13 October 2010
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
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[2] Tax-Funded Art Exhibit in Loveland, Colorado, Depicted Jesus Christ in an Act of Homosexual Sodomy
[4] Charlotte, North Carolina PCUSA Church “Thanksgiving of All God’s Creatures” Service in Honor of World Animal Day
[7] Presbyterian Church in Cuba Growing through Neighborhood Emphasis
[8] Free Church of Scotland Announces 2011 Moderator Designate
[9] Calvin Theological Seminary Professor Asks Convocation “Church Planters or Undertakers?”
[11] 3rd Annual Colorado Springs Reformation Day Conference Scheduled 29-31 October 2010
[12] October 2010 Reformation Voice Available for Download
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In 1962, Iowa amended its constitution to end the direct election of judges and substitute a system where Iowa Supreme Court (ISC) judges are appointed to an eight-year term, then face a retention vote in the general election where a majority of the electorate decides yea or nay on whether the judge gets to serve another eight year term. Other Iowa judges are appointed to a six-year term before facing a retention vote.
In April 2009, all seven justices of the ISC ruled against the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act, contending that the legislation violated the equal protection clause of the constitution. Three of the seven ISC justices face a retention vote in the upcoming November 2010 general election, and are facing organized efforts to unseat the three judges from the ISC.
One of the campaigns, called “Operation Jeremiah,” has been launched by the Rev. Cary Gordon, a pastor at Cornerstone World Outreach (CWO) in Sioux City, Iowa. A 3 September 2010 letter on CWO stationary signed by Pastor Gordon was sent to Iowa pastors, urging them to join Operation Jeremiah and encouraging congregation members voting in the November election to vote against retaining the three justices.
A 30 September 2010 article by Jason Hancock in The Iowa Independent (TII) titled “Sioux City Pastor Responds to Calls for IRS Investigation” reports that a statement sent to TII by the Rev. Cary Gordon said that Christians “do not and cannot recognize, with regard to the definition of marriage, the imaginary authority of the Iowa Supreme Court.”
Pastor Gordon continued: “History has already shown who inevitably wins when state wages war against the authority of the church of the living God. So let the battle between state and church begin. True pastors, in the fashion of Christ, will not and cannot bow before the arrogance of Caesar and Herod. We have learned from our past mistakes. We will not repeat the mistake made by Lutheran pastors when confronted with German fascism….When we speak of our deepest core Christian beliefs in a public forum, we are often accused of ‘shoving our religion down people’s throats.’ When we speak of those exact same beliefs inside our own churches, we are often accused of ‘bringing politics into the church.’ We tire of the hypocrisy of those who seek to ensconce secular humanism as the state religion of the United States of America, in violation of the original intent of the First Amendment.”
A 30 September 2010 press release in response to the actions of Pastor Gordon and CWO by the Rev. Barry Lynn, Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State stated:
“I don’t think I have ever seen a more outrageous effort to politicize churches. This deplorable scheme seeks to turn houses of worship into dens of inequity and intolerance. I call on the [Internal Revenue Service (IRS)] to move swiftly to put a stop to this outrage.
“It’s bad enough that the leaders of this church are using donations from the collection plate to fund a hardball political operation. It’s even more appalling that they are doing so in a bigoted attempt to deny civil rights to a targeted minority. This is downright shameful.”
Lynn sent a complaint to the IRS, along with a copy of Pastor Gordon’s 3 September 2010 letter to Iowa churches, that stated: “I believe this is a clear violation of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal tax law forbids 501(c)(3) organizations [non-profit charities], including churches, from intervening in elections in support of or opposition to any candidate. I urge you to investigate this matter promptly and apply appropriate penalties under the law.”
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+ The Iowa Independent, c/o The American Independent, 1825 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Suite 625, Washington DC 20009, 202-387-3669, Fax: 202-387-3673, hanaa@tainews.org
+ Iowa Supreme Court, 1111 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50319, 515-281-3952, Contact Page
+ Americans United for Separation of Church and State, 518 C Street Northeast, Washington DC 20002, 202-466-3234, Fax: 202-466-2587, americansunited@au.org
+ Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20224, 202-622-5164, Fax: 202-622-8653
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[2] Tax-Funded Art Exhibit in Loveland, Colorado, Depicted Jesus Christ in an Act of Homosexual Sodomy
A 4 October 2010 article by Diane Macedo of Fox News titled “Art Exhibit Depicting Jesus in a Sex Act Sparks Outrage in Colorado” reports that the tax-funded Loveland Museum Gallery in Loveland, Colorado, is hosting an art exhibit that includes a 2003 lithograph by Enrique Chagoya titled “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals,” which includes an image of Jesus Christ in an act of homosexual sodomy.
A 10 October 2010 article by Dan Frosch in the New York Times titled “Provocative Image of Christ Sets Off a Debate Punctuated With a Crowbar” reports that on 9 October 2010, Montana truck driver Kathleen Folden, wearing a tee shirt reading “My Savior Is Tougher Than Nails” entered the Loveland Museum Gallery, smashed the Plexiglas case holding the “Misadventures” lithograph, then ripped up the lithograph. Kathleen Folden told police that she had driven to Loveland from Montana with the sole purpose of destroying the lithograph. When asked by other museum visitors why she had destroyed the lithograph, Ms. Folden answered: “Because it desecrates my Lord.” Ms. Folden faces a fourth-degree felony criminal mischief charge, and was released 7 October 2010 on an anonymously posted US$350 cash bond.
In a related matter, a 4 November 2009 article by Martin Williams in The Herald titled “Christians Protest At Portrayal Of Jesus As Transsexual Woman” reports on a play titled “Jesus, Queen of Heaven” being performed at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland, which has transsexual Jo (formerly John) Clifford portraying Jesus Christ, with crucifixion wounds and a halo, as a man that wants to become a woman.
The play is produced by Glasgay!, supported by the Glasgow City Council quasi-government agency Culture and Sport Glasgow, which is the same organization that produced a 2009 art exhibit at the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow titled “Made in God’s Image,” consisting of a Bible and a container of pens along with an notice to visitors saying, “If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it.” The writings of the exhibit visitors included obscenities and profanities toward God, and satire of Genesis 1:1.
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+ Fox News, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, 888-369-4762, Fax: 212-462-6127, yourquestions@foxnews.com
+ New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018, 212- 556-1234, executive-editor@nytimes.com
+ Loveland Museum Gallery, 503 North Lincoln Avenue, Loveland, Colorado 80537, 970-962-2410
+ The Herald, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, Scotland G2 3QB, 0141- 302-7000, Fax: 0141-302-7117, On-lineEditor@theherald.co.uk
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Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) (PCUSA)’s General Assembly Mission Council apologized 8 October 2010 to thirty people who were physically or sexually abused between 1950 and 1990 in overseas mission situations, many of which were schools or boarding facilities. Most who were abused were minors whose parents served as mission workers.
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+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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A 10 October 2010 article by Jessica Milicevic in The Charlotte Observer titled “A Prayer for All Animals” reports that on 4 October 2010, Trinity Presbyterian Church (TPC) (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) of Charlotte, North Carolina, held an outdoor “Thanksgiving of All God’s Creatures” service in honor of World Animal Day where fifty dogs and one cat were blessed by a prayer led by the Rev. D.C. Horne, followed by each animal’s name being called to receive a certificate.
Suzanne Hair, chairwoman of the events committee for TPC, said the day is similar to the Roman Catholic Church‘s Blessing of the Animals ceremony, celebrated on 4 October in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
+ The Charlotte Observer, 600 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28202, 704-358-5000, acaulkins@charlotteobserver.com
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+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ The Vatican, Città del Vaticano, Rome, Italy, 39-6-69-88-35-11, Fax: 39-6-69-88-54-47, Contact Page
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A 10 October 2010 article by Crystal Garcia in The Times Herald titled “‘Coats for Kids’ Warms the Area” reports that on 8-9 October 2010, First Presbyterian Church (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) of Croswell, Michigan, hosted a ‘Coats for Kids’ event where 225 coats and other winter apparel were distributed to more than 200 people.
‘Coats for Kids’ is a community project of thirteen churches and twelve businesses. One of the event volunteers pointed out that many of the people that received coats in previous years brought back the clothing that their kids had outgrown. Any clothing remaining after the event was to be passed on to the church hosting the coat giveaway the following weekend. Monetary donations are used to buy items for families at the event who could not find the clothing items that they needed.
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+ The Times Herald, 911 Military Street, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 810-985-7171, Contact Page
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A 6 October 2010 article by Danielle Sanzone in The Record titled “Watervliet Congregation Takes Back Its Church, Joins New Presbytery” reports that the Jermain Memorial Presbyterian Church (JMPC) (Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)) in Watervliet, New York, was closed in May 2010 by the Albany Presbytery, who changed the locks and padlocked the church due to what the presbytery said was declining membership. One of the church members though, pointed out that the PCUSA had been making similar closures throughout the U.S. with at least one thing in common – a substantial endowment – US$169,000+ in JMPC’s case.
The congregation on 5 October 2010 reclaimed the church because a provision in the Jermain will had the property returned to the nearest family heir if the church ever ceased to be used. A possible heir that lives in New York City deeded the church back to the congregation in March 2010, but the matter is still in process at the New York Supreme Court.
The Albany Presbytery denied that they are after the JMPC endowment, and contend that the JMPC celebration is premature. The presbytery though, has not so far contested the March 2010 deed ceding the church back to its congregation.
The congregation has renounced the jurisdiction of the Albany Presbytery and the PCUSA, and has presumably joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, termed the “Evangelical Presbytery” in the The Record article.
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+ The Record, 501 Broadway, Troy, New York 12180, 518-270-1200, 518-270-1251, jimmurphy@journalregister.com
+ Albany Presbytery, 1915 Fifth Avenue, Troy, New York 12180, 518-273-4991, info@albanypresbytery.org
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org
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[7] Presbyterian Church in Cuba Growing through Neighborhood Emphasis
In a 9 October 2010 entry in the General Assembly Mission Council’s Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study, regional liaison for the Caribbean, with special attention to Cuba and the Caribbean and North American Council for Mission, the Rev. Tricia Lloyd-Sidle, writes that churches in the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba (PRCC) attribute their growth to their emphasis on ministry activities within their own neighborhoods.
Ms. Lloyd-Sidle continues, “…these efforts are labor intensive and require little, if any, money. Neighbors are invited to all church activities; sanctuary doors are open during the week, with members on hand to greet visitors; medicines and food, when available, are generously shared with needy families.”
Other PRCC churches provide counseling services, along with home prayer and Bible study meetings where the Gospel of Jesus Christ is presented to neighbors and friends.
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+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, Salud # 222 e/ Lealtad y Campanario, Ciudad Habana, C.P. 10200, Cuba, 53-7-862-1219, Fax: 53-7-866-8819, presbit@enet.cu
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[8] Free Church of Scotland Announces 2011 Moderator Designate
A 7 October 2010 article in the Stornoway Gazette Titled “Free Church Announce Moderator Designate” reports that the Free Church of Scotland (FCS) has announced the Rev. James Maciver, minister of Knock Free Church, Isle of Lewis, Scotland, as the FCS Moderator Designate for 2011.
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+ Stornoway Gazette, 10 Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS12XE, Scotland, 01851-702-687, newsdesk@stornowaygazette.co.uk
+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LS, 0131-226-5286, Fax: 0131-220-0597, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk
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[9] Calvin Theological Seminary Professor Asks Convocation “Church Planters or Undertakers?”
In a 9 September 2010 Convocation at Calvin Theological Seminary for new and returning students, Associate Professor of Old Testament the Rev. Carl Bosma presented a message titled “Church Planters or Undertakers?” where he lamented the overwhelming lack of church growth in the U.S., asking if it is because seminaries are turning out graduates who are good preachers and can serve as the resident theologians of their churches, instead of graduating ministers whose heart and passion is to start new churches to help further the Kingdom of God.
Mr. Bosma commented: “This situation suggests that it is high time to focus our attention on evangelism and church planting.” The church needs to accept the fact that “the continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for the numerical growth of the body of Christ, the renewal of existing churches, and the overall impact of the church on the culture of any city.”
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+ Calvin Theological Seminary, 3201 Burton Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546, 800-388-6034, Fax: 616-957-6101
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org
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The 2010 Mid-Michigan Conference on Reformed Theology is scheduled for 30 October 2010 at the Calvary Presbyterian Church (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) in Flint, Michigan.
Dr. Joel Beeke and Dr. David Murray will be speaking on the conference theme of “Reformation Family Living in the 21st Century.”
Tickets are US$12.00, and lunch will be provided for US$5.00. A link to the conference brochure with a registration form is available here:
http://reformingmichigan.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/mid-michigan-conference-on-reformed-theology/
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+ Reforming Michigan, c/o Calvary Presbyterian Church, 6100 Richfield Road, Flint, Michigan 48506, 989-867-4451
+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org
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[11] 3rd Annual Colorado Springs Reformation Day Conference Scheduled 29-31 October 2010
The 3rd annual Colorado Springs Reformation Day Conference is scheduled for 29-31 October 2010 at the Springs Reformed Church (Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA)) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Speaking on the conference theme “John Calvin: The Person, Pastor, & Professor” will be Dr. Richard C. Gamble, Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Further conference information will be available in the near future at:
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+ Colorado Springs Reformation Day Conference
+ Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), 7408 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-731-1177, Fax: 412-731-8861
+ Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 7418 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-731-8690, Fax: 412-731-4834, info@rpts.edu
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[12] October 2010 Reformation Voice Available for Download
The October 2010 Reformation Voice on Lord’s Day Two is available for download at the Heidelberg Reformation Association website.
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+ Heidelberg Reformation Association, Rev. Howard Sloan, Secretary, 5543 Business 220, Bedford, Pennsylvania 15522
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