July 2008 Archives

Catherine Roskam, Suffragan Bishop from New York, spoke at Lambeth about domestic violence: she rightly noted that domestic violence appears in all religious communities...she then went on to say that likely there were domestic abusers among the hundreds of male bishops gathered at Lambeth:

"We have 700 men here.

"Do you think any of them beat their wives? Chances are they do. The most devout Christians beat their wives.

"Culturally, many of our bishops come from places where it is culturally accepted to beat your wife. In that regard, it makes the conversation quite difficult."

Hmmmm.

On the one hand: three cheers to Bishop Catherine for discussing domestic violence. Thrity-plus years after feminist critics began insisting loudly that we address the problem of domestiv abuse and sexual assualt within religious communities, the topic is still too often brushed under the rug.

On the other hand: accusing her fellow bishops of commiting domestic violence, when she presumably does not have any specific knowledge thereof, seems at best incendiary and in poor taste, and at worst, laden with assumptions about brutality that must "naturally" arise in certain parts of the world. As Riazat Butt at The Guardian put it, "What bishops should be more concerned about is her insinuation that a non-white culture leads to domestic violence and that white, western culture is too civilised and too advanced to allow such atrocities to occur."

According to this report, Sir Jonathan Sacks, British chief rabbi, spoke at Lambeth earlier this week about the need to find unity within difference:

The Anglican Communion has held together quite different strands of Christian theology and practice better than any other religion I know, certainly than any other Western religion I know....Covenant is predicated on difference...Between God and humanity-that is the covenant of ultimate difference.

It is striking that this is one of the most robustly theological comments on Lambeth and the current crisis in the Anglican Communion to have been reported on. One of the many wonderful things about the Archbishop of Canterbury is his insistence on speaking and thinking theologically, but many other commentators, on both "sides" of the issue, have not followed suit. Thank-you, Rabbi Sacks, for interjecting this decidedly theological note into the discussion...

Christian Leaders Must Be Careful Not To Elevate Constitutional Principles Above Biblical Principles

In Exodus 3 we see one of the most beautiful, delicious ironies in all of recorded human history. It is the story of the captives plundering the captors. Just before the Hebrew people were led out of Egypt by Moses, the women asked their Egyptian masters for gifts to see them on their journey: "But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians." (Ex. 3:22)

Many Egyptians apparently gave generously out of genuine affection for the Hebrews. But Pharaoh himself had another motive for allowing the plundering to go on. He wanted the rest of the world to know he was too rich and powerful to antagonize. He wanted the rest of the world to say, "If their slaves are this rich, how powerful must the Pharaoh himself be?" It was a "vanity of vanities," but all a part of God's sovereign plan.

However, just a few chapters later, we see God's Chosen People using God's good gift to them to build a Golden Calf. So it is we see in Scripture for the first time, but not for the last, a tragic tendency of humankind: to worship the gift and not the Giver.

I was reminded of that unfortunate reality during my coverage of the investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley of six televangelists. The so-called "Grassley Six" are (along with their associated organizations and spouses) Creflo Dollar, Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, and Eddie Long. My coverage of them and Grassley's investigation for WORLD Magazine and for the Evangelical Press News Service (much of it a collaboration with Rusty Leonard and MinistryWatch.com) has revealed enormous excesses by these ministries: mansions, private jets, luxurious vacations, and much more. But these excesses are not my real concern. My real concern is the shroud of secrecy and darkness and falsehood with which these televangelists conceal themselves. Copeland, in particular, has said he is an "open book" while his books remain closed. Creflo Dollar told "Larry King Live" that he had "nothing to hide" while he continues to hide his financial dealings from Grassley and from the public.

Friends, whatever you think of their "prosperity theology," this lack of transparency is simply not a biblical response. Scripture is plain that Christians should be "children of light" (I Thess. 5:5) and not of darkness. Indeed, scripture reserves special condemnation for the "works of darkness." (Rom. 13:12) We are told that our deeds should be "above reproach." (II Tim. 3:2) Whatever else these verses might mean, surely they also mean that complete openness, transparency, and self-disclosure should be the proper posture for both individual Christians and for any organization that presumes to call itself a Christian ministry.

But what is particularly interesting about the Grassley Six is that they have found some unlikely advocates. The Alliance Defense Fund, a legal defense group that is normally a great defender of Christian values, appears to be on the side of the "Grassley Six." Gary McCaleb, the ADF's senior counsel, criticized the "tone" of Grassley's investigation. The American Center For Law and Justice, led by conservative firebrand Jay Sekulow, said it was "concerned about the constitutional issues raised by the inquiry." Kelly Shackleford of the Texas-based Liberty Legal Institute voiced similar concerns.

Mssrs. Sekulow, McCaleb, and Shackleford are right. There are constitutional issues here. But I am surprised that these so-called "Christian legal" groups are not much more concerned about the biblical issues. If the Bible says we MUST be transparent, no Christian should care that the Constitution says we MAY be opaque? The Constitution is a great document, perhaps the greatest document ever devised by human hands. But its greatness - and, more to the point, its authority - are far short of the greatness and authority of Scripture. Indeed, I would argue that whatever greatness and authority the Constitution does have is born of its consistency with biblical principles. In any case, when the two are in conflict, it should be Scripture -- not the Constitution - that defines the behavior of Christians. Any legal group that denies or undercuts that principle has to that extent given up its right to be called "Christian."

Here's the bottom line: Christians are required to be open, honest, and above reproach in all our dealings. This should be any Christian ministry's or church's "default" posture toward its members, its donors, and the world at-large. We shouldn't need a law to require it, but we surely don't need to hide behind the Constitution to prevent it.

Just as the Hebrews turned God's good gifts into a golden calf, these Christian groups are in danger of turning one of God's good gifts to us - the U.S. Constitution - into a modern-day idol. And by allowing a defense of constitutional rights to take precedent over a clear proclamation of biblical responsibilities, the legal defenders of the "Grassley Six" - whether they call themselves Christian or not - are miserable defenders of the Gospel.

Warren Cole Smith is the editor and publisher of the Evangelical Press News Service.

The Windsor Continuation Group has released a document calling for, according to Ruth Gledhill, a "new Pastoral Forum is to be set up to bring rebel provinces into line in the Anglican Communion." The full report will be popping up on blogosphere soon; one place to look for it will be the Anglicans United site, which promises to have it posted by 2 pm. Among other things, the document is expected to clarify the moratorium (e.g., on the ordination of non-celibate gay clergy) called for by the Windsor Report.

More soon...

Over the last few months Randy Pausch captured the attention of much of the world as he had captivated his students for years. Pausch, an extremely popular Carnegie Mellon University professor of computer science, was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. While that would be devastating news to anyone, you would expect it to be particularly excruciating for a 46-year-old father of three children (aged 5, 2 and 1).

Given a prognosis of a few months to live, Pausch responded with inspiring, even unnerving optimism. He decided to give his students a real "last lecture"--not a hypothetical "what I would say if I knew I was going to die" lecture, but a lecture from a man who knew he had a very limited time to live.

I doubt anyone could watch Randy Pausch's "last lecture" and not be moved and indeed, changed, by it. Randy was a sort of 21st-century, high-tech Renaissance Man, with multi-faceted interests and a charismatic, engaging personality. One former professorial colleague called him a "force of nature."

Pausch's "last lecture" has been viewed by millions on the Internet and read by hundreds of thousands in its book form. Why did Randy touch so many people? His example illustrated to all of us the transitory, even ephemeral nature of our earthly existence. As he so pointedly reminded us: "Many people have given last speeches without realizing it," citing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s awe-inspiring speech in Memphis the night before he was assassinated.

Randy Pausch told us to live life--carpe diem--seize the day. Among the many thought-provoking comments in the "last lecture," a couple stand out for me. First, "Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every day because there's no other way to play it." Second, "We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand. If I'm not as depressed as you think I should be, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Such courage in the midst of so much adversity is inspiring. I know it has inspired me, among other things, to take delight in the present, to enjoy "little things" more and to cherish every moment with loved ones.

As Randy's life and lecture remind us so poignantly, none of us can guarantee our next hour, let alone a day of our future existence. As Jesus reminded His disciples in "the parable of the rich fool," the rich man who trusted in his material wealth was a "fool" when he said to himself, "Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." Jesus reported God's reply: "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee."

In this advanced civilization of ours, where medical technology postpones death more than ever before, it may take a Randy Pausch to remind us of how short our earthly sojourn may be and how realizing that should alter and re-order present priorities. I know it has done so for me.

The late Tony Snow, one of public policy's "happy warriors" (he always reminded me of the late Vice President Hubert Humphrey, the original liberal "happy warrior"), was a grateful man. "Grateful" might seem to be an odd description for someone...

One of the questions that casts a long shadow over Anglican and Episcopalian decision-making about issues such as the ordination of women and the blessing of same-sex unions is how movement on these issues will affect Anglican churches' relationship with...

Things are heating up at Lambeth: A Sudanese bishop is calling for Bishop Robinson's resignation: "God is not making a mistake creating Adam and Eve," he said. "He would have created two Adams if he wanted." And the bishop of...

I got an email today: "Why exactly does anyone beyond America's handful of Episcopalians care about the Lambeth conference?" It's a good question. As a colleague of mine pointed out to me last year, in 2006, the American Baptist...

The bishops' spouses meeting (and, no, Mark Andrew is not there) has gotten some news attention - perhaps because Lambeth itself seems low-key so far. I have often thought that there is little I would rather do less than be...

If you look at the schedule for the Lambeth conference today, the events look pretty tame: Rowan Williams is scheduled to give an address, but other than that there appears to be a lot of worship and a lot of...

I well remember Lambeth 1998, which took place a month or so after I was baptized in a college chapel in Cambridge, England. I had never heard of Lambeth--the palace, or the eponymous once-a-decade gathering of Anglican bishops. In 1998,...

By now, virtually every American not on an expedition to Antarctica has heard about Rev. Jesse Jackson's crude and offensive remarks picked up by a live mic in a Fox News studio last Sunday. Rev. Jackson expressed his extreme displeasure...

During a conversation about philanthropy and global issues at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Former President Bill Clinton made some comments about the lingering psychological impact of having been a prisoner of war. The context was a discussion about former South...

There is no question that the political agenda for younger Evangelicals is changing and the old guard is alarmed. The stalwarts of the Evangelical establishment, such as Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship; and James Dobson, the president of...

Last Sunday (June 29) retired Army General Wesley Clark startled "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer by questioning Senator John McCain's military experience as a qualification for the presidency. Schieffer was asking General Clark about his description of Senator McCain...

The verdict is now in from the U.S. Supreme Court--the Second Amendment means what it says. In a historic 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that no government entity--local, state, or federal--can totally ban...

Americans United for Church and State just released this statement on Obama's plans for a President's Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships: OBAMA SUPPORT FOR EXPANSION OF 'FAITH-BASED' PROGRAM IS DISAPPOINTING, SAYS AMERICANS UNITED But Watchdog Group Says Candidate's Opposition...