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Ward was criticized by Jewish groups, then was repeatedly booed Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. "The Garden has heard boos, the Garden practically invented boos," wrote Jeff Jacobs in The Hartford Courant. "Patrick Ewing's hide is tattooed with boos. The Garden boos missed free throws. The Garden boos bad power plays. The Garden boos lack of effort. But never before this Sunday had the Garden booed Scripture." Before the night was over, however, the Garden was cheering Ward and the Knicks' win.

That didn't end the controversy, of course. Ward initially tried to explain his comments, saying "The writer took it out of context. I didn't mean to offend any one group because that's not what I'm about. I have friends that are Jewish, actually my best friend is a Jewish guy, and his name is Jesus Christ." But two days later, he issued an apology: "I want to truly apologize to everybody who was offended. I will say again that I would never condemn or criticize any group or religion. That is not who I am."

Those comments came after NBA commissioner David Stern condemned Ward and his statements: "Unfortunately, Ward's comments, and his subsequent confirmation of them, demonstrate zealotry of all types is intolerant and divisive," he said. "Despite suggestions that the NBA should penalize Ward for his words, I am not planning to do so. … Ward would have been better off not to have uttered his uninformed and ill-founded statements, but I do not wish to enhance his sense of martyrdom by penalizing him for giving them public voice."

Ironically, Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy had garnered headlines just a week before for saying that religion was a distraction from the game.

Atlanta burns over Methodists' decision to ban rabbi from baccalaureate sermon
Meanwhile, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been busy this week writing about a Christian-Jewish controversy of another sort. Mount Bethel United Methodist Church, which is hosting the baccalaureate ceremony for Walton High School, has barred Rabbi Steven Lebow from delivering the address because he isn't a Christian. "I honestly am flabbergasted," Lebow told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "My experience here has been exactly the opposite. People have always been open and loving. I have never had this happen."

Mount Bethel's pastor, the Rev. Randell Mickler, explains that he simply couldn't have a non-Christian preach from his pulpit. (The pastor and rabbi will soon meet to heal some of the wounds.)

The controversy continues to play out in the papers (run a search for Mickler at the Journal-Constitution's site and you'll see). Today, the Constitution editorializes, "It isn't political correctness to be hospitable to strangers or to respect other people's devotion to time-tested traditions that differ from those that prevail in a particular region. These are good and decent character traits for which all of us—Christian and non-Christian—should strive."

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April (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45