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RELIGION
Life IB
Answering
the burning
bush
Moses and Pavd both had
remarkable calls to ministry
Paul saw the risen. Christ in a
flash of light on the road to
Damascus; Moses heard the
voice of Gk»d from a burning
bush in the desert. Paul
responded to God’s calling
immediately by setting out to
preach the gospel. Ifis Christ
ian life was beset with hard
ships and persecution from
the beginning (see Acts 9:17-
26).
Moses, however, responded
in a very different way When
God told Moses that He would
use him to deliver the Jews
from Egypt, Moses balked. He
first pointed out that he was a
nobody, why should people
listen to him?
He then demanded some
sort of evidence that God had
really spoken to him. God
replied by empowering him
with the ability to do several
attesting miracles. Moses
then declined the invitation
on the basis of his lack of skill
in public speaking. He even
asked God whether the Jews
would know which “god” he
was talking about!
(See Exodus 3:1-4:17.)
Moses, in other words,
resisted God’s call by pointing
out aU of the personal weak
nesses that would make it
impossible for him to com
plete the task. Patil, by con
trast, refused this path. He
too labored vmder serious per
sonal shortcomings, includir^
the painful “thorn in the
flesh” discussed in our pas
sage for today Yet he was
determined to fulfill his call
ing (as Moses eventually was
as wdl), Paul was confident
that God would provide the
tools he needed to finish the
job.
Lesson Bacl^round
Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in
a.(i 57 at the conclusion of a
very tense period between
himself and that church.
In the lett^ of 1 Corinthi
ans, Paul had rebuked them
sharfdy for sectarian divisions
. and a number of serious spiri
tual and moral failures. But
that letter, even though sup
ported by a visit fium Timo
thy was not as effective as
Paul had hoped.
Paul, therefore, left Eph
esus to make an emeigency
visit to Corinth, one charac
terized by coirfrontation. The
trip was successful, but while
there Paul apparently was
slandered by some of his ene
mies. These accusations must
have continued after he left
(see 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:1;
3:1; 10:1-11:33).
All this placed Paul in a dif
ficult situation. Obviously he
needed to defend his credibili
ty by responding to these
attacks. Yet at the same time,
he did not want to fall into
arrogant boastdi^ about his
accomplishments or enter the
trap of comparing resumes.
He avoided these problems by
emphasizing his weaknesses
as proof that God was work
ing through him in a unique
Please see PAULyeB
Hope after storm
Churches remember victims of Hurricane Katrina and aftermath
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Hurricane Kafrina devastated the Gulf Coast last year, causing billions of dollars in damage and broken lives.
IHE ASSOCiAlED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS-Marilyn
Osborn on Sunday stood where she
had stood a -year ago almost to the
day Outside the First United
Methodist Church in Mid-City a
church she’s attended since 1946.
On Aug. 28, 2005, she posted a
note—written in big letters—on the
church’s door. It said, “No Service
Tbday”
Why? Hurricane Katrina was on
its way
A year later, her church, finally
had opened its doors for its first ser
vice since the storm, just in time to
commemorate the one-year
anniversary of Katrina, which falls
on Tiiesday
‘We’re still working on just a htfle
bit of electricity’’ Osborn said, fan-
nir^ herself A temporary power
line was connected to the church a
month ago, but it does not supply
enough power to run ,air condition
ing, she said. “Nobody expected
what we got," she said about Katri
na. “The levees are what got us.”
Osborn was cheerful Sunday wel
coming people back with hor hus
band, an usher, and snapping pho
tographs for the church newsletter.
Despite the devastation that
lir^rs, the comer of the dty where
Osborn’s church is located, a blue-
collar, eclectic area of tum-of-the-
century homes known as Mid-Qty
was surprisin^y active. The entire
area was badly flooded.
The open door of Osborn’s church
looked onto a cor^regation of South
ern Baptists down the street. StiU
not back in thedr church, the Bap
tists held hands under a tent in the
grassy median of a bovilevard. Their
electric keyboard, head-li^ fans
and microphones were powoed by a
generator. A baptismal tub was set
up under the Hazit^ sun, and the
preacher hopes to have new mem
bers to baptize as early as nesct
week.
‘T think the anniversary spurred
Please see CHURCHES/5B
Spiritual counselor fights removal of Jesus statue
THE ASSOCiAlED PRESS
GREENSBORO, Ga.-A Greensboro
spiritual counselor is considering suing
the dty after workers ccoifiscated a 6-foot-
tall, half-ton statue fiom his fixmt yard.
City offidals say the life-size statue vio
lates zoning restrictions and threatens
public safety Owner Nickie Marks,
though, calls it an ejqjression of his faith.
He and his attorney argue that by remov
ing the statue, the dty is violating his fi:ee
speech rights.
“My whole thing is that I just want my
statue back in my yard,” Marks said.
“Why wotald they move it? It wasn’t hurt
ing anybody People actually fiked it—
they have been very supportive of our
case.”
The statue was removed fiom Marks’
fix)nt yard and kept as evidence at a dty
storage lot. It was returned to him last
week, covered with red day
‘Tt really was like someone just taking a
Bible and throwing in the dirt,” he said of
the statue, which he’s since moved to his
back yard.
City Manager Larry PosteU said the dty
has an ordinance prohibitum s^jis with
out words in residential areas. The ordi
nance was meant to keep business own
ers fimn welding cars to the tops of large
poles as advertisements, but he said it
also applies to Marks’ statue.
“He’s a spiritual cormselor, and he’s got
a spiritual icon in his fiont yard,” Postell
said. ‘T think it constitutes a sign.”
Authors explore religion-politics connection
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK-This fall, former
Senator Jchn C. Danforth will tour
the United States in support of his
new book, ‘Taith and Politics,” an ,
attempt, he says, to start a discus
sion about the role of religion in
elections and government.
Danforth will not be alone.
Religion in politics, a key topic of
the 2004 presidential campaign and
possibly the next one in 2008, is the
sulgect of numerous books ov^ the
next few months, including Mel
White’s ‘Religion Gone Bad,” Dan
GilgofTs “The Jesus Machine,”
Richard Dawkins’ “The God Delu
sion” and the Rev Bany W Lynn’s
Moore old
school
with latest
release
Lucinda Mcore
Lucinda AAoore
VaShown Mrtchdl,
producer
Tyscot Records
Lucinda Moore seems to be
fiom the new school but she
approaches her new CD with
an old school saisibUity
Moore obvioiosly likes the
praise and worship trend
that’s goirg on. About half
this CD is devoted to such.
But Moore puts lots of feeling
into these songs to lift them
past the genre. When she
sir^ something as repeti
tious as “We Lift Our Hands”
she doesn’t settle for some-
tiling soft and simple. She’s
singing fifil voice and enjoy
ing the song. On “Pressure
Into Praise,” Moore heads
toward the islands, but does
n’t try to do a fake accent. She
blasts the lyrics out with a
gospel diva attitude. Her
background vocalists are
singing into the rafters.
“Bahn In Gilead” has been
used for so many song titles,
but Moore’s song is anything
but a cliche. The song gives
her a chance to show off her
emotion and she has lots.
Moore is good at this, but
she’s even better at gospel.
She puts a deli^tfiil spin coi
“Safe In His Arms,” one of my
favorite gospel songs fiom the
‘80s. She takes it up a notch
without going overboard
Moore certainly can sing
with the best of thmi. On
“Already Done,” Moore teams
with Darrjd Coley, who’s in
fine voice on this song. The
duo is certainly dynamic,
pushing each otha' to sing
harder with each passing
verse. It’s a screamfest, but
boy, they are singing.
Moore goes completely ol’
school on her “Going Tb
Church” medley which
includes “Storm Out On The
Ocean,” “O’ Glorious Day,”
“Hiding Place” and “Pressing
My Way” Moore is as com-
fcatable wailing out these old
tunes as she is with the new
stuff
PHOTO/THE STOCK MARKET
“Piety & Politics.”
Most of the authors have harsh
criticism for religion’s impact, with
Dawkins writing in disgust about “a
syst^n of morals which any dvi-
Hzed modem person, whether reli
gious or not, would find ... obnox
ious.” Dawkins’ book has an
announced first printii^ of 75,000
and his editor at Houston Mifflin,
Eamon Dolan, says that “The God
Delusion” reflects a “rising unease
with the current state of the world.”
‘T fed that there’s a^growing senti
ment among thoi^htful people in
general, whether they’re religious or
not, that religious belief has gotten
Please see AUTHORS/5B
Rfltliigi
Wiy?
N@«aj>5=A!»^
Church News
The deadline to have your church announcements
added to the calendar is noon on Fridays. Fax your
announcements to (704) 342-2160 or e-mail your
announcement to
cheris.hodges@thecharlolteposl.com. Please put
"church news" in the subject line.
Oi^oing
We Empower Womei For life At Women of
The Harvest Bible Study Wednesdaj^ at 6
p.m. at 6636 Suite L Hickory Grove Business
Park.
September 9
PineviUe Chuich' of the Nazarene wifi, host
Frank Reich as a part of its kick off for the
North Carolina chapter of the Men’s Fraterni
ty The event begins at 7 a.m. and the cost is
$8. The church is located at 8614 PineviUe-
Matthews Road. For more information call
(704) 542-3618.
• The Voices of Hopes Recovery Choir wfll
celebrate its seven-year anniversary with an
evening filled with praise. The choir has trav
eled the U.S. carrying a message of‘Hope after
Dope.” The concert wfll be held at the Hope
Haven Conference Center, located at 3815 N.
TVyon St.
September 11
Memorial Presbyterian Chmxh wfll host two
Bible study events. The first features Christ
ian educator Dianne Wr^it at 7 p.m. The
theme is Living in the imagination of God. On
Septemba* 25, the Rev David Ifrye wfll host a
teaching of Spiritual reading of scripture.
#oo
• First Motmt Calvary Baptist Chtuch,
located at 209 W 28th St., wfll host it’s fall
revival through Wednesday Services begin
nightiy at 7:30 p.m
September 30
The Calvary Church of Nazarene wfll pre
sent a full length drama and dinner theatre at
5 p.m. Tickets go on sale S^tember 5. For
more information and tickets, call (704) 536-
6485.
Please see WALK/5B
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