30 years ago — January 18, 1988 The Religion Newswriters Association selected the top 10 news stories of 1987 in the field of religion. First was the “PTL financial and sex scandal involving Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.” The 10-day visit of Pope John Paul II to the U.S. was second and the third was religious leader Pat Robertson’s entrance into the race for the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidency. “The fourth selection … was the scandals in business, government, politics, sports and religion which raised questions about ‘the condition of the nation’s soul.’” Fifth was the formation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Sixth was television evangelist Oral Roberts’ claim to have raised people from the dead. AIDS took the seventh spot. The eighth selection was the tension between Pope John Paul II and Jewish leaders over his audience with Austrian president Kurt Waldheim, a former Nazi and officer in the German army. “The ninth selection on the list was the action … [Read more...]

20 years ago — December 29, 1997 “Each of the three monotheistic religions has a ‘Christmas story.’ That is, each has a story in which heaven touches earth with heaven’s glory. In Judaism there are a number of such great moments. One can point to the call of Abraham, the sacrifice of Isaac and the burning bush. Islam affirms such a moment in the revelation of the opening sura of the Quran to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. For us it is a babe in a manger … . This season invites us to reflect… on incarnation! “Authentic incarnation always includes vulnerability and in the Gospel story that vulnerability appears as a two-sided coin: a manger and a cross, incarnation and atonement, a beginning with a slaughter that foreshadows the end, a babe in the arms of an old man and a sword that pierces the heart.” This vulnerability informed Paul’s visit at Philippi. Even though he was a Roman citizen and protected from beatings, Paul allowed himself to be arrested and beaten. When he revealed … [Read more...]

70 years ago — November 24, 1947 Norman Corwin, a radio producer, who has been smeared frequently … is to be congratulated for the fighting speech he recently made against what he called a dangerous national wave of bigotry. … “According to standards of those who would control American thought, any opponent of the policies, ethics, and practices of the right wing of … [politics] or the advocates of … white supremacy is … a Communist.” And he was correct in assessing the idiocy of the present witch-hunting hysteria in the following words: “If you fight for lower rents, higher wages, better working conditions; if you are against silicosis in the mines or fraudulent advertising; if you favor health insurance and protection of the rights of foreign born; if you favor consumer cooperatives and fair employment practices; if you are for equal opportunity in education; if you are against Jim Crowism and the poll tax; if you are for foreign cultural exchange; if you stand for one world or … [Read more...]

Leaders of the Presbyterian Church, USA, and the United Presbyterian Church produced a joint statement in support of Christians taking a courageous stand pertaining to racial integration of the schools. “The faithfulness of your witness to the Gospel of Reconciliation through the ministry of the church is known even though it has not been widely reported. … The work of Christians and others in civil agencies to bring about orderly compliance with the law is also known. We thank God for your obedience in these days, remembering that suffering may be both a sign and a consequence of obedience, for ‘we should not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon us’ when we answer the call of Christ.” The statement continues, when you “recently brought Christians of both races together to share their faith and wisdom, when you went to the scene of violence and stood with those who were the object of hatred, when you spoke out clearly and boldly for the right, you were acting out the … [Read more...]

50 years ago — October 23, 1967 In preparation for the fourth meeting of the World Council of Churches held in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1968, a Bible study was produced on the theme “Behold I make all things new.” “Suffering, says the apostle, is both the accompaniment of birth and the incentive to do something about life. Without suffering, at least in time and space, there is no striving no moving forward, no growing. … So groaning is good if it leads to creativity. … The whole creation is groaning in travail, striving to bring forth the new that shall not die, yearning for liberation from death and disintegration. … Christians who already have the foretaste of the new, groan even more, eager to usher in the new from the womb of the old. … The Spirit of God himself is groaning within us, in the disciplined striving of prayer that God’s name be hallowed and his Kingdom come.” From “Renewal in and beyond history: Study VI, Romans 8:18-27” by the World Council of Churches … [Read more...]

40 years ago — September 5, 1977 As a young minister in the slums of London in the ‘30s, I felt it my duty to take to speaking in the open air. I hated it, but I felt it cowardly to stay indoors, “preaching to the converted,” while the Fascists and the Communists were holding forth at the street corner within shouting distance of the church; the Fascists fomenting hatred against the Jews and the Communists exploiting the (legitimate) grievances of the poor. Obviously, I was at a disadvantage, since nothing starts the adrenalin flowing like a good hater playing on the emotions of fear and resentment. But I learned one valuable lesson: Never to be afraid of questions. I have heard them all, and in some cases I have asked them myself! An equally valuable lesson was that it’s a hollow victory to score debating points. A clever answer may tickle the mind, but it does little to satisfy the yearnings of the soul. From the column “From my study window” by W.B.J. Martin … [Read more...]