As the U.S. Supreme Court makes its way through a busy winter/spring docket, three cases heard earlier this year involve issues being watched by evangelicals: pornography and the involvement of the state in church-related activities.
In one of those cases, the Court heard oral arguments about the constitutionality of a Massachusetts law against child pornography. The state Supreme Judicial Court struck down the law last year after a man received a prison sentence for photographing his 14-year-old stepdaughter topless. The court ruled the law was so broad it could include parents taking pictures of nude infants and toddlers. Arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court reinstate the law, Massachusetts Attorney General Jim Shannon said it protects children.
The Massachusetts legislature has since passed a new law that makes photographing a nude minor illegal only when it is done with “lascivious intent.”
In another pornography case, the justices agreed to hear oral arguments about whether a new federal law prohibiting sexually explicit telephone services (so-called dial-a-porn) is constitutional. The law, which was passed by Congress in 1988, bans “any obscene or indecent communication for commercial purposes” over interstate telephone lines.
Opponents of that law claim the statute is too broad and does not define “obscene” or “indecent.” The Bush administration is defending the law, saying the danger of exposing children to the dial-a-porn material is so great that Congress had a “compelling interest in taking effective measures.”
In the church/state arena, the high court has let stand a Virginia law exempting religiously affiliated child-care centers from some health and safety regulations. Several day-care centers not affiliated with religious organizations had challenged the law; they claimed it unfairly favored religious centers. But many religious centers say submitting their ministries to the state for licensing violates their religious beliefs.
By refusing to hear arguments in the case, the Supreme Court affirmed a lower court ruling that said the law did not violate the separation of church and state.
WORLD SCENE
GUATEMALA
On-Air Catholics
Catholics in Central America have traditionally been reluctant to use the electronic media to communicate their faith. But that reluctance may be a thing of the past.
One illustration of the trend is Catholic evangelist Salvador Gomez. A native of El Salvador, Gomez, whose ministry is based in Guatemala City, appears to be on his way to becoming the first Catholic to reach television audiences throughout Central America. His program can now be seen in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. And negotiations are in progress to add Honduras to the list.
Some in the Catholic hierarchy have been hesitant to accept Gomez, partly because he resembles his evangelical counterparts in preaching style. Other Catholic leaders, however, believe the church has eschewed for too long the use of television.
SOVIET UNION
Growing Taste of Freedom
Peter Deyneka, Jr., president of the Slavic Gospel Association, is among those who are greatly encouraged by the movement in the USSR toward greater openness. For the past decade, Deyneka and his wife, Anita, have been barred from the Soviet Union because of their writings describing the suffering of Christians there.
(Anita was able to enter the country once in that time.) But recently the Deynekas were invited to enter the country.
Peter Deyneka told World magazine that the Soviet government’s changed attitude is rooted in pragmatism. He said, “Suddenly, the government has realized that the approximately 80 million Christians they’ve been oppressing for the last 70 years are potentially their best workers. They don’t get drunk; they’re honest. They work hard. They’re loyal citizens.”
According to News Network International, the number of Christian prisoners in the Soviet Union at the end of last year was 70, down from 166 the year before. In spite of the Soviet government’s official claims to have relaxed customs regulations, however, some customs agents are continuing to confiscate religious literature, according to Keston (College) News Service. Keston reported the recent confiscation of some 35 Bibles or Bible portions from a Russian Orthodox Christian who was returning to Moscow after visiting friends in Paris.
CENTRAL AMERICA
A Peaceful Meeting
When it comes to military recruitment, opposing armies in the conflicts raging throughout Central America have often shown little respect for those whose religious beliefs prohibit taking up arms. Thus a small group of Mennonites, representing all the Central American nations, met recently to discuss the problem of forced recruitment of conscientious objectors.
The meeting was planned by Mennonite pastors in Honduras and sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee. Out of it came recommendations that congregations and church leaders embark on programs of peace education, that a network of communication be established among churches in the region, and that various groups work more aggressively toward obtaining legal provisions for conscientious objectors.
ENGLAND
The Young and the Homeless
The United States is far from being alone in having to deal with the problem of homelessness, which, according to a recent report in the Christian Science Monitor, is rising rapidly in England, particularly among youth.
According to the report, the English charitable agency Shelter estimates there are 150,000 single young people in the country who are homeless. Typically, these people come to the city to find work but are unable to afford a place to live.
Some blame the problem of the homeless on Conservative government policies, such as decreased subsidization of housing. Others point to social causes, including a breakdown of the traditional family.
MEXICO
Two Christians Martyred
Two young Christian workers were stoned to death in Mexico by angry mobs in separate incidents that probably took place on the same day, January 15.
According to the Mexico City daily newspaper Excelsior, 35-year-old preacher Abelino Jerez Hernandez was killed by “more than 100 angry Catholics.” A police spokesman said Jerez was “first chased out of town and then attacked with stones” until he died. The newspaper report stated that none of the attackers has been arrested, despite the state government’s claim to have identified most of them.
Early the following day, the body of 21-year-old Julio Davalos Morales was discovered in an empty lot just outside Mexico City. Nearby were his briefcase, which was full of Christian tracts, and several bloodied rocks. No suspects are in custody.
PEOPLE AND EVENTS
Briefly Noted
Lamented: By prolife leaders in Italy, a lack of interest in the prolife cause. The tenth anniversary of legalized abortion in Italy recently passed with virtually no fanfare. There are approximately 200,000 abortions a year in Italy, a ratio of 350 per 1,000 live births.
Advocated: By Polish youth, a more active political role for the church in Poland. According to Prof. Nikolaj Kosakiewicz of the Polish Academy of Science, three-fourths of the young people in Poland favor such a role for the church.
Welcomed: Missionaries to Europe from Third World countries. According to the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, Third World believers can reveal to Europeans their own spiritual poverty and lack of development in interpersonal relationships.
