First it was Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. Then it was Christopher Hitchens and Douglas Wilson ... and Dinesh D'Souza ... and William Lane Craig. Now it is Jerry B. Jenkins and ... Stephen King. The two authors, one specializing on God and the other on the devil, are sharing the cover of the next issue of Writer's Digest.

In his blog, Jerry says the men became friends because they shared the same voice actor, the late Frank Muller, for some of their works. One day out of the blue Jerry received a call from Stephen. Jerry notes:

During the conversation I said, "It may surprise you to know that I'm a reader of yours." I told Stephen that while I wasn't into horror fiction, I had read many of his short stories and that The Green Mile was one of my favorite novels.

He said, "It may surprise you to know that I'm a reader of yours."

Posted by Stan Guthrie at March 31, 2009 10:01AM | Comments (0)

Mark Galli points out a study that confirms my own anecdotal evidence through interviews with Christian doctors--particularly those in hospice or working with the elderly: Christians are surprisingly aggressive in attempting to forestall their own death through the use of medical interventions.

This is surprising because the basic belief of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ died and rose from the grave. And as Paul says in Romans, Christians have the life of the God who rose Jesus from the dead. Because of this death-defeating life, the Christian believes, as the Bible repeats, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

This fearlessness toward death, especially as taught by Paul in I Corinthians 15 and given evidence in his life, is not at all apparent in the decision making of many, many Christians (according to the study Mark cited) who use medical technology to fight death.

In research for my book on the Christian art of dying well (due out from InterVarsity Press next year), I found at least two reasons why Christians in particular pursue aggressive medical interventions at the end of life.

The first is a transference of pro-life values from the beginning to the end of life. "We're so pro-life," one doctor told me, "we're anti-death." Over and over again, he sees patients defend their desperate decisions by appealing to their pro-life beliefs.

The second reason why Christians pursue aggressive medical treatment at the end of life is related to the health and wealth idea of claiming a promise of God. Another hospice doctor--and a Christian--told me that he regularly hears patients who have entered hospice say they refuse to claim whatever illness threatens their life. By refusing to claim it, they deny its existence. Or by claiming a verse or passage that promises healing (even "Death has been swallowed up in victory", many Christians believe they will be the first since Elijah to be taken directly to heaven--a gift even Jesus was denied.

Of course, both these explanations are cover for a deeper issue: the fear of death. And while Christians have a hope in Jesus' defeat of death on the cross, their fear is not unique and perfectly understandable.

But the problems with such fear leading to aggresive medical treatment at the end of life are two-fold. First death is always made more difficult by refusing to come to terms with its arrival. Aggressive treatment not only provides the (often false) hope of a cure, but is typically exhausting and therefore doesn't allow a patient the time or energy to make peace with life's end. Without this acceptance of death, the dying process is often physically difficult, painful, and lengthy. And for family members, such a difficult death makes the grief and mourning process more painful and thornier to work through.

The next problem is related. Through the 19th century, Christians practiced various forms of the good death. While some details changed, the basic belief is that Jesus' death and resurrection is a model for the Christian's death and expected resurrection. Dying well therefore required 1) a willingness to die, 2) an expression of the Christian hope in the bodily resurrection and everlasting life with God, and 3) a farewell to one's family and community often accompanied by last words. This pattern was consistent throughout Christian history until the 20th century.

The 21st century, because of a range of medical and social issues, makes it a good time to try to recover the lost art of Christian dying. (My book and perhaps future CT articles explain this further.) But these values are best learned before a patient needs to make the decision to enter hospice or pursue curative treatment. And they are best taught by a church community that offers hope in the resurrection after death--and not the promise of health and wealth right now.

Posted by Rob Moll at March 30, 2009 12:14PM | Comments (4)

1. Obama at Notre Dame
The President will be the principal speaker at commencement and receive an honorary doctorate. A number of Catholics say the invitation directly contradicts a 2004 statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that "the Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

The Bishop of Ft. Wayne-South Bend said he wouldn't attend and asked parishioners to pray that the university would "recommit itself to the primacy of truth over prestige."

2. Kathleen Sebelius in trouble with Catholic leaders, too
The Health and Human Services Secretary-designate has already been in trouble with the archbishop of Kansas City. Now that she's heading to D.C., the head of the Vatican's highest court says should not present herself for Communion there either. Expect what religion journalists call a "wafer watch" to see what happens if she does go forward for the Eucharist.

3. UN Human Rights Council again passes a resolution against "defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred"
The vote was 23 members for (mostly Muslim nations, but also Belarus and Venezuela), 11 against (mostly Western countries: Canada, all the European Union countries on the council, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Chile), and 13 abstentions. India abstained, for example, because Islam was the only religion specifically named as deserving protection.

The United States did not vote on the resolution because it does not sit on the Human Rights Council, but it has opposed similar resolutions and isn't too keen on how countries with terrible human rights records control the human rights council.

The resolution is not binding, and similar measures have passed before, but critics say it justifies religious persecution and suppression of speech, especially in the countries that pushed for the resolution. (Another seven stories after the jump...)

4. Judge strikes down Homeland Security's tough policy on religious visas
It has been harder for religious workers to get their green cards than it was for workers in other fields. The Department of Homeland Security under Bush had said that's because there was more fraud among religious work visa applicants.

A federal district court said Homeland Security's application of the law was at odds with Congress's intent for the law and threw out the policy.

Meanwhile, there was significant item in the religion and immigration world this week. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals - which often issues left-leaning decisions a lot of conservative Christian groups don't like - this week issued a ruling that will help Chinese Christians. The three Chinese Christians had been arrested and tortured in China for helping North Korean refugees. They escaped, came to America, and applied for asylum, but a U.S. immigration judge claimed they were punished for breaking Chinese law, not for their beliefs. The 9th Circuit Court this week basically said that's crazy (especially since there isn't an actual law in China against helping North Korean refugees, just a general policy discouraging such help). After this week's decision, it may be easier for Chinese Christians to get asylum here.

5. 9th Circuit: School can cut mic during valedictorian's speech
Here's the Ninth Circuit Court acting more like the Ninth Circuit we've come to know (though more conservative courts may very well have come to the same conclusion).

A Nevada high school censored a valedictorian's graduation speech, taking out her references to the Bible and "the Lord." She decided to give the uncensored version anyway, was about halfway through when school officials unplugged her microphone. The Ninth Circuit in a short decision said the school was free to cut her off.

6. Supreme Court won't hear suit over evolution and religion claim
The University of California at Berkeley has a website called "Understanding Evolution," which says Darwinism is compatible with religion. A woman sued over it, saying that a state university making religious declarations like that violates the separation of church and state. A lower court told her it's too bad she was offended, but that wasn't enough to sue over it. The Supreme Court this week said, essentially, it didn't want to get involved.

7. Pa. state senator proposes law protecting church pies
The backstory is that a Pennsylvania health inspector was checking out a church's kitchen, saw a woman slicing pies, and asked if she'd cooked it at the church. When she explained that it had been brought from home, the inspector told her she couldn't serve the pie. It wasn't cooked in an inspected facility. A backlash ensued, and now State Senator Elder Vogel is charging to the rescue by introducing a bill that lets churches serve homemade food. God bless America.

8. Baseball's Opening Day is Good Friday
The Tigers, Rockies, Royals, and Brewers have games in the early afternoon, when many Christians are going to be in church. The teams thought about moving the games to nighttime, but realized a lot of other churches have evening Good Friday services. Church leaders are basically saying it's irritating (downtown churches will have traffic and parking problems), but expect devoted Christians to choose church over the game.

9. Christian Book Expo turnout: 10% of expectations
Organizers were hoping for 15,000 to 20,000 Christian book fans to show up to the Dallas event last weekend. They got 1,500. Some are blaming the lack of advertising or the recession. Others say it was the admission fee: you can't charge people $29 to go buy books and meet authors. In any case, it's probably not a great sign for either the Christian book industry or the Christian conference world.

10. Study of unchurched says those in 20s are more spiritually open than those over 30
Lost and Found, a new book from Lifeway Research, says unchurched 20 year olds are more likely to affirm the resurrection of Christ than older adults. In addition, 57 percent of them agree that "there is only one God and that's the one described in the Bible" - not even half of unchurched adults over 30, will say that. "Unchurched young adults are open and believe many of the things that Christians believe, but they still need to be reached for Christ," Stetzer told Baptist Press. "The challenge today may not be convincing them that there was a resurrection, but convincing them there was only one that brings them new life - and that new life is lived out in a community called church.

Posted by Ted Olsen at March 27, 2009 4:30PM | Comments (0)

Michael Balboni, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, responded to my column, "Man Up, Christians," and corrects/complements what I was trying to say there:

I appreciate your article and point of view. I am part of the research team at Dana-Farber which conducted and published this study [you refer to]. While it would initially appear that this specific patient population is "clinging to life" or are afraid of death, we do not believe that this is the best interpretation. In fact, patients who were positive religious copers were far more likely to recognize that they were terminally ill cancer patients! So they are pursuing aggressive measures despite the fact that they knew they were dying! So what gives?

We believe that part of the answer lies in a forthcoming research study from our group that finds that their is a direct connection between patients who receive spiritual care from the medical system (particularly doctors and nurses) and their decision to enter hospice care (which is a choice leading to non-aggressive care). When you put these two studies together, we believe that the problem is that religious people who are dying (and remember that this patient population was almost entirely Christian - 95%+) along with their families are not receiving spiritual counsel IN THEIR MEDICAL DECISION MAKING. The patients are not clinging to life but are instead not being counseled in how to die. Patients who received spiritual care from the medical system did vastly better in measures of quality of life at the end of life and choosing hospice over cure.

Based on this, we hypothesize that there is a gap about formation of death for religious communities. It would appear that Christians as a pattern do not talk about death, model a good death, or articulate the characteristics of faithful dying. Terminal patients and their families are left alone in making these decisions -- and there is a significant minority (we are guessing between 10-30%) who are receiving aggressive care at the end of life because they do not know how to navigate the spiritual intersection involved in the complexities of medical decision making.

We believe that this is a place where religious communities have a major role to play in educating their congregations on the intersection of faith and medicine. We also believe that religious physicians and nurses have the potential role of helping those who are sick and dying in understanding how to navigate the spiritual complexities of dying because they are much more familiar with the world of medicine.

Michael Balboni
Research Associate
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, Massachusetts

Posted by Mark Galli at March 27, 2009 11:26AM | Comments (11)

Mary DeMuth was a panelist at the CT-sponsored panel discussion, "Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture," held this past weekend at the Christian Book Expo in Dallas.

Mary, an author and former missionary to France, gave an internationally informed perspective to the discussion, which also included Don Miller, Andy Crouch, Ruth Haley Barton, and Randy Frazee. The interaction was interesting and wide-ranging, and we'll provide a video when it becomes available.

DeMuth had planned to provide a closing statement, but time did not allow this. So she has agreed to let me post her thoughts below for your consideration. They're well worth your time.

If I could give every Christian a gift it would be this: to send him/her to another country, particularly one where materialism isn't firmly entrenched. Taking ourselves from our culture, then reintroducing ourselves back into American culture is an important first step if we want to be engaged and pure within our culture. Why? Because we cannot accurately see how deeply entrenched the word "American" is connected to "American Christianity." We're Christ-followers with a consumer mindset. Until we walk dusty roads through countries where folks value community yet worry about daily bread, we will have an incomplete view of life and theology.

Last summer, my son Aidan who was 12 at the time, traveled with me to Ghana, West Africa. We went because of his God-breathed dream - to see a well dug for the village of Sankpem. While there, Aidan danced with villagers. He listened. He shared the gospel with Muslims and saw several give their hearts to Jesus. Together we heard our friend Paul say, "For ten years I never knew when my next meal was coming."

Aidan came home changed. Our family, because of France and Ghana, sees America like a Potemkin village - a series of strange and beautiful facades masking the spiritual poverty inside. We are determined, by God's grace, to understand who Jesus is and how He wants to interact with folks here. We've come to understand that love for people and broken authenticity is what this world needs to see the irresistibility of Jesus - not more programs, more clever marketing campaigns, more hype.

Living in a post-Christian culture takes the kind of spiritual sensitivity that can see beyond politics into the face of Jesus Christ - He who engaged unsavory folks, yet followed His Father perfectly. That calls for radical relationship and a determination to know Jesus profoundly today. It calls for an abandonment of the idea that true life comes from buying or acquiring a commodity. It calls for a radical re-engagement in the lives of people.

I am not afraid of the shift in our culture. Why?

? Because the majesty and capability of God is greater than my finite understanding of culture.
? Because a shift causes us all to exegete the Christian culture we're a part of, learning to see what is truly biblical and what is simply cultural.
? Because genuine transformation doesn't come from the outside in; it comes from the Holy Spirit renewing us from the inside out.
? Because any time we're shifting, we realize how unsteady the ground is, and it makes us cling all the more fiercely to the Rock.

The shift in worldview is simply another opportunity to live out the redemptive story of Jesus.

My son Aidan understands this, though he may not articulate it thus. Now thirteen, he longs to return to Ghana, and he's taken up the cause to continue to build wells there, letting go of his own slice of the American dream pie. He does this because Jesus has transformed him from the inside out, and he's opened up his mind to the vast beauty of God's needy world. He is engaged, yet striving to be pure. He's just an average teenager, but his dreams for the world have expanded and his Ameri-centric view of Christianity has shifted.

It's my prayer that you also would dare to look beyond the four walls of our nation to dream big for the Kingdom of God. Let the transformation start with you and Jesus. Dare to engage, yet do so while holding the hand of Jesus - the irresistible Savior.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at March 25, 2009 11:15AM | Comments (7)

On Saturday I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion at the inaugural Christian Book Expo in Dallas involving outspoken atheist pundit Christopher Hitchens and four Christian apologists: William Lane Craig, Douglas Wilson, Lee Strobel, and Jim Denison. The topic: "Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?" drew good coverage in the local media.

Here are some responses from a couple of participants at the panel discussions:

? Mary DeMuth;

? Douglas Wilson.

I'm guessing that close to half of all the consumers at the Expo, which was poorly attended, were at our session. It was a spirited, substantive discussion. Reporting on the panel, sponsored the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association and Christianity Today, the Dallas Morning News had this to say:

Hitchens challenged Christianity on a number of fronts, including questioning how a loving God could allow so much suffering in the world and be "capricious" enough to delay sending Jesus as savior for thousands of years.

The Rev. Jim Denison, theologian-in-residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, said God grieves for the suffering of humans, but gives them free will.

"So you know the mind of God?" Hitchens asked Denison.

"I know what God has revealed of his mind," Denison answered.

Christopher's position on religion in general and Christianity in particular can be summed up in the title of his book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. In the discussion he called God's rule posited by Christians "tyrannical," those who believe it to be wicked idiots, and said there was no amount of evidence that would cause him to jettison his supposedly reason-based evolutionary "anti-theism." Other than that, he was very cordial! (Actually, despite his bias against Christianity, Christopher Hitchens is personable, funny, and highly intelligent, as well as a great writer.)

As the moderator, I wanted to make sure that the discussion - with heady examinations of the anthropic principle, epistemology, and other issues - didn't get too ivory-towerish. I wanted to keep it practical and personal. And I hoped to give Christopher Hitchens something new to think about. So I asked the first question, which went something like this condensed summary:

"Christopher, in my rush to catch my ride to the airport so that I could get to this conference, I fell down at my office. I quickly got up, hoping that no one saw me. Because of my disability, such incidents are part of my life, something I have learned to deal with. I have not fallen since, but there is no guarantee that I will not fall again, even right off this platform.

"Now I love these kinds of discussions about the existence of God, and I've read your book with Doug Wilson, Is Christianity Good for the World?

"Besides all the arguments for God's existence, one reason I like Christianity is because it provides dignity and hope for people like me: dignity, because it teaches that we are all created in God's image and because Jesus took all our suffering on himself; and hope, because he was resurrected and promises that one day we will be resurrected, too, with new bodies in a new heaven and a new earth.

"But your philosophy of anti-theism seems designed only for the young, intelligent, and well-connected. So my question to you is: What basis does your philosophy provide for promoting human dignity and hope for people like me, and frankly, people who are much worse off?"

Hitchens' answer, such as it was, was interesting. After thanking me for the question, he attacked my premise, railing against Christianity as a religion of the powerful. While that has certainly been true at times in history, the fact remains that Jesus was loved by the poor, the weak, the blind, the outcast, the disabled, and the despised - and still is. After Christopher subsided, I pointed out that he had not answered my question about how his philosophy provides for dignity and hope to the forgotten of the world.

I can't recall his exact response, but I have the distinct impression he began mumbling, saying something about how he couldn't lie about people who were "unlucky" in life. (Eventually a video of all the panel discussions will be released, so you can double-check my admittedly imperfect recall of the discussion.)

So there you have it. Hitchens' anti-God philosophy offers no hope or dignity to the disabled and others who are "unlucky" in life. What difference does Christianity make? All the difference in the world. I suspect that this is why atheist pundits will continue to have limited influence in matters of religion, no matter how many debates they attend and how many best-sellers they write.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at March 24, 2009 12:20PM | Comments (9)

Yes, many of evangelicalism's best authors are all in one place this weekend: Dallas.

"Is Dallas' new mega-event for Christian book lovers really featuring a best-selling atheist author who delights in arguing that 'religion poisons everything'? You better believe it," Sam Hodges wrote for a front-page story in today's Dallas Morning News.

Hodges was writing about the Christian Book Expo taking place today through Sunday. CT's own Stan Guthrie, Mark Galli, and Andy Crouch will be moderating panels with several big-name authors from the Christian world.

"John Calvin, age 499, shapes book award winners," writes Cathy Lynn Grossman at USA Today. Three of the six book of the year awards -- a best-selling study Bible, which took top honors in two categories, and a new book by popular pastor/author John Piper -- draw from John Calvin's writings. And atheist Christopher Hitchens will battle some Christian authors tomorrow afternoon.

On Twitter, Mark Galli is soliciting some questions for interviews he's conducting.

What is the Gospel?
Friday, March 20, 2009 / 9:00 - 10:30 AM
Our post-Christian culture loves spirituality but can be suspicious or ignorant of the historic Christian faith. We prefer a do-it-yourself spirituality and a Jesus of our choosing to the good news offered in Scripture. Is there one gospel, or many? A panel of pastors and scholars shows why we can trust our Bibles—and how to separate the doctrinal wheat from the chaff.

Moderator : Darrell Bock, Jesus According to Scripture (Baker Academic)
Panelists:
•Richard Stearns, President, World Vision International and author of The Hole in Our Gospel (Nelson)
•Mark D. Roberts, Can We Trust the Gospels? (Crossway)
•Tullian Tchividjian, Do I Know God? (Multnomah)
•Justin Taylor, The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World (Crossway)

A Guided Tour of Heaven and Hell
Friday, March 20, 2009 / 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Polls show that more Americans believe in heaven than in hell. The Bible, however, tells us both are real destinations. What are heaven and hell like, and how do we enter one and avoid the other? Author experts examine the afterlife from theological, pastoral—and personal—perspectives.

Moderator: Mark Galli, Christianity Today
Panelists:
•Don Piper, 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life (Baker)
•Sam Storms, The Hope of Glory (Crossway)
•Randy Alcorn, Heaven (Tyndale)
•J I Packer, Knowing God (Inter-Varsity Press)

Living Christianly in a Post-Christian Culture
Friday, March 20, 2009 / 3:30 - 5:00 PM
A Christian consensus could once be pretty much assumed for Western culture, even if many people didn't possess personal faith. That is no longer true. Christianity is today viewed as just one of many spiritual options—and often with suspicion. How do followers of Christ respond in both word and deed?

Moderator: Andy Crouch, Culture Making (IVP), Global Conversation editor at Christianity Today
Panelists:
•Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz (Nelson)
•Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms (Inter-Varsity Press)
•Randy Frazee, Making Room for Life (Zondervan)
•Mary E. DeMuth, Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture (Harvest House)

The Emerging Church
Saturday, March 21, 2009 / 9:00 - 10:30 AM
We hear much about the emerging church, but pinning down its beliefs and goals can be challenging. What is the movement emerging from and where is it headed? How influential is the emerging church? Participants, observers, and critics examine this movement from all angles—biblical, theological, pastoral, and missional.

Moderator: Mark Galli, Christianity Today
Panelists:
•Scot McKnight, The Blue Parakeet (Zondervan)
•Tony Jones, The New Christians (Jossey-Bass)
•Kevin DeYoung, Why We Are Not Emergent (Moody)
•Alex and Brett Harris, Do Hard Things (WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)

Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
Saturday, March 21, 2009 / 1:00-3:00 PM
The New Atheists usually make two charges against Christianity: (1) that it is untrue and (2) that it is harmful. A panel of apologetics experts responds to an atheist critic with evidence from Scripture, science, and history about why the faith is both reasonable and good for the world.

Moderator: Stan Guthrie, Christianity Today
Panelists:
•Lee Strobel, The Case for the Real Jesus, The Case for a Creator (Zondervan)
•William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith (Crossway)
•Douglas Wilson, Is Christianity Good for the World? (Canon Press)
•Christopher Hitchens, Is Christianity Good for the World? (Canon Press) and God Is Not Great (Twelve Books)
•Jim Denison, Wrestling with God (Tyndale)

Posted by David Neff at March 20, 2009 2:29PM | Comments (0)

Pope Benedict XVI

This week, Pope Benedict has been visiting Africa. No surprise when on the plane down to Cameroon, the pope fielded a few questions from the working press traveling with him. According to the Vatican News Service, here's what he had to say about condoms and HIV/AIDS:

Answering a question on the Catholic Church's approach to HIV/AIDS, considered by some as unrealistic and ineffective, the Pope said: "It is my belief believe that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is in fact the Catholic Church and her institutions. ... The problem of HIV/AIDS cannot be overcome with mere slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanisation of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with the suffering, a readiness - even through personal sacrifice - to stand by those who suffer".

In a matter of hours, the HIV/AIDS establishment took out the heavy artillery against the pope's words, even as they misinterpreted his comments. Here's one example from the Voice of America:

French Foreign Ministry Spokesman Eric Chevallier voiced sharp concern over the consequences of the pope's comments, telling reporters that while it is not up to the French government to pass judgment on church doctrine, Paris believes such comments are a threat to public health policies and the duty to protect human life. Vatican Spokesman Federico Lombardi is defending the church's approach to AIDS. He says Pope Benedict is putting the emphasis on education. Lombardi told reporters in Yaounde that developing an ideology of confidence in condoms is not correct because it fails to focus on personal responsibility.

OK. Who's got the greater hold on the truth of this situation about condoms and fighting the spread of HIV? I've been following the HIV and the church story since 1994. So here are my five reasons why condoms are part of the problem:

1. People who have lots of sex with lots of partners do not use condoms consistently every single time.

2. The use of condoms creates a false sense of security for people who are most at risk of getting or transmitting HIV.

3. As the rate of HIV infection grows in a general population, it spreads much more quickly than condoms can be distributed.

4. Programs to distribute condoms for free to all parties are continually subject to political, religious, ethnic, and cultural barriers that blunt their effectiveness.

5. Government-supported efforts to promote condom use have the result (intentional or unintentional) of also promoting extra- or pre-marital sexual relations, also putting a population at risk of other sexually transmitted diseases.

Don't get me wrong. I think the ABC concept, Abstinence, Fidelity, or Condoms, is the real deal. Condoms do have a role to play. Unfortunately, condom use has become part of the problem and part of the solution.

Agree, disagree? Email me here.

Posted by Tim Morgan at March 18, 2009 1:07PM | Comments (30)

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled yesterday that a California law school could lawfully bar the school's Christian Legal Society from being recognized as a student group for requiring its members to sign a statement of faith. The ruling could set a precedent for the way Christian organizations can or cannot retain their distinct religious beliefs at public colleges with nondiscrimination policies.

The CLS chapter at the University of California's Hastings College of Law filed a lawsuit in fall 2004 against the college for denying it status as a registered student organization. According to CLS's brief, it was denied official recognition for requiring members to sign a statement of faith, which, among other things, prohibits homosexual conduct. Hastings officials had said CLS's standards violated the school's nondiscrimination policy, which says all student groups "shall not discriminate unlawfully on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation."

CLS's lawsuit claimed that Hastings was practicing viewpoint discrimination and violating CLS's right to expressive association. It claimed that Hastings was applying its policy inconsistently. CLS's brief, page 14?18:

Hastings allows other registered student organizations to require that their leaders and/or members agree with the organization's beliefs and purposes. . . . Outlaw [a pro-gay rights group] is free to remove officers if they fail to support the organization's pro-gay rights purpose; Silenced Right: National Alliance Pro-Life Group may require its members to support its pro-life purposes; . . . Hastings' nondiscrimination policy is viewpoint discriminatory, as it allows a vegetarian club to require that officers and members not eat meat, but prohibits an Orthodox Jewish group for requiring its officers and members to abstain from pork for religious reasons.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals did not interpret Hastings's nondiscrimination policy that way, however. Its two-sentence ruling from yesterday:

The parties stipulate that Hastings imposes an open membership rule on all student groups - all groups must accept all comers as voting members even if those individuals disagree with the mission of the group. The conditions on recognition are therefore viewpoint neutral and reasonable.

CLA has not posted a response to its website yet. It is facing similar fights at other colleges, including the University of Iowa, where more than 100 faculty and staff have signed a petition calling for the school to stop funding its CLA chapter. CLA won similar cases in summer 2005 against Arizona State University and Southern Illinois University.

Inside Higher Ed and The San Francisco Chronicle covered the Hastings story.

Listen to the oral arguments here, and check CT's website later for deeper analysis of this case's implications for religious organizations on public college campuses.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at March 18, 2009 10:18AM | Comments (1)

A new study reports that one in eight adults in Northern Ireland are evangelicals. These born-again Christians, like those in America, hold more conservative beliefs and are more committed to their churches than other Protestants.

A 2008 study by Claire Mitchell from Queen's University in Belfast and James Tilley of Jesus College, Oxford University, provide a snapshot of conservative Protestants in Northern Ireland. Using the 2004 Northern Irish Life and Times Survey, Mitchell and Tilley find that there are almost no differences between denominations. Instead, what matters is whether Protestants identify as "a born-again Christian" or "evangelical."

Evangelicals are a smaller group in Northern Ireland than in the United States. Northern Ireland could be divided into three religious groups of roughly equal size. There are Catholics (37 percent), those who say they have no religion or for whom "Protestant" is primarily an ethnic (not religious) identity (29 percent), and Protestants who have at least some religious involvement (34 percent).

Of this religiously committed Protestant group, one-third are evangelicals and two-thirds are "mainline." This means that around 12 percent of Ulster identifies as born-again or evangelical. (Using the same survey questions in the U.S., one would find around 40 percent would identify as such.)

An important difference between evangelicals in the U.S. and those in Ulster is the place of evangelicals within denominations. The three largest Protestant denominations in N.I. are Presbyterian (42 percent), Church of Ireland (31 percent) and Methodist (10 percent). The remaining churches are nondenominational, Pentecostals, or the Free and Reformed Presbyterian Church (whose members have played a large role in politics despite making up only three percent of Protestants).

Unlike the U.S. where denominations have organized themselves around being more evangelical (e.g., Presbyterian Church in America) or mainline (e.g., Presbyterian Church in the USA), evangelicals in Ulster are found throughout all of the denominations, and in roughly the same proportions. While smaller denominations are more evangelical than the larger churches, the larger groups still have a large proportion who identify as born-again or as evangelical.

Where Ulster evangelicals stand out from their fellow Protestants is in their commitment to traditional religious practices and beliefs. About one-third of Protestants attend church at least once a week. However, between 60 and 80 percent of evangelicals attend church every week. Evangelicals are more likely than other Protestants to believe in a personal God or to believe in the veracity of the Bible. And when asked questions about premarital sex, adultery, same-sex sexual relations, or abortion, evangelicals are more likely to take morally conservative stances. In short, evangelicals in Northern Ireland, like those in the U.S., are more likely to have more traditional beliefs and practices than other Protestants.

Evangelicalism is too often seen as an American-only phenomenon or as a growing movement in Asia, Central America, or Sub-Saharan Africa. Frequently overlooked are evangelicals in places such as Australia, continental Europe, or the United Kingdom. Mitchell and Tilley study shows that even in a region where religion is too often viewed in stark, ethnic-like terms, there may be evangelicals who act and believe differently than other Protestants. Evangelicals may be most influential in the United States, but they are important in other countries. Hopefully, other researchers will continue this line of research and examine evangelicals in other countries, too.

Claire Mitchell is a lecturer in Sociology at Queen's University Belfast and is author of Religion, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland (Ashgate). James Tilley is a University Lecturer at Jesus College, Oxford University. "Disaggregating Conservative Protestant Groups in Northern Ireland" was published in the December 2008 issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

Posted by Ted Olsen at March 17, 2009 8:53AM | Comments (0)

Today's dispatch by Peggy Noonan, "There's No Pill for This Kind of Depression," captures the national mood better than most that I've seen. Here's a particularly interesting observation for CT readers:

"In Manhattan, Catholic church attendance appears to be up. Everyone seems to agree that this is so, though the archdiocese says it won't have numbers until next fall. But yes, said Joseph Zwilling, the director of communications, "from what I've heard anecdotally from various priests," the pews have been fuller. The rector at St Patrick's told him Ash Wednesday was "the busiest yet," with 60,000 people coming for ashes. At my local church at noon mass one day this week, there were 40 people when normally there are roughly a dozen, and the communion line stretched to the back of the church. Something is happening. Yesterday a friend sent the warning of the Evangelical pastor David Wilkerson, of Times Square Church, that a new catastrophe is imminent. This is causing a small sensation in evangelical circles."

Just in time for Friday the 13th, I guess.

Posted by Stan Guthrie at March 13, 2009 11:38AM | Comments (1)

Bernie Madoff has admitted guilt to an astounding fraud. And his actions have harmed numerous individuals and institutions. At least $50 billion has vanished. The scope of the fraud is so vast that regulators are convinced it couldn't have been done solely by Madoff.

Yet, in many respects Madoff is only more successful in his confidence game than others. He built an affinity fraud, preying on those who would implicity trust him because of their mutual associations. For Madoff, that was the Jewish community. As Nobel prize winner Elie Wiesel said, "To us it happened the way it happened to so many others, meaning we had friends who were very close friends of Madoff, and years ago [a friend] just came to us and he said, 'Look, you work, you work so hard, what are you doing with your money?' "

And there it began.

For Madoff, it began equally simply: "When I began the Ponzi scheme," he told the court yesterday, "I believed it would end shortly and I would be able to extricate myself and my clients from the scheme. However, this proved difficult, and ultimately impossible."

The essence of my scheme was that I represented to clients and prospective clients who wished to open investment advisory and individual trading accounts with me that I would invest their money in shares of common stock, options and other securities of large well-known corporations, and upon request, would return to them their profits and principal. Those representations were false because for many years up and until I was arrested on December 11, 2008, I never invested those funds in the securities, as I had promised. Instead, those funds were deposited in a bank account at Chase Manhattan Bank. When clients wished to receive the profits they believed they had earned with me or to redeem their principal, I used the money in the Chase Manhattan bank account that belonged to them or other clients to pay the requested funds. The victims of my scheme included individuals, charitable organizations, trusts, pension funds and hedge funds.

Madoff fooled the sophisticated and the gullible. But in many ways, everyone is complicit. Perhaps Madoff's gullible victims may be exempted from the following criticism: Throughout history, the con man has been able to sucessfully operate not because he is uniquely deceptive but because his victims--in their greed--are willing to be decieved. Granted, none of Madoff's victims are deserving. They were ripped off.

But let's not turn Madoff into an unhuman monster. The wickedness of Madoff's heart is no worse than that of any other's. And the truth is, it may be that as Madoff now sits in prison, he knows better than most of us just how desperately wicked the human heart is.

Posted by Rob Moll at March 13, 2009 11:06AM | Comments (6)

Vanguard University, a Southern California Assemblies of God school that was warned last fall about its financial oversight from an accrediting body and went through a string of leadership transitions this January, may be facing sunny days again.

School officials met with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) February 18 to show that they had taken recommended steps to remedy the fiscal and management issues noted by WASC during its September visit. College president Carol Taylor announced last week that WASC had granted the school's request to defer action on its accreditation review until its June 2009 meeting.

"In granting a deferral, the WASC Commission recognizes Vanguard's progress and has noted that this deferral provides the University a window of time to bring to fruition key initiatives that have been undertaken," President Taylor said in her online message. Deferment gives the CCCU member school time to show it can run with an independent board of trustees and implement sound financial management, which it had reportedly lacked for years.

Four days after the WASC meeting, Vanguard learned that Bruce Lindsay, a millionare who hung out on campus every day and became known as the school's "campus grandpa" and "student advocate," had died and left his fortune to the school, which is $42 million in debt.

According to the Los Angeles Times profile, Lindsay, 79, was known for his frugality and made his fortune in part by buying low-cost oil leases and flipping beach homes. The worth of Lindsay's estate is still unknown, but Vanguard has said part of the donation will go toward renovating its cafeteria, where Lindsay ate three meals every day.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at March 11, 2009 9:20AM | Comments (1)

Recently, I caught word that an exciting new educational initiative in Israel between the Messianic community and Arab Christians was underway involving up to 3,000 students from K-12 schools through college and seminary. Botrus Mansour, head of the Nazareth Baptist School, filled me in about the details. He told me by email:

On Monday, Feb. 23, 45 Arab and Jewish representatives from all the Messianic and Evangelical educational organizations in Israel met at the Israel College of the Bible (ICB) in Jerusalem and unanimously approved setting up the Israel Education Forum (IEF). (Right photo, left to right, educators Bryson Arthur (Nazareth Seminary), Erez Soref (ICB), Yohanna Katanacho (Galilee Bible, Bethlehem Bible colleges) at the kickoff event.)

IEF would provide a framework for prayer, sharing and mutual encouragement, and through which organizations could be supported in all areas in their work, and through which strategic development of education and discipleship can be undertaken. The initiative had begun with a common vision developed by four friends engaged in education and discipleship ministries:

* Botrus Mansour ,the General Director of the Nazareth Baptist School.
* David Zadok, chair of a committee developing Messianic school and Director of the HaGefen Publishers.
* Erez Soref, President of the Israel College of the Bible.
* John Sode-Woodhead who founded the Fellowship of Christian Students in Israel and was the Assistant Director of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem and has held management positions in the University of Edinburgh.

During an email interview, I asked Botrus:

What is the biggest challenge that evangelical Arab Christians and Messianic believers face in educating the next generation?

Mansour: Globalization in general leads to openness and that will lead to unprecedented exposure of the Christian message worldwide.That is true in Israel too but this message will be faced with layers and layers of stereotypes and a long history of prejudice.The Israel educational forum will have to deal with these layers in a fresh and creative way in order to make the message of Jesus known and accepted in the same spot where He lived.

According to a press statement that I received:

This February gathering brought together a diverse set of organizations covering schools, higher education institutes, and discipleship ministries. These Messianic and Arab evangelical organizations met with the objective of working together. What links these Israeli registered organizations is a commitment to seeing people’s lives being transformed through a faith-based education. All these organizations are united in their faith in Jesus as Messiah and in the trustworthiness of the Old and New Testaments as God’s word. The gathering was acutely aware of the many divisive forces but committed to serve one another while celebrating their diversity and each individual’s personal identity.

A number of the organizations that were represented in the founding gathering have long roots in the country stretching back into the 19th century. Tabeetha School in Jaffa, for example, was established as early as early as 1863. Others are well known for the quality of their education. The Nazareth Baptist School is known to be a school of quality teaching children from diverse backgrounds. Today, the school is recognized by the Ministry of Education as one of the top schools in the land with 1,000 pupils primarily Arab Christians and Muslims. Several of the siscipleship organizations are associated with well known international ministries such as the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students or Campus Crusade for Christ.

Many of the organizations have developed in the past decade or two reflecting the growth in the Messianic and Arab evangelical society in Israel. There are several recently established schools and Bible colleges including Makor ha-Tikva school, the Galilee Bible College and the Israel College of the Bible. Among the discipleship organizations are very local initiatives such as Lech L’cha that seek through a mini-Bible school to teach young adults about their faith in a three month program through which they get to know the Bible while walking through the land.

The IEF includes schools, higher education institutes and discipleship ministries and it will assist in seeking registration with the authorities, funding for upgrading facilities, developing a Messianic/evangelical curriculum, management issues and others.

The Forum aims to see the Messianic and Arab evangelical community fully serviced with faith based educational organizations that will have significant impact on the society in Israel. IEF aims also to provide a service to the believing world community, particularly through opportunities of getting to know the Bible through the land where our Lord lived.

Among the institutions involved are these top 8 schools:

1. Nazareth Baptist School.
2. Anglican International
3. Tabeetha-Jaffa
4. Mekor Hatikva.
5. Peni'el
6. Kerem El
7. Tekvat Israel
8. Be'er Sheva/Arad.

Here's the rest of my email interview with Botrus Mansour:

From your point of view, how important will this new ministry be for the future of biblical education for believers in Israel?

This forum will set a platform for efficient ministry through cooperation.This cooperation is essential especially when the believing community in Israel is a tiny minority that has been entrusted with an eternal message and a huge mission. It is important to provide the best education for the members of the believing community in Israel in order to maintain the the faith of the new generation of believers as well as equip them for the best professionalism which is essential for a vibrant community.

Will this organization be influential in building a more peaceful Middle East?

The model of believing Arabs, Jews and ex-patriots coming together under the banner of love of Jesus as reflected in the IEF will set an example for the peoples of this land. If with the grace of God, we succeed to promote Christ centered education in Israel then the message of forgiveness and grace (that is so vital for this land of conflict and struggle) will prevail.

What can American evangelicals do to support you all in this effort?

A kingdom perspective means that Evangelicals in America partner with these organizations for the betterment of the service and education provided. This means supporting in advocacy for licensing and accreditation for some of these educational institutes, providing programs,curriculums,training and appropriate facilities.

Posted by Tim Morgan at March 9, 2009 11:22PM | Comments (0)

A pastor was shot and killed during his sermon today at a church in a village in Illinois, the Associated Press reports. The pastor deflected the first round of bullets with his Bible, which the 150 congregants initially thought was a skit.

The gunman strode down the aisle of the sprawling First Baptist Church shortly after 8 a.m. and briefly spoke with The Rev. Fred Winters, then pulled out a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and began firing until it jammed, Illinois State Police Director Larry Trent said. Churchgoers wrestled the gunman to the ground as he waved a knife, slashing himself and two other people, Trent said.

The pastor was standing on an elevated platform to deliver his sermon about finding happiness in the workplace before the shooting happened, the AP writes.

Authorities didn't know whether Winters, a married father of two who had led the church for nearly 22 years, knew the gunman. Police described the gunman as a 27-year-old from nearby Troy but would not release his name pending possible charges.

This evening, the congregants gathered for prayer, as the pastor's colleague urged mourners to be resilient after the "attack from the forces of hell."

One of the last shootings in a church took place at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, where a man opened fire in a parking lot.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at March 8, 2009 8:46PM | Comments (3)

Despite the Catholic Church's attempts to stop the procedure, a 9-year-old Brazilian girl whose stepfather allegedly sexually abused her had an abortion Wednesday after doctors warned that giving birth might result in death. Physicians at the hospital in the coastal town of Recife said the girl - 15 weeks pregnant with twins and weighing 80 pounds - could not give birth without putting her life at risk.

In response, on Thursday Jos? Cardoso Sobrinho, archbishop of Olinda and Recife, excommunicated the girl's mother, who authorized the abortion, and the doctors involved.

"The law of God is above any human law," the archbishop said in an interview with Globo television that aired Thursday. "So when a human law, i.e., a law enacted by legislators, is against the law of God, that human law has no value. The adults who approved, who carried out this abortion, have incurred excommunication." Excommunication is the Catholic Church's severest censure for an individual, who can no longer participate in church of receive the sacraments, except that of Reconciliation.

Abortion is illegal in Brazil, whose population is about 75 percent Roman Catholic, but exceptions can be made in cases of rape or when the woman's life is at risk. Medical director Sergio Cabral said the abortion was legal since the girl's life was in danger and police believed her stepfather, who was arrested last week, had raped her.

According to Globo, the stepfather is not being excommunicated. "He committed a serious crime, but . . . there are many other serious sins. Abortion is more serious," said Archbishop Sobrinho.

Both Brazil's president and health minister have denounced the archbishop's decision. Health minister Jos? Gomes Temporao, who has challenged the church's stance on abortion before, called its position "extreme, radical, and inadequate." President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, a Roman Catholic, said today that he "profoundly laments" the archbishop's decision.

The Vatican told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera that it supports Archbishop Sobrinho's decision. "It is very, very delicate but the Church can never betray his ad, which is to defend life from conception to natural death, even in the face of a human drama as strong as that of the violence of a child-father," said Gianfranco Grieco, head office of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

Posted by Katelyn Beaty at March 6, 2009 3:44PM | Comments (23)

President Obama's budget calls for a decrease in the amount of tax savings that wealthy donors (those who earn more than $250,000 per year) can claim after giving to charity. The budget estimates the new rule would bring in about $318 billion over ten years. This means that those in the 33% or 35% tax brackets would only get to claim 28% of the donation as a tax brake.

But charities and their supporters in Congress don't much like the idea. "After objections from Democratic lawmakers, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner appeared to suggest at one point Wednesday that the administration was willing to consider dropping or modifying the proposal," reports The Wall Street Journal.

Charity Navigator says it sees a huge jump in donations in the days before January 1, as donors adjust their giving for tax purposes. The Indiana University Center on Philanthropy estimates the new rules would decrease giving by nearly $4 billion, at 2006 giving levels.

Churches and other religious groups, whose services aid the increasing numbers of needy and who are already doing more with less, are likely to increase their pressure on the White House as the budget debate draws on.

Posted by Rob Moll at March 6, 2009 7:35AM | Comments (7)

The Sudan story has been in the headlines all week with the issuance of an arrest warrant by ICC (International Criminal Court) for President Bashir.

I was talking with a broadcast journalist yesterday and commented that Bashir is a political survivor and would likely out-maneuver the ICC. Sure enough, Bashir has turned the warrant into a domestic political gain for himself by holding a rally, rebuking the US. This is a bit nutty since the US has not even signed the ICC charter!

In the meantime, Bashir alleges aid agencies have been feeding evidence against him to the ICC. So what does he do? Kick the agencies out.

Here's a report from CNN:

Sudan told as many as 10 humanitarian groups to leave Darfur, and seized the agencies' assets, U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said. The aid groups include Oxfam, Solidarities and Mercy Corps, she said. The exact number of groups involved was not given and some groups were not identified, both to protect their people on the ground in Sudan and because they are hoping to reverse the decision. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is "concerned" about the reported expulsions, a spokeswoman said. "He notes that this represents a serious setback to lifesaving operations in Darfur, and urges the government of Sudan to act urgently to restore these NGOs to their full operational status," spokeswoman Michelle Montas said. Sudanese government officials "have insisted on accompanying some (international non-governmental organization) staff members into their offices and taking lists of assets and staff," Montas said. She called the aid agencies who had been kicked out "the main providers of life-saving humanitarian services, such, as water, food, health, and sanitation. Their departure will have an immediate and serious impact on the humanitarian and security situation in North Sudan, (and) especially in Darfur."

So this debate between Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse and retired Archbishop Tutu over the wisdom of the arrest warrant is hardly academic. Real lives hang in the balance. Pray for the Sudanese church.

Posted by Tim Morgan at March 5, 2009 8:35AM | Comments (1)

Mark Galli does not seem particularly concerned about the unintended consequences of the state meeting many of the important financial and physical needs of its citizens, such as health care. Then the Church is freed up, I suppose, to focus on people's spiritual needs.

But persons are creatures of body and spirit. Historically, the Church, and faith more generally, has played a key role in addressing both the spiritual and physical - including financial - needs of people. Moreover, the Church seems strongest when people connect both their bodily and spiritual lives and needs to the faith. Indeed, physical and financial suffering can open people up to the missing spiritual dimension of their lives.

Not surprisingly, the historical and sociological record suggests that when the state addresses most of the physical and financial needs of people, or when individuals are wealthy enough to care for those needs entirely on their own, that people are less likely to turn to God, their local church, charities, or their families for help, direction, and consolation.

This is why in some important respects the Church is healthier in Nairobi than it is in New York, or in Lagos than it is Los Angeles. In these African cities, the Church - and faith - is more likely to take, by force of necessity, a wholistic approach to ministering to the human person. In stable, affluent societies the Church is often reduced to a therapeutic role in people's lives. Any my worry is that a successful Obama revolution would only deepen that pattern in the United States, and reduce the size and vitality of the Christian faith in the process.

--Posted by Mark Galli on behalf of Brad Wilcox, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology,
University of Virginia

Posted by Mark Galli at March 4, 2009 11:50AM | Comments (3)

In today's edition of The New York Times, Franklin Graham and Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, do a point-counterpoint exchange on Sudan, often labeled as the world's "most failed state."

In the Darfur region of western Sudan, genocidal killing has been taking place for nearly 7 years. In southern Sudan, the prospects for a lasting peace are beginning to slip away due to upticks in violence, associated with the political process of reconciling the Islamic North and the Christian/animist South.

On Thursday, the ICC (International Criminal Court) says it will announce whether it will issue an arrest warrant for Bashir in connection with the estimated 300,000 killled in violence and genocide in Darfur.

Graham, who favors waiting on the arrest, writes:

In 16 years of relief work in Sudan, I have witnessed much of the violence that his government has inflicted. An estimated 300,000 people in Darfur have died and 2.5 million people have fled their homes in the wake of fighting among rebels, government forces and their allied Janjaweed militias. Nor does the destruction stop there: Our organization has identified nearly 500 churches that were destroyed by Mr. Bashir's forces. But arresting Mr. Bashir now threatens to undo the progress his country has made. In 2005, Sudan's government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed an accord ending the civil war in the south. The agreement paved the way for elections in the south later this year, as well as for a referendum on southern independence scheduled for 2011. The accord has brought benefits to Sudan, but it isn't clear that they will last. Mr. Bashir, who fought members of his own party to approve the deal, is critical to the peace process. I want to see justice served, but my desire for peace in Sudan is stronger. Mr. Bashir, accused of genocide and crimes against humanity, is hardly an ideal peacemaker. But given all the warring factions in Sudan, there is no guarantee that his replacement would be better.

But Tutu, who asks the question, "Will Africa Let Sudan Off the Hook?" says in his op-ed piece:

The issuance of an arrest warrant for President Bashir would be an extraordinary moment for the people of Sudan - and for those around the world who have come to doubt that powerful people and governments can be called to account for inhumane acts. African leaders should support this historic occasion, not work to subvert it.

In two days, the ICC expects to make its announcement on the arrest warrant for Bashire. Tomorrow, I will have an exclusive update on Christians in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum.

Posted by Tim Morgan at March 3, 2009 2:51PM | Comments (3)

The summary of W. Brad Wilcox's new piece in Public Discourse: Ethics, Law, and the Common Good, says:

While many social conservatives have focused attention on Obama's liberal social commitments, few have considered what effects an expanded welfare state will have on religious belief - or how these religious effects will in turn impact civic virtue, personal responsibility, altruism, or solidarity. If the European experience with the welfare state and religion is any indication, the Obama revolution could well lead the United States down the secular path already trod by Europe.

The argument is more nuanced than the summary, naturally. The most persuasive part is summed up in this way:

As political scientist Alan Wolfe observed in Whose Keeper?, one of the primary dangers associated with the rise of the nanny state is that "when government assumes moral responsibility for others, people are less likely to do so themselves." Wolfe noted that large increases in welfare spending in Sweden, Denmark and Norway over the last half century have ended up eroding the moral fabric of families and civic institutions in these societies.

Less impressive are the concerns about the relationship of socialism to religious devotion:

A recent study of 33 countries around the world by Anthony Gill and Erik Lundsgaarde, political scientists at the University of Washington, indicates that there is an inverse relationship between state welfare spending and religiosity. Specifically, they found that countries with larger welfare states had markedly lower levels of religious attendance, had higher rates of citizens indicating no religious affiliation whatsoever, and their people took less comfort in religion in general.

And:

[Many] individuals only turn to churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques when their needs for social or material security are not being met by the market or state. In an environment characterized by ordinary levels of social or economic insecurity, many of these individuals will turn to local congregations for social, economic, and emotional support. At times of high insecurity, such as the current recession, religious demand goes even higher.

This line of argument, while no doubt accurate statistically and sociologically, cuts two ways. It makes socially conservative Christians sound like one more interest group, and an insecure one at that. As if the success of the Christian faith hinges on whether a society produces enough poverty and other forms of social instability.

I am no friend to socialism, but if indeed a state can ameliorate a large number of social problems, it seems that Christians of every political stripe might rejoice. That living in a socialist state seems to make it harder to take religion seriously not only suggests a flaw in socialism but, much more so, a serious flaw in what we promote as Christian religion. A Christianity that depends on massive social dislocation for its success is a religion we of all people would be happy to see die away.

To read more of "More Government, Less God: What the Obama Revolution Means for Religion in America," click here.

Posted by Mark Galli at March 3, 2009 1:59PM | Comments (14)

Author Jerry B. Jenkins remembers Paul Harvey's friendship with Billy Graham. Jenkins's connection with the evangelist led to an invitation to visit the legendary broadcaster's Chicago studio.

As [Harvey] scurried about collecting news bits off the teletype wires and writing his own newscast, he wore a blue smock, like doctors wear. When it was time to do his newscast live from his own studio, he removed the smock and put his suitcoat on over his shirt and tie. "You dress up for work," he said. "Shouldn't I?"

He allowed me to sit right next to him as he waited for his cue, suddenly exercising his voice by breaking into a loud, "Mee may mah mow moo!"

He hummed and coughed and cleared his throat, and when he got the signal from behind the glass, he shouted so loudly that I nearly jumped out of my chair.

"Hello, Americans! This is Paul Harvey!"

Posted by Stan Guthrie at March 3, 2009 10:05AM | Comments (1)

While voters were electing President Obama and passing Proposition 8 on Election Day, Washington voters quietly approved a measure that made it the second state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. A month later, a judge in Montana ruled that physician-assisted suicides are legal.

Washington's law will take effect Thursday. Here's my story about it and a podcast with Stan Guthrie.

Life ethics have also played out internationally in recent news. In late December, a Quebec man was found not guilty of helping his disabled uncle kill himself, opening the door to its legalization in the Canadian province.

A woman in Italy, who has been compared to Terri Schiavo, died last month after her father requested the clinic to stop feeding his comatose daughter. Eluana Englaro had been in a vegetative state for 17 years after a car accident.

The news of her death came as Italy's parliament began debating emergency legislation that would make it illegal for carers of people "unable to take care of themselves" to suspend artificial feeding, according to The Times.

A court in South Korea ruled that doctors could remove life-sustaining treatment for a 76-year-old woman who sustained brain damage and fell into a coma while undergoing a lung examination. Her children say she has no chance of recovery and her wish to die can be inferred. The case will go to the country's Supreme Court, according to AFP.

What makes it even more complicated is that 40 percent of coma patients in a ?vegetative state' may be misdiagnosed, according to a report in The Times in 2007.

This means that valuable rehabilitation strategies are routinely neglected, and misdiagnosed patients end up on unsuitable wards or in care homes where their needs are neither understood nor met.

Posted by Sarah Pulliam Bailey at March 2, 2009 5:57PM | Comments (0)