Every New Year, multiple “Top Ten” lists of general news headlines from the previous year are produced. Following is a list of some top stories that specifically impacted “religion” in 2005. These stories are being referenced repeatedly in magazine reviews, various news organizations, and on personal blogs.
1. THE DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II drew the eyes of the world back to the church. The College of Cardinals clearly chose a Conservative successor. Some believe this new Pope will be a transitional pope due to his age; but he will likely appoint conservative Bishops which will keep the Catholic Church firmly committed to its present views on issues such as women priests, homosexuality and abortion for many years to come.
2. THE "CHRISTMAS SERVICE" CONTROVERSY arose as many churches canceled their services because Christmas fell on a Sunday. Rationale included Christmas Eve services, the "family" day excuse, and a “day off” for overworked volunteers. The media pressure made some churches reverse their decision. The thought of cancelling Christmas services gives insight into the sad condition of modern evangelical churches.
3. CHANGES IN PASTORAL ICONS included the death of Adrian Rogers, pastor of Bellevue Baptist, after a battle with cancer. Dr. Jerry Vines also announced his retirement from First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. Rick Warren is in the pulpit of Saddleback Church less frequently and Bill Hybels is no longer the teaching pastor at Willow Creek.
4. A NEW CHURCH EMERGES and many evangelicals are perplexed. Led by pastor Brian McClaren, Emergent Churches target postmodern young people through cultural and generational relevance. At issue is whether or not they are watering down the gospel and orthodox doctrine in their effort to be relevant and remain on the cutting edge.
5. HOLLYWOOD COURTED THE CHURCH after the success of "The Passion of Christ.” They offered special deals and previews to churches for their movies that had family-friendly themes and "The Chronicles of Narnia" ended #4 for total box office receipts in 2005 after only starting in December.
6. TERRY SHIAVO died after her feeding tube was removed. Her “husband” initially launched a campaign to end her life just four months after he received $2 million to pay for her long-term care. Multiple courts denied Terry’s parents’ requests to care for her and rekindled debates surrounding the right-to-life. Debates over abortion, euthanasia and suicide are now littered with discussions about one’s “quality of life.”
7. RETAILERS BEGAN RECOGNIZING CHRISTMAS and the American Family Association canceled a national boycott against Target as the retailer promised to make more references to Christmas and in its advertising. Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Macy's and Walgreen’s also reversed marketing decisions and specifically referenced "Christmas" rather than "holiday" products.
8. INTELLIGENT DESIGN WAS DROPPED as a Pennsylvania school district halted all discussion of intelligent design in its high school biology classes after a federal judge declared the policy unconstitutional. (Like teaching the “theory” of evolution is scientific or Constitutional.) Most of the school board members who had championed the policy have been voted out of office.
9. CHRISTIANS RESPONDED TO NATURAL DISASTERS around the world in the wake of the Tsunami, the earthquake in Pakistan, Hurricane Katrina, and other disasters. Churches became shelters, gathered supplies, and sent teams of volunteers. The crises caused denominations to put aside their differences and work together toward a common goal.
10. BUSH’S SUPREME COURT NOMINEES should excite all conservatives and those who desire original interpretation of Constitutional law. Contrary to popular belief, the Constitution does not state “separation of Church and State” but in its purest interpretation, it does protect the Church from the State and not visa-versa.
Obviously this is not an exhaustive list of “religious” news from 2005. Other top news items included the debate over homosexuality in mainline denominations, the posting of the 10 Commandments on government property, Billy Graham’s farewell campaign in New York City, Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank, stem cell research, and the Democrats rethinking how to reach out to people of faith. It will be exciting to see what 2006 holds in store!
1 comment:
What a big year it was!
BTW, the Hybels thing is confusing a lot of people. Here he is explaining it in his own words at willowcreek.org:
...effective at the 30th anniversary celebrations, we will assign Gene [Appel] the title of Lead Pastor of Willow Creek, South Barrington [the original of the five Willow Creek locations.] As of that date, he will become an Elder and Board member, assuming full responsibility for the South Barrington staff and congregation. (That means that when the music gets too loud, you address the letter to Gene and not me!) As Lead Pastor, Gene will lead our highly talented South Barrington staff, and he will bring focused vision, energy and new ministry initiatives to the South Barrington congregation.
My title will remain Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. I am not going anywhere. I will continue to serve as an Elder and Board member, teach regularly and serve faithfully around here. My challenge will increasingly be to provide strategic leadership for all of the combined Willow ministries (the WCA and all of the campuses) and to make myself more available to the pressing needs of pastors and church leaders worldwide. For reasons I don’t fully understand, God continues to open doors of influence for our church, and stewarding that influence just seems like the right thing to do when you believe as strongly as I do that the local church is the hope of the world.
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