The Oregon Faith Report - Faith News from Oregon

Below is a transcript from a Georgene Rice KPDQ-FM interview with Leslie Haskin, World Trade Center survivor and author of “God Has Not Forgotten About You and He Cares More Than You Can Imagine” and “Between Heaven and Ground Zero”.

Georgene: We so enjoyed hearing your first story, “Between Heaven and Ground Zero” and how God sustained you through that time.  Many of us have wondered what happens in the long term.  It’s one thing to survive an event and to go on for a period of time, but when everything changes in such a dramatic way, there has to be a residual impact on life. You write about that, as well as the similarities of the lives of many of us whose circumstances may be different but are equally devastating.

Haskin: One of my catchphrases is, “as long as we live, life will keep happening”.  We have no control over what goes on in our lives and whether we are experiencing the ups or the downs.  But one thing that is constant—one thing that’s sure—is that life is going to keep changing and nothing is going to stay the same, except for God and the peace that he gives us through the change and through the ups and downs.  He is this wonderfully consistent hand that gives us peace, comfort, encouragement and hope through it all.

Liberty Counsel Petitions Supreme Court to Hear Graduation Free Speech Case

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 /Christian Newswire/ — Liberty Counsel has filed a Petition for Certiorari at the United States Supreme Court on behalf of Erica Corder, a high school graduate with a 4.0 GPA who was denied her diploma until she issued a publicly disseminated, coerced, written apology for presenting a thirty-second valedictory speech that included a religious reference.

Erica was one of fifteen valedictorians from the Lewis-Palmer High School class of 2006. Each valedictorian orally presented a proposed speech to the principal before graduation.

Faith Film Review: Taking Woodstock (R)
Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting

— This fact-based slice of psychedelic history sees the young manager (Demetri Martin) of a failing Catskills motel owned by his downtrodden immigrant parents (Henry Goodman and Imelda Staunton) inadvertently becoming a crucial player in the staging of the iconic 1969 music festival when he uses a legal permit to ease the way for the event’s organizer (Jonathan Groff) and introduces him to the owner (Eugene Levy) of the dairy farm that would serve as the concert’s setting. Along with the flower people’s fondness for disrobing and drug-taking, director Ang Lee’s gently rambling adaptation of Elliot Tiber’s 2007 memoir portrays its protagonist’s public avowal of his homosexuality as a positive step toward emotional maturity. Benign view of homosexual acts, group sex and transvestism, nonsexual full frontal nudity, drug use, a half-dozen uses of profanity, and frequent rough and some crude language.  O — morally offensive. (R) 2009.  Full Review here

Faith Film Review: Inglourious Basterds (R)
Catholic Office of Film and Broadcasting

— Provocative World War II fantasy in which a team of ruthless Jewish-American commandoes led by a hard-bitten Southern officer (Brad Pitt) and a young French Jewish woman (Melanie Laurent) passing as a gentile cinema owner in occupied Paris plot independently to assassinate key Nazi leaders during a gala film premiere, even as the German officer (Christoph Waltz) who killed her family threatens both schemes. Between episodes of graphic bloodletting, writer-director Quentin Tarentino weaves a suspenseful, though somewhat lurid, alternate history, but the Americans’ systematic brutality toward enemy soldiers can only be accepted within a genre far removed from reality and on the supposition that all Teutonic combatants were Holocaust enablers. Strong violent content, including torture and mutilation, complex moral issues, a few uses of profanity, and much rough and some crude language. L — limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (R) 2009.  Full Review.

New and Improved Final Cut
By Dan Merchant,
Oregon Filmaker,
Lord Save Us from Your Followers See clip here

Lord, Save Us From Your Followers is finally coming to the big screen at selected theaters beginning September 25. That’s great news for the majority of you that have not yet seen this film.  But what about those of you who have already been to an advanced screening, a college or church event, or perhaps received this movie from a loved one? Are you thinking, been there, seen that?

Well, let me spill the beans on what you’ll see new based on the tweaks in the new theatrical edition of Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. First off, the film will be projected in 35mm. Yep, just like a real movie. Hah!

By Oregon Faith Report,

Should schools across the nation have two additional holidays? The debate over whether the two holiest days of the Muslim calendar should be reserved in New York City schools heated up this summer.  Currently, ten percent of the 1.1 million students are Muslim, according to a study published last year by the Teachers College at Columbia University.

Mesuka Akter, a Muslim senior at Long Island City High School in New York City, struggles to find balance between her studies and religion.  Luckily for Akt, she will not have to choose between missing school and the two holiest days on the Islamic calendar this year because they will likely fall during Thanksgiving.  “It feels great to know that I’ll be home, hopefully, with my family,” said Akter told Omar Sacirbey  of the Religion News Service, “But you also have to keep working to change things, because this will be a problem again next year.”

By
Randy Alcorn
Eternal Perspectives Ministries,
Sandy, Oregon

My new book If God Is Good (release date September 15) addresses what is arguably the greatest issue in human history: the problem of evil and suffering. The question is this: Why would an all-good and all-powerful (and all-knowing/all-wise) God create or permit a world with so much evil and suffering? This is not merely a problem, but the problem. Not only do atheists raise it, a poll of Christians revealed it is the question people would most like to ask God.

Mission Aviation History to Hitch a Ride on Space Shuttle.  Astronaut Taking a Piece of Nate Saint’s Piper PA-14 on ‘Discovery’

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Aug. 24 /Christian Newswire/ — Proving that space flight is not the highest calling for a pilot, astronaut Patrick Forrester is taking a bit of missionary history onboard space shuttle “Discovery,” which is scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center in the early morning hours of Aug. 25. The aim of the two-week orbital mission is to equip the International Space Station.
The item comes from martyred missionary pilot Nate Saint’s Piper PA-14, which is on display at the headquarters of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in Nampa, Idaho. Saint and four other missionaries were martyred on a sandbar in Ecuador on Jan. 8, 1956, by a tribe of Waodani Indians.

Below is a transcript from a Georgene Rice KPDO FM interview with Dr. Benjamin Wiker, author of “The Darwin Myth:  the Life and Lies of Charles Darwin”. Dr. Wiker received his PhD from Vanderbilt University, taught at several universities and now writes full time as a senior fellow at St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and is also a senior fellow at Discovery Institute.  He is also the author of several other books.

Georgene: Charles Darwin spread the myth that anything scientific could not include God; a myth which has grown to define science for the last 150 years.  He thought everything could be explained through natural selection without the help of a divine hand. So he deliberately left God out of his version of evolution known as Darwinism.  As Dr. Benjamin Wiker reveals in his new book, “The Darwin Myth:  the Life and Lies of Charles Darwin”, it was in this moment that science and God could no longer peacefully co-exist.  Dr. Wiker, this book takes a bit of a different approach in that you focus on Charles Darwin himself and some of the elements of his personality and priorities—not  necessarily the theory on its face, but what his contribution to the understanding of science has been over these last 150 years.

Baltimore, August 20, 2009–At a White House meeting today, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) continued to call for fair and humane immigration reform. LIRS Director for Access to Justice Leslie Vélez, participating in today’s meeting with administration officials, offered, “People of faith recognize the moral imperative and are looking for practical solutions. We must be humane and just to newcomers while assuring orderly migration. We must also recognize that newcomers are integral to the social, economic and cultural fabric of America’s communities.”

By Traci Scott,

Several high profile church theft cases are originating from both outside and inside the church.  This past week, KGW reported that for the past five weeks, a woman has been going to special events at several Gresham area churches and stealing both cash and credit cards from attendees’ purses.  So far, four different churches have been targeted.

Earlier this year, several teenagers were caught on surveillance tape burglarizing and vandalizing a West Linn church.  Back in June, a man vandalized a Seattle church—completely in the nude.  He also broke the windows and a mirror of a pickup parked nearby, leaving blood inside the church as well.  Since he was reportedly infected with Hepatitis C, the church had to be treated as a biohazard area causing the church further hardship because it had to relocate its Sunday services for about a month until the church could be treated, according to The Seattle Times.

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 21 /Christian Newswire/ — Kathy Villalobos was a dance teacher for two San Diego Public Middle Schools. For five years she taught young teens how to dance. One day in class she played a song to her students that had the name “Christ” in it. Within five days, she was fired. That event transpired 4 1/2 years ago.   On Monday August 24, jury selection and her trial begins at the El Cajon East County Courthouse – along with a lively protest beforehand of the rights that were violated as a result of this firing.

Post Grad (PG-13)
Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting

After failing to secure her dream job, a recent college graduate (Alexis Bledel) is forced to return home to her eccentric parents (Jane Lynch and Michael Keaton) and feisty grandmother (Carol Burnett) whose antics distract her from her employment search and from her efforts to choose between her longtime boyfriend (Zach Gilford) and a Brazilian-born ladies’ man (Rodrigo Santoro). A talented cast is becalmed, in veteran animation director Vicky Jenson’s live-action debut, by a listless script which, though it boosts family solidarity, also features a passionate encounter between characters who have barely met and repeatedly refers to the importance of condom use. Brief nongraphic, nonmarital sexual activity, occasional sexual references, a half-dozen uses of profanity, at least one use of the F-word, and some crude and crass language. A-III — adults.  Post-Grad
More movies to review

Faith Film Review: Shorts (PG)
Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting

Shorts — Clever children’s fantasy about a rainbow-colored rock that grants the wishes of anyone holding it, and the chaos its misuse wreaks on the lives of a bullied schoolboy (Jimmy Bennett), his parents (Jon Cryer and Leslie Mann), his chief persecutor (terrific newcomer Jolie Vanier), her tycoon father (James Spader) and their suburban community in general. Told in a series of nonsequential episodes, writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s lively yarn, which carries messages about the dangers of power and the isolating effects of contemporary technology, generally makes for appealing family entertainment, though perilous special effects may overwhelm the most sensitive viewers, while some parents may find a story line about a mucus monster unpleasant. Occasional menace and mildly gross humor. A-II — adults and adolescents. Full Review.  Other movie reviews here.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama invoked many religious themes in his conference call to rabbi’s in support of health care reform.  Here are three news excerpts:

From Time, “The president described the need to tackle health reform as a “moral conviction” that “no one in America should be denied basic health care because he or she lacks health insurance.” He paraphrased Genesis, saying that reform would address “what I consider to be a core ethical and moral obligation that we look out for one another, that I am my brother’s keeper and I am my sister’s keeper.”As soon as he was finished, the moderator of the call told participants, “God has given us a spirit of love, justice and action. Let’s put it to work.”

From Politico, “We are God’s partners in matters of life and death,” Obama said, according to Moline (paging Sarah Palin…), quoting from the Rosh Hashanah prayer that says that in the holiday period, it is decided “who shall live and who shall die.”

From CNN, “Some 140,000 people participated in the call, the coalition of more than 30 faith-based groups that organized the event said in a written statement.Obama urged the listeners to reject misinformation about his plans, noting, “There are some folks out there who are, frankly, bearing false witness.

By Oregon Faith Report,

While some speak of a national spiritual decline and aging priesthood there is a new generation of spiritual leaders  very different from their predecessors.  This summer, the Portland Archdiocese ordained the highest number of priests in 35 years.  A new study has found that a smaller group of more racially and ethnically diverse recruits attracted to traditional prayer ritual and spiritual habits.  The study was conducted by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate for the National Religious Vocation Conference.

The study found that the aging of American priests and nuns is prevalent, according to The New York Times.  91 percent of nuns and 75 percent of priests are 60 or older.  However, the aging tide may be turning.  Of women who recently entered religious orders, the average age is 32; for men, it is 30.

Oregon will join Pennsylvania as the only states that forbid teachers from wearing religious attire.
By Oregon Faith Report,

The nationwide debate over religious observances in schools and the workplace made its way to Oregon.  During the 2009 legislative session, leaders in Salem passed the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act.  The act requires employers to accommodate employees’ observance of religious holidays and allows them to wear religious garments as long as it does not pose a significant difficulty or expense to the businesses.

On the surface, the bill appears to be a step toward diversity.  However, a clause in the bill specifically singles out public schools as workplaces where religious freedoms do not apply.  The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) joined forces with the Sikh community in Portland and argued against the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act.  Their efforts failed. 

Christian Newswire –In THE SEARCH FOR GOD AND GUINNESS: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World (Thomas Nelson, October 13, 2009), Stephen Mansfield explores the groundbreaking business acumen of this prolific company, and uncovers a deeply held faith running throughout the family’s history.  Arthur Guinness was a great man of faith. Born on the estate of an Archbishop and raised a loyal son of the Irish church, Arthur lived by the words that were his personal motto: Spes Mea in Deo — “My Hope is in God.” He was deeply inspired by the revivalist John Wesley to use his wealth and talents to make the world better. Taking scripture as his guide, Arthur served the needy of his time and worked to use his gifts in honor of his God. One favorite project of his that seems confirmation of both the purity of his faith and his concern for social good: Guinness was the founder of the first Sunday Schools in Ireland.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life did a media comparison on the reporting differences on faith based initiative stories between the first six months of George Bush and Barack Obama.  Here is what they found:
* Coverage of the faith-based initiative was almost 50% more likely to be on the front page of newspapers in 2001 than in 2009. In the first half of 2001..

* Separation of church and state issues were the top concern in 2001 articles. Fully 40% of the newspaper coverage focused on constitutionality.  In 2009, the top controversy in the coverage analyzed was the unresolved faith-based hiring issue. (36% of articles).

* In each year studied, Christianity was referenced nearly as often as Judaism and Islam combined. In total, the Christian faith was directly referenced in 32% of the stories (Judaism 21%, Islam, 15%,).

* In both years, newspaper coverage of the faith-based initiative was a Washington-focused story (56% of the time).  No other single city came close.

By Sheila Allen, Northwest Baptist Witness
NW Baptist Convention

CORVALLIS, Ore. —Chester Correll would never claim he has the quickest pen, but speed was not essential when he began writing the Bible out, verse by verse, in longhand. Correll grew up in Corvallis, Ore., the middle child of three sons born into the family. He attended special education classes while attending school, but he never learned to read. After finishing his classes at local public schools, Correll joined a training program for handicapped adults in Corvallis. “They helped me get a job with the postal service in 1965,” Correll said. “I worked in maintenance for 35 years through a program where they hired the handicapped. I was a custodian and helped keep things clean.” While Correll had never felt he was ready to learn to read, God began to change him.