Recently, I wrote about a study showing that alcohol consumers, on average, live longer than teetotalers. I noted Scripture versus that appear to allow (or even celebrate) the use of alcohol in moderation. And I asked whether new scientific evidence might (or should) lead to a new discussion, among conservative Christians, about the appropriateness of alcohol consumption.

I received an interesting reply today from George Wing, a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, here in Arkansas. And I wanted to share it with you.

Unlike Catholics and Protestants, the LDS church does not have a closed canon when it comes to Scriptures. Some of the Mormon Church’s holy writings are from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

And these modern writings, believed by Mormons to be divinely inspired, clearly denounce the use of alcohol. Mr. Wing argues that 1.) Scriptures condoned alcohol use in ancient days, at least in part, because clean, safe drinking water was in short supply. 2.) Now that clean water is available, the risks of alcohol outweigh the benefits. I am posting Mr. Wing’s thoughts below, with thanks. (more…)

An Arkansas group is spearheading a groundbreaking international conference next week to promote greater diversity among Christians.

The Multi-ethnic Church Conference 2010 will draw hundreds of participants to San Diego Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Mark DeYmaz, pastor of Mosaic Church in Little Rock and executive director of the Mosaix Global Network of churches, which is organizing the event.
More than 350 people have registered. The sessions will also be broadcast live on the Internet.
(more…)

Juan Williams has been fired by NPR for saying that he’s nervous when he flies on an airplane with people wearing traditional Islamic garb.

But don’t feel too sorry for Mr. Williams. Hours after getting a pink slip from NPR, he got a $2-million-dollar, three-year deal from FOX News.

Lost in the uproar was Mr. Williams’ key point, that Osama bin Laden is as representative of Islam as Fred Phelps is of Christianity.

I met Mr. Williams at a GOP presidential debate in Iowa in 2007 and he was very gracious when I visited with him. Seemed like a real class act.

A lot of Americans have fears when they fly. Most of those fears are irrational. But fear isn’t rational. It’s primal. It’s instinctual. And it can be overcome.

Fortunately for Mr. Williams, he won’t have to fear unemployment.

The Crystal Cathedral has filed for bankruptcy. The Parthenon of Positive Thinking has put a positive spin on its failure to pay its bills, posting a press release on its website, titled “A New Chapter for Crystal Cathedral.”

So who was the mastermind behind this fiscal fiasco?

Satan? No.
The Schullers? Nyet.
Nay-sayers and nattering nabobs? Nope.
God? Yep — I think that’s what the Crystal Cathedral press release says:

“We’ve always believed in a big God…a God Who is greater than any problem or challenge we could ever face. Our announcement today to file for the protection of Chapter 11 is just one more chapter in the book that He is continuing to write – and we know that God’s plans are good – we have no doubt His chapter will be good!”

Oxford University Press is releasing a new book November 1, 2010 about misotheism. What is misotheism? (more…)

We haven’t had a drop of precipitation at my house in a month and it’s been dry and drought-like in Little Rock all summer. So when we heard a clap of thunder this afternoon, there were literally cheers that erupted in the newsroom.

Soon, rain was pounding the sky-light windows above us. It’s a beautiful sound.

The Bible (in Matthew 5:45) says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust and I’ve often wondered precisely what this passage means.

Is this the biblical equivalent of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Rain Day — Written at the old home in Portland”?:

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall…

Is rain an annoyance, an unpleasantness to be endured by good and evil alike? Or is it an extraordinary gift, extended by God to all regardless of merit?

The answer, I assume, depends on whether the author is living in Portland, Maine or Palestine.

For Longfellow, in rainy New England, precipitation was an unnecessary nuisance.

And for Noah’s neighbors, rain was a death sentence, a divine curse.

But, and I’m just going by memory here, famines are more common than floods in the Bible and droughts more troublesome than downpours.

For Jews in arid first century Jerusalem, water was a matter of life or death. Rain was a blessing.

So rain was good. And is good.

Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times has written a religion pop quiz.

There are 13 questions (and a few of them are trick questions.) See how many of them you can get right. Bonus points if you can spot the questions where “All of the Above” is the correct answer.

P.S. I got 12 out of 13.

My childhood list of Very Important People was fairly unorthodox, ideologically inconsistent, and tilted toward athletes from the Pacific Northwest. It included Portland Trailblazer center Bill Walton, Seattle Seahawk quarterback Jim Zorn, President Jimmy Carter, Senator Barry Goldwater, Sen. Edward Kennedy, President Ronald Reagan, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, gospel singer Evie Tornquist and televangelist Rex Humbard. And, of course, Rosa Parks.

In college, I added Nelson Mandela, Jeanne Kirkpatrick and Ray Charles.

By the grace of God — with a little luck and a journalism credential and some kindhearted mentors — I was able to see or meet all of them over the years.

But now, at age 43, my famous people “Bucket List” is increasingly short. Translation — there aren’t many people left who I’m dying to interview in this lifetime.

And that small list shrunk on Friday, with the passing of Albertina Walker. She was arguably the greatest living gospel singer in the world (along with Shirley Caesar and Aretha Franklin, perhaps). I made up my mind, earlier this year, that I would absolutely, positively interview her and hear her sing the next time she came to Arkansas. And she did come to Arkansas, just a few months ago. But she was singing in a real small town — probably 2.5 or 3 hours from Little Rock — and it’s a long drive, and gas prices are high, and it’s not even close to the Interstate and I’ve had a hard week and I really ought to stay here and get some work done and…..

You can see what happened. At the last minute, I decided I would take a rain check on this concert and see Albertina Walker the next next time she came to Arkansas. It’s a decision I’ve been regretting all weekend.

For those of you who don’t follow gospel music, you may have heard Albertina Walker’s voice on the “Leap of Faith” (starring Steve Martin) soundtrack. Or you can click on the video above and hear one of my favorite gospel anthems — “I Can Go To God In Prayer.”

PBS has a great new series, starting Monday, Oct. 11, 2010, called “Faith in America.”

In conjunction with the series, PBS has launched Faithbook, a place where people can post pages devoted to their own faith and values. It’s a most unusual idea.

For more on PBS’ upcoming series, click here.

St. Mark Choir headed for Washington, D.C.

St. Mark Baptist Church, one of Little Rock’s largest congregations, won Verizon’s “How Sweet the Sound” competition in Memphis recently. They’ll be traveling to Washington, D.C. for a sing-off at the Verizon on Nov. 13.

The winning choir there will win up to $50,000.