c. 1996 Religion News Service
Survey: TV preachers did little to help Dole campaign
(RNS) In sharp contrast with the presidential campaigns of Ronald Reagan and George Bush, the major television evangelists gave virtually no help to Republican contender Bob Dole in his 1996 quest for the presidency.
A content-based survey by Stephen Winzenburg, professor of communications at Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa, showed that”the major TV preachers avoided using their broadcasts to endorse Dole”in 1996.”Pat Robertson (host of the”700 Club”and founder of the Christian Coalition) reflected the attitude of most of the television evangelists when he said on the air that the `moral message was fumbled’ by the Dole campaign,”Winzenburg said.
According to Winzenburg’s analysis, of the 14 major broadcast ministries he studied during the election campaign, the average TV preacher spent only 3 percent of his air time discussing politics. That compared to 8 percent in 1988 and 4 percent in 1992.
Topping the list was Robertson, who ran for the Republican nomination in 1988. Robertson, a delegate to the Republican National Convention in San Diego, devoted 18 percent of the time on his”700 Club”to political discussions.
Robertson was followed by the Rev. D. James Kennedy, the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Presbyterian minister who heads Coral Ridge Ministries, who used 11 percent of his air time on political concerns.”Many major TV preachers, including Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggart, Oral Roberts and Charles Stanley, spent no time in any political discussion,”Winzenburg said.
None of the TV preachers endorsed a candidate but Winzenburg said Robert Schuller, whose televised worship service from the Crystal Cathedral is one of the most widely watched television ministries, came closest to supporting a candidate when he had Republican vice-presidential candidate Jack Kemp speak for a few moments on his broadcast just two weeks before the election.”Schuller did not specifically endorse the Dole-Kemp ticket,”Winzenburg said.”But he did tell viewers that he and Kemp `had been friends for years and years.'” While none of the broadcasters were willing to verbally support conservative candidates, there was no mention whatsoever of President Clinton, according to Winzenburg.”The unspoken message from most televangelists was that Clinton’s presidency wasn’t worth talking about and Dole was not a strong supporter of the evangelical moral agenda,”the analyst said.”In the end, the only conclusion most preachers could come to was that Christians should get out and vote even though they were not excited about the choice of candidates,”Winzenburg said.
Rights group hits Reed endorsement of `Catholic-baiting’ book
(RNS) The New York-based Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights is calling on Christian Coalition Executive Director Ralph Reed to explain his endorsement of a new book that warns that a”Satanically empowered”Vatican could support the Antichrist in the end times.
The book,”Earth’s Two-Minute Warning: Today’s Bible-predicted Signs of the End Times,”offers various scenarios for the end of the world. It was written by John Wheeler Jr., founding editor of the Christian Coalition’s Christian American magazine. Wheeler is still listed on the masthead as”contributing writer and editor.” In the book, Wheeler offers end-time scenarios, including one that has the Roman Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches (WCC) merging into one group. “Thus the WCC will be controlled by the papacy at the time of the Tribulation, when the false religious system they represent will be revealed as the `Great Whore,'”Wheeler says in his book, referring to images in the New Testament book of Revelation.
Wheeler emphasizes that it would be”grossly wrong to mislabel all Catholics as willful followers of the Antichrist.” But he adds,”There is some legitimate cause for concern that the Vatican may one day run amok.” In a promotional endorsement on the back cover, Reed calls the book”a compelling look at the controversial subject of the end times”and”an important contribution to this vital discussion.” However, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights considers the book anti-Catholic. In a statement released Thursday (Dec. 12), league president William Donohue said the book”shows the darker side”of Protestantism.”By advancing the premise that the Catholic Church is the Antichrist, Wheeler resurrects a legacy that deserves to be buried once and for all,”Donohue said.
Donohue also expressed concern over Reed’s endorsement. “While it would be unfair to hold Reed responsible for everything Wheeler has written in this book, it is distressing to learn that he has lent his name to this sensationalism,”Donohue said.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, longtime opponents of the Christian Coalition, also criticized Reed for endorsing the book. In a statement, the group said the endorsement”may undercut (Reed’s) efforts to recruit Catholics into the Christian Coalition political crusade.” Reed could not be reached for comment.
However, noting that Reed had only”a brief look at the galleys before (the book) went to press,”Christian Coalition spokeswoman Monica Hildebrandt said Reed’s words in the blurb should be taken”as they are meant.””His record with the Catholic community is crystal clear. As head of the Christian Coalition, he has joined with many Catholic organizations in the past to defend the aged, infirm and unborn and has successfully urged that evangelicals and Catholics cooperate on other policy issues such as school vouchers,”Hildebrandt said.
Pope urges Virginia to spare life of death row convict
(RNS) In an unusual but not unprecedented plea, Pope John Paul II has made a personal appeal to Virginia Gov. George Allen to spare the life of a death row inmate who is scheduled to be executed Dec. 18.”The Holy Father, John Paul II, has sent a personal message to the Apostolic Nuncio in the United States asking him to intercede in his name to obtain clemency for the condemned man,”Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement.
The Vatican identified the inmate as Joseph O’Dell, 55, who was convicted of murdering 44-year-old secretary Helen Schartner.
Death penalty opponents around the world have rallied to O’Dell’s cause, urging a review of the DNA evidence which they say shows that the blood found on his shirt when he was arrested does not match that of the victim.
O’Dell has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his execution so that the DNA evidence can be reviewed, but the court generally tends to avoid hearing death penalty appeals. Earlier, an appeals court rejected O’Dell’s plea for a review of the DNA evidence because a submission deadline for evidence had passed.
The Catholic Church opposes the death penalty except in rare cases. Last year, John Paul II, in a new encyclical, came close to calling for a total ban on capital punishment, arguing that cases that might allow for use of the death penalty were practically non-existent in modern society.
On Thursday (Dec. 12), Allen held a clemency hearing. But officials said the governor, who has granted clemency only once, would not announce his decision on the O’Dell case until all court proceedings in the case are over.
Disciples launch program making churches accessible to disabled
(RNS) The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has launched a major campaign to make each of its 3,900 congregations accessible and welcoming to people with disabilities.
As a first step in the program, the denomination announced that it will distribute to each of its congregations the handbook,”That All May Worship: An Interfaith Welcome to People with Disabilities.” The first handbooks, prepared by the National Organization on Disability, were presented to six Washington, D.C., area Disciples congregations in ceremonies Thursday (Dec. 12).”Today, there are more than 49 million Americans with a physical, sensory or mental disability,”said James Powell, president of the Board of Church Extension of the Disciples.”A growing number are members of our congregations, a fact we hear regularly as we consult with our churches about their increased need for program access and leadership opportunities.”This handbook is simply the first step toward our goal to provide people with disabilities an opportunity to share their gifts with the church,”he said.
At the ceremonies, Ginny Thornburgh, director of the religion and disability program of the National Organization on Disability, a Washington-based advocacy and education organization, praised the Disciples for being the first denomination”to provide such a resource to every church, providing a challenge and witness to the rest of us.” The 52-page handbook covers such areas as how congregations can examine the attitudes of their members about disabilities, the use of affirming language, training for ushers, and how to measure and overcome various kinds of barriers preventing people with disabilities from fully participating in congregational life.
Quote of the day: Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity
(RNS) Habitat for Humanity has built some 50,000 homes for poor and low-income people in the 20 years since it was founded by Millard Fuller. In 1995, the non-profit organization erected 4,000 homes in the United States. On Thursday (Dec. 12), Fuller addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., describing the program and the theological imperative for providing decent shelter for all people:”You are familiar with the word `grace.’ It is a central concept in the Christian religion. But even in secular society, the word `grace’ is fairly well understood. Grace is about unmerited love. It is the love God gives to us even when we don’t deserve it. It is the unconditional love we give to a beloved spouse or to our children.”The opposite of grace is disgrace. Our choice is between grace and disgrace. Do we want graceful communities, where love and concern abound, or disgraceful ones, where love and concern are withheld and dispensed only to a privileged few?”
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