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CI)arlotte
THURSDAY JANUARY 29, 2004
8B
RELIGION
Bible I Lesson I
A time
for all
things
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
There is a time for every
thing, and a season for every
activity under heaven:
A time to be bom and a
time to die, a time to plant
and a time to uproot, a time
to kill and a time to heal, a
time to tear down and a time
to build,
A time to weep and a time
to laugh, a time to mourn and
a time to dance, a time to
scatter stones and a time to
gather them, a time to
embrace and a time to
refrain, a time to search and
a time to give up, a time to
keep and a time to throw
away, a time to tear and a
time to mend, a time to be
silent and a time to speak, a
time to love and a time to
hate, a time for war and a
time for peace.
What does the worker gain
form his toil? I have seen the
burden God has laid on men.
He has made everything
beautiful in its time. He has
also set eternity in the hearts
of me; yet they cannot fathom
what God has done form
beginning to end. I know that
there is nothing better for
men than to be happy and do
V good while they live. That
everyone may eat and drink,
and find satisfaction in all his
toil-this is the gift of God. I
1 know that everything God
does will endure forever;
nothing can be added to it
and nothing taken from it.
God does it so that men will
revere him.
Whatever is has already
been, and what will be has
been before; and God will call
the past to account.
STUDY QUESTIONS
1. Point out the con
trasts that exist in the
normal routines of life.
2. Express the comfort
that comes from know
ing that God is in con
trol, even in the
* extremes of life.
3. Give testimony of
God’s grace that sus
tained him or her
through one of life’s
extreme periods.
Cheatin’
in the pulpit
By Malik Russell
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON - The Rev. Alvin O.
Jackson resumed his duties as pastor
at National City Church this month
after he admitted that he borrowed
sermons from other ministers with
out attribution, an act that appears to
have violated the Tfen Command
ments’ admonition against stealing
and bearing false witness.
Last year, a member of the 160-
year-old church caught Jackson in
acts of “pulpit plagiarism.” The min
ister took a leave of absence.
Jackson told
BlackAmericaWeb.com: “Fd done
that in a number of instances and
there was a member of the congrega
tion who made that discoveiy Most of
us do that to one degree or the other.
I probably used more than I should
have without attribution.”
Jackson called the church member
who revealed his plagiarism, a “prob
lem employee of the church” with a
“vendetta” against him.
However, Bertram Melbourne,
dean of Howard University Divinity
School, said pulpit plagiarism should
be attributed to one simple issue: lazi
ness.
“I would say that the tendency, not
just among the black church, but the
tenden^ among some clergy,” said
Melbourne, “is to find an easy way
out if you don’t have to spend the
time (composing your own sermon).”
Regardless of what drove Jackson
to plagiarize the sermons of other
ministers, the issue is neither new
nor solely a black one.
“It’s always been something that
has gone on in the church,” said Pro
fessor Richard Lischer of Duke Uni
versity. “People have always used the
sermons and thoughts of others to
support their own work. That’s
always been the case.”
Lischer believes the act is more
widespread due to the Internet,
which he says “makes all these ser
mons available to everybody at the
click of a finger.”
After a short sabbatical, Jackson
returned to NCC, a flagship church of
the nearly 800,000-member strong
Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ). The national office in Indiana
did not respond to calls from Black-
AmericaWeb.com, but Jackson said
his leave was “a voluntary decision
that I made,” and not a reprimand
from headquarters.
He said that his mistakes were
more of a cultural issue than outright
plagiarism. He added that many fac
tors played a role in his actions,
including the resistance to change by
some of the long-term members of the
institution that once counted Presi
dents Lyndon B. Johnson and James
A. Garfield as members.
“The nature of this work at Nation
al City is very challenging,” said
Jackson. ‘You’re dealing with a 160-
[LLUSTRATIONATRINA MONTGOMERY-ARDREY
year old congregation that’s predomi
nately white, and we’re trying to
move into this direction of a multicul
tural congregation so there’s just nat
ural resistance.
“My failure was used as an oppor
tunity to put breaks on some of the
directions we were heading in.
“In the black church,” he added, “we
really don’t really think about intel
lectual property rights aU that much.
It’s (jod’s word.”
Lischer of Duke agreed that taking
someone else’s speech is dishonest,
but he doubted that the pulpit served
as the best place for providing cita
tions.
“I do agree to some limited extent a
spoken address is not as good a vehi
cle for footnotes,” he said. “How do
you give verbal footnotes? You can
give a few. You can give indications
that those ideas come from somebody
else. But it’s very awkward and very
unconventional for the preacher or
any orator to give all the sources of
his or her speech.”
Melbourne of Howard University
said what’s important is not winning
over congregations, or stealing entire
sermons without giving credit to the
original speaker. The issues are
integrity and the relationship
between a minister and God.
“The problem is what makes some
thing wrong is not the fact that some
body in my congregation or area finds
out or knows,” said Melbourne. “It’s
(about your) relationship with God.
Brooklyn Tabernacle takes diversity to the ‘House’
The Brooklyn
Tabernacle Choir
This Is Yoiu" House
Carol Cymbala, producer
The Brooklyn Tab is one of
the best choirs in the country
because of its musical and
ethnic diversity. This choir of
mixed races and voices can^
sing anything and usually
does during the course of one
recording.
The choir’s latest is the
same kind of mix that has
won it awards and adoration
from millions of fans. This
two-disc set is comprised of
familiar, new and obscure
songs that make a moving
and uplifting collection.
Pick any of the 19 songs
from these discs and you
have a winner. There’s noth
ing that’s foot-stomping
gospel, but that’s not what
this choir’s specialty. Long,
lyrical songs that give the
soloist a chance to sing and
the choir to display its awe
some harmony are the
group’s forte. “Because of
Who You Are” swells with
passion and the uncredited
soloist sings gives it her all.
Speaking of her all, Susan
Quintyne makes “Saved”
something special. It is a
heartfelt testimony that
sends chills.
The closest to gospel is “I’m
Going With Jesus,” on which
Robin Giles puts some
church into this set. Alvin
Slaughter and Cynthia
Greene do justice to Andre
Crouch’s “We Are Not
Ashamed.’ It’s not as churchy
as I like, but it’s well done.
This CD’s showpiece may
be ‘We Are One,” a duet by
Charles Allen and Karen
Melendez. It’s majestic and
triumphant. Melendez really
leans into this song, soaring
with conviction.
The testimonies included
are moving, but it’s the music
that makes this record work.
Ratings
Classic; PPPPP
Excellent; i
Good
PPP
Fair
PP
Why?
No stars — A
P
The Brooklyn Tab has this
down to a formula that works
and hasn’t gotten old. This is
certainly worth a listen.
Power of
love has
no text
The next time you’re in the
grocery or bookstore take a
look at the magazines and
the promises they make to
readers.
You see magazines that
say things like we have five
ways to tell if he’s cheating,
10 ways to teU if she really
loves you or five things to do
in bed to make him or her
lose their mind.
Gazing at these magazines
and reflecting on the infor
mation that is constantly
passed around about rela
tionships, I found something
is missing. These magazines
don’t teach you about how to
love unconditionally nor do
they teach how to bounce
back from a real heartache
and love again.
Even people who claim to
be followers of the Most High
struggle with advice about
how to love imconditionally.
They can tell you what to
take and what not to take
from a person but they can
rarely testify to the power of
unconditional love.
I myself am guilty of that
crime.
In the Bible the Lord call
us to intimate relationships
with him. In Hosea 2:16 the
Lord says “In that day,”
declares the Lord “you will
call me ‘my husband;’ you
will no longer call me ‘my
master.’
So if God calls us to inti
mate relationships with him
he requires the same intima
cy with our fellow man.
Regardless to how close we
are to our Creator we do
things to jeopardize our rela
tionship with Him. But like
a faithful loving husband He
takes us back and renews
our relationship with Him.
In Hosea we learn of the
unfaithfulness of God’s peo
ple and the faithfulness of
God. God used Hosea’s life to
show what he deals with
everyday with us. And when
I read it or hear ministers
delivering sermons from its
text I’m overcome with love.
But at times I wonder was
Hosea the only person God
called to be in a relationship
with a person who is
unfaithful? Just as the
Israelites were unfaithful
and sought other gods aren’t
modem day so-called follow
ers of God just as bad?
I ask that question because
due to the overwhelming
information out there about
relationships people are not
teaching individuals how to
love unconditionally or
teaching people how to
remain faithful to someone
who is unfaithful.
If a man finds out his wife
has committed adultery,
most people would suggest a
divorce because she doesn’t
love him. When a woman
finds out her boyfriend has
cheated most of her girl-
fnends will tell her “Leave
him alone that he can’t be
See UNCONDmONAUSB
Church News
The Diocese of Charlotte
ofBce for the Catholic Cam
paign for Human Develop
ment is accepting grant
applications for the 2004-
ftmding year. CCHD makes
small grants from $500 to
$5,000 to organizations
without regard to religious
affiliation. Applications must
b e postmarked by Feb. 14,
2004,
The CCHD Committee
solicits programs and pro
jects that:
1. Seek to affect the root
causes of poverty in the tar
get commxmity;
2. Involve genuine partici
pation of the people served in
the plannipg and decision
making of the sponsoring
organization
3. Indicate potential for
institutional change,
empowerment for the people
and community involved,
and the development of local
leadership
4. Conform to Catholic
social teaching
For an application, contact
Terri Jarina, Diocesan Direc
tor, CCHD, and Office of Jus
tice and Peace, 1123 South
Church St. at (704) 370-3234
or hit www.cssnc.org/justice-.
peace.
January 30
Live Ministries in collabo
ration with seven Charlotte
area churches will present
“I’m Mad” youth rally at
3117 Whiting Ave. at 7 p.m.
The event is free and open to
young adults ages 12-20.
January 30-31
Yadkin Grove Baptist
Church Consecration and
Connection Service “The
Outpouring Of The Oil” will
be held at 325 Leonard
Road, Salisbury.
February 1
Galilee Baptist Church at
2933 Shady Lane vnll hold
Please see REVIVAL/5B
G)#0