Maine: the next voucher battleground Since Lionel and Jill Guay's town of Minot, Maine, has no high school, the state offers to send their 15-year-old daughter to other local schools. As with about 17,000 other Maine students from small towns, the state will even pay for her to attend a private school.
Just so long as it's not a religious school.
The Guays want to send their daughter to a Roman Catholic school, but Maine has a 1981 law prohibiting the vouchers from going to religious schools. So now the Guays and five other local families are filing suit.
It's all been to court before, and in 1997 the state's Supreme Judicial Court upheld the law, saying the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the use of vouchers for religious schools.
The court won't be able to make that claim this time around. The Supreme Court unequivocally ruled in June that religious schools should not be discriminated against in voucher programs.
Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe says the June decision isn't similar enough to the Maine situation to make it an open-and-shut case. Assistant Attorney General Sarah Forster puts it another way: the Supreme Court ruled that states can pay for religious schools. "But the question quickly becomes: Must they?" she tells the Sun Journal of Lewiston.
The answer is yes, based not on the June case but in many other cases since 1997 ("Nothing in the Establishment Clause requires the exclusion of pervasively sectarian schools from otherwise permissible aid programs," wrote Justice Clarence Thomas in a 2000 case. Clear enough?) Still, Weblog is sure it'll take a while for this to be resolved.
With such growth and apparent increasing demand, it's little wonder that the number of religious funds to invest in is growing as well—up 121 percent from from 1999 to the end of 2001. Still, that $4.42 billion may seem like a lot, but as Reuters notes, it's only 0.1 percent of the total mutual fund industry.
So far this year, faith-based funds have had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the mutual fund universe. The group was down more than 13 percent until the end of August, compared to a 10 percent decline by the average mutual fund, according to Thomson Financial.
Over the period of the MMA Praxis study, which covers the three years ending in March 2002, religiously managed funds performed well, losing just half of 1 percent annually as opposed to a decline of 5.9 percent by the average mutual fund. In the longer term, the faith-based groups underperformed, averaging gains of 5.7 percent a year over the past five years compared to returns of 9.2 percent for the total mutual fund universe.
A separate Reuters story also suggests that MMA Praxis itself has had to respond to problems. The news service reports that investors with MMA Praxis assets below the $2,000 mark (about 40% of its investors) will be charged an annual fee of $14. "Most boards probably would have passed this without a lot of discussion," MMA Praxis President John Liechty told the paper. "But given the fact of who we are, there was some lively discussion among some of our trustees about whether this was the right thing to do."
Dobson responds to Bishara Awad When Bethlehem Bible College President Bishara Awad issued an open letter to James Dobson, calling him "an instrument of hate and division" for his characterization of Palestinians and of Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi, Weblog promised to link to Dobson's response. We've done better than that. Since Dobson's open letter won't appear on the Focus on the Family site, and Weblog can't find it anywhere else, we're running the full text, along with Awad's letter and the press release that started it all. There's clearly disagreement between the two men about what their disagreement is all about.
Libraries can display U.S. motto | Despite a warning about possible lawsuits, Montgomery County commissioners have agreed to post donated plaques bearing the national motto "In God We Trust" at county libraries (Houston Chronicle)
Crucifix battle heats up in Italy | A proposed bill to hang crucifixes in public offices, schools and train stations throughout Italy has sparked protests by Muslim and Jewish groups (SAPA)
Politics and law:
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House should reject bill on church politics | Imagine going to church and finding a politician's campaign banner displayed above the pulpit. It could happen if a bill pending in the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law. (Florida Today, Melbourne)
Religious noise a city issue | The council is now engaged in a debate over how to balance the freedoms of assembly and religion with preserving peace and quiet in the community (The Times-Journal, Fort Payne, Ala.)
Dole's trail runs through pulpits | More than any North Carolina candidate in recent memory—more than even U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms—Elizabeth Dole, a Methodist, routinely weaves religious themes into stump speeches in her campaign to succeed Helms (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Politics threaten academic freedom | The University of Maryland's decision to assign freshmen to read a play on the killing of gay college student Matthew Shepard comes on the heels of a successful resolution of a similar controversy at the University of North Carolina (Richard T. Ingram, The Baltimore Sun)
Baptist Foundation indictments thrown out | Superior Court Judge Frank Galati ruled that some evidence presented by the state Attorney General's Office in obtaining a grand jury indictment was improper and prejudicial (The Arizona Republic)
Pork at the pulpit | Some Republicans are leading church groups to think they can win a chunk of federal money under the Bush "faith-based" initiative if their flock of believers votes for GOP candidates come November. (Editorial, The Christian Science Monitor)
Church ought to have a pass on domestic partner ordinance | A religious institution is not a business, and while that may be obvious to most people, it is not recognized by Portland's new domestic partner ordinance (Editorial, Portland [Maine] Press-Herald)
Well qualified for the bench | To reject someone who has written thoughtfully and constructively on a range of subjects would send a message to academics everywhere to avoid creative inquiry (Editorial, The Washington Post)
Mystics coach was cited in pregnancy suit | While head coach at the University of California at Berkeley, Marianne Stanley, now the head coach of the Washington Mystics, gave an assistant coach a choice between having an abortion or quitting, and then left the pregnant woman at a hotel during a Midwest recruiting trip. (The Washington Post)
Stem cell backing | Laws to allow stem cell research have passed their first crucial test with Parliament's Lower House emphatically in favor (News.com.au, Australia)
Man of steel | In 1995, after the accident which left him paralysed, Christopher Reeve said he wanted to be on his feet by his 50th birthday. That's next week, and although he has made amazing progress, he won't be standing - and for that, he says, George Bush and the Catholic Church must share the blame (The Guardian, London)
Lesbian fertility clinic set to open | Europe's clinic dedicated to lesbians and single women opens in London but lacks a license to carry out treatments. (BBC)
Cloning business closes down | The company that created Dolly the sheep is shutting down part of its cloning business to focus on more profitable markets. (BBC)
Archbishop calls for more debate on euthanasia | The head of the Anglican Church in Australia believes the community is generally supportive of euthanasia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Court upholds S.C. abortion law | A South Carolina law allowing state inspectors access to all abortion clinic records does not violate patients' privacy rights, a divided federal appeals court ruled (Associated Press)
Lottery:
N.C. House kills lottery referendum | North Carolina is one of 12 states without a lottery, and the only one on the East Coast (Associated Press)
Federal law ignites evolution debate | Supporters of the Santorum amendment say it sends a message to educators that Congress believes concepts that counter Darwinian evolution should be taught in science classes (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Intelligent design may find new home in social studies | The Ohio State Board of Education finally may have found a way to deal with the thorny issue of whether to include intelligent design in Ohio's new science standards: stick it in the social studies standards instead (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Education:
Home school to high school | High school marks an especially hard transition for home-schooled students (The Miami Herald)
Demon controversy heats up at meeting | Speakers at the Montgomery County meeting say the Blue Demon mascot offends their Christian beliefs (The Roanoke [Va.] Times)
Negotiating Islamic Law | Why are Shari'ah laws and hudud criminal punishments finding increasing appeal in the Islamic world? (Farish A. Noor, Far Eastern Economic Review)
Witch way is up | They're here, they're seers, get used to it (Houston Press)
Church life:
Church ministers 'under stress' | In a poll of almost 600 ministers the Church of Scotland, 43% felt their health had been affected by stress and a further 28% said their marriage had been adversely affected by their work (BBC)
Article: Gays Should Not Be Priests | If a man is gay, "then he should not be admitted to holy orders, and his presence in the seminary would not only give him false hope but it may, in fact, hinder" the therapy he needs, Monsignor Andrew Baker of the Congregation of Bishops wrote in an article to be published by America (Associated Press)
Chaplaincy crisis | Budget makes deep cuts in prison corps; churches expected to fill in (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Denominational rifts:
A local Episcopal dispute reflects global friction | Two days after 125 priests gave him a standing ovation at the Episcopal cathedral, embattled Episcopal Bishop Charles Bennison was interrupted repeatedly and shouted at Thursday by the congregation of the Church of the Good Shepherd (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Superiors back defiant priest | The Archbishop of Canterbury has committed the unprecedented action of siding with a priest against a bishop wishing to depose him. (The Washington Times)
Divided by a question of salvation | A Pentecostal bishop defies church tradition by saying that all are saved (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Pastors using litmus test ignore human qualities | I am politely scorned as marriage and family therapist for not having the correct religious beliefs (Tim Schnabel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Forgiveness:
Forgiveness can be more powerful than vengeance | We can either hang on to the pain and anger and allow it to manifest itself in deep-seated bitterness, or we can become the architects of our own emotional and psychological recovery by beginning the process of forgiveness. (Joel Edwards, The Times, London)
Pollster prods Christian conservatives | George Barna stirs emotions in the evangelical world as he pushes for a more relevant church. (Los Angeles Times)
Earlier: The Third Coming of George Barna | He believes his ten-year campaign to reform the church has failed. What is evangelicals' most-quoted statistician going to do next? (Christianity Today, July 26, 2002)
Family and marriage:
Marriage covenant gets clergy support | More than 200 North Florida clergy members pledged yesterday to require premarital counseling for couples who want to be married in their churches (The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville)
Family Research Council releases 'full picture' on American family | Research and poll data on marriage, adoption, child care, unwed parenthood, cohabitation, divorce, single-parent families, stepfamilies and teen family issues, can provide a "full picture" of Americans' views and behavior (The Washington Times)
Religions fail to join as one for 9/11 event | Promoters of the largest 9/11 commemoration in The Woodlands last week had a clear answer when they were asked to change the format to make non-Christians feel more welcome. No way. (Houston Chronicle)
Some things considered | American Family Radio's efforts in Lake Charles, La., serve neither the listeners devoted to NPR nor those who prefer Christian programming (Editorial, The New York Times)
Rev. Schuller marks anniversary | Robert H. Schuller will speak Monday in Moscow to mark a decade since the start of weekly Russian broadcasts of his televangelist show "Hour of Power" (Associated Press)
Palestinian mob sets fire to Jewish site | Jewish settlers around Nablus believe that the tomb burned is that of the Biblical patriarch Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers (The Daily Telegraph, London)
London's police chief calls on church to fight crime | The Metropolitan police commissioner, himself a practicing member of the Church of England, insisted that "evangelical fire" was needed particularly to target disaffected youngsters who account for nearly three-quarters of all offenders (The Guardian, London)
Judge denies ex-Klansman's new trial | Bobby Frank Cherry was found guilty in May of 1963 church bombing that killed four black girls (Associated Press)
Pastor gets jail for forgery | Michael A. Wilkerson Sr. was building a 12,000-square-foot mansion until he ran into financial problems. He admitted that he forged documents and checks to contractors to pay for the work (The Mercury, Pottstown, Penn.)
Two pastors at dagger's drawn | Assemblies of God church revolted against their head pastor, switched off electricity supply to the chapel, and locked a few of the faithful up with him in it (Ghanaian Chronicle, Accra)
2 plead not guilty in fire rite | A Brooklyn pastor and his wife pleaded not guilty yesterday to assault for allegedly conducting a bizarre ritual that called for slicing up the feet of a Queens woman and setting them on fire (New York Daily News)
Pastor describes being knocked off bike at trial | David Tinney, head pastor at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church, said he still experiences severe pain about two or three times a day from his injuries (The Seattle Times)
Man indicted for Anthrax hoax | A man who once claimed to be on a mission from God to kill abortion providers was indicted Thursday on charges he mailed anthrax hoax letters to women's clinics around the country last fall (Associated Press)
Retired Anglican Archbishop Dr. David Gitari:
Moi attacks clergyman over Uhuru remark | President says recently retired Anglican Archbishop Dr. David Gitari may be trying to kill cabinet minister (Kenya Broadcasting Corp.)
Chaos as students protest at shooting | Former Anglican Archbishop David Gitari was beaten by the students and his jacket stolen (The Nation, Nairobi, Kenya)
Gitari's Statement | Retired Anglican Archbishop David Gitari did not make statements implying that President Moi's preferred successor Uhuru Kenyatta may not live to see the presidency, the Nation has established (The Nation, Nairobi, Kenya)
Pop culture:
Showing Elvis grace | A response to Charles Colson's BreakPoint Commentary. (Steve Beard, Thunderstruck.org)
Christians rock Top 30 | Two albums by Christian singers Bill and Gloria Gaither were the week's only top 30 debuts as major diskeries shied from releasing albums during the week of Sept. 11 remembrances (Variety)
On the eighth day, a sitcom | A new multicultural TV show, set in a storefront Toronto church, is intent on becoming Canada's first religious situation comedy (The Globe & Mail, Toronto)
World Vision hails church | Dean Hirsh has hailed the Church in Uganda for it's role in the fight against the HIV-Aids scourge (New Vision, Kampala, Uganda)
Hurley minister confronts death from the pulpit | 28-year-old Karl Kjendal was diagnosed in May with terminal colon cancer and expects to have less than a year to live (Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.)
Graham mission here posts $97,000 surplus | $35,000 will go to Texas crusade, rest will be split evenly among several local ministries at work in poorer neighborhoods (The Cincinnati Post)
Mission volunteer works to overcome obstacles | Cyndi Forbes was in a coma for 10 days, went on to battle spinal cord challenges, a heart attack, and two strokes, and an anoxic brain injury that forced her to relearn how to write and read. Now she's ministering in Nicaragua (Florida Today, Melbourne)
Because the Bible says so | No one outside the Jewish community has been more supportive of Israel than U.S. evangelical Christians, and they've just begun to get better organized. (The Jerusalem Post)
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Evangelist's daughter says she has what she needs | Anne Graham Lotz and the Rev. Billy Graham share a leonine profile and such an unwavering conviction for Jesus that evangelicals smile in recognition (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland)
Why Catholic churches are playing hardball | Faced with 500 suits, they may be agreeing only to smaller settlements to avoid sapping their resources (Abraham McLaughlin, The Christian Science Monitor)
Catholicism:
Look to the cross, says Pope | Pope John Paul II has called on the faithful to put the image of the cross in schools, hospitals and homes to help guard against increasing secularization (News.com.au, Australia)
Cardinal who survived prison dies | Francois Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan's agonizing account of imprisonment by the communists in Vietnam made him an inspirational figure for many Catholics in his homeland (Associated Press)
"Weeping" Madonna still draws crowds | Thousands of people have visited since owner made public more than a week ago that it had begun weeping oily tears (News.com.au, Australia)
Drought hits Colo. shrine's spring | Mother Cabrini shrine's main spring—considered holy by the faithful, who believe its water can heal—is being supplemented with city water brought in by truck (Associated Press)
Other stories of interest:
A priest's plot to fool the Nazis | The Vinland Map suggests the Viking discovery of North America was known before Columbus sailed. (National Post)
Cardinal Lucas Moreira Neves | Conservative Brazilian cleric whose papal aspirations were undermined by his careerist reputation. (The Guardian, London)
Interview With James Dobson | On Muslims, theodicy, judicial nominees, and other subjects (Larry King Live, CNN)
Deliver us from evil | Calling terrorists "evil" requires no courage and justifies no self-congratulatory puffing. It's just not a problem. But it's also not a solution. (Michael Kinsley, Slate.com)
Armageddon ahead, please fasten your Bible Belt | There's bad news on the end of the world front. The Rapture Index, which measures end-time activities, has soared to dangerous levels and Bible-Belt America is readying itself for the last trump (Richard Morrison, The Times, London)
As Russia’s invasion fades from Western interest, daily musings from an evangelical seminary leader remind readers of the war’s ongoing reality for Ukrainian Christians who stay and serve.
Taras Dyatlik
The Next Big Battle Over School Vouchers for Religious Schools