c. 2006 Religion News Service

Conservative Christians in Canada Heartened by Election

TORONTO (RNS) Conservative Christians in Canada are expressing cautious optimism about the Monday (Jan. 23) federal election of political leaders that could be receptive to their issues.

Led by Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper, the Conservative Party won a minority government with 124 seats in the 308-seat House of Commons, the lower house of Canada’s parliament.

The Liberals, who have governed since 1993, tallied 103 seats, the separatist Bloc Quebecois 51 and the left-leaning New Democratic Party 29. There is one independent.

Because the Conservatives fell short of the 155 seats required for a majority, Harper, 46, will need the help of the other parties to pass legislation.

Conservative Christians clashed often with the Liberals, who have been led by Paul Martin since 2003. Under his leadership, the government legalized same-sex marriage and considered other social measures that upset evangelicals.

“We now have a government that will be more sympathetic to a number of the issues of concern to evangelicals,” Bruce Clemenger, president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, told Baptist Press. “But for Canadians, this was a cautious vote for change.”

In a statement, the fellowship said it “will continue to work across party lines and make a positive contribution to public policy with this new parliament … (and) will continue to promote principles that we believe will strengthen the social fabric of Canada and promote shalom.”

Evangelicals are “optimistic that we’re not going to see more of the same,” said Glenn Penner of Voice of the Martyrs Canada.

But because of the minority government, neither are they going to see dramatic moves on same-sex marriage or abortion, Penner added.

On the other hand, some Christians were buoyed by Harper’s election-night departure from the country’s long-held status quo when he said “God bless Canada” in his victory speech.

Roman Catholic Bishop Fred Henry of the Calgary diocese, known for his conservative views, said he was “greatly encouraged by (Harper’s) brief statement of prayer.”

In a statement published widely before the election, Harper said government “must respect (religious) convictions and not attempt to interfere in the free public expression of religious belief.”

_ Ron Csillag

Orthodox Jews Allowed Symbolic Boundary to Do More Sabbath Tasks

TENAFLY, N.J. (RNS) A six-year legal dispute over a symbolic religious zone has ended, allowing a group of Orthodox Jews to maintain and expand its eruv, a boundary that increases the number of tasks one can do on the Sabbath.

In a 5-0 vote Tuesday (Jan. 24), with one member abstaining, the Tenafly borough council also agreed to pay $325,000 in legal fees to the Tenafly Eruv Association, which sued the borough in 2000 for banning the symbolic area.

The eruv, an area bounded by telephone wires and utility poles marked with plastic strips called “lechis,” allows observant Orthodox Jews to do physical tasks otherwise banned outside the home on the Sabbath, such as pushing a baby stroller and carrying objects such as keys.

“It’s a resolution to a long drawn-out affair, and everyone is happy,” said Rabbi Jeffrey Fox of the Kesher Synagogue of Englewood, which draws congregants from Tenafly, including a founding member of the Eruv Association, Chaim Book.

The settlement requires the eruv association to advise the borough if it wants to expand the zone, which currently encompasses about one-third of the 4.4-square-mile borough. The borough’s insurance will cover about one-third of the settlement costs, officials said.

In 2000, the council voted to ban the eruv, citing an ordinance against signs or objects on telephone poles. The vote came amid residents’ complaints that the government would be favoring one religious group if it allowed the symbolic enclosure.

The group of Orthodox Jews had obtained permission for the eruv from Bergen County and two utility companies.

A federal judge agreed with the borough but the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia overturned that decision, saying that the eruv, which remained intact pending the legal proceedings, is a religious accommodation under the First Amendment.

Tenafly Mayor Peter Rustin said Tuesday’s vote closed an ugly chapter for the town.

“This was something that had a life of its own and never should have happened. I’m happy to put this behind us,” the mayor said.

_ Ana M. Alaya

Ohio Faith Group Continues Push for IRS Probe of Megachurch Politics

COLUMBUS, Ohio (RNS) Religious leaders who recently accused two central Ohio evangelical ministers of using their pulpits to promote conservative politics are vowing to keep pushing their claims.

“This is a public concern that affects everyone around the state of Ohio, so I think it needs to remain a public conversation,” the Rev. Eric Williams, senior pastor of North Congregational United Church of Christ, said at a Wednesday (Jan. 25) news conference from the North Broadway United Methodist Church in Columbus.

Williams is one of 31 religious leaders who signed a complaint asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the World Harvest and Fairfield Christian megachurches and their affiliated organizations.

Their complaint, filed Jan. 15, accused the churches’ leaders _ the Revs. Rod Parsley and Russell Johnson, respectively _ of breaking the separation between church and state by using their organizations to promote conservative officeholders, especially Ken Blackwell, the Ohio secretary of state and candidate for governor.

Until Wednesday, only a handful of the religious leaders who signed the complaint had identified themselves, spurring Parsley to refer to the group last week as “The Anonymous 31.”

Parsley ridiculed the group as a “consortium of liberal clergy” and said his and Johnson’s groups have followed the law.

The Rev. Jack Seville Jr. of the United Church of Christ in Columbus, declared Wednesday: “I’m not anonymous.”

“I signed the document because I’m very concerned when we and religious organizations step across the lines that have been honored historically to separate church and state.”

Seville and the others tried to lessen the volley of rhetoric between their group and Parsley and Johnson by stressing that their complaint is not a personal attack. It is meant to get a clarification from the federal government that will benefit all.

“I would be concerned no matter what organization was involved,” Seville said.

The religious leaders, representing Christian and Jewish denominations, acknowledged their organizations sometimes take positions on social issues and allow political candidates to speak to their congregations. But they said they are not selective in who speaks to their congregations.

Asked if any of them had invited Blackwell, the state’s most prominent conservative, to their church, no one responded.

_ Mark Naymik

U.S. Bishops Conference Picks Top 10 Films of 2005

(RNS) “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Cinderella Man” and “Crash” have made the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ list of the 10 best films of 2005.

“While much on theater screens is reprehensible, it is important to acknowledge those outstanding pictures from Hollywood and abroad that not only exhibit high artistic merit, but also reflect gospel values,” said Harry Forbes, director of the bishops’ office for film and broadcasting.

While the latest list was released in January, the U.S. bishops conference has been reviewing films since the 1930s. In the 1960s, the office for film and broadcasting was created and five years later it released its first top 10 movie list. In addition to the annual list, Catholics can get guidance on new movies by calling for weekly reviews on the office’s toll-free movieline.

“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” about four siblings’ adventures in the fantasy world of Narnia, was an easy choice for the list because of its underlying Christian subtext.

However, the subtext caused some controversy after Disney marketed the movie differently to secular and Christian audiences.

Forbes said the Christian message some find in the movie is “a plus” but said the film has universal appeal.

The other two big Hollywood films, “Cinderella Man” and “Crash,” feature, respectively, a true-life story about a retired boxer who returns to the sport to support his family and a tale of the co-existence of a racially mixed group of Los Angeles residents.

Also on the list were “Dear Frankie,” “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” “Millions,” “The Ninth Day,” “North County,” “An Unfinished Life” and “The Upside of Anger.”

Forbes said that the disparate list of films included many different messages but each had a strong moral center.

_ Enette Ngoei

Quote of the Day: Monsignor Isidore Rozycki, Catholic priest

(RNS)“I look it as a very fun place. … You forget about the tensions and stress of daily life and get an opportunity to laugh with friends. And it’s great food.”

_ Monsignor Isidore Rozycki, a Catholic priest, explaining why he blessed a new Hooters restaurant in Waco, Texas, despite concerns by 60 local ministers about waitresses who wear tight tops and short skirts. He was quoted in The Waco Herald-Tribune.

MO/JL END RNS