c. 2003 Religion News Service
Graham to Continue Evangelistic Missions With San Diego Event
(RNS) Evangelist Billy Graham has decided to continue his career of crusades with a May appearance in San Diego.
Graham, 84, had opted to wait until after he completed his 2002 missions with an event in the Dallas/Fort Worth area before deciding whether he would preach in 2003.
“My burden to proclaim the gospel is as strong as ever,” he said in a statement read at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego Thursday (Jan. 9). “Therefore, health permitting, my associates and I will be glad to accept the invitation to come to California to join hands in proclaiming the gospel.”
Former San Diego Chargers kicker Rolf Bernischke will serve as chairman of the event scheduled for May 8-11.
“To help bring such a positive message to the community I love, by the man who has had such an influence on my life and countless others, is indeed a privilege,” said Bernischke. “I look forward to the spiritual impact this event will have on San Diego.”
Graham added in his statement that he is pleasantly surprised that his ministry opportunities are continuing.
“To be honest, I never expected to continue receiving invitations into my 80s.”
In addition to the Dallas/Forth Worth mission in October, Graham preached in Cincinnati in June. He was last in California for a mission in October 2001 when he preached at a four-day event in Fresno, Calif.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Maryland Bishops Appeal to New Governor on Death Penalty
WASHINGTON (RNS) Religious leaders in Maryland want Gov.-elect Bob Ehrlich to keep a death penalty moratorium intact after a study showed systematic racial bias in the state’s capital punishment system.
Ehrlich, the state’s first Republican governor in 30 years, will be inaugurated next Wednesday (Jan. 15). Ehrlich has promised to rescind a moratorium on executions instituted by his predecessor, Parris Glendening, last May.
A University of Maryland study released on Tuesday (Jan. 7) found that black offenders “are significantly and substantially more likely to be charged with a capital crime.” The study also found murders in Baltimore’s inner city are more likely to result in capital charges than in Washington’s suburbs.
Dick Dowling, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, said the study “affirms screamingly and dramatically what we have been saying for more than a decade. That’s going to make a difference with some lawmakers. It appears not to have made a difference with Gov.-elect Ehrlich.”
Dowling said Ehrlich, an “eminently reasonable, very thoughtful guy,” may be persuaded that the state’s death penalty system needs a systematic overhaul. “This can’t be addressed the way Parris Glendening wanted to address it or the way Ehrlich wants to address it _ on a case by case basis.”
“Ehrlich says he’s going to approach this like a lawyer, to see if anyone made any mistakes. The fact is with systemic bias, virtually every case that comes before him is going to be based on mistakes.”
Baltimore-Washington United Methodist Bishop Felton E. May said the moratorium should be maintained until the study can be analyzed by the state legislature.
“The church holds that through Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection, the possibility of reconciliation is offered to all through repentance,” May said. “In contrast, the death penalty denies Christ’s power to transform and restore all human beings to wholeness.”
The only other state with a death penalty moratorium is Illinois, where outgoing Gov. George Ryan grew concerned that capital defendants were not receiving fair trials.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Sues Rutgers University
(RNS) The campus ministry InterVarsity Christian Fellowship has sued Rutgers University, arguing that the New Jersey school has removed its funding because religion is a factor in its leadership selection.
The suit, filed in district court during the week of Dec. 29, claims that Rutgers University at New Brunswick violated its local chapter’s freedom of speech and religion, The Washington Times reported.
Fellowship members charge that the college revoked their group’s recognition in September because InterVarsity’s constitution does not meet university guidelines on nondiscrimination, the suit states. That policy mandates that student groups be open to all students and permit any active member to run for office.
Sandra Lanman, a Rutgers spokeswoman, confirmed that the school has halted funding because “the group is not willing to operate under the university’s nondiscrimination policy.”
But she told the newspaper that university officials have not “de-recognized” or suspended the group and “have made it clear to the group that it still has access to the same facilities.”
InterVarsity says it permits anyone to become a member, but its charter states that only those “committed to the basis of faith and the purpose of this organization are eligible for leadership positions.”
David French, a Lexington, Ky., lawyer representing InterVarsity, said such nondiscrimination policies strike at the essence of religious groups.
“There is no applicable New Jersey or federal law that can plausibly be read to constitutionally require the fellowship to open its leadership to those individuals who do not subscribe to the fellowship’s purpose statement or basis of faith,” he said.
2002 Sales of Christian Music About Even With 2001
(RNS) Sales of contemporary Christian and gospel music totaled 49.6 million units in 2002, holding fairly steady with sales from the previous year, the Christian Music Trade Association reported.
The total sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan totaled 49,664,000 units, a decrease from 2001 sales of 49,965,000.
Album sales increased by 8 percent among Christian chain retailers and 2.4 percent in mainstream outlets, but dropped 10.5 percent among Christian independent retailers.
The overall music industry reported a decline of more than 8 percent in CD sales.
“2002 started strong for Christian and gospel music sales, following our biggest year ever in 2001,” Frank Breeden, president of the music association, said in a Jan. 3 announcement. “It appears that alongside a lean release schedule, the slower economy finally reached us a little in the fourth quarter to bring us even in sales over the year.”
The top-selling album overall was “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” In order, the other top five best sellers were “Satellite” by P.O.D., “Rebirth of Kirk Franklin” by Kirk Franklin, “Worship” by Michael W. Smith and “Almost There” by MercyMe.
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2002 Top Ten Selling Christian Albums Overall
1. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” _ Various artists
2. “Satellite” _ P.O.D.
3. “Rebirth of Kirk Franklin” _ Kirk Franklin
4. “Worship” _ Michael W. Smith
5. “Almost There” _ MercyMe
6. “Christmas Extraordinaire” _ Mannheim Steamroller
7. “Songs 4 Worship: Shout to the Lord” _ Various artists
8. “Believe” _ Yolanda Adams
9. “WoW Hits 2003 _ Various artists
10. “Worship Again” _ Michael W. Smith
Source: Christian Music Trade Association
_ Adelle M. Banks
Bishops Pick Top Flicks of 2002
(RNS) “About Schmidt” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” were rated among the top 10 films of 2002 by the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops.
The bishops’ Office of Film and Broadcasting, in its annual survey of the best movies, noted that none of the 10 top-grossing films of the year were R-rated. Two of the bishops’ top 10 were rated R.
“… Films that are more family oriented do the best at the box office in the long run,” said Gerri Pare, director of the New York-based office. “Hollywood, please take note.”
Pare said her office considers a film’s “overall moral tone,” values, characters and artistic merits when compiling the list. An R-rating by the Motion Picture Association of America doesn’t exclude a film from the list, but “morally offensive” films do not make the cut, she said.
The office provides reviews on the bishops’ Web site (http://www.usccb.org/movies) and uses its own rating system to rate movies for “general patronage,” “adults and adolescents,” “adults,” “adults with reservations” and “morally offensive.”
The office’s picks for best movies of 2002 include:
_ “About Schmidt,” starring Jack Nicholson, rated R and acceptable for adults.
_ “Antwone Fisher,” starring Derek Luke and Denzel Washington, rated PG-13 and acceptable for adults.
_ “The Emporer’s Club,” starring Kevin Kline, rated PG-13 and acceptable for adults and adolescents.
_ “Eveyln,” starring Pierce Brosnan and Juliana Margulies, rated PG and acceptable for adults
_ “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” starring Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen, rated PG-13 and acceptable for adults.
_ “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” starring Nia Vardalos and John Corbett, rated PG and acceptable for adults.
_ “Nicholas Nickleby,” starring Christopher Plummer and Anne Hathaway, rated PG and acceptable for adults and adolescents.
_ “Road to Perdition,” starring Tom Hanks, rated R and acceptable for adults and adolescents.
_ “The Rookie,” starring Dennis Quaid, rated G and acceptable for general patronage.
_ “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron,” an animated epic by Dreamworks, rated G and acceptable for general patronage.
_ Kevin Eckstrom
Gospel Music Association President Announces Resignation
(RNS) Frank Breeden, president of the Gospel Music Association and the Christian Music Trade Association, has decided to resign from his positions.
He will remain in the posts until Jan. 31 and then serve as a consultant to both associations through April 30, the Gospel Music Association announced Tuesday (Jan. 7).
Breeden chose not to renew his contract and intends to pursue other business opportunities. He will be replaced on an interim basis by John W. Styll, chairman of the board of the Gospel Music Association and former president of CCM Communications.
Breeden has been the top executive of the Nashville, Tenn.-based associations since 1997.
“The Gospel Music Association has made tremendous progress under Frank’s leadership and we thank him for his service to our industry,” Styll said in a statement. “He has provided the GMA and CMTA with strong leadership and has helped to bring the visibility of our organization and industry to an all-time high.”
The Gospel Music Association, producer of the annual Dove Awards, focuses on educating the public and the music industry about the role and mission of gospel music. The Christian Music Trade Association is a trade organization that manages the sales statistics of Christian music and works to enhance the presence of that genre in the overall music industry.
“We have built bridges with many different communities to make the GMA as inclusive and diverse as possible and succeeded at making the national media take notice of our growing genre,” Breeden said in a statement. “I am confident that I leave the GMA and CMTA well-positioned and very capably staffed to face challenges and opportunities ahead.”
_ Adelle M. Banks
Quote of the Day: Attallah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X
(RNS) “And my intention, while you go through your professional process, is to be nearby so that we bridge the gap between the data of Malcolm Shabazz and the reality of the spirit of Malcolm Shabazz. My father is not a guessing game for me. Is that clear? He’s not a concept. He’s not a case study. He’s a real human being that I still walk with despite the fact that I watched him being gunned down.”
_ Attallah Shabazz, speaking to library officials who announced Tuesday (Jan. 7) that a collection of Malcolm X’s documents is now housed at Harlem’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Shabazz, one of the daughters of the late Nation of Islam leader, was quoted by The Washington Post.
DEA END RNS
