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The Newsletter of the Interfaith Working Group
July/August 1999
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Religious Liberty
In June, discussions raged in the
Southern Baptist Convention,
United Methodist Church,
Presbyterian Church (USA),
American Baptist Churches,
Reformed Church in America, and
Christian Reformed Church
about religious identity; sexual identity, orientation and
behavior; the definition, nature, and role of families; and
the role of religion. Meanwhile, attempts were made to
involve government in religious life and provide special
rights to the Christian majority, from officially sanctioning
religious documents,
to funding religious schools, and
denial of free exercise to religious minorities in the
military. The courts may ultimately strike down such
measures, but the court system is time-consuming, risky,
and leads to attempts to politicize the judiciary or amend
the Constitution.
We urge you to write to your local paper, school
board, municipal government, state representatives and
senators, governor, congressional representatives and
senators, and the President, and tell them you value
constitutional protection of your religious liberty,
including the establishment and free exercise clauses of
the First Amendment. We guarantee they're hearing from
those who believe in free exercise for the majority only,
public funds for religious indoctrination, and the
appearance of religious conformity.
Ten Commandments
The House of Representatives passed
H.R.1501.EH, part of which allows posting the Ten
Commandments in public buildings, giving special
recognition to a religious document (half of which is
about religious belief and practice, thereby giving
official preference to Judaism and Christianity) in an
obvious violation of the First Amendment. Former
Southern Baptist
pastor and gay internet commentator
Dr. Rembert Truluck
questioned its constitutionality as
well as the theological wisdom (for Christians) of
ranking the Ten Commandments over Jesus'
Great Commandment. Philadelphia Daily News chief editorial writer
Carol Towarnicky wrote an excellent opinion piece
against the bill, covering minority religious rights,
multiple versions of the Ten Commandments, and
references to slaves.
Religious Free Exercise in the Military
According to the Austin American Statesman and
the web pages of the
Military Pagan Network, thirteen
organizations (including the
Christian Action Network,
American Family Association,
and
Traditional Values Coalition)
are calling for a
conservative Christian boycott of the Army, after un-
successful attempts by a US Representative to deny
Wiccans free exercise of religion at Fort Hood and other
military bases. The Statesman quoted Paul M. Weyrich,
president of the
Free Congress Foundation:
"Until the
Army withdraws all official support and approval from
witchcraft, no Christian should enlist or reenlist in the
Army, and Christian parents should not allow their
children to join the Army." The Daily News ran an
editorial in favor of religious liberty for Wiccans.
Pride Celebrations
Philadelphia's Pride Parade included the Interfaith
Working Group (thank you to
Tabernacle United Church
and Dave & Marie Jack),
Congregation Beth Ahavah,
Integrity, Dignity, Evangelicals Concerned, and Metropolitan
Community Church (MCC) of Philadelphia. The
Inquirer ran a photograph that included Evangelicals
Concerned and the IWG, though the organizations'
names weren't visible or mentioned in the caption.
Local parade and festival coverage from around
the US and Canada with mention of religious participation
included: The London (Ontario) Free Press and
Charleston (WV) Gazette mentioned religious services;
the Hartford Courant reported on a commitment service
at the festival; the Salt Lake Tribune and Baltimore Sun
noted participation of the MCC; the Boston Globe noted
inclusion of "many gay and lesbian-friendly church
groups;" The Kansas City Star and
Austin American-Statesman
reported that a local Methodist congregation
had a booth at their respective festivals; the
Asbury Park (NJ) Press
mentioned a parade participant with a "God is Love" sign; the
San Antonio Express-News wrote about a
woman honored at the festival, a "devout Christian" who
"was forced to leave her church of 40 years when fellow
members objected to her involvement in
PFLAG;" the
Detroit Free Press had an article about efforts to include
a religious celebration in the Pride festival for the first
time; and the Washington Post reported that during the
parade there, thirty people in front of a church en route
prayed: "I will make of the outcasts a strong nation."
Reformed Church in America and UCC
The
Reformed Church in America (RCA)
voted not to cut ties with the
United Church of Christ over
differences of opinion about sexual orientation. The Des
Moines Register reported that most who spoke during the
debate favored ending the relationship. "I want to warn
these people that they're going to hell because they reject
the word of God," was typical of quotes from delegates in
the newspaper article. RCA General Secretary Wesley
Granberg-Michaelson opposed the proposal.
Christian Reformed Church
Synod 1999 of the
Christian Reformed Church
voted to call their churches "to repentance for their
failures to minister to those who experience same sex
attractions," said the United Reformed News Service.
United Methodist Church
The Denver Post, Des Moines Register, Chicago
Sun Times, and Associated Press ran stories about
UMC
clergy involved in the same-sex union controversy. The
Houston Chronicle said that
Bering Memorial UMC in
Houston is the latest church where clergy will not perform
weddings pending lifting the same-gender union ban.
Annual Conference meetings in Western Michigan,
Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Northern California/
Nevada featured debates over proposed changes to the
same-sex union ban, which Minnesota and Northern
California/Nevada recommended dropping. The
Charleston Daily Mail said the West Virginia conference called
for expansion of state hate crime laws to include orientation.
The Washington Post, New York Times, AP and
San Francisco papers said investigations into charges
have begun against 68 ministers who participated in the
Sacramento marriage service. The AP and Chicago papers
said a family was expelled from a UMC-related
campground for posting signs designating their cottage as
"reconciling."
The Rev. Greg Dell was elected by the Northern
Illinois Annual Conference as a delegate to the General
Conference in 2000. You can go to the
CORNET website
(http://www.umaffirm.org/cornet/index2.html) to read a
statement from clergy involved in the Sacramento service
with extensive references to the Bible and United Methodist documents,
as well as a reflection by the California/Nevada Chapter of the
Methodist Federation for Social Action.
A UMC News Service release said, "Homosexuality has been a volatile
issue at every General Conference meeting since 1972 and is expected to
be a lightning rod for conflict at the Cleveland meeting."
Southern Baptist Convention
Coverage of this year's
Southern Baptist Convention
included participation by Reggie White, a promise to
reach out to urban minorities, and objections to the
president's Pride Month proclamation and appointment of
ambassador James Hormel. Virtually ignored was a 1% drop
in membership, including
First Baptist Church of Greenville, SC,
which discontinued an affiliation dating from
1845. A reason cited on their web page is that
"the separation of church and state is a treasured conviction
which has historically guided Baptist churches
and conventions in America." Affiliations with the
Alliance of Baptists
and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship were retained.
School Prayer
Syndicated columnist Linda Chavez (published in
the Inquirer) praised a crowd of 2,000 at a public high
school graduation for reciting the Lord's Prayer to protest
the substitution of a moment of silence for an official
prayer, arguing that the lack of an official prayer stifled
their free exercise. An opinion piece by Michael Novak
in the New York Times (and Daily News) seriously argued
that the country needs an official prayer, or perhaps a
book of 200 official prayers from all religious traditions, a
different one for each school day (a major underestimation
of the number of US religious groups!).
Presbyterian Church (USA)
A committee recommendation to remove the ban
on ordination of sexual minorities went to the floor of the
General Assembly (GA). The ban had been added to the
Book of Order two years ago and was almost amended
last year. The GA instead voted to accept the minority report,
recommending no action for two years, with discussion
and continued obedience during that time. The minority report was
passed (389 to 198). Despite last-minute maneuvering, the
Rev. Jane Spahr of That All May
Freely Serve received her Woman of Faith Award. Please
keep members of the
PCUSA in your thoughts and
prayers, especially those who cannot serve or don't feel
welcome, those who serve despite the ban, and those who
work for equal treatment, including That All May Freely
Serve and the More Light congregations.
It's Elementary
The showing of "It's Elementary" on some PBS
stations (including WHYY and WYBE) resulted in the
usual pro and con letters, editorials, and columns in
papers around the country. The strongest negative
reaction seems to have come from media personality
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
who, in her syndicated column,
supported teaching respect for all students, and bemoaned
the behavior of young men who pick on the poor, the
weak and the different, while at the same time saying that
the purpose of the film is to indoctrinate children to
believe homosexuality is normal rather than "deviant or
morally wrong behavior," and "a personal or societal
problem." She also said that "where once we were asked
to tolerate diversity, now we are being intimidated to
accept deviancy," and "all traditional religions view homosexuality
as a sin." The Lexington (KY) Herald ran an
excellent rebuttal to Schlessinger's comments from a local
interfaith organization, the
Spiritual Growth Network of
Kentucky.
American Baptist Churches
The General Board of the
American Baptist Churches USA,
meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, voted to
expel four Welcoming and Affirming (W & A) California
churches: Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland;
First Baptist Church of Berkeley;
New Community of Faith, San Jose;
and San Leonardo Community Church.
The Des Moines Register quoted the Rev. Marcia Bailey
(see letterhead) of W & A congregation
Central Baptist in Wayne:
"The spirit of God is in our midst, and that can
never be taken from us."
Religious School Funding
Vouchers for private and parochial schools again
failed to pass in Pennsylvania. A wide range of religious
and civic groups opposed vouchers on state/federal
constitutional grounds; yet most public commentary focused
on supposedly universally-failing public schools and the
need for "choice." Philadelphia Inquirer columnist David
Boldt even suggested the primary motivation of
opponents was anti-Catholic prejudice. The Vermont Supreme
Court ruled unanimously that vouchers violated their state
constitution. "The momentum in courts nationwide is
increasingly turning against vouchers," said the Rev.
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of
Americans United.
"Taxpayers must never be forced to pay for religion, and
the Vermont Supreme Court clearly ruled the right way."
Reform Judaism
The Omaha World Herald reported on a debate at
Omaha's Temple Israel
over the senior rabbi's decision to
perform a commitment ceremony for two men, and cited
debates within the
Central Conference of American Rabbis
over commitment ceremonies and the controversy at
the Rev. Jimmy Creech's former Omaha church. The Boston Herald
reported on the installation of associate Rabbi
Elissa Kohen, who is a lesbian, at
Congregation Beth Israel
in West Hartford, New England's largest synagogue.
Christian Coalition Denied Tax Status
The Internal Revenue Service has denied the
Christian Coalition
status as a tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organization. The Coalition will
probably become a forprofit organization, Christian Coalition International, and
the Texas Christian Coalition, (already tax-exempt) will
be renamed Christian Coalition America.
Yet Another Religious Bill In Congress
H.Con.Res.94 was introduced in the House (30
cosponsors), obliquely referring to the murders of James
Byrd, Matthew Shepard and Billy Jack Gaither as "events
that currently burden the hearts of the people." The bill is
completely theological, asserting that: "it is the necessary
duty of the people of this Nation not only to humbly offer
up our prayers and needs to Almighty God, but also in a
solemn and public manner to confess our shortcomings;"
and suggests that Congress recognize "the unique opportunity
that the dawn of a millennium presents to a people
in a Nation under God to humble and reconcile themselves
with God and with one another."
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