New faith-based council head speaks
News has circulated that President Barack Obama has chosen Joshua DuBois to lead the President’s Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
According to a story by The Associated Press, DuBois is a political strategist who was religious affairs director in the Obama campaign.
Those who wish to learn more about DuBois, can check out the Religion & Ethics Newsweekly “One Nation” Religion and politics blog which features a report by managing editor Kim Lawton about DuBois selection, reaction to his selection and challenges his council will face.
To see the report, click here: Joshua Dubois.
Gallup poll: Oklahoma among Top 10 “most religious” states
Findings from a new Gallup Poll are out and it seems that Oklahoma is among the top 10 “most religous” states in America.
However, Mississippi beat out the Sooner State and eight other states for the No. 1 spot.
The new Gallup Poll, based on more than 350,000 interviews, finds that Mississippi is the one where the most people — 85 percent — say yes when asked “Is religion an important part of your daily life?,” the Religion News Service reports.
The RNS said joining Mississippi in the top “most religious” states are other notches in the Bible Belt: Alabama (82 percent), South Carolina (80 percent), Tennessee (79 percent), Louisiana (78 percent), and Arkansas (78 percent). Oklahoma came in at No. 9 with 70 percent.
Less than half of Vermonters (42 percent) answered yes to the question at hand. New England predominated the top “least religious” states, with New Hampshire (46 percent), Maine (48 percent), Massachusetts (48 percent), Alaska (51 percent) and Washington (52 percent) following Vermont.
“Clearly, states in the South in particular, but also some states in the Southwest and Rocky Mountains … have very religious residents and New England states in particular, coupled with states like Alaska and others, are irreligious,” said Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of The Gallup Poll.
Overall, Gallup researchers found that 65 percent of all Americans said religion was important in their daily lives. The total sample of 355,334 U.S. adults, including respondents with land-line telephones and cellular phones, had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point. Some states had margins of error as high as plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Newport tol the Religion News Service he was surprised that one state — Utah — did not make the “most religious” list, given the state’s large Mormon population.
Following is Gallup’s entire list of states, as reported by the Religion News Service, in order of what percentage of respondents said religion is “an important part” of their daily lives:
— Mississippi (85)
— Alabama (82)
— South Carolina (80)
— Tennessee (79)
— Louisiana (78)
— Arkansas (78)
— Georgia (76)
— North Carolina (76)
— Oklahoma (75)
— Kentucky (74)
— Texas (74)
— West Virginia (71)
— Kansas (70)
— Utah (69)
— Missouri (68)
— Virginia (68)
— South Dakota (68)
— North Dakota (68)
— Indiana (68)
— Nebraska (67)
— New Mexico (66)
— Pennsylvania (65)
— Florida (65)
— Maryland (65)
— Ohio (65)
— Iowa (64)
— Minnesota (64)
— Illinois (64)
— Michigan (64)
— Delaware (61)
— Wisconsin (61)
— District of Columbia (61)
— Idaho (61)
— Arizona (61)
— New Jersey (60)
— Wyoming (58)
— Colorado (57)
— Hawaii (57)
— California (57)
— Montana (56)
— New York (56)
— Connecticut (55)
— Nevada (54)
— Rhode Island (53)
— Oregon (53)
— Washington (52)
— Alaska (51)
— Massachusetts (48)
— Maine (48)
— New Hampshire (46)
— Vermont (42)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Haggard making publicity rounds
The documentary on evangelist Ted Haggard is to air on HBO tonight, but for those who don’t have the cable channel, there’s still a way to see and hear from the former megachurch pastor.
I happened to catch the last 15 mintues of a segment on Haggard on the Oprah Show last night. He was pretty forthright. They showed footage of he and his family moving several times because they made an agreement with their former church New Life Church of Colorado Springs, that they would not live in that community for a year after the scandal that erupted around his involvement with a male prostitute.
Apparently, Haggard was also interviewed on Nightline last night.
He is to be a guest on Larry King Live on CNN tonight for those who didn’t catch the previous interviews or who can’t watch “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” the HBO documentary airing tonight.
It will be interesting to see how the public treats Haggard after the documentary and this latest round of publicity.
He has said he seeks forgiveness and understanding.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Interfaith family survey
InterfaithFamily.com wants to know what interfaith families are doing for Passover and Easter.The two holidays will coincide this year. The eight-day Jewish holiday of Passover, begins at sundown April 8. The Christian holiday of Easter is on April 12.
Interfaith families can fill out InterfaithFamily.com’s survey at Passover-Easter Survey by March 3. InterfaithFamily.com offers resources and services for interfaith families exploring Jewish life.
Survey participants will be eligible to win a $250 American Express giftcard.
The winner of the drawing will be announced March 17. InterfaithFamily.com will announce the results of the survey in late March. 
For more Passover and Easter resources, check out othe Web site’s Passover and Easter Resource Page.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Reminder: Churches OK to broadcast Super Bowl
We reported this last year, but for those churches that didn’t get the word: It’s OK to broadcast the Super Bowl game on Sunday.
Lots of churches offer Super Bowl watch parties to bring congregations together and also as an outreach opportunity to football fans in the surrounding community.
The Religion News Service sent out a brief today noting that the Rutherford Institute, which joined members of Congress in challenging the National Football League’s previous rules, has reminded churches that they can host viewing parties on Sunday on large-screen televisions in their buildings.
“As long as they follow the basic guidelines set forth by the NFL, churches can now rest assured that they are free to have football parties and show the Super Bowl game,” said John W Whitehead, president of the Charlottesville, Va.-based civil liberties organization, told the RNS.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals face off in Super Bowl XLIII in Tamp, Fla., on Sunday.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the modified policy eliminated past rules regarding the size of the screens on which the game is shown.
McCarthy said the only thing his organization asks is that churches not charge admission and that they hold the parties at locations they regularly use for large gatherings.
McCarthy told the RNS that his New York offices continue to receive calls from churches about the policy. “We had always had calls throughout the history of the Super Bowl,” he said. “It hasn’t been that substantial this year.”
Members of Congress and church leaders objected to the NFL’s previous ban on widescreen televisions. The league had said churches could not hold Super Bowl parties featuring TV screens larger than 55 inches, even though sports bars routinely did.
Last February, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, sent NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a letter with a series of questions about the policy, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., introduced legislation that would permit churches to show the game on widescreen TVs.
Goodell wrote back to Hatch to inform him of the rule change and noted that the league believed the legislation was not necessary.
(AP PHOTO above)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
A sermon to make you squirm …
How many of us have heard sermons that made us squirm uncomfortably?I’m talking about those sermons that challenge the way we do things or those that force us to confront our apathy on certain issues.
Geez magazine is sponsoring a contest for pastors who preach those sermons that make people squirm.
It’s called the Daringly Awkward Sermon Contest.
The 2009 contest builds upon last year’s “”30 Sermons You’d Never Hear in Church Contest.”
“The world needs bold voices of spiritual depth,” Geez publisher Aiden Enns said in a news release.
”But maybe the message can have an element of holy mischief, a smirk instead of a furrowed brow, and, at the same time, more connection to the pressing issues of the day.”
The Daringly Awkward Sermon Contest invites entries that explore the aspects of social change that make folks squirm, things like privilege, the drunk stranger in the back pew, guilt feelings, or litter in the poor part of town.
The leaders at the magazine said constructing a more fair and compassionate world involves awkward people, pauses and topics, and “we want to find the wisdom in the awkwardness.”
The top three sermons will receive $400 each. The winners plus a selection of other entries will be published in the Spring 2009 issue of Geez. Deadline for entries is February 28, 2009. Word limit is 800.
Enter the contest at contest@geezmagazine.org.
Incidentally, the Winnipeg, Canada-based Geez Magazine is a self-described ”quarterly magazine of spirit and social action.”
Go online to www.geezmagazine.org to see what else the magazine is up to.
(Photo above was taken from the Geez Magazine Web site)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
New information surfaces about Haggard
“The Trials of Ted Haggard,” a HBO documentary about disgraced evangelist Ted Haggard, has caused a firestorm of sorts for Haggard’s former congregation, New Life Church of Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Religion News Service — and a host of other news media outlets — is reporting that there is a new sex scandal involving Haggard and the church.
New Life Pastor Brady Boyd, according to the RNS, reportedly told the New Life congregation that the church’s insurance company arranged a settlement with a young man who claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Haggard, who was forced to resign in 2006 after a male escort came forward with charges of gay sex and drug use.
Boyd told worshippers that none of their weekly offerings had been used to pay the settlement, and admitted that church leaders had long known about the allegations.
“For the last two years, we carried the burden, the weight, of this information to protect you,” Boyd said. “We’ve been diligent, faithful, pastoral, honest … every step of the way.”
Boyd, according to the RNS, said church leaders were forced to keep quiet because of the settlement’s terms, and also because “I have to use discretion, our staff has to use discretion, and sometimes we have to use confidentiality … especially when it concerns people we’re trying to help heal. There’s nothing being held secret here.”
“There’s no secret. I’ve known every single bit of information for 18 months as your pastor. I’ve held it. I know how to handle it. I’ve walked it out.”
The RNS reported that Boyd, who took over after Haggard resigned in disgrace, apologized for the new round of allegations against Haggard.
“It’s been my hope as your pastor for the 18 months I’ve been here that this wound would heal and we wouldn’t have to revisit the unpleasant parts of our past, but unfortunately this week we’ve had to do that,” he said, adding later, “The wound will not always be with us, the wound will not always define us.”
“The Trials of Ted Haggard” documentary is scheduled to air on Thursday
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Jewish rabbi gets heat for National Prayer Service role
Rabbi Haskel Lookstein participated in the National Prayer Service, an interfaith prayer service held Jan. 21 at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
Now a rabbinical council says he broke Jewish law by being a part of the service, which is was a traditional service held after the presidential inauguration.
The Religion News Service reports that the Rabbinical Council of America is saying that Lookstein, an Orthodox rabbi based in New York, broke Jewish law by participating in a prayer service held in the sanctuary of a church.
The RNS reports that Rabbi Basil Herring, the council’s executive vice president, said he does not expect Lookstein to be punished for his role in the service.
“We simply wanted to make the point that he was not going there on behalf of the rabbinical council, and that whatever he did, he did in his own capacity,” Herring told the RNS.
Lookstein was one of three rabbis who participated in the service, which helped conclude the presidential inauguration activities for Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, a RNS story reported that Lookstein told the Jewish news service JTA that “after consultation with people who are absolutely committed to halacha (Jewish law), I … decided to do it because I felt it was a civic duty to honor the new president of the United States.”
“Had I pulled out, it would have been something of an insult from the Orthodox community,” Lookstein said.
Herring told the RNS that the criticism of Lookstein was not politically motivated, and noted that the RCA praised Obama’s “qualities of mind and leadership” and called his election a “cause for joy.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Billy Graham’s grandson chosen to lead Coral Ridge
Here’s the news that is making headlines in Florida and beyond.
Evangelist Billy Graham’s grandson,Tullian Tchividjian (pictured above), has been chosen to lead the Presbyterian megachurch formerly led by the Rev. D. James Kennedy.
According to the Religion News Service, Tullian Tchividjian, 36, will assume the pastorate at Fort Lauderdale’s Coral Ridge Presbyterian, if approved by a congregational vote.
Kennedy died in September 2007 at age 76, and is widely believed to have been an ”architect of the Christian right,” the RNS reported.
Tchividjian is one of seven children of Gigi Tchividjian, the eldest daughter of Billy and Ruth Graham. His grandfather preached the dedication sermon for the Coral Ridge sanctuary in 1974.
“This will be an exciting legacy for both Dr. Kennedy and Billy Graham,” Dan Westphal, head of Coral Ridge’s search committee, told the RNS. “I’ve come to know Tullian well, and he is a godly man.”
Born in Jacksonville and raised in South Florida, Tchividjian was named after Tertullian, a theologian of the second and third centuries. He earned degrees in philosophy at Columbia International University in South Carolina, and in divinity at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
On TV: The Last Templar
“The Last Templar,” a four-hour mini-series set for 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25 and Monday, Jan. 26 on NBC, might be of interest to people familiar with the history of the templars.
This is not an endorsement, simply an update.
According to NBC’s Web site, the templar knights were a wealthy military force, serving as protectors of Christian pilgrims who traveled to the Holy Land in the Middle Ages.
The templar knights were said to be about nine in number, according to templar history.com. The men gathered together after the First Crusade (1095-1099) and were lead by Hughes de Payens. They offered their help to the Patriarch of Jeruselam and had the mandate of protecting Christians attempting to visit shrines sacred to their faith in the Holy Land, according to the site.
It will be interesting to see how TV translates author Raymond Khoury’s book “The Last Templar” to the small screen.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
