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Pastor helps police with stressful jobs
By John Gordon

The Rev. Chuck Ferrara knows firsthand the stresses of police work.

During his 16 years with the New York Police Department-before he became a United Methodist pastor-Ferrara patrolled some of the city's toughest neighborhoods and was involved in a shootout in Harlem that left one of his partners dead.

"I suffered with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder before Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was even diagnosed," he says.

Today, Ferrara volunteers some of his time as a chaplain to the 50 employees at the Bethel (Connecticut) Police Department. He is senior pastor at New Life Community Church United Methodist in nearby New Fairfield.

"Police officers have lots of strain in their lives," Ferrara says. "I can think of no other profession where somebody may potentially have to take another person's life, short of a combat soldier in war."

Or, he says, officers may risk their own lives to save others.

"The nature of the police officers' fear in life is that many times they meet people at their worst," says Capt. Robert Cedergren, who is in charge of personnel for the Bethel police.

"Even people who don't have a problem or an emergency, when they run across the police, in many instances, it's not in the best of circumstances."

Over the last three years, Ferrara has helped Bethel officers deal with financial and marital difficulties, deaths of relatives, and other problems.

 "Pastor Ferrara's abilities to understand that, and then also to build empathy with the officers, is phenomenal," Cedergren says. "He understands what the officers are going through. He's been there; he's done that."

Dispatcher Barbara Wilson says Pastor Chuck, as Ferrara is known to the officers, always has a smile on his face when he asks about her grandchildren.

"If you have a problem, you can go to him with anything," Wilson says. "And just in general, he makes me feel happy,  healthy, and warm."

The stress of police work has led to suicide for some, including two officers in the Bethel Police Department in recent years.

Police officers have one of the highest suicide rates of any profession, Ferrara says. Officers are sometimes reluctant to seek help because they fear losing their jobs, he says.

"There are ways to help officers transition from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and stressful times in their lives, without having to lose their position, without having to lose their weapon, and without having to lose their job," Ferrara says.

"I think once an officer realizes that a department will take that kind of demeanor, I think it helps all around. And I think officers will more readily seek help."

Ferrara has woven together some of his experiences on the streets of New York with his faith journey as a pastor and written a book, Beyond the Badge: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Cops and Their Families.

He says it's the first book to combine police techniques with spiritual guidance.

"It's such a cutting-edge book about surviving through some of these things that are very particular to police officers that most people don't write about. This book gets down to the brass nuts and bolts about how to survive your marriage and still be a police officer," Ferrara says.

The book, published by Living Streams Publications (part of the Good News ministry), retails for $12 and is in its third printing.

Ferrara says he has received responses from officers across the United States and Canada. The book is dedicated to the officers and firefighters who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Ferrara spent several months counseling with rescue workers at Ground Zero.

He considers police officers some of the "finest people in the world," he says.

"Any one of the officers.if they were called to give up their life to save the life of a complete stranger, they would not hesitate," he says. "The Bible says there's no greater love than that."

John Gordon is a freelance producer and writer based in Marshall, Texas. Adapted from United Methodist News Service.

 

Judicial Council declines reconsiderations
by Neill Caldwell

The United Methodist Judicial Council has rejected appeals to reconsider two decisions that have created much debate within the church.

The council voted not to revisit Decisions 1031 and 1032, issued last October and related to the case of the Rev. Ed Johnson of South Hill (Virginia) United Methodist Church, who blocked a practicing homosexual man from taking membership in the church.

Johnson was placed on involuntary leave last June by his clergy peers in the Virginia Annual Conference, and Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer upheld the action. But in Decision 1031, the Judicial Council ruled that Johnson's due process rights were violated when the conference transformed an administrative complaint against him into a judicial complaint. And in Decision 1032, the council made a much more far-reaching ruling, saying that the senior pastor of a local church does have the right to determine a person's readiness for membership.

Following the rulings, Kammerer returned Johnson to the South Hill pulpit.

The two rulings created much protest across the denomination from those who said the decisions stood in contrast to the spirit of the church's theme of "Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors." The decisions also triggered official appeals from Kammerer and the Virginia Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, as well as briefs from the principals in the case and numerous friends of the court.

During the council's April 26-28 meeting in Overland Park, Kansas, it issued short memos (1040 and 1041) declaring it would not reconsider the two rulings. Four of the Judicial Council members joined in writing dissenting opinions, and three members signed a concurring opinion. The court has nine members.


Concurring opinion
Council members James W. Holsinger Jr., Mary A. Daffin, and Keith D. Boyette signed a concurring opinion, saying they "join with our colleagues who have voted to deny the petition for reconsideration in this matter because the petitioners for reconsideration have not shown Decision 1032 clearly to be in error, nor have they shown that reconsideration of the decision is necessary to prevent a manifest injustice resulting from the interpretation of the decision.

"We recognize that the issues presented in Decision 1032 are controversial in nature and the subject of heated debate long before they reached the Judicial Council.," the concurring opinion continues. "Twenty-two briefs were filed with the Judicial Council prior to Decision 1032, representing the diversity of positions on the substance of the questions before the council. The issues were thoroughly briefed and ably argued. The council conducted oral hearings in the matter because of the diversity of positions taken on the questions presented. The issues were fully debated within the council, and the council rendered its decision.

"The twelve briefs and the more than 2,000 communications filed with the Judicial Council on the petitions for reconsideration, again reflecting the diversity of positions on the issues before the council, have not persuaded us that the council erred in Decision 1032," said Holsinger, Daffin, and Boyette.

They added that "it is time for the issues addressed in Decision 1032 to now be debated by the United Methodist Church, as is occurring."

"The presiding bishop fulfilled her disciplinary responsibilities when she responded to the questions of law," they wrote. "The Judicial Council has fulfilled its disciplinary responsibilities in reviewing the decisions of law rendered.

"We disagree with those in the minority who cavalierly assert that the Judicial Council has somehow exceeded its role in precisely fulfilling that role," they said. "The role of the Judicial Council is to interpret the Discipline and to apply its provisions to the scenarios that are presented. In Decision 1032, the council has interpreted relevant provisions of the Discipline and applied them to the scenario posed to it.

"We disagree with those in the minority who assert that further debate before the Judicial Council will be healing for the United Methodist Church. Rather, we believe that reopening this matter, especially where no grounds have been demonstrated to do so, will further polarize the various parts of the church," Holsinger, Daffin, and Boyette wrote. "We have arrived at this view with great respect and admiration for those who disagree with us in the minority."


Dissenting opinion
In their joint dissent to the decision not to reconsider Decision 1032, the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe and the Rev. Paul Shamwange, joined by Beth Capen and Jon R. Gray, wrote that "theologically, and as well as disciplinarily, the pastor has no discretion to exclude anyone from membership or the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist because it is not his/her invitation. It is Christ's. Therefore, all who present themselves for baptism, Eucharist, and reception into the church are joyfully welcomed..

"For the pastor to deny membership is to present obstacles to the work of the Holy Spirit," they said. "This denial is dangerous and does not serve the work of evangelism."

Gray, joined by Capen, Henry-Crowe, and Shamwange, filed a separate dissent on the denial of reconsideration of Decision 1032 around the idea that the Judicial Council "created new law heretofore unknown and in my judgment uncontemplated by any previous General Conference."

"The role of the Judicial Council is to interpret disciplinary provisions from a legal standpoint," Gray wrote. "The pronouncements contained in Decision 1032 concerning 'discretion' and 'responsible pastoral judgment' have abandoned all traditional notions of interpretive restraint.. Separation of powers is a time-honored doctrine that has served our connection well. The General Conference would be unwise to attempt to execute episcopal functions. Bishops do not participate in the legislative process as they are not eligible to vote at the General Conference.

"It follows that the Judicial Council should not, under our system of governance, attempt to create law by legislating from the bench," he wrote. "Judicial activism, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Decision 1032 is an example of judicial activism of the rankest order." The dissent used a Latin term, "Jus dicere, non-dare," which means, "To declare law, not make it." It went on to call Decision 1032 "clearly in error."

"The Book of Discipline is silent on the issue of 'responsible pastoral judgment,'" Gray continued. "Our task would have been complete had we merely said so. It would have been better for the Judicial Council to provide no guidance on the question than to provide the poor guidance of Decision 1032."

The dissent stated that "at times in the church there is a tendency to see the Discipline as superseding Scripture. The Constitution as contained in the Book of Discipline has to be the measure by which we apply the Bible. The Constitution should not be in conflict with the Bible. If the Discipline violates the Bible, then the church is no longer Christ's church, but rather a mere association of men and women."

"The unspeakable pain that this decision causes calls for repentance and prayer, which will lead to healing," the four added. "The cause of Christ's church and Christ's hospitality, openness, generosity, justice, and righteousness are the principles at stake."

Neill Caldwell is a United Methodist News Service correspondent based in High Point, North Carolina.

 

United Methodists in Indiana focus on Sudan
By Matthew Oates

Beth Reilly, a member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a leading advocate calling for Hoosiers to remember those who have no voice in Darfur.

Reilly, with the help of clergy and laity throughout the city and through the denomination's Indiana Area's publications, continually reminds church members of opportunities to call their elected officials and take part in rallies and learning opportunities on Darfur.

"I started hearing about Darfur on the news," she said. "The violence disturbed me." She was particularly moved by the impact on Darfur's children and families. "I'm affected by what they go through because I am a mother."

She started writing letters to her elected officials. She talked to the Rev. Brian Witwer, senior pastor at Aldersgate, who encouraged her. The church has had numerous offerings for Darfur and held a special service one Sunday. Members have been writing letters, calling elected officials, and circulating petitions throughout the community.

Reilly and other church and community activists are working with Fort Wayne's Darfurian community, which is one of the largest outside of Darfur, and have become involved with the Save Darfur Coalition.

"This is a real Methodist issue," Reilly said. "The Book of Discipline says we aren't supposed to be quiet when a government abuses its people. Here's a government that's attacking its people. As Methodists, we can't be quiet."

Witwer said the Aldersgate congregation has strongly encouraged Reilly in this mission. "We are giving her a platform and support for this," he said. "It's incredibly gratifying to have something like this happen. This is a direct outpouring of her faith."

Mohamed Fashir, a Darfurian who has lived in Fort Wayne for five years, still has most of his family in Darfur. "We are somewhat more lucky that the U.S. has given us a chance for a better life," he said.

Fashir is thankful to Hoosiers for raising awareness of the plight of his homeland. "We appreciate them for this. Everyone cares for this."

Genocide observer
From September 2004 to February 2005, Brian Steidle was an eyewitness to genocide. Steidle, a former U.S. Marine, served as an observer with the African Union to monitor the unsteady peace treaty in the Sudan and the situation of Darfur, an area the size of Texas located in western Sudan.

"We were there to monitor a cease-fire that was nonexistent," he said.

During his six months there, Steidle wrote more than 80 reports, four of which reached the U.S. government, regarding the ethnic cleansing, continued attacks against tribes by government-supported militias, and a mounting refugee crisis.

He talked about his experience in Sudan during a presentation in early April-complete with graphic photographs, video, and audio recordings-at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Twenty-year civil war
Sudan has had only seven years of peace in its history since becoming independent from Great Britain in 1956. During the most recent 20-year civil war, more than two million people have been killed and more than four million have been displaced. In 1998, more than 100,000 people were killed and 250,000 starved to death.

The primary fighting is between the Sudanese government, which is Arab and based out of Khartoum, and black African tribes throughout the oil-rich south. The government is sponsoring militias called the Janjaweed, which are well-equipped and well-trained.

"Whole tribes have been wiped out," Steidle said. "The scale of this-those numbers are unfathomable. This is a large-scale military operation for the purpose of wiping out all black Africans in Darfur."

Secondary fighting also continues between two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, and the government. The two groups are fighting for equal rights in the government, he said, but they are no match for government forces and are ill-equipped and ill-trained.

The actions of the Janjaweed and the Sudanese government against civilians are chilling. Steidle said soldiers use sexual assaults and castration on civilians, regardless of gender or age, as well as pluck out eyes and cut off ears in addition to looting, plundering, and burning villages and property.

"They do the most horrific things to these people," he declared. "They do not even look at these people as humans."

In addition, Sudanese law calls for women who are raped to be punished for having sexual relations outside of marriage; female genital mutilation is also prominent in the Sudan. "Rape brings with it all other types of issues," said Steidle, explaining how the Janjaweed taunt the black Africans for having "lighter skinned" children, as well as carrying the dishonor of the rape and the child with them.

Refugees abound, not only in Darfur, but also flowing into neighboring Chad. Government soldiers and Janjaweed will go through refugee camps in Chad and internal displacement camps throughout Sudan and harass the Darfurians and destroy the camps.

According to Steidle, a multinational force from the African Union cannot do the job, as part of the union's charter says it must ask permission before entering a country. The United Nations, however, does not have to ask permission. Steidle believes a NATO-sponsored force would be best, with support from the United States.

Even simple steps could start the healing process, he said. Those could include ensuring security on the ground, holding the leaders accountable in Khartoum, and initiating proper nation-building with new leaders by investing in the country and education.

Grass-roots solutions
Steidle is encouraging people of all socio-economic, religious, and professional backgrounds to help the Darfurians by taking simple actions, such as writing to elected officials.

He wants to raise the support of one million people to call on the world to stop the genocide through the "Million Voices for Darfur" campaign, by going to www.millionvoicesfordarfur.org, the campaign's website.

He also is encouraging people to advocate targeted divestment programs, such as the one that helped end apartheid in South Africa. Some states and public pension funds are already divesting themselves of companies that do business with the Sudan. While embargoes and divestments often hurt the people they are intended to help, Steidle noted, "These people already have nothing."

On April 12, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill, H.R. 3127, which would impose sanctions on Sudanese officials and other individuals considered responsible for atrocities in western Darfur. The bill also would authorize additional assistance to the African Union Mission in Sudan and urge President Bush to work with NATO to provide additional support to the peacekeepers.

Matthew Oates is a correspondent based in Lafayette, Indiana. Adapted from United Methodist News Service.

 

U.S. churches face crisis,
discipleship leaders say
By Linda Green

The fact that 43 percent of United Methodist churches in America did not receive a member by profession of faith in 2004 is an indicator that congregations are in trouble, say leaders of the denomination's discipleship agency.

Both the Rev. Karen Greenwaldt, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, and Bishop Michael Coyner, board president, cited that statistic during addresses at the March 14-18 board meeting.

Coyner, leader of the United Methodist Church's Indiana Area, made the observation during a presentation on the seven vision pathways the Council of Bishops, with the denomination's Connectional Table, is using to help the church make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation the world. One of the council's pathways is transforming existing congregations by helping them become more effective and faithful in ministry.

"There is one number in our denomination which keeps going up," Coyner said. "It is the percentage of churches that did not receive even one person as a new member by profession of faith, a number that is now up to 43 percent.

"If there is any number in our denomination that is steadily growing, that is it, and it is causing all kinds of other numbers to decline, including our ability to stand before God and say we are doing a good job in making disciples."

Existing congregations need to be transformed in a variety of ways, but at the heart of the transformation is "simply to have a passion that we are all about making disciples for Jesus Christ," the bishop said.

The other pathways include developing new congregations; teaching the Wesleyan model of forming disciples of Jesus Christ; strengthening clergy and lay leadership; reaching and transforming the lives of new generations of children; eliminating poverty in community with the poor; and expanding racial-ethnic ministries.

Greenwaldt said many of the denomination's U.S. churches "are in real trouble." In addition to receiving no members by profession of faith, she said, membership and church attendance are also in decline, as well as contributions to conference benevolences.

She noted that the average age of people in the denomination's U.S. churches is between 57 and 62, but millions of young people who live in the same towns, cities, and suburbs are attending house churches, marketplace ministries, and cyber-churches. "They continue to avoid going to our churches and to similar denominations," she said.

"Consumer church" problem
Though the denomination emphasizes clergy and lay collaboration, Greenwaldt said, "the reality is that many churches continue practices that call for a passive laity who wait for the direction of the clergy." She described this laity as "passive churchgoers" or "lethargic consumers" who are addicted to a "consumer church."The Rev. Tyrone Gordon, pastor of St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church in Dallas, agreed. He and the Rev. Kent Millard, pastor of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, addressed openness, the need for being passion-driven, evangelism and discipleship, and the impact of evangelism on the local congregation.

"We are producing a generation of religious consumers who are always looking at what the Lord can do for them, instead of committed disciples who ask what is it that we can do for the Lord," Gordon said.

He attributed the continuous growth of his congregation and his understanding of discipleship to a cycle of reaching, teaching, training, and employing-a cyclical view of the task of evangelism and discipleship.

"In order to make disciples.we must capture the minds, hearts, trust, and respect of people," he said. "The task of evangelism and discipleship is to make the liberating power of the gospel of Christ become real in word and deed."

Radical change needed
The time for an incremental quick fix has passed, Greenwaldt said. "We are living in a world and in a church that need radical intervention. The status quo will not overcome the inertia holding us in place."

She called on church leaders and members to return to the basic disciplines of the Christian faith: prayer, Bible study, fasting, participating in worship and the sacraments, doing good, and doing no harm-the essential work of spiritual formation.

"The church does not need more managers," she said. "Rather, the church needs leaders."

Instead of emphasizing what is wrong, the church's focus instead must be on gifts and opportunities for ministry, she said. "We must throw away our belief that command and control systems will change the church in order to impact the world. Instead, we must learn our way into the future" and follow God's lead.

"Our task of making disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world is not a small task," she said. "It is a worldwide task, and it is needing urgent attention."

Linda Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Membership dips in U.S.,
but increases in other countries
By United Methodist News Service

U.S. membership in the United Methodist Church has declined annually since the formation of the denomination in 1968. During the last ten-year period, the number of members churchwide decreased by 5.48 percent.

The number of United Methodist members in the United States decreased by 0.81 percent in 2004, to about 8.07 million, and worship attendance was down by 0.96 percent from 2003, according to United Methodism's General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA).

Countering the U.S. decline, United Methodist lay membership in the central conferences-regions of the church in Africa, Asia, and Europe-increased more than 68 percent from 1995 to 2004, to 1.88 million.

"In the central conferences, significant growth has been seen in Africa, with a growth rate of 30 percent in the last four years," said Scott Brewer, GCFA senior researcher. Europe, particularly in the former Soviet Republics and Eastern Bloc areas, has also experienced expansion, reporting a growth rate of 3.5 percent during the same period, he said.

Of the 63 U.S.-based annual (regional) conferences, 13 reported increases in membership in 2004. A slightly higher number, 16, reported attendance growth.

Tool for planning
"Preliminary analysis has begun to make its way into dialogue regarding church vision and programming," said John Goolsbey, deputy general secretary of administration at GCFA. "In early March, GCFA staff discussed the report with the Council of Bishops Executive Committee.  We have shared the report, as well, with members of the Connectional Table.

"The 2004 membership and attendance data show declines in membership and attendance that are greater than projected," he said. "These are continuations of long-term trends requiring thoughtful analysis and critical dialogue."

By the numbers
The 13 U.S. conferences reporting membership increases included Alabama-West Florida (0.54 percent), Alaska Missionary (0.02 percent), Central Texas (0.52), Kentucky (0.15), Louisiana (0.17), North Carolina (0.63), North Georgia (1.19), North Texas (0.57), Oklahoma Missionary (0.34), Red Bird Missionary (2.41), Tennessee (0.57), Texas (0.34), and Western North Carolina (0.39).

Percentage decreases ranged as high as 4.33 percent, posted by the Yellowstone Conference, followed by 3.5 percent in Northern Illinois and 3.3 percent in New England. Fifty conferences posted membership declines from 2003.

Worship attendance dropped 17.39 percent in the Troy Conference, followed by 8.43 percent in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conf-erence and 5.13 percent in the Pacific Northwest Conference. A total of 47 U.S. conferences posted drops in attendance between 2003 and 2004.

Hispanic membership was up 6.18 percent, the eighth consecutive year of growth, according to GCFA. In addition, Asian membership was slightly up for the fourth consecutive year. Of all churches reporting statistics in 2004, 35.9 percent reported membership increases, the agency said.

The largest U.S. conferences in terms of membership were Virginia, 341,850, North Georgia, 337,635, and Florida, 326,272.


Other findings:

. The church had congregations in 2,997 U.S. counties in 2004, which GCFA said is more than any other denomination.

. The percentage of churches that did not receive any members "on profession of faith or restored" rose from 37.8 in 1984 to 42.1 in 2004 (see the UMNS report "U.S. churches face crisis," March 21, 2006).

. Since 1994, the number of United Methodist churches in the United States has decreased 4.9 percent, while the number of pastoral charges has risen 1.8 percent. The denomination had a total of 34,966 U.S. churches and 26,327 charges.

Adapted from United Methodist News Service.

 

UM lobbyist calls for impeachment of Bush
News commentary by Mark Tooley

The chief political spokesman for President Bush's denomination has called for the impeachment of Methodism's most prominent parishioner.

"Impeach President Bush!" urged Jim Winkler, head of the Capitol Hill-based United Methodist Board of Church and Society. Winkler was speaking earlier this spring here in Washington, D.C., to an "Ecumenical Advocacy Days" rally for liberal religious activists.

"Advocacy Days" is an annual political organizing session sponsored by the National Council of Churches (NCC), agencies of several of its member communions, Sojourners magazine, a few left-leaning Catholic organizations, and numerous other church-related groups.

Winkler declared: "Despite the President's insistence he was placed in office by God for this moment, there was nothing Christian in his response to September 11." Winkler's impeachment speech has recently been prominently featured on pro-impeachment websites.

While Winkler would make a good spokesman for Moveon.org, it needs to be pointed out that but he does not represent mainstream opinion in the denomination for which he purports to speak.

According to Winkler, "Even if it turned out that Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction" and "could be found culpable" for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the problems posed by Saddam Hussein's regime "could have been solved without war." He also mocked "the [Bush] administration's claim" that immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would have chaotic results. He sarcastically asked, "When was the last time they were right?"

Winkler faulted Bush for an "illegal war of aggression" that was "sold on lies." He condemned "the war on terror" as a "a war of terror" and called U.S. intelligence agencies "the secret police," rejecting National Security Agency monitoring of phone calls and records as "unconstitutional." He advocated an 80 percent cut in U.S. military spending.

"These are actions far more serious than a failed land deal on the White River or a sexual indiscretion with a White House intern," Winkler said, implicitly comparing Bush to Clinton, whose impeachment was never urged by Winkler's agency. Had the Iraq War been led by John Kerry or Al Gore, Winkler surmised, the "Limbaughs and Gingrichs of the world would be screaming for their impeachment."

Winkler called Bush's removal a religious imperative: "When I speak it is my desire to bring about the transformation of people and systems in order to advance the Kingdom of God even when it is painful."

Most United Methodists do not look to a liberal church lobby office for political guidance. Instead, they expect their church to provide spiritual and moral guidance. Unfortunately, United Methodism has lost three million members in 40 years thanks in part to the misplaced priorities of agencies like Winkler's, which confuse partisan politics with the Gospel.

Mark Tooley is executive director of UM Action, a committee of the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

 

Culture in View

The Omen
By Steve Beard

Although I am somewhat reluctant to admit this publicly, it is only fair to confess that I still have not read any of the wildly popular Left Behind books about the end times. With sales topping 50 million copies, that places me in an ever increasing minority. Although my reluctance to read the books puzzles my friends, I am quite content to believe that history will crescendo in a righteous and dramatic fashion.

As I was growing up, I saw terrifying and schlocky movies such as Thief in the Night about the Mark of the Beast, the Antichrist, and the Rapture. There were nights when I startled myself awake because of a dreadful nightmare about being chased by United Nations flunkies who were trying to get me to have a series of numbers etched into my skin. Happily, I was never permanently traumatized by the films nor the youth group discussions of whether Henry Kissinger was the Antichrist.

I say all this half-jokingly since I recently saw The Omen-a contemporary remake of the 1976 horror film with Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. If you'll recall, the story is about the birth and childhood of the Antichrist.

Although the stories are not always explicitly Christian-based, Hollywood continues to produce spiritually-charged films with powerful religious iconic images of angels, demons, heaven, hell, sin, and redemption. 

In The Omen, diplomat Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) is told that his wife Katherine (Julia Stiles) lost their baby during childbirth, he is confronted with the possibility of cleverly deceiving his wife when the hospital priest offers him a different newborn whose mother had died at the same time.

Prior to this baby swap, the Vatican is aflutter with activity concerning a strange star that has been spotted in the heavens. A power-point presentation is brought to Pope John Paul II and the Roman Catholic hierarchy with images from the tsunami in Southeast Asia and the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York City intermingled with random verses from the Book of Revelation. The somber look on the Pontiff's face indicates that all the signs point to the birth of the Antichrist.

Several years later, the Thorns move to London where Robert has become the new American Ambassador to Great Britain. The family is still reeling from their nanny publicly hanging herself at the little boy's birthday party after shouting, "Look, Damien. It's all for you. It's all for you."

Shortly thereafter, Thorn is visited by a priest who frantically attempts to warn the deeply-rational and non-religious ambassador that the boy in his home is none other than the Antichrist-666 and all. The priest confesses to having been at the hospital on the night of the switch and says, "I want to save you so that Christ will save me. His mother was a jackal. You must accept the Lord Jesus Christ each and every day!"

Thorn dismisses the priest as a loon. However, things at home are freakishly eerie. A new nanny (Mia Farrow) has come to care for Damian ("Don't worry. I am here to protect you," she says to the boy). The bond between the nanny and boy becomes deviously strange. All the while, the mother becomes unhinged by her son's ability to enrage all the animals at the zoo and his brutal and visceral reaction to the prospect of entering a church. During her time with a therapist, she confesses that she does not believe the boy is her own and that there is something evil about the child.

Her premonitions prove correct and her prominent husband is forced to ask some tough questions of his own, and to do something he never would fathom under different circumstances-namely killing his adopted son.

The Omen curse?
One of the major publicity angles for the original Omen revolved around all kinds of spooky and inexplicable events that occurred during the making of the film. Director John Moore told me that there also was "weird stuff" going on during the making of the contemporary version. They had to reshoot two days worth of film because there was a mysterious "blue and white mark on thirteen and a half feet of film." Ironically, it was a scene where Thorn must cut the boy's hair to discover a 666 birthmark.

"I wish that I were a more superstitious person because I would have great 'curse of The Omen' stories, but I'm not superstitious," Liev Schreiber stoically stated.

His co-star, Julia Stiles, was surprisingly open about her fear and trepidation in making the film. "I feel so foolish about it now, but I was terrified throughout the entire filmmaking experience," she confessed. Although none of the principal stars were willing to publicly acknowledge that any form of demonic tomfoolery was active on the set, Stiles said that she had to verbally reassure herself in order to relieve her fears. "It sounds very silly but we had to do this sort of dedication or whatever you want to call it, a prayer, before the scene, to remind ourselves that it was a work of fiction. I don't know who we were praying to, but it was just to say out loud that.we're just making a movie. It's comforting."

UM eschatology
While the modernization of The Omen gave it a fresh look, there were elements included-the first eight minutes that has the Vatican in a dither and a portrayal of a forlorn Pope John Paul II-that were just plain ridiculous. Aside from most mainline Protestants, the least likely Christian group to compare newspaper headlines with random apocalyptic verses from the Book of Revelation would be Vatican officials.

It should be noted that The Omen is not meant to be a seminary class on eschatology. Everyone should calmly recall the age-old wisdom that it is never a good idea to adopt theology from Oprah, novelists in turtlenecks, or Hollywood. Nevertheless, you certainly can't blame writers from spinning yarns from the apocalyptic source material. After all, Martin Luther thought that Pope Leo X was the anti-Christ in 1520. Others have pointed to Domitian, Flavius, Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin as possible antichrists. They are all worthy candidates. St. John said, "as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come" (1 John 2:18).

United Methodists are rarely the first to raise their hands in discussions of Armageddon, the Tribulation, the Rapture, the Millennium, or the Antichrist. Although we believe strongly in spiritual warfare and the Second Coming, we have no flow charts or calendars of his expected arrival. In many ways, I suppose that we reflect John Wesley's views of the enigmatic Book of Revelation: "Oh how little do we know of this deep book! At least how little do I know" (Journal 4:540). "I by no means pretend to understand, or explain all that is contained in this mysterious book" (Notes 650).

"There is no official United Methodist position on eschatology," reports Dr. Ben Witherington, theology professor at Asbury Theological Seminary. "John Wesley was reticent to talk about matters eschatological as his Notes on the New Testament section on Revelation shows, where he just passes along Johannes Albrecht Bengel's (1684-1752) views as the least problematic." (Dr. Joel Green discusses Wesley's views in more detail on page 24.)

I take comfort in the fact that Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" when the end will come (Matthew 24:36). As St. Paul said, his coming remains our "blessed hope."

The dark subject matter of movies such as The Omen can be jarring. The horror genre of film continues to be one of the most effective arenas to portray the insidious nature of evil, as well as the awesome power of holiness, salvation, and redemption. It should be pointed out that despite the topic, this film was not necessarily made for a religious audience. Remaking The Omen after 30 years is sure to conjure up anxious and volatile feelings. It's still creepy after all these years.

Steve Beard is the editor of Good News. The Omen is rated R for disturbing graphic content, graphic images and some language.

 

UMW in financial crisis and membership decline

The Women's Division, the church agency with oversight for the finances, programs, and policies of United Methodist Women (UMW), was forced to acknowledge a severe financial crisis fueled by a "long-term pattern of over-spending" at its Spring 2006 Board of Directors Meeting. Chief executive officer, Dr. Jan Love, confessed to the directors, ".the Division was chronically overspending about four million dollars a year." She lamented, "Our passion for mission has outstripped our income." The Women's Division reported overspending between 2001 and 2004 as $11.2 million. The 2004 operating deficit was $6.49 million. The operating deficit for 2005 jumped to $8.02 million.

The Renew Network, a ministry for evangelical United Methodist women, had noted exaggerated claims in print that the yearly giving of the Women's Division was $25 million. Correct figures were reflected in UMW reports. Not until now has there been a public acknowledgement of a decline in giving. For example, 2005 giving was $16.8 million. At the Spring 2006 meeting it was reported that undesignated giving fell 7.6 percent in 2005, from $18.2 million to $16.8 million.

Membership is also declining. Renew has reported a membership decline in the UMW organization even as the Women's Division continues to claim "approximately one million members" in press releases. According to a report from the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), the 2005 UMW membership totaled 727,680. New statistics obtained from the GCFA indicate the number of United Methodist Churches with UMW groups fell from 21,521 to 21,168 in 2005, a loss of 353 units. In 2004 the number dropped from 21,920 to 21,521, a loss of 399 units. That is a loss of 752 units in just two years.

Undesignated giving by local units of United Methodist Women is the major source of funding for the Division, making up 98.5 percent of the general fund budget. At both its fall and spring board meetings the Women's Division explored reasons for the decline, speculating that it might be staff shortage, disaster appeals or "trends in society" to give to specific causes. Renew press representative Sharon Trense lamented in her report from the Spring 2006 meeting, "At no time was there any introspection about the displeasure of the membership regarding the political ideology of missions the directors and staff chose to support with undesignated funds."

Members of the Renew Network continue to lament the left-leaning political advocacy, anti-American bias, feminist theology, socialist ideology, interfaith pluralism, and the virtual absence of evangelism that permeate the philosophy and spending patterns of the Women's Division. Renew Network representative Liza Kittle states, "It is difficult to even find the name of Jesus when you explore the various organizations the Women's Division aligns itself with. What a missed opportunity!"   

Renew President Faye Short concludes: "The Renew Network hears regularly from UMW groups who have decided to designate or withhold their pledges because of their dissatisfaction with the Women's Division's programs, policies, and spending. Many opt to withdraw from the organization of United Methodist Women. It is unfortunate the Women's Division chooses to ignore a reality that could provide answers to their membership decline and financial shortfall."

For additional information about where UMW Mission Giving goes, obtain Renew's Financial File IV at: renewnetwork.org, or by writing or calling: renew1@hemc.net; Renew, P.O. Box 889, Cornelia, GA 30531; 706-778-4812.



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