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1. Taylor University students, staff in fatal accident
Classes have been cancelled at Taylor University after four students and a school employee were killed in a car crash last night. The school says that the weekend's planned inauguration of former American Bible Society president Eugene Habecker as president will continue with some schedule revisions.

2. Evangelicals and others will protest Darfur violence
As major rallies are planned for Sunday in Washington, D.C., and 17 other cities against the violence in Darfur, Sudan, The Washington Post reports on conflict within the Save Darfur Coalition. "Tensions have arisen, in particular, between evangelical Christians and immigrants from Darfur, whose population is almost entirely Muslim and deeply suspicious of missionary activity," writes Alan Cooperman. "Organizers rushed this week to invite two Darfurians to address the rally after Sudanese immigrants objected that the original list of speakers included eight Western Christians, seven Jews, four politicians and assorted celebrities—but no Muslims and no one from Darfur."

3. Evangelical political groups still mostly quiet on immigration
The other big rally planned in the next few days is Monday's "Day Without Immigrants" — a work stoppage and boycott that is opposed by Roman Catholic leaders who have been prominent in other pro-immigrant demonstrations. Meanwhile, evangelical groups known for political activity are still remarkably silent on the issue, to the dismay of both sides of the debate. Family Research Council held a panel discussion today with a surprising diversity of opinions. Tom McClusky, vice president of government affairs, told The Denver Post that the group is "trying to find common ground without losing any of our main principles," but that it may not take a position after the panel meeting.

USA Today notes that evangelical leaders are having to walk a fine line. On one hand, "64% of white evangelicals agreed with the statement, 'Immigrants today are a burden on our country because they take our jobs, housing and health care.'" On the other hand, as University of Florida religion professor Manuel Vasquez rightly explained to the paper, "In many ways, conservatives see immigrants from Latin America bringing values that they would like to regain: values of family, gender roles that are very well-defined, an ethic of hard work. So they see a kind of an ally in this kind of immigration."

4. Theater warns that film is "Mormon, not Christian"
After receiving complaints from viewers of States of Grace, a film advertised as "a quantum leap forward for Christian cinema" and featuring music by gospel artist Kirk Franklin, employees at the Horton Plaza 14 Theater in San Diego were told to warn future patrons. Here's how it went for one moviegoer, according to the Daily Herald of Provo, Utah:

"Are you Christian?" the girl at the ticket counter asked.

[Armand] Mauss was surprised but responded in the affirmative. It was her next statement that surprised him.

"She responded, 'Well you need to know that this film, it's being advertised as a Christian film, but it's really a Mormon film.' "

Indeed, it is a Mormon film: The main characters in it are in fact Mormon missionaries. But the implication that Mormons aren't Christians was enough to elicit a small protest outside the theater. It disbanded after film director Richard Dutcher asked them to stop. Steven Greenstreet, another Mormon filmmaker who had joined the protest, told the Herald, "I was kind of riled up and everyone else was kind of riled up. But I guess that's kind of the point of the protest—I guess the way we were approaching it wasn't the most Christian way. We decided it would look better to turn the other cheek."

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April (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50