James Dobson resigned as chairman of Focus on the Family but will continue to play a role at the Colorado Springs-based organization he founded, The Associated Press reports. Dobson's wife, Shirley, also resigned from the Focus board.

Dobson, 72, already turned the ship over six years ago to Jim Daly, the organization's president and chief executive officer. He will continue to host Focus on the Family's radio program, write a monthly newsletter and speak out on moral issues, Daly told Eric Gorski of the AP.

"One of the common errors of founder-presidents is to hold to the reins of leadership too long, thereby preventing the next generation from being prepared for executive authority," Dobson said in a statement. "... Though letting go is difficult after three decades of intensive labor, it is the wise thing to do."

On political matters, Dobson "will continue to speak out as he always has - a private citizen and not a representative of the organization he founded," said Gary Schneeberger, a Focus on the Family spokesman. He said the nonprofit ministry and Focus on the Family Action - an affiliate set up under a different section of the tax code that permits more political activity - will continue to be active on public policy.

Dobson has a devoted following. His radio broadcast reaches an estimated 1.5 million U.S. listeners daily. Yet critics say his influence is waning, pointing to evangelicals pushing to broaden the movement's agenda beyond abortion, gay marriage and other issues Dobson views as most vital.

"In the short term, in the near term, Dr. Dobson will stay committed to the issues close to his heart," Daly said in an interview. "He'll continue to speak out on those topics."

Update: I asked our Twitter followers what they thought Dobson's resignation and whether they listened to him or read his books. Here a few responses:

tnhuckaby@CTmagazine I don't have time. I don't always agree with him, but he has been very faithful over the years. To be respected for that.

sarahflashing@CTmagazine not sure if Focus can have the influence without him...that's the danger of building an organization around a person.

detellis@CTmagazine Dobson will remain a legand in Christian broadcasting and defending Christian family values. I believe in Jim Daly's leadership.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 27, 2009 12:14PM | Comments (45)

With biblical scholar Darrell Bock and others weighing the evidence, a new, eight-part documentary series offered by Day of Discovery asks the question, "Jesus: Man, Messiah, or More?" The first installment is available now for free; later ones to come next month.

HT: Ed Komoszewski and Justin Taylor.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at February 27, 2009 9:43AM | Comments (4)

CT has looked into the debate over whether George Kurian's Encyclopedia of Christian History is being suppressed for being "too Christian." You can find our take on the controversy here.

Posted by Jeremy Weber at February 26, 2009 11:41AM | Comments (0)

To quell ongoing violence, the government of Pakistan has reached an agreement with Taliban militants to allow shari'ah law to be implemented in the Swat Valley of the North-West Frontier Province. The Swat Valley used to be a popular tourist destination.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is expressing alarm.

If the proposed agreement enacts or otherwise strengthens sharia law under Taliban-associated extremists, human rights stand to suffer. As the Commission has previously documented, the Taliban's implementation of sharia law in Afghanistan led to serious human rights abuses, such as the forced implementation of their social and religious norms, the imposition of discriminatory evidentiary standards against women and non-Muslims, repression of religious minorities, and abuses targeting women and girls. "The women and girls of Swat have already endured egregious and abusive limitations on their mobility and right to education, and will be particularly vulnerable under a Taliban-influenced sharia legal code," said [Commission Chair Felice D.] Gaer.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at February 25, 2009 3:45PM | Comments (2)

Someone in Smolensk, Russia published a bogus newspaper using the logo of the evangelical periodical Protestant. It appeared in mailboxes around the city. Using fake quotes attributed to real people, the paper portrays Baptists as morally loose, financially dependent on the U.S., and obsessed with taking over the world.

The paper contains a made-up interview with the president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (RUECB), Yuri Sipko:

"All Baptists pay money into our account in Zurich. But that is still much less than the amount paid by Western churches . . . The dollar was, is, and for a long time probably will remain the primary helpmate of the Russian Union of Baptists." All Baptists express gratitude for the donations of Western supporters ? "including the American government."

The paper seems to have been created to doom a political candidate by associating him with the Baptists. A smear campaign like this may be very effective in a region where many are suspicious of Protestants.

RUECB's director of external church affairs responded,

Political con-artists are trying to turn the respected, 140-year history of Baptists in Russia into a horror story in hopes of helping and hurting certain political parties. They are sowing hatred between the confessions. Do they not understand that thousands will be hurt by this pitiful rag? This is ugly and totally unacceptable.

Posted by Susan Wunderink at February 25, 2009 2:50PM | Comments (1)

Today is Ash Wednesday, marking for Western Christians the beginning of Lent, one of the oldest observances in the Christian calendar. Evoking Jesus' 40 days of temptation in the desert, the period that leads into Easter has traditionally been observed by fasting, prayer, and abstaining from certain habits in order to make room for God. While more traditional fasts include giving up meat and alcohol, nontraditional fasting trends have cropped up in the media this week.

The Wall Street Journal last Friday had an interesting story on parents giving up Facebook for Lent, including a 39-year-old dad in Philadelphia who described the social-networking site as "my candy," and a mom who confessed that her Facebook addiction kept her from playing with her children. (She joined an online quitting-Facebook support group to help - of course.) Responding to the WSJ article, Lindsey Turrentine at CNET News posted 5 tips on how to "quit Facebook cold turkey," Steve Johnson at the Chicago Tribune posted 10 humorous rules for "fighting the urge," and E. E. Evans at GetReligion aptly noted that the WSJ article failed to provide historical context for understanding Lent beyond a personal-improvement rationale.

In the U.K., evangelical aid agency Tearfund is partnering with Church of England leaders and Energy and Climate Change Minister Ed Miliband MP to kick off its second annual carbon fast. Tearfund vice president, the Rev. James Jones, told The Guardian he is putting a solar hot water system in his home and turning off electronics when not in use. Tearfund is using its RSS feed and Facebook to provide daily tips on how to save energy. According to Anglican Communion News Service, individual churches are passing out low-energy light bulbs and installing energy-efficient heating. Yet not everyone thinks Tearfund's initiative a worthy one: Sociologist Frank Furedi, writing for The Australian, calls it "a semi-conscious attempt to transform environmentalism into a caricature of a religion."

The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch all asked online readers to share what they are giving up for Lent. Responses ranged from thoughtful to silly to blasphemous. On a more serious note, leading religion writer Cathleen Falsani wrote on her blog about looking for "burning-bush moments" during Lent, and finding one involving a Malawian boy needing life-saving heart surgery. Popular Christian blogger Anne Jackson writes in her last post until April 13, the day after Easter, that she will also be off Facebook and Twitter during Lent. And, perhaps most exciting for the editors here at Christianity Today, international editor Susan Wunderink kicks off the CT Image blog, Imago Fidei, with photographs and Scripture verses with strong Lenten themes.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at February 25, 2009 11:44AM | Comments (1)

One of the top buzz words on Twitter today is Lent as people are announcing what they're giving up for the season. Not to be left out, The Church of England is offering tweets for Lent, which begins tomorrow.

Twitter is a social network and micro-blogging site that allows people to send and read followers' updates (or tweets), which are posts of up to 140 characters. Episcopal Cafe asks, "What Would Jesus Tweet?"

Others are abstaining from another social network. Stephanie Simon writes in The Wall Street Journal about how parents are going on Facebook fasts for Lent.

Lenten sacrifices are meant to honor and in a small way reenact the 40 days Jesus is said to have wandered the wilderness, fasting and resisting temptation. Abstaining from Facebook for the 40 days of Lent was the rage among college students last year. This Lenten season -- which starts next week on Ash Wednesday -- the cause has been taken up by a surprising number of adults. The digital sacrifice won't be easy, they say, but it may help them reclaim their analog lives.

Even CNET joins in by giving some tips on how to give it up without losing "friends."

p.s. You can follow Christianity Today on twitter here.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 24, 2009 2:56PM | Comments (2)

President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez (right) has proven himself to be no friend of Christians. But it seems the climate for religious freedom is taking a significant turn for the worse. Recently, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom put a spotlight on government-sponsored anti-Semitism.

The Commission sent letters earlier this month to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon Jr. and to U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief Asma Jahangir expressing concern about increasing incidents of anti-Semitism in Venezuela, including the attack on the Tiferet Israel synagogue in Caracas. The Commission is assessing the situation and ways in which the United States can respond to protect religious freedom in Venezuela.

"Over the past several years, the Jewish community has suffered as President Chavez and government-affiliated media publicly made anti-Semitic remarks and published anti-Semitic cartoons and opinions," wrote Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer to Shannon. "Last August (2008), President Chavez said he would work with Brazilian President Lula and Argentina President Cristina Kirchner to end anti-Semitism in Latin America. We urge the State Department to undertake efforts to ensure that President Chavez keeps his promise, and ceases fomenting anti-Semitism in Venezuela."

The letter to Assistant Secretary Shannon calls on the U.S. government to work with countries that may have influence with the Venezuelan government to press the Chavez administration to prohibit the use of anti-Semitism in officially-related media and fully investigate all reported incidents of anti-Semitism in order to bring perpetrators to justice.

In recent years, Chavez has taken an aggressive stance toward missionary activity in tribal areas by Christians. The US State Department reported:

In October 2005 President Chavez accused missionaries from the U.S.-based religious group New Tribes Mission (NTM) of contaminating the cultures of indigenous populations as well as carrying out illicit activities with the group's small aircraft. The Ministry of Interior subsequently rescinded the group's permission, granted in 1953, to conduct its social programs among indigenous tribes. The NTM appealed the order to the Supreme Court, which denied an injunction but admitted the case, which remained pending at the end of the period covered by this report. More than 100 NTM missionaries withdrew from the indigenous areas in compliance with the Government's order, abandoning properties held for decades. The Government reportedly seized some of these properties, without compensation, for its own social programs. Other foreign missionary groups working in the indigenous areas departed voluntarily after government officials warned that all such missionary activity would be stopped. Despite being duly registered religious and civil society groups, at the end of the period covered by this report foreign missionary groups were prohibited from entering indigenous areas.

Last I heard, New Tribes was proceeding with a court appeal.

There is no Easy Button of influence on Chavez. If you are in Venezuela and have an update on the situation for religious freedom, email me here.

Posted by Tim Morgan at February 23, 2009 9:44AM | Comments (11)

Update: Friday, Feb. 20,

Police in College Station, Texas, arrested Tracy Goen (inset photo) last weekend on Feb. 14 and charged him with prescription forgery. The local media reports:

A College Station doctor was in jail Saturday, accused of forging a hydrocodone prescription at an area pharmacy. Officials from the Brazos County Special Investigations Unit arrested Tracy Harrison Goen on Friday after pharmacy employees became suspicious of the prescription he had presented to them. The prescription was written on a prescription pad of another doctor, who told pharmacy workers that he had not prescribed the medicine, authorities said. Goen, 47, admitted forging the hydrocodone prescription and told an investigator that he was addicted to the painkiller, officials said. During a search of Goen's vehicle, officers said, they found several vials of urine, additional forged prescriptions and prescription pads from other doctors. Goen was charged with fraudulent possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years behind bars. He was being held in the Brazos County Jail in lieu of $7,000 bail Saturday. Goen is listed as a physician practicing at Brazos Valley Urgent Care in College Station.

But the local press apparently has missed the faith angle on this story. Goen and his physician wife served as medical missionaries in Nigeria for years. In a 2003 Religion New Service report, the couple was featured for their connection to MedSend, which helps new doctors pay down med school debts in exchange for overseas service.

Here's an excerpt:

MedSend isn't a sending agency, but rather partners with Christian ministries that send medical professionals. After a ministry pays MedSend a one-time participation fee, MedSend looks at the candidate's qualifications and financial situation. MedSend assumes the debts for as long as they're in the field. The average grant is $30,000, but grants for physicians can be more than $100,000. Most donors are Christian doctors.

CT wrote about the Goens in 2005.

Goen is also listed as the founder of HELP West Africa, a Christian ministry. In 2007, Goen spoke before a group involved in medical missions. Here's the audio.

The latest details on his court case have not emerged yet.

Posted by Tim Morgan at February 20, 2009 5:38PM | Comments (0)

Update (11:50 a.m. Thurs., Feb. 26): CT has posted our take on the controversy here.

CT is looking into the commotion over veteran editor George Kurian's four-volume Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization being allegedly censored for being "too Christian."

Kurian, the lead editor, has been remarkably pointed in his accusations, while the publisher Wiley-Blackwell has offered plausible yet incomplete defenses. All in all, highly unusual to see such a big academic project unravel at such a late stage in the game.

Inside Higher Ed has the best coverage here. You can find Kurian's complaint posted here, and Wiley-Blackwell's first defense here and second defense here. The gist:

1) Kurian says the encyclopedia was pulled because a small group of critics didn't like the tone of his Christian language, feeling the reference needed to be more critical of Christianity and more positive towards Islam.
2) Wiley insists it pulled the volumes not out of anti-Christian bias but because editorial review procedures were bypassed without its knowledge.
3) Observers say it's highly unusual for a publisher to pull such a major project so late in the game and wonder how Wiley-Blackwell bumbled its editorial process.

A number of UK papers and Catholic News Agency have covered the controversy, and contributors have discussed in the comments section of this blog. Terry Mattingly at Get Religion is annoyed no mainstream press is covering it.

Much of this follows this National Review blog post done by Edward Feser, a contributor to the book. Feser follows up in this post where he presses Wiley to say whether Kurian is lying or not and Wiley in turn keeps dodging. Feser's conclusion:

So where does all of this leave us? In three consecutive statements now - their first two public statements, and Susan Spilka's emailed response to my questions - Wiley-Blackwell has failed directly to address any of Kurian's specific allegations to the effect that the publisher and/or editorial board demanded that certain changes of content be made so that the Encyclopedia would be less pro-Christian, more friendly toward Islam, and so forth. ... One might be tempted to dismiss all this as a case of "he said/they said." But it seems fair to conclude that while Kurian's claims have been clear, consistent, and specific, Wiley-Blackwell's statements have seemed piecemeal, vague, incomplete, and bureaucratic.

CT has a reporter on the story and will let our readers know what we turn up.

Posted by Jeremy Weber at February 20, 2009 3:50PM | Comments (3)

Nadya Suleman, the mother who gave birth to octuplets in California, continues to make headlines about her sex life, public aid, possible home foreclosure, and death threats.

Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life and AUL Action, is scheduled to appear on CNN's Larry King Live tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern to discuss the Octo-Mom case. AUL describes itself as the oldest pro-life organization in the country.

On Yoest's website this morning, this is how the show was promoted:

She will be doing another debate on the welfare mom with 14 children.

There is no husband.

There is no one to take care of the children.

Except the taxpayer.

Yoest also appeared on Mike Huckabee's Huckabee cable show on FOX this past Saturday and Sunday. In the YouTube clip below, she says the case raises issues about reproductive technology regulation.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 19, 2009 9:19AM | Comments (4)

The general secretary of the Assemblies of God has resigned after admitting to ethical misconduct, the denomination announced February 13.

The resignation of John M. Palmer, who served in the position since November 2007, was immediate.

General Superintendent George O. Wood, the denomination's chief executive officer, said Palmer "confessed to a one-time incident that involved ethical misconduct and an inappropriate interaction with a woman that did not involve any physical intimacy," reported the church's News and Information Service.

The general secretary maintains information about the denomination's ministers and churches, oversees the chartering of churches and credentialing of ministers and keeps official statistics about the Pentecostal religious organization based in Springfield, Mo.

In a statement, Wood said he was "deeply saddened" about "this failure" and asked for prayers for Palmer and his family.

"John has had a sterling record in the Assemblies of God as a church planter, pastor, and national leader," said Wood. "This failure on his part is an aberration from a lifetime of faithful service to the Lord, his family and our fellowship."

Wood expressed hopes that, after a "period of rehabilitation yet to be determined," Palmer would be able to return to ministry.

The executive presbyters, who serve as the board of directors for the denomination, are expected to appoint an interim replacement for Palmer to serve until the General Council, the major biennial meeting of the Assemblies of God, in August.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 18, 2009 8:58AM | Comments (45)

Women are about to surpass men in their participation in the workforce. The New York Times reports that "a full 82 percent of the job losses [in this recession] have befallen men, who are heavily represented in distressed industries like manufacturing and construction." Women, on the other hand, are heavily represented in steadier sectors of the economy, such as health care and education.

As a result "women are now bearing the burden - or the opportunity, one could say - of being breadwinners," says Heather Boushey, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress. Just a year ago, some evangelicals were concerned about the two income trap, the need to have mom and dad in the workforce in order to make it in America. Now, families are lucky to have a second income at a time when the economy is losing half a million jobs per month. However, when the wife brings home the bacon, not only does the situation hurt a man's pride, but also challenges his theology, if as Paige Patterson says, a women's place is in the home.

A structural shift may be occurring that could keep women as breadwinners for much longer than the end of the recession. In the last two downturns, writes Justin Fox, the jobs the economy shed never came back. Instead, the new jobs created were in different sectors for people with different skills. It doesn't look as though many investment bankers will head back to Wall Street or construction workers will head back to the Sun Belt when the economy picks up again.

Having two incomes these days looks like less of a trap than desperately-needed insurance policy.

Posted by Rob Moll at February 17, 2009 8:33PM | Comments (1)

The pastor of Willow Creek Chicago, megachurch Willow Creek Community Church's city campus, resigned and admitted to "sexual impurity," according to Chicago breaking news.

In 2006, the Rev. Steve Wu began leading Willow Creek Chicago, launching Willow Creek's fifth campus. Willow Creek is the second largest megachurch in the United States with more than 20,000 members, according to a database by the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

According to the article, a church elder read a statement to the Willow Chicago congregation on January 25 announcing Wu's resignation, saying the pastor "admitted to sexual impurity and has taken full responsibility for his sin. He has expressed a desire to participate in a restoration process." The statement also said that Todd Katter has agreed to serve as interim campus pastor while the church searches for Wu's replacement.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 17, 2009 5:22PM | Comments (16)

Rainn Wilson, the actor who plays the hilarious Dwight Schrute on The Office, gets serious in an op-ed on CNN.com on religious freedom in Iran.

"Dear readers of CNN, I assure you that what I'm writing about is no joking matter or some hoax perpetrated by a paper-sellin', bear-fearin', Battlestar Galactica-obsessed beet farmer," writes Wilson, who is a member of the Baha'i faith.

Why write about all this now? Well, I'm glad you asked. You see there's a ?trial' going on very soon for seven Baha'i national leaders in Iran.

They've been accused of all manner of things including being "spies for Israel," "insulting religious sanctities" and "propaganda against the Islamic Republic."

... It's bad right now for all the peace-loving Baha'is in Iran who want only to practice their religion and follow their beliefs. It's especially bad for these seven. Here's a link to their bios. They're teachers, and engineers, and optometrists and social workers just like us.

Wilson asks readers to contact their representatives of Congress about a resolution on the situation.

"This thought has become kind of a clich?', but we take our rights for granted here in America," he writes. "Imagine if a group of people were rounded up and imprisoned and then disappeared not for anything they'd done, but because they wanted to worship differently than the majority."

Yes, this is the same person who plays Dwight. He ends by saying, "Thanks for reading. Now back to bears, paper and beets!"

(h/t Mollie)

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 17, 2009 4:26PM | Comments (0)

I've been suffering for CT at the National Pastors Convention in, uh, San Diego. Yet despite the gorgeous locale and weather, there is, as usual, palpable angst here. The place is full of pastors who are either exhausted, burnt out, frustrated, or missional. They all amount to the same thing: a simmering anger about the church.

For most pastors that anger is directed at stupid lay people, stubborn church boards, or indifferent church bureaucrats. But "the church," and especially "the Western church" or "the American church," is the object of a myriad of derisive and sarcastic comments.

The anger is understandable. Pastors are an idealistic lot, having entered the ministry because they had the mistaken idea that they could make a difference in the world. And the church is standing in their way. I know. I was once a pastor. It's the way this works. I had great ideas for ministering to the community and the world. And all sorts of church people, from laity to church bureaucrats, got in the way. What I could have done in a church without people!

What occurs to very few pastors--I only heard it from Will Willimon and Larry Osborne--is the difficult passion to love the church. To be sure, love can be tough. But love should also be tender.

Not a lot of tender comments about the sheep that these shepherds are responsible for. Lots of desire for transforming the world, becoming a missional outpost, and enough social justicing to make mainline liberals drool with envy. But not much tender love for those people, as Willimon put it, whom Jesus loves and calls into community with him.

As I said, this is understandable. This is a place where pastors need to get their frustrations off their chests. I went to similar conferences when I was a pastor and found them to be blessed weeks of healing and renewal precisely because we talked frankly about our frustrations with our churches. I just wish that at NPC, more of the presenters would not have fed the anger with calls for revolutionizing this and transforming that, which only puts more guilt and even more unrealistic expectations on the shoulders of men and women in pastoral leadership who are trying to love the people for whom Jesus died.

Posted by Mark Galli at February 13, 2009 9:49AM | Comments (18)

Newly-freed Philip Rizk, a friend of CT held without charge in Egypt for four days, gave a press conference Thursday at his home in Maadi (a Cairo suburb) before kindly asking reporters to leave so he could celebrate his 27th birthday with friends. He later offered this statement.

Our correspondent said Rizk was calm and composed as he described his detainment.

Rizk said he was held in solitude for four days, suffering no physical abuse but enduring "all sorts of tortuous ways" of interrogation day and night while blindfolded - often handcuffed and made to stand when his answers failed to please.

Rizk said he was also exposed to the apparent sounds of others being tortured, likely as an intimidation tactic. His interrogator told him: "Everything that is in your head we want to take it out."

Rizk said he was urged to "confess" but never told what the charges against him were. He was accused of such contradictory actions as dealing weapons to Hamas, spying for Israel, and being an evangelist. Said Rizk, in relation to his work in Gaza with the Anglican-based Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation from 2005 to 2007:

"They accused me of being an evangelist. They said anyone working in a non-Christian country with a Christian organization must be an evangelist, and I asked them straight out, ?So, as a Christian, I can't help my neighbor if he's Muslim if I'm working for a Christian organization?' And they said, ?No!'"

Rizk said interrogators told him if he were to "continue on this track" that he would be "visiting them quite often." His personal email accounts were compromised. His blog, Tabula Gaza, written since 2006, has been closed to public viewing.

Yet Rizk indicated that he sees no reason to cease his activism on behalf of the citizens of Gaza. "I always knew there was the risk living in Egypt ? to be involved in these kind of activities," he said. "So you know there's a risk if you speak out too much. You know there's a risk."

Rizk isn't sure why he was treated better and released sooner than other arrested Gaza activists, but cited his dual citizenship and international pressure from "amazing friends from around the world."

"I knew there were people on the outside that knew what was going on, that were getting involved and I had some faith that things would be ok," said Rizk, who called attention to other arrested Egyptian bloggers who lack such ties and currently remain in detention.

Huslman said the AP's Paul Schemm called the press conference unusual, saying Rizk is not the first blogger and humanitarian activist to be arrested but that most, if they are freed, do not speak to the press.

Observers suggest that Rizk was targeted as part of a crackdown on dissident bloggers by an Egyptian government increasingly sensitive to critiques of its treatment of Gaza.

Philip also gave an interview to an Arabic human rights group. The money quote:

"I was repeatedly questioned about everything and I was terrified. Although I was not abused physically, I was blind-folded all the time. Officers kept saying to me: "Do you know what we can do to you?", and I was threatened with long term imprisonment. They asked me if I supported Hamas, was working for Israel, and, being Christian, if I was an evangelist. I was never informed of any charges against me."

And here is a first-hand account from Rizk's sister. The money quote:

"It was really hard because we had so many false alarms that he was being released?. Now he has been released, just in time for his birthday. Before this happened we had planned a big party on our balcony with dancing and food, and now we really have something to celebrate."

For a fuller treatment of the press conference and a transcript, click here for the account from Cornelis Hulsman, executive director and editor of the Arab West Report.

Photo credits: Lisa Tribuzio, Arab West Report

Posted by Jeremy Weber at February 12, 2009 1:42PM | Comments (1)

Calvary Chapel?Golden Springs, a nondenominational megachurch in Diamond Bar, California, will be providing assistance in the form of childcare to Nadya Suleman, the single mother whose birth to octuplets by in-vitro fertilization January 26 has received much media attention (and criticism) the last two weeks.

Pastor Rex Wolins told the Whittier Daily News that Calvary's women's ministry is gathering volunteers to help Suleman once her octuplets, born nine weeks premature but in good health, come home from the hospital. Suleman has six other children ages 2?7 who were also conceived by in-vitro fertilization.

Suleman and her publicist told Whittier Daily News that she attended Calvary in the past. "[Suleman] thought it was a wonderful church," said publicist Mike Furtney. "She was more than delighted to take her kids up there. I think they went there frequently."

Pastor Wolins says he does not remember Suleman and does not know other members who do. "We just know this person is extremely hurting . . . and this church wants to take care of needs, whether she did or she didn't attend this church," said Wolins.

According to yesterday's Los Angeles Times, Suleman has no job or income, and owes $50,000 in student loans. Beyond Calvary's support, Suleman may also qualify to receive large amounts of public assistance in the form of food stamps, healthcare reimbursements from Medi-Cal, and federal security income for her three children who are disabled (not including the octuplets).

* * *

Update: Calvary Chapel released a statement on Friday, February 13, saying that, in contrast to the claims of Ms. Suleman and Whittier Daily News 's story, the church will not be providing her assistance in the form of establishing a foundation, providing monies, or helping her find a house. Associate pastor Beau De Graffenreid made the following statement in a recorded press conference: "[W]e are unable to confirm or deny whether she actively attends Calvary Chapel, Golden Springs. We can say, however, that no one currently on staff knows her, and to the best of our knowledge, Ms. Suleman's only contact with us was a minor inquiry regarding our children's ministry."

However, Pastor De Graffenreid goes on to say that his church is "relieved that the birth of these infants was successful. Because of the physical and emotional strain that these eight newborn babies will place upon her and her other six children, they will be in need of spiritual guidance, childcare assistance 24 hours a day from her local community for many years to come . . . We would ask that Christians everywhere pray for her and these babies."

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at February 12, 2009 12:13PM | Comments (23)

CT's Senior Managing Editor Mark Galli is running around the National Pastors Convention in San Diego, talking to people like Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, and A.J. Jacobs, author of The Year of Living Biblically.

He's also using CT's Twitter, that social network that allows you to do some reporting from your phone. The fun part is that Mark has only 140 characters.

Using the #npc09 symbol, Mark will give updates and wants your feedback. What do you want to know about the convention?

I've posted some of his tweets below:

#npc09 Interviewing Rob Bell later today. What ? do you have for him? Tweet markgalli.

#npc09 interviewing AJ "living the Bible literally" Jacobs later. What ? should we ask him?

#npc09 best undiscovered author: Shane Hipps. Has done lots of wise thinking about technology and the gospel.

#npc09 William Willimon preached. Key idea: pastors are called to love the infuriating people that Jesus loves and dies for: the laity

#npc09 Rob Bell: Great interview on his latest book. Thanks especially for the question about putting the gospel in a tweet. He tried :-)

#npc09 AJ Jacob interview: I can see why this guy is so compelling/attractive. He's pretty humble and gracious. Puts some Xians to shame

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 12, 2009 8:48AM | Comments (1)

Updated (3:50 p.m., Wed., Feb. 11): The NYT has the first interview with Rizk. CT will be covering his press conference Thursday.

Rizk says he was blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated for four days before being released without explanation. The money quote:

"I was held for four days but the people of Gaza continue to be held in a form of prison, and there are others in Egypt who are also being held," he said. "I want to move the attention to others who are still in this situation."

AP suggests Rizk's detainment was part of a broader crackdown on dissent by Egypt. Question is whether the other bloggers have the international connections that Rizk does....

Updated (8:50 a.m. Wed., Feb. 11): This post adds analysis by CT source in Cairo and a roundup of press coverage of Rizk's release.

Philip Rizk, a friend of CT held without charge by Egypt's State Security forces since Friday evening, has been released to his family -- just in time for his 27th birthday Thursday.

From Facebook:

LATEST UPDATE FROM THE RIZK FAMILY

Wednesday February 11th, 4:00am

Philip is out, he is safe and home with his family.
He requests that all upcoming planned protests and marches still take place to end siege on Gaza.

More details to come soon.
Please do not call the family members at this time.

-------

His release comes in the wake of extensive media coverage, high-level diplomacy efforts, and protests in front of Egyptian embassies worldwide, many organized by former classmates at Wheaton College. For Chicago, click here and here. For Wheaton College's response, click here.

Some analysis on Rizk's arrest and release, from CT's source in Cairo, can be found here. The author suggests
Rizk was arrested in part because his protest march mirrored one proposed by a medical syndicate associated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood and explicitly denied permission by Egyptian authorities. The money quotes:

"It has all the appearance, one Western diplomat said, that Egyptian authorities have totally miscalculated the effects of arresting a young man campaigning for humanitarian support to Gaza."
"Philip organized his march with a group of only 14 young people. His arrest has garnered attention for his march that he would never have achieved if he had not been arrested. His arrest has also resulted in discussions about humanitarian aid to Gaza and human rights in Egypt that would not have happened without his arrest. Egyptian security authorities have thus done his case a great favor that in all likelihood was completely unintended."

Click here for accounts of Rizk's release from AP, Middle East Times, BBC, and Reuters.

In addition to CT's coverage here, this NYT article covers the recent saga well.

Photo credit: Emily Johnston Anderson

Posted by Jeremy Weber at February 11, 2009 4:03PM | Comments (0)

Updated (3:50 p.m., Wed., Feb. 11): The NYT has the first interview with Rizk. CT will be covering his press conference Thursday.

Rizk says he was blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated for four days before being released without explanation. The money quote:

"I was held for four days but the people of Gaza continue to be held in a form of prison, and there are others in Egypt who are also being held," he said. "I want to move the attention to others who are still in this situation."

AP suggests Rizk's detainment was part of a broader crackdown on dissent by Egypt. Question is whether the other bloggers have the international connections that Rizk does....

Updated (8:50 a.m. Wed., Feb. 11): This post adds analysis by CT source in Cairo and a roundup of press coverage of Rizk's release.

Philip Rizk, a friend of CT held without charge by Egypt's State Security forces since Friday evening, has been released to his family -- just in time for his 27th birthday Thursday.

From Facebook:

LATEST UPDATE FROM THE RIZK FAMILY

Wednesday February 11th, 4:00am

Philip is out, he is safe and home with his family.
He requests that all upcoming planned protests and marches still take place to end siege on Gaza.

More details to come soon.
Please do not call the family members at this time.

-------

His release comes in the wake of extensive media coverage, high-level diplomacy efforts, and protests in front of Egyptian embassies worldwide, many organized by former classmates at Wheaton College. For Chicago, click here and here. For Wheaton College's response, click here.

Some analysis on Rizk's arrest and release, from CT's source in Cairo, can be found here. The author suggests
Rizk was arrested in part because his protest march mirrored one proposed by a medical syndicate associated with the banned Muslim Brotherhood and explicitly denied permission by Egyptian authorities. The money quotes:

"It has all the appearance, one Western diplomat said, that Egyptian authorities have totally miscalculated the effects of arresting a young man campaigning for humanitarian support to Gaza."
"Philip organized his march with a group of only 14 young people. His arrest has garnered attention for his march that he would never have achieved if he had not been arrested. His arrest has also resulted in discussions about humanitarian aid to Gaza and human rights in Egypt that would not have happened without his arrest. Egyptian security authorities have thus done his case a great favor that in all likelihood was completely unintended."

Click here for accounts of Rizk's release from AP, Middle East Times, BBC, and Reuters.

In addition to CT's coverage here, this NYT article covers the recent saga well.

Photo credit: Emily Johnston Anderson

Posted by Jeremy Weber at February 10, 2009 9:18PM | Comments (1)

The libertarian Cato Institute has been sponsoring an advertisement saying that "it is a triumph of hope over experience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S." fix the economy. Among the hundreds of signers were professors from several Christian colleges, including: John Lunn from Hope College, Earl Grinols from Baylor University, Seth Norton of Wheaton College, Alex Tokarev from The King's College and a World magazine correspondent, and Douglas Walker of Regent University.

While the President has promised to restore science to it's rightful place (for some a jab at the evangelical influence on the previous administration), many economists are wondering whether science or faith is driving the economic theory behind the stimulus bill. As The Atlantic's Megan McArdle points out, "The evidence for this kind of stimulus working in this kind of situation basically rests on a single instance (World War II)--the other two times it was tried (Japan in the 1990s and America in the 1930s) the economy basically rolled along in the doldrums for the rest of the decade." The burden of proof she says is on supporters of the stimulus, otherwise, "We might as well move macroeconomic policy to the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives."

Update: Justin Fox, of Time magazine's Curious Capitalist blog, argues that the stimulus bill is an economist's version of Pascal's wager--"Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing." If the stimulus works, great. If not, we're only out $800 billion.

Posted by Rob Moll at February 9, 2009 9:27PM | Comments (8)

Update: Monday, Feb. 9, 12:50 p.m., Chicago time.

AP is now reporting a release order for Philip Rizk has been issued but not yet implemented. AP credits this to international media pressure. CT readers would credit international prayers as well....

----------------------------

Christianity Today news has learned that Philip Rizk, a well-known blogger, journalist, grad student, and activist currently based in Cairo, is reportedly being held by State Security Investigations officials in Sadr City, a northern suburb of Cairo (see also here and here). His sister reports that police came to the Rizk household at 1:30 a.m. this morning searching for evidence related to Philip's activism and attempted to take Philip's father Maged with them. They left empty-handed at 5 a.m.

On Friday, Feb. 6, Rizk was present during a protest march focusing on the situation in Gaza. Apparently, others were also taken into custody, but have since been released.

These details are just emerging and not independently confirmed as yet.

According to one web account:

Phil's parents went to the Police Headquarters to file a missing persons complaint. There they were told it might take 2 or 3 days to process the paperwork and get Philip out. A lot of friends have gathered outside the Police headquarters to show support and solidarity.

For one account of the protest march, published in the Egyptian media, click here.

Here's one comment from Rizk:

"We anticipated that when Israeli bombing stopped, the momentum would end and we were right," Rizk said, "but we wanted to follow up on this momentum with a series of popular actions."

I have met Phil several times, including in November 2006 in Gaza. He is a graduate of Wheaton College and at one time worked for Anglican Canon Andrew White, who has been quite active in faith-based reconciliation work in the Middle East, especially Iraq.

If you are in Egypt and have additional information about this, email me here.

For additional information, see Phil's blog.

His last posting was on Wednesday, Feb. 4. The website created to detail the protest march has been taken down. Rizk recently has been doing graduate work at the American University, Cairo.

Click here for the AP report and here for the Reuters report.

Family and friends have created a group on Facebook for updates. Click here.

AUC student media is actively covering the story.

There is one eyewitness account to his abduction and alleged kidnapping. Click here.

....All hell broke out at 11 p.m. [Friday] The lawyers rang down to say that Philip had been kidnapped: state security officers had told him that they wanted him for questioning without the lawyers in a room next door. They took him downstairs and put him in a Suzuki microbus which, when it appeared at the police station's exit, we attempted to prevent moving by blocking its path. It forced its way through while state security officers frenziedly threw us out of the way.

CT has been in contact with a member of the Rizk family and will update this account as events warrant.

Photo via Facebook.

Posted by Tim Morgan at February 7, 2009 4:19PM | Comments (5)

Fresh podcasts about the best books and movies of the year are available here. New CT programs are going up regularly, so check back often. Better yet, subscribe. It's all free!

Posted by Stan Guthrie at February 7, 2009 6:51AM | Comments (0)

This might have been the real Super Bowl of the year . . .

Posted by Mark Moring at February 6, 2009 2:45PM | Comments (5)

Update: 4:30, CST

Reactions to statements from Anglican primates are piling up in my in box.

Here's one important voice: Bishop Martyn Minns, CANA:

"We also welcome a period of gracious restraint as the Primates describe it but are distressed by the reality that The Episcopal Church continues to initiate punitive litigation on a massive scale. To date, there are at least 56 lawsuits initiated by The Episcopal Church, or its dioceses, against individual churches, clergy and vestries across the country.

"We are saddened to read that within hours of agreeing to this statement Presiding Bishop Schori is already questioning whether the Primates' call for gracious restraint is something to which The Episcopal Church wants to make a commitment ?'the long-term impact of ?gracious restraint' is a matter for General Convention,' she said in a statement.

"We appreciate the encouragement for those of us connected with the Anglican Church in North America to continue to move forward as faithful Anglicans and to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ."

If you have loads of time, read the final communique, here

* * *
Noon, Thursday, Feb. 5, CST

Today, Anglican watchers worldwide have been awaiting the release of the communique from the Anglican Communion's top bishops and archbishops, who have been meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, this week.

Episcopal News Service reports:

Anglican leaders meeting in Egypt have affirmed the recommendations of the Windsor Continuation Group and called for the development of a "Pastoral Council" and the appointment of "Pastoral Visitors" to assist in healing and reconciliation given the current "situation of tension" in the Anglican Communion.

In a communiqu? released on the final day of their February 1-5 meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, the primates are also encouraging all parties in the current controversies to maintain "gracious restraint" with respect to actions that could exacerbate the tensions, such as same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate.

For the Episcopal Church and Anglicans in Virginia, this initiative from Anglican primates comes at an exceedingly touchy time since they have entered the appeal phase of their litigation.

Recently, the Anglican District of Virginia issues a public call to conclude all litigation. In a press statement, ADV said:

FAIRFAX, Va. (February 3, 2009) ? In response to the appeal filed today by The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia, the Anglican District of Virginia (ADV) called for an end to the two year Virginia church property litigation. Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Bellows issued his final rulings in December. The rulings were in favor of the nine ADV congregations and found that each has a legal right to their church property.

"Judge Bellows upheld the written law, correctly applied the Constitution, and was judicious in his rulings throughout this legal process. We hoped that TEC and the Diocese would recognize this and would have put this legal battle behind us," said Jim Oakes, vice-chairman of ADV. "We are saddened that The Episcopal Church and the Diocese find it necessary to continue with more litigation. An appeal process will cost additional millions of dollars that could be spent on mission and ministry. Both sides have already spent some $5 million in legal costs, money that could have gone to our communities in need during these tough economic times. Although we are disappointed by this development, we are fully prepared to continue to defend ourselves and remain confident in our legal position.

"These legal victories for religious freedom have encouraged us to stand firm in our Anglican faith. Our congregations will continue to work together delivering the message of Christ. All we have ever wanted to do is continue to worship and serve God in the same tradition as our ancestors and the worldwide Anglican Communion."

On December 19, 2008, the Anglican District of Virginia congregations received favorable final rulings regarding whether four parcels of property owned by the Anglican congregations were covered by the congregations' Division petitions. (TEC and the Diocese had previously acknowledged that the congregations' other properties were all covered by the congregations' Division petitions.)

So in a matter of days, it should be clear whether The Episcopal Church will change its strategy of litigation against departing parishes and presentments against bishops who are leaving TEC.

Posted by Tim Morgan at February 5, 2009 11:27AM | Comments (3)

Open Doors has released its list of countries where Christians are most persecuted. Their 50-question survey asks both about Christians' legal status and what actually happens to them.

North Korea is at the top of the list for the seventh year in a row. It scored a 90.5, putting it in a category by itself, 32.5 points beyond Saudi Arabia and Iran. "The North Korean regime believes that it will collapse if it fails to stop the spreading of Christianity," Open Doors explains.

They list Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Mauritania, Algeria, India, Nigeria (North), Indonesia, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan as countries where Christians' freedom has deteriorated.

Countries that improved include Bhutan, China, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Sudan (North), Zanzibar Islands, Cuba, Turkey, and Colombia.

Posted by Susan Wunderink at February 4, 2009 4:36PM | Comments (3)

Christianity Today editor at large Collin Hansen is over at the USA Today faith blog today answering questions about Calvinism, the new young Reformed movement, and free will. Go throw him some hardballs.

Posted by Ted Olsen at February 4, 2009 10:54AM | Comments (0)

Amy Welborn, one of the longest-running and most prominent Roman Catholic bloggers, announced yesterday that her husband, Michael Dubruiel, "collapsed this morning at the gym and was not able to be revived despite the efforts of EMTs and hospital personnel." Our prayers are with Amy, her children, and their family.

Posted by Ted Olsen at February 4, 2009 6:40AM | Comments (0)

Millard Fuller, who founded a house-building ministry called Habitat for Humanity with his wife, died today. He was 74.

Linda Fuller told that Associated Press that her husband was complaining of chest pains, headache and difficulty swallowing.

"Millard would not want people to mourn his death," she told the AP. "He would be more interested in having people put on a tool belt and build a house for people in need."

Former President Jimmy Carter, called Fuller "one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known.

"He used his remarkable gifts as an entrepreneur for the benefit of millions of needy people around the world by providing them with decent housing," Carter said in a statement. "As the founder of Habitat for Humanity and later the Fuller Center, he was an inspiration to me, other members of our family and an untold number of volunteers who worked side-by-side under his leadership."

Fuller founded the organization in 1976, which has built 300,000 houses for more than 1.5 million people. In 1996, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

However, the organization went through turmoil amid allegations that Fuller had harassed women on staff. Fuller denied the charges, but the board ousted him after he spoke publicly about the matter.

After he left Habitat, Fuller founded the Fuller Center for Housing.

Funeral services are scheduled for tomorrow, and he will be buried at Koinonia Farm in Georgia.

Previous articles on Fuller and Habitat for Humanity include the following:
Questions Follow Fuller's Firing from Habitat for Humanity | Changing corporate culture, not harassment allegations, reportedly led to founder's dismissal as president. But some say the leadership battle isn't over. (February 7, 2005)

How to Build Homes Without Putting Up Walls | Habitat for Humanity strives to keep its Christian identity - a tricky task, when everybody wants to join. (May 31, 2002)

God's Contractor | How Habitat for Humanity's Millard Fuller persuaded corporate America to do kingdom work. (June 14, 1999)

Habitat Builds 50,000th Home | Habitat for Humanity had its busiest week ever starting September 8, constructing 150 homes in 70 cities. (October 26, 1998)

Building Straw Houses on a Firm Foundation | Habitat for Humanity goes low-tech with big results. (February 3, 1997)

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 3, 2009 12:01PM | Comments (4)

Heeding warnings from an accrediting team about its shaky finances, Vanguard University of Southern California has faced major transitions in the last two weeks to prepare to meet with the accreditor February 19. Under the direction of acting president Carol Taylor - who stepped in last week after the school's interim president and board chairman quit - Vanguard will aim to show the accreditor that it's implemented a plan to pull itself out of $42 million in debt.

Last September, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visited the school, owned by the Southern California district of the Assemblies of God, and concluded that it was in "profound crisis." The accrediting team said Vanguard had tolerated incompetent financial reporting for years, which had masked its deep debt.

According to The Orange County Register, which has covered this story extensively, the WASC report charged, "the past two presidents and key (board members) engaged in practices which the WASC team find to be major breaches of institutional integrity and serious violations of Commission standards, thus calling into question the fundamental accredability [sic] of the university." The report, which has not released publicly, goes on to say that school officials "intentionally masked" the financial problems.

At WASC president Ralph A. Wolff's request, board chair Ray Rachels and interim president Wayne Kraiss stepped down last week "in order to facilitate the new leadership necessary to move Vanguard forward," according to a Vanguard statement. The Rev. Rachels is the superintendent of the Assemblies of God Southern California district and has been board chair for 21 years. The board says it plans to change its bylaws so that the district superintendent doesn't become chairman by default. Dr. Russell Spittler (whom CT interviewed in 2006) is now acting board chair.

Acting president Taylor expects WASC to give its final recommendation four to six weeks after meeting with school officials February 19.

Vanguard, a CCCU member university and graduate school, is located in Costa Mesa, Orange County, and is home to over 2,150 students.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at February 2, 2009 4:37PM | Comments (10)

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Christian liberal arts college in Florida lost its president to Oral Roberts University on Wednesday -- but gained a $10 million pledge from a business associated with the chairman of ORU's board of trustees.

Southeastern University in Lakeland, Fla., announced the donation January 29 by Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby Inc., an arts and crafts retailer known for shuttering its 400 stores in 30 states on Sundays.

On Wednesday, Southeastern president Mark Rutland was hired as president of ORU, a charismatic Christian university in Tulsa, Okla., still recovering from a 2007 scandal tied to allegations of lavish spending by former president Richard Roberts.

Mart Green, chairman of ORU's board, is a Christian businessman whose family salvaged ORU with a $70 million donation after its financial problems surfaced in 2007.

"As a result of recent visits to the campus of Southeastern University, we are impressed with the vibrant programs of Christian higher education and the beautiful facilities and campus," Green, heir to the Hobby Lobby fortune, said in a letter to Southeastern's board of trustees.

"It is our hope that the financial assistance will only increase SEU's financial strength."

In an interview with the Lakeland Ledger, Rutland said the gift is the largest ever received by Southeastern and maybe the largest single gift ever to an Assemblies of God-related college.

During Rutland's 10 years at Southeastern, enrollment has jumped from 950 to 3,079 students, while the campus has undergone more than $50 million in renovations. According to the Ledger, Rutland said he initially was not interested in the post at ORU, but as discussions proceeded, he told Green "it would be a deciding factor" if he and his family would give a "substantial" gift to Southeastern.

The Ledger said Green gave a slightly different account, saying that Rutland knew Southeastern had some debt and he wanted to leave the Florida university in a strong financial position.

Asked about the connection between the Southeastern gift and Rutland's decision to accept the ORU job, Southeastern spokeswoman Anita Whitaker did not reply directly.

"Southeastern University is enjoying its best financial health ever," Whitaker said in an e-mail, specifying that she meant before the Hobby Lobby gift. "Although there is debt, just like any other university or organization, we are financially strong, sound and solid."

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at February 2, 2009 10:04AM | Comments (1)

It's great to read the stories of faith and football preceding today's Super Bowl. But almost lost amid all those tales from Tampa is another remarkable story of sports and spirituality, this one out of a small town in North Carolina.

More than 6,000 people showed up in Cary, NC, Friday for the funeral of Kay Yow, who had been the women's basketball coach at N.C. State University for 34 seasons before losing a two-decade battle to breast cancer last week at the age of 66.

Yow, a Hall of Famer, won over 700 games and coached the 1988 U.S. Olympic women's team to a gold medal. But that's not why thousands flocked to her funeral. They came en masse because she had touched so many lives by her kindness and a deep Christian faith.

Yow deemed her faith the most important thing in her life, so it's no surprise that she would want the gospel message preached at her funeral. But what was a surprise was that she gave the message herself in this 25-minute video, a remarkable, moving farewell recorded some time before her death.

After describing heaven as a place of no more tears or pain, a smiling Yow said in the video, "I am saying to you now, rejoice, because I am now in a wonderful location with my heavenly Father."

She also said, "I don't want you to fret over the fact that I'm not here or question why I'm not here. Because God knows what he's doing. He doesn't make mistakes. ... I have now a place in heaven with him.''

Yow went on to give her testimony about coming to Christ as a young coach, telling several stories, and concludes by sharing the gospel via the "Romans Road," sharing verse-by-verse how to become a Christian.

Her message apparently had a big effect on those attending the funeral.

"Obviously I don't think there was a person in that room that wasn't touched and probably affected by her words,'' Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt said. "I have never known of a service like this. And it would be just like Kay to be the absolute first.''

I first met Kay Yow in 1978 as a 19-year-old sportswriter at The Cavalier Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Virginia, where I covered women's basketball. Even at that first meeting--a post-game interview--it was clear there was something about Coach Yow that made her different: A kind and gentle spirit you didn't often see in the cut-throat atmosphere of big-time college basketball. She was competitive, of course, and wanted to win every game. But for her, relationships meant more than anything. She often told younger coaches that they could be friends first, competitors second.

I'll be planted on the couch this evening in front of the Super Bowl just like everybody else, taking note of all the players and coaches in the game who have talked about their faith. But at the same time, I'll be remembering one of the classiest coaches, at any level, that I ever met.

Rest in peace, Kay.

(Yow also discussed her faith with FCA's Sharing the Victory a couple years ago here.)

Posted by Mark Moring at February 1, 2009 1:11AM | Comments (3)