c. 1996 Religion News Service
Christian Coalition apologizes for `racist’ sample voter guides
(RNS) The Christian Coalition has apologized for distributing sample voter guides that African-American leaders in Texas branded as “race-baiting.”
The generic sample voter guides in question included photos of fictional congressional candidates. The candidate who supported the Christian Coalition’s positions on key issues was illustrated with a photo of a white man, while the candidate who took positions at odds with the Coalition was depicted as an African-American.
The model guides were distributed along with order forms to churches in Texas. The Texas NAACP, the Texas Faith Network and leaders of several local black churches took issue with the sample guides and accused the Christian Coalition of using racial stereotypes to advance its political agenda.
In an interview Friday (Oct. 11), Christian Coalition spokesman Mike Russell called distribution of the guides “an honest mistake that shouldn’t have happened.”
Russell told RNS the sample guides were prepared by a vendor “off the premises” and were faxed to the Coalition’s Chesapeake, Va., office for approval. He said the quality of the fax was so poor that the employee who approved the mock-up “literally could not distinguish the features in the photos.”
“We are profoundly sorry that it happened and have taken steps to assure that a similar mistake does not happen again,” Russell said.
African-American leaders in Texas had blasted the guides. “We are offended and aghast at the efforts of the Christian Coalition to use race as a basis to incite voters,” said the Rev. Joseph C. Parker Jr., pastor of David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Austin, Texas.
Parker called the sample voter guide “conduct unbecoming of those who carry the identity of Christians.”
Russell said the samples were only distributed in Texas and “a couple of other states.” He said the Christian Coalition has stopped all distribution of the sample guides.
Religious groups plan activities surrounding display of AIDS quilt
(RNS) Religious organizations on both sides of the gay-rights issue have planned several activities to coincide with the return of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., this weekend.
As the massive quilt went on display between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument on Friday (Oct. 11), Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning was among those reading some of the 70,000 names commemorated on the quilt. Browning also joined members of the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition in a three-day retreat held Oct. 10-13 in Washington.
Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministries planned a reception honoring retiring U.S. Rep. Steve Gunderson, R-Wis., an active Lutheran who is one of three openly gay members of Congress. The Lutheran group also is sponsoring a “pastoral care station” near the Mall.
On Sunday evening (Oct. 13), an Interfaith Service of Prayer and Healing is scheduled at Washington’s National Cathedral.
Opponents of homosexuality designated Friday (Oct. 11) as “National Coming Out of Homosexuality Day” in an effort to counter the annual “National Coming Out Day” sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, a gay rights advocacy group.
“Those individuals and organizations that promote homosexuality as just another healthy alternative to normal sexuality are promoting a lie,” said organizer Michael Johnston, who identifies himself as a “former homosexual.”
More than 100 national and local organizations are co-sponsoring the coming out of homosexuality day, including the American Family Association, Christian Counseling Services, Concerned Women for America, the Family Research Council and several state chapters of the Christian Coalition.
Meanwhile, the Family Research Council has announced the establishment of a new organization, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays or PFOX, to support individuals who want to leave the gay lifestyle. The group will be coordinated by Anthony Falzarano, who directs Transformation, a Washington, D.C.-based ministry to ex-homosexuals. The new group will counter another national organization, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
U.S. Catholics urge Turkish government to protect religious freedom
(RNS) In the wake of the late September bombing in Istanbul, Turkey, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the headquarters compound of the Orthodox Church, the U.S. Catholic Conference is urging the Turkish government to “take steps to insure the safety and religious freedom of Christian minorities” in Turkey.
“The bishops of the United States have defended the religious freedom of Muslims here and abroad … (and) we would hope that Christians, whether Orthodox or Catholic, will enjoy the same solidarity in defense of their liberties elsewhere, including Turkey,” said Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference Committee on International Policy, in an Oct. 7 letter to Turkish Ambassador Nuzhet Kandemir released Thursday (Oct. 10).
On Sept. 29, a hand grenade exploded at the Istanbul compound of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the pre-eminent leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians. The explosion caused minor damage, but no one was injured. An outlawed Islamic group, Great Eastern Islamic Raiders Front, claimed responsibility for the bombing.
“This attackâÂ?¦is an egregious offense against freedom of religion and conscience,” Reilly said.
Reilly praised Kandemir for his “quick denunciation” of the bombing and urged the Turkish government to “do everything in its power to apprehend and prosecute” the perpetrators.
In a separate letter to Archbishop Spyridon of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, Reilly said the “liberty and well-being of Christians in the ancient sees of the Near East are of great concern” to the Roman Catholic Church. He said Catholics were “ready to join with” Orthodox leaders to defend the religious liberty of Christians in Turkey.
Indian artists denounce government plans to prosecute Muslim painter
(RNS) Artists in New Delhi, India, have denounced the government for its announced plans to bring criminal charges against a Muslim painter who depicted a Hindu goddess in the nude.
The state government of Maharashtra has announced that it will charge Muslim painter Maqbul Fida Hussain, 74, with insulting Hinduism because of his nude painting of the Hindu goddess of learning.
In a statement signed on Wednesday (Oct. 9), a coalition of Indian artists argued against the prosecution and noted that several ancient paintings also portrayed Hindu gods in the nude, the Associated Press reported.
Tensions remain high in India between Hindus and Muslims, who comprise about 12 percent of the population. Maharashtra is governed by a coalition of Hindu nationalist parties.
Robert M. Franklin named to head Interdenominationl Theological Center
(RNS) Robert M. Franklin, Jr., has been named the sixth president of the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), the Atlanta, Ga.-based consortium of six historic African-American seminaries.
Franklin succeeds James H. Costen, the retiring head of the institution who has served as president since 1983.
A graduate of Morehouse College, Franklin most recently worked for the Ford Foundation, where he served as program officer in the Rights and Social Justice Program.
Before working for Ford, Franklin was an associate professor of ethics and society and director of the Black Church Studies Program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta.
Raymond Finch elected superior general of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
(RNS) The Rev. Raymond Finch, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and veteran missionary in Peru, has been elected superior general of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, a Roman Catholic missionary society.
Finch’s election took place in Hong Kong, where the religious order is holding its general chapter meeting. He will assume his six-year position as as superior general in November.
Ordained in 1976, the 47-year-old Finch served in Peru for 23 years, first going there as a seminarian in 1973. Most of his work has been with Aymara, descendants of the Incas who live in the high Andes.
As superior general, Finch will be responsible for leading some 650 Maryknoll priests, brothers and trainees.
The order was founded by U.S. Catholic bishops in 1911 to represent the American Catholic church in overseas mission work.
Although the order has often been associated with liberation theology, Finch, after his election, made a point of saying that the order “is closely related to the Vatican and the other authority structures of the Catholic church.”
“And we are going to stay closely related to Rome and the authority structure of the Catholic Church. That’s the way we work. That’s who we are,” he said.
David Dockery to be inaugurated Union University president
(RNS) David Dockery, former vice president of academic administration and dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., will be inaugurated Oct. 17, as the 15th president of Union University, a Southern Baptist school in Jackson, Tenn.
Dockery was selected as the school’s new president last Dec. 8.
“As a teacher and and an administrator, as a preacher and a writer, David Dockery has held high the flag of evangelical Christianity,” Carl F. H. Henry, the founding editor of Christianity Today said in a statement announcing the inaugural ceremonies.
An ordained pastor, Dockery has authored six books and edited an additional 13 volumes. He is a consulting editor to Christianity Today.
Quote of the day: the Rev. Ross Clifford, president of the New South Wales (Australia) Council of Churches
(RNS) Australia’s Federal Parliament is expected to vote soon on a proposal to overturn the new Northern Territory law which made the remote province the first jurisdiction in the world to legalize voluntary euthanasia. Debate over euthanasia also is scheduled to begin next week in the New South Wales State Parliament. In a statement released Friday (Oct. 11), the Rev. Ross Clifford, president of the New South Wales Council of Churches urged churches to pray about the situation:
“It’s time for less emphasis on rhetoric and a greater concentration on prayer to seek the Lord’s guidance and direction to bring unity to the country. Many difficult administrative, social, medical and legal decisions require a courageous stand, and we need to pray for all in positions of authority to ensure our political leaders continue to respect the powerless and the vulnerable in our society. The church’s concern is that our politicians look beyond alleged individual rights in our age of self-focus to the broader picture of what’s better for the community as a whole.”
END LAWTON
