The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

From Betsy Maynard,
Oregon Family Council

On Friday, the Judiciary Committee heard testimony on a bill that would begin the process of allowing cities to regulate and zone nude dancing establishments.  We believe sexually oriented businesses are bad for Oregon families, and neighborhoods and that HJR 42 would be a positive step toward allowing communities to zone sexually oriented businesses.

It is not rare to see nude dancing establishments just up the street from a public library or park.  Sexual addiction, fed by strip clubs, leads to escalation and a desire for increasingly graphic or violent activities, desensitization, and finally acting out sexually.  This does nothing to strengthen families, or protect vulnerable women and children.

Medical Teams International,

Portland, Ore., April 27, 2009 — Medical Teams International has rushed eight emergency health kits, valued at $3.3 million, to care for 80,000 people displaced by fighting. The Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) funded the kits shipment to Sri Lanka. While this civil war has troubled Sri Lanka for more than 25 years, observers expect fighting to end in the next weeks or months.  Government troops have pinned down rebels to a five-mile square radius.  Meanwhile 50-70,000 civilians are trapped in the war zone.  “Those are the people who need our care immediately,” says Joe DiCarlo, director of international programs for Medical Teams International.

Randy Alcorn,
Eternal Perspective Ministries
Oregon Author of Heaven

Two years ago I received an e-mail from our friends Pat and Rakel Thurman, who had been corresponding with a tour group that was going to Egypt.

This group had a special request: they hoped to find the humble grave of missionary William Borden, which was mentioned in my book The Treasure Principle. Pat and Rakel, who were missionaries in Egypt for several years, later received an e-mail and a photo from the group after they successfully found Borden’s grave.

Here’s what they wrote:

By Traci Scott,
Faith Reporter

The Luis Palau Association (LPA) has announced it will begin a two to three year expedition of Europe starting in late May with the goal of helping Europe return to its rich Christian heritage.  Following are some of the cities with planned events:

•    Paris, France: May 29-June 1, 2009
•    Iverness, Scotland:  June 19-20, 2009
•    Edinburgh, Scotland: Summer, 2011
•    Cambridge, England: TBD
•    Marseille, France: May, 2011
•    Milan, Italy: Oct. 28-Nov 3, 2009
•    Monte Carlo, Monaco: 2010
•    Belfast, Ireland: possibly 2012
•    Madrid, Spain: TBD

Weekend National News Focus:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 21 /Christian Newswire/ — The National Day of Prayer will once again be represented at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Furniture Row’s No. 78 National Day of Prayer Chevrolet will be competing in the Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup race on April 26 at the 2.66-mile oval.  This is the fourth year Furniture Row has sponsored a National Day of Prayer (NDP) car in the NASCAR race at Talladega. Last year, the NDP car and driver Joe Nemechek qualified on the pole, leaving this year’s driver, Regan Smith, with some big shoes to fill.

Faith Review: ‘State of Play’.
By Dennis Smirl,

Another conspiracy movie involving Iraq, Afghanistan and the military as backdrops. A military contract corporation sends a female operative to work for a Senator (Ben Affleck), whose committee in looking into illegal military operations. Complications set in because she falls in love with him and they become ‘involved’ and she lands up dead, along with two other people. Russell Crowe plays Cal McCaffrey, a reporter who is supposed to be a on a one-road journey to uncover the truth of why people are being killed. Being a fan of 24 and NCIS, it was most disturbing to see everyone seeking the truth but never realizing basic security measures were needed- you know, to keep people alive. Very violent movie, but well directed. Adult situations discussed but never anything onscreen.
RT rating: 80%.
My rating: Also 80%.

By Rick Johnson
Founder of BetterDads.net
Oregon Author of The Power of a Man

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you are just naturally drawn to a certain man? People like being around him. You can’t quite put your finger on what it is, but you know you like it. When he comes into a room or walks down the street people automatically notice him—they see something different about him. There’s something invigorating and compelling about him. It’s exciting and even a little dangerous to be around him. He’s calm but confident, relaxed but prepared, kind but authentic, and bold but compassionate. You feel safe and better about yourself in his presence.

You’ve just encountered authentic masculinity. It’s rare, but it’s out there.

Multnomah University News,

On April 21, the Kigali Kollection Committee successfully collected its goal of 4,018 books for Kigali Bible College in Kigali, Rwanda.  What Is the Kigali Kollection? In the summer of 2008, Africa New Life Ministries (founded by Multnomah Biblical Seminary graduate Charles Burgeya) was awarded a grant to start a Bible training school. Upon hearing the news, a group of Multnomah students pulled together to create a library for the school-the largest theological library in Rwanda.

Georgene Rice KPDQ-FM 93.9 interview with Charles Dunn, discussing his book “ The Future of Religion in American Politics”. This collection of essays provides a wide perspective of views on religion in America and assesses  its impact in four distinct time periods.

Georgene: While some argue the separation of church and state is essential in an unbiased society, others state this country was based upon Christian principles and religion should play an integral part in our government. Due to controversial issues such as gay rights, stem cell research, the posting of the Ten Commandments   and abortion, there exists a thin and thinning line between church and state. Is “separation of church and state” an appropriate phrase when describing how communities should relate to one another?

Dunn: Separation of church and state is a phrase that is not in the U.S. Constitution. It was a phrase given to us by Thomas Jefferson who was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.  What we need to do is go to the Constitution itself.

Oregon author Jeannie St. John Taylor weighs in on the internet video sensation of Susan Boyle which has been viewed by an astonishing 30 million viewers.

By Jeannie St. John Taylor ©
Oregon Author of Prayer for Troubled Times

Have you seen Susan Boyle, the suddenly-famous contestant from Britain’s Got Talent? She’s been on most English-speaking news shows around the globe over the last few days. Have you heard her sing?  Until she walked onto the stage of the talent show April 11th she was a forty-seven-year-old nobody from an unknown Scottish village – unemployed, unmarried, un-kissed, unattractive.

When she stated her age, the judges rolled their eyes and smirked; undisguised disdain played across faces in the audience. Her decision to perform was more than unconventional, it was unwanted. At that point everyone in the auditorium stood against her, as one judge later commented.

Diocesan youth missioner, Catherine Healy, is one of ten young women delegates selected across nation to participate in UN conference on worldwide status of women
By Catherine Healy,
Diocesan missioner with youth, young adults and higher education
Oregon Episcopal Church News

It was a gray winter morning in Manhattan, and I was standing in line with hundreds of other women outside United Nations Headquarters. As we inched toward the canvas security tent, blowing snowflakes out of our eyelashes and stamping our feet to keep warm, a voice behind me wailed: “I am from HOT country! Bangladesh!” So began the 53rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women last month. Fortunately, it was all uphill from there.

Weekend National Faith News Focus:

DETROIT, April 15 /Christian Newswire/ — The issues of texting and sexting continue to make headlines and highlight the need for families of faith to get back to basics and stand up against today’s over-sexed and media saturated culture. So says best-selling Catholic author, syndicated Catholic Talk Show Host, and Media Expert Teresa Tomeo.  Tomeo who recently co-authored a series of books “All Things Girl” and “All Things Guy” points to two recent stories concerning media influence that should cause families to stop and think about their own media consumption especially what their children might be doing on the cell phone or computer.

Weekend National Faith News Focus:

ALBUQUERQUE, NM, April 14 /Christian Newswire/ — Word Productions releases book by Gary Jenkinson “I Never Fly Alone” May 2009. What author Gary Jenkinson thought was coincidence at first, couldn’t have been. What was happening? Was there something else going on?  This quick-read and amazing book is the true story of Gary Jenkinson’s aviation career, and how divine intervention effected his life. Gary gives a recount that is both dramatic and exciting, confirming the supernatural power of God to protect him…to protect US!…to provide divine interventions in a life!

Living through Romania’s fearsome days of religious persecution, seminary student Gabriel Hada learned the meaning of ‘love thy enemy’
by Michael Richeson
George Fox University, Newberg

As a young Christian boy growing up in the Transylvania region of Romania, it wasn’t Dracula that Gabriel Hada feared. It was the communists.  No fictional vampire could compare with the real-life threat posed by the political party ruling the country.“I remember one night, they came and took my father,” Hada, a George Fox Evangelical Seminary student, says. “The man who took him told us: ‘Look at your father. This is the last time you will see him.’ Of course, we got really, really scared. My reaction was going to my room and yelling, crying, fighting with God.”  “The man who took him told us: ‘Look at your father. This is the last time you will see him.’”

Below is a transcript from Georgene Rice KPDQ-FM radio interview with Oregon State Senator Jason Atkinson about a gunshot accident that nearly took his life.  The story of his recovery is inspiring.

Georgene: Tell us what happened on that day in July of 2008.

Atkinson: I was working on a bike and accidentally dropped a bag I was removing from under the seat. It usually carries tubes and tools for the bike. I heard a popping noise and found myself on the ground bleeding to death. My wife quickly put her finger in the bullet hole and used a bike tube as a tourniquet. 

Psalms 23 says, “He makes me lie down”. I used to think that was optional. But it’s really not. In a split second our lives changed. I went from being the hard charging person to being made to lie down.The next several hours we didn’t know if I was going to live. In the weeks after, we didn’t know if I’d be able to keep my leg or my foot. Now it’s a matter of whether I’ll be able to stand or walk.

Holt International, Eugene Oregon

National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” program recently broadcast a segment on international adoption, and Holt’s Susan Seun-keum Cox spoke as one of the two featured guests.  This thought-provoking program entitled “Why Did You Opt for an International Adoption,” originally broadcast on April 7.  Hosted by NPR’s Neal Conan, the program explored reasons families choose international adoption and issues surrounding the process of adopting as well as parenting internationally adopted children.  The 30-minute program also included several call-in comments from parents and a sibling of an internationally adopted brother.

By Naomi Inman,
Faith Reporter

The OSU Socratic club hosted a packed house for its April 6th debate “Is Evolution Compatible with Christian Belief.” Over 500 students filled the LaSells Stewart Center for a rare opportunity to hear two Christian scientists present their views on Evolution and the Christian faith.  Unlike previous debates presenting a theist/non-theist contrast, Monday’s debate offered up divergent in-house perspectives often deliberated by Christian college students. One observer wrote in, “The debate served a great purpose in showing that thinking men, accomplished scientists, can and do believe in the Bible.”

By Beaver Believer,

Yesterday, Oregon author, Randy Alcorn, was featured on the front page of the Sunday Oregonian newspaper over his best selling book Heaven.  The former Gresham pastor’s book has hit a half million copies.   Here are some excerpts from the article.

A 2005 Newsweek poll found that 80 percent of Americans believe they’re headed to heaven but only half of them think of resurrection as a physical event, one that will include a new body for every believer… Reality or metaphor?  His book “Heaven,” in its 16th printing, is among several recent books that focus on physical resurrection and afterlife as core teachings of Christianity. Their authors disagree with liberal Christians who believe resurrection is a metaphor and that too much emphasis on heaven distracts believers from their role in this life…

Weekend National News Focus:

MEDIA ADVISORY, April 9 /Christian Newswire/ — Church attendance skyrockets every Easter, giving pastors a unique opportunity to share the story of Jesus Christ. Because we live in a culture driven by media, videos are one of the best ways to connect with these rare attendees, leaving them with lasting impressions of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. To help you find the best videos with the highest impact, Faith Visuals has selected the Top Ten New Easter Videos of 2009.