I'm in San Antonio for the Religion Newswriters Association conference, talking about "Working with Bloggers" with Religion and Ethics Newsweekly's Kim Lawton and Whispers in the Loggia's Rocco Palmo. The question is asked: What blogs do I regularly read? Here's an importable OPML file to use in Google Reader or a similar program. I've excluded my World Music links, media news, and other unrelated sites. And do keep in mind that these aren't necessarily the links I use to compile the CT Weblog -- that's done mostly by checking Google News, WorldNews.com, AllAfrica.com, and individual newspaper sites. And I should note that these aren't the only blogs I check. But this will get you started.

One observation that you'll probably make is that most of the religion news bloggers I read are professional journalists and members of the Religion Newswriters Association. The RNA has its own helpful blog aggregator.

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 29, 2007 5:30PM | Comments (2)

The federal Bureau of Prisons will return religious materials that were removed from prison chapel libraries to prevent religious extremism, according to the Associated Press.

The purged books that were removed included Christian discipleship materials (see CT’s first story).

The material removed since June will be returned to prison chapel libraries unless it is found to be radicalizing or inciting violence. By June 2008, "what comes off the shelves will be a very, very small number, because the vast majority of material will be on the 'that's OK list,'" bureau spokeswoman Judi Simon Garrett told the AP.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Tex., still expresses concern:

"There's probably a limited universe of materials that incite violence, and I understand that perhaps those need to be banned," said Hensarling. "Instead, what the Bureau of Prisons appears to be doing is really censoring religious texts, deciding what is acceptable."

The New York Times’ story says that previously, the bureau was not reconsidering the library policy, but it reversed its decision after receiving widespread criticism from lawmakers and religious groups.

But critics of the bureau’s program said it appeared that the bureau had bowed to widespread outrage. “Certainly putting the books back on the shelves is a major victory, and it shows the outcry from all over the country was heard,” said Moses Silverman, a lawyer for three prisoners who are suing the bureau over the program.

Prison Fellowship President Mark Early told the AP:

"It took years for chaplains, local churches and other religious organizations to build up the holdings of many prison chapel libraries. Prisoners need access to more material to promote rehabilitation, not less. We want to monitor the process."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam at September 28, 2007 1:31PM | Comments (2)

A new study out of Norway suggests that cancer doesn't make divorce more likely--unless the diagnosis is for testicular or cervical cancer. According to a report in the Chicago Tribune:

In research presented Thursday at a meeting of the European Cancer Organization, Norwegian experts found cancer patients were no more likely to get divorced than people without cancer, except for those with cervical and testicular cancer. The divorce rate actually dropped slightly in the years following diagnosis for most cancers, they said.

But the study showed women with cervical cancer had a 40 percent higher chance of getting divorced than other women. Men with testicular cancer were 20 percent more likely to get divorced than similar men without cancer. Both types of cancer are curable and are diagnosed at younger ages than other cancers.

A number of reasons are suggested: (1) the marriages are younger and not as established; (2) the diagnoses can interfere with couples' sexual lives, which further undercuts their emotional bonding; and (in the case of cervical cancer) such diagnoses may lead to suspicions of infidelity.

The good news is (1) cancer is not usually a marriage-killer, and (2) the divorce risk for these two forms of cancer seems to decline with age:

Women with cervical cancer had nearly a 70 percent greater risk of divorce at the age of 20, a level that fell to 19 percent at 60. For testicular cancer, the divorce risk was 34 percent at 20 and 16 percent at 60, it said.

Something for Christians to keep in mind when cancer comes to church. The attack comes not just against our bodies, but against our marriages. Ministry to families facing cancer should thus be holistic, encompassing body and soul.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at September 28, 2007 11:06AM | Comments (0)

One of the most startling images from the Viet Nam war was the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc. On June 11, 1963, the monk burned himself to death at a busy Saigon intersection. (You can see Malcolm Brown’s famous news photo here and read part of David Halberstam’s eyewitness report for the New York Times halfway through this Wikipedia article.)

Thich Quang Duc was protesting the anti-Buddhist discrimination of Ngo Dinh Diem’s regime. But the disturbing image of his sacrifice seared itself into the brains of people around the globe. At the time, I didn’t understand the logic of self-immolation, but I was deeply moved.

Today Buddhist monks are once again taking to the streets of a South Asian nation, risking their bodies in nonviolent protest against an oppressive regime. This time the country is Myanmar (or Burma, as most Americans still refer to it).

This morning, the AP reported from Yangon (Rangoon):

Soldiers in Myanmar pounded down on dissenters Friday by swiftly breaking up street gatherings of die-hard activists, occupying key Buddhist monasteries and cutting public Internet access. The moves raised concerns that a crackdown on civilians that has killed at least 10 people this week was set to intensify.

By sealing Buddhist monasteries, the government seemed intent on clearing the streets of monks, who have spearheaded the demonstrations and are revered by most of their Myanmar countrymen. This could embolden troops to lash out harder on remaining protesters.

And in the Washington Post, former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson commented on the spiritual power of the Buddhist monks’ protest.

[T]hese protests have ... shown that nonviolence need not be tame or toothless. The upside-down bowls carried by some of the monks signal that they will not accept alms from the leaders of the regime, denying them the ability to atone for bad deeds or to honor their ancestors. These chanting monks are playing spiritual hardball.

Gerson then mentioned the familiar spiritual analogs in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and the spiritual revolutions that helped to bring down Communism in Eastern Europe. “Religious dissidents have the ability not only to organize opposition to tyrants but also to shame them. Political revolutions often begin as revolutions of the spirit.”

Gerson uses the language of spirituality to describe these bold moves against evil and on behalf of freedom. It is ironic that the words spiritual and spirituality have taken on such warm, fuzzy tones in contemporary American speech. They convey the image of spiritual drifters, people who are not anchored to any strong beliefs but are constantly going with the flow as they quest for the next feel-good experience.

Maybe, as these monks face the tear gas and truncheons of the oppressor, they can help us reclaim the hard edge of spirituality in our own culture.

* * *
P.S. Buddhists aren't the only ones resisting the Myanmar government. Christians have also risked their lives in the struggle for freedom. But Christians are largely located in tribal regions away from urban centers like Yangon. For past Christianity Today coverage of tribal Christian resistance see "Burma's Almost Forgotten." And to learn how Christianity came to Burma, you can order Christian History and Biography issue 90, which tells the story of Ann and Adoniram Judson, early missionaries and Bible translators.

Posted by David Neff at September 28, 2007 10:01AM | Comments (1)

Update: Now that the Episcopalian bishops have rejected Anglican leaders' call to repentance and orthodoxy, Wednesday's lectionary readings are fascinating too.

I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. ... You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain. (Ps. 119)

But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. (Ps. 81)

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people — not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” (1 Cor. 5)

There are some readings especially relevant for orthodox Anglicans meeting in Pittsburgh today, too. Among the issues on their mind is whether to fight for property as they leave the Episcopal Church.

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? ... To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? (1 Cor. 6)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ... If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (Matt. 5)

(Yesterday's readings after the jump)

Considering the issues at stake in New Orleans today, it's hard to find a more appropriate commentary than today's lectionary readings in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.

Among the Scriptures today:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans. ... And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. ... Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor. 5)

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. … Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matt. 5)

In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe. So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror. (Psalm 78)

(Thanks to TitusOneNine)

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 25, 2007 12:06PM | Comments (9)

New York Times headline today:

Monks in Myanmar Protest for Third Day

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 21, 2007 7:22AM | Comments (3)

Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, is attempting to open a humongous, 22,000-square-feet abortion clinic in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. No problem, right? Abortion's legal and all that.

Well, not so fast. Today U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle denied the organization's request for a preliminary injunction that would have allowed the clinic to open. It seems that PP didn't disclose to city fathers that it owned the building--after applying for permits under another name--nor that abortions would be performed there. Not only is the clinic's opening delayed, now the county's states attorney is looking into whether any laws were violated.

Abortion-rights supporters, such as Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn, applaud what PP did--calling it "creative subterfuge"--to sneak a "reproductive health clinic" into Aurora. Zorn writes:

Well of course Planned Parenthood representatives didn’t tell the truth to Aurora city officials while they were building a new clinic in the western suburb.

They hid behind the name of a subsidiary company, Gemini Office Development, and were misleadingly vague when asked along the way about the identity of prospective tenants for the $7.5 million facility.

Their goal was straightforward: To open a reproductive-health clinic on land zoned for such purpose.

But they had to use a certain amount of stealth because abortion is one of the services Planned Parenthood offers. And foes of abortion rights, longtime losers in the battle for public opinion, traditionally raise all kinds of rukus [sic] when Planned Parenthood comes into a community.

The foes not only picket construction sites, but they also send picketers out to harass subcontractors at their homes and businesses, try to spread alarm and disgust in the immediate neighborhoods and attempt to browbeat civic officials into implementing just the sort of craven, politically motivated delays we’re now seeing in Aurora.

Then when Planned Parenthood is revealed to have tried to prevent such pressure tactics by using a little creative subterfuge, the opponents of abortion-rights carry on indignantly, as though the deceptions were an effort to skirt the law.

Let me see if I have his reasoning down correctly: (1) the ends justify the means, if the ends are to promote abortion; and (2) it's all the fault of pro-lifers, anyway.

Such situational relativism may work on "24," but it doesn't work in the real world, Eric. Also, if you pro-choicers have really won in the court of public opinion, why do you have to resort to deception to get a clinic without the public's knowledge?

And what would you say if pro-lifers engaged in a little "creative subterfuge" of their own? It seems to me that they have been (unfairly) pilloried by abortion supporters because they don't advertise the fact that their crisis pregnancy centers don't offer abortions. They are criticized for not advertising a service they don't offer. Of course, who does? But in this instance, PP is not advertising a service they do offer. I wonder why?

This whole episode highlights a persistent problem for abortion-rights advocates: an aversion to telling the truth about abortion, which has taken the lives of 50 million unborn children since 1973.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at September 20, 2007 4:22PM | Comments (3)

We've covered sermon stealing several times, as have our sister publications. But we haven't seen this before: The Valley Morning Star of Harlingen, Texas, reports, "Rev. Dori Zubizarreta had to improvise her sermon a few weeks ago after thieves took the written sermon from her office."

Zubizarreta told the paper, "I was going to use that sermon for the 8 o’clock morning Mass, but I had to wing it. By the 10:30 (a.m.) Mass, I had already worked it out.”

A cynic might say the same thing happens every week in many Protestant and Catholic churches -- only without the stealing part.

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 19, 2007 9:43AM | Comments (0)

Ar! Shiver me timbers and blow me down. Today be, of course, Talk Like a Pirate Day. Sadly, we have little on our site about pirates. I had high hopes for the recent Christian book Samson and the Pirate Monks: Calling Men to Authentic Brotherhood by Nate Larkin. But beware: the book has nothing in it about pirates.

So I turned instead to Colin Woodard, author of the new and highly acclaimed book that's actually about pirates, The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down.

"The pirates themselves demonstrated little in the way of religion," he told me, unsurprisingly. "But Woodes Rogers [the "Man Who Brought Them Down" of Woodard's title] appears to have been at least partially inspired by his faith, having repeatedly ordered stocks of tracts from the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. Seems he thought part of the way of reforming pirates would be through their spiritual redemption. He arranged for SPCK materials for both an abortive project to reform the pirates of Madagascar and, later, for his mission to the Bahamas."

Woodard talks a bit about this in his book, but that's not what attracted Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Al Mohler, who recently recommended the book to his blog readers.

"Like the pirates themselves, this book will take your imagination captive," Mohler wrote. "I was taken with the book from its introduction to the end, and I really appreciate Woodard's careful explanation of why the pirates were such important characters on the world scene."

That's about it on Christianity and pirates, at least for this year's TLAPD celebrations. In the meantime, ChristianBook.com sells Pirate Gold Sea Monkeys.

(Oh, and spare me any comments below about I've just spent more time on Talk Like a Pirate Day than on most days of the Christian calendar. I'm well aware of that. Pirates are just much more fun to blog about today than, say, Theodore of Tarsus or Januarius.)

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 19, 2007 7:06AM | Comments (10)

Speaking of Faith
speakingoffaith.publicradio.org
Among religion journalists, Krista Tippett is the equivalent of Terry Gross on National Public Radio’s Fresh Air. Tippett, a graduate of Yale Divinity School, skews leftward and defines faith so broadly that she’ll discuss the history of disbelief, but she also asks outstanding questions.

The Religion Report
abc.net.au/rn/religionreport
Stephen Crittenden of the Australian Broadcasting Corp. welcomes many American guests. His interviews with Archbishop Peter Jensen of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney are illuminating. A recent show featured an interview with a theologian from the Catholic University of America who gave historical perspective on the Vatican’s rethinking of limbo. Crittenden makes it cool to be a religion geek.

Saturdays With Mark and Tony
marklowry.com
The playful comedian and singer Mark Lowry is Tony Campolo’s best dialogue partner since theologian Steve Brown of the cable TV show Hashing It Out. Campolo is at his best when he has someone to keep him on his toes. If Steve Taylor was once the court jester of evangelicalism, as Newsweek called him, Lowry is its effusive Southern fabulist.

The Kindlings Muse
thekindlings.com
Dick Staub mixes relaxed interviews with occasional efforts at Inklings-style discussions. His one-on-one interviews work better than the roundtable discussions, in which Christians strive mightily to challenge the main guest, who is usually a scholar or admirer of C. S. Lewis.

Holy Trinity Brompton
www.htb.org.uk/
For veterans of the Alpha Course who can’t get enough of HTB’s vicar, Nicky Gumbel, this weekly sermon is a fine pacifier. It’s not a one-man show, so listeners hear a wide variety of clergy and lay voices from one of the most important congregations in the Anglican Communion.

(This originally appeared on p.103 of the September 2007 issue of Christianity Today)

Posted by Susan Wunderink at September 18, 2007 8:59AM | Comments (2)

Tony Snow finished his job as White House press secretary on Wednesday. Snow, who wrote the article "Cancer's Unexpected Blessings" for CT in July, announced earlier this summer he was stepping down.

A report in yesterday's Washington Post observed:

Battling a recurrence of cancer, Snow looks more haggard these days, his hair thinning and his face gaunt. But as he leaves for what he says are financial reasons, he seemed genuinely nostalgic, calling the job "the most fun I've ever had."

"I'll miss it," he said in a tone that, unlike most press secretaries on their last day, suggested he really meant it. "I love these briefings."

But Snow has made optimism and positive energy in the face of adversity a trademark and plans to speak and write on his struggles with cancer. "Life will continue," he said, "including for me."

Snow is a Christian gentleman who deserves our admiration and prayers. Beyond these, he deserves our attention. As he eloquently wrote in his CT article:

The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies.

May Christ continue to grant Tony Snow--and the rest of us--a faith-filled life shorn of fearful caution.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at September 14, 2007 4:22PM | Comments (4)

Common Errors in English
wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html
Am I pouring over a manuscript or poring over it? Did I effect a change or affect it? Am I further from my point or farther? The correct choice (and why) is likely here.
One Across
http://www.oneacross.com/
For word lovers, here are more crosswords and anagrams and cryptograms than one could hope for.
Urban Legends Reference Pages
snopes.com
Tired of mass broadcasts of stories that are just too good to be true? Like Julie Andrews making up new words for “My Favorite Things” and singing them at Radio City Music Hall when she turned 69? Go to Snopes.com and enter “Julie Andrews” for the sad truth. The lyrics are funny, but the story is false.
Plain Language Association International
plainlanguagenetwork.org
For those who resonate with simple, clear language, these people share the wealth. Their resources include lists of their members’ sites, other plain-language sites, and general writing sites. If you can’t find it here, you likely don’t need it.
Verbivore
verbivore.com
Richard Lederer’s been having fun with the language for decades, and his columns and books are everywhere. He’s as zany on stage as in print and so entertaining and educational that next February he’ll become the first “outsider” to speak at my Christian Writers Guild “Writing for the Soul” conference.
Allen Wyatt’s Word Tips
wordtips.vitalnews.com
I’ve been grateful ever since someone put me onto this most helpful site. Anyone who uses Microsoft Word for a living will find these tips invaluable.
(This originally appeared on p. 59 of the August 2007 issue of Christianity Today.)

Posted by Susan Wunderink at September 11, 2007 9:48AM | Comments (1)

A suburban Chicago church sought leadership from Rwanda amid theological disputes with the Episcopal Church. This week, it found itself in conflict with its leaders over Rwandan politics.

All Souls Anglican Church had invited Paul Rusesabagina, whose life was featured in the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda, to speak during Sunday morning services. The Wheaton, Illinois, church, a member of the Rwandan-led Anglican Mission in America, invited him as part of a fundraiser to build a school in Gashirabwoba, Rwanda.

On Thursday, however, Emmanuel Kolini, the Anglican archbishop of Rwanda, asked All Soul's pastor J. Martin Johnson to rescind the invitation.

The rest of this article has been moved to the main Christianity Today site.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam at September 8, 2007 9:14PM | Comments (20)

National Review Online's Jim Geraghty scored a nice scoop following up on The Boston Globe's March reporting on The Arlington Group. The Globe had reported that the Arlington Group, a meeting of top-level conservative Christian advocacy organization leaders, is interviewing candidates in hopes that its members can "coalesce around one candidate that prominent members such as James Dobson ... could endorse individually."

"We’ve been meeting with candidates for a year, every one of the major candidates except Giuliani," Gary Bauer told Geraghty. "Many of us are intrigued and excited by Thompson, but we have great concerns about his advocacy of federalism in dealing with the issue of protecting the sanctity of marriage, and that is certainly an issue we want to discuss with him further.” (Geraghty had a follow-up with Bauer after the Arlington Group's meeting Thursday.)

Another member of the Arlington Group, unnamed, confirmed Bauer's summary, and says the group hasn't "coalesced" yet. “There has been a great deal of excitement about the possibility of a Thompson campaign; many of us are very happy about how clearly he criticized and called for the overturn of Roe v. Wade," the source said. "But there is concern that the federalist constitutional amendment that he leans toward on marriage just wouldn't work."

Bad news for Mike Huckabee:

Asked about the rumor that members of the group might be flirting with Huckabee, this individual responded, while never mentioning the Arkansas Governor directly, “it’s not just that the candidate will be philosophically in tune; we have a realistic understanding that in a cycle where everything is bunched up in the front like this, you have got to be able to bring in major resources, enough to compete in 20 states at once. This makes a number of candidates not as viable to us as they might otherwise be.”

Remember: You won't hear the "Arlington Group" endorsing anyone. What you'll hear is Arlington Group members singing from the same songsheet. That's the whole idea of the group: to unify the efforts of religious conservative political groups.

Update: The Associated Press also has reporting on the Arlington Group's meeting.

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 7, 2007 8:30PM | Comments (7)

Press release from Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church:

Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder and senior pastor for 48 years of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (CRPC) in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., passed away peacefully in his sleep at approximately 2:15 a.m. at his home with his wife and daughter by his bedside, following complications from a cardiac event last December. He was 76. Dates and times for a public viewing and funeral and private interment will be released when available.

"There are all kinds of wonderful things I could say about my dad," said daughter Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy. "But one that stands out is his fine example. He 'walked the walk' and 'practiced what he preached.' His work for Christ is lasting -- it will go on and on and make a difference for eternity."

Dr. Kennedy, who is survived by Anne, his wife of 51 years, and his daughter Jennifer, preached his last sermon from the pulpit of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church on Christmas Eve Sunday 2006. He suffered a cardiac arrest four days later on Dec. 28, and has since been unable to return to the pulpit. The church announced his retirement on Aug. 26, beginning a process to choose his successor, and had planned a tribute worship service honoring the extensive ministry of Dr. Kennedy on Sept. 23.

"I would like to thank all of you for your prayers, cards, kindnesses and encouragement over the past nine months," Mrs. Cassidy said during the retirement announcement. "Our family knows that we have come through this difficult time because of God's grace and your faithful prayers, and it has brought joy to us to see God's faithfulness in all of this."

While hindered by persistent health problems that included asthma, as well as chronic and often severe physical pain from compressed vertebrae due to an injury suffered as a young man, Dr. Kennedy was indefatigable in his ministry work. He said on several occasions how much he looked forward to being free from pain in heaven. He was one of the nation's leading Christian broadcasters and a vigorous and articulate advocate for Christian involvement in public life.

Dr. Kennedy began his pastorate at CRPC in 1959 and is also the founder and president of Coral Ridge Ministries and the founder of Evangelism Explosion, which equips people in every nation and territory to share their faith in Christ. He was also the founder of two leading educational institutions located in Fort Lauderdale: Westminster Academy, a nationally respected Pre-K to 12th grade Christian school and Knox Theological Seminary, a graduate school preparing Christians for ministry as pastors, teachers, and missionaries.

Dr. Kennedy was born Nov. 3, 1930, but his Christian life did not begin until 1953. Sleeping late on a Sunday morning, his radio alarm went off and a preacher's booming voice invaded his slumber. "Suppose you were to die today and stand before God and He were to ask you, 'What right do you have to enter into My heaven?'-- what would you say?"

Dr. Kennedy soon discovered that answer was to trust in Christ alone for eternal life, and shortly after he made that commitment was called into the Gospel ministry. Crediting this radio program for hearing the call to Christianity, he founded WAFG (90.3 FM) in 1974 as an outreach for Christ to the South Florida community.

He began his pastorate at CRPC on June 21, 1959, and from the outset had a vision for global impact. In 1960, he read the words of Jeremiah 33:3 to the handful of people that comprised his then-fledgling congregation, "Call unto Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." He then told his small flock, "You know what? I believe we can change the world!"

That surprised many in his audience, but today, despite being a local pastor of one church for nearly five decades, Dr. Kennedy has had a worldwide ministry influence. In 1996, Evangelism Explosion -- through which nearly 5 million people have made commitments to Christ in 2006 alone -- became the first Christian ministry to be established in every nation on earth. Long after his passing, an extensive inventory of Dr. Kennedy's messages will continue through "Truths that Transform," a daily broadcast carried on nearly 750 radio stations across the U.S., and "The Coral Ridge Hour," a weekly television broadcast that airs on more than 400 stations and to 165 nations on the Armed Forces Network.

Dr. Kennedy's belief that God will continue to do "great and mighty things" through the obedient efforts of His people never faltered. His confidence in the future also extended to American culture. "America is in the throes of a cultural shift with enormous implications for the future," Dr. Kennedy said in 2004 noting the growth in the number of evangelical Christians in America. "If that trend continues, and I believe it will, Evangelical Christians will be in the majority sometime in the next decade," he added.

"We will miss Dr. Kennedy enormously," said Frank Wright, president of the National Religious Broadcasters. "His moral leadership and his legacy of impacting the globe for Jesus Christ is unmatched by few in the history of the Church. It is our desire to honor him by sustaining and multiplying his impact through Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and all the ministries founded by Dr. Kennedy in the years to come."

Viewing and funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. A legacy Web site, http://www.DJamesKennedy.org, has been developed to pay tribute to the life and faith of Dr. Kennedy.

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 5, 2007 9:59AM | Comments (41)

A Celebration of the Life and Ministry of D. James Kennedy (Official tribute site)

Megachurch leader D. James Kennedy dies (Associated Press)

Powerful pastor D. James Kennedy dead at 76 | Led Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church to national prominence (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

Rev. D. James Kennedy, Broadcaster, Dies at 76 | Mr. Kennedy was a Christian broadcaster and the pastor of a Florida megachurch, who played a critical role in the rise of conservative Christianity. (The New York Times)

Politically Powerful TV Evangelist D. James Kennedy (The Washington Post

Televangelist made his church a political power | The Rev. D. James Kennedy left behind a worldwide evangelical ministry and a controversial legacy. (The Miami Herald, older version)

Pastor founded mega-church, expanded message to airwaves (Palm Beach Post)

D. James Kennedy, megachurch pioneer, dies at 76 (USA Today)

Religious Right Leader D. James Kennedy Dies at 76 (Religion News Service)

Dr. D. James Kennedy, 76, Leaves Legacy of Faithfulness | Dr. Dobson calls him 'a giant in the battle to restore traditional values.' (CitizenLink, Focus on the Family)

D. James Kennedy dead at 76 (Baptist Press)

'Excellence in All Things and All Things to God's Glory' | The legacy of Dr. D. James Kennedy (Albert Mohler)

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 5, 2007 9:59AM | Comments (6)

The front page of The Wall Street Journal yesterday explored an interesting facet of Hutterite life. Like the Amish, they're anabaptist, live communally, separate from the rest of society, and often reject modern conveniences. Unlike the typical Amish, Hutterites allow technological advances when it benefits their agricultural work or otherwise helps their communities, though they reject technology when it's deemed harmful.

Cellphones offer an interesting glimpse into deciding whether a technology is beneficial or harmful. They're indespensible to business. But some find the temptations of a cell phone too compelling.

In Martinsdale, [Montana] cellphones are dividing families. Ms. [Elsie] Wipf says that she sent more than 150 text messages in the first two days after she got her phone -- much to the consternation of her father. His opinion matters greatly: He is the head preacher of the colony. "It's against our rules," Ms. Wipf explains. ...

The array of available devices with different accessories goes against the communal colony dynamic. Features such as cameras and Internet access -- which are banned or severely restricted in nearly all colonies -- open up a tantalizing window to the outside world.

The community owns six phones for colony business. Use of those phones is regulated. But from the outside, phones are easily obtained. Relatives and friends who have left the colony often offer to pay the monthly expense for those back home. They keep in touch regularly, even though the colony elders worry that constant texting will cut into the farm's productivity.

The article shows us that technology is not necessarily morally neutral. While cell phones can be used for good business purposes, they are also a constant temptation. The Hutterites efforts to weigh the good and the bad and regulate harmful cell phone use is an helpful reminder that Christians who aren't living communally need to do the same. Incorporating technology into everyday life changes it. Sometimes it's unavoidable. Sometimes the technology should be adopted, sometimes not. But always it changes us.

P.S. The WSJ has postes some beautiful photos of the community.

Posted by Rob Moll at September 5, 2007 9:31AM | Comments (2)

The 19 South Koreans freed by the Taliban returned to Seoul Sunday as the church that sent the group fields critical remarks for sending members to such a volatile country.

We've moved the rest of the story to our main site, here.

Posted by Ted Olsen at September 2, 2007 12:55PM | Comments (3)