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THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2CX)6
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RELIGION
Ufe 1B
God’s
strength
and grace
1 Timothy 1:12-14
Thdays passage opens with
Paul giving thanks to Christ
for having strengthened him.
In addition, Paul’s perception
is that Christ sees him as a
person of value because He
met Paul where he was and
employed him to build his
Kingdom. Paul takes this
opportunity to encourage
Timothy by telling the
younger man what Christ has
done for him and by express
ing gratitude, Paul is honest
about what he was hke before
Christ confronted him on the
road to Damascus. He
describes himself as a blas
phemer, a persecutor, and a
violent, ignorant man.
However, Paul says that,
because of God’s grace, he has
received mercy and foigive-
ness instead of condemnation
for the horrible things he has
^ione to God's people. He is
quick to admit his former
behavior resulted from igno
rance, regardless of the fact
that he was a well-educated
Jew. Paul was quite familiar
with the law, for he had stM-
ied under a great teacher of
the . iw named Gamaliel in
order to become a Pharisee.
Paul says that recognizing
the astonishing mercy he has
received has strengthened
and encouraged him to face
all the dangers and disap
pointment in his ministry
Paul doesn’t view hfs
strength to serve the Lord as
coming from his training or
his own human abilities. He
does not trust in his heritage
as a devout Jew or his faith
fulness in following the laws
of God. Paul knows his
strength is a gift from God,
and it is only because of this
gift that he is considered
faithful and useful in service
to the Lord.
Like Paul, we must realize
our strength to serve comes
from God If we do not receive
God’s strength as a gift, we
will not be able to withstand
the challenges we will face as
Christians. God’s grace comes
to us regardless of what our
lives were like before we met
Christ. It is not dependent
upon the way of the world
II. GJod’s Strength Show
the World His Mercy
(1 Timothy 1:15-17)
Althou^ the early Church
did not have the New Tfesta-
ment in the form in which we
have it today, they were not
without God’s truth of the Old
Ibstament, which prophesied
of their Messiah. Paul alliides
to the Old Ifestament prophe
cy and Christ’s fulfillment of
Scripture in his letter to Tim
othy Paul summarizes all of
God’s word by saying “Christ
Jesus came into the world to
save sinners.” The early
church was awakened to the
imderstan(iing that, without
Jesus dying on the cross and
rising ageiin, the whole world
was without hope, despite
what the Jewish leaders had
taught them about keeping
the Law of Moses.
Rease see GOD’S^B
A grand Martin Luther
King Jr. celebration
Jan. 16 concert a collaboration between church, symphony
PHOTO/CUFfTIS WILSON
Members of the Community Choir practice at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church for the Daybreak of
Freedom concert.
By Cheris F. Hodges
cherts hedges^ ikecharlottepostrom
The annual Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday
concert ‘TDaybreak of Free
dom,” brings the commu-
r.ity together.
The con(^t is a collabo
ration of Friendship Bap
tist Church and the Char
lotte Symphony Orches
tra.
Tbny McNeill, minister
of music at Friendship and
director of the CommUnity
Choir, said music is the
best way to bring people
together and to honor
King’s memory
“Dr. King was a Baptist
minister and music played
an important role in what
he did,” McNeill said.
He will direct more than
100 voices fiDm all walks
of life at the Jan. 16 con
cert.
“There will be a wide
variety of music,” McNeill
said. “There will be some
thing for everybody”
That something, accord
ing to Richard Early exec
utive director of the Char
lotte Symphony, includes
traditional gospel mxisic,
classical music and rendi
tions of “Lift EVrj^ Voice
and Sing” and “We Shall
Overcome.”
“Music is one of the most
powerful mediums,” Early
said. ‘We are so pleased to
have Tbny McNeill work
ing with us because he
brings pieople together
from other churches.
Music speaks so powerful
ly to people.”
This year, Harry David
son, music director and
conductor of the Duke Uni
versity Symphony Orches-
Rease see A GRAND/7B
Black churches celebrate the end of slavery
niE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE—The words and the
voices rose softly at first, a few mem-
bere of the choir celebrating the
sweetness of fi'eedom, 140 years of
fi*eedom for blacks in the United
States.
“Oh fi’eedom. Oh fi’eedom,” they
sang with the organ, while, across the
sanctuary of First Baptist Church,
the celebrants grew more and more
joyous, clapping their hands and rais
ing their own voices in song.
‘We have come here to declare our
fieedomin God,” said Rev. Nathaniel
McFadden, pastor of Zion Hill Baptist
Church, as he opened the Freedom
Worship Service, a gathering of area
black churches celebrating the
anniversary of the end of slavery in
1865.
Rev. Leroy Fitts, pastor at First
Baptist Church for 33 years, orga
nized the event about a month ago
when he realized this year was the
140th anniversary
‘Tt dawned on me that we ou^t to
celebrate (it),” he said. ‘We ought to
have a national-celebration.”
Fitts plans to repeat the event next
year and hopes it grows to become a
nationwide event. He wants to orga
nize a mqjor event in April 2010 for
the 145th anniversary
Drawing on the enthusiasm of the
crowd of moi’e Uian 100 people at the
church, Fitts said. We sound like
some fi’ee people in here today”
He noted that the first African
slaves landed in Jamestown, Virginia
in 1619. “They stayed in slavery for
longer than we have been in fii-eedom.”
Celebrating the past has enabled
black people, especially younger
Rease see BLACK CHURCHES/7B
Christianity gets credit for Western freedoms
By Richard N. Ostling
ASSOCIATED PRESS
It’s one of history’s most
important questions; Why
did Europe and North
America embrace democra
cy and thrive economically
while nations elsewhere
suffered oppression and
stagnation?
Leading U.S. sociologist
Rodney Stark says many
scholars purposely over
look the obvious answer It
was the spread of Chris
tianity that made possible
political and economic fi’ee-
doms, modem science and
resulting Western advance
ment.
Such is the Baylor Uni
versity professor’s con
tention in “The Metory of
Reason: How Christianity
Led to Freedom, Capital
ism and Western Success”
(Random House), one of the
more provocative of recent
books, whose vigorous
prose reflects the author’s
one-time employment as a
newspaper reporter.
Thou^ Western intellec
tuals downplay theology,
Stark sees Christian beliefs
as the key
Which beliefs? He thinks
the basis for the West^ rise
was “an extraoiftinary
faith in reason” resulting
fix)m Christianity, which
“alone embraced reason
and Icgic as the primary
guide to religious truth.”
Faith in humanity’s rea
soning capacity, in turn,
stimulated scientific theo
ry-making, democratic the
ory and mdi^^dual fi:ee-
doms. Capitalism applied
this to economics, produc
ing an explosion of wealth
Over the past century.
Stark writes, intellectuals
have claimed the opposite,
saying the West surged
ahead by overcoming
Christianity with its sup
posed barriere to progress,
especially in science.
“Nonsense. The success of
the West, including the rise
of science, rested entirely
on religious foundations,
and the people who
broi^ht it about were
devout Christians,” Staric
says.
He asserts that “real sci
ence arose only once: in
Europe.” Only in Europe
did alchemy devdop into
chemistry and astrology
into astronomy with
thinkers moving beyond
mere technology into tme
research.
Stark rejects the century-
old scenario of Max Weber
that Protestantism under
girded capitalism. Stark
maintains that the main
elements were invented by
Catholic monks and lay
Italians, centuries before
the Reformation
He also thinks it’s hi^
time to eradicate “an
incredible lie that long dis
figured our knowledge of
history”: the claim that
between the fall of ancient
Rome and the secular
Renaissance and Enlight-
enment, Europe suffered
through so-called “Dark
Ages” of “ignorance, super
stition and misery”
That’s a “hoax,” he says,
Rease see CREDIT/SB
NJ. teens
arrested for
plot to bum
nativities
TIIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAYREVILLE, N.J. - Four
teens stole 27 baby Jesus stat
ues finm nativity scenes out
side churches and homes and
planned to bum them, police
said.
Two of the suspects, who
ranged fi-om 15 to 19 years old,
said they acted out of boredom,
authorities said.
“They were looking for things
to do,” Detective Ken Kelly
said. “They told us, ‘We were
going to have a baby Jesus
burning party”’
One suspect told detectives,
“We just wanted to see their
heads burning,” Kelly said.
The suspects, who were
arrested Monday face charges
of theft, criminal mischief,
destruction of venerated
objects and conspiracy and
could face up to five years in
prison if convicted.
Robert Olson, whose 18-year-
old son, Christopher, was
charged, said he and his fami
ly were shodeed by the arrest.
“Although Chris is some
times misguided, this was not
something we expected out of
him,” he said.
Olson said his son is unem
ployed and workup toward
resuming his high school edu
cation. The teen is on proba-
tipn for a disorderly persons
offense involving a disagree
ment with a neighbor, his
father said
‘T hope my son and the oth
ers will come to grips with
what they’ve done and make
full restitution and get whatev
er help they need to get rid of
those feelings,” Olson said
Frank Payne, whose 19-year-
old son, Michael, also was
charged, said bias was not a
factor.
“Michael has been hanging
around with the wrong peo
ple,” he said. “He goes to col
lege. He’s an outstanding
young kid.”
Also charged were 18-year-
old Nicholas Hess and a 15-
year-old who was not identi
fied due to his age, police said.
PHOTO/SHOPNBU COM
Church News
The deadline for adding announcements to
the calendar is nocai on Fridays. Fax to (704)
342-2160 or e-mail cheris hodgesCathechariot-
tepost.com.
January 8
Carolina Voices will hold a special audition
for singers for ‘ Psalms & Songs of the Ages,”
the unprecedented concert planned for March
3 and 5, 2006, in coUaboraticHi with Discovery
Place and The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.
This cOTicert will feature the worid premieres
of two chcH-al works commissioned by Carolina
Voices. Up to 20 persons fixjm all vcace parts
will be added to the Festival Singers for this
conc«t. Singer requirements; The ability to
read music and blend with an ensanble, as
well as a commitment to weekly rehearsals on
Monday nights fi^m Jan. 9 throu^ Feb. 27.
Candidates are asked to sing a jH’epared
piece of music of their choice that shows their
vocal quality range and 2utistic rapression. A
piano accompanist will be provided Individual
auditions will take place beginning at 3 p.m at
Thmple Beth El, Shalom Park, 5101 Provi
dence Road. Carolina Voices, 704-374-
1564, for an appointment.
January’ 15
Bethlehem Baptist CTiurch, located at 4 Har
rison Bridge Road, Simpsonville, S.C., will host
a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at 4
p.m The keynote speaker will be the Rev.
Jesse L. Jacksen Sr.
Felaiiary 12
The All For One Youth Choir will resume
practices at 3:30 p.m. at Western Avenue Bap
tist Church, 1206 Museum Road, Statesville.
New members will be accepted throu^ Feb.
19. For more informaticai call Bill Ward at
(704) 876-0015.
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