1. After a yearlong investigation, a federal grand jury on July 2 indicted Henry Lyons, president of the National Baptist Convention USA, on 56 counts, including fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion. He is accused of extorting millions from corporations, obtaining loans with false documents, and fraudulently soliciting donations to purchase houses, cars, and jewelry (CT, Oct. 27, 1997, p. 102). If convicted, Lyons, 56, of St. Petersburg, Florida, faces a maximum of 815 years in prison and $25 million in fines.
2. The Salvation Army is cutting three programs and laying off 60 of its 390 employees in San Francisco because of disagreements with the city’s domestic partners law. The ordinance approved last year (CT, April 28, 1997, p. 79) redefines the traditional family by requiring employers to give the same medical and retirement benefits to workers’ domestic partners as to spouses. Catholic Charities will continue working in the city without officially recognizing the decree by providing “spousal equivalent” benefits to an employee’s spouse, sibling, or unmarried housemate.
3. The Supreme Court rejected an appeal June 26 to lift the ban on the sale of pornography on military bases. The decision reaffirms the Military Honor and Decency Act of 1996, stating the ban does not violate free-speech rights.
4. The Presbyterian Church in America General Assembly last month agreed to review its doctrinal standards regarding the days of Creation. Some say the Westminster Confession of Faith requires belief that God created the world in six 24-hour days; others say it allows belief in six indefinite periods of time.
5. The Reformed Church in America‘s (RCA) General Synod voted June 8 against a proposal to end discipline based solely on a person’s sexual orientation. The RCA also agreed to a three-year moratorium on discussions regarding homosexual issues.
6. Former PTL Ministries head Jim Bakker has joined the staff of the 1,000-member Los Angeles International Church, also known as the Dream Center. Bakker, 58, who spent five years in prison for multimillion-dollar fraud, serves in a full-time, unpaid position with the church’s inner-city outreach.
7. Larry Tomczak, 48, has joined the faculty of the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry in Pensacola, Florida. Tomczak is the cofounder of People of Destiny International, a network of charismatic churches.
8. Peter Nanfelt, 61, has been elected president of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Nanfelt has worked in missions for 39 years with the C&MA, most recently as vice president for the Division of Overseas Ministries. He replaces Paul Bubna, who died March 31.
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