By James V. Heidinger II,
President and Publisher

GOOD NEWS PERSPECTIVE – No. 7, November 20, 2007

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
"Perhaps it takes a purer faith to praise God for unrealized blessings than for those we once enjoyed or those we enjoy now."  —A.W. Tozer

    Welcome to another issue of Perspective, Good News’ email newsletter. If you find it helpful and informative, share it with others and invite them to subscribe. Folks may do so by emailing us here at: perspective@goodnewsmag.org.

 

ORDINATION—TIME FOR A NEW PARADIGM? – As the 2008 General Conference looks at the Study on Ordained Ministry, it will discuss ways to improve how we ordain our clergy. As we look forward to this discussion, we would do well to consider a new paradigm for how United Methodism does ordination, says Dr. Donald W. Haynes, professor at Hood Theological Seminary and a regular contributor to the United Methodist Reporter.

Haynes acknowledges right upfront that “The Church indeed is responsible to have standards for its ordained clergy and has the appropriate role of gatekeeping. Everyone who seeks ordination, after all, is not called of God. Everyone who feels called might not have either the gifts or fruits of parish leadership. And some people cannot honestly espouse the church’s doctrine and discipline. To maintain integrity, the church must sometimes say no.”

He also rightly cautions us that “In our concern today over drawing more young clergy, we must not forget the value in older candidates for ministry. I understand the concern of having fewer years of service following seminary, but as a seminary instructor I must say that the middle-aged candidate brings gifts and life experience more valuable to parish ministry than the person who moves immediately from college and seminary to first appointment.”

Haynes then goes on to propose a new paradigm we might consider for ordained ministry. For his ten thoughtful suggestions, see his complete article at: http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=2789#

 

U.N. FOUNDATION SEEKS PARTNERSHIP WITH UNITED METHODISTS – In a UM News Service release, Linda Green reports that “The United Nations Foundation wants to partner with The United Methodist Church in a major global health initiative that goes beyond the anti-malaria Nothing But Nets campaign. Foundation spokesman Michael Madnick said the organization hopes the denomination’s 2008 General Conference will lay the foundation for an initiative encompassing the diseases of poverty: malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.”

“In a Nov. 7 presentation to the United Methodist Council of Bishops, Madnick said the foundation hopes not only to partner with the denomination to educate and mobilize people to fight diseases of poverty, but also to inspire people worldwide to know they can make a difference.”

“At the end of the day, all the goodwill and all the resources in the world won’t mean anything if we are not reaching those who need this help the most,” Madnick said.

Madnick told the bishops about the foundation’s 8-year-old relationship with the Gates Foundation, which is underwritten by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda. As large as the Gates’ resources are, he said, the Gates Foundation realized that solving global problems requires inspiring the public, mobilizing political will and improving delivery systems for vaccines. “The role of faith makes them very excited and interested about a potential partnership with you and others,” Madnick said.

For the full article, go to: http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.
asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2433457&ct=4642499

 

EX-GANG MEMBER HELPING EX-CONS GET ON TRACK --  Kathy Gilbert, UMNS writer, has given us one of the most powerful stories of redemption and transformation I have seen in some time. Don’t miss this one.

Matthew Taufetee was probably one of the worst “preacher’s kids” of all times. At 14, Taufetee joined a gang and began stealing purses from elderly women. By the time he was 28, he had been in prison twice for violent crimes and was addicted to alcohol and crystal methamphetamine.

His first prison term came when he almost beat a man to death with his bare fists. His second sentence was for stabbing another man to death with a knife from his mother’s kitchen. Three months after he was in jail on murder charges, word came that a rival gang had killed his brother in retaliation for Taufetee’s crime. “I felt responsible for taking my brother’s life,” he said.

Read the rest of Gilbert’s article to learn how God finally got through to Taufetee to turn his life around. He has founded LAP or “Life After Prison, a faith-based program that integrates former prison inmates back into the community. He is also now a lay minister at Pacific Islander United Methodist Church where his father, the Rev. Faagi Taufetee, is pastor. For the full article, go to: www.goodnewsmag.org or click on to: http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?
c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2433457&ct=4637457

BEN STEIN CONFRONTS DOMINANCE OF DARWINIAN THOUGHT IN NEW FILM – In his new documentary, T.V. personality Ben Stein aims to help his audience clear their viewpoints on the debate between Intelligent Design and Darwinism.

In Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, Stein—who has also worked as a lawyer, an economist, an author and social commentator—embarks on a journey across the globe to answer the long disputed question ”Were we designed or are we simply the end result of an ancient mud puddle struck by lightning?”

The film is slated for release in February of 2008. It highlights the long-standing controversial debate between supporters of Darwinism, which suggests the universe was created by chance, and Intelligent Design, which argues that the creation of life and the universe are results of an intelligent ‘designer.’

Stein found out in his interviews with representatives from both sides of the debate that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired in some cases for the fact that they believe there is evidence of “design” in nature, challenging the idea that life is a result of random chance.

For example, one biologist who allowed a peer-reviewed research paper describing the evidence for intelligence in the universe to be published in a scientific journal was the target of a smear and intimidation campaign by National Center for Science Education and the Smithsonian Institution, where he was a fellow, to get him expelled from his position.

“Scientists are supposed to be allowed to follow the evidence wherever it may lead, no matter what the implications are. Freedom of inquiry has been greatly compromised, and this is not only anti-American, it’s anti-science. Its anti-the whole concept of learning” said Stein in a news release. For the full story go to: www.christianpost.com/pages/print.htm?aid=29497 

 

IS THE DECLINE OF MARRIAGE INEVITABLE? – Jennifer Mesko, associate editor of CitizenLink, the email newsletter of James Dobson, notes that “A majority of high school seniors—82 percent of girls and 70 percent of boys—say a good marriage is extremely important to them. Yet the number of marriages in America is down, while the number of cohabiting couples is skyrocketing. What’s happening here?

Glenn Stanton, director of global family formation studies at Focus on the Family, explains that, in an odd way, this all makes sense.

“Young people deeply desire happy marriages and families in their adult years,” he said, “but they are more likely to cohabit for two reasons: One as a placeholder relationship until they meet that someone who could be their spouse. The second is they are scared to death of failing at marriage like so many of their boomer parents did.”

Stanton, who compiled years of research in a new report, Family Formation Trends and Analysis, said, “This can be a God-ordained opportunity for our churches to realize this unfortunate gap between what young people desire and what they think they can achieve and become marriage-strengthening centers in our communities.”

For the full article, go to: http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005950.cfm#