cooperation between the ecumenical council and other Christian groups.

The Rev. Bob Edgar, NCC’s general secretary, initially supported “A Christian Declaration on Marriage” and co-signed it with Roman Catholic and evangelical leaders on Nov. 14. When some interpreted the declaration as an attack on same-sex unions, Edgar quickly withdrew his name.

“I’m disappointed that he removed his name and withdrew the NCC as a partner in … what he has actually called a table of unity,” Bishop Kevin Mannoia, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, told Religion News Service.

“The NCC has chosen to leave this table of unity so it raises questions in my mind: If not this, then what table of unity could bring us together?”

Mannoia said the framers of the document did not intend it to be a discussion of gay issues but rather a declaration calling on churches to encourage marriage and reduce divorce.

“It was never our intention for this to be a statement on homosexual behavior,” he said. “This was not a statement about anything but Christian marriage.”

Edgar’s decision has prompted a flurry of reaction from conservatives who denounced him for departing from Christian teaching and liberals who praised his “courageous” about-face.

Diane Knippers, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy and a frequent NCC critic, called Edgar “ecumenically irrelevant.” The Rev. Parker Williamson, the conservative editor of The Presbyterian Layman, said Edgar’s reversal shows the true nature of the liberal-leaning NCC.

“There can no longer be any question where the NCC stands on society’s most basic union, instituted by God and blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ,” Williamson said in a statement. “Mr. Edgar and his associates have alienated themselves from the Christian tradition.”

On the other end of the spectrum, the nation’s best-known advocate for increasing the role of gays and lesbians in the church called Edgar’s decision “courageous.”

“Dr. Edgar has made it clear that he would rather see the NCC close down with honor than be forced to water down its faithful and historic stand for justice, mercy and truth,” said the Rev. Mel White, co-founder of Soulforce, an ecumenical gay rights group.

The marriage statement was floated as a sort of ecumenical trial balloon to find common ground where the mainline NCC, evangelicals and Roman Catholics could work together.

Religious, Civil Rights Leaders Seek Moratorium on Federal Executions

(RNS) Religious and civil rights leaders have sent a letter to President Clinton urging him to place a moratorium on federal executions until questions about unfairness are resolved.

The letter, dated Monday (Nov. 20), is timed to the pending execution of Juan Garza, a Hispanic man from Texas who is scheduled to die on Dec. 12. If it is carried out, his would be the first federal execution in almost 40 years.

“Unless you take action, executions will begin at a time when your own attorney general has expressed concern about racial and other disparities in the federal death penalty process,” the letter writers told the president. “Such a result would be an intolerable affront to the goals of justice and equality for which you have worked during your presidency.”

The more than 35 signers of the letter include Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Julian Bond, chairman of the board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; the Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of Rainbow Coalition/PUSH; the Rev. Jim Wallis, editor in chief of Sojourners magazine; and Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Among other signatories are entertainer Barbra Streisand, former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and former Sens. Alan Cranston and Paul Simon.

The signers cite recent survey information from the Justice Department that documents disparities relating to race, ethnicity and geography when the death penalty was authorized in federal capital cases. They asked that the president issue a moratorium until the department completes a review of the federal death penalty process.

“Mr. Garza’s case reflects precisely the concerns over racial, ethnic and geographic disparities in capital cases that the Justice Department itself has raised,” said the letter writers. “What if, after further study, the (Justice) department itself determines that race or the arbitrary factor of geography does in fact influence who is prosecuted for death and who is not? We cannot bring Mr. Garza or others back if we decide that they were the victims of a death penalty system distorted by bias and arbitrariness.”

The letter comes during a period when political, religious and other officials have called on or are considering moratoriums on executions. Gov. George Ryan of Illinois announced such a moratorium in January and religious leaders such as broadcaster Pat Robertson, National Council of Churches General Secretary Bob Edgar and Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, have made statements this year calling for a moratorium on the death penalty.

“We are aware of your support for the death penalty under some circumstances and we are not asking that you change your long-held position,” the writers to Clinton concluded. “We are asking only that you prevent an unconscionable event in American history _ executing individuals while the government is still determining whether gross unfairness has led to their death sentences.”

Arabs Propose Muslim-Operated Banking Network

(RNS) A group of Islamic bankers in Arab countries has announced plans to launch an international Islamic money market by the end of next year.

The U.S. dollar-based financial market would operate in accordance with Islamic law, the bankers and financial officials from six Muslim countries said Wednesday (Nov. 22) during a financial meeting at an island near Borneo. Islamic law prohibits, among other things, collecting or making interest payments, or investing in companies that produce taboo items such as pork, tobacco or alcohol.

The bankers also unveiled a plan to create a Bahrain-based Islamic Ratings Agency for Islamic commercial paper, according to Reuters news agency.

Update: Suspect Arrested in Pennsylvania Synagogue Fire

(RNS) Authorities have arrested a man suspected of setting a fire that destroyed part of a Pennsylvania synagogue on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur.

On Tuesday (Nov. 21) police in Harrisburg charged Ira Ted Gibson, 40, with institutional vandalism, and causing and risking a catastrophe, according to the Associated Press. Gibson also faces burglary charges since police believe he took items such as tools from the school’s construction site.

Gibson told police he did toss a lit cigarette on the floor where the fire started, but he has not claimed responsibility for setting the blaze that swept through two floors of Temple Ohev Sholom’s three-story school building early the morning of Oct. 9. Though the congregation’s main sanctuary was untouched, and no one was harmed, the building suffered about $1 million in damage.

Police said they do not have any evidence that the attack was a hate crime. Gibson is being held on $250,000 bail.

Groups Fight for Nativity Scene on Historic Lexington Green

(RNS) The first battlefield of the American Revolution has become the latest battleground in the fight for religious expression in the public square.

A Christian group is suing the town of Lexington, Mass., for the right to continue displaying its Nativity scene on the historic Lexington Green, where Colonial minutemen fired the famous shot heard ’round the world to begin the War for Independence from the British in 1775.

The manger scene with Jesus, Mary and Joseph on the town green has a history of its own, dating back more than 70 years. That tradition could end this year, however, if a federal district court upholds a new town ordinance that bans “unattended structures” on the green for more than eight hours at a time.

Members of the Lexington Board of Selectmen have said the green could become a “circus” if any religious group can erect a display. But a local chapter of the Knights of Columbus says the town is instead violating every group’s constitutional rights.

“It’s religious expression. Under the Constitution, you can’t deny it,” said Grand Knight Michael O’Sullivan. “We’re (going to court) for the other people of Lexington too, who might want to put up their own religious symbols.”

The Knights of Columbus, a Roman Catholic fraternal group, chose to bring the case to federal rather than state court because the right to religious expression is based primarily on the U.S. Constitution, O’Sullivan said. Critics of the suit have suggested moving the manger scene to a nearby church lawn, but the Knights say that would miss the point.

Church property “is not a public forum,” O’Sullivan said. A federal court in Boston will hear arguments in the case on Nov. 29.

Phelps Gets Unwelcome Reception in New England

(RNS) An anti-gay church group from Kansas met angry opposition everywhere they went last weekend as they took their message of God’s judgment on a tour of northern New England.

Small towns in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont sent dozens of counter-protesters to denounce the placard-carrying relatives and parishioners of the Rev. Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. The Kansans’ words and signs, such as “Fag USA” and “Thank God for AIDS,” drew scorn from local clergy, college students and passersby.

“We take strong exception to their rhetoric and signs denigrating our neighbors,” said a group of 14 clergy in Exeter, N.H., in a statement Monday (Nov. 20). “We represent a diverse community of differing views concerning the biblical interpretation and moral status of homosexuality. However, we wholeheartedly agree that hatred, expressed or implied, as well as the advocacy and promotion of hatred, is anathema.”

The tour targeted sites that have in one way or another embraced gays. Exeter made the list by enabling gay faculty at Philips Exeter Academy to serve as dormitory proctors. Stops also included Montpelier, Vt., where legislators last year legalized civil unions between gays, and Kennebunk, Maine, where many churchgoers supported a gay rights measure that the state defeated in a Nov. 7 referendum.

Christian leaders condemning the Kansans’ message spanned the theological spectrum from United Church of Christ pastors to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and the evangelical Christian Civic League of Maine. Each aimed its criticism at the appearance of hate speech rather than the group’s objections to homosexuality.

“We love homosexuals enough to tell them the truth about sexuality and morality,” the League said in a statement. “The League joins with Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council in condemning Phelps and his hate-filled message. There is no place for this message in Maine.”

Phelps’ group has gained national attention by picketing high-profile events, most notably the 1998 Wyoming funeral of beating victim Matthew Shepard, who was gay.

Unity Awards Honor Catholic Music and Videos

(RNS) The United Catholic Music and Video Association presented its first-ever Unity Awards Nov. 18 to highlight excellence in the Catholic music and video industries.

The awards were presented to performers in 46 categories at a ceremony at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. The United Catholic Music and Video Association began in 1999 and works to encourage the promotion of Catholic music and videos.

“We Are One Body,” by Dana, an Irish singer who has sung for Pope John Paul II twice, was named Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year.

Dana was named Songwriter of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.

Tony Melendez, a singer and guitarist also known for his performance before the pope, was named Male Vocalist of the Year.

Sudden Impact, a group that began as a secular pop/rock band but now performs Christian music in English and Spanish, was named Group of the Year.

John Michael Talbot, a former country/rock musician who converted to Catholicism and leads a religious community in Eureka Springs, Ark., was named Artist of the Year.

The New Artist of the Year is Sean Forrest, a Connecticut singer.

Other winning songs of the year are:

Rap/Hip-hop: “Kumbaya” by the Rev. Stan Fortune

Modern Rock/Alternative: (tie) “`Keep Your Eyes on Me” by Sean Forrest and “Power of Peace” by Jesse Manibusan

Rock: “Taste of Heaven” by Tom Booth

Praise and Worship: “We Thank You Jesus” by Still Waters

Country: “Running Too Long” by Denis Grady

Liturgical: “Shepherd Me O God” by Marty Haugen

Eds: Inspiration Network in the first graph below is CQ. It used to be called Inspirational Network.

Network Names Winners of 2000 Inspirational Life Awards

(RNS) Vocalists Fred Hammond and Michael W. Smith and authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins were among the winners of the 2000 Inspirational Life Awards announced by INSP-The Inspiration Network.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based cable television network honored winners in categories ranging from performers to Bibles to videos based on a “people’s choice” award system on the network’s Web site.

Hammond was named Performer of the Year and Smith’s “This Is Your Time” was honored as the Short-form Video of the Year.

“Assassins,” by LaHaye and Jenkins, was named Fiction Book of the Year.

Other musical winners included “Sonicflood,” the debut album by Sonicflood, a pop/rock worship band, in the praise and worship category; “Healing _ Live in Detroit” by Richard Smallwood with Vision in the black gospel category; “God Is Good” by the Gaither Vocal Band in the Southern gospel category; and “Alabaster Box” by CeCe Winans in the traditional gospel category.

Other video winners included “Kirk Franklin The Nu Nation Tour” for long-form music video and “VeggieTales: Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed” for children’s video.

The New International Version was cited as the best Bible translation.

Quote of the Day: Catholic theologian John T. Ford

(RNS) “In every ecumenical gathering there is the equivalent of pig’s knuckles and sauerkraut, beliefs and practices that are treasured by one community of Christians but politely avoided, sometimes even deliberately rejected, by other Christians.”

The Rev. John T. Ford, professor of theology and coordinator of Hispanic/Latino studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington. He was quoted in an address to the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches on Nov. 16 in Atlanta.

KRE END RNS