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JESUS Film celebrates 25 years, billions of viewers
Christian films have become a hot property in the wake of Mel Gibson’s
The Passion of the Christ. The February release by Gibson
has created arguably the biggest splash ever in the industry –
not just in the Christian film genre, but in Hollywood as a whole.
At the same time, others would point out with some irony that the
most watched film in history is another Christian film. The JESUS
Film has been quietly circling the globe again and again for
25 years. To mark the milestone, Madacy Entertainment is rereleasing
the film in a special collector’s edition. The commemorative
DVD set will be in stores in early June.
The movie’s cumulative viewing and listening audience (multiple
viewings plus Internet viewings) tops 6.2 billion. Almost 200 million
people have indicated they came to faith in Christ after viewing
the film. It has been seen in 238 countries in 848 languages, making
it the world’s most translated film.
It has been aired on television in 176 countries, and more than
1,500 denominations and mission agencies use it to share the Gospel.
Warner Brothers produced the 1979 movie after more than five years
of research. The script sticks closely to the Gospel of Luke in
the words spoken by actor Brian Deacon, who portrays Jesus.
"The JESUS Film has been shown in Russia’s former
communist town halls, in bamboo huts in Borneo and even on bed sheets
in isolated villages in Saharan Africa," said Paul Eshleman,
president of The JESUS Film Project. "For some viewers, this
is their first look at a movie image, and for most, their first
look at the most famous man in history – Jesus Christ."
The JESUS Film Project was created to provide the movie to people
around the world in their own languages. The project is closely
associated with Campus Crusade for Christ. Unconventional distribution
practices have included the use of ministry personnel and volunteers
who gladly carried – sometimes on foot – generators, makeshift
screens and portable projectors into some of the world’s most
remote and dangerous spots.
Madacy’s two-disc limited collector’s edition of JESUS
contains behind-the-scenes footage, special features, a children’s
feature film, and direct access to historical and cultural information
on the Internet (www.HistoricJesus.com).
‘The Passion’ impacting Muslims
Mel Gibson’s movie about the last hours of Jesus’ mortal
life, The Passion of the Christ, has been stirring great
interest in – of all places – Muslim nations. A number
of Muslim countries in the Middle East have taken the unprecedented
step of allowing The Passion to be screened in theaters.
According to the Associated Press, the film is drawing large crowds
in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and
elsewhere.
Prior to its opening in the U. S. in February, The Passion
stirred intense debate over its alleged anti-Semitism. It appears
that Muslim nations are allowing their people to see Gibson’s
film because they perceive it to be anti-Jewish.
Ironically, the showing of Gibson’s film may be exposing Muslims
to the message of Christianity in ways not foreseen by their leaders.
In Qatar, for example, The Passion has broken box-office
records and, according to World Net Daily, has sparked interest
among Muslims about Christianity.
"Do you have the New Testament in Arab? Me and all my friends
would like to read it," the Internet news Web site quoted two
Muslim youth as asking an American couple who lives there.
"This film is generating huge interest in Jesus and the Bible,"
said the Americans, who wish to remain anonymous. "All this
has never happened before!"
AP, 4/5/04; www.worldnetdaily, 4/8/04
ACTIVISM
Major efforts threatened in Congress, FCC
Christian activists are being asked to contact their congressional
representatives and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
in order to keep alive proposed changes in law that would help families
and the institution of marriage.
The looming specter of same-sex marriage generated a drive for a
constitutional amendment that would define marriage as being between
one man and one woman. The Federal Marriage Amendment, as it is
called, was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives
and the Senate.
However, according to AFA Chairman Don Wildmon, the legislation
faces the prospect of dying in committee because many members of
Congress do not want to tackle the issue. He said lawmakers need
to hear from those who support the biblical idea of marriage.
Meanwhile, the FCC is now under pressure to allow the "f-word"
on network television.
Broadcast companies Viacom, Fox Entertainment, and RadioOne have
joined with the liberal group People for the American Way in pushing
the FCC to allow the "f-word." The groups are also asking
the agency to remove any penalties associated with the use of the
expletive, and have threatened to take the issue to federal court
if the FCC doesn’t play ball.
The demand comes as the FCC, in response to public and congressional
pressure, has begun issuing more fines for indecency on radio and
television.
Moreover, the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2004 (S. 2056)
has been introduced in the Senate, and would increase the maximum
fines for obscene and indecent broadcasts. A similar bill has already
passed in the House.
To call or write your U.S. representative and two senators in support
of a federal marriage amendment
• Phone: 1-202-224-3121 (Capitol
switchboard)
• E-mail: http://capwiz.com/afanet/home/
• Address mail to representatives:
The Honorable _______________
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
• Address mail to senators:
The Honorable _______________
U. S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510
• To ask the Federal Communications
Commission to maintain its tough stance on broadcast decency:
Federal Communications Commission
Enforcement Bureau
Investigations and Hearing Division
445 12th St., SW, Room 3-B443
Washington, DC 20554
CULTURE
Abstinence pledges curtail teen out-of-wedlock
births
A new report released by The Heritage Foundation reveals that efforts
recommending abstinence to teens can pay off in reducing out-of-wedlock
births.
The report, which was based on data gathered by the National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health, found that "[y]oung women who take
a virginity pledge are about 40% less likely to have a child out
of wedlock when compared to similar young women who do not make
such a pledge."
Kirk A. Johnson, senior policy analyst in the Center for Data Analysis,
wrote in The Heritage report that the finding "strongly suggests
the potential for abstinence education programs to reduce teen pregnancy
and out-of-wedlock childbearing."
The benefits of reducing such outcomes of early teen sexual experimentation
are more than just theoretical. The report noted that children raised
by single parents are "seven times more likely to live in poverty
than are children raised in intact homes."
The Heritage Foundation study considered other factors such as the
girls’ family status, religiosity, income, race, etc., and
still determined that "the virginity pledge itself was found
to have a strong independent effect in predicting lower levels of
out-of-wedlock childbearing."
www.heritage.org, 3/30/04
EDUCATION
Group targets PC campus foolishness
In April a campus watchdog group unveiled its annual "Campus
Outrage Awards" for the worst abuses of tax dollars, the most
flagrant instances of political correctness, and the most blatant
suppressions of free speech to be found on U.S. colleges and universities.
Every year the Collegiate Network compiles a list citing the year’s
worst nationwide examples of the politicization and double standards
that abound on campuses. The awards are popularly known as the "Pollys."
Topping the list this year was Yale University for a student-sponsored
Sex Week at Yale, which featured a porn star as one of its keynote
speakers, and several lectures on the history of sex toys –
which included the dispensing of free samples. Sex Week used university
funds and facilities, and enjoyed the full support of faculty and
administrators.
In contrast the Polly Awards noted that Georgetown University –
which is Catholic – apologized for comments made by a Roman
Catholic clergyman who was delivering a commencement address at
the school. The priest’s offense? He simply cited church doctrine
on sexual ethics and homosexuality in his speech.
The resultant angry criticism from students and faculty at Georgetown
led the school’s dean to E-mail a letter of apology to the
student body. In it she offered free counseling to anyone who might
have been traumatized by the offending speech.
AgapePress, 4/6/04
ENTERTAINMENT
Film company debut filled with political, moral
issues
Garden City Pictures, a Christian production company, released its
first film in mid-May. Home Beyond the Sun, a 90-minute video
movie, is set in China. It follows a young American woman who teaches
in China, forms a friendship with an orphan girl, and searches for
an American couple to adopt the child.
Executive Producer Byron Jones said, "I had heard of Christian
families who had adopted little girls from China, but I never knew
the story behind them. I run a mission for the poor in Haiti, so
I know how bad conditions can be for children in Third World countries."
Jones is a former vice president of Cloud Ten Pictures, which produced
Left Behind and Tribulation Force.
The endearing story transpires against the backdrop of an almost
palpable sense of urgency, danger and persecution that Chinese Christians
encounter on a daily routine.
"This film deserves major attention from those looking for
decent family films with high entertainment value and solid moral
content," said AFA Journal Editor Randall Murphree. "It’s
a great family movie and churches can use it as an outreach tool."
More information: www.homebeyondthesun.com/church, or www.gardencitypictures.com;
or telephone 905-321-2468.
TV linked to kids’ short attention spans
A recently published study indicates that early exposure to television
for young children may lead to attention problems, perhaps even
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The study, published in the April issue of Pediatrics, said
ADHD affects between 4% and 12% of children in this country, and
"is the most common behavioral disorder of childhood."
Because the brain of a newborn develops rapidly throughout its first
several years of life, researchers from the University of Washington
and Seattle-area mental health professionals theorized that early
exposure to TV might affect brain development.
"The types and intensity of visual and auditory experiences
that children have early in life … may have profound influences
on brain development," the study said.
Results showed that, for every hour a child watched TV, it increased
his chances of having attention problems by about 10%, study leader
Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at a children’s hospital
in Seattle, told USA Today. That’s because the child’s
brain may develop in a manner that makes it used to the rapid-fire
activity of television, "making it harder to concentrate if
there’s less stimulation," he said.
While the researchers listed a number of cautionary notes about
the study’s conclusions, they also noted that the American
Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that parents exercise caution
in allowing children under the age of two years watch TV.
Pediatrics, 4/04; USA Today, 4/5/04
Hollywood sues maker of anti-smut DVD
Members of the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) are suing
a company that has developed a DVD player that skips seamlessly
over a movie’s objectionable contents.
ClearPlay’s groundbreaking DVD player, marketed by RCA, contains
software that mutes foul language and skips graphic violence, sex
and nudity in films. ClearPlay staffers, according to the company’s
Web site (www.clearplay.com),
have screened hundreds of movies to identify the precise moments
in a movie when objectionable elements occur, and monthly updates
for new releases are provided for a modest fee.
ClearPlay claims the editing process is virtually unnoticeable,
and is similar to an edited-for-TV version of the movies. "It’s
as if you had super-fast fingers and were able to punch remote control
buttons fast and accurately enough to skip and mute certain content,
but still maintain the movie’s continuity and entertainment
value!" the Web site said.
At a cost of around $80, the new DVD player is quite a bargain,
but the DGA wants the company to halt distribution. It argues that
ClearPlay’s technology does not respect the finished film product
nor the director’s vision for the movie.
But ClearPlay CEO Bill Aho said that should not be the issue. "In
the home, families should be able to watch [movies] any way they
want to," he told the San Francisco Chronicle. Parents will
have to wait to see if a judge agrees.
Hollywood Reporter, 4/13/04; www.sfgate.com 1/20/03
HOMOSEXUALITY
Christian wins case against AT&T
A court victory for a Colorado man fired by AT&T was a breath
of fresh air for beleaguered Christian employees in the workplace.
In April, U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger awarded nearly $150,000
to Albert Buonanno, who was fired by AT&T Broadband for refusing
to sign a diversity policy requiring him to value the beliefs of
"gays."
In 2001 Buonanno, who had been with the company nearly two years,
objected to the language of a directive in its new employee handbook.
It required all workers to "fully recognize, respect and value
the differences among all of us," including differences in
sexual orientation.
Buonanno said he was willing to pledge not to discriminate against
or harass anyone, but he felt that he could not in good conscience
sign the "certificate of understanding" agreeing with
the new policy. As a result, he was fired, and subsequently sued.
AgapePress, 4/7/04
GOVERNMENT
FDA may warn condom users of STD risks
In a move that could drive the safe-sex education crowd insane,
the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) may require companies who
produce condoms to place a warning label on the package.
The label would warn customers that condoms don’t prevent all
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Dr. Tom Coburn, a former Oklahoma congressman who is now running
for the senate from that state, said it is a step that the FDA must
take. "Condoms offer limited protection for most STDs, fairly
good protection for HIV (the AIDS virus) and no protection for human
papillomavirus (HPV), which causes all the cervical cancer in the
country," he told Family News in Focus.
AFA President Tim Wildmon agreed. "There is a very common-sense
explanation for why sexually transmitted diseases are exploding,"
he said. "Casual sex is pushed everywhere in our culture, and
we tell people, ‘Just make sure you use a condom.’ But
condoms don’t offer 100% protection and sometimes offer none.
The FDA needs to tell that to consumers so they can make an informed
decision."
www.family.org, 3/15/04
‘Homophobia’ blamed for priests’
abuse
In the wake of the report issued by the Catholic Church on the priest
sex abuse scandal, a new book lays the blame for the abuse in a
surprising place.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops recently released the results
of a two-year investigation into the allegations that a significant
number of priests had sexually abused children and teens over a
period of more than 50 years. The study found that 4,392 Catholic
priests had allegedly abused more than 10,000 victims in that time
span.
The report also found that most of the perpetrators were homosexual
priests, a revelation that angered "gay" rights groups.
However, openly homosexual author David France admits in his new
book, Our Fathers: The Secret Life of the Catholic Church in
an Age of Scandal, that the offenders were, in fact, homosexual.
"[W]e now know from talking to these priests [who molested
teenagers]: they’re gay," France told The Advocate,
a magazine targeted to the "gay" community, adding,
"And if they were gay men, we should ask ourselves why that
was happening. What caused it?"
What is France’s explanation in Our Fathers? "What
I argue is that these guys represent homosexuality in pure and total
repression," he said. "This is what successful repression
looks like: men so alienated from their own sense of self that their
sexual expressions come out in explosive ways."
That explanation is rejected by pro-family groups. "So France’s
solution would be for the Catholic Church to embrace homosexuality
and allow practicing homosexuals to serve as priests? And then the
abuse would stop?" asked Tim Wildmon, AFA president. "That’s
a ridiculous fantasy denied by history and the undercurrents within
gay culture. The real solution is to make sure that homosexuals
aren’t in the priesthood."
The Advocate, 4/13/04
BBBSA’s inclusion of homosexuals causes
insurance woes
One of the nation’s largest mentoring organizations is discovering
that some of its chapters are having trouble getting liability insurance
because they allow homosexuals to be mentors for kids.
According to Family News in Focus, several chapters of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) may be forced to shut down because
insurance companies are charging higher premiums or even refusing
to write policies because of the "gay" mentors.
In 2002, BBBSA began requiring its chapters to allow open homosexuals
to serve as mentors for children participating in its programs.
That policy – especially in light of the Catholic Church’s
sex abuse scandal – has led to a hesitancy on the part of some
insurers to do business as usual with BBBSA.
Joan McPheron, a director for one BBBSA chapter, told Family News,
"Of course, bottom line, the homosexual issue does come into
play. Because we’re working with kids … we’re dealing
with possible abuse issues. [Insurers] recommend at least a million
dollars to two million dollars coverage."
Rob Paris, who is a risk management specialist, said, "When
you put a child with a known homosexual as a mentor, that would
be [an additional] risk factor that the insurance company would
take into consideration."
Paris said some insurance companies won’t insure the chapters
at any price because of the homosexual factor.
www.family.org, 2/3/04
Lesbians getting STDs from men
Activists insist that homosexuals are "born that way,"
and cannot change. Pro-family groups, on the other hand, argue that
homosexuality is not an immutable orientation and that thousands
of homosexuals have left the lifestyle.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Harborview Medical Center
in Seattle may shed some light on the debate. While the study attempted
to assess lesbians’ risks in becoming infected with herpes,
researchers discovered that lesbians were getting the sexually transmitted
disease from men.
Of the women who identified themselves as lesbians, 80% said they
had had sex with men before – 28% within the previous year,
according to The Advocate, a magazine which targets the homosexual
community.
"I guess activists have been forgetting to actually tell lesbians
that they aren’t supposed to be having sex with men,"
said AFA President Tim Wildmon. "I think it proves that these
women could, with the help of Jesus Christ, leave that lifestyle."
The Advocate, 3/2/04
MEDIA
Media quiet about teacher sex abuse
Most of the media covered the sex abuse scandal within the U.S.
Catholic Church with diligence and zest – and rightfully so.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found in its report on the
scandal that nearly 11,000 cases of sexual abuse occurred by priests
and deacons over a 50-year period.
So why has the media been nearly silent over a draft report commissioned
for the U.S. Department of Education, which states that between
6% and 10% of the nation’s school children have been sexually
abused or sexually harassed by school employees and teachers?
That question was raised by an article on NewsMax.com, which
cited the report’s author, Dr. Charol Shakeshaft, professor
of policy studies at Hofstra University, as saying the number of
abuse cases in schools might even be higher.
Shakeshaft said she estimated that roughly 290,000 students were
sexually abused by a school employee between 1991 and 2000. She
said in her report that "the physical sexual abuse of students
in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests,"
and took place over one decade, rather than five.
"Yet, media coverage of the Catholic priest abuse scandal was
nearly wall-to-wall," said Newsmax.com’s Jon Dougherty.
"[E]very major television news program, every major newspaper
and wire service, and most mass market magazines covered the scandal
relentlessly."
Dougherty said online searches for media references to the Shakeshaft
report turned up virtually nothing. "Catholic leaders especially
are wondering why more coverage of the issue, as well as more action
by government education officials, hasn’t been forthcoming,"
he said.
www.newsmax.com, 4/5/04
PORNOGRAPHY
Feds say child porn problem ‘vast’
As the Bush administration turns its attention to Internet child
pornography, federal authorities are saying that the problem is
worse than they had imagined.
According to ABC News, federal agents have discovered what they
called "a vast underground market" of customers for child
pornography on the Internet. Recent operations by federal authorities
have resulted in the arrests of several people for trading in child
porn, including teachers, doctors, ministers, scouting volunteers,
and camp counselors.
The government probe actually began last year in Minsk, Belarus,
when U.S. investigators started looking into Regpay, a company they
suspected of selling child porn over the Internet. The electronic
trail of Regpay’s transactions, more than 100,000 of them,
led around the world, and many of those financial exchanges were
traced by a U.S. task force back to American credit card users.
Mike Garcia, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland
Security, told ABC that he has been shocked, not only by the kinds
of people being arrested, but also by the sheer numbers of suspects
found. U.S. immigration and customs agents also said the underground
market for images of sexually exploited children was far larger
than they expected.
The U. S. government currently has more than 200 active cases in
its ongoing investigation.
Child pornography facts from www.protectkids.com
• The U.S. Customs Service estimates that there are more than
100,000 Web sites offering child porn – which is illegal worldwide.
One study found a 345% increase in the number of child pornography
sites over a five month period.
• More than 20,000 images of child pornography are posted on
the Internet every week.
• More babies and toddlers are appearing on the Net and the
abuse is getting worse. It is more torturous and sadistic than it
was before. The typical age of children is between six and 12, but
the profile is getting younger
• Forty percent of people charged with child pornography also
sexually abuse children, police say.
AgapePress, 3/31/04; www.protectkids.com
Helen Keller Foundation profiting from porn
partnership
The Helen Keller Foundation, inspired by and dedicated to the legacy
of Helen Keller, has found a new source for funding – accepting
money from porn merchants.
The foundation recently chose to enter a partnership with Movie
Gallery, America’s top pornographic video retail outlet. AFA
called for a boycott of Movie Gallery when it refused to close down
over 400 hard-core sex video galleries across the United States.
"Pornography profits are now lining the pocket of Helen Keller’s
namesake," said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for
AFA.
The Helen Keller Foundation has declined AFA’s requests to
discuss the matter privately. One possible reason for that, according
to Sharp, is that Movie Gallery chairman Joe Malugen is a member
of the foundation’s board.
"Joe Malugen and his company have made a fortune selling and
renting videos that solicit men to cheat on their families. It’s
obvious the Helen Keller Foundation places a higher importance on
money than the welfare of wives and children," Sharp said.
Contact information:
The Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education
Laura Beckwith
1201 11th Avenue South, Suite 300
Birmingham, Alabama, USA 35205
Phone: 860-306-2496
Fax: 617-536-0352
E-mail: lbeckwith@helenkellerfoundation.org
Porn industry hit by AIDS scare
Some of the largest pornography production companies in the U.S.
announced a 60-day moratorium on filming because two porn stars
have been diagnosed with HIV.
The porn industry would appear to be susceptible to AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases. For one thing, most customers of
smut films demand that the portrayal of sex be without condoms.
Moreover, according to the Los Angeles Times, there are more than
6,000 porn actors and production personnel in Southern California
alone, and with thousands of "adult" films being produced
each year, the potential for HIV infection seems clear.
Some companies rejected the moratorium, said the Times, calling
it "paranoid." One porn producer said filming sex with
the actors using condoms "kills the fantasy."
Citizenlink said that at least 45 male and female "adult"
actors were under "voluntary quarantine" because they
had had sex with the two infected porn stars or their sex partners.
www.latimes.com, 4/16/04; www.family.org, 4/16/04
PRO-LIFE
Girl Scouts linked to abortion provider
A pro-life watchdog group is collecting data on the number of Girl
Scout councils in the U.S. that partner with Planned Parenthood,
the largest abortion provider in the nation and an organization
that pushes explicit sex education to the nation’s youth.
According to LifeNews.com, Girl Scouts CEO Kathy Cloninger announced
on an NBC news program that her organization had partnered with
Planned Parenthood to teach sex education to girls.
STOPP International, which actively resists the work of Planned
Parenthood, has contacted each of the 315 Girl Scout councils to
find out if they, individually, are participating in such a partnership.
Out of the councils that responded, 25% said they are.
"But what is even more surprising," said STOPP Executive
Director Jim Sedlak, "is that 79% of Girl Scout councils have
not disclosed their position on Planned Parenthood by failing to
answer a simple question: ‘Do you have any relationship with
Planned Parenthood?’"
Sedlak said it was revealing that 249 councils are remaining mum.
"If the Girl Scouts believe that partnering with Planned Parenthood
is a benefit to young girls, then why are the Girl Scouts reluctant
to talk about the connection?" Sedlak asked.
LifeNews.com, 4/12/04
RELIGION
City approves public Muslim prayer calls
The City Council of Hamtramck, Michigan, has given approval to a
mosque’s request to broadcast Muslim calls to prayer on loudspeakers.
The Bangladeshi al-Islah Mosque wants to air the messages five times
a day, but agreed not to air them between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
By amending a city noise ordinance, the council says the loud speakers
may be used. The new law was expected to go into effect May 26.
City resident Joanne Golen said she resents the city allowing Muslims
to impose their religion on everybody else. "Allah is not my
god – my God is Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God,"
Golen said. "And I feel it’s against my constitutional
rights to have to hear this at sunrise, four more times [before]
sunset, which may be ten o’clock, blaring in my ears, telling
me about their god."
Estimates indicate that about one-third of the Detroit suburb’s
population is Muslim. Golen says if the situation were reversed
and a Christian church asked permission to broadcast over a loudspeaker,
they would be turned down without debate.
AgapePress, 4/22/04
Supreme Court: no prayer at state school
In May the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling from
last year which prevents dinner prayers by cadets at Virginia Military
Institute (VMI), a state-run institution. The High Court refused
to hear VMI’s appeal of an earlier decision by the 4th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justice Antonin Scalia dissented
from the court’s decision not to hear the appeal. Justice Scalia
contended that the critical questions raised in the case "deserve
this court’s attention."
"It is disheartening that the nation’s highest court would
order students not to pray," said AFA President Tim Wildmon.
"But this is just another example of how the judiciary seems
determined to undermine the moral fabric of our nation."
The decision follows long-standing precedent for removing prayer
from the public forum. As early as 1962, in Engle v. Vitale,
the court ruled that schools could not require students to recite
a prayer at school. In Wallace v. Jaffree (1985), the court
said schools could not allow for a moment of silence.
Prayer by a minister at a high school graduation was ruled in violation
of the First Amendment in Lee v. Weisman in 1992. In Santa
Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000), the court
said student-led prayer at a football game is an unconstitutional
endorsement of religion.
Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow is a highly-publicized
current case, in which atheist Michael Newdow filed suit to prevent
the California school district from leading students in saying the
Pledge of Allegiance because it contains the phrase "under
God." The Supreme Court is expected to rule on that case soon.
USA Today, 4/27/04
Court issues stunning scholarship ruling
Christian leaders were staggered by a February decision by the U.S.
Supreme Court, which stated that colleges and universities can refuse
to grant taxpayer-funded scholarships to Christians who are pursuing
a degree in theology.
The case, Locke v. Davey, revolved around Washington State
resident Joshua Davey, a student at Northwest College, an accredited
school associated with the Assemblies of God. Davey had gone through
the same process of obtaining a scholarship as any other student.
But when education officials learned that Davey intended to pursue
a degree in pastoral ministries, it refused to grant the scholarship,
based upon state law. Davey sued, claiming that he was being discriminated
against on the basis of his religious beliefs.
In a 7-2 decision, the high court said the state of Washington had
the right to exclude students like Davey because of the Constitution
forbids governments from establishing religion. Washington’s
law was not discriminatory, therefore, because the state "has
merely chosen not to fund a distinct category of instruction."
Justice Antonin Scalia disagreed with the majority, stating that
Davey had clearly suffered discrimination. He argued in his dissent
that the state "has created a generally available public benefit,
whose receipt is conditioned only on academic performance, income,
and attendance at an accredited school. It has then carved out a
solitary course of study for exclusion: theology."
He added, "No field of study but religion is singled out for
disfavor in this fashion. Davey is not asking for a special benefit
to which others are not entitled."
The New York Times, 2/25/04; laws.findlaw.com, 2/25/04
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