The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

10,000 Bibles reach troops through their headphones

Audio Bibles for American Troops

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, July 1 /Christian Newswire/ — Fourth of July is when Americans celebrate their freedom and gather for cook outs, parades and fireworks. It’s also a time to honor our nation’s troops. Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, is honoring America’s military through the Military BibleStick project. “We felt burdened to bring the Word of God in audio to our troops,” said Morgan Jackson, the ministry’s international director. “So, we developed a special, portable Audio Bible for the military, loaded it with the entire New Testament and sent them to chaplains who contacted us and requested them.”

Northwest School District bans religious and political promotions

By Traci Scott,

Volunteers will no longer be able to talk with students at length about religion or politics in Marysville schools, located in Snohomish County, Washington.  Superintendent Larry Nyland issued new guidelines recently that limit how much volunteers can discuss religion and politics with students.  Nyland consulted with an attorney after a mother complained in March that a 19-year old volunteer at Totem Middle School had used MySpace to offer her 11-year old daughter a ride to church.  The invitation caused friction between advocates for the separation of church and state and those who believe church volunteers, such as pastors and youth group leaders, are being unfairly targeted.

Church-state divide looms for Episcopalians on gay marriage

By Daniel Burke, Religion News Service

(UNDATED) Episcopal bishops from the six states that have legalized same-sex marriage are requesting permission to adapt their church’s venerable prayer book for use at same-sex weddings.  The proposal presents a new challenge to the Episcopal Church as it seeks to balance respect for gay rights with fellow Anglicans’ widespread condemnation of homosexuality.  The request from bishops in Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont will be debated at the Episcopal Church’s upcoming (July 8-17) General Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Oregon Honor Israel event celebrates shared values

By Traci Scott, Faith Reporter

Oregon recently played host to two successful “Night to Honor Israel” events, which are sponsored by Christians United for Israel, a coalition of more than 250,000, and have been held in 95 cities since 2006. “Night to Honor Israel” is a non-conversionary tribute to the nation of Israel and the Jewish people of the world. Its purpose is to promote respect and understanding between Christians and Jews and to emphasize the things that we hold in common, rather than accent our religious differences.

New book touts religion rise, naturalism decline

Los Angeles (June 25, 2009) — Sociologists, historians, and economists have been diligently mining the mounting evidence for how and why religion, especially Christianity, is flourishing globally and succeeding in the U.S. despite secularist predictions.  “Reasons abound for how and why ‘God is back.’ But there appears to be an evident theme,” says J.P. Moreland, Biola University’s Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and one of the most distinguished philosophers of religion in North America. “Religion, and especially the Judeo-Christian worldview, stubbornly resists explanation by the worldview of naturalism and her elites, which empowers secularism. Consequently, genuine religious phenomena are helping to falsify secularism and the process of secularization.”  Moreland, an award-winning author and seasoned cultural observer, expands upon his vast corpus of philosophical writing and research in a recent book about how naturalism fails to give us satisfying explanations concerning basic human facts.

Lessons from sexual scandals

By Randy Alcorn
Eternal Perspectives Ministries, Sandy Oregon

Author of Bestselling book, Heaven

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has joined a long line of leaders, both secular and Christian, who have committed adultery.  Someone suggested, in light of this, that I post about fleeing and resisting sexual temptation. First, consider this from God’s Word: “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.” (Proverbs 6:25-29).

Notice that both men and women are held accountable for adultery. It is never an excuse that someone tried to seduce you, but you should always be on your guard against seduction, including the media seduction that lures us toward impurity.

I vividly remember meeting with a man who had been a leader in a Christian organization until he committed immorality.

India closer to removing anti-conversion laws

CARROLLTON, Texas, June 26 /Christian Newswire/ — The newly elected Indian government, led by the moderate Congress party, is taking a strong stand against anti-conversion legislation that has restricted religious freedom in the nation. They plan to block bills introduced in a number of states by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). This is very encouraging news for Christians and other minorities in the nation. Dr. K.P. Yohannan, president of Gospel for Asia, gladly welcomed the news of the Indian government’s recent stand.

Faith Film Review: Transformers2

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PG-13):
By Catholic Film Reviews.org,

Overlong, mindlessly violent action adventure sequel in which a college freshman (Shia LaBeouf) and his girlfriend (Megan Fox) assist a group of friendly, shape-shifting alien robots as they battle to defend humanity against the designs of a hostile horde of similar creatures. Derived from the back story of a line of Hasbro toys, director Michael Bay’s globe-trotting explosion fest offers only a modicum of human interest amid the thunderous special effects. Also shown in Imax. Pervasive action violence, brief rear nudity, brief nongraphic nonmarital sexual activity, drug use, occasional rough and crude and some crass language, and frequent sexual references. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L—limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling.

HarperOne to Publish The Pink Ribbon Bible

One Dollar From Each Consumer Purchase Will Go Towards The Pink Ribbon Girls, a Nonprofit Organization Dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness, Education, Early Detection, and Support.  May 2009, San Francisco: HarperOne, publisher of the NRSV, announces the publication of The Pink Ribbon Bible (HarperOne; September 2009; $24.99; ISBN 9780061917448) in time for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

Beautifully packaged and portable, this limited edition Bible was developed for the 11,000 young women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the next year, and the more than 250,000 women under the age of 40 already living with this disease.

Result of first ever Oregon church survey

By Oregon Family Council,

96% of churches surveyed offer Marriage and Family support
94% offer practical aid for People in Need
93% offer Personal Growth and Development assistance
92% are engaged in meaningful Community Service
87% extend their ministry through National and International Outreach
74% actively provide Recovery ministries

All too often the debate surrounding religion in public life centers on issues like allowing a nativity scene on public property or prayer around a public school flagpole.  Yet, lost in this discussion is the critical truth that churches make a tremendous contribution to the lives of individuals, families and the greater community. That’s why the Oregon Family Council Education Foundation sponsored a research project called, The Good Neighbor Church in Society Survey.  In March 2009, over 2000 churches received surveys.  Of these, 352 churches from more than 50 denominational affiliations, and every corner of the state participated.

Rock star, Lenny Kravitz, talks about living chaste

From the London Telegraph,

Lenny Kravitz: “It took years to get it right. To actually do it, and really try to walk the walk and not just talk it. It’s not like it’s not important – I think sex and intimacy and all that is very important. It’s just that I’m going to do it with my wife.” He laughs. “And not everybody else.”

Telegraph Newspaper: This summer, not long after he turns 45, it will be four years. The final trigger came after a night in the Carlyle Hotel in New York. (His apartment was under renovation.) “I was doing my normal thing and I was with somebody, and I remember waking up in the morning thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ It’s not that I was all over the place.

Medford based Mercy Flights gives global help

Medical Teams International,

Medford-based Mercy Flights Air and Ground Ambulance did what it always does when a call for help comes in. It jumped to respond. Only this time, the call came from Sri Lanka and its fledgling Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program. Tigard-based Medical Teams International has been working for three years in Sri Lanka to develop EMT’s and ambulance services.  Since the devastating Tsunami of 2004, a strong Oregon connection has been built with participating emergency services agencies and paramedics.

Obama talks immigration at Hispanic prayer breakfast

by Lindsay Perna
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON — President Obama committed to comprehensive immigration reform Friday (June 19) at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in a speech that was laden with religious language but short on policy specifics. “We know there is much more work to be done to extend the promise of a better life to all our children and grandchildren,” Obama said. “In all that we do, we must be guided by that simple command that binds all great religions together: Love thy neighbor as thyself.”  Many of the Latino religious leaders at the breakfast, as well as several prominent members of Obama’s faith advisory council, have been lobbying in recent weeks for substantial immigration reform.

Woodburn bombing victim forgives accused assailants

By Traci Scott, Faith Report

Scott Russell remembers almost nothing from the afternoon six months ago when the Woodburn police chief nearly died.   On December 12, he and two officers responded to a bomb threat at a local bank. The bomb was discovered in some bushes, but the officers thought it was a fake and took it inside to work on it. The explosion critically injured Russell, who lost his right leg, and killed State Police Senior Trooper William Hakim and Woodburn Capt. Tom Tennant. As with much of the bombing, he instead focuses on what lies ahead, Russell said in his first interview with reporters since the bombing. “Deep down inside, my belief is that I have a bigger mission to fulfill,” he said. “There’s a lot left for me to do.”

Pastor of one of Oregon’s largest churches steps down

Rolling Hills Community Church Pastor steps down after 31 years of incredible growth.
By Traci Scott,

Dale Ebel, founding pastor of Tualatin’s Rolling Hills Community Church, recently stepped down in his role as senior pastor after 31 years of service.   Today, between 2,700 and 3,200 attend the two Sunday services.   Ebel is a native Oregonian and a resident of West Linn since 1978.  In 1975, Ebel was returning to Oregon for graduate work at Portland’s Western Seminary when he sensed a call to start a church.  After he finished his Master of Divinity degree, four families who were friends of the Ebels asked him to be their pastor.  Together, they established Rolling Hills Community Church in February, 1978, at first meeting in family homes.  They then rented a public elementary school in Lake Oswego for six years before moving into their current Tualatin location in 1984.

B.C. Cartoon issues first ever religious themed collection

NEW BOOK: I Did It His Way:  A collection of B.C. Religious Comic Strips is

(Nashville, Tenn.) The talented creator of B.C. and co-creator of The Wizard of Id, Hart delighted comic-lovers since 1958 with his quick wit and simple humor. After his well publicized conversion to Christianity in 1977, Hart began to use his faith as catalyst for his comics, despite the controversial reception of his new faith by the industry. Now, for the first time, I Did It His Way provides a collection of B.C. comics on religious themes.

UofP graduation speech: Daring call to rescue environment

“[W]e have gone way off course in terms of honoring creation. You are graduating to the most amazing, stupefying challenge ever bequested to any generation. The generations before you failed. They didn’t stay up all night. They got distracted and lost sight of the fact that life is a miracle every moment of your existence. Nature beckons you to be on her side. “ — Paul Hawken

Commencement: Healing or Stealing? By Paul Hawken
University of Portland Commencement Address 2009.
Watch The Video Here,

When I was invited to give this speech, I was asked if I could give a simple short talk that was “direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful.” No pressure there.  Let’s begin with the startling part. Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating. Kind of a mind-boggling situation… but not one peer-reviewed paper published in the last thirty years can refute that statement. Basically, civilization needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades.

Survey Reveals Gap Between Church Budget vs. Actuals

Expert roundtable explores how churches are easing the strain

CAROL STREAM, Ill.,  — Your Church magazine recently surveyed nearly 1,100 church leaders to better understand the ways their churches spend money and prioritize budgets, as well as their views of the current economic situation. The results of the survey reveal an increasing gap between income and projected expenses for churches. According to the survey results, tithes and offerings, which comprise an average of 87 percent of the average church’s budget, have declined for 40 percent of the churches surveyed within the past six months. At the same time, 32 percent say budgets have increased between 2 to 10 percent over last year’s expenses.

Father’s Day: What is a real man?

By Rick Johnson,
Better Dads Ministry, Oregon

Seek justice, Encourage the oppressed
Defend the cause of the fatherless
Plead the case of the widow
Isaiah 1:17 (NKJV)

In the first part of this series we looked at what authentic masculinity was not—now let’s look at what it is. I am optimistic that there is a new kind of masculinity taking hold in this country. Men want to lead more rewarding lives and are recognizing that living for others is the path to true satisfaction.