Billy Graham Is Deaf, But It's Reportedly Temporary

Anne Graham Lotz: Daddy is deaf Evangelist Billy Graham is “doing very well,” says his daughter and fellow evangelist Anne Graham Lotz, “although I’d say in the last month he’s just gone totally deaf.” She made the comments to Knoxville, Tenn., radio station WNOX.

Fortunately, says Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross, the hearing loss is temporary. “He has a fluid buildup in his inner ear as a consequence of a chronic sinus infection and as a result it has temporarily affected his hearing,” the publicist tells The Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Sadly, sinus infections and lung ailments keep recurring for the 83-year-old evangelist, and he’s currently receiving outpatient treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. He isn’t being treated for hearing loss there, says a clinic spokesman.

Also ailing is Ruth Graham, who broke her pelvis in a recent fall. That news comes from Franklin Graham, who talked to the Grahams’ hometown paper, The Charlotte Observer, Tuesday.

Franklin also spoke about Billy’s 1972 Oval Office comments about Jews. His father was never anti-Semitic, the younger Graham said, and was instead talking about “a handful of elitists who had control of the major outlets at that time . …The issue has never been Jewish people. His concern was liberalism in that time in the media. And it’s changed.”

“Colson’s columns are indeed his own words,” says staffwriter Morse Last Wednesday, Christianity Today editor David Neff refuted a Los Angeles Times report that Charles Colson had little to do with his Christianity Today column, “Post-Truth Society.” “Chuck didn’t just sign off on a staff-written piece,” Neff wrote. “The column has his fingerprints all over it.”

A few more responses have since come to light over the last week. First, LA Times reporter Tim Rutten finally got around to interviewing Colson. The Prison Fellowship head again acknowledged using staffwriters, adding, “When we Christian leaders use the talent of others, we are ethically obligated to publicize that.” The Christianity Today column had its genesis, Colson said,

when I read a piece on the problem in The New York Times. I drafted a memo to the staff saying this was something we should tackle. Later, when the Stephen Ambrose plagiarism controversy came up, Anne [Morse] drafted, and I edited, a radio commentary. I told her I wanted to turn it into a longer piece for Christianity Today and she did. It’s a pretty good example of the way we work . …Anne [Morse] was the one who finished the column for CT. I have no problem with telling anybody that. I complimented Anne on the job she did because I thought it was the best work she’d ever done.

Morse herself says Colson deserves more credit. “Mr. Colson’s columns have far more than his ‘fingerprints,’ on them,” she said in a letter to Christianity Today. “He is an active participant at every step in the writing process. His columns are indeed his own words. Moreover, Mr. Colson … has never hidden the fact that he employs writers to assist him. Indeed, it would be difficult for him to be more open about this.”

Nevertheless, Colson continues to take some heat in the media for the column. Yesterday’s Washington Times, for example, covered Rutten’s original accusation and the ensuing debate.

Jerry Falwell takes aim at JerryFalwell.com Baptist minister Jerry Falwell doesn’t find JerryFalwell.com very funny. The site is run by Gary Cohn of Highland Park, Illinois, and makes fun of the pastor and his beliefs. So Falwell’s lawyer sent Cohn a cease-and-desist letter.

Cohn refused to remove the site, responding, “This is completely noncommercial website, which exists for the sole purpose of expressing, through a parody, my opinion that your client is a jerk.” Now the dispute will head to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which is somewhat inconsistent in such cases. It allows BosleyMedical.com to accuse the Bosley Medical Group of misconduct, but ordered the owner of Madonna.com to hand the site over to the pop singer.

Church of the Nativity standoff continues Guns are ready both inside and outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. As Weblog finishes up, Christian clergy inside the church said Israeli forces blew off one of the church’s doors, but the Israeli military denies it. A caretaker at the church was reportedly shot to death by Israeli troops.

Crime:

Pakistan still probing church attack | Investigators say they need more time to determine how law enforcement agencies failed to prevent bombing (Associated Press)
Also: Bomber died in church blast, Pakistani authorities conclude | Police are probing possible links between the attack and suspected terrorists arrested in FBI-assisted roundups. (Los Angeles Times)
BFA lawyers strive to save Andersen settlement | Lawyers for the bankruptcy trust of the Baptist Foundation of Arizona are scrambling to salvage a $217 million settlement that accounting firm Arthur Andersen scrapped last week (Arizona Daily Star)
Monument honors Wedgwood seven | For the loved ones of the seven shooting victims killed in 1999 at Wedgwood Baptist Church, Saturday night’s memorial service was all about the hereafter and moving on after tragedy (Fort Worth [Tex.] Star-Telegram)
Punishment in pastor attack needs meaning | Witnesses say a teen leaned out the window of a passing car and punched a Methodist minister as he was riding his bicycle (Editorial, Eastside Journal, Seattle suburbs)
Minister convicted of insurance scam | Bamidele Ajayi, invented, insured, then killed off “a brother.” (New York Post)
Vt. AG rules shooting was justified | Agitated, knife-wielding man entered church pleading for sanctuary (Associated Press)
Pastor, prosecutors discuss deal | Investment scheme plea bargain hinges on sale of facilities (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Jailed killer is ordained a priest | Osman Charles Fero, a former principal serving a life sentence for killing his school superintendent, was ordained a priest of the Catholic Apostolic Church of Antioch (Associated Press)

Church & state:

Free speech at risk | Focus on the Family Canada calls for “transparent and fair” media complaints process (ChristianWeek, Canada)
Church shelters fight zoning laws | Legal experts and homeless advocates say churches are increasingly willing to face off with municipal zoning committees because the number of homeless is on the rise. (Associated Press)
The church’s candidates? | If The Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act passes, there will be fewer unbelievers in Congress than in a proverbial foxhole. (James L. Evans, The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.)
Case could affect Naval Academy prayer | VMI cadets challenge required meal grace (The Baltimore Sun)
Blair adviser sent to settle school creationism row | Tony Blair is brokering a secret compromise deal with an evangelical Christian businessman to allow the promotion of creationism in state-funded schools. (The Daily Telegraph, London)
Also: ‘Creationism’ in schools attacked | Religious fundamentalism should not be allowed to interfere with science lessons, the Liberal Democrat education spokesman has warned (BBC)
Teen asks Tennessee county to display Islamic pillars | Bradley County Commission, which recently voted to allow posting of Ten Commandments, has refused to consider request. (Associated Press)
Also: Historic texts may join Commandments | Rutherford County officials likely to approve display (The Tennessean)
Also: Nashville Metro Council member plans to introduce Ten Commandments resolution | Council’s staff director and lawyer advises against it. (The Tennessean)
Falwell argues against Va. law limiting church property | Supported by ACLU, evangelist says 18th-century laws restricting chuch land ownership no longer serve any purpose (Associated Press)
Nebraska high court asked to define what constitutes a church | Case arose after state liquor board granted license to convenience store despite state law that prohibits sale of alcohol within 150 feet of a church. (Associated Press)
Church decision hurts worshippers, Salem | The City Council should reconsider its decision denying expansion. (Statesman Journal, Salem, Ore.)

Politics:

Liberty to think ill | Brussels is proposing a new law to restrict what Britons may say or think (Editorial, The Daily Telegraph, London)
Tying marriage vows to welfare reform | White House push for state strategies to promote family ignites dispute (The Washington Post)
Also: An unlikely marriage broker | Americans don’t think the government should develop programs to encourage people to get married and stay married (David S. Broder, The Washington Post)
For Easter, Bush talks faith, god over evil | War against terrorism presented in deeply religious terms (Los Angeles Times)
Bush devotes Easter to church, family (San Antonio [Tex.] Express-News)
It’s strictly secular | Bush’s frequent use of the word “evil” has little to do with his Christianity. Rather, it’s a word that evokes something real. (Charlotte Allen, Los Angeles Times)
The wings of an idea | Bush’s volunteer program has an earnest champion in John Bridgeland (The Washington Post)
Faith-based initiatives put in perspective | A Penn. study said religious outreach groups are no more effective than secular ones. (The Daily Pennsylvanian)
Washington adds bishop of Harare to sanctions list | Washington has added the Anglican bishop of Harare and Zimbabwe’s richest businessman to its list of Robert Mugabe’s close associates subject to sanctions (The Guardian, London)
Bill Simon’s albatross | Will the Christian Right drag down a GOP gubernatorial hopeful? (Bill Berkowitz, WorkingForChange.com)

Education:

Dobson: Get kids out of California public schools | Children “in every classroom in the state [are] being taught homosexual propaganda and these other politically correct, post-modern views” (CNSNews.com)
Florida House passes education overhaul | Bill allows student-led prayer and gives permission for students to distribute religious literature (Florida Capital News)
Exorcism school draws hundreds of seekers | Baptists, Methodists, Jews, Presbyterians, and Catholics among students (Scripps Howard News Service)
Yoga joins curriculum at more grade schools | Religious aspects left out (The New York Times)
Seminaries looking at ways to improve access for disabled | Related theology also under study (Religion News Service)
Iowa students object to singing Lord’s Prayer at graduation | Choir members enlist civil liberties group to file suit against Woodbine Community School District. (Associated Press)
Also: Lord’s Prayer plan sparks suit (Des Moines [Iowa] Register)

Sex & marriage:

Children’s sex book causes uproar | Harmful to Minors argues that underage sex, even with adults, is okay (Associated Press)
Also: Mainstream book advocating adult-child sex draws howls of protest (Fox News)
Rights of Miami’s gays under threat | Christian Coalition wants to remove words “sexual orientation” from local government’s Human Rights Ordinance (BBC)
Brazilian priest demands brides have virginity certificate | Approvals, rejections published in church newspaper (Ananova)
Sex education advisers ban celibacy group | Anti-condom message deemed “unsuitable for schools” (The Daily Telegraph, London)
Czech bishop calls for legal prostitution | Warns that sex trade is invading the country and causing a crisis in moral values (BBC)

The numbers:

Is religious faith still relevant? | In the U.K., 44% of those polled recently said they had no religious affiliation. (BBC)
Teenagers lead renewal of faith in church activity | Contradicts presumption: Organized religion’s grim forecast must be revised, expert says (National Post, Canada)
Also: Once-pious province now lags behind rest of country | ‘State secularized things’ (National Post, Canada)
Also: Are we losing our religion? | Fewer Nova Scotians are attending church, but that doesn’t mean we’re turning our back on the divine (The Daily News, Halifax, N.S., Canada)
Fewer than 50 percent of Norwegians believe in God | 22 percent consider themselves committed (practicing) Christians (The Norway Post)

History:

The first holy war | During the Crusades, East and West first met-on the battlefield (U.S. News & World Report)
Jerusalem body ‘has links to the Crucifixion’ | A 2,000-year-old shrouded body found in a tomb near Jerusalem could be that of a witness to Christ’s crucifixion, a British archaeologist believes (The Daily Telegraph, London)
Jesus or Jacques? | Bradford University scholars claim they can link science and history to prove that the face on the Shroud of Turin is that of a priest whose followers helped Scotland to win independence from England in the 14th century. (The Scotsman)
In the beginning was … confusion | Francis Xavier, the first Catholic missionary to set foot in Japan, began linguistic babel (The Japan Times)
A golden reign of tolerance | A thousand years ago on the Iberian Peninsula, an enlightened vision of Islam had created the most advanced culture in Europe. (MarÍa Rosa Menocal, The New York Times)
Vatican file shows pope pardoned massacred Knights | Vatican documents have come to light showing that the wholesale massacre of the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages for alleged “heresy, idolatry and sexual perversion”—an episode still shrouded in mystery—took place even though the Pope had exonerated them in a secret trial. (The Times, London)

Church life:

Church of Scotland steps into row over women elders | The biggest evangelical congregation in Edinburgh is in trouble with Kirk authorities over failing to appoint any women elders (The Scotsman)
Greek Orthodox Church facing a power struggle | A dispute in the United States’ Greek Orthodox Archdiocese over the way it is governed was worsened when parishes were given just two weeks to respond to a proposed new charter. (Associated Press)
Market-driven recruiting can work for churches | National advertising pays. The United Methodist Church has numbers to prove it. (Abilene [Tex.] Reporter-News)
Easter challenge: Keep faithful coming back | Some rely on the power of the worship service itself, others hope the friendliness and opportunities provided by the congregation will be noticed. Still others will unveil new building plans, hoping to catch the interest of even the most casual guest (The Tampa [Fla.] Tribune)
One church’s apology to another for sins past | Foundry and Asbury unite to put racial history to rest (The Washington Post)
Charitable flock answer rector’s heartfelt prayer | Parishioners concerned that their vicar would have to wait a year for a heart bypass raised £15,000 for him to have the operation privately. (The Times, London)
Church flextime: Selling out or saving world? | With the weekend time crunch, ‘there’s nothing sacred about Sunday morning anymore.’ (The Christian Science Monitor)
A home away from home | Churches keep Korean immigrants in touch with traditions, each other (Los Angeles Times)
Megachurches wrap religion in big package | Houses of worship styled after hangouts for younger generation (The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.)
The hymns were hers | How Victorian women gave the Anglican church its greatest hits. (The Guardian, London)
Workers stay up late to worship | Far from home, camp residents find comfort in late-night gatherings (The News-Press, Ft. Myers, Fla.)
Modernization vs. tradition as Egan halts church facelift | Renovation at St. Ignatius Loyola unwarranted and harmful to the church’s tradition, says cardinal (The New York Times)
Church protesters standing on tradition | Group opposes modernization of parish in North Hollywood, but pastor says there is no set agenda for changes. (Los Angeles Times)
Monks protest proposal for a firing range next door | Benedictines say police gunfire would disrupt their quiet lifestyle. The department says other options are impractical. (Los Angeles Times)
Pints in the pews | Redundant churches are now being put to some curious uses. It’s better than demolishing them, anyway (The Economist)
Workers stay up late to worship | Far from home, camp residents find comfort in late-night gatherings (The News-Press, Ft. Myers, Fla.)

Sermon stealing:

Bible-bashers caught in a Web | Why should churchgoers be subject to droning deliveries from the pulpit when they could just as easily access material tailored to their interests directly and at a time of their choosing from the Net? (Chris McGillion, The Sydney Morning Herald)
An era when the art of the sermon has declined | The ease with which one can assemble an instant sermon from the words of others is leading ministers into temptation (The New York Times)