Religious organizations are using the Internet to spread their message.
(NewsUSA) - For an increasing number of Americans, the sky is the limit when it comes to receiving religious information online.
With the Internet’s ubiquitous existence in many people’s lives, Americans are no longer going online for only entertainment, news or communication. The Internet has changed the way that many consumers receive and distribute religious material and conduct faith-based activities as well.
In the early 2000s, Pew Internet Research polled more than 1,000 religious organizations and reported that 83 percent of respondents said their church’s use of the Internet helped congregational life, and 63 percent said that e-mail helped the church connect more with its surrounding community.
By 2004, the same research firm reported that nearly two-thirds of “wired” Americans had used the Internet for various spiritual or religious purposes. This number could grow even more with the continuing development of online technologies such as interactive streaming video players.
Greg Demetriades, chairman and chief executive officer of WhiteBlox, a developer of commercial online media players, says that large religious organizations represent one group that his company’s technology can benefit.
“Broadcasting faith-based services online is a fantastic way to provide 24/7 spiritual support and develop an even stronger sense of community,” said Demetriades. “In addition to live broadcasts of weekly services, an entire video library of services and workshops can be made available on-demand.”
Considering that religious services can be very social gatherings, the relative isolation of the Internet may at first seem like an inappropriate match.
But some online video solutions, like WhiteBlox’s, include chat rooms and viewer surveys within the player itself, so viewers can now experience a level of video interactivity and online community-building that was previously unavailable.
In addition, the Internet provides fertile ground for one of the most important functions of any religious organization: donations. With the ability to broadcast live or on-demand videos of services coupled with an easy online donation system, online broadcasting may prove to be the most divine gift of all for some religious groups.
For more information about Internet broadcasting, visit www.whiteblox.com or call 281-210-5214.
“Lord, Save Us from Your Followers” takes a look into the contentious world of the Christian faith.
(NewsUSA) - Although nine out of ten Americans claim a belief in God, public expression of faith is more conflicting than ever.
Even as discussion of religion floods the media like never before, the rhetoric is divisive and hyper as the 2008 elections loom on the horizon. Fed up with the angry, strident language filling the airwaves that has come to represent the Christian faith; author, director, and follower Dan Merchant set out to explore the collision of faith and culture in America.
“To me, the division of America, this separateness, isn’t getting any of us anywhere,” writes Merchant. “And both sides are making the same mistake - they think the so-called ‘culture war’ is a winnable war. Some think, eventually, one side will win out over the other. I don’t see it that way. I’m concerned that calling it a Culture War presumes a few things, like if it’s a war, there is an enemy. This kind of adversarial posture serves to further entrench us in our own positions. The sad fact is our country is polarized because we like it. It’s much simpler to pretend the world is black and white. An ‘us vs. them’ attitude is simpler than critical self-reflection and allows us to blame the other.”
Merchant’s journey, which actually begins in famine-ravaged Ethiopia, opens a panoramic view of how God’s people are viewed by everyday Americans and the world-at-large. From the man-on-the-street blitz of “Bumpersticker Man” to the controversial and moving “Confession Booth” at Gay Pride Day, Lord, Save Us from Your Followers delves into all the hot-button issues with candor, humor and balance. With exclusive interviews with comedian/senatorial candidate Al Franken, former Sen. Rick Santorum, noted evangelical Tony Campolo, conservative radio host Michael Reagan and others, no stone is left unturned in this engaging, unpredictable and challenging look at the conflict over religion in America.
Dan Merchant is an award-winning television writer/producer, novelist and frequent church attendee. Merchant has been happily married for 20 years and is the father of two teenage boys.
For more information, visit www.lordsaveusthemovie.com.
New church movements are causing the flight of many established clergy and long-standing members.
(NewsUSA) - Over the years, the atmosphere of the church has migrated from a quiet place of worship to that of music and praise.
However, millions of people in their fifties, sixties, and seventies feel their churches have been hijacked by these church-growth movements characterized by loud praise bands, constant PowerPoint presentations and cavernous mega-churches devoid of any personal touches. They are bewildered by the changes and are dropping out after thirty, forty or fifty years in a congregation. Some consider it a crisis.
According to the Barna Group, a company who seeks to use their strengths in partnership with Christian ministries and individuals to be a catalyst in moral and spiritual transformation in the United States, the church as we know it will be gone in 20 years.
A new book called Who Stole My Church? gives pastors and church members hope that they can overcome the obstacles and accept change in the growing church.
In this fictional story, pastor and author Gordon MacDonald uses topical examples and all-too-familiar characters to reassure readers that it is possible to embrace change and to demonstrate how change can actually be a positive influence in their church.
“There are many books on church change. Usually written from the standpoint and the instruction of the change agent, the leader who has the responsibility to bring about something new,” writes MacDonald. “In this book, however, I decided to deal with the subject from the perspective of some of the people who are powerfully affected by change -; the dear people in the pew who have to live with and even support the new ways.”
While he understands the frustrations that come with change, MacDonald believes that finding a way to move gracefully into the twenty-first century is necessary for the church to survive. “Any church that has not turned its face toward the younger generation will simply cease to exist,” he says. “We’re not talking decades - we’re talking just a few years.”
Gordon MacDonald has been a pastor and author for more than forty years. He serves as editor-at-large for Leadership Journal and as a former chairman of World Relief. His most recent books include: The Life God Blesses, Renewing Your Spiritual Passion, Rebuilding Your Broken World, the best-seller Ordering Your Private World and When Men Think Private Thoughts.
For more information, visit www.thomasnelson.com.
Funerals Evolving into True Celebrations of Life
“In recent years, funeral services have gone from a more formal or structured service with religious music, scripture, prayers and little or no information regarding the life of the deceased to a celebration of a life remembered through various means of personalization,” says Billy C. Wells, the chief executive officer at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home, a premier Dignity Memorial funeral service provider in Houston, Texas. Wells has either handled or helped arrange hundreds of funerals in his nearly 50 years in the industry, and says those held in recent years are a lot more memorable than those of yesteryear.
“The key to turning a funeral into a celebration of the life lost,” he says, “is the personalization which allows and encourages the family, their friends and visitors, to talk about the deceased and how he or she relates to the personalization items on display.”
Here’s just a small sampling of some of the more unique funerals Wells has seen recently:
* At a funeral for a well-known concert pianist, instead of having a casket for the visitation, the family opted to have a Steinway and Sons piano moved to the gallery of the funeral home and the florist created a huge spray of white flowers cascading from the strings of the piano onto a large carpeting of flowers surrounding the piano.
* For one visitation family members brought in items related to the deceased’s work as a professional horseman. Saddles, boots, numerous square bales of hay, partial fence structures, even a live horse in a make-shift temporary corral, transformed much of the décor of the funeral home.
* The florist turned the funeral home chapel altar into a hunting blind because the deceased was an avid hunter, and his hunting dogs were nearby in hunting position.
“By focusing the funeral on things the deceased enjoyed, as well as the experiences shared throughout his or her life, it encourages the sharing of stories and discussions of the deceased, and in some instances, may allow the family to learn of specials things about their loved one that otherwise they may have never known,” says Wells.
In addition to personalization, other changes that characterize the modern day funeral:
* The music is no longer strictly religious hymns. It includes the favorite music of the deceased.
* Receptions at the funeral home, or the family’s home after the service are more the case today than the exception. Many times they are elaborate catered events with entertainment.
* There used to be a time when photos were considered inappropriate. Today, it is commonplace to have video tributes, memory boards with selected photos, and even interactive voice tributes from friends or uploaded video tributes made at the funeral home during the visitation.
“Funeral services are changing to meet the needs of a generation that has different ideas about life — and about death,” comments Tom Hendler of the Dignity Memorial network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. “This is not your grandfather’s funeral. You can expect more, demand more and we can meet those demands. Our service standards go beyond expectation, to a level of service that actually surprises families because it is so far beyond what they imagined.”
For more information about the services available at modern day funerals, log on to www.dignitymemorial.com .
ARA) – What is the secret to a wonderful marriage? “If more people knew the answer the divorce rate in this country wouldn’t be so high,” says Gerry Leeds, 85, of Long Island, N.Y.
At a time when statistically, between 40 and 45 percent of U.S. marriages end in divorce, Gerry and his bride, 80-year-old Lilo, have been happily married for 58 years. “People often ask us what the secret to our success is and I tell them it’s simple really. The secret lies in the long lost principles of love and respect.”
Gerry and Lilo met quite by chance back in 1950 at a ski lodge in the Adirondacks. “I was there with another date when I saw a pretty girl sitting on the floor playing an obscure European game I knew with another boy,” explains Gerry. “She said, ‘Do you know how to play?’ I said, ‘Sure!’ She won the game, but I won in the long run.”
After that chance encounter at the Speculator Ski Lodge, Gerry couldn’t stop thinking about Lilo. “We had so much in common, I knew she was the one for me, and that we had to be together,” says Gerry. It took him six weeks to track her down again and, you could say, the rest is history. They were married a short time later.
Gerry and Lilo raised five children together, and now have 15 grandchildren. “Like any other couple, we’ve had plenty of squabbles over the years, but unlike most, we always kiss and make up before going to bed. That’s our golden rule,” laughs Gerry.
Over the years, they’ve been asked for advice on how to build a marriage that, like theirs, will stand the test of time so many times that they recently decided to write a book on the subject. “Wonderful Marriage, A Guide to Building a Great Relationship that Will Last a Lifetime (BenBella Books) hit store shelves on April 1, 2008, the date of their 58th wedding anniversary.
The book is divided into three sections, each offering great advice to people in the various stages of a relationship: looking for love, starting a great relationship and building a joyful life together.
“No matter what stage of the game you’re in, it’s imperative that you have a lot in common with your significant other if you want the relationship to grow,” explains Gerry. When he and Lilo first met, both enjoyed skiing, and had similar beliefs about what Gerry calls “The Big Six.”
1. Religion: You have to agree on and feel comfortable with what role religion plays in your lives.
2. Money: You have to share common views on money — how you’ll earn it, save it and spend it.
3. Sex: You both have to enjoy sex together and feel that sex between you is important and great — and be willing to make it even better.
4. Children: You need to agree on whether you plan to have children, when, how many, how and where you plan to raise them, and what to do if you can’t have them.
5. Recreational activities: You have to share ideas about how you will spend your time together — what recreational activities you both enjoy — and how you’ll sometimes spend your time on your own.
6. Unacceptable behavior: You have to be totally comfortable with each other’s behavior and agree on what is acceptable — and what is not.”
“If I had to add a 7th rule,” says Gerry, “It would be: Don’t settle for a relationship that isn’t great. Before you get married, make sure the person you are pledging to spend the rest of your life with is definitely the one for you.”
“You know you have a great marriage when 10, 20, 30, even 58 years down the road, you can still say to each other, ‘I’m glad you married me,’” adds Lilo.
“Wonderful Marriage, A Guide to Building a Great Relationship that Will Last a Lifetime” is available in bookstores everywhere, through online retailers or on the publisher’s Web site: http://www.WonderfulMarriage.com .
The Rev. Sally Bingham is the godmother of the environmental movement in the religious community.Back in the 1990s, when religiously based environmentalists were still viewed as nature worshippers, she founded Episcopal Power & Light. Now called Interfaith Power & Light, the nonprofit organization has 27 chapters across the United States, including North Carolina. The mission of the organization is to mobilize a religious response to global warming through the promotion of renewable energy and conservation.
Bingham, the president of Interfaith Power & Light and the environmental minister at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, met with 20 religious leaders at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Raleigh last week. She said religious communities have made remarkable strides in addressing the intersection of faith and global climate change, and she encouraged them not to give up.
“You clergy need to talk about it,” she said. “I think it should be in every single sermon.”
We caught up with her on the occasion of Earth Day on Tuesday to ask her about the progress religious people have made on the issue.
Q: How are churches becoming more active in environmental issues?
A: Environmental issues were once political issues. They didn’t belong in the church. Now it’s integral to mainstream religions in ways unimaginable five years ago. … We’re seeing changes in the liturgy to reflect care for creation. That’s huge because in the Episcopal Church there’s a deep tradition that resists change.
I am seeing clergy take this responsibility seriously enough to actually say that care for creation belongs with love, justice and peace. You hear the term “JPIC,” or justice, peace and integrity of creation. It’s putting care for creation on parallel with love, justice and peace … We have a green mosque in Washington, D.C. We have hundreds of Protestant churches with solar panels on the roof. We have two large cathedrals with geothermal systems — in Boston and in Cleveland, Ohio. The Catholic Cathedral in Los Angeles in solar.
Q: How has Interfaith Power & Light changed?
A: We now have an office in San Francisco and a staff of seven. We coordinate this national campaign. That means we help the state programs get started … One of the important things we do is make sure the Interfaith Power & Light campaign doesn’t get sidetracked. We don’t want to be viewed as the Sierra Club at prayer. We’re not political. We’re not Republicans or Democrats. Our message is rooted in theology. It’s different from an environmental organization. We want to be seen as conservative people coming from a theological perspective. We don’t love trees more than people.
Q: What is the spiritual message you offer?
A: I see it as part of the commandment to love God and love your neighbor. If you love your neighbor, you don’t pollute your neighbor’s air. We are called to serve one another. If you see that your behavior is harming your neighbor and your neighborhood, other species, flora and fauna, or the next generation, it’s a direct disobedience to the commandment. Jesus said what you do to the least of these you do to me. If vulnerable and poor communities are harmed by our behavior, we’re insulting God.
Read More:News & Observer
For the 22nd year, more than a hundred people gathered in downtown Raleigh on Good Friday to re-enact Jesus’ last steps, marching with crosses and calling attention to social justice issues. This year’s Pilgrimage for Justice and Peace focused on immigration, but as in past years, marchers also called for an end to torture, the death penalty and the war in Iraq. Several Franciscan friars and retired Roman Catholic Bishop F. Joseph Gossman were among the marchers.It was Good Friday, the day Christians believe Jesus died on the cross. In keeping with tradition, the marchers re-enacted the 14 Stations of The Cross, the 14 stops Jesus made as he carried his cross to the site where he was crucified by the Romans. At each stop between the Capitol and the U.S. post office on Fayetteville Street, marchers recited a litany of prayers in English and Spanish. As they walked, those in the crowd sang, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” and “We are marching in the light of God.”
Read More:News & Observer
More than one in 10 people in North Carolina do not claim a religious affiliation, making the state more in line with the broader United States than with its traditional Bible Belt siblings in the Deep South.The findings, released today from The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, are part of a massive U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that canvassed more than 35,000 U.S. residents.
The group, based in Washington, D.C., also found that a large number of Americans have changed their religious affiliation since childhood. More than a quarter of American adults have left the faith of their childhood in favor of another religion - or no religion at all.
Catholics lost the greatest number of people who said they affiliated with the denomination, with 31.4 percent of people saying they were raised Catholic, but with only 23.9 percent saying that, as adults, they identify with the Catholic Church, suggesting a loss of 7.5 percent. Baptists and Methodists also logged declines, dropping 3.7 percentage points and 2.1 percentage points respectively. In North Carolina, most people said they were Evangelical Protestant, with 41 percent of those surveyed saying they considered themselves in this tradition. Baptists were included in this category.
Mainline Protestant churches, such as Lutherans, Presbyterians and Episcopalians, were considered the faiths of 21 percent of the state’s respondents. Catholics made up 9 percent of the population.
For a full reading of the report, go to
SOURCE:News & Observer
A woman draws on an ancient civilization’s rituals to learn healing
Victoria Johnson doesn’t tell strangers she practices shamanism.
She prefers to call it “healing work.” If someone probes further, she’ll offer more details, but telling people she’s a shaman invariably conjures up an image of a witch doctor, a wizard or a sorcerer.
Johnson, who will be speaking on the Shaman’s Way of Healing at the Unity Center of Peace Church in Chapel Hill on Saturday, said she is none of the above.
A former FBI agent and later a federal prosecutor, Johnson embraced shamanism slowly, and for the most common of reasons.
Juggling both her job and her responsibilities as a mother, she increasingly felt stressed out physically and emotionally. For a while, the one thing that relaxed her was acupuncture. So she abandoned her law career and went to study the traditional Chinese healing method.
But all along, she believed there was a way to heal the body without using needles. After moving from Florida back to North Carolina in 2001 — she had grown up here and vacationed in the mountains for years with her husband — she came across a book that changed her life. That book, by Alberto Villoldo, was “Shaman, Healer, Sage: How to Heal Yourself and Others with the Energy Medicine of the Americas.”
“I read that book and I knew [Villoldo] was my next teacher,” said Johnson, who lives in Brevard, south of Asheville. For the past few years, Johnson, 52, has been studying the medicine wheel and the healing practices of the Q’ero people of Peru. She now works as a shaman practitioner and as a teacher for Villoldo’s training organization called The Four Winds (www.thefourwinds.com) based in Park City, Utah.
Johnson said shamanism has helped her answer the big questions of life: Why she’s here and what she wants to be. For her, the answer is helping support others on their healing journey. She does so through a series of techniques, including visualization and work with stones, that help reorient a person’s energy toward balance and wholeness.
The cycle of life
A shaman is a person who journeys into an altered state of consciousness to acquire power for healing illness, whether physical or psychological. Getting there may involve the ritual use of hallucinogenic plants, a drum, a rattle or a dance. Other shamans use stones or bones or animal skin. The goal is to interact with the spirit world on behalf of a community or a client.
The word “shaman” comes from the Tungus language of Siberia and refers to a person who makes a journey into an altered state. Shamans are indigenous to many cultures, on every continent. But Johnson learned her brand of shamanism from the South American Incas, the ancient civilization in the Andes Mountains of what is now Peru.
At the heart of her method is the concept of a medicine wheel, a circle representing the cycle of life. Divided in four, it represents the four directions, each with its own spirit or energy field. By traveling south and west, for example, a person releases wounds and traumas from the past and begins to walk in a different path. The north and west directions stoke visions that can help people achieve their destinies.
Today’s shamanic practices are mostly used for therapeutic and personal development. In that sense they differ from the ancient rites of indigenous shamans, said Michael Winkelman, a professor at Arizona State University who has studied shamanism.
In hunter-gatherer societies, he said, shamans were as concerned with harm as they were with healing, directing their spiritual powers in positive as well as negative ways. Shamanic rites were communal events that might last all night long. Shamans themselves were charismatic leaders who directed the movement of hunting and warfare.
Read More:News & Observer
PHILADELPHIA - The globe-trotting priest from Connecticut drove a Jaguar, shopped at Bergdorf Goodman and bought jewelry from Cartier, all with money stolen from his church’s coffers. By the time the parish finance council caught on, he had embezzled $1.3 million.THE PROBLEM: Many U.S. churches have been victims of embezzlement over the years, reflecting not just moral weakness on the part of the wrongdoers but also lax financial controls. Often, church budgets are overseen by volunteers or employees with little guidance or training.
SOME EXAMPLES: Last year, The Associated Press found reports of more than 20 churches in 17 states dealing with embezzlement cases.
The cases included those of a Roman Catholic priest in Virginia who admitted stealing at least $400,000 from his parishioners and a Lutheran youth minister in Pennsylvania charged with embezzling more than $68,000
Read More:News & Observer
