Kirk Franklin heading to OKC
It’s official: Gospel recording artist Kirk Franklin is bringing his “Fight of Our Life Health Tour” to Oklahoma City on Nov. 22. 
Franklin’s concert will be at 6 p.m. at Fairview Baptist Church, 1700 NE 7. The concert is free and will feature guest appearances by local Gospel artist Sean Johnson and Wings of Harmony, a performing arts ensemble.
The tour is in partnership with the American Heart Assocation’s Power to End Stroke initiative. Franklin performed in concert in Tulsa over the summer. An Oklahoma City concert was planned, but officials were working with Franklin’s busy schedule and trying to find an Oklahoma City location to host the event. Many people had been asking me if a date had been set for the Oklahoma City concert so I’m glad that I can finally give them some facts.
I just saw Franklin perform at the 2009 Woman Thou Art Loosed Conference at Bishop T.D. Jake’s church The Potter’s House in Dallas, Texas. He was, as usual, outstanding. As part of the upcoming health tour, the Grammy Award-winning artist will encourage concert-goers to pledge to take control of their health, reduce their risk of stroke and learn the warning signs of stroke.
Save the date.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Ryan’s legacy
Covering religion and spirituality means that I’m often surrounded by uplifting stories that touch my heart.
Such is the case of the story of Ryan McAfee, 19, (pictured below) the young man who was killed in a car accident earlier this year.
Ryan’s story, chronicled in today’s Oklahoman, is one that blends life and death and faith and hope all in one.
Kellye Medley, a family friend of the McAfees, said organizers of tonight’s Matthew West concert expect between 2,500 and 3,000 people to show up for the event.![Ryan_McAfee_-_2009-2-233x300[1]](http://blog.newsok.com/religionandvalues/files/2009/10/Ryan_McAfee_-_2009-2-233x3001.jpg "Ryan_McAfee_-_2009-2-233x300[1]")
Matthew West heard about Ryan McAfee after West’s song “The Motions” was played at the young man’s funeral. The McAfee family had learned that Ryan McAfee had posted the lyrics to the song on his last posting on his Facebook wall.
West was so interested in Ryan’s story that he’s kicking off his multi-city tour in Ryan’s hometown of McAlester tonight and Lance McAfee, 22, Ryan’s brother, will be going on tour with West to share his brother’s story with thousands of West’s fans.
“I get to encourage brothers and sisters, Christians and non-Christians alike,” Lance McAfee told me. “I get to tell them that we’re here to serve Christ and to serve others by giving our all today.”
The McAfee family said they were especially pleased that even in death, Ryan touched people and helped guide them to the Lord. His mother, Linda McAfee said about 15 young people gave their lives to Christ during an altar call at the youth’s funeral.
Ryan’s father, Danny McAfee said young people have come up to him to tell him that Ryan led them to the Lord.
“He inspired people,” Danny McAfee said.
The Rev. Kevin Meridth is the family’s pastor at Second Baptist Church in McAlester.
He said he was not surprised that so much has happened as a result of the faith-filled life that Ryan McAfee led and his last Facebook posting.
He said the youth was a “young man of great character and integrity.”
Meridth said he preached the eulogy at McAfee’s funeral and was thrilled when young people responded to the altar call that was suggested by the family.
“From a pastor’s standpoint, he (Ryan) lived his life in such a way that his testimony preached his own funeral.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Freemasons the focus of new Dan Brown book
OK, it’s official.
Freemasons are an integral part of “The Lost Symbol,” the new Dan Brown book released today.
I saw Brown’s interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” show this morning and he said as much as he and Lauer talked about some of the key elements in the book.
Saturday’s LIFE section featured a Religion News Service story about masons around the country preparing for people’s curiousity should their fraternal organization be featured prominently in the book. Also, I wrote a story about a top leader in the Oklahoma Grand Lodge, a masons’ organization representing about 250 masonic groups in the state, who said he has been preparing his masons groups for inquisitive “Symbol” readers.
Looks like they were right to be prepared.
In today’s television interivew, tt was interesting to hear Brown tell why he chose to focus his literary attention on the masons this time around. Most of us can recall that the Vatican was the subject of “The Da Vinci Code.” That fiction book stirred up controversy in Rome and other religious circles for its less than pleasant portrayal of the Catholic Church and its assertion that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelane and fathered a child with her.
Anyway, Brown said the masons drew his interest because they are a spiritually-aware group that welcomes not just Christians, but Muslims, Jews and others who believe in God or a higher power. Although they are open in that way, they are still somewhat ”secretive” Brown said.
It seems that that he felt that so-called secretive nature made a good subject for this latest book.
I plan on getting “The Lost Symbol” this week because now I’m interested to see if it lives up to all the hype about secret societies and such.
Interestingly enough, Jim Tresner, 67, the spokesman for the Oklahoma Grand Lodge in Guthrie, said he enjoyed Brown’s bestseller “The Da Vinci Code” and he is also looking forward to reading “The Lost Symbol.”
Tresner, who has been a mason since he was 21, said he is just as curious as everyone else about the book’s premise and how it portrays his beloved masons.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
She’s playing our song: “Stand Together”
Oklahoma native and contemporary Christian recording artist Jami Smith (pictured below) is offering her new song “Stand Together” to churches, hoping congregations will help spread her message of love conquering hat through faith.
Smith is to sing “Stand Together” at today’s 14th Annual Remembrance Ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Musuem, 620 N Harvey. The ceremony is set for 8:55 a.m.
Smith, known widely as a worship leader, wrote the song after being inspired by the symbols of faith that help so many to heal after tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing.
“This is an act that affected an entire community, and together in faith, we have shown that there is far more good in this world than evil,” Kari Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum executive director, said in a news release.
“Stand Together really does encapsulate the hope and the resilience this community has shown a nation in the face of terrorism. It celebrates love and unity and the power of standing together — united.”
“Stand Together” is available for download at www.jamismith.com for 99 cents per download. Churches can also request lyrics to the song. Sheet music is also being created for worship leaders to play for their congregations. Half of the proceeds for each download of the song on www.jamismith.com will benefit the memorial.
“It was really important for me to capture the faith and prayer and loving thoughts of the thousands of lives that are changed by their visit to the Memorial,” Smith said in a news release.
“You can see it in the things that are left at the fence and in the notes and comments from visitors that our community, in its faith, has shown the world God’s grace through the lessons of the memorial.”
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
Manley is surely smiling today
Everyone I’ve ever talked to who knew Scott Manley (pictured at right) has always had good things to say about him.
Not just good things, great things. They fairly gushed about Manley, who was a longtime Oklahoma ministry leader and founder of Cornerstone Assistance Network.
He was very passionate about ministry and thus he nurtured ShareFest OKC accordingly.
Manley passed away in January but ShareFest, area churches’ one-day community service blitz, continues on today.
He’s surely smiling as he sees thousands of church volunteers fan out into the metro area to perform service projects in the surrounding community (See www.ShareFestOKC.org).
I don’t think it’s a stretch of imagination for me to say that. I only have to think about Manley’s comments during previous interviews to know that he was proud of churches participating in the annual community service effort. He said it was a way for churches to show the love of Jesus in many, many ways.
Here’s what he said:
Manley speaking of ShareFest in 2008: “You have to show the ‘good news’ before you preach the ‘good news. If people can see Jesus, if they can see the love demonstrated, then they can better understand when you start talking about it.”
In 2007: ”The Gospel has two components — word and deed. The mandate is on the church to touch the people who are on Christ’s heart, which I think would be the widows, the orphans and poor and afflicted.”
In 2005: It’s a way, I think, of highlighting what the churches in the area are doing, so it’s like everyone getting their lights together to shine in the darkness.”
I doubt anyone could have said it any better than that.
Carla Hinton
Religion Editor
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
