Health care for people of Biblical faith
If you are a committed Christian, you do not have to violate your faith by purchasing health insurance from a company that pays for abortions and treatments of conditions resulting from other immoral practices. You can live consistently with your beliefs by sharing medical needs directly with fellow believers through Samaritan Ministries’ non-insurance approach. This approach even satisfies the individual mandate in the recent Federal health care law (Sec. 1501 (b) of HR 3590 at pg. 327, 328). Every month the nearly 21,000* households of Samaritan Ministries share more than $5 million* in medical needs directly—one household to another. They also pray for one another and send notes of encouragement. The monthly share for a family of any size has never exceeded $355*, and is even less for singles, couples, and single-parent families. Also, there are reduced share amounts for members aged 25 and under, and 65 and over.
For more information call us toll-free at 1-888-268-4377, or visit us online at: www.samaritanministries.org. Follow us on Twitter (@samaritanmin) and Facebook (SamaritanMinistries). * As of June 2012
Biblical faith applied to health care www.samaritanministries.org
12 COVER.indd 2
5/25/12 5:00 PM
12 COVER.indd 1
5/21/12 12:15 PM
Seeking Him Together for Spiritual Awakening white:
Seeking Him Together for Spiritual Awakening
“
I believe this year’s conference is particularly timely, as thousands of
women will gather, just weeks before our general election, Seeking Him Together for Spiritual Awakening—acknowledging that Christ is the only Hope for our lives, our families, our churches, and our world, and crying —Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Mary Kassian
”
out to Him in one accord for a divine visitation of His Spirit in our day.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Come to
Priscilla Shirer
Janet Parshall
Keith & Kristyn Getty
Indianapolis, September 20-22, 2012
expecting God to move at this desperate time in history!
Join us for True Woman ’12: Seeking Him Together for Spiritual Awakening.
regISter today
truewoman.com • 877.966.2608
True Woman ’12 is a ministry of
12 COVER.indd 2
Visit truewoman.com, or scan this QR code with your smart phone to learn more or register today!
5/25/12 5:10 PM
A boy’s education without Christian Worldview and Consistent Structure
Because biblical education never spoils Be Informed | Be Selective | Apply Now
12 COVER.indd 3
c h a m b e r l a i n
-
h u n t
.
c o m
T e l 6 0 1 . 4 3 7. 8 8 5 5 | F a x 6 0 1 . 4 3 7. 3 2 1 2
5/25/12 5:11 PM
Love God. Love your neighbor. Unless...
…your neighbor likes drums, or the organ, or…
I
t seems ridiculous to slap a disclaimer on Jesus’ two greatest commandments. But in our daily debates within the Church, we often do exactly that. Good people can leave good churches for the strangest reasons. In What We Believe and Why, pastor and author Dr. George Byron Koch offers a “Theology 101” for Christians of all backgrounds, journeying through Scripture and the rich history of the Church to sort out the essentials of the Christian faith from the non-essentials—and explore how we often get caught up in one while ignoring the other. Combining in-depth research with a feisty, conversational style, Dr. Koch both upholds the importance of sound doctrine while also encouraging Christians to end the unholy bickering and internal wars our differences create, returning to the original hope for love and unity that Christ prayed for all believers.
Love God. Love neighbor. No disclaimers.
So, get started on those essentials: WhatWeBelieveAndWhy.com Enter discount code BP2FDPB2 when checking out and get 20% off the paperback through July 15, 2012. Available in paperback and Kindle versions.
Love God Neighbor Ad.indd 1 12 CONTENTS.indd 4
5/9/12 2:16 PM 5/21/12 12:16 PM
Contents , / ,
42 From Julia to Jesus
The strengths of the Hope Award finalists highlight the shortcomings of liberal and conservative conceptions of fighting poverty
50 Ending one war to arm for the next?
NATO reaches an agreement on Afghanistan but faces serious challenges in mapping a post-war future
54 A great divorce
A court awards the historic Falls Church—one of the oldest in America—to The Episcopal Church, and Anglicans who once made an overwhelming majority of the congregation move out
60 Milestone
Southern Baptists further distance themselves from a divisive racial past with elevation of African-American pastor Fred Luter
64 Dark cloud, silver lining
A depressed housing market has proved favorable for new homeowners willing to work and save Foreclosing in: Without a recovery in the job market, another wave of Floridians will likely lose their homes soon
70 Songs with staying power
St. Olaf Choir’s conductor says the world-famous -yearold ensemble is anti-fluff in the “age of Glee”
11 20 22 24
74 Fracking: fact & fiction
Horizontal drilling is boosting domestic natural gas production, and dubious controversy over its safety : -- , ;
29
News Human Race Quotables Quick Takes
29 32 35 38
Movies & TV Books Q&A Music
64
83 Lifestyle 86 Technology 88 Science 89 Houses of God 90 Sports 92 Money 94 Religion
54
74
visit worldmag.com for breaking news, to sign up for weekly email updates, and more
8 Joel Belz 26 Janie B. Cheaney 40 Mindy Belz 78 John Bell 101 Mailbag 107 Andrée Seu Peterson 108 Marvin Olasky
WORLD (ISSN -X) (USPS -) is published biweekly ( issues) for . per year by God’s World Publications, (no mail) All Souls Crescent, Asheville, NC ; () -. Periodical postage paid at Asheville, , and additional mailing offi ces. Printed in the . Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. © God’s World Publications. All rights reserved. : Send address changes to WORLD, P.O. Box , Asheville, -.
JUNE 16, 2012
12 CONTENTS.indd 5
WORLD
5/29/12 2:55 PM
New
Why am I here?
Youth Bible Studies
Are there absolutes?
Does God care? “Do you Who isreally God? believe
Relating Faith to Life & Life to Faith
that what you believe is really real?” SM
Is there something more?
Do I really matter?
“The earth is the L’s and the fullness thereof; the world and those who dwell therein.” — :
Editor in Chief Editor Managing Editor News Editor Senior Writers . / / . / / / Reporters / Correspondents / / / / / / / / / Mailbag Editor Executive Assistant c Editorial Assistants /
Art Director . Associate Art Director . Illustrator Graphic Designer
Web Executive Editor c Web Assistant Editor Web Editorial Assistant
Where did evil come from?
Invest Wisely.
Founder Publisher . CEO Associate Publisher
Send Him.
Online Training Now Available!
Prepare teens for life after graduation.
thetruthproject.org
Customer Service Office .. Customer Service Manager
Advertising Office .. Director of Sales and Marketing Account Execs / / The World Market
Do heaven and hell exist?
What is truth?
Thousands of native missionaries in poorer countries effectively take the gospel to unreached people groups
in areas that() are extremely difficult God’s World Publications for American missionaries to reach. / / 4 They speak the local languages / / 4 They are part of the culture . / / 4 They never need a visa, airline / /or furloughs tickets, / 4 They win souls and plant
churches Native missionaries serve the Lord at a fraction of what it costs to send an American missionary overseas.
To report, interpret, and illustrate the news in a timely, accurate, enjoyable, and arresting fashion from a perspective committed provide for a missionary to the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Helpwith $50 per month. WORLD is available on microfilm from Bell & Howell Information and Learning, N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI . Indexing provided by the Christian Periodical Index.
Give them the tools they need to examine the Bible, learn what it means, and apply it to their lives.
Christian Aid Mission P. O. Box 9037 Charlottesville, VA 22906 434-977-5650
www.christianaid.org
HOW TO REACH US .. / WORLDmag.com
Free Lessons!
To subscribe, renew, change address, give a gift, order back issues, etc.: Email: customerservice@worldmag.com Online: WORLDmag.com Phone: .. within the U.S. or .. outside the U.S. Write: WORLD, P.O. Box , Asheville, -
www.sowhatstudies.org
An In-Depth Christian Worldview Experience © 2012 Focus on the Family
Reprints and permissions: Contact June McGraw at .. or mailbag@worldmag.com WORLD occasionally rents subscriber names to carefully screened, like-minded organizations. If you would prefer not to receive these promotions, please call customer service and ask to be placed on our list.
FOTF290119-7 Ad Resize TTP Print Ads 2.2 x 9.7.indd 1/10/12 1 3:56 PM 12 CONTENTS.indd 6
5/25/12 5:13 PM
we are
We are a campus of Christians where we can be ourselves while becoming who God wants us to be. We are students who are ambitious, inquisitive, and loving. We are a faculty committed to rigorous academics and evangelical faith. We are a community dedicated to engaging Christ’s kingdom and all it has to offer through scholarship, discipleship, and service.
LEARN MORE AT WWW.WHEATON.EDU
12 CONTENTS.indd 7
5/25/12 5:10 PM
Joel Belz
Kid-glove treatment
The New York Times takes a pass on challenging Mormonism’s truth claims
>>
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 JOEL.indd 8
So what goes on here? What is prompting the Times—the paper that never fears chewing up a conservative on the slightest pretext—to go so easy, at least in this one major profile, on the presumed conservative candidate for president in this year’s all-important election? All we can do is speculate. But here’s a thought to wrestle with. When a person’s religion is reduced to little more than a compilation of good works that everyone agrees are legitimately part of his resumé, it’s pretty hard to beat up on such a person and/or his religion. Who can knock thriftiness or self-discipline or generosity? And the Mormon faith is, for better or for worse, typically defined in such a manner. They’re such good folks, non-Mormons often say of their Mormon neighbors. They’re just the very best kind of people you could possibly have living next to you. Limit things to such a backdrop, and a good, morally upright, clean-living Mormon might well have as good a chance as any good, morally upright, clean-living Christian of getting fair treatment by The New York Times—and the rest of mainstream America. But that’s quite different from taking a close look at the truth claims of that person and/or his religion. Evangelical Christianity, for example, is what it is largely because of its claims () that the Bible is absolutely true and trustworthy and () that trusting in the work of Jesus is the only legitimate way for humans to be reconciled to God. Those are all-important truth claims—so audacious that they also become objectionable to many in the mainstream consideration of things. A huge majority of the American public has no idea what Mormons claim to believe. If those holding to the Mormon faith were to place their distinctive truth claims front and center, the public response would be probing, negative, and nasty. But the Mormon approach in general, and the Romney approach in particular, seem to minimize the public proclamation of truth claims, asking outsiders instead to judge them on the basis of their works and performance. At least for now, it seems to be working. Jodi Kantor and The New York Times, which may not be the best forum for examining truth claims, appear to have settled for such an arrangement. But I personally doubt that so timid an approach can withstand the vicious rigors of an entire presidential campaign. A
GEORGE FREY/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
I M R’ were afraid that mainstream media like The New York Times might at some point aim their condescending, cynical, and even vicious guns at Romney’s Mormon connections, they must have been surprised at Jodi Kantor’s piece on May . Charitably titled “Romney’s Faith, Silent but Deep,” the ,-word article might well have prompted some readers to check up and see whether Kantor was herself a native of Utah. It’s been a long time since anyone identified as an evangelical Christian politician or activist has received such kid-glove treatment. The Kantor piece in the Times suggests that Romney’s faith might best be summarized by asking the question: How could students apply the lessons of Mormon scripture in their daily lives? Indeed. Who could object to so innocuous an approach? The Romney portrait in the Times is of a man “whose faith is his design for living.” More specifically, that faith encourages him to be “industrious,” to exercise “zeal,” to be helpful in “ironing out conflicts,” and to “abhor debt.” Hardly anything wacky there. Even in its explicit expression, the Romney faith leads him to such out-of-the-mainstreambut-still-tolerable activities NO TEST OF FAITH: A statue of as singing hymns and Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church, stands by the Mormon Salt praying for divine guidance Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. while on business trips. Read the whole article, and about the worst you’ll discover about Romney is that his “spiritual life revolves around personal rectitude. In Mormonism, salvation depends in part on constantly making oneself purer and therefore more godlike.” Even the note that Romney, like other Mormons of his status, trades in his street clothes for white robes when he goes to his temple, is offered as a straightforward informational tidbit rather than with a sneer.
Email: jbelz@worldmag.com
5/29/12 2:37 PM
CREDIT
Woman World 4.12.indd 1 12 JOEL.indd 9
1/30/12 3:47:34 PM 5/21/12 3:22 PM
W h at a r e Y o u Searching For? A Q u e s t f o r Fa i t h i n t h e Va l l e y o f D o u b t
“Every once in a while a book comes along that is so elegant and beautiful and vital, that you can’t imagine the world without it. Joe Loconte’s The Searchers is a masterpiece, one of those rare books you will want to give to almost anyone, believers and non-believers alike. It overflows with wisdom and vital information about the very thing that makes us human, our search for meaning in the universe.”
E r i c
M E t a x a S
New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
CREDIT
Available wherever books and ebooks are sold
The first 200 people to sign up at www.NelsonFree.com/Searchers will receive a free PDF of the book!
Search_WorldAd_2.indd 1 12 D-OPENER.indd 10
5/17/12 1:40 PM 5/21/12 12:25 PM
Dispatches photo illustration: krieg barrie • obama: pablo martinez monsivais/ap • romney: ethan miller/getty images
News > Human Race > Quotables > Quick Takes
Fuzzy math early presidential campaign polls may not tell us much that is useful, but some numbers are revealing
by EDWaRD LEE Pitts
>>
It is understandable if you are confused about the race for the White House. Some headlines say President Obama “has a solid lead” while others declare, “Obama’s rating falls.” Things got strange on May 16 when pollsters with the left-leaning New York Times and the right-leaning Fox News appeared to have switched reputations: A CBS News/New York Times poll gave Mitt Romney a 46 percent to 43 percent lead over Obama while a Fox News poll anointed Obama the leader by 7 points. Confused? Pollster Scott Rasmussen has this advice: “Just glance at today’s polls and
Download WORLD’s iPad app today; details at WORLDmag.com/iPad
12 D-OPENER.indd 11
then move along. Then after Labor Day I would begin to focus more on the horse race numbers.” That will be after each party’s conventions, after Romney has picked his running mate, and about the time of the debates. For now, Rasmussen discounts a lot of the current polls because many of them questioned registered voters. The not-sowell-kept secret in American politics is that many registered voters don’t exercise their voting right. This skews polls because they measure a bigger pool of voters than will actually show up—and many of those no-shows, according to Rasmussen, are younger voters who lean Democratic. Four years ago John McCain won the majority of voters over 40 while Obama won the election with the votes of people under 40. Early indicators suggest fewer of these voters, their enthusiasm reduced, will go to June 16, 2012
WORLD
11
5/29/12 2:41 PM
Dispatches > News
June may be remembered more not for who attended but for who didn’t show up. Hugh Jackman and Phillip Seymour Hoffman were nominated for awards at the annual awards show for Broadway theater. But high-profile stars like Matthew Broderick, Samuel L. Jackson, Angela Lansbury, and Ricky Martin were not.
LOOKING AHEAD
U.S. Golf Open
The world’s best golfers will descend upon San Francisco when the opening round of the U.S. Open tees off on June . For last year’s winner, the young Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy, this year’s Open represents an opportunity to get back on track after a sub-par May.
Flag Day
Baltimore will have a major celebration of Flag Day (June ), even if only coincidentally. The city is planning a week of celebrations starting on June to mark the bicentenary of the outbreak of the War of —a war that gave cause for Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner.” Dubbed the “Star-Spangled Sailabration,” the festival will host tall sailing ships in the city’s harbor and a U.S. Navy Blue Angels air show in the skies above.
Greeks vote
Greece’s future in the Eurozone depends largely on how the people in the birthplace of democracy choose to vote on June . Results from the May election proved inconclusive—except that radical leftist party SYRIZA was gaining major traction thanks to anti-bailout rhetoric. European financiers are already warning that a victory by SYRIZA could grease the wheels for Greece’s exit from the Eurozone.
European trip
For the first time since being placed under house arrest in , pro-democracy advocate and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will travel outside the borders of Burma on June . In her tour of Europe, the Burmese prisoner-turnedpolitician will visit her children and grandchildren as well as pick up an honorary degree at her alma mater, Oxford University.
JACKSON: DAN STEINBERG/AP • MCILROY: STUART FRANKLIN/GETTY IMAGES • USCGC EAGLE: PD-USGOV • GREECE: LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES • SUU KYI: PAULA BRONSTEIN/GETTY IMAGES
the polls this time around, Rasmussen says. Accurate polls survey likely voters, and likely voters are easier to identify closer to Election Day. But that doesn’t mean readers can’t pick out interesting nuggets from the present parade of polls. The Fox News poll favorable to Obama also reveals that Romney tops Obama by percentage points among voters who say they are “extremely” interested in the election. Those people probably will turn into the fall’s likely voters. For now, Rasmussen recommends focusing on two numbers that have historically been reliable markers of what to expect in an election: a sitting president’s job approval rating and how people feel about the economy. In George W. Bush’s approval rating stayed anchored around percent, and on Election Day he received just over percent of the vote. Obama’s job approval rating this year has hovered consistently in the percent to percent range in several polls. “If his numbers end up there,” Rasmussen says, “he will get just under percent of the vote, and that could make it a very close election.” And one place where the divergent New York Times and Fox News polls agree: People think the economy stinks. In the New York Times poll percent said the economy is in bad shape while in the Fox poll just percent rated the economy positively. Both are bad signs for any incumbent. When asked by Fox what they thought Obama did to help the economy, percent said, “Not hing.” Rasmussen says that, as the campaign moves through October, savvy observers should focus on polls in specific swing states as much as national polls. A May NBC News poll shows that Obama leads in Florida, Ohio, and Virginia. But the -point lead Obama enjoyed in Ohio in March has been cut in half, while his -point March lead in Virginia is now down to just points. Meanwhile in North Carolina, where Obama won by less than points in , the president trails Romney by points. With that state slipping out of reach, Obama may wish he were going somewhere other than Charlotte, N.C., for this fall’s Democratic convention. A
Tony Awards The Tony Awards on
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 D-OPENER.indd 12
5/29/12 2:47 PM
I am a member ...of heaven’s family
My name is Maria Nekesa Simiyo. I live in Kenya. My mother was 17 years old when I was born, and caring for me was too much trouble for her. So just after my birth she put me down inside a latrine, hoping to forever hide me because she didn't want me. Six hours later, someone heard me crying. I was covered with feces. They rushed me to a hospital. Even though I lived, my eyes were permanently damaged. I went to live with my grandmother, but she was too poor to afford the medical care I needed for my eyes. My eyesight got even worse. I couldn't go to school. Then one day some people from Heaven’s Family came to my village. They paid for the medical care that I needed and the tuition for a special school for kids like me. They also told me about Jesus and His big family around the world. I'm glad I'm a member of that family!
Heaven's Family is working in over thirty of the world's poorest nations to meet pressing needs of the "least of these"—those of whom Jesus spoke in His foretelling of the judgment of the sheep and the goats (Matt. 25:31-46). Through our many focused ministry funds, we help believers who are facing even more daunting challenges than poverty, such as persecution, hunger, unsafe water, natural disasters, widowhood, illness, orphanhood and physical disibilities. We also establish micro-banks that provide small business start-up loans for enterprising believers to help them lift themselves from poverty. To learn more, visit us at HeavensFamilyWorld.org. CREDIT
Find more happy endings at
HeavensFamilyWorld.org
12 D-OPENER.indd 13
Free Book!
“A quick read that will forever transform your view of wealth.” Call toll-free 1-855-333-2211, or email your name and address to: FreeBook@HeavensFamily.org.
5/21/12 12:28 PM
Dispatches > News
Ruling on counseling
The british association for Counselling and psychotherapy informed a Christian counselor that she would lose her senior accredited status after she offered therapy for homosexuality to an undercover journalist faking a request for her help. The advocacy group Christian Concern reported that journalist patrick strudwick approached Christian counselor Lesley Pilkington and asked for therapy for unwanted homosexual desires. after two sessions, the journalist filed a complaint with the british accrediting agency. The organization refused a request to ban the reparative therapy that pilkington uses to help clients who want to leave homosexuality, but said that the counselor shouldn’t have assumed that strudwick wanted to proceed with the style of counseling. (pilkington says strudwick agreed to her approach in advance.) pilkington told Christian Concern she was glad the association didn’t ban reparative therapy, but asked: “who is going to protect Christian counselors from continued harassment?”
Egyptian voters face a June 16-17 presidential run-off to decide who will control the political reins in the post-revolution country: a former military leader with strong ties to ousted President Hosni Mubarak or a candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing. tOugh chOice: Preliminary results from the May presidential Supporters of elections set up a run-off between Ahmed Shafiq, different 70, a former air force general and prime minister presidential under Mubarak, and Mohammed Morsi, 60, the candidates argue in Cairo. Muslim Brotherhood’s pick. It’s a choice some Egyptians don’t relish. Secular activists drove the revolution to oust Mubarak last year, and hoped for a liberal-minded candidate to move away from the old regime or an Islamiccentered politician. (The Muslim Brotherhood already controls nearly 50 percent of the seats in parliament.) But it appears secularists will garner some attention for at least the next few weeks: In the days after the May contest, candidates were strategizing how to snag swing voters in an election that could shape the future of the country for decades.
14
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 D14.indd 14
Arguing that their constitutional rights are being violated, two female Army Reserve officers on May 23 sued the Defense Department and the Army in an effort to overturn the policies banning women from combat roles. The lawsuit filed in federal district court came one week after Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, asked senior officers to present a plan this summer for opening the famed Ranger school to female recruits. It’s MAN POWeR: a move that, if adopted, likely would Ranger training at elgin Air place women in combat roles. Force Base, Fla. Odierno said that allowing women to become Rangers would help them achieve higher ranks. About 90 percent of senior Army infantry officers are qualified as Rangers. Women, who make up 16 percent of the Army, are barred from serving in special operations, infantry, or armor forces. But the Army already is implementing plans to let women serve closer to the front lines: New Pentagon rules now allow women to serve in the smaller battalion level that operates closer to the enemy. The lawsuit claims that servicewomen suffer discrimination because they are “limited to support positions with no possibility to compete within the combat arms.” Opponents of placing women in combat roles claim that women will not be held to the same high standards as men at the rigorous Ranger school. Ranger recruits endure 61 days of training in mountain, desert, and swamp tactics with little food and sleep.
RangER sChool: nICk TomECEk/noRThwEsT FloRIDa DaIly nEws/ap • pIlkIngTon: hanDouT/Iba • EgypT: maRCo longaRI/aFp/gETTyImagEs CREDIT
Egypt on the edge
RangeR changeRS
Stay connected: Sign up to receive email updates at WORLDmag.com/email
5/29/12 3:05 PM
WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOUR PIG? If your piggy bank is looking a little lean lately with the meager returns savers are getting on CD’s, Treasuries, and mutual fund investments, perhaps you should switch to a centuries old method of wealth preservation, GOLD. Sadly, after adjusting for inflation and taxes, many savers are actually experiencing a negative return, while savers who have diversified into precious metals have been enjoying an average of 18% ANNUAL GROWTH for over a decade. In light of the Federal Reserve’s current policy of “Quantitative Easing” (printing money out of thin air) many economists foresee a much higher inflation rate ahead as the dollar continues to deteriorate. Gold and silver have historically offered investors and savers an ideal method of hedging against the loss of purchasing power through inflation of the money supply.
TWO REPORTS YOU MUST READ FREE
THE DEATH OF THE DOLLAR
A BETTER WAY TO OWN GOLD Investing in precious metals is simple, but understanding the right method and form of gold and silver to purchase is paramount. This informative report clearly describes the various pitfalls, benefits, and unique opportunities in acquiring the right gold and silver products for you.
This report spells out the dangers of the Fed monetizing the debt and the consequences for savers and investors in an economy with rising and or runaway inflation. Historic examples of hyperinflation are explained along with proven methods of wealth preservation.
Bonus DVD - Monetary Madness This newly produced DVD will fully explain the “BIG Picture” America is facing over the next 5-10 years along with a perspective investment analysis and recommendations. To Receive All Three FREE Offers, Call anytime on our toll free 24 hour recorded information line:
1-866-211-7606
CREDIT
*ICA, “America’s Most Trusted Precious Metals Firm” Has Been Serving Customers Coast to Coast Since 1972 and Carries an A+ Rating With the BBB.
www.mcalvany.com
12 D14.indd 15
5/25/12 5:06 PM
Dispatches > News
TIME IS DEBT If a . trillion federal debt
Coalition tested
sounds big, the debt problem may be even worse. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee released a report on May estimating the total debt of the country—including state deficits and unfunded state pension liabilities—could be more than trillion. The report’s co-authors, U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), say unfunded pension liabilities are the ticking time bombs. “Some jurisdictions around the United States already spend more money on retired workers than on current employees, and more on retired teachers than on existing students and schools,” they said in a statement. Brady and DeMint say Congress should make it clear that the federal
to solve this problem.
Vatican scandal In an unfolding Vatican scandal that involves intrigue, corruption, and leaked documents, Vatican police arrested the personal butler to Pope Benedict XVI on May . The arrest of butler Paolo Gabriele, , sent shockwaves through Vatican City and followed the publication of a book full of leaked Vatican documents. The papers allege corruption in Vatican finance and in-fighting among top officials. Vatican investigators said they arrested Gabriele after finding Holy See documents in his apartment. They believe he may have leaked other papers to Italian journalists in an effort to undermine top church officials. Meanwhile, Vatican officials fired the president of the Vatican bank, saying that Ettore Gotti had leaked Vatican documents unrelated to the current scandal and failed to perform his duties. Carl Anderson, a member of the board of the Vatican bank that ousted the president, said the controversy had grown surreal: “If you wrote this in fiction, you wouldn’t believe it.”
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 D16 and D17.indd 16
Available in Apple’s App Store: Download WORLD’s iPad app today
5/29/12 3:14 PM
KLINE AND NUSS: JOHN HANNA/AP • BEIER: ANTHONY S. BUSH/TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL/AP
government won’t bail out the states if they are unable
OWENS: DESTE LEE/ THE NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL/AP • GOTTI: TIZIANA FABI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES CREDIT
President Obama’s most reliable constituency has been the AfricanAmerican community, with upwards of percent of AfricanOPPOSING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE: Rev. Bill Owens, president, Coalition of African-American Pastors. American voters backing him, according to various polls. But the African-American community also overwhelmingly supports traditional marriage—see the results of the traditional marriage amendment that recently passed in North Carolina with huge support from majority black counties. In recent fights to legalize same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia and Maryland, it has been the black community and specifically church leaders who have been most mobilized against such legislation. Since Obama’s announcement May that he personally supports same-sex marriage, African-American pastors across the country have been coalescing in opposition— though that opposition may not translate to support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The Church of God in Christ, a majority black Pentacostal denomination with million members, specifically condemned Obama’s new position as opposed to the biblical view of marriage. African-American pastors in Memphis, Tenn., who started the Coalition of African-American Pastors in support of traditional marriage, held a press conference after Obama’s announcement and published a new website, signaturesmarriage.com. These black church leaders are particularly incensed that gay-rights activists have compared the quest to redefine marriage to the Civil Rights movement. Meanwhile, the NAACP, which has supported the legalization of same-sex marriage for years, passed a resolution endorsing same-sex marriage days after the president’s announcement. Obama recognized the threat to his constituency, and a few hours after his announcement he held a conference call to explain his decision to several African-American pastors, according to The New York Times. Romney, meanwhile, has begun reaching out to African-American voters, to mixed reception. In , against a candidate who was not African-American, George W. Bush won percent of the African-American vote.
Kline fires back
Following a blistering motion, five Kansas justices recuse themselves in ethics case By Les siLLars
Owens: Deste Lee/ the nOrtheast Mississippi DaiLy JOurnaL/ap • GOtti: tiZiana FaBi/aFp/Getty iMaGes CREDIT
KLine anD nuss: JOhn hanna/ap • Beier: anthOny s. Bush/tOpeKa CapitaL-JOurnaL/ap
>>
Phill Kline may have finally caught a break—or not—but he is having his say. As a result, five of the seven Kansas Supreme Court justices set to rule on the ethics case against the former attorney general of Kansas, the only prosecutor ever to go after Planned Parenthood, recused themselves on May 18. Their decision came three days after Kline filed a recusal motion against two of the seven, Justice Carol Beier and Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. The 80-page motion levels some spectacular charges against Beier, accusing her of “deep-seated antagonism” against Kline motivated by feminist ideology, of protecting Planned Parenthood by, among other things, distorting evidence, and of publicly denigrating him through her rulings. Last fall a state ethics panel recommended that the court suspend indefinitely Kline’s law license for allegedly misleading state officials and the courts during the tumultuous six years he spent prosecuting Planned Parenthood for crimes ranging from failure to report child rape to forging patient records (see “Vengeance on the prairie,” May 21, 2011). Kline strongly denies the charges. The Court will rule on the recommendation this fall. The five justices recused themselves on the grounds that they had handled complaints about
Kline during the Planned Parenthood case and so could not be his “last reviewers.” Kline’s lawyer, Thomas Condit, noted that the justices have known of the conflict since December. “They seized on a pretext to make it look highminded,” he said, “and make everyone look past our recusal motion.” A Court spokesman said ethics guidelines prevented the justices from commenting on the case. The motion relates how Beier wrote in 2008 that when Republican Kline left the AG’s office in 2007 to become Johnson County district attorney, he took with him “all” of the evidence (mostly patient records) against Planned Parenthood in an effort to “stand in the way of” his successor, Democrat Paul Morrison. As “relief” she ordered Kline to turn over all the evidence to Morrison. This was a ploy to get the evidence out of Kline’s hands, asserts the motion. Earlier in her ruling, Beier accepted that Morrison had immediate access to the original records, which were in a judge’s custody, plus his own copies. Moreover,
HAVING HIS SAY: Kline.
this “relief” relieved nothing: Months before Beier granted it, Morrison dropped the charges against Planned Parenthood. Beier then ordered Kline to turn over to Morrison copies of all the evidence against Planned Parenthood he had collected since leaving the AG’s office and becoming DA. The ethics case against Kline will now go before the remaining two justices and replacement judges chosen by presiding judge Dan Biles. Mary Kay Culp, executive director of Kansans for Life, believes that Biles is pro-abortion. The Kansas legal establishment, she said, intends to send a message to prosecutors across the country about investigating Planned Parenthood: “The ethics charges are meant to be intimidating.” As for the continuing Johnson County criminal case against Planned Parenthood, a judge dismissed 23 felony charges last fall when he discovered that state bureaucrats had shredded key evidence years earlier (“Into the shredder,” Nov. 19). But the abortion giant still faces a scheduling hearing on July 11 on dozens of misdemeanor counts of failure to determine the viability of unborn children and unlawful late-term abortions. A June 16, 2012
12 D16 and D17.indd 17
WORLD
17
5/29/12 12:55 PM
Dispatches > News
Bad girl no more
DONNA SUMMER, -
Donna Summer, who died of cancer May at , was in some ways the anti–Whitney Houston. Whereas Houston began with a clean image that she eventually besmirched, Summer launched her career with the borderline-pornographic disco smash “Love to Love You, Baby” then went on to embrace marriage, motherhood, and the Christian faith. Prior to her conversion, she notched nine top- hits (including her No. single “Bad Girls”)— if you count “The Wanderer,” the title track of the album that concluded with “I Believe in Jesus.” “Jesus was a little lamb,” she sang, “his fleece was white as snow. / And everywhere that Jesus went, this lamb is sure to go.” For a time, it appeared Summer had found a way both to diversify her sonic portfolio and to blend a public Christian stance with a successful career. If her hit “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)” might have been a song about her rebirth, there was absolutely no doubt about whom or what she was singing in “He’s a Rebel,” “Unconditional Love,” and her duet with the nd Chapter of Acts’ Matthew Ward, “Love Has a Mind of Its Own.” Then the trouble started. A story broke that Summer, whose Queen of Disco status had earned her a significant homosexual following, had described AIDS as a punishment from God. By the time she denied having done so and sought to mend cultural fences, the damage had been done, and, like Anita Bryant before her, Summer found herself on the professional ropes. Of the nearly singles she released after , only two hit the top . Perhaps she’d merely “had her run.” Whatever the case, she kept recording, occasionally hitting the dance charts. For the most part, however, she aged gracefully and, by all accounts, happily—content in her decision years before to have shed her “bad girl” image and to follow the Lamb wherever she believed He was going.
Military protection
Successful fight
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 D18.indd 18
SUMMER: ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES • BUSH: CHARLES DHARAPAK/AP CREDIT
The lives of more than , people in nine African countries were saved between and by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, according to a study by the Stanford University School of Medicine. The health program, known also as PEPFAR, started under President George W. Bush and focused on fighting AIDS and malaria in countries. But researchers found that it reduced adults’ risk of death from all causes by percent to percent during those four years. “Despite all the challenges to making aid work and to implementing HIV treatment in Africa, the benefits of PEPFAR were large and measurable across many African countries,” said Stanford assistant professor of medicine Eran Bendavid. The study analyzed health and survival data from more than . million adults in African nations. Republicans proposed slashing PEPFAR’s budget by percent in .
President Barack Obama told the graduating class of U.S. Air Force Academy cadets on May that they are starting their service at a time when the burden of national security no longer falls so heavily on their shoulders: “You are the first class in nine years that will graduate into a world where there are no Americans fighting in Iraq.” But battles over military policy continue: An approved amendment to the House defense bill explicitly prevents same-sex marriage services from taking place on U.S. military bases. “The administration’s recent actions have created uncertainty regarding ceremonies permitted on military installations,” said Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., as the House approved an amendment to the defense reauthorization bill explicitly preventing same-sex marriage services on U.S. military bases. Also, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., pushed through a second amendment to create a statutory conscience protection clause for service members. It came at the request of military chaplain organizations that have reported an increase in censorship and discipline directed at soldiers who have moral or religious concerns about same-sex marriage. WORLDmag.com: Your online source for today’s news, Christian views
5/29/12 2:34 PM
IS THE NONPROFIT YOU SUPPORT ACCREDITED BY ECFA?
“We at Compassion International want to thank ECFA for enforcing the highest of standards, ensuring we exhibit the highest levels of honesty, integrity and accountability. It is an honor to partner with this reputable organization in a world that is watching.�
CREDIT
Wess Stafford, president and CEO Compassion International Colorado Springs, CO
12 D18.indd 19
Enhancing Trust Become a member
ECFA.org
5/21/12 12:36 PM
Dispatches > Human Race
DIED Sen. Jim Abdnor, R-S.D.,
DIED The Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb died of cancer May at age . Gibb and his brothers Maurice and Barry rocketed into history during the s with disco hits including “Stayin’ Alive” from their bestselling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
UNITED New York City Council speaker Christine Quinn married her long-time partner Kim Catullo May during a well-publicized ceremony. Quinn, a mayoral hopeful, had joined the lobbying effort last year that eventually led to the legalization of same-sex marriages in the state. Wedding guests included Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, and Democratic New York Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer.
APPROVED Bethlehem Baptist Church, the church led by author John Piper, voted overwhelmingly May to approve Jason Meyer as Piper’s successor. Beginning Aug. , Piper—who said he is in “joyful support” of Meyer, the assistant professor of New Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary—will mentor Meyer, , for an unspecified length of time. After the mentorship period is complete, Piper, , said he plans to “leave town for a year or so and find a place for writing and reflection” while spending time with his family.
SENTENCED A Pakistani court sentenced a doctor
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 HUMAN RACE.indd 20
to years in prison after convicting him of high treason for assisting U.S. forces in tracking down Osama bin Laden. Dr. Shakil Afridi, , helped the CIA by running a vaccination drive through which he unsuccessfully tried to gather DNA samples from relatives living in bin Laden’s compound. At the time, Afridi did not know who was the target of the program. U.S. officials, calling Afridi a patriot who was never asked to spy on Pakistan, warn that the country’s ruling could lead to aid cuts.
RECORD Nearly , volunteers set a state record on April by building wheelchair ramps in North Carolina on one day. Kids participated—a -year-old picked up wood scraps and teens pre-built ramp sections—but so did the elderly, with one team of builders having an average age of . Operation Inasmuch, NC Baptist Men, and the North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry coordinated the day of service.
ABDNOR: THE DAILY REPUBLIC/AP • GIBB: RALF JUERGENS/GETTY IMAGES • ZUCKERBERGS: ALLYSON MAGDA PHOTOGRAPHY/FACEBOOK/AP • MEYER: HANDOUT CREDIT
the farmer-turned-politician who booted liberal Democrat George McGovern from office in on the coattails of a Reagan win, died May at age . The plain-spoken but personable Abdnor, whose resumé included stints as a state senator, lieutenant governor, and a four-term U.S. congressman— served on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and used his position to support farmers and water development.
WED Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, , married his long-time girlfriend Priscilla Chan, , May in a ceremony that caught even the guests by surprise. The couple, who met while attending Harvard, had planned the wedding under the ruse of a graduation party to celebrate Chan’s recent graduation from medical school. The wedding came just days after Zuckerberg led the social-networking company to the third-largest public offering in history.
Get WORLD’s WORLD iPad app today; details at WORLDmag.com/iPad
5/29/12 4:27 PM
ABDNOR: THE DAILY REPUBLIC/AP • GIBB: RALF JUERGENS/GETTY IMAGES • ZUCKERBERGS: ALLYSON MAGDA PHOTOGRAPHY/FACEBOOK/AP • MEYER: HANDOUT CREDIT
There’s never been a better time than right now to seek God’s plan for your life. And no better place than right here... IMPACT 360 is an academic gap-year experience committed to equipping future generations to become Christ-centered servant leaders. With the help and direction of some of the world’s most respected teachers and leaders, IMPACT 360 has created an environment where students from all walks of life are encouraged to think deeply and critically about what is being taught and then to apply those things to their lives… No matter where God might lead.
12 HUMAN RACE.indd 21
5/25/12 5:05 PM
Wildlife biologist JiM WieGaND, vice president of Save the Eagles International, on the killing of birds by turbines on wind farms.
‘Wow. I wonder if the unions think this kind of thing will make people take them seriously.’ South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki HaLey, after a video went viral of Donna Dewitt, president of the South Carolina AFL-CIO, repeatedly swinging a baseball bat at a picture of Haley on a pinata.
‘We ... do not believe that discussions about the administration of justice would be less successful were they held somewhere other than a spa and resort in Hawaii.’ U.S. Sens. CHuCk GRassLey, R-Iowa, and Jeff sessiONs, R-Ala., in a letter to 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Chief Judge Alex Kozinski, on a $1 million conference on “improving the administration of justice” that the court planned to hold in Hawaii in August.
‘A mighty man of God has fallen.’ Pastor DaNNy CaRROLL, on fellow Indiana pastor Jaman iseminger (left). A homeless woman entered Bethel Community Church of Southport, Ind., on May 19 and fatally shot Iseminger. The 29-year-old pastor had grown up in the church, where his parents are still members.
‘They say, “the Bible doesn’t say anything about homosexuality!” And I type back to them, “What Bible are you reading? The Rick James Bible?”’ raditional T marriageactivists protestagainstgay marriageinMaryland
22
MONte HaRRis, an activist for traditional marriage in Maryland, on the Facebook arguments he encounters from opponents.
turbine: rh photos/newscom • Dewitt: viDeo grab • haley: rich glickstein/the state/ap • grassley & sessions: alex wong/getty images • iseminger: hanDout • marylanD: patrick semansky/ap CREDIT
‘Wherever these turbines are placed, there is no escape. They kill the indigenous bird species.’
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 QUOTABLES.indd 22
5/28/12 7:55 PM
CREDIT
Dispatches > Quotables
CREDIT
turbine: rh photos/newscom • Dewitt: viDeo grab • haley: rich glickstein/the state/ap • grassley & sessions: alex wong/getty images • iseminger: hanDout • marylanD: patrick semansky/ap CREDIT
5/29/12 11:47 AM
12 QUOTABLES.indd 23
Dispatches > Quick Takes How scarce is land in Lower Manhattan? So scarce that owners of a luxury condominium building on th Street think they can sell a parking spot in their parking garage for million. The spot, which measures feet wide and feet long, will come with a deed and will incur building maintenance fees. The million price tag would make the Manhattan parking spot six times costlier than the average single family home in the United States.
A county employee in Detroit has learned a hard lesson about the maddening ways of bureaucracies. Veteran Wayne County, Mich., employee John Chevilott discovered a loaded revolver while at work in May mowing grass for the county in a Detroit neighborhood. Chevilott phoned the police to turn in the handgun—but the cops never arrived. So Chevilott did the next best thing: At the end of his shift, he transported the gun to a Detroit police station. But that’s when county officials became involved. Though the police praised him for taking a gun off the streets, county officials fired him, saying he violated policy by being in possession of a gun while on the job. Chevilott said he hopes to fight to get his job back.
One indication that your grass needs mowing: It’s so high, you lose a car in it. A -year-old Georgia widow called police in May to report that her late husband’s van had been stolen. But hours later she had to place another phone call to police. After looking more closely in her yard, she discovered the inoperable van parked there—the last place anyone had seen it—obscured by high, untended weeds and grass.
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 QUICK TAKES.indd 24
BREEDLOVE SPEED RECORD: COPYRIGHT BETTMANN/CORBIS/AP • BREEDLOVE: DEAN COPPOLA/CONTRA COSTA TIMES/ZUMA PRESS/NEWSCOM • PARKING SPOT: HANDOUT • CHEVILOTT: FOX NEWS DETROIT • ILLUSTRATION: KRIEG BARRIE CREDIT
Some men are born with an irresistible need for speed. And some like Craig Breedlove never outgrow it. At age , Breedlove is organizing an attempt to bring the land-speed record back to the United States. Breedlove—well-known decades ago as a daredevil— became the first man to take a car past the mph barrier. Then he became the first to travel mph on the ground. Now, decades later, an Englishman holds the land-speed record at mph. Breedlove says he’s planning on coming back to the driver’s seat—despite his advanced age—and going for the mph mark. According to friends of the legendary racer, Breedlove and his team will go for the new mark in —the th anniversary of his first world speed record.
Stay connected: Sign up to receive email updates at WORLDmag.com/email
5/29/12 3:35 PM
PETERSON: PAUL TOPLE/AKRON BEACON JOURNAL • TRIATHLON: CB2/ZOB/WENN.COM/NEWSCOM • ILLUSTRATION: KRIEG BARRIE • LONDON: MATT DUNHAM/AP • ANDRAKA: HANDOUT CREDIT
BREEDLOVE SPEED RECORD: COPYRIGHT BETTMANN/CORBIS/AP • BREEDLOVE: DEAN COPPOLA/CONTRA COSTA TIMES/ZUMA PRESS/NEWSCOM • PARKING SPOT: HANDOUT • CHEVILOTT: FOX NEWS DETROIT • ILLUSTRATION: KRIEG BARRIE CREDIT
PETERSON: PAUL TOPLE/AKRON BEACON JOURNAL • TRIATHLON: CB2/ZOB/WENN.COM/NEWSCOM • ILLUSTRATION: KRIEG BARRIE • LONDON: MATT DUNHAM/AP • ANDRAKA: HANDOUT CREDIT
The last time James Peterson attempted to fist-pump for hours, he neglected to document it. But on May when he felt the urge to pump his fist again, he made sure to bring a camera crew and alert Guinness that he was aiming for a record. In all, the -year-old Akron, Ohio, resident managed to pump his fist in the air for straight hours, which, Peterson says, should be good enough to put him in the record books. To accomplish the feat, Peterson says he took no chances—he even super-glued his hand shut. “I used to hang light fixtures,” he said, “so I am used to having my hands above my head.”
Joe Salter can probably walk and chew gum at the same time. Bored by normal triathlons, the -year-old public-school counselor juggled balls during the entirety of an April triathlon race, which included a quarter-mile swim, a -mile run and a .-mile bike sprint. According to Salter, the swimming-whilejuggling was the hardest part, since he had to do a slow backstroke the entire time. Juggling on the bicycle only proved difficult during gear changes, he reported. His final time: hour, minutes—and only three balls dropped.
Some critics have always alleged that Congress’ antics are sophomoric. Now there’s proof. On a whim, a researcher for the Sunlight Foundation, an open government advocacy group, plugged all congressional floor speeches into a database that analyzes word complexity and sentence length to posit a writing level. The result: Congress had been operating on an th-grade writing level until around , when apparently the level of discourse began a long slide down to sophomore-level dialogue. In , Congress scored an . on the Flesch-Kincaid scale. This year, Congress scored a ..
In the battle to secure London as the home of the Summer Olympics, some stretched the boundaries of law. According to a top organizer, London officials used GPS locator tools to rig traffic lights so International Olympic Committee officials would never have to stop at a red light while visiting the city. London executive Sir Keith Mills admitted to the light-fixing—which occurred during an IOC visit to London in to judge the city’s ability to handle the Olympic Games—in the Daily Mail.
Some kids take cotton swabs around the house to find the dirtiest objects. Others grow plants in varied levels of light. But one -year-old Maryland boy puts all those experiments to shame with his science fair project. For his entry into the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Jack Andraka of Crownsville, Md., invented a promising new test for quickly detecting the early onset of pancreatic cancer. The urine test Andraka created has proved percent accurate as well as nearly times less expensive than current tests. Andraka, who has applied to patent his invention, won top prize at the fair, worth ,.
JUNE 16, 2012
12 QUICK TAKES.indd 25
WORLD
5/29/12 3:36 PM
Janie B. Cheaney
The poor in mind
The shoveling of resources to those in poverty is worse than useless
>>
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 CHEANEY.indd 26
thought poor. There were books in the house, and ideas, and plans. My parents knew how to forgo pleasures today in order to save up for tomorrow, and that’s the way previous generations progressed out of poverty. Today ... not so much. Social observers, most recently Charles Murray in his book Coming Apart, are concerned about the creation of a permanent American underclass. It consists of an increasing number of individuals who don’t marry, don’t pursue an education, and lack the ability to set long-range goals. Ruby Payne, in A Framework of Understanding Poverty, isolates certain values common to the lower class, such as an almost tribal obligation to share everything with blood kin, and an acceptance of short jail terms (for oneself or a relative) as normal. Payne is castigated for oversimplifying, but her work deserves attention. Illogical behavior among the disadvantaged is well known to relief workers: Men may work hard at a new job, then quit, or just stop showing up, as soon as they’ve paid the month’s rent. Moms will feel it’s perfectly reasonable to blow half a welfare check on a lavish baby shower for their unwed daughters. When the U.S. government declared War on Poverty in the s, it was gunning for the material kind. But other kinds are much more devastating. The authors of When Helping Hurts (Moody, ) identify four kinds of poverty, including poverty of being that lives for the moment and doesn’t see a broader world beyond its narrow experience. Shoveling resources their way with no accountability only exacerbates the problem. This doesn’t mean that churches can’t help; on the contrary, churches are the best qualified to help. Moreover, we’re commanded to help. We just need to be wiser in how we go about it. What’s needed is tough love, personal investment, patience, prayer, and reliance on the Lord rather than results. Old molds are hard to break, but new creatures may be waiting inside. A
ANDREA LAURITA/VETTA/GETTY IMAGES
A , our church discovered a rich mine of service in the local culture: the poor. The area we live in is a crossroads for low-income people who find green pastures here—not just from the state, but from local churches too. Like Depression-era hoboes who had their own grapevine for sharing generous towns and households, transient down-and-outers get the word out. Subsidized housing, food banks, a myriad of services—all available here. Plus, it’s not too hot or cold and the people are nice: Come on down! The local homeless shelter seemed ripe for harvest when our pastor started showing up there. Our church pews filled with strangers in torn jeans and T-shirts, and some professed to be moved and encouraged. They just never stayed. The problem, as we haltingly and imperfectly came to learn, is a misunderstanding of poverty—particularly American poverty in the st century. It is not primarily a matter of income or opportunity. It’s more a state of mind. It’s widely remarked that to be “poor” in America often means decent housing, at least one vehicle, a cell phone for everybody in the family over age , air conditioning, two TVs, and a pig heaven of high-carb snacks—wealth beyond the dreams of the average Haitian. Though often exaggerated, it’s true enough to raise eyebrows when discussion turns to “The Other America.” The real picture is complicated. Some men and women classified as poor are indeed lazy, and some are masters at gaming the system. Others work hard and dislike handouts (or claim to). Some struggle with drugs or alcohol or personality disorders, and some have a police record. For others, none of those things are true but they’re snared in the poverty web. I grew up in a two-bedroom, one-bath house, on one income—my mother’s, after my father was disabled. We never had money for vacations and seldom ate out. Even after adjusting for inflation, our family would probably be considered below the poverty line today, but we never felt poor, or
Email: jcheaney@worldmag.com
5/23/12 2:32 PM
IM ED T E OF IT
FE
ER
BY AU G
US
T
OR D
off
Taught by Professor Dorsey Armstrong purdue university
lecture titles
15
70%
R
LIM
Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything
Discover How to Write about Anything
1. How to Write about Anything 2. How to Be an Effective Reader 3. How Literature Can Help 4. Shaping Your Voice 5. Knowing Your Reader 6. The Art of the Essay—How to Start 7. How to Organize an Argument 8. Supporting Your Argument 9. Finishing Strong 10. The Uses of Poetry 11. Poetic Diction and Syntax 12. Drama—Writing Out Loud 13. What You Can Learn from Autobiography 14. Writing and Leadership 15. The Rules of Rhetoric 16. Invention and Arrangement 17. Ethos and Pathos 18. Finding What You Need 19. Using What You Find 20. Getting Started—Writing First Drafts 21. Editing—Finding What’s Wrong 22. Rewriting—Fixing What’s Wrong 23. Avoiding Common Errors in Grammar and Usage 24. The Power of Words
Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything
andrea laurita/vetta/getty images
All writing is at its most effective when it’s built on the fundamental critical and analytical skills that transform good writing into great writing. These skills—the heart and soul of engaging and effective writing—include the ability to organize your thoughts, craft persuasive arguments, draw on various literary styles, create a productive first draft, make responsible use of research materials, and avoid common grammar errors.
Course no. 2133 | 24 lectures (30 minutes/lecture)
Get the secrets to these and other aspects of strong writing with the 24 accessible lectures of Analysis and Critique: How to Engage and Write about Anything. Delivered by Professor Dorsey Armstrong, these lectures immerse you in all the elements of successful writing. With its engaging examples, inspirational prompts, and unforgettable insights, this course is the perfect reference guide for both professional and casual writers.
DVD $254.95 NOW $69.95 CD $179.95 NOW $49.95
Offer expires 08/15/12
1-800-832-2412
www.thegreatcourses.com/8wm
12 CHEANEY.indd 27
SAVE UP TO $185
+$10 Shipping, Processing, and Lifetime Satisfaction Guarantee
Priority Code: 65626
Designed to meet the demand for lifelong learning, The Great Courses is a highly popular series of audio and video lectures led by top professors and experts. Each of our more than 350 courses is an intellectually engaging experience that will change how you think about the world. Since 1990, over 10 million courses have been sold.
5/23/12 2:32 PM
CREDIT
12 MOVIES & TV.indd 28
5/23/12 9:45 AM
Reviews Movies & TV > Books > Q&A > Music
Bad global cop DOCUMENTARY: First-time filmmaker Ami Horowitz makes a compelling and entertaining case against the United Nations
DISRUPTIVE PICTURES
BY MEGAN BASHAM
>>
O criticisms of young Christian or conservative filmmakers is that in their zeal to jump into the movie game they often send out a product that isn’t ready for primetime. No message is powerful enough and no marketing campaign persuasive enough to disguise a lack of time and effort. This is particularly true for documentaries, which rely so heavily on hard reporting and investigation. This was why while watching U.N. Me I had to pause to look up writer/director/producer Ami Horowitz’s biography. Did I really hear that this was his first film? Yes, I did. But when some further investigating revealed that he’s been working on it since , I understood how a freshman effort could be so polished and authoritative. Though the number of years he dedicated to it unmistakably plays a part in U.N. Me’s effectiveness, it’s obvious from the outset that Horowitz has innate talent for the medium. He clears the biggest hurdles to successful documentary making with inches to spare, keeping a tight focus on his subject and
Email: mbasham@worldmag.com
12 MOVIES & TV.indd 29
digging deep to support his thesis. To gather evidence on the scandals, indifference, and outright criminality of the United Nations, he pounds pavement the world over, cornering officials, giving microphones to witnesses, and delving into archives. The end result is an indictment verified by people up and down the U.N.’s chain of command with paper trails miles long, all delivered with a wit rarely seen in political films. (There’s no doubt that Horowitz owes something of his style if not his substance to Michael Moore.) However, unlike Michael Moore and a number of documentarians on the right, Horowitz and his team aren’t content to rely on experts in their own ideological camp. While he doesn’t get many American politicians with D’s next to their names on camera, he does wrangle plenty of face time with current and former U.N. officials as well as insiders and journalists who likely wouldn’t agree with someone who’s written for National Review on anything else. Describing what he saw while serving as a U.N. peacekeeper, including arms and UNITED FRONT: child-sex trafficking Horowitz (right) and that went routinely cinematographer unpunished, one young Wolfgang Held film in lawyer says sadly about Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/29/12 4:42 PM
Reviews > Movies & TV Throughout, Horowitz’s tongue-incheek questioning points out the primary fault line running through the U.N’s approach to every conflict— namely that it adheres to a relativistic worldview that has no standard for immorality. But he goes further than this, drawing a connection to massivescale evil in every age and how it is always facilitated by self-deemed intellectuals who philosophize away fixed notions of right and wrong. What’s the biggest lesson the international peacekeepers and selfproclaimed human-rights protectors learned from the genocide of , Tutsi in Rwanda, Horowitz asks former United Nations Under-SecretaryGeneral for Peacekeeping Operations,
MOVIE
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
>>
fitness show at all costs, Jules battles for control, but learns it’s illusory at best. Meanwhile, former fitness contestant Gary (Ben Falcone) and his wife Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) finally get pregnant. A breastfeeding guru, Wendy
is thrilled to experience the beauty of motherhood. She didn’t factor in the added girth-units, cankles, and mood swings, though. Feeling manly at last, her husband Gary loses his gusto when his father (Dennis Quaid) announces that his trophy wife, Skylar (Brooklyn Decker), is pregnant—with twins. The retired race-car driver and his gorgeous wife pose for
Banks (left) and Diaz
a tacky maternity picture. Their photographer, Holly (Jennifer Lopez), weeps over the fact that she and her husband, Alex (Rodrigo Santoro), are unable to have children. When they decide to adopt internationally, Alex joins a stroller-pushing dad’s club led by Chris Rock to help him prepare. Unlike Alex and Holly, the local food truck kids, Rosie and Marco (Anna Kendrick and Chase Crawford), had no prep time before learning their night in the park had a multiplying effect. They decide to stay together and have the baby, but when Rosie miscarries, there’s pain and heartache to work through. Though peppered with bawdy humor, sexual innuendo, and occasional profanity, this simple film touches on the highs and lows of maternity and offers a backhanded endorsement of life, revealing the truth that parenthood is a miraculous and wonderful blessing.
LIONSGATE
that God has a sense of humor, so He created pregnancy. A journey of expanding proportions, pregnancy is a transformational shattering of self, leaving plenty of raw material for humorous minds. Director Kirk Jones seizes the opportunity with his film adaptation of the go-to pregnancy guide—What What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Riffing on the nuances and variations of pregnancy and parenthood, this PG- movie provides snapshots of five expectant couples as they approach Delivery Day, revealing a truth our culture ignores. The album begins when fitness star Jules (Cameron Diaz) and dancing king Evan (Matthew Morrison) discover their duo is becoming a trio. Determined to keep her
Jean-Marie Guéhenno. “I think what one has to do following a tragedy like Rwanda,” Guéhenno replies haltingly, “is not allocate the blame to one actor or another.” Horowitz then suggests through interviews with journalists who covered Rwanda that by such logic the U.N. would similarly have had to reject any notion of guilt for the holocaust. Horowitz covers many such outrages at the U.N., making U.N. Me a rare form of documentary—comprehensive, convincing, and (most unique of all) entertaining. It releases to select theaters on June , and for those who enjoy films that demand critical engagement and don’t happen to live in a major metropolis, it is also releasing on Video On Demand. A
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 MOVIES & TV.indd 30
5/29/12 4:43 PM
MEN IN BLACK 3: COLUMBIA PICTURES • BERNIE: MILLENNIUM ENTERTAINMENT
the U.N., “They’re bureaucrats in the most banal and cowardly sense of the word.” Nobel laureate Jody Williams is another standout interview (her brief profanity supplies the only objectionable content in the PG- film). An avowed liberal and Occupy Wall Street sympathizer, Williams is nonetheless scathing in her disdain for the U.N., which she developed while working for them. Tapped to investigate human-rights violations in Darfur, Williams returned from her fact-finding mission with a report rife with details on mass rape, property destruction, and ethnic cleansing. The U.N.’s Human Rights Council (which includes China, Cuba, Libya, and Saudi Arabia) promptly rejected her report without further plans for action.
MOVIE
Bernie by AliciA M. cohn
>> Jones (left) and Smith
MOVIE
Men in Black III by EMily WhittEn
Lionsgate
Men in BLack 3: coLuMBia Pictures • Bernie: MiLLenniuM entertainMent
>>
Early in MIB III, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) pontificates, “You know how I live such a happy life? I don’t ask questions I don’t want to know the answers to.” And for movie-goers who want to enjoy this blast from the past, that’s not a bad mantra. Agents K and J (Will Smith) here resume their roles as intergalactic crime fighters. When a Boglodite named Boris the Animal escapes from prison, he sets out to revenge himself on Agent K, the one who sent him to prison and cost him his arm. Boris also plans to enact an alien invasion by disrupting the shield put in place by Agent K during the Apollo 11 lunar launch. With the help of a techno-whiz, Boris time-travels to 1969 and accomplishes both aims by killing younger Agent K (Josh Brolin). Agent J’s mission, then, is to jump back in time a day earlier, preempt Boris, protect his partner and save the species. Despite hit-or-miss writing, Will Smith brings a larger-than-life quality to his role, and Josh Brolin’s understated acting keeps the partners’ humorous banter intact. The 1969 setting lends the story depth as well. Agents K and J visit Andy Warhol’s studio, The Factory, where colorful characters abound. And for viewers nostalgic for NASA spaceflight, the lunar launch creates a rich backdrop for a different kind of space race. As for those questions you shouldn’t ask, here are a few: Why isn’t Agent K’s emotional crisis resolved? Ditto on the romantic involvement with Agent O (Emma Thompson). And per the logic of time travel, when the For the weekend oF May 25-27 according to Box Office Mojo cause of Agent K’s dysfunction is revealed, why can’t they go cautIOns: Quantity of sexual (S), violent (V), and foul-language (L) content on a 0-10 back in time and fix that scale, with 10 high, from kids-in-mind.com problem too? It’s not like his S V L DeLorean is out of gas. 1̀ Men in Black 3 PG-13...............3 5 4 Most disappointing, 2̀ The avengers* PG-13..............2 7 3 though, is the sexually 3̀ Battleship PG-13........................3 6 5 suggestive filmography (i.e., 4̀ The Dictator R........................... 7 6 6 close-up of a woman’s chest) 5̀ chernobyl Diaries R...............2 7 10 and repeated cursing. In 6̀ Dark shadows* PG-13............4 6 4 addition to the sci-fi violence 7̀ What to Expect When of its PG-13 rating, these You’re Expecting* PG-13.......4 3 5 unexpected negatives mar what 8̀ The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel* PG-13............4 3 5 could have been an imperfect 9̀ The Hunger Games* PG-13...3 7 3 but family-friendly film. 10 Think Like a Man PG-13..........5 2 5 `
Box office Top 10
See all our movie reviews at worldmag.com/movies
12 MOVIES & TV.indd 31
*Reviewed by woRld
No one really knows why 39-year-old Bernie Tiede killed 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent in November 1996. Bernie director Richard Linklater instead asks a different question: Why did people in a small town in Texas rally around a murderer? The movie is based on a real case. Journalist Skip Hollandsworth, who wrote the film with Linklater, first wrote it as the short story “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas,” published by Texas Monthly in January 1998. Hollandsworth and Linklater both hail from Texas, and Bernie includes countless details about life and people in East Texas. The scene-setting defines the movie, which is a slice-of-life film, not a murder mystery or suspense thriller. Most of the characters in the movie successfully walk the line between folksy and exaggerated. Linklater, best known for his narrative-based comedies, did not set out to make a mockery of life in Carthage, Texas. Instead, he seeks humor in the real choices and lifestyles these characters represent. Faux interviews with townspeople describe the main characters: Bernie (a terrific Jack Black) is “accommodating,” charismatic, generous with his time and money, and gifted at his job as assistant funeral director. Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) is rich and accustomed to getting her own way. Somehow, they strike up a relationship. His desire to please feeds her need to demand. He becomes her full-time companion; she writes him into her will. And later, Bernie confesses to shooting her and covering up her death for nine months. The townspeople call it a battle between sweetness and evil, with evil Mrs. Nugent pushing sweet Bernie into violent action. The district attorney, played by Matthew McConaughey (another Texan), pushes for a conviction on first-degree murder despite the town’s protests. Don’t look for life lessons or someone to root for in this movie. Its purpose is to be quirky, but with violence at the heart of the plot and just enough strong language to earn a PG-13 rating, most families will want to stay away. June 16, 2012
WORLD
31
5/29/12 4:19 PM
Reviews > Books
Mission statement Authors tackle formation of a biblical theology of social justice BY MARVIN OLASKY
wealth: “Private property is not what we ought to be living for.” DeYoung and Gilbert build to important applications, including: Don’t undersell or oversell what the Bible says about the poor and social justice. Underselling is ignoring the poor, overselling is forgetting that the “poor” in Scripture are not all the poor but “the righteous poor, the people of God oppressed by their enemies yet still depending on him to come through on their behalf.” God does not favor giving things that enable those who are poor to be slothful or disobedient. The authors want us to “accept the complexities of determining a biblical theology of wealth, poverty, and material possessions,” which means a willingness “to receive God’s good gifts and enjoy them the most, need them the least, and give them away more freely.” They offer a useful principle for deciding when to act: “The closer the need, the greater the moral obligation to help.” Geography is part of the equation, but “Moral proximity refers to how connected we are to someone by virtue of familiarity, kinship, space, or time. … The closer the moral proximity, the greater the moral obligation.”
Fruitful SEARCH
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 BOOKS.indd 32
We the People starts with the terrible Thirty Years War (-), “a Christian convulsion that cost eight million lives and achieved nothing.” It then takes us through the English civil war, reforms and tyranny in Russia, and the Muslim aggression that ended before the walls of Vienna. It wasn’t all bad news—the American Revolution is a high point—but at the end of this period backers of the Enlightenment were pushing for a new darkness disguised as light. We the People has such vigorous writing that it kept me going on the treadmill. My bedtime reading, on the other hand, includes dipping into commentaries, and a new volume in P&R’s excellent Reformed Expository Commentary series—Richard Phillips writing about Samuel—came out last month. —M.O.
SOUP KITCHEN: MEL EVANS/AP
I’ve written before (Nov. , ) about the beautiful series of books, perfect for school and church libraries, that is emerging from SEARCH’s Christian History Project. (SEARCH is The Society to Explore and Record Christian History, founded by Canadian journalist Ted Byfield to give highlights of the last , years.) This past year’s addition: Volume , We the People: .. to , has—like its predecessors—vivid characters with lively writing and a large format featuring lots of artwork and explanatory maps.
This all adds up to the need for thoughtfulness: “Be careful with the term ‘social justice.’ … Justice, as a biblical category, is not synonymous with anything and everything we feel would be good for the world. … We must always consider the law of unintended consequences. … For example, it may seem like a good idea to give away mosquito nets for free in Africa, but experience with this approach has shown that when something is free, people don’t value it. … Better to charge a nominal fee.”
COMPASSION IN ACTION: Sister Jean’s Soup Kitchen in Atlantic City serving the needy.
Email: molasky@worldmag.com
5/23/12 3:02 PM
ALLBERRY: HANDOUT
>>
A and “social justice,” rage, Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert provide a sensible balance in What Is the Mission of the Church? Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (Crossway, ). They point out that America is different from ancient Israel: “We are not an ancient, agrarian society. … Our property has not been assigned directly by God. … Our economy is not based on a fixed piece of land.” They conclude that the blessings and curses for God’s covenant people “don’t apply directly to America or any other nation” now on earth. Those differences don’t relieve us from ethical responsibility, for “we do well when we give opportunities for the poor to succeed.” DeYoung and Gilbert write that “the Bible supports the existence of private property” and also “relativizes private property.” That means we don’t have a right to do anything we wish with what God has given us. It also means that we should not make an ideal out of poverty or an idol out of
NOTABLE BOOKS Four recent novels > reviewed by
Bring Up the Bodies Hilary Mantel
Sam Allberry’s short, well-written
Wolf Hall, the first of Hilary Mantel’s three planned novels tracing the career of Thomas Cromwell, ended with Henry VIII executing Cardinal Woolsey and Thomas More, splitting with Rome, divorcing first wife Katherine, and marrying Anne Boleyn. In this second volume, Anne fails to give Henry a male heir—and her strong personality alienates friends and hardens enemies. The king’s roving eye has settled on Jane Seymour, so Cromwell works to undo the marriage to Anne and make way for Jane. Mantel masterfully depicts palace intrigue, as Cromwell manipulates various factions to bring about the desired end. Mantel’s robust portrayal of Cromwell shows him to be a friend to the Protestant Reformers, a warm family man, and a ruthless tactician. The book contains bawdy descriptions of sexual activity.
book, Lifted: Experiencing the
Mitzvah Man John J. Clayton Successful businessman Adam Friedman goes to his high-school reunion, hoping to awaken envy in the people who bullied him when he was a teen. While there, his beloved physician wife dies in a tragic accident—and Friedman’s life changes. A moderately religious Jew, Friedman begins to believe that God directly communicates with him. Friedman seems attuned to the suffering of others, and he offers advice and encouragement that change lives. One of his acts receives widespread acclaim, and Friedman’s daughter dubs him “Mitzvah Man,” from the Hebrew word meaning goodness, justice, and compassion. Is Friedman really led by God, or is he crazy? That’s the question the novel asks. Christians will be fascinated by this peek into one kind of Jewish spirituality.
now. And we will
The Flight of Gemma Hardy Margot Livesey I have mixed feelings about this homage/retelling of Jane Eyre set in the s. It is skillfully written, with well-developed characters and settings. Young Gemma’s stubborn sense of self survives despite the tragedies and obstacles she overcomes. But in the second half of the book, after she meets the much older man with whom she falls in love, and after she flees the wedding, the book goes astray both in plot and character as Gemma steals money in order to finance a trip to Iceland to discover her roots. Livesey’s Gemma doesn’t wrestle as Jane Eyre does with the temptation to give in to unrighteous desires. She wrestles with how to become equal to a man years her senior. It’s very readable but not very satisfying.
TOP: MEL EVANS/AP • BOTTOM : HANDOUT
ALLBERRY: HANDOUT
SPOTLIGHT Resurrection Life (Crossway, ) describes four fundamental ways that Christ’s resurrection “changes everything.” It guarantees our forgiveness, showing that the Father accepted Christ’s work on our behalf. It transforms us: “We are spiritually raised be physically raised at the end of time.” It gives us hope, which is independent of our circumstances. And it gives us our urgent mission: to exalt Jesus. Allberry explores through Scripture each one of these themes, showing how central the resurrection is to each— and yet how neglected it is in our day. The book’s engaging style and well-chosen illustrations make it accessible to students and anyone wanting to explore this central fact of the Christian faith. —S.O.
The Dressmaker Kate Alcott This novel is a romance wrapped into a broader story of the Titanic and its personal and political aftermath. Alcott uses a mix of historical people, including fashion designer Lucile Duff Gordon, and fictional characters such as plucky seamstress Tess Collins. The first quarter of the book takes place on board ship. The rest takes place in New York—and that’s where Alcott is on shaky ground. She conveys well how politicians tried to use the tragedy to further their careers, and how morally dubious choices by passengers haunted them afterward. But her female characters—a fashion designer, an ambitious reporter, the seamstress—are flat and a bit too st century to be believable. Other questionable historical details—was Hollywood really “Hollywood” in ?—interfere with the plot. Email: solasky@worldmag.com; see all our reviews at worldmag.com/books
12 BOOKS.indd 33
JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/23/12 9:32 AM
The best thing you can do for your business is leave it for a day.
“Are you serious?” The benefits of lifelong learning and sharpening ideas with 10-15 peer Christian chief executives one day each month are profound. Using C12’s proven model and resources, you’ll be challenged to truly apply God’s Word and best-in-class business practices as you engage with like-minded peers focused on high-level business performance. Coupled with a monthly one-on-one consultation, this is designed to help you lead with excellence and eternal impact. To discover “The C12 Advantage,” visit www.C12Group.com where you’ll find information about becoming a C12 member or C12 Chair for your area. In our 20th year, with more than 1000 members meeting in 70 metro areas across America, The C12 Group is advancing the Kingdom by helping business leaders live out Scriptural values while building thriving businesses with real ministry impact.
The C12 Difference™
=
Financial ROI + Kingdom ROI
Christian CEOs & Owners Building GREAT Businesses for a GREATER Purpose™
How C12 helps members pursue their God-given purpose through business:
Devotion/ Prayer & Fellowship
Executive “Best Practices” Education
Peer Forum & Sharpening
Coaching & Accountability
The Seven Major Advantages of C12 Membership
ART COX/PATRCIK HENRY COLLEGE
1. Working On Your Business 2. Christian Board of Advisors 3. In-Depth Annual Analysis of Your Business 4. Strengthened Accountability 5. Monthly One-on-One Consultation 6. Your Business as Ministry 7. Targeted Devotion and Prayer
www.C12Group.com • (336) 841-7100
World Mag Are You Serious 01 12.indd 1 12 Q&A.indd 34
1/6/2012 8:59:33 AM 5/23/12 9:45 AM
8:59:33 AM
Reviews > Q&A
Liske’s lessons What one pastor learned about working with prisoners BY MARVIN OLASKY
ART COX/PATRCIK HENRY COLLEGE
>>
J L is the CEO of Prison Fellowship, the nation’s largest prison ministry. He accepted that calling last July after nine years as senior pastor of Ridge Point Community Church in western Michigan. Here are edited excerpts of an April interview. How did you grow up? I’m a farm boy from northern Michigan. I had the privilege of being raised by a mom and a dad in a family that loved the Lord. I was raised in a wonderful Baptist church that was not too legalistic, was built on grace. Later, when you were pastoring in Michigan, how did
you enter prison work? I had a family member who went to prison seven years ago. White, middle-to-upper-middle class, go-to-church-every-week families don’t have people go to prison, right? I did not know how to deal with this personally. I started my own personal wrestling match. And you found it wasn’t just personal? One weekend I said, “Everyone who has a child or a nephew or a grandchild who is incarcerated, will you raise your hand?” I was shocked. Twentyfive of my faith community raised their hands. The next week I said, “If you have a family member who is incarcerated or
if you have been affected by a crime, raise your hand.” That was percent of our faith community. We’re just the average American congregation, mostly middle class. How did you get started as a church? We had someone come back to the church who was re-entering culture. He needed a job. He had been a supervising RN at a hospital before he broke the law. When he came back, the barriers to him gaining his life again were astounding. We kept him busy cleaning toilets in our building. Our board and our elders had to wrestle with the business and legal issues in hiring an ex-offender.
Then you developed organizational structures? We birthed a not-for-profit, and then we needed another not-for-profit in addiction recovery because that’s an issue for percent of exfelons. Then we needed to birth not-for-profits in job placement and construction, so we could help ex-offenders find jobs. Other churches came to you? We became a place, by God’s grace, that churches and pastors could come to and ask, “How did you do this?” We would be open with them: It was hard. We had some people leave. I’m sympathetic to that concern. JUNE 16, 2012
12 Q&A.indd 35
WORLD
5/23/12 9:46 AM
wva world
Reviews > Q&A
“Inmates have been told when to get up, when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, when to recreate. Their decision-making muscles atrophy. When they come outside the walls, they need to make decisions.”
need to make decisions. If they don’t have mentors who are able to help them sift through information, their chance of success is very low, because they will default to previous behavior. Do we have to exercise tough love? If we enter into their world of conning and we’re not drawing the proper parameters that we see in the gospel, we’re not helping them. One individual didn’t go to work
Monday. We took him back to work and of course the employer just wanted to let him go back to work. I said, “No you can’t. He needs to be disciplined as you would discipline any other employee.” So that individual lost a day’s pay. He had to understand what’s proper and biblical. Do nice church folks tend to believe what they’re told? Many people coming out of prison, particularly if they have
a long history of crime, are incredible liars. They have survived by conning people. People need to get the training on our website. If you know someone who’s been doing prison ministry for a while, ask to go along with him and learn what he knows. Can college students help by working with children of prisoners? We know that at least five out of of those kids will be incarcerated, if they have an incarcerated parent. Students on college campuses can get involved by being a mentor to a child at a local public school. Middle-schoolers just love having attention like that. Preventative things in breaking the cycle are just as important as how we deal with people coming home. Conservatives a generation ago were advocating mandatory minimum sentencing and “three strikes you’re out” policies. Have those worked? They haven’t. The recidivism rate continues to climb. We do see a decline in violent crime, but not a large one. We see an increase in drug crimes, addiction crimes, white-collar crimes tied to drugs. Mandatory minimums have not changed that for us, and I’ve met prisoners who are now serving life sentences for three drug possession convictions—not sale, possession. We’ve incarcerated them at a very high cost instead of using electronic monitoring and parole. Should churches receive more attention in these policy debates? An individual going through recovery needs a caring community, a grace-filled yet truth-believing organization that will say, “Come on. We will walk with you. We will hold you accountable. We will help you get what you need.” A
ART COX/PATRICK HENRY COLLEGE
Did people leave your church because they disagreed with what you were advocating, or because they didn’t want to risk sitting next to an ex-felon in the pew? Some have a CSI, Law & Order image of an ex-felon, and the thought of being with that kind of person— they couldn’t go there. We had to work very hard to make sure families knew their kids were safe. We even went to thumbprints to get your children out of children’s ministry. I suspect you had some failures? Yeah, we learned some things the hard way. Some individuals, the table was perfectly set for them to succeed and they chose to re-offend. But by and large, once we learned the process and learned from other groups, the success we had was to me a bit miraculous. If our readers want to help, where might they start? Call your local parole officer and shock him by saying, “Can I help you?” He’ll give you one of two answers. He might ask if you’re willing to provide transportation for someone who needs to go to a job interview, but most likely he’ll ask you if you have an extra bike. Individuals come home from prison without a driver’s license. That’s one of the major barriers—transportation. I’ve been a part of giving many bicycles to parole officers so that when someone comes home, they have a way to get to where they need to go. To take the next step, what should our readers understand? How hard it is to leave the controlled environment. Inmates have been told when to get up, when to eat, when to go to the bathroom, when to recreate. Their decision-making muscles atrophy. When they come outside the walls, they WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 Q&A.indd 36
5/23/12 9:46 AM
wva world ads 2012.2_Layout 1 12/15/11 8:47 AM Page 2
Will your daughter’s Christianity survive Dr. Spicer’s Atheism?
Stand Out
In the war of ideas, some people have an advantage, like college professors. Dr. Spicer weaves atheism into every lecture, whether he is talking about sentence syntax or Shakespeare. How will your daughter’s faith survive?
art cox/patrick henry college
At Worldview Academy we give students the confidence and tools they need not only to survive Dr. Spicer, but to engage their world with the Truth. Worldview students stand out as thoughtful, courageous, servant leaders in a generation of conformity. You should register now.
Camps where students become bold leaders in truth and grace.
800.241.1123 • www.worldview.org
12 Q&A.indd 37
5/21/12 3:30 PM
Reviews > Music
Apocalyptic tunes Avengers soundtracks may fit the film but not any definition of progressive rock BY ARSENIO ORTEZA
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 MUSIC.indd 38
BREADTH & DEPTH
More in keeping with the professor’s progressive-rock ideal is Time (Warner Classics), the latest solo album by the Yes and Asia guitarist Steve Howe. Augmented only by a classical ensemble and the electronic keyboards of his son Virgil and Paul K. Joyce, Howe performs melodies both borrowed and original on the banjo, the steel dobro, and six kinds of guitars. In one sense, the almost complete absence of percussion instruments makes Time even less of a rock album than The Avengers. But Howe is so sensitive to multiple styles and dynamics that his recording conveys greater breadth and depth. He suggests a veritable panorama, for example, by segueing via Bach’s “Cantata No. (Wachet Auf)” from the regal “King’s Ransom” to the jaunty “Orange.” Most charming of all is “Steam Age.” Equal parts whimsy and delight, it’s a kinder, gentler version of what Mason Williams might have had in mind when he recorded and released “Classical Gas” in —and in so doing gave those unimpressed with progressive rock an enduring epithet with which to disparage it. —A.O.
KRIEG BARRIE
Soundtrack and Avengers Assemble: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture (Hollywood). The former features the Alan Silvestri–composed orchestral music heard in the film, the latter hard-rock performances by bands such as Soundgarden, Bush, and Evanescence. Juxtaposed, the albums sound as if someone had put asunder the very musical ingredients that Birzer believes progressive rock joins together.
Email: aorteza@worldmag.com
5/28/12 1:20 PM
HANDOUT
>>
R , Hillsdale College’s Bradley J. Birzer published an article at National Review Online called “A Different Kind of Progressive.” His subject? Progressive rock—that amalgam of electrified classicism, jazz improvisation, and sci-fi musings popularized by Yes, Genesis, the Moody Blues, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Birzer argues that, the genre’s coincidentally liberal-sounding label notwithstanding, progressive rock actually “preserves Western traditions.” Its complexity, he says, makes it hospitable to serious philosophical reflection and resistant to being dumbed down. What he underemphasizes is the quality that makes the best progressive rock worth discussing in the first place: It’s entertaining. Even audiences for whom reflecting philosophically and not being dumbed down are low priorities can find plenty about it to like. Progressive rock is a lot like The Avengers that way. Marvel’s latest cinematic blockbuster comes with two soundtracks, The Avengers: Original Motion Picture
On the one hand, you have Silvestri’s pulse-pounding score. Although the longest of its pieces lasts only five minutes and seconds (a veritable blink of an eye to progressive-rock fans), the selections play like one continuous, hour-long epic. Even people who haven’t seen the film enough to tell “Stark Goes Green” from “Helicarrier” or “Red Ledger” from “Performance Issues” will feel the music’s apocalyptic ominousness steeling their nerves for a cataclysmic showdown. But by no standard is The Avengers “rock,” progressive or otherwise. On the other hand, rock is all that Avengers Assemble is, and not very imaginative rock at that. It may be inevitable that music “inspired by” a superhero film should sound as if those very heroes were playing the instruments and that each of those instruments should be electric. But when nearly every cut features what sounds like the Incredible Hulk on drums, the Mighty Thor on guitars, and the Tesseract itself handling lead vocals, one can’t help suspecting he knows how Loki and his Chitauri army felt after being pummeled. The one song that does go off formula, Kasabian’s “Pistols at Dawn,” sounds a lot like David Essex’s hit “Rock On”—and therefore makes as compelling a case for “regressive rock” as Birzer does for the opposite kind.
NOTABLE CDs
Five new classical releases > reviewed by
Engelbert Humperdinck: String Quartets Diogenes Quartett This Engelbert Humperdinck is not the performer of “After the Lovin’” but the composer of the popular late-th-century opera Hansel and Gretel. And this album is proof that even without dramatic settings and librettos he deserves close attention. The title is somewhat misleading: In addition to three string quartets, there are two piano quintets and a “notturno” for violin and string quartet. But each embodies with charm, elegance, and enthusiasm the Romantic conviction that the heart has reasons of which reason remains all but invincibly ignorant.
Castello, Fontana: Sonate Concertate In Stil Moderno John Holloway, Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Jane Gower To the extent that they capture music’s evolution between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the sonatas of Dario Castello and Giovanni Battista Fontana provide a valuable historical service. It’s illuminating to know, for instance, what kind of music people living during Shakespeare’s time and possibly dying (like Fontana) from the plague were listening to. More illuminating is how fresh these sonatas for violin, harpsichord, and dulcian sound today—especially as brought to life by instrumentalists as sensitive to the music’s sharply delineated vitality as Holloway, Mortensen, and Gower.
Gesualdo: Quinto Libro Di Madrigali The Hilliard Ensemble It’s to the credit of the Hilliard Ensemble’s Gordon Jones that nowhere in his liner notes does he mention the crimes for which Carlo Gesualdo, the thcentury composer of these secular madrigals, is notorious. (Suffice it to say, O.J. Simpson has nothing on him.) Taking Gesualdo’s dark side into consideration could reduce his compositions to the sum of what armchair psychologists can read into them. He deserves better. Even in the original Italian (English translations are provided), their emotional intensity stands—and frightens—on its own.
KRIEG BARRIE
HANDOUT
For Ever Fortune: Scottish Music in the 18th Century Les Musiciens des Saint-Julien, François Lazarevitch; Robert Getchell Listeners attracted but unmoved by the New Age airiness of contemporary “Celtic” music will savor the earthiness of these artifacts, most of which antedate the Industrial Revolution. “Much of the repertoire of Scottish tunes,” writes John Purser in the notes, “is suggestive, and the polished veneer of the th century was just that—a veneer.” Purser’s insight doesn’t much apply to the instrumental performances. But the eight featuring the tenor Robert Getchell confirm that the Scots knew a thing or two about being “blithe and free.” See all our reviews at worldmag.com/music
12 MUSIC.indd 39
SPOTLIGHT “We’ve ghettoized serious music and separated it from popular music,” observed the American composer William Bolcom in , one year before winning two classical Grammy Awards for his eclectic settings of William Blake poems, Songs of Innocence and of Experience. “Just think if we could all get rid of these categories!” Such thoughts had apparently preoccupied him for some time, certainly at least since . That year he began composing his “gospel preludes,” unusual arrangements of Christian hymns that the organist Gregory Hand has recently recorded afresh. There is certainly nothing “ghettoized” about Complete Gospel Preludes (Naxos). Although the familiar melodies with which Bolcom was working (“Just As I Am,” “Sweet Hour of Prayer”) emerge clearly enough, the clusters of dissonance that they emerge through are often initially disconcerting. Those clusters do not, however, feel iconoclastic. Rather, they feel like the wind, earthquake, and fire to which God subjected Elijah before speaking to him in a still, small voice.
JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/28/12 1:24 PM
Mindy Belz
Too big not to fail
India’s scandal over sterilizations holds a wider warning about government abuse
>>
“I around or in the night,” Devanti Devi told a reporter for RT, a Russian news channel. “I was bleeding heavily and came home without being given any medicine.” Devi’s account is only the latest in a slew of emerging stories of forced sterilizations in India, where government leaders have long pushed sterilization as a form of birth control in a country with . billion people. In Bihar, the eastern state where Devi lives, about million women a year are sterilized. At a sterilization camp at one local school in January, a government doctor performed the procedure on women in three hours—that’s an average of minutes seconds for surgery to cut or tie off a woman’s fallopian tubes. According to a report in the National Catholic Register, untrained staff laid the women from Bihar on school desks and anesthetized them. The doctor worked at night by flashlight and the dim light of a single generator light bulb. The school had no running water and the doctor did not change gloves between procedures. Not surprisingly, many of the women suffered excessive bleeding and infections. One, her pregnancy undiscovered because there were no preop screenings, miscarried. Numerous women have died from these sterilizations. The practice is coming to light because Human Rights Law Network and other groups have filed petitions in India’s Supreme Court to halt the sterilization programs. They have provided videotape evidence of the sterilization camps, affidavits from the women’s families, and government documents revealing the extent of abuses. What’s also becoming clear from the court filings is that the sterilizations are carried out using Western aid money. A paper published by the UK’s
A patient recuperates after undergoing sterilization in Aligarh, India.
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 MINDY.indd 40
MUSTAFA QURAISHI/AP
Department for International Development cited the need to fight climate change as one of the reasons to support sterilizations in India. It said reducing population size would cut greenhouse gases. “It smells of colonial air. Actually, it smells of racism,” says Abhijit Das, director of India’s Centre for Health and Social Justice. “You say that the poor are the reason for all your greenhouse gases. This is simply unacceptable.” So far there’s no clear evidence that U.S. aid was involved—and it shouldn’t be. The Tiahrt Amendment prohibits USAID from funding family planning programs that set quotas, are coercive, or have financial or other incentives. The USAID administrator must report to Congress within days any findings that suggest a Tiahrt violation—and some lawmakers may want to ask questions to be sure that’s not happening in India. There are at least two lessons here for U.S. watchdogs. Fifteen years ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair set in motion this sort of foreign aid boondoggle when he separated the Department of International Development (DfID) from the foreign ministry. Blair hoped to remove the “taint” of national self-interest from the seeming largesse of overseas aid. But in fact, many countries that need Western aid need Western values thrown in too. The second lesson comes on the heels of a global recession and worsening economic crisis in Europe. Too little attention has been given the role that corruption has played to reduce state coffers, both in the West and in the rest. Take Kenya, whose Anglo Leasing scandal, now well documented, robbed public coffers of billion—mostly British aid but also some U.S. aid— in a country with an annual GDP of just billion. As Michela Wrong points out in her masterful book on Anglo Leasing and corruption, It’s Our Turn To Eat (HarperCollins, ), a big part of the problem was Blair’s decoupling DfID from foreign policy. In African and Asian capitals, DfID officers now have more staff, newer SUVs, and bigger houses than their foreign service counterparts. Left unwatched, corruption rules. By now it should be an old saw, but the more government promises, the harder it is to assess results, to separate success from failure. “If you are responsible for everything, you are responsible for nothing,” writes aid critic and New York University economics professor William Easterly. The bigger-sounding the goals—from reducing population in India to ending hunger in Africa—the more questions taxpayers should ask. A Email: mbelz@worldmag.com
5/28/12 2:08 PM
Build
FAITH For graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program and other important info visit on.bju.edu/rates. (12014-2) 3/12
Challenge POTENTIAL
Follow
CHRIST
College happens once. Make it count for the rest of your life.
MUSTAFA QURAISHI/AP
Build Faith. BJU will help you strengthen your faith in the absolute truth of God’s Word through opportunities such as a biblically based curriculum, daily chapel, and discipleship and mentoring.
12 MINDY.indd 41
Challenge Potential. BJU challenges you to exceed your own expectations and grow academically, spiritually and socially through rigorous academics, liberal arts courses that prepare you for multiple careers, and a broad range of student and leadership-building activities. Follow Christ. Because living for Christ is what really matters in life, BJU thoroughly prepares you to serve in whatever ministry or vocation He calls you to.
5/25/12 12:06 PM
12 COMPASSION.indd 42
5/28/12 5:34 PM
THE 2012 HOPE AWARD FOR EFFECTIVE COMPASSION
From Julia to Jesus
The strengths of the Hope Award finalists highlight the shortcomings of liberal and conservative conceptions of fighting poverty
A
T H G to do big box office during May, the battle over a less intrepid heroine named “Julia” displayed the weaknesses of both contemporary liberalism and conservatism. The battle began last month when President Barack Obama’s website unveiled “Julia,” a slick infographic about a fictional woman, her government benefits, and the need to defeat evil Mitt Romney so Julia could receive cradle-to-grave support supplied by Washington (barackobama.com/life-of-julia). The Heritage Foundation promptly countered with its own infographic about how “conservative reforms” would give Julia a “better life” (blog.heritage.org/ a-better-life-for-julia). But what is that better life? Neither the liberal nor conservative infographics mentioned God or even husband. Both versions gave Julia one child who makes a single appearance upon entering kindergarten (when Julia is ) and then disappears. In real life, most women live within families and neighborhoods. They have husbands. They belong to churches or other organizations. They are not solitary, poor, and nastily alone. Many do charitable work. Google “Julia, civil society,” and learn that real-life Julia Cleverdon chairs the Teach First charity, Julia Hon works at a nonprofit devoted to strengthening local communities, and Julia’s House is a charitable hospice for children. Google “Julia, philanthropy” and learn that Julia Khodorova and Julia Kitross are Israeli and Seattle philanthropists, and Santa Julia is a home in Mexico for abandoned girls. In this issue we look at what other real-life people do by beginning to report the results of our seventh annual effective compassion contest. WORLD subscribers nominated nearly ministries that are explicitly Christian,
TOP PHOTO: JAMES ALLEN WALKER FOR WORLD • BOTTOM PHOTOS: ANGELA LU
12 COMPASSION.indd 43
local rather than national, and dependent on donations rather than government grants. Narrowing the field to nine semi-finalists was hard (and we’ll reconsider for next year’s contest some who did not make it this year). Some of the semi-finalists are innovative ministries that have lasered in on a specific need: This issue includes profiles of one group that fixes cars for single moms and widows, and another that links dad-less boys with men who become father figures. Other semifinalists are worthy in themselves yet also represent much larger efforts: This issue includes a profile of one pregnancy resource center, and we could have looked at a thousand others that also deserve recognition. Profiles in three subsequent issues will also report on groups good in themselves but representing many others: Semi-finalists include a Christian school, a rescue mission, a center for refugees, a community development program, a Christian health clinic, and a program that helps hard-to-employ folks find jobs. Overall, the ingenuity and perseverance of American Christians in helping the poor and powerless continues to impress and hearten me. Muslims shout that Allah is great, and believe he shows his greatness by giving them victories. But Christians know that Christ showed His greatness by deliberately losing, in human terms, and then gaining resurrection from the dead. Christians glorify God by losing, in human terms: giving of themselves to those with little or no ability to give back. And through God’s grace we are sometimes privileged to witness the resurrection from the living dead of those addicted to drugs and other idols, or those abandoned and alone. Julia does not live by bread alone, whether provided through government or her own efforts. The better life starts with trusting God and drink deeply of His living water.
JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/28/12 7:19 PM
the 2012 hope AwArd for effective compAssion
Boys to men
Our Western region winner finds fathers for the fatherless by angela lu photographs by james allen walker
J
ohn Smithbaker stands under the wide Wyoming sky teaching 7-year-old Brayden, a fatherless boy, how to swing a bat. He shows Brayden how to plant his feet. He switches the position of Brayden’s hands on the bat. Brayden swings and misses. Smithbaker readjusts him, again and again. That’s what dads commonly do, but Brayden is living with his grandma and was without a father-figure in his life. That changed last December, when Smithbaker started meeting with him weekly through Fathers in the Field, an organization he founded that pairs mentor fathers with fatherless boys. During their meetings Smithbaker teaches Brayden about their heavenly Father and prepares him for an antelope hunt at the end of the year. Brayden eats dinner at Smithbaker’s house and helps his mentor’s 12-year-old son with his paper route. Brayden’s grandma says he now helps around the house and always reminds her to pray before meals. As she was explaining that Brayden has “learned that it’s OK if his earthly dad left, his Heavenly dad …”—Brayden cut her off and finished the sentence: “He stays by my side all the time and never leaves me.” Father in the Field aims to help 7- to 17-year-old boys like Brayden by pairing them with mentor fathers from local churches. Mentor fathers need a pastor’s reference, community reference, and background check. The program lasts three years. The pairs meet at least four times a month: Twice to attend church, once for community service to widows, and once for outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, camping, and fixing car motors. At the end of the year, mentor fathers bring their boys, called field buddies, on a three-day trip that culminates their training. The major benefit, said Smithbaker, is the relationship that develops through these activities. By gaining a boy’s trust, he notes, mentor fathers can tell them about the love of their heavenly Father and the need to forgive their earthly abandoner. In the United States, about 25 million children are fatherless. These children become two-thirds of prison
44
inmates and nine out of 10 of runaway children. They are 30 percent more likely to use drugs and alcohol. They are twice as likely to drop out of school. Smithbaker knows about fatherlessness firsthand. His dad left while his mom was pregnant with him. But Smithbaker didn’t rebel. Instead he strove for perfection, hoping to win his father’s affection by succeeding in school and work. When Smithbaker became a Christian at age 40, he wrote a letter to his father forgiving him and telling him about Christ. His father didn’t budge, but Smithbaker felt his “soul could finally breathe.” Smithbaker approached Scott MacNaughton, then the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lander, Wyo., about starting a program to help the fatherless find healing. In 2007, the pair started a year-long pilot program by placing an ad in the local newspaper. Within a few hours, single mom Emilee King called and asked for help with her son, Masen. She was dAd compAny: not a Christian but she liked the Brayden and program’s outdoor focus. Smithbaker. MacNaughton started meeting with Masen weekly. He taught Masen to hunt. They attended church and together worked through a Bible study book. Six months in, Masen professed faith in Christ. While he had earlier insisted to MacNaughton that he would never forgive his father for leaving, Masen now forgave him. MacNaughton baptized him a month later, and four generations of King family members—none of them professing Christians—came to the church to witness the event. His mother has seen the difference in Masen’s life: “He’s now accepted that he doesn’t want to chase [his father] anymore. He realized the difference between people who keep their promises and those who don’t.” After the first year, MacNaughton stepped down as pastor to work on Fathers in the Field full-time. He and Smithbaker developed additional safeguards to protect the boys: Mentor pairs go on trips with two or more mentor fathers and follow all church policies. A designated church champion meets with the mentor fathers monthly for prayer and planning. Other churches have also become involved. At Wind River Community Church in Lander, Sunday school teachers
worLd June 16, 2012
12 COMPASSION.indd 44
5/28/12 7:12 PM
June 16, 2012
12 COMPASSION.indd 45
WORLD
45
5/28/12 7:12 PM
and other children befriend fiELD BuDDiEs: the field buddies, while the Masen and Brayden women’s ministry reaches follow MacNaughton (top); Masen and out to the single moms, and MacNaughton with deacons help with financial the crossbow (below). issues. Pastor Ken Simon says Fathers in the Field not only helps the fatherless boys but provides opportunities for men to step up: “This organization brings these men to a place where they find purpose in a kid’s life.” On a recent Wednesday, MacNaughton and Masen meet up with Smithbaker and Brayden outside Lander. MacNaughton helps Masen set up a new crossbow for an upcoming hunting trip. Sitting in the dirt, Masen peers through the crossbow scope and releases an arrow that hits the center of the target. Brayden, watching from the sideline, excitedly runs to retrieve the arrow. Now 14, Masen has finished the 3-year program, but he still spends time with MacNaughton to practice shooting and to go on hunts. Masen lists animals he’s hunted—turkey, antelope, and elk—and hunting strategies: “If you’re hunting turkey, you need to aim at the head or the back.” But more is going on than learning about hunting. Masen is learning to take care of others. He takes Brayden on a ride on his four-wheeler, going slow as Brayden holds on tightly to the older boy. Brayden grins under a helmet two sizes too big. “That’s a rare sight to see,” MacNaughton said: “Two fatherless boys helping each ot her.” To learn more about Fathers in the Field, please go to worldmag.com and see more photos plus a short video
Contributions and other revenue for Fathers in the Field in 2010, according to IRS filings, totaled $180,000, with expenses of $176,000. The organization at the end of 2010 had net assets of $30,000. Its full-time officer, Scott MacNaughton, received a salary of $53,000. This year’s budget: $225,000.
46
‘Close to a son’
Some 68 Christian men in 10 states are currently mentoring boys through Fathers in the Field (fathersinthefield.com). Some 230 men are in the process of enrolling in the program. Bill Roady of Warrenton, Ore., heard about Fathers in the Field through a TV program and decided to start a branch in his church. At the same time, 8-year-old Ezra and his mother were praying for a Christian father figure in Ezra’s life. When his mom heard about the program, she signed her son up. Over the past year Roady and Ezra have shot rifles, watched movies, and gone to an end-of-year crab shoot with three other mentor pairs. At first Ezra would not let Roady out of his sight whenever they met up, but Roady said the boy has started to trust him more: “I feel like I’m so blessed and privileged to be in a position to do this. I’ve grown very fond of Ezra and not having a son myself, he’s close to being a son to me.”
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 COMPASSION.indd 46
5/28/12 7:14 PM
angela lu
MONEY BOX
the 2012 hope AwArd for effective compAssion
runner up
Hands of the Carpenter
angela lu
K
im Doe desperately depended on her used 2002 Honda Civic. She drove it across country with her two sons to escape an ex-husband who was threatening their lives. cAr cAre: tells of a Buddhist who asked her why Once in Colorado, she needed it to drive her boys to Georgopulos. Hands was helping. Hobin said “This is school, doctors’ appointments—one of her sons is disabled— God’s heart for you, His heart to cover and to a local police academy, where she learned ways to you as a single mother”—and then told her about Jesus. The respond if her ex-husband ever tried to find them. woman replied, “My Buddha would never help me like this.” But after a year her old car’s steering was off, its motor Hands has changed over the years. Founder Dan mount broken, and its brakes and shocks problematical. Georgopulos first became aware of the need in 2003 while Without money for costly repairs, she did not know how she leading a single parent ministry at Lookout Mountain and her sons could continue their new lives. Then through a Community Church, 20 minutes west of Lakewood. The domestic violence shelter, she heard about Hands of the original ministry focus was on home repairs, but as Carpenter, a Denver-area organization founded in 2003 that Georgopulos expanded his ministry out of the church, he repairs the cars of single moms like Doe. (WORLD agreed to learned that few women owned their own homes, yet protect her safety by not using her real name.) almost all of them had 10- to 15-year-old cars that needed Hands staffer Juli Hobin—herself a single mom— repairs. He started talking to different auto shops and found interviewed Doe, saw she was on the road to financial some that would repair the cars for a discounted price. self-sufficiency, and noted that the value of the Honda was Last fall, Hands started transitioning still greater than the cost of repairs. She from one-time repairs to a sponsorship sent Doe to Hands Automotive in program in which a donor supports a sinLakewood, Colo., the shop Hands of the moneY BoX gle mother for an unlimited number of Carpenter opened in 2010. Previously, repairs over a two-year span. This helps Hands had used other shops, but the typical Hands of the Carpenter deal with ongoing car problems and gives $500-$1,000 repair costs sharply limited reported $206,000 Hands more time to develop relationships the number of women it could help. in contributions/grants in with these women through single mother Now, Hands relies both on donations and 2009 and $350,000 support groups and car classes. on the revenue flow of Hands Automotive, in 2010. Total expenses The Hands relationship with Kim Doe which has paying customers as well as each year were $249,000. has clearly worked, with a donor serving charitable ones. In 2011, Hands helped 146 The organization had as sponsor. Doe graduated from the single moms and widows, and offered car $131,000 in assets academy in December, found a part-time care clinics featuring basic car maintenance at the close of 2010. job at the police department, and is now classes and oil changes. Ray Betts, who mans applying for a full-time position. “You can the Hands front desk, often listens to the President/CEO work hard, but if you don’t have certain women’s stories and prays with them: “They Georgopulos received a things in place, you will get nowhere,” she have no control over their finances, house, or salary of $70,000 in 2010. said. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for job, but when they can bring their car in and This year’s budget: Hands of the Carpenter—they made a we can help them … it’s the greatest feeling.” $400,000. world of a difference. … There is no one out Car repair needs often lead to conversathere like this.” —Angela Lu tions about the gospel. Hands staffer Hobin
June 16, 2012
12 COMPASSION.indd 47
worLd
47
5/28/12 7:14 PM
the 2012 hope AwArd for effective compAssion runner up
Alpha Pregnancy Help Center O
48
Now, cash-strapped public schools invite Alpha into their buildings for free assemblies and presentations on abstinence, the danger of STDs, and relationships. Since few among the poor in outlying rural areas have the transportation to get to Alpha’s clinic in Merced, Alpha plans to bring the clinic to them with a $147,000 mobile unit featuring an exam table, ultrasound, and flatscreen. Alpha offers pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, a post-abortion healing group, and parenting classes. On a rainy day in April, the clinic bustles with first-time parents watching videos and filling out worksheets to complete the 25-session parenting class: When they’re finished, mothers can pick
moneY BoX The Alpha Pregnancy Help Center reported $227,446 in contributions/grants for 2010. Total expenses were $229,492. Executive director Sherry Garrison had a salary of $36,025. This year’s budget: $260,700.
out $150 worth of baby items that an Alpha employee will purchase for them. Fathers get $75 worth of items. In one room sits Torrey Rigan, 31, and Jennifer Keller, 29, who is 38 weeks pregnant. The two say they’ve enjoyed the privacy of the classes and the homey feel of the center. “It’s not an overt feeling of religiousness, I don’t feel judged,” Rigan said. “We kind of expected that since they were giving us money, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.” For some clients, the relationships developed with Alpha staffers last long after the class is over. Today, Bethany and Julian Ramos, 20 and 23 respectively, drop in for an unannounced visit with their bubbly 7-month-old, Zachariah. “Everyone is so nice here, so we come back to chat with them,” Julian says as Garrison plays with Zachariah on her knee. “I feel like this is our second home.” —Angela Lu
angela lu
n the flatscreen in a darkened room appears an oblong image with a faint flickering. That’s the first look of the baby growing inside 18-year-old Sarah. “See that?” asks ultrasound nurse Kathryn Kangiser, pointing at the flickering. “That’s the baby’s heartbeat.” She measures the baby’s image and finds that Sarah is a little more than seven weeks pregnant. Sarah smiles as a friend, also pregnant, takes pictures with her cell phone and squeals, “Aww, baby!” Sarah—name changed to protect her privacy—plans to continue the pregnancy, but her parents have threatened to kick her out of the house if she does. Only her friend, who brought her to Alpha Pregnancy Help Center after seeing an ultrasound of her own baby, was encouraging her to keep going. Before leaving, Kangiser asks the girls if she could pray for them, and they agree. Sherry Garrison, Alpha’s executive director, then signs Sarah up for a parenting class. sAving Lives: Garrison This type of scene meets with a young couple. occurs at hundreds of crisis pregnancy centers around the nation, and all deserve praise. What makes Alpha special is its location in Merced, Calif., an area in crisis that has had the biggest drop in home prices—62 percent—in the nation, and its innovative idea of reaching rural residents with a mobile ultrasound unit. Located in California’s Central Valley, Merced is an agricultural community with an influx of Hispanics from Mexico and Hmongs from southeast Asia. In 2005, the city became the home of the new University of California, Merced, and speculators inflated home prices. Then came the housing market crash and a slower-than-expected growth in the school: Merced’s unemployment rate hit 20 percent.
worLd June 16, 2012
12 COMPASSION.indd 48
5/28/12 7:16 PM
Now
Available
Sovereign Grace, Offered Freely. In this book, Steven J. Lawson explores Spurgeon’s life and ministry, showing how “the prince of preachers” clung to CREDIT
the gospel and taught the doctrines of grace while passionately imploring sinners to embrace salvation. 800-435-4343 | REFORMATIONTRUST.COM
RTP_2697_AD_gospel_focus_charles_spurgeon_may16a.indd 1 12 COMPASSION.indd 49
5/16/12 1:59 PM 5/21/12 3:33 PM
Ending one war to arm for the next? NATO reaches an agreement on Afghanistan but faces serious challenges in mapping a post-war future by MINDY BELZ
SERIOUS CHALLENGES: A British soldier in Afghanistan; Obama meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the NATO Summit; protesting NATO in Chicago.
12 NATO.indd 50
5/28/12 8:04 PM
country [until] December , . … I don’t want to, N S in Chicago nor again, understate the challenge that we have ahead of us. thousands of angry protesters could stop the The Taliban [are] still a resilient and capable opponent.” momentum for NATO heads of state who gathered in the Meeting with reporters by telephone the day after the Midwest to agree on a roadmap toward ending war in summit concluded, U.S. permanent representative to NATO Afghanistan. Ivo Daalder emphasized a fast track for turning military Anti-NATO hackers took down the city’s home page for operations over to Afghan forces. While the Afghan hours May just as leaders of the military alliance National Army is taking the lead in percent of all opened two days of scheduled meetings in Chicago and as combat operations currently, he said, by the end of this protesters took to the streets. Despite a crushing wall of summer it will lead in percent of all combat operations. demonstrators along Michigan Avenue, Chicago police Unlike Obama, who has said little about a continuing reported less than arrests overall, several dozen force after combat operations end, Daalder said he was injuries, and no deaths, even though one police officer was “confident we will be able to sustain in Afghanistan a stabbed in the leg during street confrontations. NATO force in and beyond.” But he admitted when Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel—the former White questioned by reporters that adequate funding for defense House chief of staff and a key backer of President Barack will be a major factor in how robust and effective a Obama—raised million to pay local authorities overtime long-term force to prevent the return of al-Qaeda and the and host the summit in the president’s hometown, the first Taliban will be: Continued defense cuts by the United ever in the United States outside Washington, D.C. States and European nations will “bite into” operations The two-day event climaxed May when the heads down the line, he said. of state who make up the Atlantic military alliance formally Currently the United States pays more than times any agreed to a framework for winding down the combat other member nation in sustaining NATO operations. And mission in Afghanistan by the end of . Under that while the EU is locked in its own fiscal crisis, Congress and agreement, NATO allies will turn over the lead responsibility the White House are debating a defense reauthorization for providing security to Afghan forces next year, bringing to bill—with Obama pledged to cut billion from an end the foreign involvement in the decade-long war that Pentagon spending over the next decade. began with a U.S. invasion shortly after the attacks of /. Key to the Obama administration’s strategy to reduce “We leave Chicago with a clear road map,” President defense spending while fighting terrorist threats: the Obama said. “This alliance is committed to bring the war increased use of drones. Coming off a -minute closed in Afghanistan to a responsible end.” door meeting in Chicago with Obama, Turkish president But the show of unity did not hide serious challenges— Abdullah Gul said only Congress was blocking the sale of and disagreements within the U.S. command structure— armed Predator drones to Turkey. The Obama administration for NATO in bringing to a close its longest war. supports selling the unmanned aerial In his speech to the summit on $669 vehicles to Turkey to aid its fight May , Obama emphasized the day against Kurdish rebels. But Congress soon when “the Afghan war as we is likely to resist: The drones pose a know it is over.” But the NATO potential threat to the legitimate commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Kurdish regional government—a key Marine Gen. John Allen, sounded a U.S. ally—in northern Iraq (fronting more cautious pace: Noting “there is the Turkish border), and to Israel, a narrative out there” that combat whose relationship with Turkey has operations will end in , Allen grown increasingly strained as Gul said U.S. forces will be fighting right has moved his country away from a up until NATO formally ends its secular government toward more combat mission in December . in billions of dollars conservative Islamic rule. Obama himself, in a speech Currently Turkey relies on U.S. delivered during a surprise visit to intelligence from unarmed drones to Afghanistan in May, said that the combat rebels, and Iraq uses United States would withdraw more unarmed drones to monitor oil platthan , troops by the end of forms that move millions of barrels this summer, with all combat of Iraqi crude oil from the country’s operations led by the United States inland oilfields to commercial to end by . The difference in the $67 $58 tanker ships in the Persian Gulf. But two messages, observers in Chicago $47 $38 $20 $17 $16 $12 $11 the sale of armed drones would be a noted, may reflect circumfirst in the region, and the United stances: One commander is running States would have to commit to for reelection while the other is arming and maintaining them. running a war. “Aside from the United States, no Allen also said that the Taliban one can afford drones,” Daalder said remains far from defeated: “Combat simply. A operations will continue in the
0
SOLDIER: BEN BIRCHALL/PA/AP • KARZAI & OBAMA: PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP PROTEST: SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES • SOURCE: STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
12 NATO.indd 51
Greece
Netherlands
Turkey
Spain
Canada
Italy
Germany
U.K.
France
U.S.
Military expenditures by NATO countries
JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/28/12 8:06 PM
N
estled amid the rolling hills and farmland of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community has been offering superior retirement living for more than 60 years. Our warm, welcoming atmosphere flows from a passion to serve, equip and enrich those who have chosen to become part of this vibrant Christ-centered community. Come home to Quarryville‌ Pursue a lifestyle that frees you to pursue your calling. Explore new cultural activities. Stay in shape in our Wellness Center. Hone your computer skills. Stretch your horizons by enrolling in a class at one of our local colleges. Join the many delighted residents who have experienced Quarryville, where neighbors become friends and friends become family.
625 Robert Fulton Highway, Quarryville, PA 17566 12 NATO.indd 52
quarryville.com
888-786-7331 5/28/12 11:25 AM
Follow our latest news @ blog.christianfocus.com and cf4k.christianfocus.com
Jonah Navigating a N God-Centered Life Colin S. Smith “A faithful guide in helping us come to terms with Jonah’s message for the church today.” Liam Goligher Hope is rekindled through the message in this book – God uses flawed messengers who have experienced His patience and forgiveness. ISBN 978-1-84550-639-1 | $12.99
The Envy of Eve Finding F Contentment in a Covetous World Melissa B. Kruger The Envy of Eve guides readers to understand how desires grow into covetousness and what happens when this sin takes power in our hearts. An ideal resource for deeper study or group discussion. ISBN 978-1-84550-775-6 | $14.99
Different by Design God’s blueprint for men and women Carrie Sandom Scripturally grounded, Different by Design presents a biblical context D for roles of men and women in marriage, the church and the workplace, with present-day implications for each. ISBN 978-1-84550-782-4 | $14.99
Matthew Henry His H Life and Influence Allan Harman Matthew Henry (1662-1714) is highly-valued by contemporary preachers and Bible users. Here we get a closer look at the life of Matthew Henry by an author who has had a life-long interest in Matthew Henry and his writings. ISBN 978-1-84550-783-1 | $14.99
History Lives Box Set Chronicles of the Church Mindy & Brandon Withrow A beautifully packaged box set of the highly recommended ‘History Lives’ series containing all 5 volumes at a special price. Perfect gift set for a birthday or special occasion. ISBN 978-1-84550-781-7 | $44.99
John Stott The Humble Leader Julia Cameron Why is ‘Uncle John’ listened to by b many, read by thousands and recognised across the world as a pastor, friend and leader? His life, faith and the Word of God hold many of the answers. This book will introduce you to all three. ISBN 978-1-84550-787-9 | $8.99
Also in eBook Available from your local Christian bookstore or online www.christianfocus.com All Trade Orders to STL inc. 1-800-289-2772
May-2012.indd 1 12 NATO.indd 53
15/05/2012 5/23/12 14:11:31 2:25 PM
CREDIT
12 FALLS CHURCH.indd 54
5/28/12 4:21 PM
CREDIT
After years of litigation, a court awards the historic Falls Church— one of the oldest in America—to The Episcopal Church, and Anglicans who once made an overwhelming majority of the congregation move out , .
CREDIT
CREDIT
CHURCHMEN FOUNDED THE FALLS CHURCH before the colonists founded the United States, in , as an Anglican church that gave the city of Falls Church, Va., its name. Founding Fathers like George Washington once sat in its pews. At the time, Episcopal and Anglican were not distinct terms. The Episcopal Church, in fact, didn’t officially exist. But today they are most definitely distinct factions in northern Virginia. After five years of court battles between The Episcopal Church (TEC) and its Virginia congregations that have broken away to join the Anglican Church in North America, a court has ordered The Falls Church Anglican congregation out of the red-brick colonial property. That means a congregation of ,—who voted to separate from TEC over doctrinal issues—is handing valuable church property to a -member Episcopal congregation representing the remnant who want to remain in the liberal TEC. Departing Anglicans must find borrowed meeting places in local middle schools and Baptist churches. The Falls Church story has repeated itself around the country as more than congregations have left the shrinking TEC because of the Episcopal leadership’s increasing distance from orthodox theology. Courts have mostly ruled in favor of TEC, awarding property to the originating denomination after lengthy lawsuits—even as most of its members are moving on, or some would argue holding on, to Anglicanism. But when TEC wins property disputes in court, it
LAST WORD: John Yates preaches during the last service of The Falls Church Anglican congregation on May . LUKE SHARRETT FOR WORLD
12 FALLS CHURCH.indd 55
sometimes has no parishioners left to use those churches. “It was like a divorce,” said John Yates, who has been rector of The Falls Church for years and now leads the Anglican congregation. Five years of legal battles have exhausted and saddened Yates, but the Anglican church is growing faster than ever, planting four churches and counting in the last five years. Michelle McCarten, the children’s choir director with the Anglican congregation, knows that The Falls Church is just a building, but her childhood memories are all tied up in the place. McCarten was baptized at the church and spent her entire upbringing there. She went to college, lived Connecticut for a few years, then came back to The Falls Church to follow in her mother’s footsteps and be the children’s choir director. A few years ago, McCarten’s father dropped dead while he was out on a run, and she recalls that members of the church stayed close to her and her mother during that time, doing more than bringing meals. When she thinks of home, “I think of the church before I think of where my mom lives,” she said. She and her mom had close friends in the church who decided to remain Episcopal after the split, and they’ve grown somewhat distant. “These are people that we have worshipped with—” she said. “It’s very tender right now so we can’t talk about it. We can talk about anything else.”
JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/28/12 4:21 PM
56
all cases: In 2010 the Diocese of Central New York sold a property it won from an Anglican congregation to a Muslim awareness center for well below market value.
on sunday, May 13, Yates preached through Romans 8 during The Falls Church congregation’s last service, urging his congregation to be patient during the coming period of inconvenience. “Some of you will find this inconvenience annoying, upsetting, and you just don’t want to mess with it,” Yates told the congregation. “We have to ask the question, ‘Will we be committed to Christ and committed to our church?’” He read Thomas Paine’s famous passage on “sunshine patriots” written during the Revolutionary War. “I don’t want to be a sunshine Christian,” Yates said. “Will you commit yourself now to no complaining? No grumbling? … If we’re going to navigate truly big challenges that we may face one day, let’s face this one without complaint.” At the service, five babies and one father were baptized. The congregation sang “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” belting the line, “Let goods and kindred go ...” One of the clergy prayed for
Jefferts schori: ed ou/ap • robinson: Jim cole/ap
Five years oF litigation began, piling up $4 million in legal fees for the Anglican congregation. The Falls Church Anglican won its case initially, but then the Virginia Supreme Court ruled against the Anglicans and remanded the case, and the same judge who had earlier ruled for the Anglicans ruled against them. The Anglicans may appeal again to the state Supreme Court, but they aren’t optimistic that the ruling would change. Under the final court ruling the Anglican congregation had to turn over the church property, which the longtime parish administrator Bill Deiss valued at $40 million to $50 million. The Anglicans also had to pay the Episcopalians $2.8 million, the amount of money on the books when the Anglicans separated from the Episcopal Church. The Anglican church has almost no reserves now, only a two-week cushion, but Deiss noted that the breakaway congregation is both generous and relatively affluent. At the last service at The Falls Church on May 13, the congregation gave about $330,000, Deiss said, nearly triple what the church normally collects on a Sunday. The Virginia courts awarded six other Anglican church properties to TEC, and three of them have no Episcopal congregation left to use the properties. The diocese may sell some of the properties, said Henry Burt, chief of staff for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, but he said it would not sell The Falls Church or another historic property, Truro Church, for which the diocese has no congregation. Truro’s Anglican
congregation is still meeting there, under an agreement with the diocese requiring that the Anglicans pay for the upkeep. TEC has sold some other properties it has won in court over the last few years, but Jefferts Schori has forbidden selling property to Anglicans. In a recent interview with NPR, she described the Anglican congregations as “competitors.” (Her spokesperson said she wasn’t available for an interview for this article.) “I’ve had two principles throughout this,” Jefferts Schori said. “One, that the church receive a reasonable approximation of fair market value for assets that are disposed of; and, second, that we not be in the business of setting up competitors that want to either destroy or replace the Episcopal Church.” She hasn’t enforced these two principles in
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 FALLS CHURCH.indd 56
5/28/12 4:22 PM
yates: J.m. eddins Jr./the Washington times /landov sign: mary f. calvert/the Washington times/landov • the falls church: corbis
The schism opened up, as it did across The Episcopal Church, with the 2003 consecration of New Hampshire bishop Gene Robinson, an open, practicing homosexual. But it climaxed at the Episcopal Church’s General Convention in June 2006, when the church elected as its presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who has said that Jesus is not the only way to God. She and other church leaders have called into question basic Christian tenets like the physical resurrection of Jesus, and have supported Robinson’s consecration along with other gay clergy. In December 2006, The Falls Church almost unanimously voted to break away from TEC and join the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, which is under the authority of the Anglican province of Nigeria. Here was The Falls Church, where slaveholders worshipped in colonial days, placing itself under the authority of an African archbishop. The TEC diocese maintains it was not the “aggressor” in bringing the property claim to court because The Falls Church filed a record of its vote to break away from the church in court. But the Anglicans said that was a record they had to file in court to have any chance of keeping the property. After the 2006 congregational vote, the diocese abandoned a tentative agreement on the property—an agreement the diocese said would have never gained approval, despite ongoing negotiations. The Episcopalians filed a lawsuit for the property in early 2007. It’s been a messy divorce.
the Episcopal congregation, that it care for “this consecrated place” and preach the gospel. Grown men cried during the last song, “In Christ Alone,” as everyone lifted their arms in the air. Jim Long, who has attended The Falls Church since 1988, stacked chairs at the end of the service and shrugged when I asked whether he was sad about leaving. One difference he saw was that in these new rotating meeting places, he would have more chairs to set up for the service, and then take down at the end of the service. “Life will go on, we’ll just be in a different building,” he assessed.
the rectory, Yates’ home where he and his wife have raised their five children, most of whom were married at the church. The diocese has said he and his wife can stay at the house for a few months while they find a new place to rent, but they don’t know where they will go. The children’s choir held rehearsals on the last day the Anglican church was in the building for their production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. “I’d like Curt to be the cupbearer,” said McCarten in a room of about 30 kids.
“i’ve Married and buried a loT oF people in This ChurCh.” —yates
Jefferts schori: ed ou/ap • robinson: Jim cole/ap
yates: J.m. eddins Jr./the Washington times /landov sign: mary f. calvert/the Washington times/landov • the falls church: corbis
FLash pOint: Jefferts schori; the 2003 consecration of new hampshire bishop gene robinson; yates in The falls church cemetery; The falls church historical marker; union cavalry outside The falls church (from left to right).
That night the congregation met to hear stories from the Anglican church planters. Toward the end, Yates said he hugged his wife Susan. “I couldn’t let go because I would start weeping,” he said. “I’ve married and buried a lot of people in this church.” The Anglican congregation had to leave behind everything purchased before the split, so the choir will now sing robe-less. The church left behind an organ and a Steinway grand piano. The church also left behind the communion silver. But an antiques dealer in Pennsylvania who heard about the litigation and the property loss gave the congregation a tableful of communion silver he had been collecting for decades, enough for several churches.
Tuesday, May 15, was final move-out day. Yates glanced down the hallway where the robes he has preached in for 33 years were hanging. He would be leaving them behind also. The coffee table in his office was piled with keys to return. He could take his books, which he himself purchased, “So that’s a blessing,” he said. As part of the ruling, the Anglican church loses
“Yessssss,” said the diminutive Curt, pumping his fist. McCarten told the children they would be performing the musical in nearby Columbia Baptist Church. “It’ll be a great place for our musical,” she assured them. After going through several musical numbers, McCarten led the children into the sanctuary, where they sang a benediction they knew by heart: “Go with us Lord and guide the way through this and every coming day.” McCarten asked the children to pray to close their practice. One small voice prayed “that there would be love in the new church—that the people who are moving to the church we’re now in would enjoy it.” Another prayed “that we wouldn’t be so depressed about not being in the church and that we would be close to God.” The children ate cookies and cleared out, congregants cleaned the place, and a locksmith arrived to change the locks. Yates’ daughter made a cake that she left for the Episcopalians.
The Falls ChurCh angliCan is now itinerant, meeting in a middle school one week, a Catholic high school the next, and a Baptist June 16, 2012
12 FALLS CHURCH.indd 57
WORLD
57
5/28/12 4:22 PM
ON SUNDAY, MAY 20, the Episcopalians’ first service back at the property, The Falls Church was a quiet, empty campus. One little girl sat on a swing on the playground after church, a playground that was full of children the Sunday before. The main sanctuary, where the Anglican congregation filled the pews and overflowed onto the floors feeling the blast of the organ, was empty and silent, the lights off. A bulletin board at
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 FALLS CHURCH.indd 58
the entrance was blank except for bubble letters that read, “Welcome.” Around the corner in a small historic chapel, about people came for the : service, many of them seniors, including Jessie Thackrey who is and the oldest member of the congregation. She was intent on getting out of her wheelchair and climbing the short stairs into the church, which she did. A few parishioners from another Episcopal congregation that won a historic Virginia property from an Anglican congregation late last year came for the service and brought a day lily. The priest leading the service talked about the congregation’s “journey in exile” over the last five years. The older congregants, with their personal histories, seemed unable to reconcile walking away from The Episcopal Church, and from that place. Charlotte Needham was confirmed in the church in the s. On Sunday morning she arrived at :, she said, to prepare for the : communion. She stayed for the communion service at : a.m. too. She spoke warmly of Yates, and found the decision to walk away from the Anglican congregation wrenching. “I regret that it ever happened,” she said about the conflict. She hopes the two congregations will reunite someday. Neither side sees that as a possibility, given the theological differences. “Certain things will never be the way they were,” said Burt, the diocese’s chief of staff who attended The Falls Church as a boy. “The objective here is STARK CONTRAST: not to hurt the [Anglican] congregation. … The Falls Church The objective is to return Episcopal main sanctuary on property to the Episcopal Church. We’re Sunday, May hoping daily for [the Anglican church’s] (top) and May . success.” When I asked him about Jefferts Schori’s comments saying essentially the opposite, he said, “I don’t have a take on that … we support our presiding bishop.” “This has cost us a lot. It has cost them too,” Yates reflected. But Yates isn’t too worried about his own congregation. He’s more worried about the shepherding of the Episcopal congregation that is inhabiting the building after him. “It’s sobering to think of the clergy who could come here,” he said. He said that for a long time he has prayed that even if his congregation left, “the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ would be proclaimed from this place.” A
TOP: LUKE SHARRETT FOR WORLD • BOTTOM: EMILY BELZ
church for one service. Given only a few weeks’ notice to move out of their building by the court, the congregation hasn’t firmed up its long-term schedule. Part of the church staff is squeezing into an office suite nearby, but most are working wherever they can. At a nearby Starbucks I saw two of the Anglican clergy sitting at a table, typing and talking. Church staff emphasize that the eviction has been good for The Falls Church Anglican. For one thing, the church had outgrown its Falls Church sanctuary, piling in hundreds more each week than fire codes allowed. And the church has deepened relationships with other churches in the area. The staff now holds its weekly meetings at Columbia Baptist Church. Before the congregation broke away from TEC, the church had to get permission from the denomination to plant churches, and had planted two. In the five years since the breakaway, it has planted four churches in Virginia and is planning to plant another this year in Washington, D.C. On the last day in the building, Yates sat in his empty office, talking to the young rector of Christ the King, one of the plants, who brought coffee and to-go cups. One of Yates’ central missions has been to cultivate young leaders within the church, and he told the children sitting in the last service, “You kids, I can’t tell you how important you are to what God wants to do. Give yourself to Jesus. He wants to use you in ways people in my generation have not been used.” The congregation’s youth group is large—about kids. But Yates regrets how the litigation has consumed the church’s resources that could have been used for ministry: “It hasn’t been time wasted, but when you think about all the money that has been spent—” he trailed off. For one, he had hoped to set up a local seminary option through a partnership with a larger seminary.
Email: ebelz@worldmag.com
5/28/12 4:22 PM
top: luke sharrett for world • bottom: emily belz
5/28/12 11:24 AM
12 FALLS CHURCH.indd 59
southern baptists further distance themselves from a divisive racial past with elevation of african-american pastor fred luter
milestone W
hen Fred Luter recounts his days growing up in New Orleans’ crime-ridden Lower Ninth Ward, the Southern Baptist pastor doesn’t soften the truth in a Sunday morning sermon: “I was too mean to live, not fit to die, going to hell, and enjoying the ride.” . More than 30 years later, he’s come a long way. With delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) gathering for their annual meeting in New Orleans in June, many expect Luter, 55, to become the first black president in the denomination’s history. The longtime pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans already serves as first vice president of the SBC. Many anticipate that the African-American minister will win the denomination’s top spot overwhelmingly when the group meets June 19-20 in his hometown. Luter’s election would be a significant milestone for the largest Protestant denomination in the country. Southern Baptists formed the SBC in 1845, partly to defend the practice of slavery. (The SBC apologized for that part of its history in a 1995 resolution.) Russell Moore, dean of the school of theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., shudders when he thinks about slavery and the SBC. “I stand here on a campus that was founded by men who could clearly articulate what it means to be saved, and at the same time defended human beings purporting to own other human beings,” he said. “That’s mind-boggling in its perversity.” Moore is grateful for the SBC’s progress since then, including the 1995 resolution and at least 30 other resolutions addressing race and racism. And he’s enthusiastic about Luter’s potential election in the denomination that’s still 80 percent white: “It would be a
sign of God’s grace and a redemptive act among Southern Baptists.” But on the eve of Luter’s historic bid, a race-related controversy looms over the SBC. The convention is slated to meet less than six weeks after Richard Land, president of the denomination’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, issued a lengthy public apology for comments he made during a March 31 radio broadcast about the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. During the program, Land discussed the firestorm surrounding the teenager’s death. George Zimmerman, the alleged killer and community watch member in Sanford, Fla., pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder on May 8 and said that Martin attacked him before he shot the unarmed youth at close range on Feb. 26. Police arrested Zimmerman nearly two weeks after the shooting. The delay elicited widespread demonstrations and an outcry from activists and community members who charged police with racism. (Zimmerman remains free on bail and faces an Aug. 8 court appearance to set a date for his trial.) During his broadcast, Land accused black political leaders—including President Barack
by Jamie Dean 60
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 LUTER.indd 60
HAnDOuT pHOTO
5/28/12 10:47 AM
12 LUTER.indd 61
5/28/12 10:28 AM
More than race
richard land statements prompt plagiarism investigation
62
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 LUTER.indd 62
friends: “People in my church are excited about the gospel and excited about the power of the gospel to overcome these issues.” Back in North Carolina, Strickland’s enthusiasm for the SBC extends to Luter’s rise in leadership. He says that Luter has earned his status in the denomination for his hard work in the ministry, not because of his race: “This is not an affirmative action appointment.” Indeed, Luter has been well-known in SBC circles for years. After a nearfatal motorcycle accident more than 30 years ago, he grew serious about his faith and pursued pastoral ministry. Franklin Avenue had 65 members when he arrived in 1986. By 2005, the church had grown to nearly 8,000. But those numbers plummeted when Hurricane Katrina devastated the church building and dispersed the congregation in 2005. A few dozen church members continued meeting on the campus of First Baptist Church across town. Luter led efforts to open satellite churches in areas where members fled, and continued pastoral visits to the displaced. Though the pastor could have fled himself, Luter stayed in New Orleans and led the church’s efforts to restore its building and its congregation. Today, more than 4,500 worshippers pack Sunday services in a new building that opened in 2008. The minister has said he hopes to promote racial reconciliation in the SBC, but he also wants to help start more churches and help congregations that have struggled like his own. Whatever the outcome of the election, Luter still seems surprised by his own path. During the same sermon he preached in 2010 that described his wayward youth, Luter told the congregation that “God chose me” despite his sin and rebellion. “Where would I be if Jesus didn’t sacrifice Himself for me?” he asked. “I wasn’t even looking for God, but I’m glad that He was looking for me.” A
“I wasn’t even looking for God, but I’m glad that He was looking for me.”
land: alex Brandon/ap • luter: ross d. Franklin/ap
Beyond racial issues, Richard Land ignited another set of worries with his March 31 broadcast when he discussed the Trayvon Martin case: A blogger and doctoral candidate at Baylor University in Texas charged Land with plagiarizing part of the program. Blogger Aaron Weaver pointed out that some of Land’s comments repeated verbatim an editorial in The Washington Times. Land admitted that he quoted parts of the editorial without giving clear credit to the author. “On occasion I have failed to provide appropriate verbal attributions on my radio broadcast,” he wrote on his website. “I regret if anyone feels they were deceived or misled. That was not my intent nor has it ever been.” (Land pointed out that he provides links on his website to the material he uses during broadcasts.) The executive committee of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission announced it would conduct an investigation of the plagiarism charges, and planned to produce a report by June 1. The committee also acknowledged Land’s work on racial issues—like the 1995 resolution—but expressed regret for “any harm that may have been done to race relations” in the SBC by his radio broadcast. (Land declined a request to comment for this story.) —J.D.
Obama—of using the teen’s death to “gin up the black vote.” (Obama had called for a full investigation of Martin’s shooting when a reporter asked for his comment.) “The president’s aides claimed he was showing compassion for the victim’s family,” Land added. “In reality he poured gasoline on the racialist fires.” Land also stated that a black man is “statistically more likely to do you harm than a white man.” After a handful of SBC pastors and leaders criticized Land’s remarks, Land issued a brief apology on April 16. By early May he met with SBC leaders— including Luter and other black ministers—to discuss his comments. After a five-hour meeting, Land issued an extensive apology on May 9. “I came to understand in sharper relief how damaging my words were,” Land wrote. Land’s remarks included an apology for “insensitivity” to Martin’s family and for impugning the president’s motives in expressing concern over the case: “It was unchristian and unwise for me to have done so.” Land said he sent a letter to Obama, asking for his forgiveness. As for Luter, the pastor had already extended forgiveness after Land’s first public statement: “His comments were a concern for many of us. ... I accept his apology.” But others struggled. Walter Strickland, an African-American associate pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, N.C., wrote on the popular Baptist 21 blog: “Many non-African-American Southern Baptists would be surprised at how routinely we have to defend our participation in the SBC, and our spirits have been shaken by the unfolding of these events.” In a phone interview after Land’s second apology, Strickland said he appreciated the leader’s more extensive comments, and forgave him. He also said he continues to express enthusiasm for the SBC to African-American
Email: jdean@worldmag.com
5/28/12 10:39 AM
land: alex Brandon/ap • luter: ross d. Franklin/ap
5/28/12 7:22 PM
12 LUTER.indd 63
Dark clouD, silver lining a depressed housing market has proved favorable for new homeowners willing to work and save by mary Jackson
64
mAry JACKson
“FOR a LOt OF For five years dire press reports have peOpLe it’s told of people losing their homes—but for been pRetty three families and many more, falling haRD, but prices signal buying opportunities. FOR sOmeOne Like me, it Crandon Kopriva has lived most of his 30 Was pRetty years in a tall farm house situated on seven acres beneFiciaL.” in the rural town of Windsor, Calif. His parents —Crandon bought the land in 1979. Then, with the remainder of Kopriva, with his wife Angela their savings, they found an old, dilapidated house and had at their home in it transported 20 miles up Highway 101 to the plot. Little by Windsor, Calif. little, they refurbished the home while also planting fruit orchards, building two barns, and starting a mini-farm. It was a dream realized for them—one they hoped Crandon and his three siblings would also uniquely experience. So when Kopriva finished college in 2005, his dad offered his old room back rent-free on the condition that he start saving for a house. Kopriva, who works for the California Highway Patrol, began diligently depositing a portion of every paycheck into the savings account he opened with his parents when he was just 12. As home prices peaked in the mid-2000s, Kopriva doubted he would ever be able to buy a house near his family in northern Sonoma County, now prime real estate with its renowned wineries and picturesque hills lined with grapevines. WORLD June 16, 2012
12 FORECLOSURES.indd 64
5/28/12 9:13 AM
12 FORECLOSURES.indd 65
5/28/12 9:12 AM
N
ewlyweds Jason and Kim Puuri of Haslett, Mich., have kept a close eye on housing prices the past few years. Two years ago, they talked it over with their parents and
66
Jason’s brothers—both “underwater” in their mortgages—and decided this was their window of opportunity. Fresh off their honeymoon to Mexico, they moved into Jason’s parent’s basement, converting it into a “mini-apartment.” They saved for over a year, hoping that housing prices would drop still more. At the time, four other couples they knew were doing the same thing. “As much as I love Jason’s parents, it was hard getting married and moving right in with them,” says Kim, 22. “Our motivating factor was the falling housing prices.” Now the Puuris are glad they waited. They recently bought a bank-owned home for half the cost of its appraisal amount, putting 20 percent down. They’ve decided to make triple payments each month, meaning they make do with hand-medown furniture and some empty rooms. But within reach is home ownership: “Our goal is to pay off our loan in three years, so that no matter what happens we own our house,” Kim says. Adam and Deena Minter in Dallas also wanted to buy a home—but two years ago they faced uncertainty as the law firm where Adam works as a paralegal struggled to stay open. Watching home prices and interest rates drop was particularly hard for Deena: “I hate to pass up a good sale. I’ve just wanted to jump on it.” But instead of jumping the Minters cut back, moving from a rental house to a two-bedroom apartment. They also started home businesses: Adam, 31, runs a loose-leaf tea business in a bedroom closet they turned into an office. Deena has a sewing business she operates on the dining room table where they also homeschool their two young daughters. Two years later, Adam still holds his job at the law firm. With their acquired savings—combined with money they withdrew from Adam’s IRA account—the couple is moving next month into a “way underpriced” threebedroom home in an East Dallas neighborhood Deena has been eying for years. Patience for the Minters and the Puuris proved beneficial. For Angela Kopriva, 31, who admits that starting out and buying a house once “seemed daunting,” she now says she is thankful for favorable timing and the “values of hard work and saving” that parents instilled in her husband and herself: “We feel very blessed.” A —Mary Jackson is a writer living in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Rent or buy? Sometimes it pays to own
Collin Bills planned to rent while completing five years of medical residency training at a Memphis, Tenn., orthopedic clinic. Working 80-plus hours a week, he says all he needs is a place to study, sleep “six hours if I’m lucky,” and plop on the couch for a football game or reruns of The Office. Last year, Bills’ roommate moved away, and he started considering other options. Like many, he’s seen the cost of renting rise—up 2.4 percent in January over the previous year—as foreclosures turn previous homeowners into renters, and some who rent are wary of taking on a mortgage in a weak economy. But Bills realized he could save $400 a month if he bought a home. His dad, a physician in Tullahoma, Tenn., agreed to loan him the down payment to buy a small, well-kept home built in the 1960s in one of Memphis’ best school districts. “I would rather not take the risk. I would rather be free of the obligation of having to sell the house in five years,” Bills, 27, said—but after doing the math, “it makes sense.” By April, Bills had moved into the house, and unexpectedly is discovering joy in home ownership: “When you believe that something is partly yours, that you get to take care of it, you get enjoyment and satisfaction out of that.” Bills says without his dad’s help, he never would have qualified for a home loan: “I’ve got a lot of debt from medical school.” Since the recession, lenders have learned to be more cautious. Banks have tightened their qualifications for homebuyers, and most now hold tougher requirements for homebuyers, including high credit scores, proof of a stable income, and more cash for down payments. But a downturned homebuyers’ market can work in favor of renters whose monthly payments are on the rise. —M.J.
WORLD JunE 16, 2012
12 FORECLOSURES.indd 66
5/28/12 9:14 AM
CREDIT
But in just a few years, Kopriva’s prospects drastically changed. Housing prices everywhere plummeted as overburdened homeowners began defaulting on their mortgages, causing the nation’s deepest recession since the 1930s. Daren Blomquist, vice president of Irvine, Calif.–based RealtyTrac, estimates that 4.2 million people have had their homes foreclosed since 2007. Even now, thousands of families across America are still losing their homes, or watching their values drop as foreclosures continue to flood the market. For Kopriva and other first-time homebuyers though, the housing collapse has opened up historically low home prices and low interest rates. So far, home prices have dropped 33 percent since their peak in 2006. Many new buyers are also taking cues from family members, friends, and neighbors, who have learned painful lessons from losing their homes: Many are making shortterm sacrifices and doing the math before jumping into the long-term investment of home ownership. “For a lot of people it’s been pretty hard, but for someone like me, it was pretty beneficial,” Kopriva, 30, said. After six years of saving, last year he bought a Windsor, Calif., home with his wife Angela just months before their September wedding. Family members on both sides helped the Koprivas renovate the former foreclosure, including repainting the dark-hued walls with cheery yellows and blues. Like the Koprivas, first-time homebuyers can still take advantage of the market’s bargain prices—at least for now. Housing prices are expected to fall at least a few more percentage points nationwide this year as a backlog of more than 1 million homes could sell out of foreclosure, RealtyTrac’s Blomquist says. An estimated 11 million Americans owe more on their homes than they are worth. But the market’s recent signs of life—foreclosure filings fell 17 percent in the first quarter of 2012 to their lowest levels in nearly five years—have Blomquist predicting home prices will bottom out this year.
FORECLOSING IN Without a recovery in the job market, another wave of Floridians will likely lose their homes soon
Luanne Dietz/genesis
by edward Lee Pit ts in Florida’s Tampa Bay area Lifelong Floridian Earl Bailey has been in the construction business for 62 years, and he has the thick forearms and callused fingers to prove it. Within minutes of an introduction, he’ll boast that he can press 110 pounds with his arms, push 260 pounds with his legs and ride an exercise bike on resistance level 12. Now 82, Bailey says he’s worked “my butt off all my life” and claims that he didn’t apply for Social Security until turning 72. But he still needs to work to pay the mortgage on the home he bought in 2001 during the housing bubble. At the time, he had his pick of well-paying construction jobs and he made more
than enough to cover his $1,500 monthly house payment. The purchase, even at his age, seemed like a sound investment especially after the value of his Clearwater, Fla., home jumped by $40,000 within the first couple of years: “I said to myself, ‘Boy, were you ever lucky.’” But, as with millions of Americans, Bailey’s luck was an illusion. The housing crisis soon crunched him from two sides as both a homeowner and a construction worker. Bailey became just one of the homeowners across America “‘MR. MORTGAGE”: who collectively nonprofit manager sanchez has had to are underwater on transition from their mortgages helping people buy by a total of $700 homes to helping billion. people keep them.
Today, Bailey hasn’t had a paying construction job in more than three years. At first, he kept up with his mortgage using his savings and retirement, but he has exhausted those funds. When he became five months past due on his payments last year, the bank started foreclosure proceedings. “I have never ever been in the position I am right now,” he says. “My great, great grandkids may be paying off my debt. I have got to get this straightened out.” The recent reduction of the nation’s foreclosure rate has some hoping that the housing crisis storm clouds are finally clearing. But don’t tell that to residents of the Tampa Bay area, which leads the nation in foreclosures. Here the number of area properties receiving a notice of default, bank repossession, or June 16, 2012
12 FORECLOSURES.indd 67
WORLD
67
5/28/12 3:53 PM
States with the highest foreclosure rates for April Number of housing units with a foreclosure filing 1̀ 2̀ 3̀ 4̀ 5̀ 6̀ 7̀ 8̀ 9̀ 10 `
Eleven of the nation’s largest metro areas based on population documented annual increases in foreclosure activity, led by the Florida cities of Tampa ( percent) and Miami ( percent). Other cities with increases included St. Louis ( percent), Chicago ( percent), Philadelphia ( percent), and Atlanta ( percent).
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 FORECLOSURES.indd 68
Metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates Number of housing units with a foreclosure filing 1̀ 2̀ 3̀ 4̀ 5̀
Riverside-San Bernardino in Miami in Atlanta in Phoenix in Tampa in
Source: RealtyTrac
Homeowners program, expected to help more than , mortgage owners, had receive only applications and dispersed just loans nearly six months after the program’s start. The Home Affordable Modification Program aided fewer than a million homeowners after policymakers estimated it would reach million. And a government report in April revealed that the Hardest Hit Fund, created in , “experienced significant delay” and had limited impact due to a “lack of comprehensive planning.” It spent . million on , homeowners, or percent of the , homeowners that it had targeted in states. In New Jersey the fund reached just homeowners by the end of , while in Florida the program had reached , homeowners out of a target of ,.
O
was Phyllis Dilard, who achieved her longsought dream of homeownership nearly six years ago at the peak of the housing bubble. Dilard, then in her early s, worked multiple jobs to amass a down payment and made so many visits to Home Depot and Lowes that cashiers called her by name. A single parent to a -year-old niece she has raised since infancy, Dilard became frightened when the housing bubble burst not long after
ANDREW JOHNSON/ISTOCK
scheduled action rose percent this April compared with last April. These , filings for April represent a nearly percent jump from March. I met Bailey during his recent visit to the Tampa Bay Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit that has had to undergo a transition from helping people buy homes to helping people keep their homes. Bill Sanchez, the group’s program manager, said percent of the nonprofit’s activity the past four years has been foreclosure counseling. “Everything the government is doing now to remedy the crisis are very temporary fixes,” said Sanchez, who had a long banking career in New York before moving to Florida. “They’ve thrown so many programs at the problem to see what sticks that I’ve even forgotten what some of the names were.” Sanchez, called “Mr. Mortgage” by one client I visited, can be forgiven for losing track of at least different government programs aimed at helping homeowners avoid foreclosure. Using the abbreviations popular in government, there’s the HAMP, the PRA, the HARP, the HARP ., and the HHF, to name just a few of the loan modification programs. Their track records have not been stellar: Congress held hearings in February after The Hope for
Nevada in California in Florida in Arizona in Georgia in Illinois in Utah in Michigan in Ohio in Wisconsin in
she moved into her two-bedroom, twobath home in Clearwater. She managed to scrape by until last year when she lost her primary job as an office manager after a dozen years with the company. With little savings, Dilard fell behind fast. When she got her foreclosure notice last October, she went inside her home and just stared at the wall. “When you go to work and that is your routine, when something does happen like this you have no idea which way to go,” said Dilard, who is still unemployed. “It’s like being in a dark cave and every tunnel you go through, when you think you are on your way out, just ends up leading to another dark area.” Her eligibility for the hardest-hit program runs out in August. Unless the job market improves in Florida, then the government aid was just a brief reprieve for Dilard. She will face again a reckoning with her bank. Dilard likely won’t be alone. Many banks halted foreclosures in with the discovery that fraudulent and inaccurate paperwork plagued the system. But the billion settlement that top banks reached with the government earlier this year over the foreclosure mistakes has now cleared the way for banks to resume going after a mountain of unpaid mortgages. “The dam may not burst in the next to days, but it will eventually burst,” predicted RealtyTrac chief executive Brandon Moore. Meanwhile, at least states are diverting hundreds of millions of dollars from that billion settlement to fill budget shortfalls instead of helping homeowners. Georgia is using million to recruit companies to the state, Missouri is using million to help higher education, and million went to the Texas general fund. Sanchez said his group counseled , persons facing foreclosures in . While that number dropped to in , he expects about , foreclosure clients this year as this second wave of foreclosure hits. With the government programs faltering, people like Bailey and Dilard are hoping that they will be able to rescue themselves by finding work. “If we have a robust job market you will see many housing problems resolved,” said Chuck Bentley with Crown Financial Ministries. “The government is trying to have the dominant position in managing the housing crisis, but they are ill equipped to run the system efficiently.” A Email: lpitts@worldmag.com
5/28/12 3:55 PM
Equipping today’s
generation to reach
their own people for
Christ across Russia and her neighboring countries . . .
Not just youth ministry but Youth IN ministry!
Zealous churches in America are also catching the vision . . .
Find us on facebook or on the web at www.sga.org SGA u 6151 Commonwealth Drive u Loves Park, Illinois 61111 u www.sga.org u 800-BIBLE-50
12 FORECLOSURES.indd 69
5/28/12 8:55 AM
Songs with staying power T
S. O C, one of America’s most famous and critically acclaimed choral ensembles, recently completed its th anniversary tour across the country. The -voice choir is part of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., a liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. St. Olaf’s was one of the pioneers in the American a cappella choir tradition. It also has a legacy of iconic conductors, only four over its -year history. The current conductor, Anton Armstrong (above), has led the choir for more than years and was himself part of the ensemble when he was a college student. One of the group’s trademarks of the Armstrong era is that the singers hold hands and sway as the music moves them, so the full choir looks like seagrass moving underwater. It’s not choreographed. Made up of undergraduates, the ensemble
also memorizes all its music, even the most complex pieces, from Bach motets to African-American spirituals. I caught up with Armstrong after the choir performed in Washington, D.C., to numerous standing ovations. What visceral response do you look for from your audience? Sometimes it’s the silence that follows a piece. At the very end of the piece there’s that moment when you aren’t even sure if you want to clap. Maybe [those moments] are even more rewarding than a standing ovation. We work very hard for perfection, so that the message we have to share is not distracted. If you can eliminate all the distractions of the human mind, the beauty of the music illuminates the text of the message. What’s the power music has that plain words don’t? The Bach motet—you have to be a really dead person to not resonate
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 ARMSTRONG.indd 70
5/23/12 10:04 AM
HANDOUT
St. Olaf Choir’s conductor says the world-famous -year-old ensemble is anti-fluff in the “age of Glee” by Emily Belz in Washington
HAnDOuT
with that piece. It has a way to touch the head and the heart. So it’s not just emotionalism or intellectualism, it’s the head and the heart. When my intellect can’t understand something—like my mother dealing with dementia—my faith carried me through. We could sing a hymn and my mother could come back to me. I can’t invent a pill to cure AIDS, but I know when we sing we can give someone a healing balm that the world can’t give them. The singers all hold hands and sometimes sway. Why? To stand and not move—that’s not natural. Watch a great artist, James Galway—the man is all over the place. People need to see the joy, the pathos. … It’s all about revealing the message. Holding hands is all about trust. They hold hands, there’s a trust with each ot her. The choir is a place [the singers] can
feel safe. They have a sense of belonging. You heard people being very vulnerable. You seem to think it’s important to sing old hymns. Contemporary music in the church—a lot of those [songs] aren’t going to be around in 30 years. “It Is Well” is going to be around. I don’t want to get in worship wars. I think there’s value in music of all styles. But most of the music is coming out of a capitalistic market. It really is. My generation—what we did is put Jesus’ words in a bunch of rock ’n’ roll music. We take a very short-sighted sense, moving away from traditional music. “We have to keep people coming in the pews, let’s give them what they want, not what they need.” It’s a defense for keeping traditional hymnody. The older I get, those texts of those hymns of faith are what I live by. June 16, 2012
12 ARMSTRONG.indd 71
WORLD
71
5/23/12 10:05 AM
“I can’t invent a pill to cure AIDS, but I know when we sing we can give someone a healing balm that the world can’t give them.” You didn’t have any music to look at for much of the concert either. That allows me freedom so I’m not tied to the music. There’s an abandonment that I have. Can you reflect on your time at St. Olaf? These last years— this is not my choir. Whatever time, I’ve been given stewardship of this choir to keep the mission going. You don’t hear sound coming out of my hands. … That last part of Bach—I was barely keeping up. They don’t need me waving my arms. I wanted to maintain the excellence we’ve had, and I think we have. I also wanted to expand the literature and make it more global. I want this choir to be known not just for its beautiful sound, but for making a difference in the lives of human beings. It’s worth being on a bus for six and a half hours, sleeping in different hotels every night. These young people—to see their faces, their connection to the music. That’s why I’m in this business. I’ve been offered jobs at a lot of other places … but there’s something incredible about these kids. I hate cold weather. I’d rather be in Tampa, Fla. But it’s working with these young people, people who want to use their gifts at their best. And hopefully that will be something that will gird them. A
CHOIR: HANDOUT • ARMSTRONG & BUSH: PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP
Does contemporary music give enough attention to the text? The text often is biblically shallow. It’s more centered on me than on a sense of community. … A lot of times it’s poorly written and not interesting. When the choir performed in Washington, there were moments where you revved the engine but most of the time you kept it going miles per hour. Why? It’s an emotional pacing of the program. You set up contrasts in terms of style. If everything was up, up, up, there’s no time to reflect. Too many highs, it’s like having a bunch of sugar. We want the reveling to go on. I’m not about fluff. In the age of Glee, that’s what people expect. We don’t stand for that. Before joining this Lutheran school, you taught at Calvin College. What did you glean from your decade there? They talk about the integration of faith and learning, faith and living. That’s what I’m trying to do with these young people. That’s what I appreciate from the Calvinists, you integrate all of who you are. All of who you are glorifies God. What I did appreciate was Martin Luther’s view on music, a little more than John Calvin. … I’m still a firm WORKING FOR PERFECTION: The choir (top) performing; Lutheran. Armstrong with President Bush The students had all those during ceremonies on the intricate pieces memorized! How National Day of Prayer at have you seen the process of the White House in . memorizing all that music change students? It gives them freedom, they’re not obstructed. I can still sing pieces that I sang [when in the St. Olaf choir]. That memorization process— I hated it then, but I’m grateful for it now. You just never know what you need, and what seeds you’re planting. … It’s giving them a gift that will come back. In “It Is Well,” it was the beauty of their spirits singing that, their ability to shape words. “Lord hasten the day when our faith shall be sight.” You can see on their faces, they understand. “The trumpet shall sound, the Lord shall descend.” You sing those night after night. … Why do we say the Lord’s Prayer? It’s a remembrance of who God is in your life. It becomes intrinsic to your muscle memory. It’s how you build faith. WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 ARMSTRONG.indd 72
5/23/12 10:09 AM
CHOIR: HANDOUT • ARMSTRONG & BUSH: PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP
5/21/12 3:10 PM
12 ARMSTRONG.indd 73
FRACKING: F
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 FRACKING.indd 74
5/23/12 2:44 PM
G: FACT & FICTION Horizontal drilling is boosting domestic natural gas production, and dubious controversy over its safety . , /
H
FRACK TEAM: Driller Stoney Polk (left) watches as lease hand Jesus Carrillo and floor hand Justin Poirier trip pipe in order to change a drill bit at Fasken Oil and Ranch.
. Fracking. It sounds like an epithet, and many environmentalists blame it for earthquakes and poisoned drinking water. But fracking has supporters—especially consumers who are spending less to heat their homes because the controversial technology has increased natural gas supplies and lowered prices. So what is fracking? Does it deserve the invective aimed its way? I set off for Midland, Texas, to find out. Mark Merritt climbs out of his dusty F pickup, hands me a hard hat and safety glasses, and leads me on a tour of a gas well where a “frac” job is taking place. The lanky, soft-spoken Texan is the director of oil and gas operations at Fasken Oil and Ranch, an exploration and production company based in Midland. We’re surrounded by equipment: tractor trailers filled with water, sand, miles of steel and composite tubing, hoses and wires snaking along the dusty ground. I can’t hear above the steady, incessant thrumming of a dozen heavy diesel compressors pumping thousands of gallons of water and sand deep beneath the earth. We get some relief from the noise only when we step inside the portable office trailer that serves as control room, operations center, and small kitchen. Technicians in fireproof coveralls monitor computer terminals that continuously spit out data: pressure, temperature, fluid mix, flow rate, and micro-seismic activity around the well bore. All this bustle and noise is temporary. In less than a week the frac job will end, and the crew will haul the equipment to the next job. The equipment is more sophisticated today, but oil and gas operators in Texas have been “fracking” wells for the past years to get at oil
and gas contained in “tighter”—less permeable— oil shale formations. More than a million frac jobs later, fracking is a routine step in the oil and gas production process, but now petroleum engineers have added a new twist: They turned their well bores degrees to drill horizontally through low-permeability shale formations. The result: Oil and gas operators boosted natural gas production so significantly that prices plummeted from almost per thousand cubic feet (mcf) to around per mcf today. To understand why fracking works, you have to understand a little bit about geology. Mark Merritt says “most people have an idea that it’s just a big cavern down there that we just drill and tap into.” But it’s not like that. Oil and gas are trapped in rock formations deep in the earth. Conventional drilling aims at “reservoirs” that are almost like sand, saturated with hydrocarbons easy to extract. These reservoirs are highly porous, with lots of microscopic bubbles containing oil and natural gas distributed throughout the rock, making it something like a very hard sponge. Those pores are connected to each other by naturally occurring, microscopic fractures. Those fractures make the rock permeable. You don’t need fracking to get oil out of reservoirs that are porous and permeable. Often, though, shale is not particularly porous or permeable. Merritt holds out a small core sample of shale taken from two miles below the earth, between Midland and Odessa, Texas. “This may be a few percent porosity,” he says as he fingers the hard, black piece of rock. Picture a cube of rock two feet on each side. The amount of oil and gas containing pore space would be about the volume of a major league baseball—but spread throughout the total volume of the rock.
JUNE 16, 2012
12 FRACKING.indd 75
WORLD
5/23/12 2:45 PM
the price of natural gas—normally a good thing, especially when the United States is striving for energy independence. But low natural gas prices have undermined efforts to make so-called “green” energy technologies—wind and solar—economically viable, putting the oil and gas industry squarely in the sights of environmental organizations. They blame hydraulic fracturing for everything from contaminating drinking water with methane and other chemicals to causing earthquakes. Kate Sinding, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told me her environmental advocacy group’s concerns with fracking run the gamut from air pollution to waste water
started buying in Texas in . After they discovered oil on their ranch in the s, the Faskens spread across the Southwest. The family still holds , acres in west Texas, and the company manages both cattle and oil and gas operations. It operates wells on the same land where cattle graze. Mark Merritt is amused that anyone would associate fracking and contaminated drinking water: “We own the surface— we want to use the fresh water for cattle and people for many years to come. ... We believe it’s safe so we’re fracking on our own land!” We walk over to a flatbed trailer stacked with long, cylindrical steel tubes called casing. Merritt points out that this
sand is deposited in these crevices, propping them open and providing a pathway for the trapped hydrocarbons to make their way to the well bore. Operators extract the “frac fluid,” minus the sand, and recycle it. Petroleum engineer Randy King has been involved with hydro-fracking for years. “We’ve refined this technology for decades,” he says. “The only thing new is now we’re taking those drill bits and instead of going vertical, we’re going horizontal into the formation, and thus exposing more of the well bore to the formation—allowing us to do more fracs per well.” That means a single horizontal gas well is as productive as at least four traditional vertical wells. Here’s where the story takes a political turn. Fracking has led to more productive gas wells and more optimistic projections about the amount of natural gas that companies can recover from shale rock. Those developments have driven down
to a perceived lack of sufficient regulatory oversight of onshore oil and gas operations. She noted the theoretical possibility that fracking chemicals or naturally occurring underground contaminants might migrate to drinking water sources through existing natural faults or fractures that have intersected with fractures created through fracking. “Even though it happens at significant depth, there is the potential for this kind of contamination pathway to be created,” says Sinding: “It’s not something that would show up right away.” She acknowledges that this possibility has never been documented, but quickly reminds me that spills of fracking fluids and waste, or problems with gas leaks from well bores, have happened in the past. In Texas, past history of oil and gas activity goes back over years. Fasken Oil and Ranch operates on land its founder, Toronto attorney David Fasken,
casing, nearly inches in diameter and weighing nearly pounds per linear foot, is part of the triple layer of steel and cement that Texas laws and regulations require as a well passes through the fresh water aquifer, where an oil or gas well is most likely to affect drinking water. It’s a requirement common to all oil and gas wells and has nothing to do with hydraulic fracturing. Again, a little knowledge of geology is important to understand why many experts dismiss worries about fracking and water contamination. Huge distances exist between freshwater aquifers and the rock formations where fracking takes place. Drinking water wells are fairly
DEEP ISSUE: Workers blend water with jell and sand; Merritt holds a core sample, which was cut at a depth of about , feet; Merritt and petroleum engineer Travis White (left) with a completed hydraulic fractured free-flowing oil well (from left).
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 FRACKING.indd 76
5/23/12 2:46 PM
ILLUSTRATION: KRIEG BARRIE (SOURCE: TEXAS OIL & GAS ASSOCIATION © 2010)
The rock Merritt is holding is , times less permeable than that in a “conventional reservoir.” It has fewer pores and fewer naturally occurring fractures, so operators use fracking to “stimulate” the rock to create additional tiny fractures, making the shale more permeable and releasing the oil and gas hidden in those microscopic pores to flow to the well bore. During a short but intense frac job, operators inject a mixture of fresh water and sand into a well at very high volumes and pressures. Perforations at the end of the well bore allow this sand/ water mixture to force its way into the rock formation, opening up tiny crevices, or fractures, in the rock. The
Hydraulic fracturing in Texas , a bo Small hole
ut " in d
Ground water aquifers steel Layers of in d e s enca tect cement paroter w d groun
, ft.
mile
iameter
Protectiveg steel casinnt and ceme
, ft.
Depth is ately approxim , ft.
Shale fractures:e mm wid
ILLUSTRATION: KRIEG BARRIE (SOURCE: TEXAS OIL & GAS ASSOCIATION © 2010)
state is equal to gs th p e d e in Th apitol build of Texas C
shallow—about or feet deep. An oil and gas well is fracked at depths between , and , feet. The miles of rock between the surface and the shale formation create tremendous overpressure that works against the fracture stimulation process. Pressures this deep can be almost , pounds per square inch (psi), so it takes a great deal of energy to create these man-made, microscopic fractures, which extend radially outward from the well bore no more than to feet (see well bore illustration). “Think about it,” says Randy King, “You’re trying to bust up something , or , feet below the surface of the earth. It’s got a lot of pressure in it, so you can only move a man-made or induced crevice so far. So if you’ve got a -foot crevice or fracture, you’ve still got , feet of rocks and sand and limestone and granite and who knows what between you and the surface.”
Not everyone is convinced by that argument. About two years ago, the EPA bypassed the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas activity in the state, and issued an emergency order against Range Resources, an independent oil and gas operator in Fort Worth. The EPA claimed that Range Resources’ fracking activities posed an imminent danger to residential areas by causing contamination of private water wells in North Texas. The EPA’s order required Range Resources to provide clean drinking water to several families in the area. The Railroad Commission conducted a detailed investigation, held hearings, and determined the EPA’s allegations were not supported by the science. Methane may have been in the drinking water of those North Texas families, but it did not get there as a result of fracking. The Railroad Commission said the methane in the drinking water
was naturally occurring, biogenic methane, created by the decomposition of organic material through fermentation, not thermogenic methane associated with oil and gas activity. The EPA ignored that finding. When a Texas judge concluded that residents and an environmental consultant had falsified a video showing how their methane-tainted water could be ignited, the EPA withdrew its order. John Tinterra, former executive director of the Railroad Commission, says the episode shows the tension between state regulators—who have broad power, local expertise, and inspectors in the field—and federal regulators, who don’t have the broad regulatory framework or the depth of expertise to regulate all the oil and gas activities taking place throughout the country. Texans are used to seeing oil pump jacks and gas wells in both urban and residential areas. They are tolerant of, if not totally comfortable with, an industry that has made Texas one of the wealthiest states in the nation. But much of the untapped gas shale reserve in the United States is buried deep beneath New York, Pennsylvania, and North Dakota, states without a comparable connection to oil and gas. Even with the potential for economic growth oil and gas development would bring to these states, it will be a challenge to overcome the “not in my backyard” resistance the industry will face. As recently as five or six years ago, many experts thought the nation had only a seven or eight year rolling supply of natural gas. Hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling changed all that. Randy King is convinced this wasn’t accidental: “Now we think we have about , trillion cubic feet in recoverable reserves, so instead of an eight-year, we’ve got a - to -year supply. And honestly, God knew all that! We just didn’t know it. Now it’s become obvious that we’re blessed with it, and all because those shales, which were never booked as crude reserves, are now productive because of horizontal drilling and fracturing, and the game has changed.” A —Michael Cochrane is an industrial and systems engineer
JUNE 16, 2012
12 FRACKING.indd 77
WORLD
5/23/12 2:47 PM
John Bell
A new paradigm
The sinful destruction of man is never so great that the transforming power of God cannot overpower it
>>
78
DAI LY STRUGGLE: A 4-year-old girl scrapes food from a saucepan while her sibling looks on outside their shack in a slum on the outskirts of Harare.
What is concerning is that this disrespect for “rightness” is now part of our national psyche, our children are not learning anything different, and the frightening prospect of the indictment in Judges being applied to our land, “Every man did what was right in his own eyes,” troubles me regularly. And yet, foundational to all of life, still “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad!” We do have hope, and that hope is in Him and His promises. A friend who works in agricultural development among smallscale farmers traveled to a remote rural area for several days to visit. As he shared with me his experiences, he was close to tears as he spoke of the poaching and slaughter of the local animals, the cutting down of trees, the degradation of the landscape, the denuding of indigenous forests. And then he shared how he had managed to journey from despair to hope. He had remembered that this world will be made new, this earth is not our final home. The sinful destruction of man will never be so great that the transforming power of God will not overpower it. He spoke with bright eyes of the new earth and our hope for that. And then he spoke with compas sion of the folks who are in ignorance of the gospel, destroying the world that God had made to support them. And I thought of the resurrection of Christ, a paradigm not only for our own bodily resurrection, but also surely, for the resurrection of the creation itself. There is hope to be found in God within a dying world because of the resurrection of Christ. A —John Bell is pastor of Central Baptist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe
DESMOND KWANDE/AFP/GEtty IMAGES
Here are some interesting figures that I will use to give you some indication of the state of our country: i 15½ hours is the length of time, per day, that we and most of Harare were out of electricity a couple of weeks ago due to the national electrical company’s inability to maintain our power gener ating plant. These are symptoms of Zimbabwe’s crumbling infrastructure and lack of development. i 5 is the normal number of days, per week, that we have power cuts at our home—ranging from just a few hours to 14 hours per day. i $900 is the amount owed on an electricity account by a widow assisted by our church’s Social Concerns ministry. Her electricity was cut off, but our church helped her pay this bill. i $6,000 is the amount it would cost to make an average household no longer dependent upon said electrical company, either through solar power and inverters or diesel generators. i $350,000 is the amount purportedly owed by our president on the electricity bill of his personal dwelling; needless to say, he was not cut off. This from the front page of a national private newspaper. I give these numbers to share a few snapshots of presentday Zimbabwe. The reality is the country continues to slowly slide into deterioration, despite all the supposed changes and purported steps for ward in terms of government unity and economic improvement. Those who are rich and have high positions or own companies are able to live well, but for the vast majority—a growing majority—life continues to be a daily struggle. There is a growing spirit of lawlessness in the country. And by that I am not referring only to the more extreme forms of lawlessness, the political violence, the murder of opponents and coverups in investigations, the theft of farms and businesses, the huge kickbacks in exchange for lucrative contracts, or the theft of millions of dollars of the country’s diamond industry. These obvious examples of law lessness are of great concern, but there is for me a greater concern, a more ubiquitous lawlessness. Amongst the people of Zimbabwe there is a grow ing disrespect for law as a principle, and this attitude is evidenced in a multitude of ways. People throw litter from cars, they flagrantly disobey road rules, cross solid lines, and break speed limits. Red lights at intersections go unheeded. The list goes on and on.
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 GUEST COLUMN.indd 78
5/28/12 3:35 PM
Missions and Ministry directory
To advertise in upcoming directories, contact Dawn Stephenson: dstephenson@worldmag.com or 828.232.5489 CREDIT
12 GUEST COLUMN.indd 79
5/23/12 3:57 PM
MISSIONS AND MINISTRY DIRECTORY
Capernaum Inn Ad
Profanity-free TV FREE one month trial!
Client has requested a black border around the ad. I assume you have a stan-
Try TVGuardian in your home for one month FREE! You only pay shipping. The new TVGuardian automatically mutes out foul language from TV and movies. Rent one for as low as $9.95 a month… Or purchase with a one-time fee. Use the coupon code WORLD and receive $20 OFF on purchases.
dard weight. Any questions email: terryclifton@ charter.net
Limited Time Offer
www.TVGuardian.com 1-800-298-5618 CapernaumInn_AD_REV_4_19.indd 1
4/25/12 7:12 PM
NEXT STOP: CHRISTENDOM Join veteran author James Emery White on an imaginative pilgrimage to some of the most important sites in the history of Christianity. As you venture into Martin Luther’s Wittenburg or the Eagle and Child pub where Lewis, Tolkien and the other Inklings met, White will lead you to reflect on how your calling, conversion and spirituality grant you entrance into a fellowship that spans centuries of Christian history. 978-0-8308-3818-9, $15.00
BY THE AUTHOR OF
A Mind for God and Serious Times 800-843-9487 IVPRESS.COM
12 GUEST COLUMN.indd World A Travelers Gui #874080 1
5/28/129:11:17 10:54 AM AM 5/15/12
The church began in Acts by spending ten days in prayer!
“If you want to experience the life-changing power of God’s glorious presence through corporate prayer, then this book is for you.” Pastor Tony Evans Veteran pastor Oliver W. Price shares principles that will help believers rediscover the power of praying together in the presence of Christ.
M
Don’t miss The Power of Praying Together, Experiencing Christ Actively in Charge, foreword by John F. Walvoord, endorsed by Howard Hendricks, Erwin Lutzer and Tony Evans. Visit us online and read the first chapter FREE of charge. Check out our many resources for churches and families. Bible Prayer Fellowship • 877-937-7293 www.praywithchrist.org • email: info@praywithchrist.org
M
9:11:17 AM
12 GUEST COLUMN.indd 81 World Print ad 2009.indd 1
7/22/09 4:05:34 PM
5/28/12 10:55 AM
“It’s like NPR from a Christian worldview.”
What you can expect
Trevin Wax, blogger, Kingdom People (The Gospel Coalition)
News review: Top stories of the week, in the United States and around the world
The World and Everything in It
Special features like “The Olasky Interview,” “Let the Candidates Speak,” and “The History Book” Commentary: Original reflections by Joel Belz, Andrée Seu, and Janie Cheaney, and other biblical worldview thinkers In-depth audio treatments of feature stories from the print magazine Culture: Film and television reviews by Megan Basham, books by Susan Olasky, and music by Arsenio Orteza Political roundup: Analysis of the candidates and the issues — plus key state and local initiatives Thorough coverage of life issues, education, the economy, and the law News of the church and God’s people working in the world
A weekly radio program from World News Group
Check radio listings, listen online, and share favorite segments via Facebook and Twitter at worldandeverything.com. Listen anytime, anywhere with free podcast subscriptions on iTunes. lydia jane phtography
“The World and Everything in It” debuted August 6 on two dozen radio affiliates. Since then, TW&E has grown to 180 stations, and airs network-wide Sunday nights at 6 (central) on Bott Radio Network. This thoughtful and enjoyable week-in-review program features news and analysis from the WORLD editorial team and interviews with top newsmakers—with the journalistic depth you’ve come to expect from WORLD.
12 LIFESTYLE.indd 82
5/21/12 3:36 PM
Notebook
Lifestyle > Technology > Science > Houses of God > Sports > Money > Religion
Sacrificial love Young couple’s marriage amid tragedy challenges and convicts LYDIA JANE PHOTOGRAPHY
BY ANGELA LU
>>
L I M married two years ago. An eight-minute video of their informal outdoor ceremony— lush grass under trees, bride in a knee-length white gown and cowboy boots— shows Larissa holding her father’s hand as she walks the makeshift aisle. Someone helps Ian stand. The video explains how, six years ago, Ian and Larissa were about to get engaged. Then Ian suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident. Larissa stayed committed to Ian
WORLDmag.com: Your online source for today’s news, Christian views
12 LIFESTYLE.indd 83
during his time in the ICU and the rehab center. She moved in with the Murphy family to help take care of him when he came home. Four years passed. Friends married and had kids. Larissa had to decide whether to commit to a life “I don’t think I ever would’ve chosen for myself—working my whole life, having a husband who can’t be left alone, managing his caregivers. … The practical costs felt huge, and those didn’t even touch on the emotional and spiritual battles that I would face.” Their wedding took place on Aug. , . The video of it has touched a nerve: , views in the first five days after it was posted NO ACCIDENT: last month on the Desiring Larissa and Ian. JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/24/12 11:18 AM
Notebook > Lifestyle
Eating right Organic or conventional, that is the question. According to the USDA, half our dinner plate— the new icon that replaces the food pyramid—should consist of fruits and vegetables, around five servings a day. But with food prices going up, many people fear they can’t afford so much produce, especially if they have to buy organic in order to have nutritious and safe food. Organic produce can cost three times more than its conventionally grown cousin. Some people buy organic because they worry about exposure to pesticides. Organic produce is grown without using synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. That does not mean no pesticides or fertilizers. According to Christie Wilcox, writing for Scientific American, the U.S. Organic Standards organization has approved more than pesticides, all natural—and some of those are toxic in elevated quantities. Some people buy organic because they think it’s more nutritious. LiveScience.com reported on a British analysis of peer-reviewed studies comparing conventional and organic produce. It found “no statistical difference in levels of most nutrients” between the two groups. What to do? The Mayo Clinic says consumers of both conventional and organic produce should select a variety of foods, buy in season, read labels, and wash and scrub produce under running water. The National Pesticide Information Center has information about how to minimize pesticide residue (npic.orst.edu/capro/fruitwash.pdf). The USDA provides a handy guide for adding more fruits and vegetables to the family diet. It includes buying seasonally, buying canned and frozen, and buying store brands (choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheetSmartShopping.pdf). —
ENDANGERED LIST
Twenty years ago dinner theaters were popular, but now many have closed. Jeff Czerbinski, producer and manager of Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater (WCPDT) in Hagerstown, Md., said he once looked into joining the National Dinner Theatre Association, but he received no response to his many emails. Then he learned the association was defunct. The continuing recession hurts both restaurants and theater, so “surviving the bad economy is a little tricky,” Czerbinski said. Although two decades ago, the WCPDT averaged - customers at eight performances a week, Czerbinski said now, “A young family having trouble paying bills is more likely to stay home and order pizza and rent a movie.” Dinner theaters that survive have generally slimmed down. WCPDT planned to close in April following seasons, but after cutting back its shows in an effort to save on royalties and rent, the theater is beginning its th season this month. Now the theater runs from Thursday through Sunday and puts on each show times rather than the previous - times. —
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 LIFESTYLE.indd 84
TOMATOES: ANDY CRAWFORD/DORLING KINDERSLEY & PETE FOLEY/GETTY IMAGES • WASHINGTON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE DINNER THEATER: HANDOUT
God website (desiringgod.org/blog/ posts/the-story-of-ian-larissa). Larissa did not expect that kind of response: “I thought there would be more attention on Ian’s disability, but I’ve been watching the comments … and it’s just really affecting people’s marriages.” One man messaged Larissa saying his wife was ready to file for divorce, but after watching the video, he realized he hadn’t been showing Christ-like love to her. They are now trying to reconcile. Larissa said the marriage “has given us a really big view of God, which is what it’s all about. It’s not about Ian and me, it’s about what God accomplishes in us.” Now, while Larissa works, caretakers and family members come to stay with Ian. After work she and Ian do physical therapy. She helps him eat dinner, and they spend time watching movies or going to their church group. As in any marriage, Larissa said, she and Ian sometimes have difficulties, but through it all, she’s learned to rely on God: “So many times when I am just ready to sob, when I’m so tired and I can’t do anything else to help, those are the times Ian needs the most help, and God gets me through it. I keep thinking ‘God, this is You showing me it’s Your strength getting me through.’” A
Download WORLD’s iPad app today; details at worldmag.com/iPad
5/23/12 3:24 PM
Get the Finest Training in the Proclamation & Defense of the Christian Faith
CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS PROGRAM MASTER OF ARTS IN CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS TOMATOES: ANDY CRAWFORD/DORLING KINDERSLEY & PETE FOLEY/GETTY IMAGES • WASHINGTON COUNTY PLAYHOUSE DINNER THEATER: HANDOUT
SPECIALIZED DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM FIRST-RANK FACULTY Outstanding scholars, authors, debaters, and active apologists GRADUATES LEADING A NEW MOVEMENT Join the ranks of graduates who are now broadcasters, writers, teachers, doctoral students, evangelists, researchers, missionaries, campus ministry staff, church staff, seminar speakers, and much more UNIQUE PROGRAM AND COURSES No other M.A. program like it Thirty-six semester hours and fully accredited DISTANCE AND ON-CAMPUS LEARNING Convenient classes for busy people like you no matter where you live
LEARN FROM THE BEST Craig J. Hazen, Ph.D. Director of Graduate Studies
J. P. Moreland, Ph.D. William Lane Craig, Ph.D., D.Theol. Lee Strobel, M.S.L. Phillip E. Johnson, J.D. Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D. Scott B. Rae, Ph.D. Kathy McReynolds, Ph.D. Sean McDowell, M.A., M.A. Kevin A. Lewis, Th.M., J.D. R. Scott Smith, Ph.D. David A. Horner, D.Phil. Garrett J. DeWeese, Ph.D. Clay B. Jones, D.Min. John A. Bloom, Ph.D., Ph.D. Greg Koukl, M.A. William A. Dembski, Ph.D., Ph.D. Kenneth R. Samples, M.A.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL TOLL FREE:
888.332.4652
e-mail: apologetics@biola.edu www.biola.edu/studyapologetics
0312-BiolaWorldMag.indd 1 12 LIFESTYLE.indd 85
4/3/2012 9:20:00 AM 5/23/12 3:25 PM
Notebook > Technology
stimulus overkill
Shelf life and death
TSA spends millions on screening devices, and then puts them in long-term storage By daniel jameS devine
>>
USED: A TSA agent helps a passenger go through a security device at Abilene Regional Airport in Texas.
the equipment disposal on Feb. 15 was a coincidence, not a cover-up. The Dallas storage facility costs taxpayers $3.5 million a year to operate, but Nicholson argued it helps the TSA quickly deploy screening equipment to airports when sudden needs arise.
Little white tweaks A camera app included in an upcoming mobile phone operating system, BlackBerry 10, could make it easier than ever to take the perfect group shot— or blur the line between truth and fiction. When a user takes a picture, the app records several images in succession. Then, the user can select a subject’s face, “rewind” it to how it appeared a second or two before, and save that expression in the final image. This time-shifting trick will allow users to eliminate an ill-timed blink, or freeze everyone in an image at the moment their smile was brightest. It could also allow the photographer to redirect a subject’s gaze—perhaps toward another person—or make an expression less flattering. —D.J.D.
86
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 TECHNOLOGY.indd 86
airport scanner: nellie Doneva/the abilene reporter-news/ap • blackberry: hanDout • router: cisco
The Transportation Security Administration is storing millions of dollars’ worth of unused airport screening technology at three warehouses in Dallas, revealed a May report from transportation and oversight committees in the U.S. House. Congressional staff visited the TSA’s 700,000-square-foot storage complex in February to find new X-ray machines, metal detectors, bottle liquid scanners, explosives detectors, and other equipment languishing in plastic wrap and wooden crates for a year or more. All but a few of 472 screening machines for carry-on luggage, together valued at $71 million, had sat in the warehouses for nine months or more. The report estimated that equipment worth $184 million had depreciated by $23 million during the time it spent idle. Defending the storage of 1,462 “explosive trace detectors” (cost: $30,000 each), TSA management told Congress: “We purchased more than we needed in order to get a discount.” As of February, 492 of the devices had been gathering dust for more than a year. Most serious of all, the congressional report accused the TSA of providing a false inventory report, then attempting to dispose of 1,300 pieces of unreported inventory before congressional staff arrived on Feb. 15. The staffers say many warehouse workers had gone home by midafternoon that day: They’d arrived early, at 6 a.m., to clear out unreported equipment. Testifying to Congress last month, TSA assistant administrator David Nicholson said
A 2010 federal stimulus grant to expand high-speed internet in West Virginia has become yet another example of government waste. State officials used $24 million to buy high-end internet routers, designed for universities and large corporations, for $22,600 apiece and are installing them in small schools and libraries. Some contain only a single computer terminal. Sales representatives for Cisco, the manufacturer of the 3945 series routers, told The Charleston Gazette last month that a $487 router model could have done the job. A state official defended the expensive routers by saying they’d be less likely to become obsolete quickly and would provide “equal opportunity” for schoolchildren. But now the state has hired an outside consultant to advise it on spending the remainder of its $126 million broadband grant. —D.J.D.
email: ddevine@worldmag.com
5/25/12 8:25 AM
A Vitamin Company that
Answers to God From the nutrients we choose to the way we run our business! • A company that gives ALL the profits to Christian organizations worldwide such as: Campus Crusade for Christ, The Jesus Film Project, World Mission Food Relief and many more... • Dedicated to making the best possible supplements for your family and mine. My own mother (Katie), and all of my 6 brothers and sisters and their families take our products, so you can rest assured they are the purest and most bio-available possible - Bruce Brightman, Founder • We Offer over 300 all natural products for you and your family to choose from including: Vitamins • Sports Nutrition • Skin Care • Anti-Aging • Weight Management
AIRPORT SCANNER: NELLIE DONEVA/THE ABILENE REPORTER-NEWS/AP • BLACKBERRY: HANDOUT • ROUTER: CISCO
Multi Vitamin & Mineral Tablet With 71 ingredients, LifeSource Multi Vitamin Tablets are the most complete, well-rounded, scientifically-advanced vitamins in the world.
Liquid Multi Vitamin & Immune Booster With our 211 Phyto-Nutrients, all of which synergistically work together, these vitamins were designed for maximum absorption at the cellular level of the body — 98% absorption.
Children’s Multi Vitamin & Mineral Tablet A full six-month supply for children four years old and over, and a one-year supply for children under four years of age!
Call us today to request a free catalog at (800) 567-8122 Or visit us online at www.LifesourceVitamins.com A Vitamin Company That Answers to God in All We Do! 12 TECHNOLOGY.indd 87
5/25/12 8:27 AM
Notebook > Science
Mind changes
Health experts fear new guidelines will bring a glut of drug prescriptions for mental illness BY DANIEL JAMES DEVINE
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 SCIENCE and HOUSES OF GOD.indd 88
force that revised the current edition of the manual two decades ago. In an op-ed in The New York Times Frances said the new edition would “result in a glut of unnecessary and harmful drug prescription.” A group of psychologists has asked the APA to submit the revised manual to an independent review. Frances goes much further. He wants a governmental body, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, to take charge of mental illness definitions. Psychologists, counselors, social workers, epidemiologists, and legal experts should all have input, Frances said: “Psychiatric diagnosis is simply too important to be left exclusively in the hands of psychiatrists.”
PILLS: ROY BOTTERELL • METHANE HYDRATE: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
two weeks after losing a loved one. Editors added a footnote to the depression entry suggesting a grief response that includes “feelings of intense sadness, rumination about the loss, insomnia, poor appetite and weight loss” is normal. Other changes remain: More children than before could be diagnosed as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or—if they throw temper tantrums frequently—having “disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.” An open letter to the APA, signed by over , health professionals (posted at ipetitions.com/petition/dsm), claims that by lowering diagnostic thresholds, the manual could trigger “false-positive epidemics”—meaning children and adults who might not need medication may get it anyway. Chief among critics is Allen Frances, a psychiatric expert who led the task
NEW GAS GIG Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced last month American and Japanese partners had successfully extracted methane hydrate, a fossil fuel some estimates rank as the most abundant in the world. During a -day field test (the longest to date), drillers on Alaska’s North Slope pumped carbon dioxide and nitrogen underground and freed methane hydrate molecules—frozen, crystalline structures composed of natural gas. The Energy Department is investing . million this year to learn if the resource can be safely and cheaply developed. —D.J.D.
Stay connected: Sign up to receive email updates at WORLDmag.com/email
5/28/12 8:42 PM
JOSEPH SOHM/VISIONS OF AMERICA/NEWSCOM
>>
P’ guidebook is about to get shock treatment. The American Psychiatric Association, publisher of the -page Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, will broaden the definitions of mental illnesses, meaning doctors could prescribe psychotropic drugs to millions more people than before. The struggling healthcare sector and courtrooms could get shocked, too: Insurers—including Medicare and Medicaid—follow the manual’s diagnoses to determine who gets coverage. Lawyers refer to them when arguing a criminal defendant is impaired. When the APA publishes the fifth edition of the manual next year, it will likely include “binge eating disorder” for the first time. Under new addiction definitions, a chronic gambler or someone who craves and drinks alcohol more often than he or she intends could be considered an addict. Some health experts predict the changes will greatly inflate the number of people considered substance abusers, perhaps by million. Doctors who favor these revisions think the labels will help identify patients who may be on the path to more serious problems. They hope to offer early treatment. But other doctors argue the changes will medicalize normal human behavior. Responding to pressure, the APA dropped several categories originally proposed, such as “hypersexual disorder” (sex addiction), and tried to alleviate fears that its new definition of depression would include people who experience intense grief for more than
Notebook > Houses of God The steeple of the First Presbyterian Church of Port Gibson, Miss., points
PILLS: ROY BOTTERELL • METHANE HYDRATE: KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
JOSEPH SOHM/VISIONS OF AMERICA/NEWSCOM
upward. On May , First Presbyterian and four other congregations received approval from the Presbytery of Mississippi to leave the Presbyterian Church (USA). The five churches, concerned about doctrinal issues within the PCUSA, plan to join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
JUNE 16, 2012
12 SCIENCE and HOUSES OF GOD.indd 89
WORLD
5/25/12 8:29 AM
Notebook > Sports
Highs and Lolo
>>
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 SPORTS.indd 90
The Title IX law, which requires universities to provide equal access to athletics for male and female students, has often taken blame for the demise of lowprofile collegiate sports like wrestling and men’s gymnastics. Schools have cut such programs, the argument goes, to trim the number of male athletes down to match the number of female athletes. But as ESPN’s Peter Keating recently pointed out, the NCAA and its scholarship limits are the true culprits. Since the s, the NCAA has set limits on the number of scholarships universities can offer in particular sports. Even if a school wanted to field a large men’s rowing team, for example, it could not offer a single scholarship in the sport. The purpose for such limits is to prevent schools from allocating all of their scholarships into one or two powerhouse sports. But the effect is a prohibitive damper on the natural ebbs and flows of interest in various sports. Men’s rifle has more scholarships than men’s rugby, and women’s equestrian outnumbers softball, baseball, and men’s basketball. Title IX may well be based on the false premise that men and women are equally interested in competitive athletics, but the NCAA has a few dubious premises of its own. —M.B.
LOW PROFILE: University of California women’s rowing team.
JONES: MICHAEL STEELE/GETTY IMAGES • ROWING: BRETT WILHELM/NCAA/AP
whole new kind tears— podium tears. Jones, , will be among the most-watched American athletes when the London Games open on July . Her story of humble beginnings The world’s fastest female hurdler and heartbreak in Beijing is the stuff of television produchas more than one mission ers’ dreams. It doesn’t hurt in London BY MARK BERGIN that she looks the part of a multi-ethnic supermodel and is the favorite again to claim gold in the m hurdles. But with her recent public revelation that she remains a virgin, Jones is gaining attention similar to that of NFL quarterback Tim Tebow. Jones got plenty of attention when she revealed her virginity on Twitter. And the blogs buzzed after an interview on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in which she discussed her life choice further: “It’s just a gift I want to give my husband. But please understand this journey has been hard. There are virgins out there and I want to let them know that it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Harder than training for the Olympics. Harder than graduating from college has been to stay a virgin before marriage. I’ve been tempted. I’ve had I , Lolo Jones plenty of opportunities.” watched the Olympic Games in Jones has a sense of humor about her tears from her living room. She had commitment to chastity, suggesting that hoped to compete but fell short of her th birthday in August would make qualifying. Four years later, her tears her the perfect choice for a sequel to Steve came on the track in Beijing when she Carell’s film The Year Old Virgin: “I’m stumbled over the second-to-last hurdle a little bit awkward like Steve Carell.” But and finished seventh. Jones isn’t laughing when she considers Those wounds remain fresh even now the reasons for her decision. Her parents on the brink of this summer’s Games in never married and separated during her London. But Jones has made a habit in childhood. She imagines a very different life of running past hurt. She ran past a life, but she knows she is blessed, tweeting dysfunctional home life to find peace in recently, “God has helped me so much in her Christian faith. She ran past an life that even tho I’m unmarried, no oly impoverished youth to a college medal & even if he never blessed me scholarship at LSU. And she is aiming to again, still I’d still praise Him.” run past Olympic disappointments to a
TITLE IX REVISITED
Email: mbergin@worldmag.com
5/28/12 8:44 PM
(L-R): Mike Huckabee interviews Rev. Howard Russell and Tori and Jason Benham on Fox News’ “Huckabee.”
Christian Healthcare Ministries: the original health cost sharing ministry For more than 30 years, Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) has been a biblical solution to meeting health care costs for tens of thousands of Christians.
shared more than $1 billion in medical bills! It’s affordable, compassionate, effective—and is America’s oldest health cost sharing ministry.
Christian Healthcare Ministries:
Jones: Michael steele/Getty iMaGes • rowinG: Brett wilhelM/ncaa/ap
• costs less than health insurance. • doesn’t reject anyone because of age or a medical condition. • doesn’t cancel members with expensive medical problems. • members choose their own doctors and hospitals. • has a generous maternity program. • staff members pray for members with medical conditions. • follows the book of Acts’ model of Christians caring for each other. CHM is not health insurance. It’s a voluntary cost-sharing ministry through which Christians share monthly financial gifts to meet each other’s health care costs. In the past 20 years, CHM members have
12 SPORTS.indd 91
To share reasons why people join CHM, ministry President Rev. Howard Russell and members Jason and Tori Benham of Concord, N.C., appeared on Gov. Mike Huckabee’s Fox News Channel’s show “Huckabee.” Visit www. chministries.org to see the interview. Visit CHM’s website, www. chministries.org, or call 1-800791-6225, to find out what Christian Healthcare Ministries can—and will—do for you.
Gov. Huckabee with Rev. Howard Russell
Christian Healthcare Ministries 127 Hazelwood Ave. • Barberton, Ohio 800.791.6225 • www.chministries.org
5/28/12 11:21 AM
Notebook > Money
Facebook faceplant? IPO disappoints as skeptics question company’s future BY WARREN COLE SMITH
summed it up: “It was just a poorly done deal. They pooched it, that’s the bottom line here.” One reason for Facebook’s shakiness was poor press in the week prior to the IPO. The business press was full of stories asking
>>
whether Facebook profiles will now start getting pounded with ads because Facebook has to meet quarterly revenue numbers. Will this huge IPO spawn competitors who will change the game further?
HURTING HIS ARGUMENT
JPMorgan Chase’s CEO Jamie Dimon, once a star on Wall Street, has been in damage control since announcing a hedging strategy gone awry on May . Initially he said the losses could be billion. Revisions of that number now have the total losses over billion. The first exit of a top executive took place on May , when Ina Drew, the firm’s investment chief, said she would retire. Most analysts say Dimon has done the right thing by not blaming the entire problem on her. He has apologized repeatedly for the trading losses, calling the bank’s behavior “stupid” and “sloppy.” Most analysts don’t think these trading losses will have a long-term negative impact. The consensus of analysts was for JPMorgan Chase to earn billion before these losses. Even if the losses do top billion, the bank will be solidly in the black. But the saga is far from over. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the FBI has opened an investigation. In the days after the hastily called May conference call, more than billion in shareholder value vaporized. If history is any guide, look for shareholder lawsuits to follow. Collateral damage in the debacle: deregulation. Dimon has been a vocal opponent of increased regulation. And even though increased regulation would likely not have prevented these losses, the argument for less regulation is tarnished by Dimon’s association. —W.C.S.
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 MONEY.indd 92
ZUCKERBERG: AP • FACEBOOK: SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES • DIMON: MARIO TAMA/GETTY IMAGES
T public offering (IPO) in Nasdaq’s history on May ended up being considerably less than expected. Technical glitches delayed the start of trading on Facebook shares for nearly two hours. That delay shook investor confidence and share prices immediately started to fall from its IPO “strike price” of per share. That forced the chief underwriter, Morgan Stanley, to buy shares of the stock on the open market in order to prop up the price. But investors interpreted that move, too, as a sign of desperation. At the end of the first day of trading, a Friday, the stock still hovered at the IPO price. On the following Monday, Facebook promptly lost more than percent of its value. Joe Saluzzi, co-manager of trading at Themis Trading in Chatham, N.J.,
Will Facebook then lose the unique relationship it has with its users? That’s entirely possible. Kerry Tracy, CEO of the Working Media Group, said Facebook is both the cause of and could become the victim of rapid changes in the media environment. “We’re going to see more changes in consumer media consumption in the next three to five years than we’ve seen in the past years,” he said. That’s why the question that seems to be nagging the market is this: Was May Facebook’s high-water mark, or were the problems just speedbumps on the road to Google-sized valuation? Either way, don’t cry for founder Mark Zuckerberg. Even at the depressed stock price of per share, his net worth is at least billion. And according to the research firm Wealth-X, the IPO minted at least UHNW (Ultra-High Net Worth) millionaires, or persons with a net worth of at least million.
Available in Apple’s App Store: Download WORLD’s iPad app today
5/25/12 8:40 AM
from the author of the nEw yoRk tImEs bestseller epicenter
✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯ ✯
In the midst of financial turmoil, political uncertainty, declining morality, the constant threat of natural disasters, and myriad other daunting challenges, many wonder what the future holds for this once great nation. IMPLOSION will help you understand the economic, social and spiritual challenges facing the United States in the 21st Century. Will history’s greatest democracy stage a miraculous comeback, returning to the forefront of the world’s economic and spiritual stage?
isbn 978-1-4143-1967-4
Is America an Empire in DEclInE or a nation Poised for a Historic REnAIssAncE?
CREDIT
Joel C. Rosenberg is a New York Times best-selling author with more than 2 million copies in print. A communications strategist based in Washington, DC, he has worked with some of the world’s most influential and provocative leaders, including steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, natan sharansky, and benjamin netanyahu. He now writes commentaries for National Review as well as Flash Traffic, a weekly e-mail update for business and political leaders. A front-page sunday New York Times profile called him a “force in the capital.” He has also been profiled by the Washington Times and the Jerusalem Post and has been interviewed on national TV and Radio news programs.
Now available at your favorite retailer or via www.joelrosenberg.com
Implosion_World_Ad.indd 1 12 MONEY.indd 93
5/7/12 3:35 PM 5/22/12 8:20 PM
Notebook > Religion
Water it down
Court rules that prayers opening a town’s board meetings were too Christian BY ThOmas KiDD
>>
Secularist advocacy groups trying to ban prayer at public meetings won a legal victory on May 17. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled against the town board of Greece, N.Y., which opens meetings with prayers. The town had invited pastors and lay people from a variety of denominations and religions—even atheists—to say these prayers. Some non-Christian clerics, including a Wiccan priestess, had offered a few prayers in 2008. Nevertheless, the 2nd Court concluded that “the town’s prayer practice had the effect of affiliating the town with Christianity,” affirming arguments made by plaintiffs’ lawyers from
GAME OVER
Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Christians have uttered most of the prayers, the decision noted, and they have often included Christian terms like “Jesus” or “Your Son.” Citing a Supreme Court precedent in Marsh v. Chambers (1983), the court conceded that prayers at government meetings are not by definition unconstitutional. But it contended that the board needed to go out of its way to make the prayers nonsectarian.
The appointment of a bisexual pastor in saint clair, mo., has caused controversy in an improbable venue: a church softball league. When pastors at three saint clair area baptist congregations discovered that Rev. James semmelroth Darnell of st. John United church of christ is openly bisexual, they announced that their churches would no longer compete against st. John’s team. ben kingston, pastor of bethel baptist church, said, “We call ourselves a christian softball league. And if we call ourselves that, we want to be that.” st. John church decided to withdraw its team from the league in order to defuse the controversy. Darnell lamented the fracas, saying, “This shouldn’t be happening in this day and age.” The United church of christ, formed in a denominational merger in the 1950s, is one of the most liberal of America’s mainline denominations, and was one of the first publicly to support gay marriage. —T.K.
WORLD June 16, 2012
12 RELIGION.indd 94
And then there were six A U.S. district court judge in May proposed a remarkable solution for making Ten Commandments displays constitutional: Remove the four commandments that directly refer to God. Judge Michael Urbanski ordered his Virginia case’s plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, and defendant, the Giles County school board, to go into mediation to work out a compromise over the display. It seems unlikely that the school or its supporters will have any interest in a redacted version of the commandments. Narrows High School, in southwest Virginia, had displayed the Ten Commandments for a decade prior to this lawsuit. The ACLU claims that the exhibit represents a violation of the First Amendment’s ban on an establishment of religion. Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, who is defending the school, argues that the motivation for posting the Old Testament statutes is not religious, but historical and educational. The ACLU contends that showing these Mosaic laws on school grounds can only be constitutional if the Ten Commandments stand among other religious documents in a pluralistic exhibit. —T.K.
top: photos.com • bottom: istock
94
Greece city officials countered that almost all the formal religious organizations in the town are Christian, leaving them few options for non-Christian supplicants. The court suggested that the board might have pursued non-Christian clergy in the surrounding region to fulfill its religious diversity quota. The Alliance Defense Fund, which represented the town, plans to appeal the ruling.
WORLDmag.com: Your online source for today’s news, Christian views
5/28/12 8:51 PM
What we’ve discovered about real grace for teens.
ACADEMIC DIRECTORY
R
eal grace in this world comes through real adults. Not Christians who imagine life in Christ with only smiles. Not Christians who are scared of teens who talk back. We are doing this one student at a time “in the shoes of the child” in a safe, yet challenging, place for teens to overcome hopelessness, disruptive behavior, and attachment difficulties. We parent children who need help through steady and joyful hands. At Cono, we teach them, too. Whether you need help for a child, or want to join us in this work.... Contact: www.cono.org/involved.html Dave Toerper, Admissions: 888-646-0038 x250 Thomas Jahl, Headmaster: thomas.jahl@cono.org Cono Christian School, Walker IA
TOP: PHOTOS.COM • BOTTOM: ISTOCK
To advertise in upcoming directories, contact Dawn Stephenson: dstephenson@worldmag.com or 828.232.5489
What would it be like to study under pastors? Find out at RPTS. Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary www.rpts.edu 866-778-7338 info@rpts.edu
12 RELIGION.indd 95
5/28/12 10:57 AM
ACADEMIC DIRECTORY
Because faith and freedom matter. Grove City College’s deep, abiding love of faith and freedom creates one of the most unique educational experiences available in America today. Academic excellence. Authentic Christian community. Amazing affordability. Plus a 94% graduate placement rate within six months. Discover what it means to learn where you are truly free to believe, to dream, to think, to discuss, to excel – and to achieve excellence in all you’re called to be.
choose.gcc.edu | 724-458-2100
WorldMagazine_fall_campus_7.2x4.7_fc.indd 1
12 RELIGION.indd 96
5/24/12 4:45 PM
5/28/12 5:42 PM
12 RELIGION.indd 97
5/28/12 1:07 PM
ACADEMIC DIRECTORY
CESsixthpg_ad.indd 1
7/27/10 2:55 PM
Sow seeds of friendship that will flourish through a lifetime of ministry together.
Growing Leaders
Extraordinary Places For more information on Corban School of Ministry’s graduate programs, contact Director of Admissions Karen Pease:
kpease@corban.edu (253) 759-6104 x100 1-877-311-6104 x100 www.corban.edu/ministry 1.888.440.6277
12 RELIGION.indd 98
midamerica.edu
5/28/12 5:29 PM
the world market Advertising in WORLD does not necessarily imply the endorsement of the publisher.
Come Home to Go Ye Village
1201 W. 4th St. Tahlequah, OK 74464
“A Christian-Life Care Retirement Community” “Where independence, security, and friendliness are a way of life”
Come for a get acquainted visit and experience our campus. Protect your estate with our Life-Care program!
MISSIONS & MINISTRY
~Patio Homes ~Garden Apartments~Woodshop ~Main Complex Apartments~Dining Room ~Beauty Shop~Chapel~Gardens~Maintenance ~Recreation Room~Arts & Crafts ~Housekeeping~Transportation ~Activities
I Seeking Senior Pastor: Union Evangelical Church Mexico City, an English speaking church in Mexico City. Contact: C. Mines at minesedit@gmail.com. I Serve Jesus. Serve Muslims. Serve now. Join our teams in northern Iraq and help us change Iraq one life at a time. Visit www.servantgroup.org to learn more.
journalism education I Major in journalism at a Christ-centered liberal arts university— www.cornerstone.edu/journalism.
church plants
Join Go Ye Village on Facebook
GoYeVillage www.goyevillage.org
I PCA Church Plants near US Military bases worldwide. Info: www.MINISTRYTOTHEMILITARYINTERNATIONAL.COM.
school employment I Is God calling you to disciple young men? Consider serving him at Chamberlain-Hunt in Academics, Activities & Athletics or Administration & Support Staff. For an employment application and/or more information about ministry opportunities to Cadets, please contact the Principal’s Office at www.chamberlain-hunt.com. I CONO CHRISTIAN SCHOOL seeks Parent-Educator staff. See our ad in this issue. Thomas Jahl, Headmaster. Thomas. jahl@cono.org.
business opportunities I Proverbs Women and Others: Solid Ethics, Solid income. From Home. www.proverbsbusiness.com. Call Beth () -. I Home & Business in small Midwest town. Super nd biz. Excellent for semi-retired. Low investment, low taxes, etc. ,; () -. I Christian Home Based Business High Tech Manufacturer offers unique opportunity for Christian families () -. I Moms/Dads work from home & make a difference. Toll free () -.
services I Christians helping Christians with medical expenses. Samaritan Ministries; ()--, ext.. I FREE relocation services! Connect with pre-screened REALTOR and Christian Community Info. Entire US/CAN; () -; www.ExodusNetwork.com.
camps I Interested in writing or photography? Cornerstone Journalism Institute runs July -, , at a Christian university in the Midwest for students entering th-th grades fall . www.cornerstone.edu/events/cji. I Summer Camps: Christian Worldview for th-th graders: Theatre, Civil War, Politics, Christian Music Jam, Computer Programming, Biology, Journalism, Anatomy and Physiology, Law, Broadcasting, Physics, French, Spanish, Architecture, Voice, Photography, Missions, Art, C.S. Lewis, Violin: www.LandryAcademy.com.
education I Homeschool Online Classes—th-th Grade, Christian Worldview: Math, English, Bible, Science, Art, History, Business, Computer, Foreign Languages,
12 CLASSIFIEDS.indd 99
Geography, Music, and unique electives. www.LandryAcademy.com. I Homeschooling? Need help with math? DIVE into Math with Interactive Video Lessons on CD-ROM that teach every lesson step by step in Saxon Math. Available for Math thru Calculus and Physics; per title. www.diveintomath.com; () -. I OPEN YOUR OWN READING CENTER: Make a difference in the lives of others. Operate from home. It’s needed. It’s rewarding. Great results. NOT a franchise. Earn -/hr. We provide complete training and materials. www.academic-associates.com; () -.
real estate I Maine Properties. Recreational, woodland, investment & residential. Owner financing; () -; www.themainelandstore.com I Free home market analysis. US/Can. Connect with REALTOR of integrity. Christian community info; () -; www.ExodusNetwork.com.
Bringing children & families together through the ministry of adoption Adoptions of U.S.-born infants, and International placements from Kyrgyzstan (new!), Haiti & India.
publications I TOSSING DARWIN OUT OF SCIENCE and out of the classroom www.evolutionneedsanadjective.com.
christian ceo Are you a mature Christian who has enjoyed a successful business leadership career as Owner, CEO, President or Executive Coach/Consultant & are now called to use these gifts to help other leaders fulfill their God-given calling & potential? Do you believe Christ is Lord, the Bible is true, God has an eternal plan for each believer’s life, & this plan includes their business? Would you be excited to build a high-impact professional practice to equip, encourage & inspire like-minded Christian leaders based on this truth? If so, you may be called by the Lord to be an Area Chair for The C12 Group, America’s leader in helping Christian CEOs & Owners Build GREAT Businesses for a GREATER Purpose. If you’re in a position to investigate a great franchise opportunity, visit www. C12Group.com to learn more!
Visit us on the web at www.LoveBasket.org, or call 1-888-LOV-BSKT. since 1982
Our Gift tO YOu
The more biblical, more sensible, more effective way to reach the unreached with the gospel. Ask for your FREE copy by mail: Christian Aid-WM P.O. Box 9037 Charlottesville, VA 22906 or call 1-800-977-5650, or order online at www.world2020.org
5/23/12 9:56 AM
DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WITH MS OR CANCER? If you or someone you know suffers from multiple sclerosis, cancer, or other serious disease, you owe it to yourself to read this optimistic and inspirational book. A survivor of the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands during the Second World War, Sid Baron immigrated to the United States. His many accomplishments earned him a lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. In the prime of his life he was struck with MS. Through a combination of consultation with a world-renowned MS research scientist, vitamins, diet, laughter, positive thinking, self-empowerment, and faith, Baron not only survived MS for more than 40 years, he thrived and at the age of 82 is still active in business and writing. His wife, Margaret, survived cancer without chemotherapy.
Retail price $24.95 Special $19.95 (YOU SAVE 20%)
ORDER NOW ... PAY LATER “An inspiring account of how Sid Baron gained control of his disease and is still living an active life.” —James Goodwin, PhD.
Order the limited hardcover edition today directly from the publisher at the special price of $19.95 (plus $2.95 postage). No credit card or payment is needed until after you receive the book. Order via: www.exxelpublishing.com; toll-free telephone 1-877-939-1999; or mail your order to: Exxel Publishing Co., 323 Telegraph Rd., Bellingham, WA 98226 Feel free to e-mail the author at sietze@msn.com or call him at 360-671-2275.
Why Does it mat ter What Jesus DiD?
Dr. R. C. Sproul looks at the purpose behind Jesus’ actions, addressing such life-changing topics as why Jesus’ baptism is relevant for our salvation, why Jesus’ ascension makes a difference in our lives today, and what we know and don’t know about Christ’s return. As you delve into the life of Christ, you will find renewed wonder at the Savior who loved you before time began.
TheWorkofChristBook.com Available in print and digital editions everywhere books are sold
12 MAILBAG.indd 100
5/22/12 8:16 PM
s,
nt
es
ou
or
Mailbag ‘Setting captives free’
May Like Saul of Tarsus, Charles Colson was dramatically transformed from a proud, misguided zealot into a humble servant of Jesus Christ. His legacy to me personally, aside from the impact of his testimony and wisdom as an author, are two large binders filled with letters and beautiful drawings from my Prison Fellowship pen pal, Trivon. He was incarcerated at age and is now . Because of Colson, the shining light of faith has penetrated those cold, concrete walls and is reflected in Trivon’s spirit, and mine. —F D C, North Blenheim, N.Y.
‘I believe’
May Andrée Seu Peterson describes meditation as “not linear but frolicking.” This is the first time I’ve understood that God smiles upon my preferred form of personal time in the Word, even though it is not very academically rigorous. I tend to soak His Word in until it becomes a song in my soul and, sometimes, literally a song of worship. —K S, Fayetteville, Ark.
Seu Peterson wrote that a person enters the Word “as into a secret doorway, and is led by the Spirit into many-chambered mansions.” How beautiful! And how true! —J B, Bethel Park, Pa.
‘Doubting Darwin’
May Marvin Olasky notes how Tennessee is providing ways for educators to critique evolution. Then in “Campus tilting” (May ) Eric Teetsel notes that a Christian college’s skepticism of Genesis and is “the most vague sort of biblical hermeneutics.” It
is encouraging that some governments are opening a door toward scriptural truth, yet concerning that some, if not many, Christian colleges are closing it. —M DM, Oostburg, Wis.
Geneticist Richard Lewontin once wrote that evolution, no matter how inexplicable, had to be defended at all costs because “we can’t allow the Divine Foot in the door.” I pray the development in Tennessee means that at least the Divine Toe is in the door! —K P, Bryan, Texas
‘Establishment choice’
May As an evangelical pro-lifer, I still distrust Mitt Romney but I will likely end up voting for him. President Obama is so extreme and there don’t appear to be any other viable options. I see Romney’s wealth as evidence of an ability to manage finances, a real asset in government. —A S, Ibarra, Ecuador
Your criticisms of Romney in your political cartoons are justifiable, but enough
Send photos and letters to: mailbag@worldmag.com
12 MAILBAG.indd 101
is enough. It is time to unite together against our common opponent. —D V, Sparta, Mich.
‘European war zone’
May Great column. It’s an uphill battle for the gospel here in Europe, but God is moving. I am a tennis instructor while in England. When European kids get athletic scholarships to play tennis at American colleges, especially in the South or Texas, they get the gospel much more than they are used to, and some return to Europe and preach it here. —B T. K, Windsor, England
‘Missed conception’
May Not every Christian who decides not to have children is doing so for selfish reasons. My sister and I grew up with horrible abuse, and I had a terrible problem with anger until age . We and our husbands decided not to bring children into the world, not so we could buy toys or take fancy trips, but because we wanted to stop the cycle of abuse. —L S, Dayton, Ohio
‘Here be dragons’
May I disagree that state legislators are often overworked and underpaid, judging from the never-ending stream of rules and regulations emanating from state capitals. But if it is true, I have a simple suggestion: Work less and pass fewer laws. —J P, Madison, Ga.
‘Campus divide’
May As a Vanderbilt University student active in the Christian JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/29/12 11:00 AM
Mailbag community, I oppose the administration’s “all-comers” nondiscrimination policy and agree with the path that Baptist Collegiate Ministry and Reformed University have taken. They plan to remain registered student organizations until the policy becomes a problem in practice. However, the issue has consumed far too much of our time and energy. We allowed ourselves to get too political and lost sight of the lost. —P Y, Nashville, Tenn.
JACMEL, HAITI submitted by Shane Biller
‘Intense isolation’
April Thanks for showing the difficult road that is parenting a child with autism, and the demands and stress it puts on families. It made autism real instead of merely providing statistics. I have seen God work through our experience parenting a child with autism. We are learning what it means to love unconditionally
and have seen so many answers to prayer. —R S, Des Moines, Iowa
‘Bedroom politics’
April Seeing the three political agendas in favor of abortion, same-sex marriage, and mandatory coverage of
contraception side-by-side in print shows how anti-population they are. They echo the ancient strategy of the one who comes to “steal and kill and destroy.” —G H, Lake Helen, Fla.
Our grandson’s th-grade class of had a three-hour lecture last year on
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE TO
Spirit of the Holy Land
12 MAILBAG.indd 102
For best deals please go to: 5/24/12 2:47 PM
W
ht
O
to:
the homosexual, transgender, and gay community. He was the only one not attending. Taxpayers don’t seem to get that it’s our money. —Roger B. Olds Sr., Willowbrook, Ill.
‘Compared to what?’
April 21 I was delighted with your April 21 issue: Joel Belz on Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity,” an interview with Dr. Ben Carson, an article on autistic children and their parents, the latest movies reviewed, a Reason Rally report, your quotes page, plus Seu Peterson and Olasky and the other great writers. I am very glad I renewed my subscription. —Jonathan Prentice, Burlington, N.C.
My wife and 13-year-old son are constantly competing for WORLD when it arrives, but I finally got to read it myself and saw the ad for your podcast, “The World and Everything In It.” I signed up and love it! The interview with Dr. Carson was wonderful. We used his Best-Worst Analysis technique the
very next weekend as my daughter was considering joining ROTC. —Marv Walworth, Tigard, Ore.
Quick Takes
April 7 We have been living on food stamps for over three years, since my husband ended up on unemployment. It has taught me firsthand what it is like to be in need. Some people out there take advantage of the system, but those who need help should take it. You can’t always pull yourself up by your bootstraps. The church needs to learn how to help her own, not judge them. —Cathy Dumont, Myakka City, Fla.
‘Conscience killer?’
April 7 I enjoyed the review of The Hunger Games and appreciated that you looked at its darker side without discarding it completely. These books represent the fine edge between hope and despair on which our culture walks. This book series deals with the darker side of life but in the end hope survives in
WALK WHERE JESUS WALKED? Jesus forged his ministry along the Sea of Galilee. As you walk its breathtaking shores you are transported across thousands of years and you feel the Bible – and your faith – come alive as never before. Experience the wonder of the Holy Land in person. You’ll never be the same.
http://www.goisrael.com/bestdeals 12 MAILBAG.indd 103
Sea of Galilee
5/24/12 9:20 AM
Mailbag the form of love, and I think that can be a very Christian message to take home from the movie theater. —A M G Cedar Rapids, Iowa
‘Dirt rich’
March As a rancher’s daughter and nurseryman’s wife, I was offended by this article. True, the cost of farm land has been rising in some places, making some farmers millionaires, but regulation has multiplied as well as the cost of gas, taxes, energy, and labor. And who is benefiting—farm families or corporations that own farms and dominate the subsidy arena? I know hundreds of farm families and have never met one flush with cash. Suggesting many are rich based on a couple of random facts without context is unfair. —JB L, Escalon, Calif.
‘Pet-centrism’
March What a tragic irony that comments such as, “When you can’t save one, it’s pretty tough,” and “defenseless creatures with no say in their futures,” did not concern babies but dogs and cats. I used to marvel at the changes my grandmother had seen during her lifetime (-). Thankfully she isn’t here today to wonder not at how far we’ve come, but at how much we’ve lost. —G W, Lebanon, Ohio
LETTERS AND PHOTOS Email: mailbag@worldmag.com Write: WORLD Mailbag, PO Box , Asheville, NC - Please include full name and address. Letters may be edited to yield brevity and clarity.
A CAll to ChristiAn PAtriotism Christians must be part of the political landscape. There is a direct relationship between the Law of God and our Constitution. This book is a call to reflect on what it means to be a Christian American. It will help you capture the passion for God and country that seems to be lost in today’s society.
NEW!
ISBN 978-1-885904-95-9 Retail: $14.95
In this book you will find 52 weekly lessons on becoming a Christian Patriot. Each lesson correlates with a biblical text, and challenges you to choose from an extensive list of Action Steps. This is a great opportunity to engage the next generation through family study of the principles and standards upon which our country was founded, and how it became a beacon for freedom across the world.
1.800.913.6287
12 MAILBAG.indd 104
|
www.focuspublishing.com
5/24/12 9:20 AM
Join Us for a FREE Tour of a Lifetime! Travel FREE - See the World - Enhance Your Ministry
One Free Tour for Every Five Paying!
E REEC aul G P f o ps us in 4 Ste f Jes $2,16 eps o d t s t o n a 9 Fo oly L $1,89 ypt The H of Eg o t ur l a c li f 9 Bib hes o hurc $1,94 en C EY v e K S R Y U 9 ITAL $1,79 velation T Paul Re er & Y t N e P A RM ps of er GE 9 Ste E Luth $2,69 in ROP t r U a E 9M ation m $2,19 r o 9 Ref $2,34
Looking to find the lowest airfare for your
Church Group, Missionary or Humanitarian trip? We have Consolidator airfare to just about every destination in the world.
WE HAVE THE LOWEST POSSIBLE AIRFARE!
Call Us Today: www.maranathatours.com 18428 N. 42nd Place Phoenix, AZ 85032
800.545.5533 mti@maranathatours.com Información Disponible en Español - ¡Llàmenos Hoy!
Tour Includes: Airfare from NYC, 2 Meals daily, 4 star hotels, Licensed guides, air conditioned motor coaches, all entrance fees and transfers (taxes and tips not included)
Read it before it happens! The Revolt of 2020 and The American Tyranny of 2020 by Dr. Patrick Johnston “Gripping! The drama of what may be ahead for our nation
is scary, yet possible.”
C. Roy McMillan, director, Christian Action Group
“Downright exciting and God-honoring. You will not want to put it down!” Flip Benham, director, Operation Save America/Operation Rescue
“It was awesome! We’re talking Tom-Clancy-hassome-serious-competition awesome!” Mike Jones, homeschooling dad
“A fast-paced political thriller! The Revolt of 2020 makes you think, gets you excited, leaves you angry, brings you to sorrow, and turns you to God – our only hope!” Tom Roten, radio talk show host
“Your book continually made me shout ‘Yes!’ excitedly. This book needs to be read by all Christians in America!” Matt Byers, Christian school principal
Buy Dr. Johnston’s novels at TheRevoltTrilogy.com
12 MAILBAG.indd 105
5/28/12 11:18 AM
The Church is at risk... –2 Tim 3:1
Pleasant Hill Grain offers basic foodstuffs and equipment for wholesome food preparation auto breadmakers • bosch mixers • vita-mix blenders • rice cookers pressure cookers • water purifiers • vacuum sealers • 1-year food supplies dehydrated foods • canned meats • bulk grains • grain mills
See these and more products at www.4phg.com
but there is hope Dr. Paige Patterson
President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
“In a day of ‘how to’ manuals on
church growth and effectiveness, to find a man who tells the truth...is a breath of fresh air. We have to recover the New Testament pattern....”
Dr. John Q. Kenzy
Founder, with David Wilkerson, and president of Teen Challenge Institute, later Youth Challenge IBI
“Compelling and timely. revelation from God.”
Exposes
GOD IS NOT ★ ★ ★ ★
HONORED
★ ★ ★ ★
BY RANTS, ARGUMENTS, & NAME CALLING
God is not honored when political agendas supercede the agenda of His word.
Senator Stephen R. Wise Dr. Wise, Florida Senate, is committee chairman: Education pre-K to 12
“This hard hitting book challenges us
to prepare for the dark days ahead by inspiring a return to biblical practices that many have forsaken in a selfdefeating lust for ever larger churches.”
Jacksonville Theological Seminary
(www.JTS.edu)
Graduate course MN5643
“The Depression Proof Church”
Text: Frank Becker/Dr. Albert Simpson Jr.
But God does care about politics. Learn how to honor God and vibrantly represent His gospel in all your political conversations and engagement.
Hard Cover & E-book available www.Amazon.com
www.BarnesAndNoble.com
moodypublishers.com
www.DepressionProofChurch.com
12 SEU PETERSON.indd 106
5/28/12 5:31 PM
Andrée Seu Peterson
Anatomy of a wedding
Matters may not have gone as planned, but all was well at the end of the day
>>
A was out of town and therefore not well attended, many back home have asked how it went. I would like to tell you. First I should say the -hour drive to Michigan was made pleasant with girl friends and sister in tow. All went uneventfully until mid-Ohio, when a close relative phoned and asked if I had a prenup. When I said that of course I did not, she said she was driving up with one and that we were to sign it. A glitch regarding car insurance cost us a day that David and I had slotted for baking a wedding cake together. We managed, however, to reach the Oakland County courthouse in Pontiac to sign the wedding license, and were nearly killed by a driver barreling through the crosswalk where a UPS truck parked in a blind spot. After the rehearsal dinner (though we never did rehearse) I picked a fight with my fiancé, which was all the more embarrassing when an hour later he presented me with the second in a series of gaily packaged wedding gifts to rival Jacob’s caravan of offerings to Esau. Then I baked pies till a.m. and he stayed up all night prepping other foods for the morrow’s wedding banquet. The morrow rose drizzly, but Barbara prayed that if the marriage was God’s will the sun would come out, and it did. The son came out too, my elder boy, in a suit and a smile, saying, “Mom, this is your day.” I have never seen him more beautiful. While ladies in waiting pampered me like a queen bee, David was having a different kind of day. The electronic magnet that closes the door to his van (which contains a hydraulic wheelchair lift) inexplicably malfunctioned. He wasted a precious minutes on it before deciding to knock out the bolt and duct tape it. The lids to the food transport trays went missing and there went another nonexpendable minutes of searching. Also, a freak city-wide power outage resulted in a traffic jam that tripled expected driving time.
Email: aseupeterson@worldmag.com
12 SEU PETERSON.indd 107
Once he got back to the kitchen, this meant David could not start the rice. (You will notice the wedding cake idea got pitched overboard somewhere along the line, as well as the pre-paid balloons that never got picked up.) Nevertheless, the salmon and roasted chickens were fetched. That’s when the van broke down completely. The way it happened: The rack and pinion steering inexplicably failed. David somehow ditched the van behind a building (forgetting the marriage license in it), and started down the road on foot, trying unsuccessfully to phone son Aaron. (This brings us to :, one and a half hours before the scheduled wedding. Heidi told me later that she was impressed when David phoned her from Lapeer Road and was not angry.) Aaron retrieved the charcoal from the van and rolled up his sleeves to cook, which was not in the plan, but he pulled it off with panache, his siblings gallantly fighting gusts to tape tablecloths to picnic tables. Other minor setbacks— the Korean beef ending up in the wrong trunk, and a situation with a cooler that my son Jae got involved in—are not worth mentioning. Wedding guests whom David and I meant to serve became our servants, and all hands were on deck as what men proposed God differently disposed. My bridal bouquet got lost in the shuffle, so I started on my son’s arm without it, when off in the distance to my right I saw Kristen gamboling toward me over the lawn with something white, deftly passing it off midway to the grove of trees where David and Pastor Wes with Bible waited, and long-suffering stalwarts in folding chairs sat heroic in the blustery cold. When the dust cleared I was married to a godly man, and Satan could do nothing about it. He will be back, of course, “for we are not ignorant of his designs” ( Corinthians :). Two separate people for God was annoying to him, but two together is a threat. “And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes :). A JUNE 16, 2012
WORLD
5/23/12 9:48 AM
Marvin Olasky
The politicized pulpit
Christians should be politically involved, but churches should teach the basics
>>
WORLD JUNE 16, 2012
12 OLASKY.indd 108
That’s a lot to do, and if more American churches had handled those three areas well we wouldn’t have many of the social problems we have today. Good and true preaching, along with the sacraments’ weekly reminder of Christ’s mercy toward us, leads church members to be active in mercy and in many areas of life—but wise pastors also prompt them to form associations outside the church, and leave the church to its central tasks from which so many blessings flow. That pattern in the th and th centuries worked exceptionally well. New England pastors in colonial times preached and taught what the Bible says about liberty, and the Sons of Liberty—not a subset of any particular church—eventually sponsored a tea party in Boston harbor. Pastors throughout America during those centuries preached about biblical poverty-fighting, and in city after city Christians formed organizations such as (in New York) the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor. In the th and st centuries, government has tragically taken eminent domain over anti-poverty work. The Supreme Court has notoriously overreached by mandating abortion. The White House is now undercutting religious liberty. It’s not surprising that some evangelical churches have responded with their own overreaching by becoming political and suggesting that “if only we had the right laws.” But in churches that become political clubs, hubris trumps humility—and pride will go before a fall. The scientific establishment is already falling. One recent survey showed that confidence in scientific leaders among conservatives has declined sharply over the past four decades. A large reason is the politicization of science, as many leaders demand allegiance to hypotheses about past and future—evolution and global warming—that the scientific method cannot prove. Evangelicals need to guard against a parallel politicization of churches. Pastors as they exegete Scripture can and should make practical applications to key moral issues such as abortion, but they should be wary of going further. The Bible tells us what we need to know about past and future—how we’re created and where we’re going. It does not tell us precisely what to do about the Keystone pipeline or Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons. Instead of politicizing churches, we should apply C.S. Lewis’ dictum: “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” A
KRIEG BARRIE
T DL, the former House majority whip and leader, wasn’t called “The Hammer” for nothing. In recent months he’s been the best book publicist an author could want, asking me repeatedly to read his friend Norm Mason’s The Political Imperative: An Assignment from God (Jebaire, ). I finally did, and will argue that its analysis is solid but its final prescription is wrong. Mason, former chairman of the Texas Christian Coalition, rightly emphasizes the clearest current issue, abortion, and the importance of Christians fighting it politically as well as in other ways. He rightly notes that when an airplane seems headed toward a crash, we’d much rather have a pilot intent on trying to land it than reading a pamphlet picked up at an airport booth, “God’s Will for Your Life in an Airline Disaster.” It seems to me that Mason goes awry in his concluding chapter, though, when he calls for establishment of “a church-wide Great Commission Citizens Corps in each church.” This church body should “develop and communicate to the membership reliable sources of data” and “provide specific information to the church body as applicable.” That sounds reasonable, but in practice many evangelical churches would become known as Republican churches (some already are), others would become known as Democratic churches, and people of other persuasions would be less likely to come. I don’t believe that is Mason’s intent, yet these days we should acknowledge, sadly, that one person’s reliable source is another’s propaganda. Overall, it’s not the task of the church as church to take political stands or provide political information. The -year-old Belgic Confession states it well: “The true church can be recognized if it has the following marks: The church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults.”
Email: molasky@worldmag.com
5/23/12 3:39 PM
Timothy Paul Jones | KY Director of the Doctor of Education program
We are Serious about the Gospel
KRIEG BARRIE
he Southern Seminary Doctor of Education degree will equip you to serve as a leader in Christian educational institutions or in the educational ministries of the church.
12 OLASKY.indd 3
Our Ed.D. will provide a practical yet theologically-grounded curriculum that can be completed in 30-months from anywhere. For more information see www.sbts.edu/edd
Visit us at sbts.edu
5/28/12 1:10 PM
RECLAIMING THE GREAT
Christian Intellectual TRADITION
T
he richness of the Christian intellectual tradition – rooted in Scripture and expounded by great thinkers throughout history – is proof of the power of faith to illuminate minds. Those early Christians were more than thinkers. They took an active role shaping their culture with innovative ideas and reform in law, philosophy, science, music, literature and art.
Union University is readying a new generation who will engage the culture with the truths of Christian faith and build upon the careful thought and inquiry of the Christian scholars before us. Learn more about Union at uu.edu.
uu.edu Jackson, TN EXCELLENCE-DRIVEN | CHRIST-CENTERED | PEOPLE-FOCUSED | FUTURE-DIRECTED
12 OLASKY.indd 4
5/21/12 3:38 PM