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Ideas

Supreme Court Hears ‘Bong Hits’

Also: Episcopalians disregard leaders’ decisions, and the Iraq war turns four.

Christianity Today March 23, 2007

This week’s top five:

1. Episcopal bishops reject Anglican primates’ recent communiqué on issues of governance and homosexuality.

2. Jefferts Schori invalidates the election of a conservative bishop in South Carolina.

3. The Supreme Court is hearing the ‘Bong Hits 4 Jesus‘ case. (If you want to know what a bong hit is, see The Wall Street Journal‘s article.)

4. Christians participate in protesting the Iraq war on its 4th anniversary.

5. Harvard will return the ancient bells they acquired from a Moscow church in the 1930’s.

More articles

Index | Episcopal response to Anglican communiqué | Conservative Episcopal vote overridden | Anglican rift | Catholicism | Evangelicalism and church life | Sanctuary | Global warming | Malaria | Islam | Indonesian beheading trial | Crime | Bong Hits 4 Jesus | Iraq war protests | Church and state | Politics | Candidates | People | Books and entertainment | Same-sex marriage | Homosexuality | Morality | Life ethics | Mexico abortion bill | Purity balls | Education | Harvard bells | Lent | Other

Episcopal response to Anglican communiqué:

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Conservative Episcopal Vote Overridden:

  • Conservative Episcopal bishop rejected | Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori took the highly unusual step Thursday of invalidating the election of a bishop in the tradition-minded Diocese of South Carolina, which has rejected her authority because of her liberal theological outlook. (Associated Press)
  • Local pastor’s bishop bid rejected | In a rare move, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church Thursday declared “null and void” the election of the Rev. Mark Lawrence to be the bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina. (The Bakersfield Californian)
  • Top Episcopal bishop tosses S.C. election | The Very Rev. Mark Lawrence needed at least 56 “yes” votes to be elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. He got 57. (Post and Courier, Charleston)
  • Ex-candidate for bishop asks members to choose | A day after his election as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina was declared null and void, the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence expressed disappointment in the state of his church and called on Episcopalians to pick one side or the other. (The Post and Courier, Charleston)
  • Episcopal Church rejects S.C. bishop | Failed election raises conservatives’ ire. (The Washington Post)
  • Business as usual for Episcopalians days after failed election | Three days after Episcopalians in the Diocese of South Carolina learned their bishop-elect failed to earn enough legitimate consent votes from standing committees nationwide, it was business as usual at parishes throughout the Lowcountry. (The Post and Courier, Charleston)

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Anglican rift:

  • Money looms in Episcopalian rift with Anglicans | As leaders of the Anglican Communion hold meeting after meeting to debate severing ties with the Episcopal Church in the United States for consecrating an openly gay bishop, one of the unspoken complications is just who has been paying the bills. (The New York Times)
  • Episcopalians brace for possible church split | Episcopal bishops appear to be taking steps toward rejecting several demands made by top Anglicans of the American church, which could push the two bodies toward a formal split (Los Angeles Times).
  • Stance on gay issues splits Virginia Beach church | In a split echoing the debate within the Episcopal Church, seven leaders of Galilee Church have quit to launch a new congregation outside the denomination they accuse of heresy. (The Virginian-Pilot)
  • 2 Episcopal churches want to quit diocese | Two local Episcopal churches want to withdraw from their regional diocese and affiliate themselves with others who abide by orthodox Anglican doctrine, which teaches that homosexual behavior is incompatible with Christian teaching. (Press & Sun Bulletin)
  • Are Anglicans facing a great schism? | Adopting same-sex marriages need not split the church, says Reginald Stackhouse. (Globe and Mail)

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Catholicism:

  • Catholic Church confronts declining confessions | The Archdiocese of Washington is taking a great leap of faith they hope will bring Catholics back to confession: it’s advertising on the radio. The marketing blitz is aimed at bringing area Catholics back to confession during the Lenten season (All Things Considered, NPR)
  • Bishops denounce writings of a Catholic theologian | In a rare step, Roman Catholic bishops in the United States have declared as “false teaching” two pamphlets by a Catholic theologian who argues that abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage are morally permissible under Catholic doctrine. (The New York Times)
  • Ex-Pope aide wants John Paul made a saint directly | The former top aide to the late Pope John Paul has renewed his call for prompt sainthood for the Polish-born pontiff, saying that the usual procedure was too narrow an honour for a man whose good deeds spanned the globe. (Reuters)
  • Vatican notes errors in Jon Sobrino’s work | Doctrinal Congregation Focuses on 2 of His Books (Zenit News Agency)
  • The sentence against theologian Jon Sobrino is aimed at an entire continent | In pointing out the errors in two books, the Vatican wanted above all to warn their readers: the bishops, priests, and laypeople of Latin America. It is the prelude to Benedict XVI’s upcoming visit to Brazil. At the center of it all is the question on who is the real Jesus. (Chiesa)
  • “Bleeding” Jesus portraits draw crowds in Andaman Islands | Thousands of people are flocking to a policeman’s house in the Andaman Islands to pray in front of two portraits of Jesus Christ, which are said to have been “bleeding” for the past two weeks, police and witnesses said. (Reuters)
  • Hungary’s military bishop resigns for love | Hungary’s Catholic military bishop has resigned because he wants to marry a woman he met in the church’s renewal movement, media reported Friday. (Reuters)
  • Priest’s life guided by ‘divine coherence’ | She says it’s divine intervention, and she follows a path God has put in front of her. And that path shows up in a deep, intuitive feeling that’s hard to express in words. Sometimes it leads to places that surprise even her. (Wasau Daily Herald)
  • The many forms of fundamentalism | Nearly A decade and a half ago, a condemnation of fundamentalism was issued by the Vatican, in a 1993 document entitled “The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church.” (The Boston Globe)

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Evangelicalism and church life:

  • Humor in church: the rite stuff? | “Fight truth decay” is a favorite. “Come in for a free faith lift,” is another — two examples of the toe-curling puns plastered across so many notice boards outside British churches. (Reuters)
  • Religion today | His church started in his living room, growing steadily as it moved wherever it found space, from public parks, to a YMCA to a former woodworking shop. (Associated Press)
  • Argentines find new religion in old cinemas | Tucked between car showrooms and billboards in a drab Buenos Aires suburb, the church of Jesus Christ is Love seems an unlikely place to find God, but worshipers arrive by the busload. (Reuters)
  • Alcohol, Acts 29 and the SBC | “How about beer with your Bible?” That’s the question NBC’s “Today” show host Campbell Brown asked March 4 on national television to introduce a report titled “Beer and Bibles: New Churches Lure Young Members.” (The Baptist Press)
  • Christians who won’t toe the line | Evangelical Protestantism in the United States is going through a New Reformation that is disentangling a great religious movement from a partisan political machine. This historic change will require liberals and conservatives alike to abandon their sometimes narrow views of who evangelicals are. (E. J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post)
  • After PTL scandal, evangelists water down message | It was 20 years ago – March 19, 1987 – that television evangelist Jim Bakker’s PTL scandal shook the religious world. (Des Moines Register)
  • Following up: What does ‘Evangelical’ mean? | In the current shooting match among Evangelicals left, right and moderate on how they should view environmental issues, there’s a quote used in story after story that once, “Evangelical was the label of choice of Christians with conservative views on politics, economics and Biblical morality.” (USA Today)
  • Promoting dialogue between faith traditions | A new ecumenical institute established at Loyola Marymount University will try to heal centuries-old wounds between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (Los Angeles Times).
  • Developers eye church land up for sale | Neighbors express misgivings about expansion (The Birmingham News)
  • No taxes on $4M parsonage | Northville Township loses $40,000 annually after church buys home. (The Detroit News)

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Sanctuary:

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Global warming:

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Malaria:

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Islam:

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Indonesian beheading trial:

  • Islamic militants jailed for beheadings | Three Islamic militants were found guilty Wednesday of decapitating three Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia and dumping their bloodied heads in nearby villages, judges said. They were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years. (Associated Press)
  • Indonesian militants get jail terms for beheadings | An Indonesian court jailed three Muslim militants on Wednesday for the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls from religiously divided Central Sulawesi province. (Reuters)

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Crime:

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Bong Hits 4 Jesus:

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Iraq War Protests:

  • Iraq war protests continue nationwide | Linda Englund placed flowers Monday beside a small white flag commemorating a soldier killed in Iraq, a friend of her son, who was standing beside him when he was shot in 2004. (Associated Press)
  • Iraq and Vietnam: contrasting protests | America’s current anti-war movement is resourceful and persistent, but often seems to lack the vibrancy of its counterpart in the Vietnam era when protesters burned draft cards, occupied buildings and even tried to levitate the Pentagon. (Associated Press)
  • Christians gather in D.C. to protest war | Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq. (Associated Press)
  • Rousing, emotional start for war protest | Arrests Made at White House; Storm Might Trim Weekend Turnout. (The Washington Post)

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Church and state:

  • Senate, fearing an entanglement of church and state, kills divorce bill | After an emotional debate about marriage, women’s rights and the separation of church and state, the Senate voted against a measure seeking to remove religious barriers that prevent spouses from remarrying after obtaining a civil divorce. (The Washington Post)
  • Manhattan: U.S. sues state prison system | The Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit yesterday against the State Department of Correctional Services, which runs the state’s prisons. (The New York Times)
  • Feds sue state docs over religious practices | The federal government has filed a civil rights lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against the New York State Department of Correctional Services, the agency responsible for operating New York State’s prisons, alleging that DOCS has engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination on the basis of religion. (The North Country Gazette)
  • Ministry and South Orange reach deal on use of village square | A Christian ministry and South Orange have reached an agreement to allow the group use of the village square for an outreach event. (Associated Press)

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Politics:

  • Sanctions sought against county GOP committee | A member of the Loudoun County Republican Committee has asked state GOP leaders to dissolve or sanction the local committee, saying that its insular governing style is “not in keeping with the inclusive outreach we need to remain a viable political party in Loudoun County.” (The Washington Post)
  • GOP ‘family values’ | Another presidential race is underway, and again marital misbehavior is drawing attention. (The Boston Globe)
  • Christian right at crossroads | As they court the evangelicals who have become so crucial to their party, Republican presidential candidates are stepping into the middle of a family fight. (Associated Press)
  • Atheists, conservatives, and Christianity | There is an interesting, and important, debate going on within conservative circles these days over the role of religion in American conservatism and the role of Christian conservatives in the Republican Party. (Real Clear Politics)
  • Bid fails to repeal death penalty | Senate Committee Deadlocked in Md. (The Washington Post)
  • U.S. pushes Vietnam on human rights issues | U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressed Vietnam on Thursday to tackle human rights abuses that U.S. lawmakers say have become more acute in recent months. (Reuters)
  • Nun seeks borough council seat in Pa | After attending borough council meetings for months, a nun has decided to try to become one of the town’s decision-makers (The Boston Globe).

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Candidates:

  • Kan. senator seeking conservative mantle | Sam Brownback has the kind of unquestioned credentials as a family values crusader that conservatives have long sought in a presidential candidate. Yet he hasn’t been able to leverage his credentials to break out of a crowded pack of White House hopefuls (Associated Press)
  • As ’08 candidate, Giuliani strikes a new tone on guns | As mayor of New York City, Rudolph W. Giuliani became the favorite Republican of gun control advocates. (The New York Times)
  • Activist Obama church enters spotlight | A then 26-year-old Barack Obama walked down the aisle of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, knelt beneath a cross suspended from its rafters and, as he later explained it, committed himself to God after years as a religious skeptic. (Associated Press)
  • McCain says he needs evangelicals to win | Senator John McCain tells CBN News that he needs support from Evangelicals to win the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. (CBN News)
  • Brownback supports Pace’s remark on gays | Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback is backing the Pentagon’s top general over his remarks that homosexual acts are immoral. (The Associated Press)

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People:

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Books and entertainment:

  • Unorthodox pair converts Judas tale into a page-turner | A very odd couple has teamed up to spread the word of the Gospel — in this case, the Gospel of Judas, in a fictional but, according to the authors, theologically plausible explanation of why Christianity’s most maligned personality did what he did. (The Washington Post)
  • Judas was framed, Jeffrey Archer’s “gospel” says | Judas Iscariot was not the betrayer but the betrayed. He schemed to save Christ from being killed and did not commit suicide but lived to old age. (Reuters)
  • Archer attempts to rehabilitate Judas | Collaboration with Biblical expert leaves a question: has the Pope read it? (The Guardian)
  • On her own terms | What is a modern reader to make of the story of Joan of Arc? (The Washington Post)
  • ‘The Vatican’s Exorcists’ by Tracy Wilkinson | The book provides an all-too-objective look at the practice (Los Angeles Times).
  • A conscience that moved the world | “William Wilberforce,” writes Eric Metaxas in “Amazing Grace,” “was the happy victim of his own success. (Mark Steyn, The Washington Times)
  • Director defends new slave trade film | A new film about the British abolition of the slave trade 200 years ago has been criticized for “writing blacks out of history”, but its director said he deliberately focused on one Englishman’s political battle. (Reuters)
  • Sirius chief quizzed about “pornographic” content | The debate over the threat of anti-competitive damage that an XM-Sirius satellite-radio merger could cause quickly became an argument over racy content Tuesday as a Senate panel began its examination of the $4.7 billion deal. (Reuters)
  • Israeli sings for her estranged people | A mainstream pop album is an unlikely place to encounter an ancient tongue known to a total of 705 people in the Holy Land. But tucked between the smooth chords and Hebrew vocals on Israeli singer Sofi Tsedaka’s debut CD, listeners can hear the lilting language of the Samaritans. (Associated Press)
  • Heavy metal bands to rock Dutch town | A heavy metal rock festival hoping to hold an open-air concert in an area known as the Dutch Bible Belt received a permit on one condition: no cursing. (Associated Press)
  • Country combo Alabama inspired by gospel success | Fans of veteran country band Alabama had to wait nearly two decades for the band to deliver its first gospel album, but they aren’t waiting long for the follow-up. (Reuters)

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Same-sex marriage:

  • First gay couple unites in Mexico City | An economist and a journalist became the first couple united under Mexico City’s new gay civil union law, kissing while an orchestra played “Besame Mucho” and police cordoned off streets around a white wedding tent filled with guests. (Associated Press)
  • Gay marriage advocates switch strategies | Aronda Kirby and Digit Murphy were once married to men, received the tax breaks for married couples and were legally permitted to take family leave if their husbands or children got sick. Both women lost those protections when they came out as lesbians, divorced their husbands and set up a new household together with their six children. (Associated Press)
  • Couples not rushing to civil unions in New Jersey | The figures suggest that civil union licenses have been far less popular in New Jersey than when they were introduced in Vermont in 2000 and in Connecticut in 2005 (The New York Times)
  • A different kind of gay marriage debate | Preliminary figures released Tuesday by the state showed that just 229 of New Jersey’s estimated 22,000 same-sex couples had received licenses for civil unions in the month since they became available Feb. 19. (The New York Times)
  • Spotlight on same-sex marriage ban | House panel to open debate today on proposed amendment; Dems could alter some of its language (The Indianapolis Star)
  • Inquiry gives green light to gay marriage | Sweden should allow same-sex couples to marry, an official inquiry has concluded. But gay rights campaigners are angry that the proposals would allow priests to refuse to perform gay weddings, while many religious groups argue that marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman. (The Local, Sweden)
  • Brides take each other ‘for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health’ | Two smiling brides left the church, holding hands, to a standing ovation. (The Daily Record, New Jersey)
  • Dungy: ‘I embrace’ same-sex marriage ban | During speech accepting award, Colts coach says his views coincide with group that backs amendment (The Indianapolis Star)

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Homosexuality:

  • MPs back gay rights Bill despite protests | New equality regulations forcing Catholic adoption agencies to handle requests from same sex couples were approved by MPs last night. (The Telegraph)
  • Peer seeks to block gay rights rules | A Conservative peer will tonight lead an eleventh-hour attempt to defeat proposals that the Roman Catholic Church says could lead to the closure of its adoption agencies. (The Times)
  • Utah sets rigorous rules for school clubs, and gay ones may be target | The co-sponsor of a new law said its centerpiece is a clause giving school administrators the authority to ensure that clubs do not violate “the boundaries of socially appropriate behavior.” (The New York Times)
  • Religion news in brief | A West Coast seminary for Conservative Judaism has accepted its first openly gay and lesbian applicants since the movement decided to ease its ban on gay ordination. (Associated Press)
  • Was it something I said? Continuing to think about homosexuality | Well, never doubt the power of the media. My recent article on homosexuality ignited a firestorm in the public square. Why? We may never know — but the controversy represents both a challenge and an opportunity. (Al Mohler)
  • God and his gays | Science is stealing up on America’s religious fundamentalists, causing much alarm. (The Washington Post)
  • A pre-birth determination? | Pity the poor fetus. There’s a lot coming its way. And now there’s talk on a conservative evangelical blog of a hypothetical hormone patch that an expectant mother might wear to eradicate her fetus’s natural gayness. (The Washington Post)
  • An evangelical’s concession on gays | The old and often bitter debate over what causes homosexuality took an unexpected turn this week in the wake of comments by a leading conservative Christian theologian, who says fellow evangelicals should accept that science may one day prove homosexuals are born gay. (Time)
  • Why do straights hate gays? | An 72-year-old gay activist isn’t hopeful about the future. (The Los Angeles Times)
  • Seattle team in a political arena | A bid by the city’s oldest major pro sports team for taxpayer funding to build a new arena has hit a snag over gay politics. (USA Today)
  • Partner adopted by an heiress stakes her claim | On an island liberally sprinkled with the affluent and well-connected members of such clans as Bush, du Pont, Rockefeller and Cabot, the Watson family occupies a special place.(The New York Times)
  • Don’t ask, don’t tell for the devout | It shows that something is off-kilter in American journalism and politics when — in the middle of a war — the predictable news cycle followed, with “don’t ask, don’t tell” critics branding Marine Gen. Pace as a bigot, and demanding an apology. Stop the presses: Someone in the military has issues with homosexuality. Big story? (The Washington Times)

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Morality:

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Life ethics:

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Mexican abortion bill:

  • Mexican abortion battle heats up as Christians unify | Mexico’s Christian churches banded together on Wednesday to fight a law that would legalize abortion in Mexico City, fearing it could spread quickly to the rest of the country. (Reuters)
  • Clerics unite against abortion bill | Religious leaders said Wednesday they have formed a united front against bills to legalize abortion in Mexico, an issue that has divided the nation and drawn in conservative President Felipe Calderon. (Associated Press)
  • Mexico’s Senate considers abortion bill | Senators from Mexico’s largest leftist party on Tuesday sent a bill proposing to legalize abortion nationwide, a measure strongly opposed by the nation’s conservative and Roman Catholic leaders. (Associated Press)

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Purity balls:

  • No sex please, we’re daddy’s little girls | In what is becoming a trend among conservative Christians in the United States, girls as young as nine are pledging to their fathers to remain virgins until they wed, in elaborate ceremonies dubbed “Purity Balls.” (AFP)
  • A dance for chastity | Some evangelical Christians are organizing ‘purity balls,’ at which young girls are urged to put off sex until marriage. Instead, these events simply reinforce society’s misguided notions of patriarchal religion. (USA Today)

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Education:

  • Christian college grows roots abroad | It took the Russian-American Christian University five years to get a building permit. When its new, 46,000-square-foot facility opens in December, seven years will have passed since the process started. (Inside Higher Ed)
  • Ore. teacher fired over bible references | During his eight days as a part-time high school biology teacher, Kris Helphinstine included Biblical references in material he provided to students and gave a PowerPoint presentation that made links between evolution, Nazi Germany and Planned Parenthood. (Associated Press)
  • Indoctrination U: Secular creationism | A year ago the biggest issue in education after budgets was whether “intelligent design” should be taught in the nation’s schools. Yet at that very moment professors in American universities were teaching a form of secular creationism as contrary to the findings of modern science as the biblical claim that God had made the world in seven days—social constructionism. (The Washington Times)
  • A donor with backbone | James W. McGlothlin withheld his pledge of $12 million to the College of William & Mary. He made his decision because of the actions of Gene Nichol, the college president, who ordered the removal of the cross from Wren Chapel. (The Washington Times)
  • Religion elective facing scrutiny | A religious course to be offered through Spartanburg High School this fall is under scrutiny because a parent is questioning district officials about the legality of giving elective credit for the class. (Spartanburg Herald-Journal)
  • Professor: Religion courses have place in public schools | Q & A with Stephen Prothero, author on religious literacy. (The Dallas Morning News)

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Harvard bells:

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Lent:

  • In Venezuela, rodents can be a delicacy | Lenten eating of the meat of the capybara, reputed to be the world’s largest rodent, has a status in Venezuela similar to that of turkey during Thanksgiving (The New York Times)
  • Senegal’s Lent fasts evoke Islam’s Ramadan | Muslims round the world are known for their strict Ramadan fasts, but Senegal’s massively outnumbered Catholics are also tightening their belts during Lent. (Reuters)

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Other:

  • Picking stocks that don’t sin | Socially responsible investing can mean pursuing psychic as well as financial rewards (The New York Times)
  • Religion in the news | Weddings aren’t the only major life event Americans are traveling for these days. (Associated Press)
  • Lace thongs a hot topic in Poland | Delicate hand-stitched lace from this mountaintop village has long graced the altars of Polish churches and tables of Polish homes. (Associated Press)
  • Model captures never-built U.K. church | A monumental wooden model of a domed cathedral, now on display at the Walker Art Gallery, is the only visible realization of Edwin Lutyens’ vision of an enormous church for the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Liverpool. (Associated Press)
  • ServiceMaster agrees to $4.5B buyout | Lawn care and pest control provider ServiceMaster Co. agreed Monday to be bought by an investment group in a cash deal valued at $4.5 billion, as the company tries to recover from years of declining financial results. (Associated Press)
  • Ranger: We have our missing Boy Scout | A 12-year-old Boy Scout whose favorite book was about a youngster lost in the wilderness now has his own harrowing survival tale to tell after rescuers found him Tuesday, dehydrated and disoriented from four days in the wooded mountains of North Carolina. (Associated Press)
  • Boy trapped under concrete is rescued | A teenager who was chasing a ball at recess became trapped under a heavy concrete slab for about two hours Tuesday. (Associated Press)
  • Nun seeks borough council seat in Pa. | After attending borough council meetings for months, a nun has decided to try to become one of the town’s decision-makers. (Associated Press)
  • In Jordan, Christians from Iraq harassed | Iraqi sisters Nasrin and Rihab enjoyed a relatively peaceful life in Baghdad until the night almost a year ago when militiamen tortured and beheaded their only brother. (Associated Press)
  • Faith-based benefit firm scrutinized | Medi-Share insists it doesn’t provide insurance, but the state disagrees. (Tulsa World)
  • Scandals weighing on the scales of justice | Steve Lopez reflects on how the ongoing scandal involving the U.S. attorney general’s office reminds him how often he hears from people who insist they can’t get a fair shot at justice (Los Angeles Times).
  • Theologian challenges a Christian view | The God-is-my-daddy approach can paralyze believers at times of pivotal life choices, Jones says (The Boston Globe).

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