August 31, 2011 - New 9-11 Event in NYC, Faith Radio Programs

NYC Ceremony excludes clergy and first responders


Plans are being made for commemorative events across the country for the 10th Anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on America.

One of the most high profile gatherings will be in New York City, but controversy has arisen because Mayor Bloomberg's office has planned the program, without one of the key elements of the aftermath of the tragedy - the clergy.   The planned program will apparently not have a representative of the faith community.

According to an update in The Christian Post:

A spokesperson for New York's City Hall told The Wall Street Journal that previous 9/11 anniversary memorials did not include religious leaders and they wanted to strike a similar tone with the 10th anniversary. “There are hundreds of important people that have offered to participate over the last nine years, but the focus remains on the families of the thousands who died on Sept. 11,” the spokesperson said.


City Council Member Fernando Cabrera, a pastor at New Life Outreach International, told The Wall Street Journal that religious leaders were “one of the pillars that carried us through. They were the spiritual and emotional backbone, and when you have a situation where people are trying to find meaning, where something is bigger than them, when you have a crisis of this level, they often look to the clergy.”   Apparently, first responders are being left out, as well.

The Family Research Council is leading an effort to collect 50,000 signatures to present to Mayor Bloomberg on September 9th.   So far, some 30,000 have been gathered.   The FRC says this:

Pastors are not invited to the event, as Mayor Bloomberg apparently thinks that the invited politicians will be able to offer enough comfort to the families. But Mayor Bloomberg's glaring omissions from the event do not end with clergy. The very people who hallowed the ground, the living embodiment of selfless courage we vowed "never to forget" -- New York's first responders -- won't even be invited.

This past weekend, as large areas of New York City were evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Irene, first responders were on vigilant alert, prepared at a moment's notice to place their lives in harm's way for others. If anything, this should have served as a reminder for Mayor Bloomberg of the sacrifices these men and women are prepared to continually make and the recognition they deserve.

For additional information, you can go to FRC's website at http://www.frc.org/.

NYC event being organized by faith leaders

This past weekend, Saddleback Community Church pastor Rick Warren declared:

“This week the mayor of New York City announced that at the 10th anniversary memorial service at Ground Zero that there are going to be no prayers...Now, you know what I think about that. So, we are going to have our own nationwide, national prayer day,” he said to applause.

So, Saddleback is partnering with one of its church plants, Lower Manhattan Community Church in New York City to present a special service, along with a webcast.   Details on these "Hope and Freedom" services are being developed.

Faith Radio presents 9-11 on-air programming

A special from Moody Radio is coming up on Sunday, September 11th at 5:00pm, called "Finding God on 9/11".  Wayne Shepherd hosts an hour of memories and perspectives from the 9/11 attacks with Dr. Joe Stowell, former President of the Moody Bible Institute.  During the hour they will open the Moody Radio archives and hear echoes from the Moody Radio coverage on 9/11 and the days following, and Dr. Stowell will give his insights on how we can find God working in the middle of this national crisis.   You'll hear from a variety of Christian leaders, including Brooklyn Tabernacle Pastor Jim Cymbala, as well as Lisa Beamer, whose husband died on the plane that went down in Pennsylvania, and World Trade Center survivor, Genelle McMillan.

The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks will also be marked by a special two hour live simulcast featuring Anne Graham Lotz, Joel Rosenberg and praise and worship music with Selah on Sunday, Sept. 11 from 6:00-8:00pm.   It's entitled, "A Wake-Up Call For God's People", and will be shown at churches and ministries throughout America, as well as online at http://www.annegrahamlotz.com/.

In the Faith Radio area, simulcast locations include:
His Vessel Ministries in Union Station in downtown Montgomery,
First Baptist Church of Opelika,
and Crosspoint Christian Church in Selma

What about your own personal 9-11 emergency?

On the anniversary of September 11th, First Baptist of Montgomery presents "Team Night", featuring former University of Alabama star running back Siran Stacy, who faced his own emergency as he lost his wife and 4 of his children in a tragic automobile accident.    Also, Mike & Rebecca Ellis will share their story of how they responded after the death of their son, Cole.    "Team Night" begins Sunday, September 11th at 6:11pm at First Baptist on South Perry Street.

August 26, 2011

Religious leaders excluded from 9-11 commemmoration...

The organizers of the 9-11 memorial service that is being planned for New York City have decided not to allow religious leaders to speak at the event.   When you consider the impact that spiritual leaders had in the aftermath of the tragedy, it is almost unthinkable that the faith element would not be represented.

The Christian Post had this update.

A spokesperson for New York's City Hall told The Wall Street Journal that previous 9/11 anniversary memorials did not include religious leaders and they wanted to strike a similar tone with the 10th anniversary. “There are hundreds of important people that have offered to participate over the last nine years, but the focus remains on the families of the thousands who died on Sept. 11,” the spokesperson said.

City Council Member Fernando Cabrera, a pastor at New Life Outreach International, told The Wall Street Journal that religious leaders were “one of the pillars that carried us through. They were the spiritual and emotional backbone, and when you have a situation where people are trying to find meaning, where something is bigger than them, when you have a crisis of this level, they often look to the clergy.”

August 25, 2011

Court proceedings:

Bingo -
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson said that he will delay the next gambling corruption trial until Jan. 9, but he has not yet ruled whether he will hold three separate trials for the seven remaining defendants in the case.
Thompson today was openly skeptical of prosecutors' arguments that the defendants should be tried in three proceedings.

Immigration - 
The U.S. Justice Department is involved in another high-profile case in Alabama, involving the immigration reform law set to go into effect next Thursday, September 1st.  U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn said  she was not ready to decide if she'll block any of the law.  The judge heard arguments from the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as number of interest groups and leaders of three Alabama church denominations, seeking to block the law.   Attorney General Luther Strange's office was defending the law.

There has been some concern by church leaders from a variety of backgrounds about the implications of the law and how it could affect ministry to immigrants, legal or illegal.    While proponents of the legislation stress that the reform bill is dedicated to enforcing the "rule of law", in the absence of Federal enforcement, there are those that want to characterize such a bill as less than compassionate.

At their June convention in Phoenix, Southern Baptists dealt with the issue, passing a resolution calling for the Federal government to secure the borders while providing a path to citizenship.   And, illegal immigrants would also be required to make restitution for breaking the laws of the U.S.

Eric Johnston of the SE Law Institute was in court all day yesterday, and offered this analysis regarding the issue of ministry under the new immigration law.

Watch for new study/book on religious practice...

Here's the link to a Washington Examiner piece.

Southern Baptist megachurches (2000 + average worship attendance)

Dr. Thom Rainer, President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, listed the megachurches in the Southern Baptist Convention.   The SBC has some 46,000 churches, and only 177 are what would be termed, "megachurches" - churches with at least 2000 in average primary worship attendance.

The results are not necessarily surprising for the top 5:

1. Second Baptist Church, Houston, TX 23,121


2. Saddleback Valley CC, Lake Forest, CA 19,193

3. Woodlands Church, The Woodlands, TX 18,322

4. Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, TX 14,323

5. Thomas Road, Lynchburg, VA 13,500


6 Alabama Southern Baptist churches would fit the bill.   They are:   1st, Gardendale (54); Hunter Street in Hoover (64); Dawson Memorial, B'ham (86); Shades Mountain outside B'ham (89); 1st, Opelika (123); Willowbrook, Huntsville (145).   Here's the link to Dr. Rainer's post.

August 24, 2011

Mt. Dora, FL teacher receives word from board...

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Jerry Buell, Mount Dora (FL) High School's "Teacher of the Year" last year has been reinstated.    He had been reassigned from his classroom to do administrative work since last week as the result of comments on his private Facebook page about his opposition to gay marriage and his being offended about seeing homosexual behavior on TV.    The school board had been "investigating" Mr. Buell, and he had been represented by Liberty Counsel.   The board on Wednesday afternoon announced the reinstatement of Jerry Buell.

Latest from Libya...

It's not apparent where Libyan strongmen Moammar Gadhafi is actually speaking from, but earlier today, he made a defiant declaration of "martyrdom or victory" in the struggle against the "aggressors" in Libya.  Meanwhile, Christians in Tripoli met in prayer for the country and the future of Christians throughout the northern African nation.   According to Open Doors:

The Open Doors country coordinator for Libya, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "Every day around noon, a part of the small Christian community gathers to encourage each other."

Open Doors estimates the number of indigenous Libyan Christians is around 150. However, prior to the start of the revolution, the expatriate Christian community was believed to be approximately 180,000. Large numbers of migrant workers left Libya after the revolt that started Feb. 15, but a small number of foreign Christians remain in Libya.

"Today a group of Christians from Tripoli shared with me that they are doing well and said the atmosphere is okay," the Open Doors worker said. "Also, the church is still in good condition and undamaged despite fighting in the capital."

It's still unclear about what type of government will be put in place in Libya when and if the rebel forces take control and officially overthrow Gadhafi.   Some suspect that the new government will have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and, in fact, be more of a fundamental Islamic government than the Gadhafi regime.

Earthquake rumblings...

Some aftershocks today after the 5.8 earthquake that affected the East Coast, including Washington, DC and New York City.   The most significant damage today appears to be at the National Cathedral, where 3 pinnacles on the Central Tower lost stones, plus there are reports of other structural damage.   The Washington Monument is closed while officials attempt to determine its safety - some cracks were reported near the top of the obelisk.   Schools in the DC area were closed, and some Federal workers were offered the option of working from home.  


Election results

Todd Strange easily won re-election to a full term as Mayor of Montgomery yesterday.   8 of 9 Council members are definitely returning - 2 ran unopposed, 2 more were elected to full terms after winning their seats in special elections, 4 won their elections outright, and 1 more - Jim Spear of District 1, will be in a runoff election on October 4 - his opponent will be Richard Bollinger.

Biden's comments on China's "one-child" policy

Vice-President Biden, on a trip to China, made some controversial comments about China's one-child forced sterilization policy.   He is quoted as saying:

“But as I was talking to some of your leaders, you share a similar concern here in China. You have no safety net. Your policy has been one which I fully understand – I’m not second-guessing – of one child per family. The result being that you’re in a position where one wage earner will be taking care of four retired people. Not sustainable.”

Here is the story from The Christian Post.


Penny Nance of Concerned Women for America expressed her disappointment at these statements:

“Vice President Biden’s approval of China’s one-child policy, which uses forced abortion to enforce the law, crosses the lines of ignorant and wrong.”

 “Then to suggest that the United States should learn from China’s policy, like forcing its citizens to have only one child, to help manage debt, is an insult to the basic American values of life and liberty,” Nance said.

Biden has attempted to "clarify" his remarks, but the clarification strikes me as more of a contradiction.   Here is the report from The Washington Times.

Family TV makes an impressive showing...

“Who Is Simon Miller”, the latest in the Family Movie Night series presented by Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble, shown on NBC on Saturday, August 6th, was the #1 show in the 8 – 10PM EST time slot with 3.31 Million viewers.

Of the Family Movie Night movies to date, “Who Is Simon Miller” is the highest rated Saturday airing.

“Who Is Simon Miller” on NBC had 28% more viewers than the Harry Potter movie which aired in the same time slot on ABC.

The next Family Movie Night is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 3rd - it's called “Game Time: Tackling the Past” is football themed film focusing on the issues of humility and forgiveness as well as the importance of a strong work ethic. The film's stated goal is to show that being a good person is more than just looking like one.   This made for TV movie will premier on NBC on September 3 at 7:00 Central.

And, an encore performance of a previous Family Movie Night, "A Walk in My Shoes", airs this Saturday at 7:00pm, again on NBC.

August 23, 2011

Libya - Gadhafi going down

Libyan rebels have declared that they have seized Gaddafi's compound, and of course, the embattled leader is nowhere to be found.   This marks yet another milestone on the rebels' advance to gain control of the capital city of Tripoli.

Election Day in Montgomery

Polls are open until 7 tonight, as voters in the city of Montgomery are participating in municipal elections.  The mayor's office, as well as 7 contested City Council seats are on the ballot.   Mayor Todd Strange is seeking his first full term after serving former Mayor Bobby Bright's remaining term after being elected to Congress.   2 City Councilmen, Jon Dow and Arch Lee, are attempting to gain election for a full term after being elected to serve out the remaining terms of Willie Cook and Martha Roby, respectively. 

Irene - Category 2 now, taking aim at Carolinas


Hurricane Irene is tracking toward the Bahamas, after leaving downed trees and power lines in Puerto Rico, and could strengthen to a Category 3 by tomorrow.   Projections are showing that it could make landfall somewhere in the Carolinas Friday night, and then move up the Northeast U.S. coast. 

5.9 magnitude earthquake shakes DC

About 1:50pm Eastern time this afternoon, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck about 90 miles southwest of Washington, DC.   Tremors could be felt as far north as Toronto and as far south as parts of North Georgia.   Buildings shook in the nation's capital, New York City, and up and down the Eastern Seaboard.  No loss of life and limited damage is reported.

Chaplains calling for Congressional protection

A group of veteran service members--primarily chaplains--whose faith groups represent thousands of currently-serving military chaplains and several million Americans, sent a letter to the U.S. Congress last week asking key officials to protect military religious liberty from the dangers created by the government’s decision to force open homosexual behavior on the U.S. armed forces through the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” next month.


Noting the robust history of religious liberty in the military, the nearly two-dozen veteran service member signatories request in the letter that Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ensure that there is “a clear, unmistakable perimeter around religious liberty.”

The letter says: “Chaplains and service members have told us they are very concerned they will be marginalized and even punished for being faithful to their religious beliefs in the wake of the repeal. We share those concerns...In fact, some chaplains have already personally experienced the punitive atmosphere this repeal has generated.”

Several of the signatories are members of the newly formed group Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, which states that it is working to ensure that all chaplains, and those whom they serve, are able to freely exercise their God-given and constitutionally protected religious liberties without fear of reprisal.



American Idol - producer pans rival's call for gay declarations

Adam Levine, one of the celebrity judges on the NBC reality show, "The Voice", has basically called out "American Idol", charging that gay contestants are essentially treated unfairly because they are not allowed the declare their sexuality - never mind that an openly gay judge appeared on the program for one season, the lowest rated season in the show's history.

I thought Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe's response to Entertainment Weekly was refreshing, and fairly "non-Hollywood":

You probably saw NBC’s The Voice judge Adam Levine saying Idol should show openly gay contestants. What do you think of that and could that change next season?
To be frank, I didn’t understand why we’re talking about contestants being gay or not gay. I don’t go into my dentist and say, “Are you gay?” I don’t say to contestants on So You Think You Can Dance, “Are you gay?” What does it got to do with me? What does it got to do with anybody? When does privacy stop in this country? If somebody wants to say they’re gay, it’s up to them. You don’t expect us to turn around and say, “Are you gay?” Why would we do that? — “By the way, he’s a Catholic and he supports Obama and here’s his sexuality” — what does that have anything to do with singing talent? Maybe it does for Adam Levine, but not for me.

So the reason nobody has been openly gay on Idol is that it’s up to the contestant.
Did [season eight Idol contestant] Adam Lambert come out?

Afterwards, I believe so.
He must have come out before being on Idol, he just didn’t talk about it on Idol. And why should he? Is every actor going on television going to say, “I’m only playing the part of a straight man, I’m really gay”? There’s no reason that I would see why anybody that goes on television should start coming out with who they are, what they are, what they’re sexuality is, who they’re going to vote for or what their religion is.

So, Lythgoe is saying that his TV show is not a platform to further the gay agenda - what does sexuality matter in a singing competition?  And, I would say, when you consider TV shows such as Glee, with 5 homosexual characters, or Modern Family, or any of the other shows that go out of their way to accommodate gay characters and normalize gay behavior, why should scriptwriters go out of their way to write in characters that practice a lifestyle that is only embraced by 2-4% of the population?   There is a distinct agenda - and while I'm not 100% behind all of Lythgoe's comments, it seems that perhaps Idol has doubled down and is resisting the showbiz temptation to embrace wholeheartedly the gay agenda.   Now, let's clean up Steven Tyler's language...

Speaking of television, here are some words of warning from the Culture and Media Institute about the new fall season...

A number of pro-family organizations, including the Parents Television Council and Morality in Media have called attention to NBC's new show, "The Playboy Club"...

Set to air on September 19, 2011, "The Playboy Club" "centers on the Bunnies and patrons of the original Playboy Club in 1960's Chicago," according to the Internet Movie Database page for the show.

But the show has already stirred up controversy as critics like the Parents Television Council called it a "blatant attempt to obliterate any remaining standards of broadcast decency." Morality in Media created an online petition to discourage viewers to from watching the show. Even famous liberal feminist Gloria Steinem has echoed the calls for a boycott. The real Playboy Club, she said, was "the tackiest place on earth."

Other shows with objectionable content include NBC's "Whitney", Fox's "New Girl", and shows that have been known to push the envelope, such as "Glee" and "Gossip Girl".   According to CMI...

Ben Shapiro examined the liberal assault on traditional values in Hollywood in his book "Primetime Propaganda" and in his chapter "Making The Right Cry: How Television Drama Glorifies Liberalism," he observed that, "comedies are anti-morality crusades; dramas are morality tales." Both are intentionally designed to invert traditional ideas of morality. The veteran producers and writers Shapiro interviewed admitted as much.

Fairness Doctrine in the rear-view mirror...

Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission announced that the Fairness Doctrine had been removed from its Code of Federal Regulations.    National Religious Broadcasters hailed the announcement, but President Frank Wright urged caution:

"... for the last eight years, NRB has been actively warning Congress that the Fairness Doctrine was not dead because it was still ‘on the books.’ We are delighted that FCC Chairman Genachowski has followed-through on his promise to fully eliminate this pernicious rule, which enabled the FCC to compel broadcasters to air opposing viewpoints on controversial issues that the government decided to be of public importance.

“On this day of genuine celebration,” continued Dr. Wright, “NRB will remain vigilant regarding the concepts embodied in the Fairness Doctrine. While the letter of the law is now dead, we want to ensure that the spirit of this particular law also remains dead. There are many voices calling for increased scrutiny of broadcast programming under the guise of ‘localism,’ and we see such proposals as a Fairness Doctrine in different garb. Therefore, NRB will continue to advocate for the most generous application of First Amendment principles both at the federal level and on the local level, knowing that Americans’ religious liberties are most secure when they are kept out of the hands of government bureaucracies.”

Well said by Dr. Wright, who is wise to not completely buy in to the announcements.   Seton Motley of "Less Government", a contributer to the Big Government web site reminded us of how a high-ranking FCC official has rendered the Fairness Doctrine obsolete, yet supports other means of restricting certain speech.   An FCC commissioner, quoted by Fox News said:

Commissioner Robert McDowell told Chris Stirewalt on Monday's Power Play Live that localism, a proposal that gives the federal government the ability to make sure broadcasters serve their communities, could also be used to wedge in principles of the fairness doctrine.

"The government would be compiling data as to what kind of content you were airing and whether the government thought that was appropriate content," McDowell said. "It could be political speech, it could be shows on baking or gardening. But we don't know where the government is headed."

August 22, 2011 - Thoughts About Trust

While politicians and celebrities who embrace Christianity are routinely panned in the mainstream media, a high-profile actress has claimed that her religion "saved my life".   Kelly Preston, wife of John Travolta, claims that the tenets of Scientology were helpful to her following the death of the couple's 16-year-old son, Jett, in 2009.   While the loss of a child is certainly tragic, and people do need a place of stability and comfort following such a devastating event, turning to a false religion certainly cannot offer a lasting and deep-rooted hope.


Consider the teachings of Scientology.  According to Watchman Fellowship:

 Thus, Man in his true nature is an immortal thetan. However, the thetan is responsible for the creation of MEST. Though the thetan created the MEST, sometimes the MEST collides with the thetan resulting in the acquisition of an engram. Because every engram is accompanied by unconsciousness to a greater or lesser degree, not all engrams are known to exist by the thetan's analytical mind. As a result of the build-up of thousands of known and unknown engrams, stored in his reactive mind, man seems to experience problems throughout his life. These engrams have accumulated not only in this life but in many past lives as well through reincarnation. Thus, it is Scientology's purpose to rid the thetan of these unwanted engrams. How is this accomplished? By becoming Clear.

This is a godless belief system that was developed by L. Ron Hubbard and is promoted by its "evangelists", which include Travolta, Preston, Kirstie Alley, Tom Cruise, and Jennifer Lopez.   No Creator, no relationship with that Creator, man is God, and attains perfection through this mythical state of "Clear", which apparently is some sort of human reprogramming.   It's almost as if man is a machine or some sort of supercomputer.   But, certainly not a means to experience a life full of hope and purpose.

But, people are looking for someone or something to trust, and there is a religious smorgasbord that exists, which offer people an opportunity the convenience of identity without the shackles of accountability to a Creator, Almighty, sovereign God.    This is why Oprah Winfrey has become one of the most, if not THE most, influential spiritual individual of the last 25 years.   Through her embracing of the man-as-God teachings such as "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne and "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle and her denial of Christ as the only way to God, she has given credence to belief systems that contradict the truth of the Scriptures.

And, people believe her.   Check out the new Reuters/Ipsos poll, ranking the most and least popular celebrities, as well as the most and least trusted personalities.  Oprah ended up tied for 6th on the "trusted" list.    Betty White was #1 on that list, the most popular celebrity list, and #1 as the person whose endorsement would be best for business.

Here are your most trusted personalities (politicians excluded, as if any of them would have made the list):
1 - Betty White
2 - Tom Hanks
3 - Sandra Bullock
4 - Morgan Freeman
5 - Kate Middleton
6 (tie) - Oprah Winfrey
6 (tie) - Taylor Swift
8 - Clint Eastwood
9 (tie) - Harrison Ford
9 (tie) - Denzel Washington
9 (tie) - Julia Roberts

So, I have to ask the question - why do we trust these people?   Why don't we trust some of the people on the "least trusted" list?   People such as Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen, Britney Spears, Tiger Woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kanye West?   I think that sincerity is a big factor, even accomplishment, and a life that's generally viewed as without scandal.   And even though some of the most trusted don't exactly have the best relationship track record, they are not viewed as the instigators of relational or marital conflict.

But, the takeaway for Christians - what makes us trustworthy?    Are we living our lives beyond reproach, without a hint of behavior or attitude that would damage our witness for Christ?   I think a trustworthy person's word is his or her bond - I have to ask myself, is that my track record?   Am I an instigator for good or for evil?    We gain or earn trust as we seek to be people upon whom others can count.   Can you be counted on?