c. 2008 Religion News Service
Victoria Osteen cleared of assault charges
(RNS) Victoria Osteen, wife of Houston megachurch pastor Joel Osteen, was cleared Thursday (Aug. 14) of assault charges in a case filed against her by a flight attendant.
After the trial, she said her faith remained strong since the suit was filed about a 2005 dispute, the Associated Press reported.
“If I had to go through this, I could at least be an example of trying to live out what’s right, trying to stand strong and trying to just keep my faith intact,” said Osteen, who is co-pastor of Lakewood Church.
“I stood strong because I believe in the truth.”
Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown testified that Osteen got upset after a spill on her seat’s armrest did not get cleaned up quickly. She said Osteen threw her against a bathroom door and elbowed her.
Osteen, her husband and other passengers in first class testified that the described incident didn’t happen.
Reginald McKamie, Brown’s lawyer, read a statement from her that said: “We gave the truth to the jury. We are happy we had an opportunity to try our case.”
Brown had sought at least $405,000 in damages.
Joel Osteen, whose church attracts 42,000 weekly for services, said his family has prayed for Brown. “It’s a great vindication and shows us the faithfulness of God,” he said.
_ Adelle M. Banks
Complaint filed against judge over courtroom prayer
(RNS) A judge who made headlines four years ago by wearing the Ten Commandments embroidered on his judicial robe is facing a complaint over a prayer he led in February in an Alabama courtroom.
Covington County Circuit Judge Ashley McKathan was appointed to preside over a case in which the pastor and several deacons of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church in Monroeville sued the church’s former secretary, JoAnn Snowden, to gain possession of financial records.
Snowden has refused to turn over the records, saying the congregation never gave the men authority to file legal action.
At a status conference before the judge in February, McKathan told the 100 people attending the hearing that he was not afraid to call on the name of Jesus Christ, witnesses said, and ordered all in attendance to join hands and pray.
In its complaint, the Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union claims that McKathan violated ethics rules and the U.S. Constitution by ordering the group to pray.
In response to the complaint, McKathan told the Press-Register: “Whatever comes of all that, I’ll continue to have peace.” Quoting the New Testament book of Romans, the judge added, “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.”
Witnesses said the judge prayed aloud for several minutes and dropped to his knees. Later in the hearing, witnesses said, all parties agreed that the records would be brought to church the following Sunday, but that did not happen. The case is still pending.
In 2004, McKathan wore his Ten Commandments robe while hearing cases in Covington County.
ACLU spokeswoman Allison Neal said her office filed the complaint with the state Judicial Inquiry Commission on behalf of several Monroeville residents, including some church members.
“Ms. Snowden showed up for a status hearing, and instead of getting her day in court, she got a sermon,” Neal said.
_ Connie Baggett
Evangelicals warn McCain on running mate choice
WASHINGTON (RNS) With both presidential candidates set to share the stage at the Rev. Rick Warren’s California megachurch on Saturday (Aug. 16), conservative evangelical leaders warned Friday that Sen. John McCain risks losing the election if he chooses a running mate who supports abortion rights.
A panel of prominent anti-abortion advocates, including former presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee, urged voters to make an abortion and other “life issues” a priority this November.
“I believe that if Sen. McCain chooses a pro-abortion (running mate), he will give the election to Sen. Obama,” said Bishop Harry Jackson, chairman of the Maryland-based High Impact Leadership Coalition. “It would be tantamount to political suicide.”
Earlier this week, McCain told The Weekly Standard that he would consider selecting a running mate, such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge or Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who supports abortion rights.
Although Huckabee said that he would continue to support the Arizona senator regardless of the running mate, he acknowledged that unenthused evangelicals could potentially drive down voter turnout.
Tony Perkins, president of the conservative Family Research Council, warned that McCain must speak more openly about his pro-life views in order to inspire people of faith.
“It’s not an issue of whether most evangelicals are going to vote for John McCain. It’s an issue of intensity,” Perkins said, adding, “I think the selection of an unabashed pro-life, pro-family candidate is going to be critical.”
Lou Engle, founder of the evangelical group TheCall, called abortion “an historic injustice,” and said he would consider staying home on Nov. 4 if McCain picks a running mate he considers unsatisfactory.
“We really have a voice of appeasement,” Engle said. “There comes a time when we can’t really just cooperate.”
TheCall, a gathering of young evangelicals, will be held Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to pray for an end to abortion and the “restoration” of marriage.
_ Tim Murphy
Man petitions court over conversion rules in father’s will
(RNS) An Illinois man has petitioned the state supreme court to weigh in on a clause in his father’s will that disinherits grandchildren who marry non-Jewish spouses.
In a 2-1 decision, a state appeals court on June 30 upheld a lower court ruling that a provision in a will known as the “Jewish clause” was “unenforceable” and “contrary to state policies.”
“I believe (the case) does create a precedent for conditions attached to estate planning,” said Michael J. Durkin, attorney for Michael Feinberg, who wants the “Jewish clause” in his father Max Feinberg’s will held intact.
“It would be a reduction of a person’s right to dispose of his or her property as he sees fit, and an intervention by virtue of public policy by those rights.”
Before he died in 1986, Max Feinberg stipulated in his will that any grandchild who married a non-Jew would be considered “deceased” for the purposes of his inheritance. The death of his wife in 2003 triggered a series of lawsuits among descendents, all of which ultimately rested on the legal merits of the so-called Jewish clause.
The generational feud pits Max Feinberg’s two children, Michael Feinberg and Leila Taylor, against Michael Feinberg’s daughter, Michele, who opposes the Jewish clause. Taylor’s three children are only nominal participants in the suit and did not appear in court. Only one of the elder Feinberg’s five grandchildren married a Jewish spouse.
Writing for the majority, Appellate Judge Joy V. Cunningham cited state-wide judicial precedent in affirming the lower court decision, while acknowledging that other courts nationally have ruled otherwise.
“The provision’s clear intent was to influence the marriage decisions of Max’s grandchildren based on a religious criterion and thus to discourage marriage by the grandchildren other than to those of the Jewish faith,” Cunningham stated.
In a concurring opinion, Judge Patricia J. Quinn warned that allowing the Jewish clause to stand would open the door to bigotry.
The lone dissenting voice on the bench, Judge Alan Greiman, framed the clause as merely an attempt by the Feinbergs to “preserve their 4,000-year-old heritage.”
“The majority places us in the minority of jurisdictions that have considered this issue,” Greiman wrote. “Max and Erla had a dream with respect to the provisions of their will and if you will it, it is no dream.“
_ Tim Murphy
Quote of the Day: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady
(RNS) “Look at the attention I get: It’s because I throw a football. But that’s what society values. That’s not what God values. God could give a s-t, as far as I’m concerned. He didn’t invent the game. We did. I have some eye-hand coordination, and I can throw the ball. I don’t think that matters to God.”
_ New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady, on spirituality and football. Brady was quoted in Esquire magazine.
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