Disappearing, Reappearing Pastor May Be Forced to Disappear from Pulpit

Amnesiac pastor’s post precarious He reportedly can’t remember his past, and now his future’s shaky too. As noted earlier in Weblog, married youth minister Wesley Barrett “Barre” Cox disappeared one day near San Antonio. He reappeared 16 years later as James Simmons, an amnesiac but still a preacher. Now he’s senior pastor at White Rock Community Church, a predominantly gay congregation in Dallas. As doubt continues to swirl around Cox’s/Simmons’s story, the pastor has called for a vote. Unless two-thirds of his new congregation affirms him, he’ll leave. Apparently the vote is in doubt: message boards on the church Web site indicate a pretty divided congregation.

More churches and pastors in trouble:

Baptist Temple congregation moves on | More than 600 people gathered Sunday morning in a high school auditorium for first services after federal seizure (Associated Press/The Indianapolis Star)
Church won’t discipline pastor | United Methodist pastor who pleaded guilty last fall to a charge of giving false testimony in a road-rage case (The Seattle Times)
Church child care needs more oversight by state, say groups | Laws exist governing church-run locations in Indiana, but critics would like to see more. (Associated Press/The Indianapolis Star)

Pop culture:

Pat Boone backs Eminem | “We must respect an individual’s right to speak his mind,” says Christian musician (Associated Press)
Earlier: Why Pat Boone went “Bad” | His controversial mission to interpret pop culture for cranky Christians. (Christianity Today, Oct. 4, 1999)
Mexican Pokemons in symbolic burning (BBC)

Homosexuality:

Religious outrage over pink tourism | Religious leaders tell Cape Town mayor to stop promoting the city as the “gay capital of the world.” (The Independent, Johannesburg, South Africa)
ORU’s gay alumni plan event | Oral Roberts University extends “cautiously cordial” invitation to homosexual graduates (Associated Press)
Britain will hear Cayman’s complaints on gay laws | U.K. government will accept petition from Caymanian church leaders angered over revocation of territory’s laws against homosexuality, but it does not plan to change its decision. (Associated Press)
A man and a woman, period | Holy matrimony excludes same-sex unions, interfaith coalition says (The Toronto Star)

British Christian dating service:

Christian dating agency goes online to find perfect partners | A new dating agency for Christians is asking members to quote their favorite biblical passages and describe their religious beliefs in order to ensure that they are matched with their perfect partner. (The Daily Telegraph, London)
Getting to know you, after an intimately Christian fashion | Organizers of www.christianconnection.co.uk believe their matchmaking service will fill a hole in the hearts of many young people for whom the traditional church is no longer the place to meet Mr. and Mrs. Right. (The Guardian, London)

Falun Gong and religious liberty:

Psychiatric abuse reportedly used to repress sect | China’s crackdown on the Falun Gong spiritual movement is focusing new attention on Beijing’s practice of imprisoning dissenters in psychiatric hospitals. (The New York Times)
Falun Gong poses test in Hong Kong | Beijing tries to extend its crackdown (The Washington Post)
Catholic bishop slams ‘evil’ label for Falun Gong | “If Falun Gong is accused of causing disorder in Hong Kong society just because of peaceful protests, then such a label can easily be applied tomorrow to the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission, to the diocese and to many Christian bodies,” says Bishop Joseph Zen (Reuters)
Bishop criticizes Hong Kong leader (Associated Press)

Uncommon evangelism:

Faithful driven to bear witness | Motorists use vanity license plates to show religious devotion (The Boston Globe)
Holy Land theme park is a place for reflection (The Miami Herald)

Ireland’s communion dispute:

The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin says Catholic archbishop’s remarks cause ‘acrimony’ | Cardinal-elect criticized Church of Ireland practice of inviting all baptized Christians to take Holy Communion. (The Irish Times)
New cardinal in communion row | Dublin’s new cardinal has angered Church of Ireland bishops over remarks about Catholics receiving communion at Protestant church services. (BBC)

Church finances:

Churches struggle with fiscal responsibility | Consortium hopes to help wealthy parishes determine how best to share their blessings (The Indianapolis Star)
In an uncertain climate, philanthropy is slowing | Philanthropy, one of the nation’s most spectacular growth industries for the last decade, is feeling the pinch of the market turnaround, several indicators suggest. (The New York Times)

Nigeria:

Crisis in Church of Nigeria as diocese rejects bishop | The crisis in the Benin Diocese has degenerated so badly that open fights during service at parishes across Benin City (This Day, Lagos, Nigeria)
I’m ready for Shari’ah trial, says Zamfara state governor | For the umpteenth time, Ahmed Sani indicated his readiness to be tried under the Islamic legal code if found guilty of any sacrilegious act. (The Guardian, Lagos, Nigeria)
In Africa, politics often wears religious disguise | In Zanzibar, Nigeria, and elsewhere, it’s hard to determine reasons for conflict (CNN)

More stories of interest:

Elder resigns to protest policies on child molesting | Jehovah’s Witness leader claims denomination covers up charges (Associated Press/MSNBC)
Earlier: Witness Leaders Accused of Shielding Molesters | Former and current Jehovah Witnesses question a policy they say discourages leaders from reporting abuse. (Christianity Today, Feb. 2, 2001)
Southern Baptist agency expands prohibitions for endorsing chaplains | North American Mission Board excludes any who participate in any kind of “charismatic manifestations.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Suit claims Pittsburgh suburb denied man’s religious freedom | Access to community room reportedly blocked after town learned of group’s Christian perspective on the U.S. Constitution. (Associated Press)
New Pennsylvania education standards accused of sneaking creationism into classrooms | Standards include the expectation that students explain how the theory of evolution works by analyzing “evidence of fossil records, similarities in body structures, embryological studies and DNA studies that support or do not support the theory of evolution.” (Associated Press)
Holocaust museum under fire | Coalition of conservative Jews and Christians wants to stop federal funding after involvement in Rich pardon scandal (The Seattle Times)
Report suggests closing 500 churches | Church of Scotland says nearly a third of its 1,700 churches are not needed or are in the wrong place (BBC)
Pope remembers Armenian martyrdom on church’s 1,700th anniversary (Reuters)
Zambian church opposes Chiluba campaign | Jibe believed to be directed at third-term proponents may lead to instability’ (Business Day, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Venda cleric employing Christians angers local witches | “Discrimination against Devil worshippers” will bring evangelist imminent death, warn occultists (The Mail and Guardian, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Many African-American women ‘never go to church without a hat’ (The Denver Post)
Cop dies after taking part in church’s week-long fast (The Independent, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Ex-monk explains why he ended 40 years of celibacy | Gerry McCann, a Franciscan friar since he was 18, fell in love at a Christian conference (Ananova)
Prayers go out for Bush | Operation Prayer Scroll enlists Christians to pray for president every day (The Orlando Sentinel)
Ministers get hip to lure young | They gear message to those turned off to old-style worship (The Detroit News)
Church in El Salvador appeals for urgent quake aid (Reuters)
Rural land, church fray given hearing in Olympia | Washington state legislature considers barring county from limiting the size of churches and private schools outside its urban-growth boundary (The Seattle Times)

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