Black church celebrates collective dream … and its fulfillment
Those who attended the annual Martin Luther King holiday observance at St. John Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday were reminded once again that the movement led by King and other civil rights leaders started in the black church.
In fact, like King, many of those legendary leaders were and are ministers themselves.
“It has been the black church that has been our shelter,” Oklahoma City Ward 7 Councilman Skip Kelly, said to the large crowd gathered.
Everyone knows the influence the black church has, he said, just look at one of the biggest controversies of President-elect Barack Obama’s candidiacy — his membership at Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ and several sermons preached by its then-pastor Jeremiah Wright.
The holiday observance was filled with allusions to the black faith community’s sense of hope, an expectancy born of faith in God for a brighter day. These ideas have their roots or foundation in the biblical Israelites’ quest for freedom from slavery and oppression. God did indeed bring them out — parted the Red Sea and lead them to the Promised Land, pastors have told many a congregation year after year.
Sunday was no different.
“We thank you Lord because we believe he’s (Obama) the realization of Dr. Kings dream,” the Rev. Bobby Best, senior pastor of Greater Cleaves CME Church, said.
The choir sang several songs, including “Blessed” — a uptempo song that proclaims “We’re blessed in the city! We’re blessed in the field! We’re blessed when we come and when we go!…”
People clapped and swayed to the music as they sang another verse of the song’: “Late in the midnight hour, God’s going to turn it around! He’s going to work in our favor!”
Meanwhile listening to the speakers, I was transported back to my visit to Atlanta in 2004.
I’d gone there with a group of women from my church to attend a religious conference. We used our visit to take time to see some of the places we’d always heard about — one of them being Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King’s father, Martin Sr., had been a longtime pastor.
Seeing the place where King received his spiritual nourishment, so to speak, I was surprised to see how small the church was.
The church had recently opened a new larger facility across the street, but it was in the smaller Ebenezer where young Martin Jr. had experienced the love, faith and vitality that moves through black churches all over the country.
It occurred to me on Sunday that the power of the church, fueled by God, could not and can not be contained in four walls. It had to and has to propel people to march, to educate themselves, to fight against injustice in all its many forms.
Doesn’t matter how big or small the church is, it is what the people of God do with their faith and the divine power given them.
Former State Sen. Angela Monson said it best. She reminded the audience that Obama has challenged people to serve their communities today when many of them have the day off for the King holiday.
And the spirit of service should not just be one day only, particular for church congregations, Monson said.
“We are His hands. We are His feet so we have to step up to the plate. If we want the change to come, we must be the change that we seek,” she said.
Yes, she said it’s “our time.
“We must accept our calling and do what needs to be done. Say ‘I’m here Lord. Use me’.”
Meanwhile, the words to the song that traditionally ends the annual King holiday observance, seemed especially appropriate, given the hour.
The lyrics to the Rev. Charles Tindley’s song were rich with meaning, as people gathered not just to celebrate King’s life, but Tuesday’s historic inauguration of America’s first black president.
King and those who marched with him sang the song as they trekked for the sake of the civil rights cause:
We shall overcome
We shall overcome some day
Deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome
some day.
I had the feeling on Sunday that, yes, deep in their hearts, many in the crowd, did believe.
They were united with King in that sense.
Israel Houghton at inauguration
Contemporary Christian recording artist Israel Houghton is set to perform at the 2009 Heroes Red, White and Blue Inaugural Ball at the Warner Theatre on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
I recently interviewed Houghton, who will be performing in concert 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at the SpiritBank Event Center in Tulsa on the “Hello Love” tour with Chris Tomlin.
Houghton was excited about performing at the inaugural ball and said he planned to sing his song “The Power of One” from his upcoming album of the same name. The compilation is set for release on March 24.
Houghton is best known for his songs like “Friend of God” and “Say So.” He is the worship leader at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston.
Others performing at the Heroes Ball include Gospel recording artists Donnie McClurkin and Bebe and CeCe Winans.
Look for my story on Houghton in a future edition of The Oklahoman. And for ticket information to the Tulsa concert, click here: Hello Love.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
More on “Faith of Barack Obama”
Author Stephen Mansfield (pictured at right) had much to say about his new book “The Faith of Barack Obama.”
As promised in today’s edition of The Oklahoman, here is more of my Q&A interview with Mansfield:
Q: In a brief synopsis about your book, you said that you think Obama will continue some of Bush’s faith-based initiatives and that he would probably continue some of the policies oriented toward bringing faith in the public square. Can you talk about that?
A: Most Democrat politicians of the last few decades, even if they were people of faith themselves like Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, came into office, they said they had a faith, they talked about their faith publicly, but they also believed in separation of church and state, that they wouldn’t bring their faith to bear in the Oval Office, that they would simply do the will of the people.
Barack Obama is different. Barack Obama absolutely says ‘I am a Christian of a certain kind and I am going to bring my faith to bear in the Oval Office. I’m going to welcome clergy in. I’m going to make a case for some policies from the basis of my faith.’ For example, he says he’s going to continue Bush’s faith-based initiatives. So that’s the difference with Barack Obama. He’s a Democrat and a left-leaning politician who is not saying I’m going to be secular about my approach to public policy. He’s saying I’m going to bring my theological liberalism and my Christianity to bear on what’s going on in the Oval Office and the policies of my administration. He’s going to be as faith-based as George (W.) Bush is, but it’s going to be coming from a different kind of Christian theology, a very liberal form of Christian theology.
Q: Can you think of anything else you would like to add?
A: I think the big thing that people need to be watching is what happens at the inaugural service and the church that Obama chooses. I think the inaugural service is when the president sort of gets to give his theological stamp. There will be some sort of prayer and there will probably be allusions to faith in his speeches. And of course, sometime soon he’s going to have to choose a church in
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Weighty matters for Big Daddy Weave
Big Daddy Weave’s lead singer and guitarist Mike Weaver is trying to lose 90 pounds this year and he’s inviting others to join him in his weight loss endeavor.
He’s created the “90 in ’09 Challenge” and folks can sign up at www.90in09.com. Fans can follow his programs and send in their own photographs and track their successes.
“Our bodies are temples that God created,” Weaver (shown above, center)said in a news release. “I want to restore and take better care of what He has provided, as well as create a place to motivate and teach others to do the same. With 90 in ’09, we’ll all be held more accountable because we won’t be able to hid the scales.”
Participants can access healthy food recipes, exercise techniques and meet the challenge’s support team lead by Dr. Asa Andrew, who is also known as “America’s Health Coach” and Scott Reall, YMCA Restore Ministries founder and executive director.
Those who listen to KLOVE will be hearing about the challenge since the radio network is one of the challenge’s media partners.
We’ll have to stay updated and informed as Weaver takes on this timely challenge.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
On TV: Ted Haggard
Ted Haggard, the high profile Colorado pastor who resigned from his post as National Association of Evangelicals presidents in disgrace in 2006, is to be the subject of a new documentary this month.
The documentary, “The Trials of Ted Haggard,” is to air on HBO on Jan. 29.
The evangelical faith community was rocked when a former male prostitute came forth in 2006 to say that the pastor had paid him to have sex with him and to acquire methamphetamine.
Haggard subsequently confessed to ”sin” and he and his church, New Life Church in Colorado Springs, parted ways.
Haggard, apparently still is married to his wife. He is reportedly promoting the new documentary. It reportedly gives a glimpse of Haggard’s life and reexamines the scandal.
(AP PHOTO: Ted Haggard is shown in a 2005 photo.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Narnia no more?
Disney and Walden Media, the two companies who colloborated on the first two “Chronicles of Narnia” movies, have apparently decided to drop plans for the third film in the series “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”
That’s news that has more to do with money than with problems associated with the “Narnia” series’ faith content, Ted Baehr with MovieGuide said this week.
Baehr, in a news release, said one news report about the “Dawn Treader” film took his words of out of context to “make Disney’s decision look like one of the parties in Hollywood was concerned about the movie’s faith content.
“The fact is neither Disney nor Walden has hesitated from including faith in their movies.”
Baehr, author of the book “The Media-Wise Family,” said the book “Dawn Treader” has the least amount of time with Aslan, who is the Jesus figure in the beloved children’s fiction series by Christian author C.S. Lewis.
“It was much more logical that the economics of the movie did not make sense than that there was a concern over the Christian content of the book,” Baehr said in the news release.
Baehr described “Dawn Treader” as more of a travelogue than a well-structured movie. Movies, he said, require very strong, carefully plotted storylines. Of all the Narnia books, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is the most cinematic, Baehr said, “so from an economic point of view, paying more for ‘Dawn Treader’ does not make sense.”
As a reader of the Narnia series (as a pre-teen) and a subsequent fan of both Disney/Walden films “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian,” I can’t help but be a little disappointed that ”Dawn Treader” won’t make it to the big screen.
Baehr’s words about economics ring true, however.
I wonder how other fans of the “Narnia” series and films will feel once they discover this latest bit of news?
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
We knew her first
Many Oklahomans, particulary Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) members, are proud that former Bartlesville pastor Sharon Watkins is poised to become the first woman to preach at the National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral come Jan. 21.
The service will be attended by the new president, vice president and a host of other clergy, dignitaries and lay people.
I interviewed Watkins in July 2005, right after she was elected to lead the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She was the first woman to lead that 700,000-member group.
Watkins, 54, was still pastor of Disciples Christian Church in Bartlesville when I talked to her.
I learned that she has diverse background.
She is an Indianapolis native (which is where the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) headquarters are located) and daughter of an ordained Disciples pastor. She graduated from college with a degree in French and a degree in economics.
After college she took a volunteer position as a Disciples adult literacy missionary to Zaire (now Congo).
She was ordained as a Disciples pastor in 1984.
Here’s what she had to say about being the first woman to lead her denomination:
“In a church process like this, you want it to be a process of discernment about who God is calling. At each step along the way, I had to reflect harder and pray harder to be sure within myself that I would be ready and willing to move forward.
“At this particular time, given my background, this is who God is calling. It’s a very exciting time for our church. The fact that I’m a woman is just part of the timing.”
(STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL The Rev. Sharon Watkins, then pastor of Disciples Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), stands in the Bartlesville church’s sanctuary in July 2005.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Exploring the Holocaust in movies
My column in The Oklahoman today focused on the interesting fact that six Holocaust themes movies have premiered in recent weeks or will shortly premiere in the coming weeks.
The idea for the column came to me after reading an article on the subject in the Dec. 8 issue of Newsweek.
I thought readers might like to read that article by Annette Insdorf.
If you are interested inInsdorf’s Newsweek article, following this link: “Nazis and the Movies”
(AP PHOTO: Actors Jason Isaacs and Viggo Mortensen arrive for the premiere of “Good” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage Dec. 11 in New York.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Community cheerleader passes away
Scott Manley, executive director of Cornerstone Assistance Network and coordinator of ShareFest OKC, died early today.
Manley had recently been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.
The news of his illness and then his death came as quite a shock to me.
I have worked with him for several years as I covered ShareFest OKC, a day when Oklahoma City metro area churches spread out into the community to conduct a wide range of community service projects.
Manley made an impression on me because he always said ShareFest was a way to bring the churches together for a cause that is and should be near and dear to their hearts: providing aid to their communities. About 82 churches participated in last year’s ShareFest.
News of Manley’s passing brought to mind a statement he made during our interview right before last year’s ShareFest. I quoted him on it:
“You have to show the ‘good news’ before you preach the ‘good news,’” he said. “If people can see Jesus, if they can see the love demonstrated, then they can better understand when you start talking about it.”
Inspirational words from someone who always seemed to be full of the “good news.”
His passionate efforts on behalf of ShareFest and the community as a whole inspired many clergy and lay leaders fulfilling the mission of their local churches.
He will be missed.
For more information about ShareFest, visit the ShareFest Web site at www.Sharefestokc.org.
(STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL Scott Manley, director of the Cornerstone Assistance Network, shows some ShareFest OKC materials April 7, 2008.)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Joe the plumber has faith
T
he man known to most Americans as “Joe The Plumber” recently talked to an Ohio radio station about his future plans.
Joe, whose last name is Wurzelbacher, made national news during the presidential election campaign when he met then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama who was out campaigning and took issue with Obama’s proposed tax plan. Eventually he became a household name after then-Republican presidential candidate John McCain brought him up during one of the presidential debates.
Wurzelbacher is back in the new. His recent comments were featured as the Religion News Services’s “Quote of the Day” on Thursday.
“Being a Christian, I’m pretty well protected by God. That’s not saying he’s going to stop a mortar for me, but you gotta take the chance,” he told WNWO-TV in Toledo, Ohio, about his plans to report from the Middle East for a conservative Christian Web site, www.pjtv.com. The RNS reports that he was quoted by The Washington Post.
Guess the plumber’s 15 minutes of fame just keep getting longer and longer.
(AP PHOTO ABOVE)
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
