Passages - Christianity Today

PromotedDuane Zook has been appointed to succeed Josh McDowell as president of Operation Carelift, a humanitarian agency McDowell founded in 1991. McDowell, 64, wants to spend more time working on a campaign called “Beyond Belief to Convictions” to deepen the faith of young people. Zook was vice president of international ministry with Josh McDowell Ministry. Operation Carelift is now part of Campus Crusade for Christ.

AppointedTodd Hunter, who was the successor to John Wimber as national director of the Assocation of Vineyard Churches, has been named president of Alpha USA. Some 7,000 churches use Alpha’s introductory course about Christianity.

Planning successionJerry White, international president of The Navigators, announced plans to find a successor, to be named this fall. White, 66, says he will be chairman of the evangelism and discipleship ministry’s U.S. board. White has held the position for 18 years.

HonoredAlice Cooper Onetime rock bad-boy Alice Cooper received an honorary doctorate in performing arts from Grand Canyon University, a Judeo-Christian liberal arts institution, on May 8. Cooper, 56, made a profession of born-again faith 13 years ago and has started a foundation in Phoenix to assist needy children.

OustedRoy Moore A stand-in Alabama Supreme Court unanimously rejected the appeal of Roy Moore to be reinstated as chief justice. The April 30 ruling stems from Moore’s refusal to obey a federal court order to remove a 5,300-pound Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the state judicial building. Moore had argued that he was not bound to obey a court order that violated his oath of office.

Briefs

Plan B: Under the Counter In a surprise decision, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on May 6 that it would not allow the “morning-after pill” to be sold over the counter. The fda, in rejecting the recommendation of two of its advisory committees, said teenagers might not use the drug safely without the guidance of a physician. Pro-life advocates say the drug, also called Plan B, can cause abortions by blocking implantation of an embryo.

Plan B: Under the Counter Vietnam continues persecuting Christians and others in the country’s Central Highlands. According to International Christian Concern, Vietnamese authorities have massacred 251 people in nine villages, and the death toll may go higher. The government has cracked down on Montagnards, who are largely Christian, after demonstrations in 2001 for greater religious freedom and against seizure of their lands. More than 200 Montagnards died in attacks over the Easter weekend.

Jesus in Every Home The Jesus Video Project America is seeking to distribute copies of the Jesus video to all 75 million homes in the United States by 2010. So far, the ministry has placed videos in 20 million homes. Distribution in three states—Hawaii, South Carolina, and Alabama—is done. The organization (www.jesusvideo.org) has just released an expanded-content dvd.