pages 16-19
Formerly the Minnesota Christian Chronicle
Vol. 33, No. 11
November 2011
www.christianexaminer.com
Community
Book Review
Should Christians be involved in politics?
Your guide to the 6th annual Christian Community Fair
Author wants to help readers gain a transformed prayer life
pages 3, 12-15
page 26
page 7
FREE
Brad Brandon / Greg Boyd
Mega-churches: Are they here to stay? Decades-long phenomena shows no signs of declining By Scott Noble TWIN CITIES — The church experience worldwide is as varied as the individuals who make up each worship community. House churches litter the globe, with very little accouterments and oftentimes very few members. On the other side of the spectrum, the mega-church— mainly a Western phenomenon— reaches thousands of people and relies on the latest in technology to enhance the worship experience.
The mega-church experience, however, is a relatively recent development in the American Protestant religious landscape. Typically, a mega-church is defined as having more than 2,000 attendees. According to Barney Warf and Morton Winsberg in the “Journal of Cultural Geography,” there were only 50 churches in the U.S. that met that distinction in 1970. That number gradually rose each decade See MEGA-CHURCHES, page 8
Campaign Finance Board ‘acting illegally,’ says marriage organization Issue centers upon disclosing names of donors Christian Examiner staff report TWIN CITIES — The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) recently criticized a decision by the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board that NOM believes would force it and other pro-family groups to disclose the names of those who contribute to the marriage amendment issue. The constitutional issue is slated to be voted on in Nov. 2012. NOM claims that Minnesota law does not require nonprofit organizations to disclose their members regarding ballot question committees.
“NOM does not object to its donations to the Minnesota for Marriage campaign being publicly disclosed,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president, via a media release. “What we do object to is the attempt of Campaign Finance Board (CFB) bureaucrats to illegally force us to report information the law does not require. The CFB does not have the legal authority to impose such requirements. Only the Legislature can enact laws, and they have repeatedly refused to do so.” At issue is the Minnesota Mar-
Don’t Wipe Out ‘Wipeout’ star Molly Sanborn often carries with her a cheese ball dispenser, ‘bringing joy to the world one cheese ball at a time.’ The ‘Cheese Ball Chick’ speaks to small and large groups, encouraging teenagers to wait until marriage before they have sex.
‘Cheese Ball Chick’ tells teenagers to keep Jesus their number one priority By Scott Noble MINNEAPOLIS — When people ask Molly Sanborn if being on the popular television show Wipeout is as painful as it looks, she responds, “No, it’s worse.” She had to sign more than 45 pages of paperwork, describing “every possible thing that could happen to your body.” After the qualifying round, where contestants have to navigate several obstacles while trying
to remain out of the water, Sanborn said: “I was bleeding. The water was freezing. [I had] bruises all over my body, and I felt like I was in a 10-car pileup.” When her husband, Craig, picked her up after filming, she told him, “I don’t think that should be legal.” By being on the show, Sanborn hoped to get the message out about her abstinence speaking ministry. She prayed that her appearance would be a tool for God
to use. While being on Wipeout might have been physically exhausting and intimidating, talking to teenagers about sex and abstinence can be even more challenging. Raised in a Christian family and having attended a Christian school, Sanborn said: “I’m totally seeing how being raised in the environment of being saturated with God’s Word is priceless. The See SANBORN, page 27
See DONORS, page 22
INDEX
Editorial .......................... 6-7 Guide to Twin Cities Christian Community Fair ............ 12-15
Northwestern College opens Graham Commons Building named after Billy Graham and was more than six years in the works By Scott Noble
Guide to Christian Higher Education.......... 16-19 Calendar .......................... 20 Community Briefs.............. 21 Music & Entertainment ....... 23 Professional Service Directory .......................... 23 Classifieds ....................... 24 Book Review ..................... 26
Northwestern College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Graham Commons. From left to right: Drew Elrick, NWC student body president; Dan Roe, mayor of Roseville; the Rev. William F. Graham IV; Alan S. Cureton, president of NWC; and Grover Sayre II, chair of the NWC Board of Trustees.
SAINT PAUL — Northwestern College celebrated the grand opening of the new Billy Graham Community Life Commons (Graham Commons) in early October. The event was planned in coordination with the school’s homecoming activities. The building was named in honor of Northwestern’s second president, the Rev. Billy Graham, who served from 1948 to 1952. Graham also founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that was headquartered in the Twin Cities in 1950, and the ministry remained in the area for more than 50 years. At 70,000 square feet, the Gra-
ham Commons includes two levels and serves as a “family room” for students, faculty, staff and guests. The structure will also accommodate a dining center, student lounges, study areas, office and meeting space, a campus store and a prayer chapel. “More than six years ago when we began planning for the addition of the Graham Commons, our intention was to build a facility that would be transformational, and we did,” said Alan S. Cureton, president of Northwestern College, via a media release. “The building’s design, coupled with the redesign of the campus See BUILDING, page 4