Faith at Altitude

Episcopal Church vs. Armstrong

2007-08-08T17:11:00.000-06:00

Ed Sealover, The Gazette's gov't reporter in Denver, has been covering this. He'll have a full story for the paper and our web site soon.

Here's a condensed version from the AP wire:

DENVER — An Episcopal church court issued a preliminary ruling that the leader of a breakaway church is guilty of financial misconduct, officials said today.

The Rev. Donald Armstrong of Colorado Springs faces internal allegations including theft and tax fraud. The ruling was made Aug. 2 and released today.

Both Armstrong and Colorado bishop Robert O’Neill have 30 days to respond to the preliminary ruling. The court will then issue a final judgment along with recommendations for a sentence.

Diocese spokeswoman Beckett Stokes declined comment.

Armstrong has denied wrongdoing. His lawyer, Dennis Hartley, has called the process a “witch hunt.”

Armstrong, the rector of Grace Church and St. Stephen’s parish in Colorado Springs and now a member of a conservative Anglican diocese, is accused of having the church pay him $392,409 between 1999 and 2006 without authorization of the church vestry.

Church lawyers allege the money was used for personal expenses for his wife and family and were covered up by “false and misleading” entries that Armstrong told the church’s bookkeeper to use.

Armstrong and his lawyer boycotted a church court hearing last week, saying that Armstrong is no longer under O’Neill’s authority.

There's lightweight sportswear and then there's THIS

2007-08-08T17:08:00.000-06:00

It's so weird, I have to share:

From the AP: FREDERICK, Colo. — A Catholic priest faces an indecent exposure charge after police said he went jogging in the nude about an hour before sunrise.

The Rev. Robert Whipkey told officers he had been running naked at a high school track and didn’t think anyone would be around at that time of day, a police report said.

He told officers he sweats profusely if he wears clothing while jogging. “I know what I did was wrong,” he said in the report.

Whipkey did not return phone messages. His attorney, Doug Tisdale, told the Longmont Times-Call that Whipkey had no comment.

Whipkey, 53, was arrested June 22 in this small town about 20 miles north of Denver. An officer said he saw a naked man walking down the street at 4:35 a.m. The U.S. Naval Observatory Web site said sunrise that day in Frederick was 5:31 a.m.

The officer said when he shined his flashlight at the man, he covered himself with a piece of clothing he was carrying.

The Archdiocese of Denver said it takes the incident seriously but is awaiting the outcome of the case. Whipkey, who also officiates at parishes in the nearby towns of Mead and Erie, remains an active priest.

If convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, he would have to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.

New pastor in Widefield

2007-06-28T09:43:00.000-06:00

The Widefield Community Bible Church Elder Board has announced the Rev John “Randy” Scott of Springer, Okla., is the new pastor of the church (702 Quebec St.), effective July 1. This according to a notice in the Fountain Valley News.

Randy Scott and his wife, Roxanne, along with their daughters, Hannah, 3, and Kaelyn, 1 have moved to the area. Roxanne is a graduate of Doherty High.

Evangelical Press chief named

2007-05-31T12:34:00.000-06:00

From the Christian Examiner:

COLORADO SPRINGS — Lamar Keener, president of Keener Communications Group and co-publisher of the Christian Examiner newspapers, has been elected president of the Evangelical Press Association. His two-year term began May 4. He previously served as president-elect.

The EPA is a professional association for the Christian periodical publishing industry. Its members produce more than 300 titles with a combined circulation of some 22 million. Several hundred members attended the annual convention, this year in Colorado Springs.

Keener’s wife and co-publisher, Theresa Keener, previously served on the EPA board as treasurer.

Holy Trinity closing?

2007-05-16T11:52:00.000-06:00

A teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School e-mailed today to say the school is closing.

A Gazette education reporter will look into this later today. Anyone heard anything about it? I'll update when I can and, if it's true, we'll get a story in the paper asap.

Comment here or e-mail me at dena.rosenberry@gazette.com with any news.

Bible labeled indecent

2007-05-16T11:46:00.000-06:00

More than 800 Hong Kong residents have called on authorities to reclassify the Bible as "indecent" due to its sexual and violent content, following an uproar over a sex column in a university student journal, according to Reuters.

The complaints follow the launch of an anonymous Web site that says the holy book "made one tremble" given its sexual and violent content.

The Web site also said the Bible's sexual content "far exceeds" that of a recent sex column published in the Chinese University's "Student Press" magazine. That column was later deemed indecent by the Obscene Articles Tribunal, sparking a storm of debate about social morality and freedom of speech.

Publicity stunt? I'm thinking yes. Anyone here in the Springs agree with the students?

(Paul's off today. Thought I'd post something for y'all to ponder.)

More on Falwell

2007-05-15T12:19:00.000-06:00

Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby that, in 1999, Falwell accused of being gay, has not released an official statement on Falwell's death. Not that Winky speaks much anyway.

Falwell Dead

2007-05-15T11:48:00.000-06:00

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority and, really, the grandfather of the religious right, is dead. The 73-year-old pastor was found unconscious in his Liberty University office earlier this morning. At this point, no-one is sure what Falwell died of, but he had a history of heart troubles.

In evangelical circles, Falwell was often characterized as one of conservative evangelicalism's "big four," the others being televangelist Pat Robertson, prison ministry guru (and former Nixon aide) Chuck Colson and, of course, Focus on the Family's James Dobson. In many ways, Falwell was instrumental in shaping the evangelical movement -- or at least the perception of that movement -- from a massive group of believers who didn't even vote all that much to the political force they are today. It's probably not a coincidence that the Moral Majority was at the height of its power during Ronald Reagan's two-term run as president.

Now, at least in part to Falwell's influence, conservative Christians are a massive force within the Republican party. Falwell's own influence, though, has waned the last several years. Dobson's the guy these days.

Brazilian Justice

2007-05-14T11:55:00.000-06:00

A Brazilian rancher accused of paying about $25,000 to have a 73-year-old nun assassinated goes on trial in Brazil today. The nun's brother, Palmer Lake resident David Stang, is there -- watching to make sure justice is done.

"I feel Brazil will do Dorothy (Stang) justice," David told the Associated Press. "This is not about revenge. This is about justice for the poor."

The Gazette published a story about Dorothy Stang and her brother, David, last June: How Dorothy was gunned down in a muddy road and, through her death, became a powerful catalyst for change in what many say is a corrupt region of Brazil.

Struggles between Brazil's wealthy landowners and rural poor are nothing new. According to AP, 1,237 rural workers, union leaders and activists like Stang have been killed in the last 30 years there. More than half took place in Para, the region in which Stang worked and lived. The nun worked with Brazil's working poor and, according to her brother, was something of a folk hero.

Stang was killed the morning after she had a confrontation with her killers -- triggermen called "pistoleros." She was left for hours in the road.

Her killers were arrested and implicated two wealthy landowners who allegedly paid to have Stang killed. It's a rare thing for these landowners to go to trial -- it's said that police and judges are in cahoots with them -- and the case has drawn international attention.

Movin' On Up

2007-05-14T09:12:00.000-06:00

Douglas Carver, a former pastor at Colorado Springs' Skyway Baptist Church (now Fellowship of the Rockies), has been nominated to lead the U.S. Army's chaplains. He was made a major general May 10 in anticipation of the move. Carver still has to go through a confirmation process, according to a release from the Baptist Press, but assuming all goes well for him he'll officially receive his promotion July 12.

Bits and Pieces

2007-05-11T09:42:00.000-06:00

One occasional bummer about newspaper work is, sometimes, we run out of space.

The story about Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish in this morning's paper was 25 inches -- hefty by newspaper standards. The thing is, I have nearly 100 pages of court documents sitting on my desk from yesterday's District 4 court filing.

So, for those of you who are interested, here are some other little tidbits gleaned from these documents.

The biggest issue addressed within these documents, of course, is who owns the church. Grace CANA -- the group worshipping at the 601 N. Tejon St. building now -- says the parish was created before there was ever an Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, and the congregation has made around $6 million in improvements.

Diocesan sources say, essentially, so what? The church is legally held in trust of the diocese, they argue, no matter when the parish was founded or how much money its pumped into the place. Plus, according to the filings yesterday, there actually WAS a diocese here before the parish was founded: In 1865, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church created the Missionary Diocese of Colorado from a larger missionary diocese, seven years before Grace was founded in 1872.

The Missionary Diocese of Colorado recognized Grace as a mission church a year later, meaning the two apparently operated autonomously for a while. But the diocese says that, really, you can't be an Episcopal Parish without diocesan oversight, and that means the parish bought into the Episcopal Canons and bylaws and such -- including that "in trust" clause.

Both sides tell me they're confident they're in the right, and it'll be up to the courts to say for sure.

Another interesting revelation was that, at least according to the presentment, Grace's longtime chancellor Derry Adams advised Grace's vestry back on Dec. 8, 2006, that the parish and its vestry was under the authority of the diocese and the Episcopal Church and that the property was the diocese's.

"All real and personal property held by the Parish is held in trust for the national Church and for the Diocese in which the Parish is located," the 2006 memo allegedly read.

According to the filings, she advised the vestry in early 2007 that the church, under its 1923 articles, wouldn't allow the parish to leave the Episcopal Church. She resigned shortly thereafter. When The Gazette contacted her after her resignation to ask why, she had no comment.

The filings offered a host of alleged detail that hadn't been made public before. For instance, the filings alleged:

* That after the investigation of Armstrong began in March, 2006, Armstrong and others began shredding documents at such a rate that, when one shredder conked out, they bought two to replace it.

* Financial statements made on Grace's Quickbooks computer program from 2001-05 didn't line up with the financial statements given to parishioners or the audited financial statements of the time.

* Grace leaders apparently changed locks on the church's administration building March 9, giving keys (according to the filings) to only those people who were sympathetic to "the cause of secession."

It should be noted that Alan Crippen, spokesman for Grace CANA, said the locks were switched simply because security was lax.

* That the church backed away from a promise it made to the diocese March 17 to "fully comply" with the investigation.

* On March 23, two vestry members told Bishop Rob O'Neill, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, that while the parish had discussed leaving the Episcopal church, "such an action was not imminent." According to the presentment, both of these members (Junior Warden Chad Friese and vestry member Dr. Michael Barber) said they didn't believe Armstrong could return as the church's rector.

Three days later, the vestry voted to leave the Episcopal Church and brought Armstrong back as its leader.

Crippen said he was a little mystified as to why all these details were in the filings at all.

“What does all this have to do with the property argument?” he asked. “The diocese response is full of irrelevant facts that are not germane to the fundamental question at hand: Does the congregation have the right to determine whether it will remain in the Anglican Communion or not? Does it have a right to self-determination? That’s what’s at issue here.”

It looks as though Grace Episcopal Church -- the group not worshipping with Armstrong -- has posted at least one of the official documents on its Web site.

What Would Sheridan Do?

2007-05-10T10:10:00.000-06:00

Once upon a time -- maybe as many as three years ago -- Colorado Springs Catholic Bishop Michael Sheridan told the world that politicians who supported legalized abortion should not receive communion.

He was one of many Catholic leaders who said so, and while he took it a step farther than many (he told parishioners who voted for abortion-supporting candidates that they, too, should refrain from taking communion), the issue was certainly an important sidebar in the 2004 presidential political campaign.

At the time, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger urged American bishops to use caution when threatening to withhold communion over hot-button issues.

But Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, now says the church is well within its rights to punish wayward politicians.

The issue popped up again, this time in Mexico, a predominantly Catholic country that just made abortion legal within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Mexican Catholic leaders have been mulling whether to excommunicate the politicians that ratified the law. Benedict, who's visiting Brazil, indicated that, if they did excommunicate these politicians for their abortion stance, it was OK by him.

"Yes, these excommunications were not something arbitrary, but are foreseen by the Code (of Canon Law)," Benedict told the Catholic News Service. "It is simply part of church law that the killing of an innocent baby is incompatible with being in communion with the body of Christ."

More Pie?

2007-05-08T16:14:00.000-06:00

A reader just directed me to the "titusonenine" blog, a site dedicated to conservative Anglicanism, where a posting on Sunday's pie-throwing incident at Grace Church reveals (according to Christina Crippen, 17-year-old daughter of Grace spokesman Alan Crippen) that the pie was "very creamy and had a graham cracker crust."

The article has, thus far, received 25 responses. 25! Some were fairly serious. Others, not so much. Here's an example:

***

The Single Pie Theory and The Attempted Assassination of The Rev. Donald Armstrong II

I don’t know if I buy this “single pie theory” put forth by the Crippen Commission on Church Assassinations. In fact, I think the lone pie thrower, Marcus, may well be a patsy to cover up the fact that this is really a conspiracy. One, I suspect, involving Episcopalians residing at First Christian Church.

I’ve even heard one eye witness testify that another pie from the grassy pew area of the nave was where the real culprit was in waiting to throw, not a banana cream pie, but in fact a cheery (sic) tartlet, with whipped cream on top.

The case evidence speaks to the contrary as well. The pie that splattered onto the floor into sacred space, no less, could not have been one pie. When the confectionary missile was weighed it, too, was over the allotted limit for a singular tart. This also suggests two pie throwers and not one as the Crippen Report would lead us to believe.

I believe the FBI needs to get involved now due to the serious nature of this assault and the possible cover-up and fraud being perpetuated on Anglicans everywhere.

New Life at Wal-Mart

2007-05-08T09:58:00.000-06:00

New Life Church's worship band has gone mainstream.

Well, sorta. New Life Worship's music is still as Christian niche as ever, but the band's new CD -- My Savior Lives -- will be available nationwide at a little chain called Wal-Mart.

Though the CD was recorded last spring -- well before New Life lost its founding pastor, the Rev. Ted Haggard, in a headline-grabbing scandal -- interim pastor Ross Parsley believes the CD touches on some of the church's trauma and recovery.

"I believe that the powerful work the Holy Spirit did in our church that night back in 2006 was somehow captured in ones and zeroes and put onto this CD, and now the largest company in America is helping spread that incredible experience across our country," Parsley said in an e-mail to New Life congregants.

The CD is spreading for $14.98, by the way -- or $12.88 at the Wal-Mart web site.

To Air is Human

2007-05-08T08:50:00.000-06:00

KRCC, courtesy of local provocateur Noel Black, aired an interview with me this weekend, all about religion in Colorado Springs and what a hoot it's been to cover it. I gotta confess I haven't heard it -- since I was the one talking, I don't think I'd learn much new -- but if you're interested, go here.

For me, it was a kinda fun role reversal. I've interviewed Black a time or two, most notably when he and New Life Church's Rob Brendle were running point/counter-point columns in Black's publication "The Toilet Paper."

Not-So-Sweet Protest

2007-05-07T11:03:00.000-06:00

As you've likely read by now, an 18-year-old high-school student named Marcus Hyde allegedly tried to perform his own Marx Brothers routine this weekend in Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish, flinging a pie toward the church's embattled rector, the Rev. Donald Armstrong. It apparently happened during the rector's message, which was ironically titled "Of Christian Love and Charity." A pie in the face seems like a poor way to show Christian charity. But I digress.

According to church spokesman Alan Crippen, the Gothic building church has been "tagged" with graffiti a few times in the last several weeks. The church is mulling upping security.

Maybe other churches should mull the same thing.

Churches are supposed to be open to all comers: They're intended to be a place of trust and refuge, and I think most pastors in town want to welcome visitors, no questions asked. No one wants to see churches install X-ray machines or pie-sniffing dogs.

But this city attracts a lot of attention for its religious activity, and perhaps on some level it's surprising that these sorts of things don't happen more often. The issues that churches address, by definition, inspire impassioned and sometimes unreasonable debate. Armstrong essentially shrugged the pie incident off in print, but I imagine he knows that the pie could've easily been a knife or a gun.

A few years ago, long before the Rev. Ted Haggard fell from grace, I was covering a story one Sunday morning at New Life Church. The church had already snagged some national news coverage and significant notoriety. Haggard was head of the National Association of Evangelicals, an up-and-coming religious leader and, already, controversial.

In the row in front of me was a backpack sitting in an otherwise empty section of seats. It looked innocent enough, I thought. Probably a congregant forgot it -- left it there after the first service. Or maybe someone put it there to save the seat. After about 10 minutes, a congregant called it to the attention of some New Life security personnel who, after another five-minute debate, removed the pack to the lost and found.

It was, apparently, a completely innocent satchel, indeed left there by a forgetful congregant.

But what if it wasn't?

These are questions churches don't really want to ask, and some would argue they shouldn't have to ask them. But, in this town, at this time, perhaps they should.

Vestry says Don't Vote

2007-05-04T09:37:00.000-06:00

The nasty divorce over Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish took another turn yesterday, when the vestry of one faction told its parishioners not to participate in a potentially watershed vote.

The May 20 vote is all about how this troubled church will align itself. More than a month ago, Grace's vestry voted to leave the national Episcopal Church denomination and hook its wagon to the Convocation for Anglicans in North America, an organization tied to the Anglican province of Nigeria. The vestry also welcomed back its longtime rector, the Rev. Donald Armstrong, who had been (and, in the Episcopal Church's eyes, still is) under suspension for allegedly stealing money from the church.

The vote triggered a split. Armstrong loyalists stayed at Grace Church. Worshippers still loyal to the Episcopal Church walked away from the property (they're confident they'll return when the courts settle the property issues) and currently meet in First Christian Church downtown.

Folks over at Grace CANA say the vestry vote was meant to protect the church from a hostile diocese, and parishioners can decide whether to cement that relationship with CANA or return the church to the Episcopal fold. If the vote swings against him, Armstrong has said he and his followers will leave the property without a squeak.

But the vestry at Grace Episcopal believes the May 20 vote is, essentially, a sham.

"We ask that you not participate in this vote both because it is unlawful and because its outcome has already been determined," the vestry told parishioners in a May 3 letter. Grace's Web site states it's now part of CANA, and the banner in the sanctuary is that of CANA, too -- replacing the Episcopal flag.

The Grace Episcopal vestry called Grace CANA a "secessionist congregation now occupying our property," and argued the whole vote was anti-Episcopalian, and anti-Anglican, for that matter.

"We don't vote locally about parish migration," the letter read. "If Father Armstrong comes to disagree with Archbishop Akinola (who leads the Nigerian province) or if Bishop Minns (leader of CANA) investigates him for wrongdoing, what then? Another move to another bishop followed by another sham vote?"

Alan Crippen, spokesman for Grace CANA, didn't respond directly to the letter from the Grace Episcopal vestry, shifting his focus instead to Bishop Rob O'Neill, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado. He said he was not surprised the O'Neill-led diocese would try to deny Grace "the right of self-determination."

"The Bishop of Colorado may think he is a feudal lord of the 13th century," Crippen said via e-mail. "However, the reality is that the congregation has the legal and moral right to determine its future about whether to stay true to its biblically-based Anglican heritage or to leave that faith and remain with the secularized and dying Episcopal Church."

Crippen added that Armstrong's already aligned himself with CANA, but the parish vote is very real and will be decisive.

"It will be done by the great democratic and American tradition of a plebiscite," he wrote. "Although it may be the choice of dissenters not to participate, we still invite their full participation in the spiritual discernment and voting process. This is the most important decision that has ever faced the congregation."

According to the Grace Web site, members in "good standing" can vote May 20. What makes for a "good standing" parishioner isn't specified in Grace's bylaws, and Crippen said the church will follow Episcopal Canons, which say a member in good standing is someone who's been "faithful in corporate worship ... and have been faithful in working, praying and giving for the spread of the Kingdom of God ..."

Here's the full text of the vestry's letter:

****

The secessionist congregation now occupying our property on Tejon Street has announced its intention to hold a parish-wide vote on May 20. The stated purpose of the vote is to decide whether to leave the Episcopal Church and affiliate with the Convocation of Anglicans in North America. We ask that you not participate in this vote both because it is unlawful and because its outcome has already been determined.
The secessionist congregation has already announced that outcome of this vote on its website. Grace Church and St. Stephen’s is named there as “A Parish of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America.” The banner in the church sanctuary is no longer the Episcopal flag but the flag of CANA. The secessionist vestry approved a “Declaration of Anglican Fidelity” on March 26 stating: “We, the vestry members and officers of the corporation, do hereby resolve . . . to leave the Episcopal Church . . . “ Father Don Armstrong has publicly announced, in regards to serious canonical charges brought against him by the Diocesan Review Board, that he is “no longer an ECUSA priest, [and so] will not subject myself to the ecclesiastical court.” His spokesman, Alan Crippen, states of the Episcopal Diocese’s charges of financial wrongdoing brought against Father Armstrong, “It would be about as reliable as the Presbyterian Church serving him. He’s not under their jurisdiction.”

If the matter is already decided, if Father Armstrong is no longer an Episcopal priest and Grace Church and St. Stephen’s is no longer an Episcopal Parish, why the vote? And if there is to be a vote, why was the decision made to leave first, and vote later? It is reasonable to wonder if the inhibited Father Armstrong and his illegal vestry did not seek through their actions to dodge the questions of financial misdeeds.

If the matter has not been decided, pending the congregational May 20 vote, hen Father Armstrong remains an Episcopal priest and Grace and St. Stephen’s remains an Episcopal Parish. Under Episcopal Church canon law, Father Armstrong has been inhibited from serving as a priest during his inhibition. Nor can his “vestry” act in this our any other matter regarding the parish because the Bishop has declared their vestry positions vacant. He is not a priest in good standing and they are not a vestry and so, they have no authority to convene the congregation, to call a vote, or to occupy the property.

Remember, we’re Episcopalians. We belong to a hierarchical church. We don’t take ourselves out of the jurisdiction of a bishop we might not like and go looking for one we do. This is what schismatics do. We’re not Congregationalists. We don’t vote locally about parish migration. If Father Armstrong comes to disagree with Archbishop Akinola or if Bishop Minns investigates him for wrongdoing, what then? Another move to another bishop followed by another sham vote?

If parishioners wish to distance themselves from this vote, they may worship with us between 12:45 and 1:30 p.m. at First Christian Church, located at 16 East Platte Avenue. As usual, THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH WELCOMES YOU.

Praying for the Day

2007-05-03T09:49:00.000-06:00

President George W. Bush offered some interfaith thoughts on the National Day of Prayer this morning in Washington, D.C., under the watchful eye of National Day of Prayer Task Force Coordinator Shirley Dobson and her husband, James.

"For two centuries, Americans have answered this call to prayer," he said. "We're a prayerful nation. I believe that makes us a strong nation. Each day, millions of our citizens approach our Maker. We pray as congregations in churches and in synagogues, and mosques, and in temples. We welcome people of all faiths into the United States of America."

There are lots of day o' prayer events going on locally, if you're interested. Check 'em out here.

Stafford Infection

2007-05-03T08:53:00.000-06:00

Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International, celebrated 30 years on the job yesterday. Compassion, which helps feed, clothe and educate children all over the world, has grown nearly exponentially since Stafford took over, and it's now far and away Colorado Springs' biggest Christian organization.

I've talked with Stafford from time to time, most notably for a profile I wrote on him last year. He's a guy who believes wholeheartedly in the work Compassion does. He cries perhaps more than any CEO in America, and that's one of the reasons many feel he's perfect for the job. His enthusiasm and -- well, compassion -- is pretty infectious.

"I joined this organizations because I see the seeds of its greatness," Stafford said in a press release. "Compassion does exactly what the poor would do if they had the financial resources to take care of their children."

Minns-ing Words

2007-05-02T09:37:00.000-06:00

Way back in 2003, the Episcopal Church ordained an openly and actively gay priest as a bishop, infuriating its conservative members and throwing the denomination into crisis.

So I suppose there's a certain amount of irony that the Episcopal Church is now trying to block the installation of a bishop -- this one a conservative who broke with the Episcopal Church in part because of that 2003 event.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schiori, head of the U.S. Episcopal Church, has asked Nigerian Primate Peter J. Akinola not to install the Rev. Martyn Minns as bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America May 5. CANA -- described as a "mission" of the Nigerian province and not tied to the Episcopal Church -- is the same organization that the vestry of Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish voted to join in March.

In an April 30 letter to Akinola, Schiori asked the Nigerian primate to reconsider Minns' installation, saying the installation would "display to the world division and disunity that are not part of the mind of Christ, which we must strive to display to all."

Of course, the world is already familiar with the division in the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is a part. Most of the world's 77 million Anglicans live in Africa and the Global South: The province of Nigeria alone has about 18 million Anglicans -- about nine times the number of Episcopalians in the United States. Many of these provinces are far more conservative than their U.S. counterpart, and were aghast when the Episcopal Church ordained the Rev. Gene Robinson, a man involved in a long-term gay relationship, as its New Hampshire bishop in 2003. CANA was started as a direct response to the Robinson ordination and other moves by the Episcopal Church, and groups like CANA have become options for conservative U.S. Episcopalians.

All this theological strife is an important issue at play within Grace. The parish, led by the Rev. Donald Armstrong, has been a standard-bearer for traditional Anglicanism for years. While some people speculate that the timing of Grace's split from the Episcopal Church was tied to accusations that Armstrong had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from Grace, many believe that the church was destined to split from Episcopal Church eventually over philosophical differences.

CANA spokesman Jim Robb had no comment on Schiori's letter.

"This was something that wasn't addressed to us," he said.

But folks over at Grace think Minns' impending installation will go as planned.

"The proverbial train has left the station," said Grace spokesman Alan Crippen via e-mail. "The installation will be a significant historical event for the re-establishment of Anglicanism in America."

Crippen will be there to see the installation in person, by the way, as will Armstrong and Father Eric Zolner, another pastor at Grace. Armstrong and Minns are said to be pretty good friends, and Minns was in Colorado Springs a few weeks ago to talk with the parish about what membership in CANA might mean.

The guidebook Grace is using to determine whether to finalize the move, called "40 Days of Discernment," was partly a product of Truro Church in Virginia, Minns' home parish.

No Prayer Zone

2007-05-01T09:13:00.000-06:00

I've gotten some feedback from my National Day of Prayer story of April 28 ("Day to Pray"), and most of it has been surprisingly positive. One of the story's main premises was how difficult it can be to delineate between the Day of Prayer -- an interfaith day sanctioned by the government -- and the uber-visible Day of Prayer Task Force, which is uncompromisingly Christian and, frankly, leans to the right. Most readers, it seems, got it.

But even the interfaith Day of Prayer isn't completely inclusionary. A pretty significant swath of America -- maybe five percent of the population -- doesn't believe there's anyone or anything to pray to.

Freethinkers (think atheists, agnostics et al) instead observe the "National Day of Reason" on May 3. National organizers say that the Day of Reason is held, in part, to draw attention to what they believe is the increasingly flimsy wall between church and state. But it's also intended to encourage freethinkers to be "visible and active" in a community-building sort of way. For instance, Colorado Springs freethinkers are sponsoring a blood drive May 3. Memorial Hospital is the primary local site, according to local freethinker Rebecca Hale. The blood drive runs from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the hospital would like for folks to call and make appointments before going in.

More-mons

2007-04-30T09:18:00.000-06:00

I've got a tough decision tonight. And, like most of my difficult decisions, this one involves what to watch on the telly.

Do I watch "24," where perpetually stressed-out Jack Bauer must escape from his co-workers, reclaim a nuclear doo-dad from a Chinese ambassador and snap his beloved honey out of some sort of bizarre, post-traumatic ailment?

Or do I flip over to PBS and watch a promising documentary called "The Mormons"?

My kingdom for a TiVo.

The four-hour documentary, which airs at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow on PBS, showcases a misunderstood and, at times, maligned segment of religious Americana. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born in the United States, and its adherents were regularly pushed westward by a nervous populace until they finally reached Utah. Even today the debate rages over just what, exactly, Mormons are. Are they a branch of Christianity? Their own faith? A cult? The answers you get depends on who you ask.

The knowledge most non-Mormons have about Mormonism goes as follows: 1) they have a really good choir; 2) college-age Mormons dress really nice; and 3) the religion has something to do with holy underwear.

Mormon kids know the Bible better than most traditional Christians (in Colorado Springs, Mormon teens attend daily religion classes before school), and the faith is producing some of the country's most powerful figures. Mitt Romney, a Republican presidential candidate, is Mormon. Democratic Senator Harry Reid -- the same guy who said the war in Iraq "is lost" -- is Mormon, too. In Colorado, nearly 5 percent of the religious population is Mormon: There are more Mormons than Methodists, Lutherans, Episcopalians or Presbyterians in the state.

Mormonism is going mainstream. It's cool to see PBS taking a look at the faith in some depth.

I think if Jack Bauer wasn't so busy shooting people, he might hunker down and watch the show, too. He could use the break.

And on the 28th Day ...

2007-04-27T08:56:00.000-06:00

Rocky Mountain Calvary will host a "Back to Genesis Conference" this Saturday, but all you Phil Collins fans can just stay home. This event has nothing to do with a reunion of the British pop band and everything to do with slamming evolution.

"Back to Genesis" is a regional conference produced by the Institute for Creation Research, a California-based think-tank and museum. It's got some players in Colorado Springs, too, and David Noebel of Manitou Springs' Summit Ministries will serve as something of a conference emcee. No land of confusion here.

Conference officials aim to prove that creationist theory is science, darnit, and that the earth was the recipient of a divine invisible touch. Most of the speakers sport Ph.D's, and the roster includes a genetic scientist and a
NASA astronaut.

"Do you believe that the book of Genesis is literal true history or not?" asks David Wismer, one of the conference's organizers. "Our position is that it is history, and the conference is all about showing what the evidence is for that."

According to Wismer, the conference aims to give pastors and creationists ammunition to refute claims made by those who believe in evolution. It's also meant to be a primer for those who are curious about creationism, or even outright skeptical.

Wismer claims that evolutionary theory is as much a faith as fundamental Christianity is.

"We both have the same evidence," he said. "One puts that evidence through the filter of the Bible, the other through the filter of evolutionary thinking."

The all-day conference begins at 8 a.m. and costs $20 including lunch. You can register and pay at the door.

Quick clarification

2007-04-27T08:25:00.000-06:00

One thing I love about this blog is how its readers keep me on my toes.

One reader asked me to clarify my blog yesterday ("Armstrong Served") about whether the vestry for Grace Church CANA was actually doing its own investigation -- that is, burrowing into the books themselves -- or have an outside firm doing the actual work.

My understanding from the folks at Grace CANA is that they've hired an outside, independent firm to check Grace's books and help prepare what they hope will be a thorough response to the diocese's presentment. I edited the previous blog to make it a bit clearer. Thanks.

By the way, thanks to all who've offered comments, questions, information and tips. I had no idea there were so many experts in episcopal law out there, and I've read and appreciated all the information y'all have offered.

Armstrong Served

2007-04-26T10:34:00.000-06:00

The saga of Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish continues to tick along. The Rev. Donald Armstrong was officially "served" by the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, according to diocesan sources, notifying him that his case would be tried by an Episcopal Court. Armstrong apparently has until May 10 to respond, but we're still a long way from seeing even this chapter through: According to diocsesan sources, a trial date might not be set for another three months.

Whether Armstrong shows up to such a trial is another matter. Armstrong is now a priest in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America -- an organization connected with the province of Nigeria -- and doesn't consider himself to be under the diocese's authority at all anymore.

Alan Crippen, spokesman for Armstrong and Grace CANA, said Armstrong hasn't actually received any notice from the diocese yet. But, if he had been, Crippen added, "it would be about as relevant as the Presbyterian Church serving him.He's not under their jurisdiction." It seems likely that, if Armstrong speaks in any court, it'll be a secular one, not ecclesiastical.

The diocese alleges Armstrong, the longtime rector for Grace, misused hundreds of thousands of dollars of church funds.

But the diocese could also try Armstrong "in abstentia," according to diocesan spokeswoman Beckett Stokes. If so, it's likely most of the critical details -- at least from the diocesan point of view -- would be made public during the trial. Armstrong's point of view, presumably, would go untold -- at least in this official forum.

But Armstrong and Grace Church's vestry members are examining the books with help from an indpendent firm, and will likely issue their own report -- presumably one that attempts to refute diocesan allegations -- sometime next month. One source says they hope to have it completed and released before the May 20 vote, when Grace parishioners will decide whether to ratify the vestry's decision to leave the Episcopal Church.

Strange Brew

2007-04-25T10:31:00.000-06:00

The Java Buddha Coffeehouse, a quirky westside establishment that caters to, among many others, Colorado Springs' faithful fringe, recently unveiled a new blend of coffee that's one-half caffeinated, one-half decaf.

They call it the Haggerd Blend (their spelling, not mine), apparently named after the Rev. Ted Haggard who fell from grace last November after a male escort alleged having a three-year sexual relationship with him.

Their advertising slogan is "Haggerd Blend: When You Just Can't Decide!"

I don't know if Haggard is a big coffee drinker, but I do know he loved his heavily caffeinated Mountain Dew.

Tough Stuff

2007-04-24T10:15:00.000-06:00

I just talked with Rabbi Anat Moskowitz, Colorado College's rabbi, who told me that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She was, in a way, lucky to discover it when she did. But she tells me that she's still facing long months of treatment and -- though massive strides have been made in the treatment of breast cancer the last several years -- an uncertain future.

She says she's not afraid of death, but she isn't a big fan of pain, and she's a little concerned that she'll be dealing with some pain for a while.

Moskowitz, who led Colorado Springs' largest Jewish congregation (Temple Shalom) for five years before stepping down in 2006, is something of a reporter's dream. She's eloquent, outspoken and funny, and that made her one of the city's most quotable (and quoted) liberal spiritual leaders. I'm hopeful she'll be a strong voice around here for decades to come.

Growing Compassion

2007-04-20T10:48:00.000-06:00

The folks over at Compassion International might be getting kinda hungry right now.

Compassion, a worldwide child aid ministry based in Colorado Springs, is preparing for its annual "Compassion Sunday" (April 22) with a corporate-wide day of prayer and fasting. Compassion Sunday is when the organization joins with thousands of churches nationwide to encourage church congregants to become child sponsors -- and it can draw these sponsors by the truckload. Last year, 20,700 people decided to sponsor a Compassion child on Compassion Sunday.

Several local churches are taking part in the effort this Sunday, including: Sunnyside Christian Church; Heritage Evangelical Free Church (Monument); Crossroads Chapel; Living Word Community Church; Firm Roots Fellowship; Pulpit Rock Church; Audubon Heights Baptist Church; Tri-Lakes Chapel (Monument); Mountain View Wesleyan Church; New Life Church; Austin Bluffs Evangelical Free Church; and Filipino American Community Church.

Compassion is Colorado Springs' largest religious organization and has helped feed, clothe and educate more than 1 million children since its inception in 1952.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

2007-04-19T10:14:00.000-06:00

Congregants at Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish are going through 40 days of discernment, involving prayer, fasting and Bible study. It also incorporates a booklet called, appropriately, "40 Days of Discernment," designed to help Episcopal congregations decide whether or not to leave the national Episcopal Church denomination.

The booklet was produced by The Falls Church and Truro Church, two parishes that apparently discerned to leave, so the book carries some bias. The six-week study seems as much geared toward helping parishioners come to peace with leaving the Episcopal Church as helping them decide whether or not to do so.

But just the fact such a book was written helps illustrate what a painful process this is for many Episcopalians.

It can be hard for many religious Americans to understand what it means to be Episcopal. Evangelical Christians sometimes hop to a different church because they don't like the color of the carpet. Episcopalians, on the other hand, tend to hold strong allegiance to their denomination. Many I've talked with refer to themselves as "cradle Episcopalians," and many can trace their denominational ancestory through their parents, grandparents and beyond. The Rev. Michael O'Donnell, a priest serving at Grace Episcopal Church (now worshipping at Shove Chapel), says his Episcopal roots go back 400 years.

The Episcopal way, which encompasses things both Catholic and Protestant and is united through the Bible and Book of Common Prayer, is a hard thing to shake. Many who are ready to leave the denomination say the Episcopal Church has already done the shaking -- shrugging off orthodox Christianity for a new doctrine. But even for many Episcopalians who don't like the denomination's turn to the left, the idea of severing ties with the denomination is a painful, nearly unthinkable thing.

The booklet dedicates a full week of study to the process of grieving (week five -- around the middle of May for those at Grace), and never makes light of a decision to leave. It says any decision to leave is a serious one, and if the parish connects itself with an overseas province (Grace has, for now, linked itself with an Anglican province in Nigeria), it'll likely involve some cultural change. It admonishes parishioners to never make decisions in anger and be "truly open to God's call."

"While many -- perhaps most -- of us come into this process with an opinion, we cannot merely define discernment as 'waiting until everyone else agrees with me,'" Jim Oakes writes in the booklet. "We can be certain that God has something greater in store for us than we can even imagine -- and we need to make sure that we hear him when he speaks to us!"

Kingmaker

2007-04-18T14:35:00.000-06:00

The Religion News Service just released a list of its top 10 religiously inclined Republican "Kingmakers" today. Three guesses who they mentioned first.

“When Focus on the Family founder James Dobson can raise doubts by questioning whether Fred Thompson is a ‘Christian,’ or prays the nation doesn’t get ‘stuck’ with a President John McCain, that really reflects the power religious conservatives have to shape the GOP run for the White House,” said RNS Editor Kevin Eckstrom in a news release. “We wanted to find out who the GOP candidates are talking to, and maybe more importantly, who is returning their calls.”

Dobson was the only Colorado Springs leader on the list, which also included folks like Richard Land, political honcho for Southern Baptists, Rod Parsley, well-known megachurch pastor, and Don Wildmon, chairman for the influential and vaguely mysterious collection of Christian leaders known as the Arlington Group.

Notably absent were the rest of conservative Christianity's "big four" (of which Dobson is one). Bapist pastor Jerry Falwell, media guru Pat Robertson and Prison Fellowship head Chuck Colson didn't make the list.

33 Days and Counting

2007-04-18T09:46:00.000-06:00

Today marks day seven of Grace Church's 40-day discernment process, when parishioners are to talk about, study and pray about their future. The climax will be a May 20 vote, when parishioners will decide whether to ratify their vestry's decision to leave the Episcopal Church and join the Convocation of Anglicans in North America -- an organization linked with an Anglican province in Nigeria.

Bishop Martyn Minns, a leader of CANA, will speak to the church tonight. He's a powerful figure and, apparently, an old friend of the Rev. Donald Armstrong, Grace's longtime rector whose been haunted lately by allegations of financial wrongdoing.

It's the second significant meeting during this 40-day discernment process -- the first being the meeting held at Grace April 14. The meeting was the first time Armstrong addressed some of the allegations levied against him by the diocese. Predictably, Armstrong supporters thought he did quite well. His presentation didn't much to dampen criticism from his detractors.

The vibe of the meeting itself was pretty interesting. Most folks applauded Armstrong frequently, at one point giving him a standing ovation -- essentially to convey their support for Armstrong and his $143,000 salary (commensurate, he says, with what other Episcopal rectors of large churches make). But the congregation is deeply divided, and there were some testy exchanges between factions.

When former vestry member John Hermes said he didn’t yet have the information he needed to be convinced of Armstrong’s innocence and told Armstrong it was inappropriate to publicly call out his critics by name — something Armstrong did several times during the presentation — Armstrong reminded Hermes of an altercation Hermes had with a former parishioner.

“Inappropriate!” Someone called from the back of the church.

“Shut up!” another shouted.

Armstrong's financial presentation was interesting, but incomplete. Jon Wroblewski, senior warden for Grace CANA, said Armstrong was eyeing a potential showdown in court and needed to be cautious with what he said.

But it did clear up a few things: He never denied taking money for his children's education, saying the expenditures were approved by Grace's senior wardens and completely within bounds of what's legal and right. He even admitted the scholarships officially became extra pay in 2006.

One of the lingering questions I have, though, is whether the wardens had the right to authorize these expenses, or whether the vestry should've voted on them. Former vestry members tell me they weren't even aware of how much Armstrong made, even though the vestry is technically in charge of most operations of the church.

Canon law states that the vestry (of which the wardens and rector are members) "shall be agents andlegal representatives of the Parish in all matters concerning its corporate property and the relations of the Parish to its Clergy." I haven't yet found anything in canon law that expressly gives wardens the kind of authority they apparently weilded at Grace.

Armstrong, however, says this parish operates as many others do. I'm trying to get information from like-sized parishes around the country to find out whether that's accurate.

Is it typical? Is it not? Feel free to toss in your own two cents. I'd love to clear this up.

Oh, these Tangled Webs

2007-04-17T10:15:00.000-06:00

I've gotten some response from Sunday's story about Grace, Armstrong's meeting and the Anglican Communion Institute. Some thought it was pretty good. Others thought I missed the point of the meeting.

In the midst of it all, some folks said that the story was, frankly, downright confusing.

I can understand that. Any storyline that involves taxes and bookkeeping and financial audits isn't going to be adapted as a movie-of-the-week.

And frankly, all that confusion is central to the issues at play here. During the meeting, Grace senior warden Jon Wroblewski said that Armstrong's hired his own accountant to look through the books to find out just what went on, and that accountant won't likely make a report for a month.

The main confusion over the story revolved around the Anglican Communion Institute -- what it is and why it's important. So with that in mind, let's dive into a bit of detail.

The ACI is a theological think-tank -- a loose group of Anglicans and Episcopalian scholars who swing conservative and want to change the liberal-leaning Episcopal Church from within. Members write papers, speak at conferences and run a Web site.

But while it's an international organization, it is legally a ministry of Grace Church, overseen and run by its executive director which, before ACI broke away from Grace, was Armstrong. Because it was a church ministry, Armstrong used it as a convenient bookkeeping tool to, among other things, fund part of his children's education.

What appears to have happened is that ACI, the organization, was somewhat distinct from ACI, the bookkeeping entity. Make sense so far? The ACI itself never funded Armstrong's college funds, but Armstrong used the ACI as a conduit for those funds, which were in fact supplied by the church.

Whew.

It's important to note that Armstrong says there's nothing wrong with this: The church's wardens approved the scholarship money, and utilizing the ACI as a conduit to pay those funds was simply a bookkeeping tool: The ACI was already used to provide scholarships, so it made sense (Armstrong says) to extend that ability.

Which is where it gets REALLY confusing, because other folks at the ACI say they weren't aware of the ACI providing scholarships of any kind, though ACI President Christopher Seitz said the organization did issue a grant once. Armstrong said the organization provided lots of money to help Episcopal clergy continue their education.

So we've got a difference of opinion over the ACI's duties from two folks -- Seitz and Armstrong -- intimately involved in the organization. Some folks may find that weird, but there it is.

Every week will bring more clarity to this story. Until then, we'll keep trying to make the matters at play as clear as possible. Maybe we can run a nice little flow chart in the next couple of months. Flow charts always make things easier, don't you think?

Tale of 2 churches

2007-04-13T10:59:00.000-06:00

From Paul, working remotely:

When the Rev. Don Armstrong of Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish was suspended by the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado in December, a number of readers got pretty ticked at my story. Their main quibble: I had mentioned Armstrong and the Rev. Ted Haggard in the same paragraph.

Armstrong supporters believed I was comparing Haggard's alleged misdeeds -- that the New Life Church pastor had paid for sex with a male consort and bought methamphetamine -- with Armstrong's alleged misapplication of church funds. "How dare you compare our rector with that fornicator," one caller said. Another said I was guilty of character assassination. There's no comparison, they argued. No comparison at all.

You know, they were right.

The Haggard scandal was pretty simple to follow. The allegations were easy to understand and, for Haggard's followers, easy to nail down as moral no-no's. Armstrong's case is complicated. The allegations deal with theft and fraud, but the trail is mired in alleged shady - or shoddy - bookkeeping, a bewildering web of accounts and dry diocesan law -- not a very sexy story to tell or to follow.

It was far easier to determine whether Haggard was guilty or innocent, too -- largely because Haggard himself admitted he went astray. Once he did so, all that was left to do was pass judgment on the pastor -- and leaders overseeing the church did so swiftly and firmly. Armstrong, meanwhile, says he's innocent. He and his supporters believe the allegations are either overblown or outright nonsense, and argue the REAL issue is one of theology, with a liberal denomination pulling out all the stops to squelch a powerful conservative priest. The vestry was so convinced that they actually brought Armstrong back to the pulpit -- against diocesan orders -- and voted to leave the Episcopal Church.

The Haggard scenario played itself out with incredible swiftness. The story dominated the front page for four days, with allegations, confessions and judgment following in quick succession. The crisis at Grace is now well into its fourth month with no end in sight. The church has split in two. Both sides are flinging new charges at one another. The question of custody of the church property will likely go to court, and Armstrong may wind up there, too.

Yes, there are myriad differences between Haggard and Armstrong, between New Life and Grace. In the end, the Grace case may be more disturbing, however it plays out. If the diocese's allegations have serious merit, parishioners must either live in denial or come to grips with some uncomfortable realizations about their rector. If Armstrong's right, then the diocese's own motivations and even morality should be called into serious question. Both rector and diocese, after all, claim to serve God. That's a pretty high authority to answer to.

New Life amputated a limb, and the operation was short, swift and painful. At Grace, plenty of ties have been severed, but something's still festering. And many are still uncertain exactly what it is.

More Grace Info ...

2007-04-12T16:18:00.000-06:00

This Saturday, the Rev. Donald Armstrong, longtime rector of Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish, will try to explain away allegations that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from his church.

One of the main issues he'll likely address is how he allegedly used the Anglican Communion Institute, a conservative theological think-tank operated as a ministry of Grace. Armstrong is still listed on its Web site as its executive director.

Timothy Fuller, a former vestry member of Grace, said he served on the ACI's board for three years. Not once in those three years, Fuller said, did the board formally meet.

In October 2006, according to Fuller, Armstrong told the vestry that the ACI had borrowed about $170,000 from Grace over several years, and the vestry resolved the Institute would pay it back in $10,000 yearly installments, beginning this year.The vestry meeting was the first time Fuller had heard of the $170,000 the ACI allegedly borrowed. He resigned from the Institute’s board two months later.

According to the Rev. Christopher Seitz, president of the ACI and a professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, the ACI shouldn’t have been very expensive.

“The only cost of running the Institute is our time, which we give away, and a Web site, which involves nominal costs,” Seitz said in an e-mail. “Travel reimbursements were handled by the executive director, or we paid for these costs ourselves. There are no employees, no overhead in a formal sense, no hard-copy publications and no programs to fund.”

The presentment alleges that Armstrong caused the church to pay $146,316 beginning in March 2003 as “outreach expenses” to the Institute — money it never received. According to the presentment, the checks in question were made payable to “Donald Armstrong College Fund” or “College Fund.”

Armstrong says the ACI actually funded several projects, and acknowledged his children’s education was one of them.

“The institute has funded students going to seminary, clergy sabbatical writing projects, awarding study and continuing education grants, and also was the vehicle through which the parish gave my children scholarship assistance while they were in college,” he said. “Funds given for specific purposes to the Institute were always used for the purposes intended.”

Seitz said he’d need to hear more facts before coming to any conclusions about Armstrong's alleged use of church and ACI funds.

“At several points the document (the presentment that details the charges against Armstrong) would appear to mean ‘The Anglican Institute,’ which was an earlier ministry of Grace Church with which I am unfamiliar,” he wrote. “I suspect we will all need to learn in greater detail what the presentment alleges. Reading things off the Internet is a very limited and potentially misleading way to form judgements.”

The presentment states the Anglican Institute was an earlier incarnation of the Anglican Communion Institute.

Breaking Ranks

2007-04-12T15:50:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow's edition of The Gazette will contain a letter from 19 ex-vestry members of Grace who, in essence, are publicly questioning their former rector's honesty.

"(The Rev. Donald) Armstrong is exploiting theological divisions within the Episcopal Church to avoid a canonical investigation about his alleged financial wrongdoing," the letter says. "He has defied church and civil law by occupying and taking property from the church he and his allies left. We cannot keep silent."

I talked with one of these former vestry members a few days ago. Timothy Fuller served on the vestry only a year, and resigned in January after learning, he says, that the vestry was secretly talking with Armstrong (which violated Armstrong's suspension) and was plotting to break away from The Episcopal Church.

Fuller said some members of the vestry were talking with Armstrong by January.

Through an e-mail sent to The Gazette April 11, Armstrong admitted he broke the inhibition early, but only to “answer questions relative to the right running of the parish as well as alerting the clergy to pastoral problems.” He said he broke it through one "channel of communication." I'm not quite sure what he means by that, and when I asked for clarification, he didn't get back with me.

A larger issue, at this point, are church finances. Armstrong's accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church -- money used largely, according to the accusations leveled at Armstrong, to fund his children's college educations. The vestry said it never approved such funds, nor did it authorize the church's senior and junior wardens (leading members of the vestry) to approve the expenditure of such funds.

Fuller says he has no idea what's up with the money, simply because the vestry was kept in the dark. Budget reports contained little detail, he said, adding that most of the vestry wasn’t even aware how much Armstrong was earning.

According to state Episcopal canons, the vestry are a board of directors in a nonprofit corporation (the church itself), and the rector is considered an officer. National canons say that members of the vestry are “agents and legal representatives of the parish,” that handle the church’s property and manages relations between parish members and the clergy.

Fuller believes the vestry should have been consulted with major financial decisions, and the diocesan Standing Committee, which leveled the charges against Armstrong, seemed to agree in its presentment.“All such transactions should have formal approval from the vestry,” Fuller said. “None of that was ever discussed.”

Armstrong says he never kept the vestry in the dark, saying he communicated with it when appropriate.

“The wardens with the rector run the day to day operations of the parish from a budget established by the vestry,” he wrote. “That is how Grace Church has operated since before I ever became its rector.”

Jesus Links

2007-04-12T10:17:00.000-06:00

Golf is as "holey" a sport as you're going to find. Just look at The Masters last weekend: One stretch of the course is called "Amen Corner," the final round was held on Easter Sunday and Zach Johnson, the unheralded golfer who won the thing, has Bible verses inscribed on his ball marker.

It was only a matter of time before someone came out with a golfer's Bible.

The wait is over.

The Golfer's Bible, sponsored by an organization called the In His Grip Golf Association (get it?), has inspirational stories from pro golfers, prayers and devotionals that illustrate "the parallel between golf and faith," and, of course, the Scripture itself.

I'd say that makes this a real hole-y Bible, but it wouldn't be that funny.

Odds and ends

2007-04-11T11:04:00.001-06:00

In other Grace news, I promised I'd update you on whether the purpose of the discretionary fund has changed at all during Armstrong's 20-year tenure. According to Larry Hitt, chancellor for Colorado's Episcopal Diocese, the purpose of the discretionary fund has been essentially the same since 1814 -- though the actual canon has been renumbered a few times.

Also, check out this link to Armstrong's Easter sermon. In it, Armstrong offers some thoughts on the current upheaval, some personal revelations and, perhaps, a clue why his constituency has remained so loyal throughout this ordeal.

Grace reaches England

2007-04-11T09:03:00.000-06:00

It appears the situation at Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish has attracted some attention in England. I just received an e-mail from the British Broadcasting Corporation asking for a bit more information.

England, of course, is the home of the Church of England and holy center for the Anglican Communion, the 77-million member body that encompasses both the U.S. Episcopal Church and the Anglican province of Nigeria, the entity that the Rev. Don Armstrong and the majority of his flock have attached themselves to. The Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, is the Anglican Communion's spiritual figurehead, though he wields very little power.

Clear and Presentment Danger?

2007-04-10T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Episcopal Diocese of Colorado recently released its official outline of charges against Grace Church's longtime rector the Rev. Donald Armstrong. I wrote a brief story about the charges -- which are called a presentment -- for Saturday's paper. But The Gazette also posted the full presentment online. I'd encourage those who are following the story to take a look. It's pretty interesting.

It's important to note that Armstrong says he has answers for everything the presentment contains, and will reveal all at a meeting at Grace this Saturday, April 14. The most alarming charges are found at the beginning of the presentment -- accusations of stealing from church funds and taking out illegal loans and such -- but the stuff toward the back is pretty interesting, too.

I was particularly interested in Armstrong's alleged use of the church's discretionary funds. According to Episcopal Canon, these funds are to be used only to help the poor and needy -- not to pay for parking tickets or tip the cable guy. Armstrong admits he used discretionary funds for a variety of things, but in a letter to parishioners in March, he said the diocese's definition of discretionary funds accounts have changed -- that at one time, these funds were indeed spent at the discretion of the rector.

The diocese hasn't gotten back to me to verify if that's true or not. But even if Armstrong didn't illegally spend discretionary funding, it's still interesting to see what he allegedly spent the money on.

According to the presentment, discretionary funds went to pay for repairs for his Jeep ($362.59), parking tickets ($55 for three of them, all paid Sept. 27) and a tip for the cable guy ($200). He spent $1,347.94 at Best Buy for an unknown purchase, and a whopping $18,869.97 to Norwest Bank, which the check labeled as "Proceeds for bank rewrite loan." Some of the checks appear to cover church expenses, and a few don't say what they're for at all.

Again, let me stress that we don't know, at this point, whether this discretionary fund was available for broader use. Nor have we heard Armstrong's full explanation. I'll update you as I get more.

Episcopal Diversity

2007-04-09T08:52:00.000-06:00

I went to Grace Episcopal Church this Easter. No, not Grace Church -- the big, beautiful Gothic building at 601 N. Tejon Street. I went to Grace Episcopal Church -- the one worshipping over at Colorado College's Shove Memorial Chapel.

Confused? Well, chances are the folks at both Graces are feeling a bit of that themselves.

This is a confusing story, and sometimes it can be miscast simply as a battle over theology or a dispute over church finances. It is that, but there's more at play here -- and newspapers don't always have the time or space to get into the nuance.

Worshippers at Shove run the theological gamut, according to Father Michael O'Donnell, who's leading the Shove contingent. Sure, some split with that "other" Grace Church over theological differences: Grace Church split from the Episcopal Church last month, ostensibly over the issue of the roles gays and lesbians could play in the church. They worship at Shove because they run counter to what Grace has taught for years -- that homosexuality is a sin. My guess is that some attend because of the controversy -- liberal Christians who want to support loyal Episcopalians in a time of crisis.

But many others, including O'Donnell himself, believe the Episcopal Church is wrong -- that it shouldn't be ordaining openly gay clergy. In fact, O'Donnell was wooed back to the Episcopal Church in part through the writings of the Anglican Communion Institute, a conservative think-tank founded by Grace Rector the Rev. Donald Armstrong. O'Donnell, a former employee of Focus on the Family, has strangely become a local liberal Christian darling. Many might condone breaking from the Episcopal Church one day, but don't want to do it now -- not while their rector is under a cloud of suspicion, and not in the wake of an unexpected vote by the vestry. Episcopalians like to mull things over, and many don't feel they've been given enough time to mull.

Many worshippers simply can't bear to part with their mother church. As a rule, Episcopalians are either born Episcopalian or drawn to the denomination in part because of its glorious history. More U.S. Presidents have been Episcopalian than any other denomination, and the American church traces its roots back to Jamestown, Va., in 1607.

That lineage can be difficult to give up, even in the midst of theological strife.

As this story develops, the narrative sometimes will -- by the necessity for clarity -- filter into two distinct camps. I'd encourage you to remember that, within both camps, there's a huge swath of diversity at play that won't always be spelled out, but it will still be there.

The actual service was interesting, by the way, but not explosive. Bishop Robert O'Neill, head of the Colorado Episcopal Diocese, led services. Though he never spoke to the controversy directly, he did acknowledge the folks at Shove had been through some serious strife, and he declared that celebrating the miracle of Easter was particularly appropriate in times such as these.

The Passion of the Pixels?

2007-04-05T10:09:00.000-06:00

As it turns out, some people believe virtual worlds need salvation, too.

I just read a fascinating story from USA Today's religion writer, Kathy Lynn Grossman, about faith in the online world Second Life.

Yes, it's true: Second Life -- an entirely made-up online realm populated by about 5.3 million "avatars" -- has found religion. If your own personal avatar takes a walk through Second Life, it'll find churches, mosques and even a few wild-eyed zealots.

"This week," Grossman writes, "Second Life will feature Easter events and Passover celebrations, as well as the usual meditation meet-ups, Muslim prayers and legions of gatherings for spiritual freelancers."

There's even a virtual re-enactment of the life of Jesus, which comes complete with virtual T-shirt souvenirs.

Granted, faith is still on the fringe in Second Life. According to Grossman, only about 1,000 of the site's 451,000 weekly visiting avatars go to church or synagogue. But as Second Life grows, religiosity in it seems to be growing, as well. It'll be interesting to see what develops.

Armstrong takes to the Air

2007-04-04T09:13:00.000-06:00

After nearly three months of public silence, the Rev. Don Armstrong is speaking again -- and pulling no punches.

Armstrong spent two hours on KVOR Radio's Joseph Michelli show Tuesday afternoon, giving his own spin on the furor that has torn apart Grace Episcopal Church. The show was fairly free from fireworks: Subbing host Jeff Crank was clearly supportive of Armstrong, as were most of the callers. But Armstrong did answer a handful of critical questions, most notably about his children's church-provided college scholarships (many Episcopal churches do that sort of thing, Armstrong said). And Armstrong did accuse his former boss (Colorado Episcopal Bishop Rob O'Neill) of "felony slander."

Will he sue? Armstrong says no, because "Christians don't do that sort of thing."

As you recall, Armstrong was suspended by the Episcopal Church for having allegedly misapplied church funds. Armstrong's supporters thought the charges were politically motivated -- an attempt to silence a conservative priest who's been critical of the Episcopal Church and its stance on homosexuality.

The battle took a stunning turn last week, when the vestry voted to take Grace out of the Episcopal Church and reinstate Armstrong. One day later, the Episcopal Church for the first time revealed the charges against Armstrong -- that the priest had essentially pocketed or misused hundreds of thousands of dollars of church funds.

Congregants split over the matter, the majority standing staunchly behind their priest. Armstrong told one supporter in Tuesday's show that "I want to clear my name to prove that I did not betray you."

The diocese is mulling whether to file criminal charges against Armstrong, and the matter of church ownership still must be settled. Technically, the diocese owns all the churches in the state, but it's at least possible that a court could give the property to the congregation that's been using it.

Look for many updates on this matter. Really, the battle at Grace is just beginning.

I'm Baaaaack

2007-04-03T11:22:00.000-06:00

Wouldn't you know it -- I leave on vacation and all heck breaks loose on my beat.

I'm sure I'll be writing much more on the situation at Grace Episcopal Church (or should we say "churches" now?) and the Rev. Don Armstrong in the days and weeks to come.

News of Grace's split didn't reach Great Britain, which is where I've been the last week or so. Some folks might find that surprising, considering that England is the home of the Church of England, the grand mum of the Episcopal Church and all other Anglican denominations around the world. Collectively, these denominations are called the Anglican Communion, and adherents hover around 77 million.

The Church of England is, frankly, one of the smaller denominations in the Anglican Communion these days. Like the rest of Europe, England is growing increasingly secular, and about 2 million people there are members, according to Adherents.com. But the church is still integral to the island's history and culture. It's everywhere. The English crown jewels include golden spoons, which I thought was rather a curious addition to the crown and scepter and such. I asked a guard what the spoons were for, and he said they were anointing spoons: When a king or queen is officially installed, they're anointed with holy oil doled out by one of these spoons. Who knew?

English kings and queens are still considered the head of the church, and most of them are buried at Westminster Abbey, one of the church's holiest spots. The other biggie -- in London, anyway -- is St. Paul's, once the city's highest building. We climbed all the way to the top of the dome, which was cool in a rather tiring way.

But the churches gave off a dual vibe. The architecture of these places was breathtaking, and both Westminster and St. Paul's retained an air of reverence: We tourists weren't allowed to take pictures of the inside, and I surmised later that it was because these churches are still places of worship.

Yet they were also tourist attractions, and tourists aren't always that reverential. The climb to St. Paul's dome involved several flights of stairs, and a few climbers periodically cursed in various languages as they grasped their way up. Even stranger, there's a church-sanctioned cafe in the church's crypt, where you can dine around the last resting places of 18th-century British heroes.

But then again, faith is probably never pure, wherever you search for it.

Schism at Grace

2007-03-26T11:32:00.000-06:00

While our intrepid religion reporter is busy exploring the cradle of the Anglican Church, his hometown has become the crucible of a pitched battle between the conservative and liberal factions of Episcopalians. Grace Church leveled a strong counterpunch at its diocese today, with the decision to withdraw rather than submit to its authority.

This is big news, and will probably reverberate nationally and internationally among Episcopalians. Conservatives will probably see the members of Grace Church -- and the Rev. Don Armstrong -- as heroes. Liberals may see this as a misguided attempt to protect a rector or avoid progressive change. Either way, it is an intriguing drama.

Here's a report on the split from Virtue Online, with a clear conservative bias that is sympathetic with our local parish.

Also, we will be updating this story throughout the day on Gazette.com.

A Graceful battle?

2007-03-22T16:51:00.000-06:00

The March 25 meeting at Grace Episcopal has apparently been pushed back until after Easter. Here's an update on the situation at Grace that Paul left behind before his vacation...

Leaders for Grace Episcopal Church say they now know more facts surrounding the suspension of the church’s powerful rector.

They’re not telling anyone else what those facts are just yet.

The vestry for Grace sent a letter out to its parishioners March 19, which said that the Episcopal Diocese of Colorado received “written documentation and information” from the dioceses’ year-long investigation of the church and its rector, the Rev. Don Armstrong.

Armstrong was suspended in late December by Bishop Rob O’Neill, head of the diocese, while it investigated him for misapplying church funds.

Jon Wroblewski, senior warden for Grace, declined to discuss the allegations against Armstrong, saying the church is still receiving information. The vestry plans to schedule a parish meeting to discuss the allegations. The meeting probably won’t take place until after Easter.

“When the Diocese is more forthcoming with complete details of its investigation, as once again promised,” the vestry’s letter read, “the Vestry will finally be able to address each allegation presented and seek the truth as to what, if any, misapplication of funds may have occurred.”

According to the letter, the diocese did ask Grace leadership to do certain things, including: not tolerate improper use of trust, designated or restricted funds; to make sure parish compensation and benefits have been properly reported to the Internal Revenue Service; to not allow loans to the church’s officers or directors, “including past or future rectors;” and to seek reimbursement of any money found to be misappropriated.

Grace has agreed to all those terms. Wroblewski says they all under “normal financial stewardship,” and he believes the church is doing all those things anyway.

But he did say the church will re-examine their financial practices and fix anything that needs to be fixed.

“Everything that they said in that portion in the report is reasonable,” Wroblewski said.

Armstrong’s suspension has deeply divided Grace, one of the state’s most prominent Episcopal parishes.

Armstrong has been a vocal and visible critic of the Episcopal Church, a national denomination of around 2.3 million believers, regarding issues of human sexuality. When the Episcopal Church elected an openly gay man as its New Hampshire bishop, Armstrong was one of the denomination’s most vocal opponents.

When Armstrong was suspended, many parishioners rallied to his defense, unsuccessfully petitioning the diocese to lift the suspension and donating to the priest’s legal defense fund — preparations for a looming date in ecclesiastical court.

But other parishioners began wondering where their offerings have been going all these years. Some of them, forming what they call the Grace Concerns Committee, recently wrote a letter to other parishioners, asking them to pressure Grace to be more financially transparent.

“As a group, we’re saying that we’d like to know what’s going on,” said John Hermes, a member of the Grace Concerns Committee. “We’d like to know, (regardless of) whether it works for Don or against Don.”

A Wee Breather

2007-03-20T09:50:00.000-06:00

I'm going on vacation for a few days -- well, OK, I won't be back until April 3 -- which means my editors, Bill Reed and Dena Rosenberry, will be filling this spot for a while. There will surely be plenty to follow while I'm gone. Easter and Passover are nearing. The situation at Grace Episcopal Church continues to brew. Focus on the Family will celebrate its 30th anniversary. And Mike Jones may decide to sell his infamous massage table elsewhere.

In the meantime, I leave the following links for you -- for serious seekers and the not-so-serious.

Percolating Grace

2007-03-19T09:11:00.000-06:00

I went to Grace Episcopal Church this weekend. On the surface, it felt like a pretty typical church service. People sang, prayed and greeted one another with "peace be with you." Announcements were about a high school mission trip. The Rev. Eric Zolner spoke about the need to surrender to God during difficult times.

Truth is, Grace has been through some very difficult times the past 10 weeks, and Zolner and the entire congregation knew it. Though the Rev. Don Armstrong -- Grace's rector suspended for allegedly misapplying funds -- was nowhere to be seen, his presence is everywhere these days. Zolner talked about how Armstrong picked him and his buddies up when they went on an ill-advised bike ride in the snow -- a foul-weather savior, as it were. The church's Web site is loaded up with news, including information on how to donate to Armstrong's legal defense fund and an announcement for a parish meeting March 25.

The meeting, oddly enough, wasn't mentioned during the service I went to.

Armstrong's suspension is supposedly due to expire before the month is out, though Colorado's Episcopal Bishop Rob O'Neill could extend it. The Diocesan Review Committee -- the body tasked with deciding whether to pursue charges against Armstrong -- is expected to meet sometime this week, according to the diocese. The Review Committee still has 30 days to review the matter in confidence, but it appears that this struggle is nearing a boiling point.

Rumors from the Outside World

2007-03-16T08:48:00.000-06:00

Sometimes folks call Colorado Springs the "evangelical Vatican." And sometimes people take that moniker a little too seriously.

Case in point: A recent letter to the Arizona Daily Star.

The letter was written by a guy named Bryan Scott in response to a story about Southern Baptist churches sprouting in Tucson, though many hide their affiliation. The letter writer assumed they wanted to distance themselves from the "bad press the denomination has gotten lately."

"But before Tucson embraces even more of these churches into our 'heavily unchurched' city," writes Scott, "we should remember their core beliefs: The Bible is the literal word of God, wives must submit to their husbands, homosexuality and abortion are inherently sinful, and prayer and the teaching of intelligent design belong in schools. Heaven help us from becoming another Colorado Springs, where evangelical religion has permeated almost every facet of daily life."

Some outsiders assume that Colorado Springs observes mandatory morning prayers and we name our streets after Bible verses: "Let's meet at Job 16:21 for coffee."

But, as I've written, Colorado Springs is statistically more secular than the average American city, and if you want to find evangelical influence around here, you've got to look for it.

Sure, it's there. Drive down I-25 from the north and you'll see a sign directing folks to Focus on the Family. To the east of the highway you'll see the arena-sized New Life Church. The city is home to lots of very prominent evangelical organizations (and prominent evangelicals, for that matter). And certainly many local evangelicals would like to influence the city more. Focus on the Family will be sending a voter guide to residents through their March 21 Gazette, as a matter of fact, telling voters what city council candidates think about issues such as abortion and gay pride.

But you can spend all day in a downtown coffee shop and not hear the name "Jesus" once -- unless it's someone cursing the temperature of the coffee. You can buy "Plan B" emergency contraceptives over the counter. You can see R-rated movies without the cuss words being bleeped out.

Faith is an important motivator in Colorado Springs, just as it is in most American cities. But around here, it seems the amount of influence religion has in our daily lives depends largely on how much influence we want it to have.

New Guy in Town

2007-03-15T09:17:00.000-06:00

Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs has hired Jason Christensen (former regional director of Catholic Charities in Rockford, Ill.) as its new executive director. According to a press release, he'll be starting his new duties by the end of the month.

Hiring Christensen means that the Rev. Don Dunn, rector for St. Mary's Cathedral, can take off one of his hats. Dunn, 70, has been Catholic Charities' interim director for about four months now, all the while pushing forward as head of the city's most important Catholic parish. He volunteered for the gig even though he's planning to retire this summer, and he's been putting in 60-hour weeks ever since. Now, maybe, he can ease back to a mere 55 or so.

When I talked with Dunn a week or so ago, he said Catholic Charities was, curiously, a way to prepare him for retirement. It allowed him to wean himself a bit from St. Mary's -- the job he'll most miss when he steps down.

I'll be writing a profile on the priest that will run in The Gazette in the next few weeks. He's a fascinating guy.

No Slap for Cizik

2007-03-14T12:51:00.000-06:00

Richard Cizik, policy director for the National Association of Evangelicals, received an understated nod of confidence from the NAE during the organization's meetings this weekend, in the wake of criticism from conservative evangelicals like Focus on the Family's James Dobson.

Dobson and other conservatives took issue with Cizik's outspoken emphasis on the environment, saying Cizik's views didn't necessarily represent the view of all or even most evangelicals. These conservatives wrote a letter to the NAE, criticizing Cizik. I talked about the issue earlier here.

"If he cannot be trusted to articulate the view of American evangelicals on environmental issues," reads the letter, "then we respectfully suggest that he be encouraged to resign his position with the NAE."

But according to a news story by the New York Times, the NAE never considered censoring Cizik.

“There’s one Lord, but not just one issue,” one board member, the Rev. Paul de Vries, president of the New York Divinity School, told the Times. “I am as much against abortion as Jim Dobson and the others, but I want that baby to live in a healthful environment, inside the womb as well as outside of the womb.”

Of War and Peace and Christianity

2007-03-14T08:56:00.000-06:00

Every now and then, I see a bumper sticker that reads "peace is a moral value."

The bumper sticker references the 2004 elections, when a good chunk of voters said "moral values" (interepreted by pollsters as issues revolving around abortion and same-sex marriage) was their No. 1 concern. These voters helped push George W. Bush to his second presidential term.

But issues of war and peace have always been the most moral of issues, and the conflict in Iraq is an increasing point of debate among faith groups.

This weekend, a handful of faith-centric organizations, helped along by the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, will be holding events to commemorate -- and protest --the war's fourth anniversary. Several buddhist groups will hold a three-hour silent meditation at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Colorado College (write to peacesangha@earthlink.net for more information or to RSVP). First Congregational Church-United Church of Christ -- long one of Colorado Springs' most vocal liberal presences -- is sponsoring a prayer vigil for peace at noon Sunday on the front steps of their church at 20 E. St. Vrain St.

Advocating peace is in the very DNA of these groups, so none of this is too surprising.

More interesting -- at least to me -- is the fact that Focus on the Family has been vocally pro-war lately. James Dobson, the organization's founder and leader, has called Islamic terrorism a huge threat to the United States. The current war in Iraq is part of the effort to combat that terrorism, he believes, and he hammered at that point again and again in advance of last November's mid-term elections. Last week, Dobson hosted Newt Gingrich on his daily radio program, where Gingrich advocated suspending certain civil liberties if it would help the country combat terrorism. During the program, Dobson said many politicians -- Republican and Democrat -- need to "wake up" to the dangers of militant Islam.

Dobson's stance is particularly interesting because he's taken other evangelicals to task for trying to broaden their agenda to include issues such as the environment. He says that evangelicals need to be tightly focused on combatting abortion and same-sex marriage: Broadening the agenda, Dobson and other evangelicals have said, just dilutes the message and gets evangelicals off-point.

The war is, apparently, an exception. Why? Well, Focus on the Family is all about -- well, families -- and Dobson believes that militant Islam poses a huge risk to America and, consequently, to the American family.

While conservative Christians have been supportive of the war, there are indications that Dobson's push for continued support may run into problems. The National Association of Evangelicals recently issued a statement condemning torture, saying the U.S. treatment of suspected terrorists has gone beyond the "boundaries of what is legally and morally permissible."

Dobson hasn't spoken specifically on torture, to my knowledge, but I think back Dobson's recent radio broadcast, where Gingrich insisted that a new set of rules will have to be drawn up to deal with terrorism: Could those new rules include torture?

Conservative evangelicals, according to one national writer, may be wavering in their support of the war itself.

"No polling data conclusively demonstrate that opinion among the broad national base of conservative evangelicals has shifted," writes Julie Sullivan for the Newhouse News service. "But some prominent national evangelical leaders say that debate about —and, in some cases, outright opposition to — the war is breaking out among Christian conservatives whose support was key to President Bush’s election victories. For those evangelicals, they say, frustration with Republicans’ failure to overturn abortionrights has fueled their skepticism. Others decry the war’s human toll and financial cost, and they’re concerned about any use of torture."

Sullivan's story appeared to be fairly anecdotal (I'd link to it, but it doesn't look like papers have had time to pick the story up off the wire yet), and I'd wager evangelicals still support the war in greater numbers than the population as a whole. But it will be interesting to watch.

The Madness has Begun

2007-03-13T11:14:00.000-06:00

Hey, I'm as excited about the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as anybody. I love March Madness.

But it doesn't do much to scratch my geeky-religious itch this year.

Sure, there are plenty of Catholic colleges in the field of 64. Lots of schools have Protestant connections, too. And the evangelical Oral Roberts University is back.

But there aren't many teams with cool, religious-sounding nicknames. Yes, the Duke Blue Devils are in there -- a team that could meet the Holy Cross Crusaders in the Elite Eight (assuming you-know-where freezes over). And there is an intriguing first-round matchup between the Louisville Cardinals and the Stanford Cardinal -- but I don't think either school was thinking about the red-clad Catholic leaders when they picked those nicknames.

Me, I'd like to see a religious nickname tourney. The Preachers of Johnson Bible College could take on the Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania. and the Battlin' Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan could tangle with the Deacons of Bloomfield College. There could be a whole neo-pagan-nickname division, where the Norse of North Kentucky U. would vie against the Celts of the University of St. Thomas. There'd be an Ancient Jewish division, too, where the Prophets of Oklahoma Baptist College and Institute could battle the Maccabees of Yeshiva University.

The game I'd like to see, though, would pit the Blue Angels of Mount Mary College against DePauw University's Blue Demons. It'd look like blue Armageddon.

And the winner, just for kicks, could take on Presbyterian College's Blue Hose.

Visitors

2007-03-12T08:18:00.000-06:00

The folks from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., are coming to visit -- but don't feel bad if you can't offer them a place to stay.

Westboro, led by Fred Phelps, is not so much a church as a tight-knit family cult, known for its intense rhetoric against gays and lesbians. Westboro members likely spend more time picketing other churches than they spend praying in their own, and the squad earned a measure of national notoriety when many states (including Colorado) enacted laws specifically designed to keep Phelps et al some distance away from military funerals. Folks at Westboro believe that the war in Iraq is God's divine retribution for what they consider the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

Colorado Springs is a favorite stopover for Westboro members -- perhaps because folks like me sometimes write about them when they come. They've picketed churches, funerals, Palmer High School and even Focus on the Family. This time around, they'll be picketing the city's five largest churches -- New Life Church, Woodmen Valley Chapel, First Presbyterian Church, Rocky Mountain Calvary and Mountain Springs Church. Westboro says these churches have "created the evil Zeitgeist in which sodomy and adultery (including divorce and remarriage) have brought the wrath of God upon America."

Here's the link to Westboro, for those who are curious about what else they have to say. Be warned, though: The site will likely be offensive to most.

Newt and the Doc

2007-03-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and longtime conservative firebrand, will be James Dobson's guest today and Friday on his daily Focus on the Family radio program. On today's program, Gingrich promoted his book, "Rediscovering God in America" by calling for the abolition of the controversial Ninth Circuit court.

"The Ninth Circuit is so consistently wrong, it is so consistently radical, it is such a violation of the spirit of American history, that we'd be better off if we simply abolished it," he said. Gingrich will be back tomorrow to discuss radical Islam -- and I think it's safe to say he won't be asking Dobson's listeners to sing "Peace Train."

Gingrich was the latest in a long string of political and cultural heavyweights who have appeared on Focus on the Family's flagship program -- another sign that Dobson still wields a great deal of clout. Many pundits believe Dobson's the unquestioned leader of traditional evangelicalism. I blogged a couple of days ago on Dan Gilgoff's new book "Jesus Machine," which makes precisely that point.

But others believe Dobson's "Jesus Machine" may be running out of gas.

Case in point: This article from The Economist, a well-respected and fairly conservative news magazine, which suggests that Dobson may be falling out of step with his diverse and changing evangelical base.

"The 70-year-old Mr. Dobson (who has already suffered a heart attack and a stroke) is increasingly looking like a relic of an ancient regime rather than a harbinger of a new order," the Economist article reads.

Dobson's still a power. Republican presidential candidates will surely make pilgrimages to Colorado Springs to talk with the longtime kingmaker. But Focus' constituency is aging, and Dobson's main mode of communication is through a half-hour radio program - a forum nearly as antiquated as, um, newspapers. A cadre of up-and-coming evangelicals now question whether the evangelical movement's preoccupation with abortion and same-sex marriage is really the way to go.

Stay tuned. This will be one of the most interesting religion stories to follow through the 2008 election.

Ninja Nuns

2007-03-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

Many grown adults who went to Catholic schools still have lingering fear of nuns. Here's perhaps a reason why.

Seriously, why are nuns so funny? This clip would not be nearly as entertaining if it featured, say, Lutheran pastors.

No Graceful Exit

2007-03-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

We Colorado Springsians love our semi-faith-themed movies.

"Amazing Grace," the story of William Wilberforce's 18th-century battle against the British slave trade, was the fifth most-seen movie this past week around here, while it fell plumb out of the Top 10 nationally. It's taken in about $45,000 locally during the past two weeks, though it's been showing in only two theaters.

That's not nearly enough to pay even the catering costs for the film, but its strong local showing may illustrate the city's quirky Christian personality.

While Colorado Springs is actually fairly secular, many local churches talked up "Grace" weeks before its release, encouraging its congregants to go and send another bottom-line message to Hollywood. The film itself isn't overtly Christian, but its message and themes hit to the heart of many Christian sensibilities. It is, in fact, a bit of a Christian crossover flick -- something conservative and liberal Christians can enjoy for both its underlying faith content and its overt social justice themes.

Films that have catered to Colorado Springs churchgoers have done well here. The "Narnia" film had a multi-week run at the top of the charts, performing far better here than it did nationally (though it did pretty well across the country). But it's about quality, too -- and maybe about subtlety. The city's seen its share of low-budget, overtly Christian-themed films make their debuts, and most didn't make a dent in the Top 10.

God's Layoffs

2007-03-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Layoffs are tough no matter how you slice it. When they occur in a place of faith, I'd imagine they're particularly difficult.

New Life Church just released 44 of its employees -- victims, officials say, of overstaffing and a dip in revenue. The layoffs, surely, weren't a surprise. New Life has been through a rocky time, beset with scandal and turmoil. All the upheaval was bound to affect the bottom line. And with millions of dollars wrapped up in paying the church's 250 employees, something had to give.

Those affected, though, not only must deal with the pain of being let go and the uncertainty as to where they'll get their next steady paycheck, these folks may deal with added psychological trauma. For many who work at church or one of Colorado Springs' religious organizations, their jobs are more than jobs -- they're callings. Many feel they've been pegged by God to do this sort of work. When that work is unexpectedly taken away, where do they go? What do they do? Does it mess with their image of God? Can they feel equally "called" to work for, say, Hewlett-Packard?

Sounds like an interesting story.

Evangelical Cooling

2007-03-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, and a cadre of like-minded evangelicals are calling on the National Association of Evangelicals to reign in its outspoken vice president, Richard Cizik, on the issue of global warming. A clue: Cizik thinks it's a big problem. Focus ... not so much.

"If he cannot be trusted to articulate the view of American evangelicals on environmental issues," reads a letter signed by Dobson and 24 other evangelical leaders, "then we respectfully suggest that he be encouraged to resign his position with the NAE."

It's another sign that evangelicals are far from being the monolithic political power-broker some think they are. There are significant differences among evangelical ranks, and even the occasional squabble.

The NAE is a loose confederation of evangelical churches and denominations said to represent more than 30 million Christians. Once headed by the Rev. Ted Haggard, founding and now fallen pastor of Colorado Springs' New Life Church, the NAE has encouraged evangelicals to widen their public interests beyond traditional evangelical issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage.

Cizik, the NAE's vice president of governmental relations, has been one of the organization's leading voices, often speaking out on environmental issues.

Dobson et al believe Cizik isn't necessarily representative of the NAE. More to the point, they believe fretting over global warming draws evangelical attention away from the issues Focus says REALLY matter -- again, those core issues of abortion and same-sex marriage.

The signees (who also include Focus' President Jim Daly) also took exception to Cizik apparently separating evangelicals into "the future" and the "old guard" -- with groups including Focus falling squarely in the latter.

"To paraphrase, Cizik apparently believes 'the old guard' which defends traditional values is like a rotting corpse that will not die," the letter reads. "Are these the words of a man who seeks to bring unity and understanding within the NAE?"

These aren't new divisions, but to my knowledge, this is the first time the schism has been addressed quite so directly and -- well, harshly.

It'll be interesting to see how this shakes out, and how it might affect the 2008 election. With Democrats trying to incorporate more overt faith talk into their rhetoric, and with evangelicals growing more concerned with issues such as the environment, the Republican power-lock on the evangelical vote may be fading. It may also suggest a wider struggle as to who -- or what -- will control the evangelical movement in the 21st century. Both Cizik and Dobson would stress evangelicals are a diverse bunch (Dobson's letter says as much), and one NAE official once told me getting evangelical leaders to agree on anything can be like herding cats. But evangelicals have gotten where they are by staying on point. It'll be interesting to see just what that point, or those points, will be in the future.

Sucky T-shirt

2007-03-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's true: This is a Christian T-shirt.

It comes from LarkNews.com, one of the more enjoyable satirical faith sites out there. The full T-shirt reads "You Suck: Which is Why You Need Jesus."

It's rare for a T-shirt to both curse and evangelize in one sentence.

It appears that LarkNews has a mini-industry around this and other irreverent shirts (another favorite: "I Love Cheeses." Get it?). The one pictured to the left here is $15.99, but you can spend as much as $26.99 for a hooded sweatshirt, or as little as $12.99 for a trucker's hat.

The Land of Os

2007-03-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Grace Episcopal Church was packed to the rafters tonight to hear British author Os Guinness discuss Christianity, Islam and the Culture Wars.

Guinness' lecture, "Islam and the Challenge of a Civil Public Square," was sponsored by the John Jay Institute, a conservative philosophical organization located in Colorado Springs that is, in some respects, concerned about what it perceives as Christianity's diminishing role in public discourse.

But Guinness -- certainly a philosophical conservative -- told the audience that the Christian right, in its efforts to smudge the line between church and state, may be "part of the problem, not part of the solution."

Guinness said America's forefathers showed particular genius in drafting the First Amendment, of which "freedom of religion" was its primary clause. It unshackled the church from the state and allowed a curious but reasonably civil free marketplace of faith, in which a host of denominations could vie for market share. As a consequence, religion has flourished here even as it diminished in Europe, where people often rebelled against the church because it was seen as corrupt.

But Guinness sees in the current Culture Wars the seeds of religious revolt: That the religious right, in its efforts to make Christianity a de facto American faith, has actually "stoked the very repudiation they fear."

Ironically, Guinness spoke little about Islam, other than the religion's idealism and, he says, insistence on integration into all aspects of a believer's life, which is a particular challenge for a "Civil Public Square." He didn't outline exactly how that public square should look -- only that it would be rooted in civil discourse in the midst of irreconcilable differences, and that if we don't find out how to do it, the American republic will be "doomed."

Audio of the lecture will soon be posted on the John Jay Web site, I am told.

The Jesus Machine

2007-03-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Someone just plunked a book on my desk called "The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America are Winning the Culture War," by Dan Gilgoff of U.S. News and World Report.

The press release says that "the Christian right has achieved more in the last few years than at any time in its history." That, on the surface, may be true, if one believes the Christian Right really got going in the 20th century. Dobson, Gilgoff appears to believe, enjoys the kind of influence that Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson can only pine for.

But Dobson's movement has suffered its share of setbacks, as well. Gilgoff points to the battle over the life of Terry Schiavo -- a woman locked in what doctors described as a persistent vegetative state -- as an illustration of evangelical influence. But lest we forget, evangelicals could not prevent doctors from eventually pulling the plug on Schiavo. In November, Arizona became the first U.S. state to fail to pass a so-called "marriage protection amendment." And despite strong support from Dobson and others, conservatives suffered a series of setbacks in the most recent national election.

I'll read the book and let you know what it says.

Prince of Promotion?

2007-02-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

When director James Cameron began promoting an ancient Jerusalem tomb as Jesus Christ's final resting place, he knew his opinions would be controversial.

And while Cameron's show "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," airing on the Discovery Channel March 4, may pull in some, er, titanic ratings, any real controversy may be squelched before the show even has a chance to air.

According to a story in The Washington Post, scholars think the buzz surrounding the tomb may be more promotional stunt than science.

"I'm not a Christian. I'm not a believer. I don't have a dog in this fight," leading archaeologist William G. Dever told the Post. "I just think it's a shame the way this story is being hyped and manipulated."

Why the skepticism? For a different take, look at this "exclusive" interview Christianity Today conducted with someone named James Cameron.

The Tube and the Tomb

2007-02-27T12:06:00.000-07:00

James Cameron, the impresario behind the film "Titanic," is making big waves again -- this time by suggesting he's discovered the real tomb of Jesus.

The catch is that the tomb has (or had) bones in it (authorities have reburied them). So, if it's THE Jesus' tomb, that pretty much puts the kibosh on a literal bodily resurrection.

Many -- perhaps most -- scholars are skeptical that this could be the final resting place of the historical Jesus.
But what if it were true? As a religion writer, that's the most intriguing question at play for me. It calls into question what it means to be Christian, and perhaps the nature of divinity itself.

If Jesus died, was buried, and on the third day nothing happened, then how relevant is it all? Does Christian faith hinge on the resurrection? Or is it couched in the life and teachings of a flesh-and-blood man? Is there a line where Christianity stops being a faith and becomes a philosophy?

I can't offer any answers here -- though I'd be interested in your thoughts. All I can do is offer a few links where you can explore more.

Here's the Discovery Channel's take on the tomb.

Y-Zine, an apologetic site for 20-somethings, has a pretty good rundown of why Cameron thinks this could be Jesus' final resting spot -- and why other scholars say it can't be.

The Associated Press offered this take on what the statisticians say about it all.

Here's an interview with the guy who discovered the tomb way back in 1980, and why he thinks Cameron and his cronies are full of it.

Then there's this curious little story about the tomb's living neighbors -- and how they feel about being in such close proximity to, perhaps, one of the most influential guys around.

On the Bright Side...

2007-02-27T09:28:00.001-07:00

It's been an interesting few months on the Colorado Springs religion beat. It feels as though I've written about lots of scandal and heartbreak and pedophile priests lately, and I hear occasionally from readers who wonder why I don't seem to have anything good to write about church.

Over in England, though, some parishioners were taken aback when an online report was a little too good.

The Ship of Fools is a satirical Web site that both mocks and lauds church culture, both in Britain and in the U.S. One of its most popular features is the Mystery Worshipper -- a standing feature written by anonymous volunteers who attend church services and then rate them. Several Colorado Springs churches have been reviewed, including New Life Church and St. Mary's Cathedral, and The Gazette has written a story about our own mystery worshipper.

But I digress. The scandal in this case, such as it is, involves the planting of favorable church reviews by folks with a vested interest: In this instance, an Episcopal priest is suspected of filing posts that applaud his own speaking and singing.

OK, so this is something less than Watergate. Still, it's interesting if you're a church wonk like me, and it's curiously refreshing for parishioners to blow the whistle because they thought the reviews were just too darn fawning of their own church.

"Needless to say, it's a cold day in Hell when a church complains that their Mystery Worshipper report is too positive," wrote Ship of Fools editor Simon Jenkins.

If that particular scandal doesn't interest you, go to the site anyway and check out these two mugshots, comparing KFC's Col. Sanders with Colorado Springs' own spiritual warrior, C. Peter Wagner.

Faith and Film

2007-02-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

"The Departed" won Best Picture at last night's Academy Awards. Helen Mirren was named Best Actress for her turn as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen."

Me, I cared more about the documentaries.

Many of this year's documentary nominees were just dripping with religious themes. "Deliver Us from Evil" burrowed into the psyche of a pedophilic priest. "Jesus Camp" (featuring snippets from our own Rev. Ted Haggard and New Life Church) was a dissection of a charismatic Christian camp where children are trained to be the next generation of God's soldiers.

The winner -- Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" -- is pretty secular by comparison. But then again, thousands of more progressive churches (including a half-dozen in Colorado Springs) screened the film in their sanctuaries.

New Worship Center Springs Open

2007-02-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mountain Springs Church officially dedicated its new 1,000-seat worship center tonight with an evening of prayer, music, and much enthusiasm.

"Wow, this is big," said one congregant as she walked down the aisle. And the new worship center is indeed large: not New Life Church big, mind you, but big enough to serve one of Colorado Springs' largest and fastest-growing churches. Mountain Springs, led by the Rev. Steve Holt, has an estimated 3,500 members now -- half of them, by the looks of things, under the age of 12.

An eclectic group of spiritual leaders came to help inaugurate the new building, headlined by U.S. representative Doug Lamborn.

"It's great to see a place where God is so obviously moving," he told the packed sanctuary.

Paul Stanley, an elder at New Life Church, thanked Holt for Mountain Springs' support the past three months, in the wake of the fall of the Rev. Ted Haggard. He told the congregation that New Life is on the right track again.

"God is doing a new work in that big place," he said.

Mountain Springs Church still has some celebrating to do. In a couple of months, according to Holt, the church will open another 30,000 square-foot addition, dedicated to children's education.

Dirt Cheap?

2007-02-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

And now, for your weird-religious-product-of-the-week ...

Holy Land Dirt.

Entrepreneuer Steve Friedman is now selling dirt from Israel over the Internet. Each 16-ounce resealable baggie is guaranteed authentic by a genuine rabbi and costs $20. Friedman's Web site says the soil is perfect for burial ceremonies and gravesite visits, but the dirt is so, er, clean that "you could plant a tree in it."

I wish I could post a picture, but there wasn't really a suitable one on their Web site. So instead I'm including a picture of a chipmunk sitting on a pile of dirt that could, conceivably have come from Israel.

Complex Sex

2007-02-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't completely sick of the whole "Haggard is completely heterosexual" storyline, take a trip to Beliefnet.com, where Patton Dodd offers his own take.

Dodd is a writer who worked closely with Haggard before his dismissal, so he's not just some random pontificator. He believes that folks who argue over whether Haggard is homosexual or heterosexual really miss the point. Sexuality is complex -- something experts told The Gazette, as well -- and Dodd says that to deny Haggard's nearly 30-year marriage and five children seems as preposterous as denying his alleged gay relationship with a male escort.

Dress for Litigation

2007-02-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

One of the most fascinating things about the Culture Wars is that the battlegrounds can pop up anywhere.

The latest skirmish sprouted in a Philadelphia suburb, where an elementary school principal told a 10-year-old boy he couldn't dress up as Jesus for Halloween. The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian activist organization that serves as a Culture War Geiger counter, is now suing on behalf of the boy, who says his civil rights were violated.

According to the Associated Press story, the boy and his mother don't observe Halloween because of its pagan roots, but the mom didn't want the boy ostracized by going to school costume-free for the day. And since other kids were dressed up as witches and devils, the mom thought, it seemed like the school might need a little Jesus.

No dice. The principal made the kid take off his crown of thorns. He was allowed to keep the robe, but was told to tell his classmates that he was a Roman Emperor.

Hoping for a Miracle

2007-02-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

I spent some time talking with the Rev. Steve Brooks yesterday.

Brooks, senior pastor for Springs Community Church, is suffering from Motor Neuron Disease, often a precursor to Lou Gehrig's disease -- an incurable condition that, barring a miracle, always leads to death.

Brooks, who co-founded the church in 1985, is hoping for a miracle. But he's not counting on one. The disease has taken a toll on his fine motor skills: His hands freeze when he types, and when he talks it sounds slurred as if he's come back from the dentist. But he continues to preach nearly every Sunday, telling his congregants that God is with everyone -- even in the sucky times.

He's not planning on leaving the church, but he's preparing for it -- just in case.

"Congregations get way too attached to the founding pastor," he said. "This has been a gift from heaven to say to the congregation, God is the head of Springs Community Church, not Steve Brooks."

Look for a full story in The Gazette early next month.

.

Anglican Upheaval

2007-02-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Leaders for the Anglican Communion -- a 77-million-member worldwide Christian denomination that includes the United States Episcopal Church -- yesterday gave the Episcopal Church eight months to ban blessings of same-sex unions. If the Episcopal Church doesn't go along, it could slip to an ancillary role within the communion. The worldwide Communion also took steps to create a new governing body for more conservative parishes and dioceses in the U.S.

None of this was particularly unexpected, but it's still a huge deal, both nationally and locally: Ever since the U.S. Episcopal Church ordained an openly and actively gay man as bishop of its New Hampshire diocese, the denomination has been torn apart by issues of human sexuality. More traditional Episcopalians believe homosexuality runs counter to Scripture, and some conservative dioceses and parishes have already tried to withdraw from the U.S. denomination, seeking alternative oversight from more conservative provinces overseas.

Grace Episcopal Church has been one of the focal points for the conservative movement. Its rector, the Rev. Don Armstrong, has been critical of the Episcopal Church, but he had not advocated splitting from the church.

Now, Armstrong's been suspended while the diocese investigates whether he misapplied church funds. Many parishioners believe the suspension was, in essence, a political move to silence this conservative firebrand. With the Anglican Communion working on some sort of alternative oversight plan, it'll be interesting to see what happens in Grace over the next few months.

New Chapters

2007-02-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday's services at the 14,000-member New Life Church were intended to offer some closure to the scandal that's enveloped the place the last 100 days. It was intended to tie up loose ends and set the stage for New Life's future.

It also was about spin control.

In the past two weeks, curious revelations leaked out over the Rev. Ted Haggard's "restoration" process and sexual status. Haggard sent an e-mail to some of his supporters, saying three weeks of counseling had helped him immeasurably. An overseer was quoted in another media outlet as saying that Haggard said he was "completely heterosexual."

The overseer in question -- the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur -- told me Sunday he had been misquoted, but that claim certainly didn't change the arc of the Haggard narrative. While no one ever said that Haggard had been "cured" of homosexuality in three weeks, that was the impression some came away with.

Reading a letter to the congregation, overseer Larry Stockstill used Sunday's services to correct that notion.

"There should be no confusion that deliverance from habitual, life-controlling problems is a 'journey' and not an 'event,'" Stockstill said. "Ted will need years of accountability to demonstrate his victory over both actions and tendencies."

New Life Church's own recovery seems to share some similarities with Haggard's path. Yesterday, services felt pretty normal: The mood wasn't somber or apprehensive. It was boisterous and upbeat -- typical of New Life. Congregants listened intently to the overseers, but it wasn't the gut-wrenching scene that took place Nov. 4, when Haggard's letter of apology was read aloud to congregants.

But, while New Life seems fine, it still has a long road ahead of it. A senior pastor must be chosen -- a gravely important choice, particularly when you consider that Haggard's the only senior pastor New Life has ever known. The church will undergo some serious restructuring, too, which may include a personnel shakeup. New Life attendance has dipped only slightly in the months since Haggard's dismissal, but some church experts say the rockiest times may lie ahead.

The services yesterday may have marked the end of one chapter, as one congregant told me. But the chapters ahead may be, in their own ways, just as challenging.

Juche and Jesus

2007-02-16T14:19:00.000-07:00

This Saturday's Gazette contains a story on Juche, the North Korean atheistic belief system, examining whether it's a religion or not.

Some readers may take offense at the story's light tone. North Korea is perhaps the most oppressive nation on earth, and some studies suggest that Christians have been particularly oppressed: One study I saw suggests the government imprisons and perhaps tortures around 50,000-70,000 Christians every year.

One of the experts I talked with, though, suggested that Christianity is percolating just below the surface.

Before North Korea closed its borders and turned to Juche, author James Church says Korea was an up-and-coming hotbed of Christianity. South Korea still is, according to Hae Won Suh, who leads a Korean Baptist congregation in Colorado Springs. Hae says that 20 percent of South Koreans are Christian.

Christianity’s influence lingers up north, too. Church says that Christians do meet covertly in small groups, and he says that if he knows about it, the government probably knows about it.“They have not tried to root out Christianity, primarily because they know it’s hopeless,” Church said. “As long as it’s not practiced overtly, in a way that would threaten the regime, they just watch it.”

South Koreans like Hae, however, hope North Koreans will one day be able to punt Juche for Jesus.“We just keep praying for that country to open its mind, open the doors to the Gospel,” he said. “Some day, God will answer our prayers.”

If Only It Would Give You Lottery Numbers ..

2007-02-16T08:59:00.000-07:00

It may not look like much, but this may be the luckiest piece of plastic in the world.

Called the "Mexican Snowglobe Pyramid of Luck" by the folks who carry it at retailer Lucky Mojo, this tiny plastic pyramid contains a slew of lucky objects, including the silver milagro hand (representing the hand of God, at top), a floating statue of Buddha (the white thing you see in the middle) an image of San Martin Caballero (the patron saint of wealth) and assorted horseshoes, elephants, lucky beans and glitter.

Lucky Mojo doesn't list a price for this curious collection of religious totems, suggesting that this kind of luck doesn't come cheap. But the rest of the company's merchandise doesn't seem to be too expensive, so if you're in the market for a little extra luck -- or if you just like to see tiny Buddhas floating in snowglobes -- it might be worth checking out.

Into the Shadows

2007-02-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

The "Out of the Shadows Into the Light" conference started yesterday afternoon at the Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado. I attended a bit of the conference, and though organizers billed it as an open-ended dialogue on human sexuality and the church, my initial impression is that it fell short of that mark.

The first speaker, Marvin Ellison of Bangor (Maine) Theological Seminary, made an impassioned plea for the church to drop its fear and loathing of human sexuality and abandon the "politics of oppression." He was initially concerned that speaking at this Colorado Springs conference might expose him to "toxic" levels of anti-gay rhetoric, referring to Focus on the Family by name. He said that Christians need to understand that the Bible has some "spiritual deadwood," and that the Ted Haggard story is really about "overcoming self-hatred."

"What about Mr. Haggard, should we ask, needs healing?" he asked attendees.

Ellison's talk hit home for many of the conference-goers, who murmured and chuckled their agreement throughout. But it was a curious keynote to launch a conference that's intended to start a cross-philosophical dialogue on the issue -- one intended to engage both the Ellisons and Focus on the Familys of the world. This was not a "let's sit down and talk about this" speech: This was a "let me tell you what's wrong with the church today" speech.

This was just one of many talks scheduled for the conference, and most of the heavy lifting of the conference will take place in small groups, where attendees will have a chance to speak with one another. I was not allowed into the small-group scene as a journalist, so perhaps the conversations there are taking a different tack.

But initially, at least, the conference struck me as a swing and a miss: You can't hold a culture-changing conference on human sexuality -- at least not in Colorado Springs -- without bringing the conservatives to the table, too.

God on the Campaign Trail

2007-02-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

We're 18 months away from the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and the race for the presidency is getting more muddy by the minute. By the time you finish reading this blog, I predict at least three new candidates will throw their hats into the proverbial ring.

One thing we can safely predict, however, is that religion will play a crucial role in this campaign. A prime Republican darling is also Mormon -- a faith that some conservative Christians consider a cult. Democrats are working hard to prove they're also a party of faith -- a label that Republicans have monopolized for the last couple of decades. And, to my knowledge, at least three candidates have already been forced to answer faith-centric questions.

Before he even announced his candidacy, Barack Obama was being accused of being a closet Muslim and attending a radical Indonesian madrassa as a child. Both were slam-dunk falsehoods, apparently. Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ, a fairly liberal but undeniably Christian denomination.

Fellow Democrat John Edwards had even more problems. Two campaign staffers resigned after they were accused of being anti-Catholic. Both women -- Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan -- got in trouble for blogging on religion: Marcotte said the Catholic Church punted "compassion" (i.e. abortion, in her view) so women could "bear more tithing Catholics," and McEwan used the term "Christofascists," to refer to conservative Christians. The Catholic League, a conservative Catholic activist organization, launched a nationwide blitz to push them out of the Edwards campaign.

Over on the Republican side, Mitt Romney is dealing with questions about his Mormon faith. The former governor of Massachusetts has done well so far, pundits say, poking fun at his faith's polygamist past by saying "marriage is between a man and a woman ... and a woman, and a woman." Still, with Romney campaigning as a social conservative, there is some question whether the GOP's evangelical base will support a candidate who shares their political views but doesn't share their doctrine.

Most Republican candidates will make their obligatory pilgrimage to Colorado Springs' Focus on the Family to meet with James Dobson. Those meetings are typically private, but I'd be fascinated to hear how a Dobson/Romney summit goes.

Psst. You Wanna Buy a Church?

2007-02-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

Sure, Colorado Springs pastors have taken their lumps the past few months. But none of our hometown scandals have quite risen to the weirdness level of Pastor Randall Radic of Ripon, Calif. At least not yet.

In terms of sheer gumption, the Radic story takes the cake. According to the Associated Press, the small-town pastor sold his church and rectory to buy himself a black BMW. He later confessed to his nefarious deed on his own blog, apparently -- perhaps assuming his aged congregation didn't surf the Web all that much.

His blog is offline, by the way. I just checked.

Perhaps there's a similar story in the makings here. But until we uncover it, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and say, "well, we may have a pastor who bought meth, but at least we don't go to church in Ripon."

Paine in the Butt

2007-02-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

Thomas Paine won't get his own special day in Arkansas -- in part because some modern-day legislators believe he was down on religion.

A proposal to declare Jan. 29 "Thomas Paine Day" failed after supporters fell short of the 51 votes it needed to pass, according to a story from the Associated Press.

Paine, author of the book "Common Sense" that helped spur the American Revolution, is recognized as one of the United States' founding fathers. But when it came to honoring the guy with "Thomas Paine Day," Representative Sid Rosenbaum balked.

"He did some good things for the nation, but the book that he wrote was anti-Christian and anti-Jewish," Rosenbaum said to AP. "I don't think we should be passing things out like this without at least debating it and letting people in the House know what we're voting on."

Rosenbaum's right about Paine's religious leanings. Paine was a deist, who thought Christianity was a stumbling block on the path to the Divine. He was openly critical of the faith in several writings.

Paine wasn't alone, of course. The revolution was fostered in the Age of Enlightenment -- an age that tended to snicker at overt religious devotion -- and many of our first presidents were Unitarians, a denomination where deists tend to hang out. That said, many founders were very religious, and even deists such as Paine tended to talk about God an awful lot.

All of this brings us to two basic questions.

1. Just how important was Judeo-Christian thought and sensibility to the foundation of the United States?

2. Does rejecting Thomas Paine Day on religious grounds shift the line between church and state yet again?

Soul-saving Sandals

2007-02-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Some people just don't feel comfortable walking up to someone to tell them the "good news." For those shy evangelists, CSO Industries has made it possible to evangelize while walking away.

Shoes of the Fishermen are sandals with treads that leave the words "Jesus" and "Loves You" on sandy or muddy ground. The Web site says they're comfortable, too -- and really, why would a Web site marketing Jesus-Loves-You-sandals lie?

Sandals cost $20 or $30, depending on whether you want a simple sandal or full sandal. And, for those of you who want to leave your evangelical mark through freshly fallen snow, the company also sells snow boots.

"Completely Heterosexual"

2007-02-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

When the Rev. Tim Ralph told The Denver Post that Colorado Springs' fallen pastor, the Rev. Ted Haggard, was "completely heterosexual," it brought the whole issue of Haggard's sexual identity back to the forefront. Is he gay? Is he straight? Is he just confused? Media outlets ranging from the New York Times to -- ahem -- The Gazette have offered expert punditry on how tricky a thing like human sexuality is to pin down.

Rob Brendle, associate pastor for New Life Church, said that "it's fruitless to speculate" on what Haggard's sexuality is. And maybe he has a point. We, as a society, speculated months ago. Now we speculate again.

To me, an even more compelling offshoot of these comments is how the evangelical church, the media and we as a society still view homosexuality as a curiosity -- something that in itself (at least in the case of a pastor) is worth talking about.

When the Haggard story broke, few people wanted to hear as much about Haggard's alleged methamphetamine use as they wanted to know more details of his relationship with Mike Jones: The when, the how, the how it felt. It's human nature, I suppose. But it's curious, nevertheless.

Evangelicals have told me the biggest issue at play here is not homosexuality, but infidelity. The fact Haggard cheated on his wife was the biggie. The fact he did it with a man, they say, is practically beside the point. So why do we care if he is "completely heterosexual" or mostly heterosexual or a tiny bit heterosexual?

Whether evangelicals say so or not, there's still an extra-special stigma attached to gay acts in many, perhaps most, Christian churches. It's doubtful Ralph would've made his comment had that not been the case. When the Rev. Don Armstrong was suspended from Grace Episcopal Church for (according to the diocese) the misapplication of church funds, I heard from many Armstrong supporters who were VERY angry that Armstrong was mentioned in the same paragraph as Haggard. "How dare you compare our pastor with someone who had a homosexual affair!" was a common theme.

But folks outside the church also are entranced by these issues of homosexuality. Never mind that the "completely heterosexual" comment was made by a pastor not involved in Haggard's restoration process. Never mind that even Haggard's church gently distanced itself from Ralph's comments. Never mind whether we'll ever know if it's true or not. It's the talking point now, and everyone wants to hear about it.

The question is why.

Painful memories

2007-02-06T09:13:00.000-07:00

The ongoing Holocaust exhibit at the East Library is called "The Courage to Remember."

There's truth in the title. Remembering the Holocaust -- when millions of Jews were killed by Nazi Germany -- is painful stuff. Particularly for the folks who lived it.

Adele Obodov, 79, initially declined to participate in this latest project, purchased from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. She was nearing 80. She'd done her share of school presentations. But every time she talked, she dredged up painful memories of the past.

"It's the anxiety of the past," she said. "And that anxiety lasts with you all of your life."

She relented, in part because Paulette Greenberg, head of the sponsoring organization Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance, is so persuasive. But she also realizes there are still those who deny the Holocaust -- those who say it never happened.

"If that's the case, what happened to my uncle and my aunt and my cousin?" she said. Nazi records say they died in Auschwitz. How can there be people, she wonders, who still don't believe?

So she allowed herself to be filmed for a DVD, now part of the exhibit. She was there at the exhibit's opening Feb. 4. She still talks about the Holocaust with those who ask. But this, she said, is the last time.

Obodov never went to a concentration camp. She was transported to England shortly before World War II, part of a massive effort to evacuate Jewish children from Germany.

"We knew at some level that if we didn't leave, we wouldn't," she said.

Her parents also survived. Many of her relatives were not so lucky.

Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime was openly anti-Semitic for years before the war. The fact that Jews were in danger didn't take anyone by surprise, according to Obodov.

But, she added, "I don't think anybody knew the extent or could imagine the numbers. I don't think anyone imagined the magnitude of it."

The exhibit, at 5550 N. Union Blvd. will run through the end of February. Materials from the exhibit, including Obodov's DVD, will be available for checkout thereafter.

On the Same Team

2007-02-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy became the first African American to win a Super Bowl. Chicago's Lovie Smith became the first African American to lose one. Both are reputed to be the classiest of class acts.

Before the Super Bowl, they also teamed up to push their Christian faith.

The two men appeared together in a huge ad in USA Today championing their Beyond the Ultimate Web site, which offers each coach's testimony (including the role faith played in Dungy recovering from his son's suicide) as well as some general information about Christianity.

Are you ready for some football?

2007-02-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Folks take their football pretty seriously around these parts: Some sociologists even consider football fandom as a kind of religion.

Like different religious persuasions, many fans have their own rituals that delineate them from the guy across the salsa dip, and it's a good idea -- in the interest of cross-cultural exchanges -- to know who you're watching the Big Game with. So, as a reader's service, we're providing the following guidelines for "football denominations."

Evangelical -- wears jerseys and foam fingers at work as a witness of his team's greatness
Baptist -- jives on the whole Gatorade dunking at the end
Presbyterian -- feels the game's outcome has been pre-ordained
Methodist -- brought the best food
Unitarian-Universalist -- likes ALL the teams equally
Seeker -- asks what a shovel pass is
Mennonite -- wears only retro jerseys
Amish -- forgave Terrell Owens for being such a jerk
Religious Right -- questions why the quarterback spends so much time touching the center's butt
Pentecostal -- lays hands on T.V. for better reception
Fundamentalist -- likes the old leather helmets best
Postmodern/emergent -- asks fellow fans "how they feel" when team struggles
Atheist -- believes the game is made up by greedy advertisers
Heretic -- came wearing an Oakland Raiders jersey
Catholic -- feels guilty about not rooting hard enough
Lutherans -- post 95 suggestions for the coach on your TV screen

Itsy bitsy, it's not

2007-02-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

So, when conservative Muslim women -- women who by Islamic law and tradition can only show a (ahem) bare minimum of skin -- want to swim a few laps in the pool, what do they do? Well, nowadays, they can put on one of these specially designed swimsuits, sometimes refered to as (and I'm not making this up) Burkhinis.

This particular outfit is made by the Australian company Ahiida, whose swimwear runs $170-190 Aussie dollars. But you get a lot more fabric for your buck than when you buy a $60 bikini.

Several companies make similar outfits, which suggests that a real need is being filled here. Certainly before such suits came along, many Muslim women would've had to keep their toes out of the pool. And, while these particular suits aren't exactly aerodynamic, full-body suits are all the rage in the Olympics these days ... it's possible the burkhini could be the start of a bona fide, cross-cultural fashion trend. or not.

So Long, Sommer

2007-02-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

I received word yesterday that the Rev. Armin Sommer, one of Colorado Springs' most visible pastors, is leaving the nearly 2,000-member Pulpit Rock Church to take over Grace Baptist Church in New Jersey.

Sommer is no stranger to the church, located in the (I'm sure beautiful) city of Netcong. He pastored the church for 17 years before coming to Pulpit Rock in the mid 1990s. But here's the irony: Sommer -- a native New Yorker -- tells me that when he first became a pastor in the 1970s, he prayed that God would send him anywhere BUT New Jersey.

Sommer will be around here through the end of February.

Wilberforce of Nature

2007-01-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

Christianity Today, an evangelical Christian magazine, just released its list of "The 10 Most Redeeming Films of 2006." The fact that "The Nativity" topped the list isn't exactly a press-stopper, but some of the other movies might surprise: "Children of Men," "The Three Burials of Mequiades Estrada" and "Charlotte's Web" all snagged places. And to illustrate what a new-release loser I am, I haven't seen a single film on the list. At least not yet.

I've already got a jump start on 2007's probable list, though. Last night I saw an advance screening of "Amazing Grace: The William Wilberforce Story," and I was pretty impressed.

Spoiler alert: William Wilberforce was a British Parliamentarian who, through eloquence, faith and pit-bull doggedness, pushed the British Empire to abandon the slave trade.

There, now you know.

But the point of the film is that everyone should know about this guy.

The film isn't exactly "Christian," in my estimation. This is a secular film that doesn't shy away from Wilberforce's Christian faith. It treats it as a powerful and legitimate motivator -- a prime mover in the elimination of one of Earth's prime evils -- but it's not out to proselytize. The film is produced by Bristol Bay Productions (the same folks behind the Ray Charles biopic "Ray") in conjunction with Walden Media, the Christian-tinged company that created the film adaptation of "Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Sure, Walden doesn't make films that run counter to its underlying values -- it'd never do a remake of "Scarface," for example -- but it's focus has always been on spinning a good yarn, not getting people to go to church.

And make no mistake, this is a darn good yarn -- in a PBS, men-wearing-wigs sort of way. I'll be writing a full review for The Gazette's Go! section closer to "Amazing Grace's" Feb. 23 release, but I'll give you an advancer: thumbs up.

Splashdown

2007-01-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

One of my editors sent me this YouTube clip this morning. Check it out.

What, me retire?

2007-01-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

I don't think retired pastors ever really retire. They just stop wearing those cool robes.

The Rev. James White, local liberal firebrand and retired senior pastor for First Congregational Church-United Church of Christ, is now acting director of the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission. Never one to mince words, White told the organization it was "in trouble" during its annual meeting earlier this month. Last year the organization apparently dipped into its reserves to stay on budget, and White wants to get the organization back on stable financial ground.

But he definitely believes in the organization's mission. White said he wants to keep this liberal voice speaking and, in his view, educating the community around it.

"God knows we need an alert and knowledgeable citizenry!" White said. "And God knows we don't have it."

Will of Grace

2007-01-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Grace Episcopal Church and St. Stephen's Parish had its annual meeting at 10 a.m. Sunday. As The Gazette reported this morning, it was a rather tense affair -- tension fostered by the suspension of Grace's longtime pastor, the Rev. Donald Armstrong. Some parishioners have gravitated into factions: Those who think the Bishop was way out of line in removing Armstrong, and those who think that the church -- and Armstrong -- may well have been at fault.

But while the congregation may be factionalized, the two sides aren't as far apart as you'd think. Armstrong supporters acknowledge that perhaps there was some misapplication of funds -- akin to the mistakes many of us might make when filling out our own income tax forms. Some of those critical of Armstrong say the timing of the priest's removal is at least a little suspect. And there are likely lots of folks in the middle who aren't quite sure who to trust.

What most of these folks appear to REALLY want, though, is information.And the higher-ups who have the answers either can't talk or won't talk. That's a confusing and frustrating place to be.

As incoming vestry member Dr. Rip Hollister told me, it's as if the church has been told it has a "lump," but aren't told anything more. Go home, the doctors say. Don't worry about it and don't talk about it.

"We've even had the biopsy," Hollister said. "It's just taking too darn long to get the results."

Climbing the Mountasia of Faith

2007-01-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Saturday's Gazette features a story about a local Unitarian Universalist church (High Plains Church) moving into its new digs at Mountasia, a one-time family fun center located along Academy Boulevard.

According to High Plains' pastor, the Rev. Matthew Johnson-Doyle, UU leader Rev. William G. Sinkford will officially christen the church's new location this fall. That's a big deal: Sinkford is the first African-American to head one of the country's major denominations, according to Johnson-Doyle. He's bringing new visibility to a stream of faith sometimes misunderstood.

Unitarian Universalism is a fairly quirky denomination. Though it's been part of the American fabric since the country's earliest days -- many past presidents, in fact, have been Unitarians -- it's not precisely Christian.

Unitarian Universalism (actually two separate denominations that joined in 1961) is a sect that draws on lots of different beliefs: While it has its roots in Christianity (the first Unitarians just rejected the concept of the trinity), a UU pastor might as easily quote Buddhist scripture as the Bible, and its members observe whatever religious holidays that they take a fancy to. Members tend to be pretty eclectic: Some would consider themselves to be Christian. Others might not believe in a god at all, but like the idea of religion -- or, at least, the community that a church can provide.

But while a member's theology might run the gamut, their social ethics tend to be fairly uniform. The denomination openly welcomes gays and lesbians -- not only into its churches, but into its leadership. Many UU folks get pretty fired up about poverty and civil rights. The front page of their Web site commemorates the 34th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court case that legalized abortion nationwide.

Unitarian Universalism is, in some ways, a spiritual home for folks who like spirituality but have trouble swallowing any one faith creed. The cliche would be that UU adherents care more about what the questions are than what the answers are.

If you want to know more, check out the UU FAQ site here. It's a wealth of information. For those who want to check out a church in person, there are two in town: All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church downtown, and the previously-mentioned High Plains Church, currently meeting at Timberview Middle School at 8680 Scarborough Drive.

And for your Friday...

2007-01-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Religious-themed toy of the week: Nunzilla.

This wind-up figurine is about three inches tall, walks very slowly across one's desk, and, apparently, spews sparks from her mouth -- a nifty trick that, to my knowledge, only this toy and my editors have been able to master.

Colorado Springs' own EvolveFish outlet -- the company that outfitted so many of our car bumpers with those little fish with feet -- is selling Nunzilla for $5. But you can find it elsewhere for less than $4. Archie McPhee has the best price I found -- $7.50 for two. You could wind them both up, turn them to face each other and watch them go at it. Or keep one and give the extra to a friend, relative, or Colorado Springs religion writer.

Pelosi and her Friends

2007-01-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

"I don't agree with the politics of a lot of evangelicals, but I do agree with them that you have to believe in something," Alexandra Pelosi told The Gazette's T.V. reporter Andrew Wineke. "'What do you believe in?' I was asked that question so many times on the road that we have to figure it out."

Pelosi, whose evangelical documentary "Friends of God" airs tonight on HBO, has publicly declared her sympathy -- if not allegiance -- with evangelicals in a host of published interviews. The documentary shows some of that sympathy, albeit with a heaping helping of "gee whilickers, look at what these crazy evangelicals do for fun!"

Pelosi's 60-minute film starts out almost exactly like "Jesus Camp," a much-buzzed about evangelical documentary that was released earlier this year: We viewers are in a car, listening to snippets of evangelical diatribe as Christian-themed billboards flash by the window.

But while "Jesus Camp" focused on one narrow and extreme snippet of the evangelical movement, Pelosi's film showcases more than a dozen evangelical churches, events and happenings -- from Joel Osteen's 35,000-member Lakewood Church in Texas to a Christian Hot Rod show.

The stop that's getting the most attention, of course, is Pelosi's visit to Colorado Springs' New Life Church, where she spends lots of time with the Rev. Ted Haggard. It's an odd and creepy segment in many ways, particularly when Haggard starts talking about what great sex evangelicals have. Haggard, of course, was dismissed from New Life just days after the documentary was completed because of his alleged relationship with a male escort.

But if one could somehow put aside Haggard's well-publicized fall, the former Colorado Springs pastor comes across pretty well. He points out that evangelicals aren't all that unusual and that, yes, many even live in Pelosi's hometown of New York City. The difference, he says, is that folks can see Midwestern and Western megachurches like New Life from the highway, thereby creating a more visceral sense of power. In New York, the visibility isn't as great, but that doesn't mean evangelicals don't live there. Evangelicals are part of a broader, national "we" -- not a "them," as "Jesus Camp" seemed to stress.

Pelosi, though, didn't take Haggard's lesson to heart. Here, evangelicals are still very much a "them." Throughout the film, we hear Pelosi say frequently "you'd never see THIS in New York." It's almost as if she takes viewers on a field trip through an evangelical zoo. "And over here, you see the Christian Wrestling Federation ..."

But in fairness, Pelosi goes through this zoo with sympathy and some disarming humor. She doesn't treat her subjects all that seriously, but she doesn't appear to take herself all that seriously, either. When Pelosi talks, she makes no pretention of being anything but a fairly liberal New Yorker in a culture completely foreign to her. She thinks her subjects are a little wacky at times. They think she's going to hell. But that doesn't mean they can't enjoy one another's company.

And there are moments of poignancy. In Tennessee, Pelosi visits a family that believes sex was created by God to procreate, and they've taken that to heart. They have 10 children. The mom, a one-time blond fashion plate who had ambitions of becoming a lawyer and politician, spends her days homeschooling her broad brood.

But when she says she has the best life of anybody she knows, we want to believe her. And, as a result, we -- like Pelosi -- have to ask ourselves what we believe in.

Colorado College: Faith Nexus

2007-01-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

Colorado College has the rep among some folks as being a liberal secular outpost in the evangelical mecca of Colorado Springs. I can't speak to CC's political bent, but secular? Not lately, and not by a longshot. They've shown more willingness to wrestle honestly with issues of faith than, arguably, one or two pastors I've talked with.

Right on the heels of its four-day symposium on religion and politics, the college is bringing in two more high-powered, faith-oriented speakers.

First up is Arthur Zajonc, an expert in atomic physics and quantum mechanics who, like the dude I blogged on yesterday, seeks to bridge the gap between science and faith. Zajonc, whose CC talk is titled "Science and Spirituality: Breaking Common Cognitive Ground," appears to come at this whole debate from a more Buddhist point of view. He helps coordinate the Mind and Life dialogue featuring the Dalai Lama, and he co-edited "The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama." So he's got that going for him. His lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Gates Common Room, 1025 N. Cascade Ave.

Less than a week later, CC brings in controversial feminist Camille Paglia who will speak on "Religion and the Public Arts." As for what she'll say about them, you'll have to wait for her 7:30 p.m. talk Feb. 6 at Armstrong Theatre, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St. But her favorite paintings can be found at www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/paglia/list_paintings.html.

And be watching The Gazette in early February for a story on "The Civilians," a New York-based theater troupe that's working with CC students for a faith-and-politics themed play focusing, of course, on Colorado Springs.

Science and Faith

2007-01-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

I read a fascinating interview with Francis Collins this weekend in the February issue of Discover magazine, a scientific publication written for folks who aren't all that scientific. Collins heads the National Human Genome Research Institute and is, by all accounts, a brilliant scientist. He's also a Christian who recently published a book called "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief." He buys evolution and supports embryonic stem cell research -- probably the most interesting part of the interview, for my money -- but he takes scientists to task for sometimes belittling religious belief.

"Is there any dogma more unsupported by the facts than from the scientist who stands up and says, 'I know there is no God'?" Collins says in the interview. "Science is woefully unsuited to ask the question of God in the first place. So give the religious folks a break. They are seeking the kind of spiritual truths that have always interested humankind but that science cannot really address."

It doesn't look like Discover posted the interview online. But, if you run across a copy of this issue of Discover -- it has a fat naked guy on the cover -- you might want to pick it up.

Boomerangs

2007-01-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

I admit it: I'm a stat wonk.

I love stories where I get to toss around numbers and percentages and rates of incline or decline. I get into that stuff. Odd, considering I'd rather lose a couple of fingers than sit in an eighth-grade math class again.

So I find looking into the stats behind "Boomerang Believers" pretty interesting. The study most helpful to this particular story, I found, was one conducted by The Barna Group, an evangelical research company out of California. The primary poll I used can be found here.

But while it's true that folks tend to leave church following high school and often return once they have families of their own, that doesn't tell the whole story. While my article talks about some personal reasons why people tend to gravitate away from church during their 20s, it only briefly mentions that some of those folks don't come back again, and it doesn't get into all the sociological and theological factors at play for the folks who don't "boomerang."

Steve Watters of Focus on the Family talked about the other factors that might keep people from returning to church. For one, he suggests that as people wait longer to get married and have children, their time away from the church grows, too, making it less likely they'll go back. He believes that, in faith cultures where people tend to marry younger -- say, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) -- young adults are more likely to stay in church.

I don't have any stats to back up this hypothesis, but from what I've heard anecdotally from local Mormons, that's probably true. It's also worth noting that Latter-day Saints funnel huge amounts of time and effort into their youth, encouraging them to attend daily faith classes when they're in high school and then, often, shipping them off to serve as missionaries.

Latter-day Saints are taught during their teen years about the importance of their faith. In comparison, a study done by the University of North Carolina suggested that most teens just don't feel like religion is all that important: Yeah, they tend to go to church, but faith is something that ticks along in the background.

I ran across another stat that admittedly has no direct bearing on this story, but one I found interesting: According to Baylor University's comprehensive 2006 religion survey, 39 percent of folks between ages 18-30 say they are evangelical protestants -- significantly higher than the 33 percent of the overall U.S. population that would classify themselves as such. While the rising level of non-belief has deservedly gotten attention (18.6 percent of those 18-30 are "unaffiliated," more than double the rate of unbelief overall), that evangelical-centric stat may wind up being just as significant a decade or two from now.

It's worth a story, I think. So, when you read about it later, remember you read it here first.

The Other Mother Teresa

2007-01-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Teresa, a chimpanzee living in Louisiana's chimpanzee retirement home Chimp Haven, has given birth. Odd, considering all the male chimps at Chimp Haven have been given vascectomies.

It seems like there's a comment to be made about evolution and/or the Immaculate Conception here, but I'm at a loss to know what it could be ...

The Sun and the Son

2007-01-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Environmentally-minded evangelicals are getting some significant traction, it appears. The nation may hear on Tuesday whether it's having an effect.

Hundreds of newspapers, including The Gazette, ran stories this morning about the alliance between scientists and some evangelical leaders over the issue of global warming. It's the latest, most tangible step for a growing environmental movement among evangelicals.

The evangelical community isn't standing lock-step behind this effort. In 2006, as many prominent evangelicals pushed to broaden their agenda to include global warming, some prominent conservative evangelicals, including a few at Focus on the Family, signed their own statement arguing the science behind it was uncertain and had been manipulated. Some just want the evangelical agenda to be tightly focused on its traditional core issues, such as abortion and human sexuality.

But some believe that the evangelical push may be having an affect on how President Bush thinks about such things. Bush will apparently address environmental issues during his State of the Union Speech Tuesday.

Screening Faith

2007-01-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Parents Television Council recently released its latest study on how television portrays religion. Its conclusion: TV ain't doing so hot.

According to the PTC, negative references to faith outweigh positive references overall, with the biggest offenders being scripted television shows. Fox's "Family Guy" and "House" were particularly offensive, according to the survey, with an assist from another Fox show, "The Simpsons." UPN (now the CW television network) was the dial's most offensive outlet, but PTC cited few examples from the network: Apparently, not enough folks watched UPN to worry the PTC all that much.

By comparison, reality shows were havens (heavens?) for positive depictions of faith, according to the study.

All of this is pretty interesting and, on one level, enlightening. Most Americans say that faith is a big part of their lives, so it would make sense that reality shows might have a higher faith content than scripted shows. And certainly, some shows do more than their fair share of slamming spirituality: In one episode of "Family Guy," God apparently creates the world by farting and setting the ensuing gas on fire. I certainly don't think that's what's being taught in Sunday School.

Still, it's interesting to see what PTC marked as "positive," "negative" or "neutral."

The PTC slaps a "negative" label on an April 9 episode of "The Simpsons," wherein a Hindu tells Homer "In our system of beliefs there are many gods." The following week, as "The Simpsons'" pastor wonders whether getting into a debate over evolution and creationism might boost attendence, he says "our membership HAS been dwindling since the Episcopalians put in those vibrating pews." The PTC also considered that a "negative."

Positive remarks were reliably preachy. "American Idol's" Mandisa earned kudos from PTC after she forgave Simon Cowell for making a crack about her weight, because Mandisa cited Jesus as the reason she was able to be so forgiving. But some "positives" broke form: On "So You Think You Can Dance," a Jewish contestant says "sometimes I'll be in synagogue praying and I'll just, y'know, bust a move and people will start giggling." Another positive, according to the PTC.

Neutral? An example comes from the WB show "Reba," when a character receives a new television and says "Oh, thank the Lord! This is the best thing that's ever happened to me!"

Well, you can't say the PTC wasn't thorough.

Stop by the Welcome Center at the 16th Hole

2007-01-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

High Plains Church, a Unitarian-Universalist congregation on the north side of town, is getting new digs: Mountasia Family Fun Center.

High Plains, one of two Unitarian-Universalist congregations in Colorado Springs, will open its church office at the 1825 Dominion Way site Feb. 1, and officials hope the rest of the church's activity will follow shortly thereafter.

Alas, the bumper-boat lagoon will probably not survive the transition. A release from High Plains says the pond will be filled in to make space for the church's youth programs. No word yet on the faux-rock, turquoise-blue waterfall that served as Mountasia's primary calling card along Academy Boulevard. Personally, I hope they keep it. If they were of another theological stripe, they'd be able to do baptisms there.

Jack and Jesus

2007-01-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hey, I like '24' as much as anybody. I've nibbled away my nails for five seasons now, developing ulcers while watching uber-cop Jack Bauer save the world yet again through all means dubious and devious.

Little did I know that Jack Bauer -- yes, the same Jack Bauer who went all "Nosferatu" on an unsuspecting terrorist last night -- is the central figure in a 21st century Christian parable. Some Christian pundits say Jack is a stand-in for Christ, albeit one who cuts off fingers and has a college drinking game inspired after him.

Sure, Jack wants peace on earth. But only after he puts a serious Old Testament smack on the baddies.

At least one prominent local pastor referenced "24" in his sermons this weekend. Several bloggers have noted that the show's a favorite among many Christian leaders -- perhaps because Jack, like Jesus, is willing to sacrifice himself for a greater good.

Author Tim Wesemann wrote an entire Christian book on the topic, titled "Jack Bauer's Having a Bad Day." And that book focuses only on Season One -- more may be forthcoming.

Hey, the first time we saw Jack he even LOOKED a little like Jesus, with his beard and scarred back and all. Every season is Jack's own passion play, filled with oodles of pain and suffering and misunderstandings.

Still, the analogy can be taken only so far. I mean, what sort of lessons would true believers draw from such a show? Stabbing someone in the kneecap is OK if they have pertinent information? And, if Jack is Jesus, would Chloe be Mary Magdalene?

If you have any particularly faithful observations from either last night's or tonight's shows, give me a holler and let me know.