Herald of Holiness Volume 83 Number 08 (1994)

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Olivet Nazarene University
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Herald of Holiness
Church of the Nazarene
8-1-1994
Herald of Holiness Volume 83 Number 08 (1994)
Wesley D. Tracy (Editor)
Olivet Nazarene University
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BUILDING A WORLD-CLASS
SUNDAY
SCHOOL
FOR AGES
BIRTH TO
ADULT
Trueto the W ord, True to Life
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C on ten ts
AUGUST 1994
VOLUME 83, NO. 8
SPECIAL REPORT
17
PRIMITIVE RELIGION COMES TO AMERICA
W E SL E Y TRACY A N D TERRY READ
18
Traditional African Religion
24
Santeria Moves North
26
After the Dance the Drums Are Heavy: Voodoo in America
FEATURES
12
The Last Temptation of Brother Ray
BILL SNEAD
14
Snakes, Faith, and the Word of God
D ANIEL B. SPROSS
30
Come to the Water
RO BERT EDGE
34
Playing in the Park
M ARK LINGLE
CONTINUING COLUMNS
4
General Superintendent’s Viewpoint,
5
Into the Word,
ro g er l
11
In a Woman’s Voice,
37
Over 60, c.
39
When You Pray,
42
Close to Home,
46
Observer at Large,
e lle n
w il l ia m
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h a h n
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e
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WESLEY D. TRACY
B y t h e t i m e y o u r e a d t h i s , it m a y
a l r e a d y b e a c r i m e — r i g h t h e r e in
C h r i s t i a n A m e r i c a — to w i t n e s s f o r
Christ w here you w ork. Just today, I
h e a r d on the r a d io a b o u t le g isla tio n
p e n d in g befo re C o n g r e s s that w o u ld
pro v id e a “ r e lig io n -fre e ” w o rk p lac e.
If the legislation passes, it b ec o m e s a
crim e p unish able by fine or im p riso n
m e n t (or both) for a supervisor or e m
p l o y e r to e v e n s p e a k o f h is o r h e r
faith in the presence o f a subordinate.
S u c h activ ity is, in the te rm s o f the
p r o p o s e d law, re lig io u s h a r a s s m e n t.
Billy G ra h a m w as right w h e n he r e
cently n ote d that C hristians n o w have
m o r e r e l i g i o u s f r e e d o m in R u s s i a
than in A merica.
W elco m e, N az aren e s, to the A m e r
ic an c u ltu r e o f the 2 1st ce ntury, the
po st-C hristian age. O ne o f the factors
in the d w in d lin g f r e e d o m o f C h r i s
tian s in this c o u n t r y is the sw e llin g
tide o f religious pluralism. B y plu ral
ism, 1 d o not m e a n the E piscop alian s
an d the P re s b y te r ia n s f u s s in g a b o u t
h o w to c o n d u c t w orship . I m e a n the
m illio ns o f A m eric an s w ho pu rsu e
n o n -C h ristia n religion an d the fervor
o f political liberals to m a k e sure that
C hristian ity d o e s n ’t step on the toes
o f those w h o follow Ju d a ism , Islam ,
B u dd hism , H in d u ism , or N ew A ge
d o c t r i n e s . S o m e 2 0 m il lio n A m e r i
cans n o w follow those religions. T o
2
day, no n -C h ristia n religions are g r o w
ing rapidly, w hile m a n y C hristian d e
n o m in a tio n s are in rapid decline.
Terry M u c k , in T h o se O th e r R e li
g io n s in Your N e ig h b o rh o o d (Z o n d e rv a n , 1 9 9 2 ) , p o i n t s o u t t h a t o f th e
1,500 r e li g io u s g r o u p s in A m e r i c a ,
6 0 0 are n o n -C h ristia n g ro u p s. M u c k
suggests a Y ellow P ag es ex e rcise for
t h o s e w h o s e e m to th i n k th a t n o n Christian religion is not a significant
is s u e . H e c h a l l e n g e s C h r i s t i a n s to
o p e n th e Y ello w P a g e s to th e
“ C h u r c h ” section and list the n u m b e r
o f te m p le s, m o sq u e s, and m e etin g
halls w h ere n o n -C hristia n w o rs h ip is
carried on. Dr. M u c k w rites, “T h e list
has n ev e r bee n short, and the im pact
h a s n e v e r f a il e d to b e c o n v i n c i n g ”
(16).
T he p ro b lem s an d o p p o rtunities re
g a r d i n g n o n - C h r i s t i a n r e l i g i o n s are
not abstractions to be d eb a te d in u n i
versity ivory tow ers. Rather, they are
issues that m a k e daily im pa ct o n life
in o u r n e ig h b o r h o o d s .
S c h o o l b o a r d s , p u b lic
se rv ic e
p ro g ram s,
b u s in e s s p o lic ie s , an d
c h u r c h polity h a v e a l
rea d y b e e n te m p e re d
b y n o n - C h r is tia n r e l i
gions.
T h e H e ra ld h as
b r o u g h t to t h e a t t e n
tion o f o u r readers the
in flu e n ce o f E astern
r e li g io n s v ia th e N e w
A ge M o v em en t. F u r
ther, w e h ave h ad a feature article on
t h e g r o w i n g I s l a m i c m o v e m e n t in
A m e ric a . B ut, u n til th is issu e, w e
h a v e no t tre a te d th e a c c e le ra te d
gro w th o f p rim itive religion in N o rth
A m erica.
In th is issu e, w e d ea l p r im a rily
w ith the prim itive religions that have
d erive d from T raditional A fric an Re-
ligion (TAR). P rim itive A fric a n Reli
gio n w as first b ro u g h t to the A m eri
c a s se v eral h u n d r e d y e a rs a g o when
d ia b o lic a l M u slim an d E u ro p ean
s l a v e t r a d e r s b r o u g h t 10 m i l l i o n
sla v es to the A m e r ic a s fro m Central
and W est Africa. (S e e “ P rim itive Re
ligion C o m e s to A m e r ic a ,” pag e 17).
T h e s e p e o p l e b r o u g h t th e ir an c ie n t
religio n w ith th e m and, o v e r tim e, it
b e c a m e t h o r o u g h l y m i x e d w ith the
C a t h o l i c i s m th a t th e C a r i b b e a n and
L a tin A m e ric a n s la v e o w n e rs re
q u ir e d th e m to p ra c tic e . S e v e r a l re
lig io u s g ro u p s sp ran g fro m tran s
p lan ted T A R , in c lu d in g U m banda,
C a n d o m b le , R a sta fa ri, A b a q u a , Voo
d o o , and S anteria. T h e la tter tw o now
flo u rish in N o rth A m e r ic a , prim arily
b r o u g h t h e r e b y C u b a n a n d H aitian
im m igrants.
T A R , a m o n g sla v e s in the U n ite d
States, all but d isa p p ea re d . Protestant
religion, prim a rily o f the Baptist and
M e th o d is t v arie tie s, le d th e A fricans
“We do these things in Haiti,
Africa, Brazil, and New York
because we don’t know what
else to do.”
to an in w a r d c o n v e r s io n ex p e rie n c e .
O n the o th e r h and, in C a th o lic c o u n
trie s, th e ir C h ris tia n iz a tio n w as
a c h i e v e d b y m a s s b a p t i s m in c e r e
m o n ie s c o n d u c te d in a la n g u ag e they
did no t understand. P redictably, these
p eo p le ju s t a d d e d the C a th o lic saints
to the m a n y o th e r g o d s th e y alre ady
w o rshiped.
H er a ld o f H o liness
—
A
B E A C O N ' -
_________________________
B I O G R A P H Y
CHARLES
WESLEY
MAN
WITH
THE
DANCING
HEART
.OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOUR SCHOOLS,
Yo
YOUR CHURCH, HAVE ALREADY FELT THE
IMPACT OF NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGION,
WHICH IS GROWING FASTER THAN
CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA.
M o st o f the p eo p le w h o h a v e e v e r
c o m e to A m e r ic a h a v e c o m e h ere
s in c e th e 1965 I m m ig r a tio n A ct.
M any o f th e n ew im m ig ra n ts hav e
co m e fro m p rim itiv e A sia n and
A fric an cultures. M illio n s m o re, legal
and illegal, hav e p o u re d into the U.S.
f ro m C a ri b b e a n an d L a tin A m e r ic a n
c o u n trie s . M a n y o f th e se h a v e b e e n
p o o r a n d p o o r ly e d u c a t e d r e f u g e e s .
A n d , f r o m all o v e r the w o rld , th e se
p eo p les h a v e b ro u g h t w ith th e m their
vario us religions.
A s m illio n s o f refu g ee s co n tin u e to
flow into this country, these p rim itiv e
religion s will b e c o m e m o r e o f a fa c
tor in A m e r ic a n life an d culture. A l
ready, the S a n te ro s in H ia le a h , F la.,
h a v e w o n th e ir S u p r e m e C o u r t c a se
reg a rd in g the sacrificing o f ch ickens,
goats, sheep, an d pigs as part o f w o r
ship. By th e e n d o f th is d e c a d e , w e
are told that 7 o f o u r 10 largest cities
will be p r e d o m in a n tly S p a n is h - s p e a k
ing. If C a rib b e a n a n d L atin A m e r ic a n
e c o n o m ie s an d g o v e r n m e n ts co n tin u e
to fail, the m a rc h n o rth w ill co ntinue
to grow.
We n ee d not su p p o se , h ow ever,
t h a t a l l t h e p r i m i t i v e r e l i g i o n in
A m e r i c a w a s b r o u g h t h e r e b y th ir d
A ugust 1994
w o rld im m ig ra n ts. S o m e o f it is e n
tirely in d ig e n o u s to the U.S. S ee “T h e
L ast T em p ta tio n o f B ro th e r R a y ,”
p a g e 12.
We d o not b ring y ou this in f o rm a
tion to shock y ou, but to inform you.
T h is is o u r w orld. It is c h a n g in g fast.
If w e are to be the salt and light th a t
Je su s called us to be, w e m u s t u n d er
stand the cultu re to w h ic h w e are to
w itness in J e s u s ’ nam e. R e a d y o r not,
the m is sio n field h as c o m e to us.
C o u ld it be that Je su s is purposely
b r i n g i n g a ll t h e s e n e e d y p e o p l e to
u s— fo r th e ir sa lv a tio n and ours?
T h ere is no d o u b t that th eir hearts are
hungry. K ath arin e D u n h am , a life
long d e v o te e o f W est A fric an and
H a i t i a n v o o d o o , “ m a r r i e d ” to
D a m b a lla , th e se rp e n t g o d , w ro te in
h e r b o o k a b o u t H a iti, Is la n d P o s
se ssed , “ B lo o d sacrifice i s n ’t ju s t the
slitting o f a c o c k ’s throat o r w ind in g
w a r m entrails o f a b e e f aro u n d o n e ’s
loins befo re g o in g to sea. W e d o these
things in Haiti an d A fric a an d Brazil
a n d . . . N e w York be c a u s e w e d o n ’t
k n o w w hat else to d o ” (72).
T h ese are o u r n e w n eighbors w h o m
J e s u s , in o u r tim e , c o m m a n d s us to
love as w e love ourselves.
T. CRICHTON MITCHELL
CHARLES
WESLEY
Man with the
DancingHeart
By T. CrichtonMitcheU
A g ifte d m u s ic ia n , p oe t, and
p rea che r, C h a rle s W e sle y
g a v e to C h ris te n d o m s o m e of
o u r m o st fa m o u s h y m n s of
fa ith . M itch e ll u n fo ld s th e
b a c k g ro u n d o f W e s le y ’s p o e t
ry a nd h y m n s as he ta k e s us
on a jo u rn e y w ith C h a rle s and
his b ro th e r J o h n , w h o se arch
to fin d p e a ce w ith G o d — and
p ro cla im th e ir fa ith a nd hope
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3
c r s V IE W P O IN T
God First!
by William J. Prince
this earth by His o w n p resence, eve n
t the 1993 G en eral A s s e m
to A d a m and E ve after their rebellion
bly, G e n e r a l S u p e r i n t e n
and diso b e d ie n ce to G o d , an d then in
dent E m e ritus V. H. L ew is
the f u lln e s s o f tim e G o d s e n t f o rth
gav e a m o rn in g devotional
His S on Jesus. H e is o u r solution to
m e ssag e calling the church
the sin in hum anity. H e pro v id es for
to holy living. A t the close
every person a w ay o f escape, re
o f the m e s s a g e , he s u g
gested that w e adopt the m ottod e“ m
G ptio
o d n, and reconciliation.
A n au th e n tic faith in C h rist Je su s
F i r s t . ” T h e s e t w o w o r d s a re f ille d
p r o d u c e s s o m e v ita l c h a n g e s in the
w ith great c o n c e p ts an d n o b le truth.
soul and lifestyle o f the believer. O ne
Jesus said, “T h o u shalt love the Lord
o f the r e s u lts o f the S p ir it- f ille d ,
thy G o d with all thy heart, an d with
sa nctifie d life is love. L o v e for G o d
all thy soul, and w ith all thy strength,
and love for others is a biblical e x p la
and w ith all thy m ind; and thy n e ig h
n a tio n o f the r e la tio n s h ip . L o v e fo r
b o r as t h y s e l f ’ ( L u k e 10:27). L o v e
G o d an d His W ord lead the sanctified
for G o d alw ays leads those w h o love
H i m to o b e y H i s c o m m a n d m e n t s
w hich in turn leads to righteousness.
It is true that w icke dn ess is rushing
arou nd us as the in c om ing tides o f a
A uthentic faith in christ
great ocean. It is before o u r eyes and
ears in o u r society, in the m edia, and
PRODUCES CHANGES IN THE
e ve n in o u r h o m e s w ith the constan t
rush through the television.
LIFESTYLE OF A BELIEVER.
Injustice, hate, illicit sexual a c tivi
ty, v io le n ce , g a m b lin g , lying , c h e a t
ing, robbing, and lust are a part o f our
social structures in the entire w orld.
O u r nations are turning in upon th e m
selves in these im m oral lifestyles. In
P ro v e rb s 14:34, G o d dec la re s to o u r
to r i g h t e o u s n e s s a n d h o l i n e s s . T h e
w o rld that “ rig h te o u s n e s s ex a lte th a
biblical teachings are given to be liv
nation: b u t sin is a r e p r o a c h to any
a b le , g iv in g s h a p e to n e w m o ti v e s ,
p eo p le.”
new attitu d e s, and b eh av io r. Je su s
Sin has a grip on every p erson born
said, “ By this all m e n will k n o w that
on the face o f the earth. It is u n ive r
you are m y disciples, if you love one
sal, and it d o m in a te s the h u m a n n a
an o th er” (John 13:35, N IV ). T he test
tu r e a n d lif e s ty le . S in b r i n g s a r e
o f relationship to G o d in the O ld T es
p r o a c h to e v e r y p e r s o n a n d e v e r y
ta m e n t w as: “ I d esire s te a d fa s t love
nation. Sin is an e n e m y within us. It
and not sacrifice” (H o sea 6:6, RSV ).
T h e c o n s is te n t a n d p e r s is te n t call
is full o f hate, envy, pride, anger, dis
pute, arro g an c e, and turns alw a y s to
a n d p l a n o f G o d f o r H is p e o p l e is
rig h te o u sn ess and h o lin e ss. R ig h
m aterialism to sate its in dulgences. It
seeks d o m in a n ce o v er others in every
te o u s n e s s a n d h o lin e s s are real a n d
discernible attitudes, actions, an d m o
r e la tio n s h ip a n d e v e n tu a lly tu rn s to
tiv e s o f o u r lives. M o rality , ju s t ic e ,
the vicious and weird. H u m an ity cries
o u t f o r s o m e t h i n g o r s o m e o n e to
and m e rc y all flow into o u r lives by
help, and the eternal G o d has co m e to
th e c l e a n s i n g a n d f i l l i n g p o w e r o f
A
4
G o d . R i g h t e o u s n e s s is l i g h t , a n d
l i g h t ’s n a t u r e is to in v a d e the d a r k
ness. Je su s said that the C h ristian is to
be light, an d the C h ristia n as a testi
m o n y o f th e t r a n s f o r m i n g p o w e r of
G o d b e c o m e s lig h t th a t in v a d e s the
d a r k n e s s o f im m o ra lity an d the evils
o f society. T h e re is a d e s p e r a te need
for a m oral revolution.
T h e im pact o f the ch u rc h is greatly
d im i n is h e d as the b e lie v e rs f o llo w a
lo w path o f integrity, lying, cheating,
and fo llo w in g the c h e a p and vain e n
tertain m e n t o f the w orld.
T h e C h u r c h o f the N a z a r e n e , w ith
its so u n d biblical te ac h in g s, its c o m
m itm e n t to w o rld e v a n g e lism , an d its
in v e s t m e n t in h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n , can
and m u st hav e a m oral im pact on so
ciety. T h e w o rld a l w a y s p u lls at the
b eliev e r to travel the low road o f in
d if fe re n c e an d lo v e le s sn e ss, but G o d
c a lls us to th e hig h w a y o f h o lin e s s
and righ teousness.
P a u l ’s a d v i c e to T im o t h y is, “ But
flee from these th ings [evil], you m an
o f G od; and p u rsu e rig h te o u sn ess,
g o d l i n e s s , f a ith , lo v e , p e r s e v e r a n c e
a n d g e n t l e n e s s ” (1 T i m o t h y 6 : 1 1 ,
N A S B ).
T h e im p a c t o f the W o rd h as bee n
s i g n i f ic a n t in m y life, but the o v e r
w h e lm in g influence has been the lives
o f m e n an d w o m e n that I have k no w n
across the years w h o have lived their
lives in rig hte o usn ess and honesty, e n
d ea v o rin g to glorify G o d by th eir a c
tions, attitudes, and m otives.
T h e c a ll o f G o d to H is p e o p l e is
still, " C o n sec ra te yourselves therefore
an d be holy, f o r I a m the L o r d y o u r
G o d . A n d y o u sh a ll
k e e p M y s ta tu te s an d
practice them : I am the
L ord w h o sa n c tifie s
y o u ” ( L e v iti c u s 20 :7 8, N A S B ). T h e call is
“G o d first.”
H era ld o f H o liness
I nto t h e W o r d
Foundation o f the Faith in Philippians
Worthless Currency
Roger L. Hahn teaches New Testament
at Nazarene Theological Seminary.
B u t su ch th in g s as w ere ga in to
m e— / h a ve co m e to reg a rd th ese
th in g s a s lo ss f o r the sa k e o f C hrist.
M o re than that. I am regard in g all
th in g s to h e lo ss f o r th e sa k e o f the
su rp a ssin g g re a tn ess o f p e r s o n a l a c
q u a in ta n c e w ith C h rist J e s u s m y L o rd
f o r w h o m I h a ve su ffe re d the lo ss o f
a ll th in g s, a n d I am regard in g them
a s m a n u re in o rd e r th a t I m ig h t ga in
C h rist (P hilippians 3:7-8).*
s h o c k ed to
visit an o th er country and d isc o v er
that the m o n e y they o r a friend had
brough t fro m that co u n try a few years
ea rlier has bee n replaced. In m a n y
countries, sky ro ck e tin g inflation has
m a d e the cu rren c y alm ost w orthless.
W h e n it takes a w hole sack o f large
d e n o m in a tio n bills to buy a lo af o f
bread, the sm a lle r bills and coins b e
c o m e m e an in g less. A s a result, m a n y
c ou ntries hard hit by inflation have
issued all n e w currency. Paul and the
Philipp ians m ust hav e e x p e rien c ed
sim ila r e c o n o m ic p roblem s, for the
apostle describes his c o m m itm e n t to
C hrist in m o n e ta ry term s in P h ilip p i
ans 3:7-8.
P hilippians 3:5-6 d escrib es the h e r
itage and personal ac h ie v e m e n ts that
had m a d e Paul an u p w ard ly m ob ile
y o u n g rabbi. T he o p en in g ph rase o f
A m e ric a n s a r e o f te n
A ugust 1994
verse 7 calls these achie v em e n ts
“g a in .” T h e w ord translated “g a in ”
w as a financial term that spoke o f
both m o n e y invested and the interest
gain ed by such an investm ent. P a u l’s
w ay o f life as a zealous P harisee w ho
perse cu te d the church w as an invest
m e n t in his goal o f clim b in g the lad
de r o f Ju d a ism . A n d that investm ent
had b ee n paying div id e n d s in P a u l ’s
life. He d o es not d eny the value o f
those a c h ie v em e n ts from a Jew ish
perspective; they w ere h elping Paul
ac co m p lish his goals.
H o w ev er, the secon d phrase o f
verse 7 introduces a n e w evaluatio n,
“ But such thin gs as w ere gain to
m e — I h av e c o m e to regard these
things as loss for the sake o f C hrist.”
P a u l’s in ve stm e nts in h u m a n ac h ie v e
m ents and their d iv id e n d s w ere su d
d en ly transferred from the profit c o l
um n to the loss c olum n. T he reason
for this m a jo r shift in the currency of
P a u l ’s life w as “ C hrist.”
T h e structure o f the origi
nal lan g u ag e sh o w s that
the apostle w as r e m e m
bering an event that had
totally c h a n g e d his life—
his personal en c o u n te r
w ith C hrist on the D a m a s
cus Road.
N o te that Paul does not
say that his efforts and
heritage in Ju d a ism w ere
“ bad th in g s." H e sim ply
states that they had been m o v e d from
the profit c o lu m n to the loss colum n.
T h ere are m a n y h u m a n ac hievem en ts
that are not "b a d thin g s” in and o f
them selves. T h ey m a y be very noble
ac co m p lish m e n ts. But w e should re c
ognize that h u m a n a c h ie v em e n t is not
the cu rren c y o f G o d 's kingdom .
Verse 8 e x p a n d s the thought. Not
only did Paul m o v e his Je w ish h e r
itage and a c h ie v em e n ts to the loss
c o lu m n back w h en he m e t Jesus, he
co ntin u ed to place everythin g other
than personal relationship w ith Christ
in the loss colum n. C o m p a re d with
the superiority o f relationship with
Christ, the value o f his a c c o m p lish
m ents had d im inishe d to nothing. In
fact, Paul w as w illing to liquidate
every value o f his life in o rd er to in
vest in the n ew currency o f his life.
G aining Christ, the investm ent with
dividends to com e, w as the new goal.
T here is no regret in these verses.
T he possibility o f gaining C hrist was
such superior investm ent o f his life
that Paul w as w illing to sacrifice
ev erything for it. A s individuals and
as a church, w e nee d to evaluate our
investm ents. It w ould be a w aste for
us to invest ourselves in w orthless
currency! But if w e value anything
above Christ, that is exactly w hat we
are doing.
F o r fu r th e r stu d y: (J ) C o m p a re
P h ilip p ia n s 3 :4 -8 a n d M a rk 8:3 4 -3 8 .
T h e G reek w ords in M a rk 8 :3 6 f o r
" g a in ” a n d “lo se" are the sa m e as
th o se u se d in P h ilip p ia n s 3 :7 -8 . W h a t
is sim ila r a n d w h a t is d ifferen t in the
tea ch in g o f the tw o p a ssa g e s? (2)
Human achievement is not the
currency of God’s kingdom.
S tu d y M a rk 10:17-31. W h a t d o es J e
sus su g g e st m ig h t h e "w o rth le ss c u r
ren cy" in o u r lives? W h a t k in d o f
tra n sfo rm a tio n o f va lu es is n ecessa ry
f o r th ese verses to m a ke a n y sen se?
(3) A sk the L o rd to revea l areas o f
y o u r life in w h ich y o u are in vestin g in
w o rth less currency. A sk H im to help
yo u seize th e o p p o rtu n ity to m a ke the
su p e rio r in v estm en t in kn o w in g
C hrist.
Ht
‘ Scripture quotations are the author's own translation.
5
N ews
— BY MARK GRAHAM and TOM FELDER
Jones Not Nazarene
Mucci Is Free of Cancer
Paula Jon es, plaintiff
in a l a w s u i t f i l e d
ag ain st
P resid en t
C lin to n , w as not
ra ise d in a N a z a re n e
parsonage as recently
re p o rte d by se v eral
natio n al
m e d ia
sources.
In an e x c l u s i v e i n t e r v i e w w ith
Nazarene News Service, Jones' m o th
er, D elm er C orbin, revealed that her
daughter was raised in the Bible M is
sionary C h u rch in L onoke, Ark. H er
husband, the late Bobby Gene Corbin,
never pastored a Nazarene church, held
N a z a re n e cre d en tia ls, or serv ed as a
Nazarene evangelist as alleged in news
reports.
“ My h u sb a n d was a m u sic ia n and
m a y h a v e p la y e d at so m e m e e ti n g s
w ith N a z a r e n e s , ” Mrs. C o r b in said.
“ He did m o st o f his m in is tr y in the
Bible Missionary Church. All my girls
w ere raised in the B ible M is sio n ary
Church.”
T h e C o r b in s w e re m a r r ie d at the
C h u r c h o f th e N a z a r e n e in R u s s e ll
Chapel, Ark., in the 1940s. In the early
'60s, the couple moved their m em ber
ship to the Bible Missionary Church in
Cabot, Ark., w hich is w here m ost of
the f a m ily n o w r e sid e s. T he fa m ily
attended the Nazarene Church in Hick
ory Plains, Ark., for a year when the
girls were young but never joined the
church.
Mrs. Corbin notes that much o f the
i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t h e r f a m i l y th a t
appeared in the national media is inac
curate and misleading.
“Paula would have dropped her suit
against Clinton if he had just a p o l o
gized for what he had d o n e ,” Corbin
said. " O f course I believe Paula’s story.
She is just trying to clear her name.”
Dallas Mucci is cancer-free. T h a t’s the
report he received during his second
postoperative visit May 5 at Monefiore
Hospital in Bronx, N.Y.
“ W e b e l i e v e th a t G o d h a s i n t e r
v en e d ,” M ucci said. “T hat service at
d i s t r i c t a s s e m b l y — th e a n o i n t i n g flowed over me again in that exam in
ing room.”
The Metro New York District super
intendent was under medical orders to
rest and exercise during much o f May.
H e has resum e d his norm al schedule
and will return for fu rth e r testing in
three months.
D r. A r n o l d M e l l m a n p e r f o r m e d
surgery on Mucci Mar. 15 to remove a
c a n c e r o u s tu m o r . T h e in itia l re p o rt
after the procedure indicated that radi
a t io n m i g h t b e r e q u i r e d to c o m b a t
remaining cancerous cells.
“Dr. M ellman could give no expla
n a tio n fo r the p a t h o lo g y rep o rt, but
k n o w s c o n c l u s i v e l y th a t no f u rth e r
tre a tm e n t is now n e c e s s a r y ,” M ucci
said. “ I d o n ’t d eserv e G o d ’s healing
a n d g r a c e , b u t I d o b le s s H is h o ly
nam e.”
o f pastors, district superintendents, and
e v a n g elists,” explain e d W ilb u r B r a n
non. Pastoral Ministries director. “They
e x p r e s s e d a s tr o n g n e e d w ith in the
d e n o m in a tio n to take a fresh look at
our Wesleyan heritage in the context of
our social and moral crises.”
F e a t u r e d s p e a k e r s to d a t e f o r
P A L C O N '9 5 in c lu d e S te v e G re e n .
P asad ena, Calif., F irst C h u rch ; Jesse
M id d e n d o rf, K ansas C ity, Mo., First
C h u rch ; and B ish o p B e n ja m in Reid,
Inglewood, Calif., First Church of God.
T h e e v e n t a ls o w ill f e a t u r e s e v e r a l
video and dramatic presentations.
R e g istra tio n for the b iq u a d re n n ia l
event begins this fall. Questions should
be directed to the Pastoral Ministries
office (816-333-7000, ext. 2482).
coordinator. From 1980 to 1986, Rolfe
w as the m id d le r S u n d ay S cho ol c u r
riculum e d ito r and p u p p et m inistries
coordinator.
A g rad u a te o f M ount V ernon
Nazarene College. Rolfe produced the
T eaching In sig h ts— E lem en ta ry video,
o n e o f th e b e s t - s e l l i n g v i d e o s e v e r
r e l e a s e d by N a z a r e n e P u b l i s h i n g
H ouse. He also p ro d u c e d the aw ardw i n n i n g T e a c h in g I n s ig h ts — Y o u th
video.
Rolfe replaces Patty Craft Hall, who
re c e n tly b e c a m e a re a d ir e c to r for
U rbanPromise, an interdenominational
inner-city ministry in Camden, N.J.
PALCON ’95 Sets Theme
“ T ra nsform ing M inistry— V ision and
Hope for a New Century” is the theme
for PA L C O N '95 (Pastors and Leaders
Conference) chosen by focus groups of
m inisters th ro u g h o u t the nation. The
c o n f e r e n c e w ill be h e ld at all U.S.
regional colleges and universities next
summer.
“ The focus groups were com prised
6
Rolfe Named Children’s
Church Coordinator
B ill R o l f e , 3 8 , h a s
a c c e p te d the a s s i g n
m e n t o f c h i l d r e n ’s
c h u rc h and special
education coordinator
for the denom ination,
according to Miriam J.
Hall, C h ild re n ’s M in
istries director. Rolfe
began his new assignment im m ediate
lyRolfe has served in Children’s M in
istries since 1990 as the mission educa
tion editor. T able T alk m anaging e d i
tor, c h ild re n 's ca m p coordinator, and
children’s week coordinator. He previ
ously worked for four years as the S un
day School Ministries Division editor.
R eso u rce m an aging editor, and video
SNU Guard Wins Top Honor
C h e r i l y n M o r ris , j u
nior guard on the 1994
natio n al c h a m p io n
S o u th ern N azaren e
U n iv ersity bask etball
team, has been named
NAIA Champion Play
er o f the Y ear. The
award, m ade annually
by the W o m e n ’s Basketb all C oa che s
Association, is based on achievement,
im p a c t on th e t e a m , t e a m s u c c e s s ,
sportsm ansh ip, and a c ad e m ic a c c o m
plishment.
T he 5'8" physical e d u c atio n m ajor
led her team averaging 16.4 points, 5.3
a s s is ts , a n d 3.9 s te a l s p e r g a m e . A
native o f Albuquerque, N.Mex., Morris
a l s o w a s n a m e d to th e N A I A A llAmerican first team, the N A IA c h a m
p io n s h i p A l l - T o u r n a m e n t te a m , and
w o n the N A IA n a t io n a l t o u r n a m e n t
Hustle Award.
H era l d of H oliness
Turner Coordinates Men’s
and Family Ministries
J. Paul Turner, 58, has
acce p te d the position
o f F a m ily M in istrie s
and M e n ’s Ministries
coordinator, according
to
Randy
C loud,
A d u lt
M in istries
d ir e c to r . He b e g a n
July 1.
In the assignment. Turner will seek
to o f f e r a s s i s t a n c e to N a z a r e n e s in
areas of premarital counseling, parent
in g , f a m i l y d e v e l o p m e n t , m a r r i a g e
en ric h m en t, fam ily c o u n selin g , crisis
intervention, and recovery ministries.
In m e n ’s ministries he is working with
P ro m ise K eep ers and b u ild in g
resources for local church m e n 's p ro
grams.
“ M i n i s t r y to f a m i l i e s w ill h a v e
im p a c t on b o th th e e v a n g e l i s m and
teaching aspects of the Great C o m m is
sion,” Cloud said. “ It is hard to im ag
ine a greater opportunity to reach our
w orld in light o f the p ressu re points
that fa m ilie s and m a rr ia g e s fac e
today."
T u rn e r m ov e d to the position from
Olathe. Kans., College Church were he
served as associate pastor. Prior to this
he served at Headquarters for 19 years
in both Youth and Adult Ministries. He
also served in staff positions at Nampa,
Idaho, C o lleg e C hurch; O k la h o m a
C ity , O k la ., L a k e v ie w P ark ; and
Wichita, Kans., First Church.
T u r n e r a n d h is w i f e , M a r i l y n ,
authored the "Christian Marriage Jo ur
nal" column in the H erald o f H oliness
for tw o years. T hey also founded the
Marriage E nrichm ent program for the
denomination.
A g r a d u a t e o f B e th a n y N a z a r e n e
C ollege, T u rn e r and his wife have an
adult daughter, Karen.
U.S. Military Wants More
Nazarene Literature
Military chaplains will soon be able to
o rd e r m ore N az aren e S u n d ay S chool
material, according to Miriam J. Hall,
C h i l d r e n ’s M i n i s t r i e s d ir e c to r . T h e
c h a p la in s w ill h av e the o p tio n of
re q u e s tin g W o r d A c t io n lite r a tu r e in
A ugu st 1994
four out o f eight age levels.
M a rk Y o r k , e x e c u t i v e e d i t o r f o r
Children’s Ministries, served as a civil
ian co nsu ltant to the P ro testant R e li
g io u s E d u c a tio n A d v iso ry G ro u p ,
which selects curriculum for the m ili
ta r y . In 1 9 9 3 , th e c h a i r m a n o f th e
group. A rm y CH (MAJ) Donald Troyer, officially requested more W ordA c
tion m aterial. In a c o m m e n t m ade to
Y o rk at this y e a r ’s m e e ti n g , T ro y e r
noted that the quality o f W ordA ction
literature had significantly improved.
“ N a z a r e n e l i t e r a t u r e is 12 to 24
months ahead o f most other publishers
in p ro d u c in g new c u rr ic u lu m ," Y ork
said. He noted that most other denom i
nations still recycle old materials.
W ord A ctio n m aterials for m iddler,
preteen, junior high, and adults will be
ad ded to the 1995-96 P ro te sta n t R e
so u rc e G u id e , the o ffic ia l c h a p la in s
guide to Protestant religious education
materials. The G uide will continue to
feature the popular Dialog Series books
and the early childhood levels C and D
m a t e r i a l s . It a l s o w ill f e a t u r e th e
K in d e r C h u r c h P o w e r P a c k f o r
preschool children.
"The overw helming endorsement of
the military chaplains speaks volumes
about our staff in Sunday School Min
istries," said Hall. "The quality of cur
riculum speaks for itself. We are excit
ed to share it with others.”
Y o rk sa id th a t 25 p e r c e n t o f th e
d a te d S u n d a y S c h o o l lite ra tu re now
available to the military is WordAction
material from the Nazarene Publishing
House.
The m ilitary an n u a lly ev alu ates
material from 34 different d e n o m in a
tional publishers.
NTS Awarded Kemper Grant
N a z a re n e T h e o lo g ic a l S em in a ry will
soon c o m p u teriz e its library services
t h a n k s , in p a r t, to a $ 1 0 , 0 0 0 g r a n t
received this week from the William T.
K e m p e r F o u n d a tio n o f K an sa s C ity,
M o ., a c c o r d i n g to W i l l i a m M il le r ,
director o f library services at NTS.
T he gran t, w h ich arriv ed ju s t five
w eeks after the proposal was subm it
ted, is the first gift from the K em per
Foundation received by the seminary.
T he fo u n d a tio n was a p p ro a ch ed
because o f its re puta tion for funding
educational projects.
The award will cover approximately
20 percent of the cost for the seminary
to jo in the K an sa s C ity, M o., Public
Library A rea-W ide A utom ation P ro j
ect. As a result, the sem inary library
will be able to computerize its card cat
alog, aquisitions, serial check-in, and
circulation processes. The library also
w ill h a v e o n - l i n e a c c e s s to o t h e r
libraries and be accessible to outside
sources via Internet.
“This program will allow the sem i
nary to b e c o m e part o f an im portant
in f o rm a tio n sy s te m a m o n g c o lle g e s
and u n iversities in this a r e a ,” M iller
said. “O ur students, our constituents,
a n d o u r c o m m u n i t y w ill be b e t t e r
served through our participation in this
new system.”
T h is n e w p r o g r a m . M il le r n o te s ,
brings the information superhighway to
NTS.
New Dean at NNC
S am uel L. D u n n was
r e c e n tly n a m e d v ic e
president for academic
a ffairs and a c a d e m ic
d e a n by N o r t h w e s t
Nazarene College. He
w ill a s s u m e his new
duties Sept. 1.
D u n n is c u r r e n t l y
professor of mathematics and business
at Seattle Pacific University. He previ
ously served at SPU as vice president
for academic affairs.
Dunn follows Gilbert Ford, who has
served as acting dean for the past year.
“I am fully persuaded Dr. Dunn will
fit w ell and w ea r w ell at N o rth w e s t
N az aren e C o lle g e ,” said N N C P re si
dent Richard A. Hagood. “Dr. Dunn is
a man o f great character, energy, and
ability who will bring credit to N NC."
D u n n e a r n e d h is u n d e r g r a d u a t e
degrees from Olivet Nazarene U niver
sity. H e h o ld s the M .B .A . fro m the
U n iv e r s ity o f P u g e t S o u n d , an d the
M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of
Wisconsin-M ilwaukee. He has had 22
papers published in scholarly journals.
Dunn and his wife, Lois, have two
children, both of whom are recent grad
uates of NNC.
7
Smith and Hahn to Train
Ministers at New Locations
Roger Hahn of SNU and Robert Smith
of PLN C are both moving this summer
to c ontinue their efforts in preparing
N a z a r e n e stu d e n ts fo r p as to ra l m i n
istry.
R oger Hahn, chair
m a n o f th e D e p a r t
m ent o f Religion and
P h ilosophy at S o u th
ern Nazarene U niver
sity, has been elected
to th e f a c u l t y o f
Nazarene Theological
S em in a ry . H ah n w as
Roger Hahn
elected p ro fe sso r of
N ew Testam ent by the NTS board of
trustees.
Since 1979, Hahn has served on the
faculty o f SNU . He is a g ra d u a te of
S N U (B .A . and M .A .) w ith a Ph.D .
from Duke University.
An active writer and preacher in the
C hurch o f the N azarene, Hahn is the
author of “Into the W ord,” a monthly
c o l u m n in th e H e r a ld o f H o lin e s s .
Since 1990, Hahn has been a m ember
o f the A d u lt C u r r ic u lu m C o m m itte e
and the P la n n in g C o m m itte e for the
B reckenridge Consultation on Clergy
Preparation.
“ Because o f Dr. H a h n ’s rich record
as a scholar, teacher, and writer, he will
make a major addition to the NTS fac
u lty ,” said A1 T ru e sd a le , N T S dean.
“ H e h a s a s t r o n g c o m m i t m e n t to
p r e p a rin g p e rs o n s for p a s to ra l m i n
istry.”
H ahn and his w ife, D orothy, have
three children. He will begin his new
duties this September.
R o b e rt W. S m ith
will join the faculty of
N a z a r e n e B ible C o l
lege as assistant p r o
fessor of theology and
Bible effective the fall
quarter of 1994.
S m ith has se rv e d
in the religion depart
Robert Smith
m e n t at P o in t L o m a
Nazarene College since 1988. He also
s e rv e d as the d ir e c to r o f the P L N C
Sum m er Ministries Program.
Ordained in 1969, Smith earned his
B.A. and M.A. from Bethany Nazarene
C o l l e g e a n d th e M . D i v . f r o m 11iff
School of Theology. He is a Ph.D. can
didate in a joint program of the Univer
8
sity o f D en ve r and Iliff. He has pastored churches in Aurora, Colo.; K ane
ohe, Haw aii; T ucson, Ariz.; and Bisbee. Ariz.
He a n d his w ife, G a y le ( M a s s e y )
have one son. Brock, and two d a u g h
ters, Karissa and Andrea.
Easter Offering Totals
Almost $9 Million
The final tally o f the Easter Offering
fo r W o rld E v a n g e lis m sh o w s that
N a z a r e n e s a r o u n d th e w o r l d g a v e
$ 8 ,9 1 2 ,4 1 5 .2 7 . A lth o u g h the official
tally closes after 40 days, contributions
c o n t i n u e to be r e c e i v e d t o w a r d the
offering, w hich funds the w o rld w id e
missionary program and general church
operations.
“ N a z a r e n e s c o n t in u e to sh o w that
they are concerned about carrying out
the G re a t C o m m is s io n th ro u g h their
sacrificial g iv in g ,” G eneral Secretary
Jack Stone said.
NNC Awarded Basketball
Contract
N o r t h w e s t N a z a r e n e C o l l e g e in
Nampa, Idaho, has been chosen as the
l o c a t i o n f o r th e N A I A D i v i s i o n II
M e n ’s National Basketball Tournament
for the next three years, acco rd ing to
Eric Forseth, N N C athletic director. A
three-year contract was awarded to the
college June 13 by the NAIA, pending
e x e c u tio n o f a signed w ritte n a g r e e
ment.
N N C hosted the 1993 and 1994 tour
n am ents, w hich both b o asted recordsetting crow ds. The 1995 tournam ent
will be held Mar. 8-14 in Montgomery
Field House on the N N C campus.
“ G e tt in g the to u r n a m e n t a g a in in
N a m p a w as not a s h o o - i n , ” F o rse th
said. “There were several other cities
actively pursuing the tournament. We
count it a privilege to host the tourna
ment.”
D o u g S lifk a , a s s is ta n t d ir e c to r o f
championships for the NAIA, cited the
success o f the last tw o years as a big
part of the decision to return to Nampa.
“W e were impressed with the involve
ment of the com m unity,” Slifka said.
T hree N az arene colleg e s play b a s
ketball sanctioned by the N A IA D ivi
s io n II. T h e y a r e : M i d A m e r i c a
N az aren e C o lleg e , M ount V ernon
N az aren e C o lle g e , and N o rth w e st
Nazarene College.
Cartoonist Injures Hand
R on W h e e le r, p o p u la r C h ristia n c a r
toon ist and cre a to r o f J e re m ia h , s u f
fered an injury to his writing hand in an
accident with an electric trimm er May
28. T w o fingers were nearly severed on
his right hand while trim m ing hedges
at his home.
D r. D o u g l a s C u s i c k p e r f o r m e d
s u r g e r y o n W h e e l e r J u n e 1 at St.
Jo se p h ’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.
A tendon and nerve were reattached in
h is m i d d l e f i n g e r b e t w e e n th e tw o
knuckles. His index finger was cut near
the tip , a v o i d i n g th e b o n e . H e w as
scheduled to w ear a splint for four to
six weeks.
T h e sp lin t w as a t ta c h e d in suc h a
way that W heeler was able to m a nipu
late his thumb and two smallest fingers.
He was able to grip a pen well enough
to do some rough sketching during his
recovery. He also was able to do some
com puter colorization work to keep his
Jerem iah comic strip on schedule.
“ I really love writing and illustrating
J e r e m ia h . It is o n e o f m y f a v o r i t e
things to do," W heeler said. “ I appreci
ate the prayers o f G o d ’s people.”
W h e e l e r , w h o is a s e l f - e m p l o y e d
artist, hopes to be able to produce fin
ished artwork by the first o f August.
Jerem iah has been a continuous run
ning com ic strip in T e e n ’s T oday, the
weekly take-home paper of NYI M in
istries, since 1980.
Conference Agency Busy
P a s s p o r t T r a v e l , the o f f i c i a l tr a v e l
agency for the National M ulticultural
Conference by Church Extension Min
istries, is busy helping N azarenes get
the lowest possible airline fares for that
event, according to Michael R. Estep.
C hurch Extension Ministries director.
T he conference is scheduled for Sept.
14-17, 1994, at Nashville, Tenn., First
Church.
"B y w o rk in g w ith one ag e n cy , we
are able to offer both a discounted rate
and the convenience o f a toll-free n u m
ber for booking,” Estep said.
Those planning to attend the confer
ence should phone 1-800-999-2896 for
travel reservation assistance.
H era ld o f H o liness
Nazarene Colleges Hold Spring Commencement Exercises
Hundreds of students at Nazarene col
leges and universities graduated this
past spring. W hat follows is a report of
these com m encem ent exercises.
CANADIAN NAZARENE COLLEGE
Riley Coulter, president
DATE: Apr. 24
TOTAL GRADUATES: 11
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER:
Paul G. Cunningham,
general superintendent
HIGHLIGHTS:
Eight students received degrees through
CNC’s overseas extension program.
EASTERN NAZARENE COLLEGE
Kent Hill, president
DATE: May 30
TOTAL GRADUATES: 333
UNDERGRADUATES: 288
GRADUATE DEGREES: 45
W illiam M. Greathouse, general
superintendent emeritus
HONORARY DEGREE:
Posthumous, Harold Perry, form er
trustee and alum nus o f ENC
MIDAMERICA NAZARENE COLLEGE
Richard Spindle, president
DATE: May 2
UNDERGRADUATES: 357
John Ashcroft, form er M issou ri governor
HONORARY DEGREE:
John W. Stephens, MANC vice-president
fo r finance
MOUNT VERNON NAZARENE COLLEGE
E. LeBron Fairbanks, president
DATE: May 24
Anthony Campolo, professor o f Sociolo
gy, Eastern College
HIGHLIGHT:
Ten students graduated from the new
Master of M inistry program.
NAZARENE BIBLE COLLEGE
Jerry Lambert, president
DATE: May 30
TOTAL GRADUATES: 76
BACHELOR DEGREES: 32
ASSOCIATE DEGREES: 26
DIPLOMAS AND CERTIFICATES: 18
John A. Knight,
general superintendent
BACCALAUREATE SPEAKER:
Gene W illiam s, pastor,
Wichita, Kans., First Church
NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Gordon W etmore, president
DATE: May 22
TOTAL GRADUATES: 77
M .A. IN MISSIOLOGY DEGREES: 7
M .DIV. DEGREES: 53
M.R.E. DEGREES: 13
D.MIN. DEGREES: 4
Louie Bustle, director,
W orld M ission Division
NORTHWEST NAZARENE COLLEGE
Richard Hagood, president
DATE: June 12
UNDERGRADUATES: 239
HONORARY DEGREES:
F. Thomas Bailey, superintendent,
Northwestern Illinois D istrict;
W inston Goering, mayor,
Nampa, Idaho
OLIVET NAZARENE UNIVERSITY
Tony Campolo, renowned author and le c
turer, exhorts the MVNC community during
graduation activities.
A u g u s t 19 9 4
John C. Bowling, president
DATE: May 7
UNDERGRADUATES: 276
ADULT STUDIES PROGRAM: 106
Nina Gunter, director,
Nazarene W orld M ission Society
G rad u ates S ta c i R ichardso n and Todd
Mellish were honored as outstanding stu
dents at ONU’s 81st commencement.
POINT LOMA NAZARENE COLLEGE
Jim Bond, president
DATE: May 15
UNDERGRADUATES: 433
David Mata, director,
Salud Medical Center, Woodburn, Oreg.
HONORARY DEGREES:
Raymond Z. Lopez, superintendent,
Western Latin American District;
Herbert L. Prince, PLNC associate
professor o f philosophy and religion
SOUTHERN NAZARENE UNIVERSITY
Loren Gresham, president
DATE: May 15
UNDERGRADUATES: 270
Ronald L. Mercer, SNU trustee and
General Board m em ber
HONORARY DEGREES:
John W illiam “ Bill” Lancaster,
superintendent, Fiouston District;
J. K. W arrick, pastor,
Olathe, Kans., College Church
TREVECCA NAZARENE COLLEGE
Millard Reed, president
DATE: May 7
UNDERGRADUATES: 288
John Chilton, TNC professor o f history
HONORARY DEGREES:
Lowell T. Clyburn, superintendent,
Kentucky District;
Ronald Phillip Sessions, superintendent,
Alabama South D istrict;
L. Wayne Quinn, superintendent,
M ississippi D istrict
9
Van Notes Retire
Gene Van Note, execu
tiv e e d i t o r f o r A d u lt
M i n i s t r i e s , a n d L o is
Van Note, travel secre
t a r y f o r th e g e n e r a l
superintendents’ office,
recently retired after 36
years of combined ser
Gene Van Note vice to Headquarters.
The Van Notes began their service to
th e g e n e r a l c h u r c h in 1976. G e n e
accepted a combined assignment as the
adult electives editor and as the first
Single Adult Ministries coordinator at
the general church level. Lois, who had
w o rk e d in N Y PS while G ene was in
seminary, began working in the general
superintendents’ office.
D uring his tenure, G ene Van Note
edited the A dult Teacher, A dult Student,
Illustrated Bible Life, the A dult T each
ing R esources packet, the Dialog book
series, and Probe. He also chaired the
W ord A ctio n A dult C urriculum C o m
mittee, which develops lesson outlines
for several denominations.
“Gene has done more to impact adult
Ordained UJomen
in the Church
of the nazarene
THE FIR ST
G EN E R A TIO N
Sunday School materials than any other
person in the last decade,” said Randy
Cloud, Adult Ministries director.
Graduates of Pasadena College, the
Van Notes previously pastored for 23
y e a r s in C a l i f o r n i a at C a m a r i l l o ,
P anoram a City, Oroville, Sacramento,
a n d T u r l o c k . T h e y h a v e a so n , tw o
daughters, and four grandchildren.
Lawhead Retires
A lv in L a w h e a d , p r o
f e s s o r o f O ld T e s t a
m e n t at N a z a r e n e
T heological Seminary,
recently retired after 12
years o f service. A spe
cial ceremony honoring
L a w h e a d w as h e ld at
th e fall m e e t i n g o f th e s e m i n a r y ’s
board of trustees.
Lawhead moved to NTS from Mount
V e rn o n N a z a r e n e C o l le g e w h e re he
served for 8 years as professor o f reli
gion. He e n te r e d e d u c a tio n afte r 18
years o f pastoral m inistry in Dennisport, Mass.; Schenectady, N.Y.; Seneca
Falls, N.Y.; and Dunkirk, N.Y.
By Rebecca Laird
A fa s c in a tin g , h isto rica l
g lim p s e o f 12 p io n e e r w o m e n
m in is te rs w h o h e lp e d s h a p e
th e C h u rc h o f th e N a z a re n e .
T h e s e w o m e n ’s live s a nd m in
is trie s ste p fro m th e p a g e s of
th e e a rly 2 0 th c e n tu ry and
s p e a k to us to d a y w ith s ig n ifi
c a n t q u e s tio n s . L a ird ’s c h a l
le n g e is th a t “th e c h u rc h re
cla im its p ro u d h e rita g e and
w rite a n e w c h a p te r in m in
istry — o n e th a t a ffirm s, a d v o
c a te s, and c e le b ra te s th e o r
d a in e d m in is try o fw o m e n .”
HH083-411-4526
$9.95
O rder from Your N azarene Publishing H ouse
1- 800- 877-0700
10
Nazarenes Take Lead in
Rwandan Relief Effort
W o rld Relief, the re lie f and d e v e lo p
ment arm o f the National Association of
Evangelicals, has approved a proposal
for Rwandan relief through the Church
o f the N a z a re n e to reach 4 5 ,0 0 0 p e r
so n s, a c c o r d in g to F re d O tto , A fr ic a
East field director.
T h e p r o p o s a l p la c e s a p r io r i ty on
addressing needs in the northwest part
o f Rw anda, such as G isenyi, since the
Nazarene work there is strong.
“ O ne o f the p ro b le m s we had seen
was that the larger organizations were
not able to work quickly," Otto said. “ It
is a good approach because it is d y n am
ic.”
The plan also addresses the needs of
the northeast through Kabale. Uganda.
“ (Other organizations] tended to select
larger camps, but there is an enormous
n u m b e r o f s m a lle r c a m p s th ro u g h o u t
the northeast,” Otto added.
W orld R elief was granted clearance
for relief work by the rebel R w and an
Patriot Front (RPF). which is exercising
tight c o n t r o l o v e r p o p u l a t i o n m o v e
m e n t s . R P F - c o n t r o l l e d a r e a s are
d escribed as stable, in te rm s o f needs
and movement, since the June 14 cease
fire between the RPF and the Rwandan
government forces.
Nathan Menya, Nazarene pastor from
Jinja, Uganda, was selected to direct the
e n t i r e p r o g r a m f o r th e f i r s t t h r e e
months. He will return to his family and
congregation for a weekend every two
weeks.
“ W orld R e lie f is ex tre m ely excited
about the c a p ability o f Rev. M e n y a ,”
said H. Daniel Rabon, N azarene C o m
passionate Ministries assistant coordina
tor.
T h e r e are c u r r e n t l y 17 .0 0 0 N a z a
renes in Rw anda and 100 pastors' chil
dren being sponsored through the Child
S p o n s o r s h i p P r o g r a m , a c c o r d i n g to
W o rld M issio n D iv isio n sta tistics .
M a n y R w a n d a n N a z a r e n e s a re still
unaccounted for.
C o n t r ib u t io n s f o r R w a n d a m a y be
sent to the N a z a r e n e C o m p a s s i o n a te
Ministries Fund, earmarked for " R w a n
da C ivil S trife ,” p ay a b le to “G e n e ra l
T r e a s u r e r , ” 6401 T h e P a s e o , K a n sa s
City, MO 64131.
All c o n t r i b u tio n s q u a lif y as a T en
Percent Special.
H k r a l d o f H o l in e ;ss
W T IO T !ff ’ s V o ic e
Christian Vocation
REBECCA LAIRD
Rebecca Laird is a professional writer
and editor.
S e v e r a l y e a r s a g o , I sipped Diet
C o k e in a city d in e r w ith som e
friends from distant areas. O u r c o n
versatio n m o v e d from current a c tivi
ties to the q u estio n , “ So w h at is next
for y o u ? ”
W h e n it w as m y turn, I r am b led on
ab o u t the tw o vocational pulls that
tug on m y heart: w riting and ministry.
At the tim e, I w as w o rk in g in p u b
lishing and pu rsuing a m a s t e r ’s d e
gree at a local sem inary. I w as u n
clear about the next step o f m y
jo urney , and it show ed.
O n e o f m y friends cut through
m y m u sin g and declared, “ Y o u 're
a writer." A n d I respo nde d, “ Yes,
b u t . . .”
In the en su in g years, I ’ve again and
again bee n co n fro n te d with the q u e s
tion o f vo ca tio n and have co m e to u n
d ersta nd that I am a w riter a n d a m in
ister.
M y vocation , the things that I do
w ith m y life, d o n ’t fit on a business
card. A n d I suspect that is true for
others too.
E xperts in o u r cultu re tell us to fo
cus, be clea r about o u r skills, and al
w ay s carry o u r busine ss cards w ith
us. N e tw o rk in g is the n a m e o f the
g am e, you know. It’s not w hat you
k n o w but w h o you know , and that
business card is the w a y to kee p o th
A ugu st 1994
ers from forgetting you.
I confess, I 'm not a g o o d netw ork er. I h edg e about m y skills w hen I
m e et people for the first tim e. F or in
stance, on a recent airplane flight, I
w as ask ed by a S h a k es p ea re an p r o
fessor, "S o w hat do you d o ? ” I f u m
bled throu gh som e self-identifying
statem ents like, “ I ’m a b o o k editor,”
or “ I'v e spent m o st o f m y p ro fe ssio n
al life in various aspects o f p u b lish
ing.” O fferin g those an sw ers piqued
his interest but led to the question,
" W o u ld I recogn ize anything y o u ’ve
w ritte n ?" T h e an s w e r to that w as no,
as m ost o f m y w riting projects are r e
ligious in nature and relatively m o d
est in their m arket share. So we
talked about S h ak esp ea re an d English
literature.
C onversely, w hen I find m y s e lf in
the con text o f oth e r m inisterial p ro
fessionals, one o f the first vocational
q uestions asked usually
centers aro u n d church p o
sition, and I d o not w ork
for pay in the church. I
d o n 't have a ch urch b u si
ness card in m y purse or
ch urch stationery in my
desk.
E ven in ch u rc h circles,
position se em s e x c e s siv e
ly im portant. I r e m e m b e r
the day an E piscopal
classm ate at m y in terde
nom in a tio n a l sem inary asked me,
“ W h a t is y o u r can onical status?” “ M y
w h a t? " I replied. It turns out he w a n t
ed to kno w w h ere I w as in the o r d in a
tion process.
E arlier this spring, I attended the
first con fe re n ce for clergy w o m e n o f
the W esley an /H o lin ess tradition. F our
hun d red w o m e n fro m five d e n o m in a
tions gath ered for a w e e k e n d o f w o r
ship and w orksho ps. T he n u m b e r o f
w o m e n I m e t in pastoral positions
pleasantly surprised me. M a n y spoke
o f clear calls to preach. T he Rev. Dr.
N ina G unter, director o f N azarene
W orld M ission Society, e m b o d ied her
u n c o m p ro m isin g call to preach d u r
ing an ev ening w orship and provided
strong leadership. (She m a d e the
N azarenes in attendance very proud.)
O th er w o m e n w ere e ng a ged in
youth ministry, counselin g, social ser
vices, hospital chaplaincy, education,
co m p assio n ate ministries, and there
w ere even a few other writers. It b e
c a m e clear that m ost o f us live m u lti
d im e n sion a l lives that c a n ’t be c a p
tured by a few lines o f type on a 2" x
3" business card.
Vocation, for professional and lay
m inisters, is m ore a m atter o f priori
ties and lifestyle than o f title or p o si
tion. S om e are called to the p ro fe s
sional ministry, but m ore are called to
Christian vocation.
In his helpful b ook In Search o f the
H ea rt, Dr. D avid A llen offers sage
words: “ A cc ep ting the difference b e
tw een e m p lo y m e n t and vocation is an
essential step in o u r search o f the
heart. By definition, vocation is the
basic calling or responsibility o f the
h u m a n being: to w orship G od , to use
o n e ’s talents, and to reach out in re
sponsible love an d service to family
and o th e rs” (Nashville: T h o m a s N e l
son, 1993, 83).
The things I do with my life
don’t fit on a business card.
For m e, these w ords are filled with
self-recognition. M y em p lo y m e n t has
varied o v er the years, but my v o c a
tion h a s n ’t. W orshiping G od, using
m y talents, and reachin g out in love
(and learning the difference betw een
responsible love and intrusive love),
have been priorities that I endeavor,
w ith G o d 's grace, to keep, and I su s
pect that you do too.
But please, next tim e you see me,
d o n 't ask for a business card. I ’m
sure to have left them at hom e.
^
11
THE LAST1
Article and photo by
Bill Snead, staff writer
for the Washington Post
This article m ay induce shudders. It w ill shake
you to the hone. We do n o t include this article
a n d the response to it by Dr. D aniel Spross be
cause we think that any N azarene is tem pted to
handle rattlesnakes as an a ct o f w orship. But
the serp en t has m ore subtle fo rm s. In m odern
religious expression he m ay be co ile d in the
d a rk a n d m ysterious, the irra tio n a l a n d the sub
je c tiv e , the literalistic a n d the extrem e. Usually,
devotees o f such things claim bib lica l authority,
b u t w hat they pra ctice is an abuse o f the Bible
Som etim es that abuse is deadly.
— T h e E d ito r
H er a l d o f H o liness
iMMTION OF BROTHER RAY
om e o f you are w o n d e rin ’,” says B ob E lkins so ft
ly, “ w hy so m eone else d id n ’t get bit and d ie .”
T h e q u e s tio n d a n g le s u n e a s ily in th e air. A
fold in g ch air creaks. E very seat in the C hu rch o f
the L ord Jesu s, and every b it o f standing room , is
o ccu p ied for this u n fo rg ettab le funeral.
"W ell, m ay b e the o th er feller w a sn ’t w orthy to
die for the W ord!”
A chorus o f lusty am ens.
I t’s been 29 years since the last tim e w orship killed a
p erso n in th is h u m b le , b a c k -ro a d s c o n g re g a tio n in the
hollow s o f Jo lo , W est V irginia, the last state in the U nion
w here relig io u s snake h an d lin g is still not a crim e.
E very w eek en d , p arish io n ers g ath er here to show th eir
fa ith in th e S c rip tu re s b y s in g in g h y m n s, d a n c in g to
ro ckabilly g o sp el, and rev eren tly passin g , h and to hand,
squ irm ing rattlesn ak es, co tto n m o u th s, and co p perheads.
M ost o f the w o rsh ip ers are lo cals, but som e are p il
grim s w ho driv e here from m ore than 100 m iles aw ay.
R ay J o h n s o n w as o n e o f th o se . M o st e v e ry w e e k e n d ,
Ray, his w ife, B etty, and th e ir five ch ild ren m ad e the trip
from G alax , V irginia, 300 m iles b ack and forth, bunking
in a v a c a n t c a b in on a n e a rb y m o u n ta in to p . W h en he
w a sn 't pray in g , Jo h n so n w as out on the m o u n tain ridges
w ith a pole, a no o se, and a b u rlap bag, pullin g up rocks
to see w hat slithered out.
T he B ib le s at th is c h u rc h ten d to be c ra c k e d at the
spine, falling open n atu rally to the B ook o f M ark, c h ap
ter 16, verse 18, w here it says, “ T hey shall take up ser
pents; and if they d rin k any d ead ly thing, it shall not hurt
th em ." H ere, the B ible is reg ard ed not as a g u id e but as
w o rd -fo r-w o rd decree.
A nd so it w as that Ray Jo h n so n w ore a cap w ith this
in sc rip tio n : “ G o d S aid It, I B eliev e It, an d T h a t’s It.”
Jo hnson died not long ago at the age o f 52.
H e w as b itte n 13 h o u rs e a rlie r, d u rin g S u n d a y se r
vices, alm o st precisely on the spot w here his open casket
lay at his funeral. T h o se w ho saw the fatal bites say they
h ap pened in a split second. Jo h n so n w as h o ld in g a threefo o t tim b e r ra ttle r lig h tly a ro u n d its b elly , and it ju s t
turned on him and struck tw ice on his left w rist, snapsnap, a b lu r o f fang and fury and shiny flat head. The
second bite w as d eep and nasty, and it took a few sec
onds to pry the sn a k e ’s h ead o ff his w rist.
"I asked Ray if he w anted to go see a d o cto r and he
sa id n o ,” D e w e y C h a fin sa y s. C h a fin is s h a k e n , b u t
p ro u d o f his frie n d ’s reso lv e. C h afin h im s e lf has been
b itte n 116 tim e s , he sa y s, an d h a s tre a te d e a c h w ith
prayer alone.
D eath fro m sn a k e b ite d u rin g re lig io u s se rv ic e s is a
A ugu st 1994
relative rarity— only a dozen or so have been reported in
this century. T he last fatality in the C hurch o f the Lord
Je su s w as th a t o f D ew ey C h a fin ’s sister, w ho d ie d in
1962 at the age o f 22. C hafin still m ourns her.
R ay Jo h n so n w as a d isa b le d m ech an ic w ho had a l
ready suffered tw o heart attacks and w hose do cto r w as
w orried eno u g h about his health to order him to cut back
on his favorite m eal o f corn bread, m ilk, and beans. In
fact, Johnson had been bitten tw ice before in church, and
reco v ered each tim e w ithout m edical intervention. A nd
so, this tim e too, he m erely w ent to C h a fin ’s hom e to lie
dow n and take som e nourishm ent. T hrough the evening
p arishioners dropped by to pray fo r him .
“ H e drank som e 7-U p, som e orange ju ice, and som e
ch ick en b ro th ,” re calls G en e v a C h afin , D e w e y ’s w ife.
Q uietly, Jo hnson called out the nam es o f everyone in the
ro o m an d to ld th em th a t he lo v e d th e m , th e n slo w ly
closed his eyes.
T he death stunned the church m em bers, but it has not
se e m e d to d a u n t th em . T h e y w ill c o n tin u e to h an d le
snakes at th eir reg u lar S unday services. B etty Jo h nson is
expected.
A n o u tsid e r m ay be te m p te d to d ism iss the p a ris h
ioners at the C hurch o f the L ord Jesus as frenzied fan at
ics, and, indeed, the religion they practice is as reckless
as R ussian roulette. B ut to w atch one o f th eir snake ser
vices— conducted after the picnic lunch is served— is to
w atch an exercise in faith and cleansing passion that few
o f us w ill ev er know. O nce, during an evening service,
several m em bers o f the congregation w ere holding ra t
tlesnakes and copperheads, keeping w ary eyes on the an
im a ls ’ h e ad s, w hen the ro o m w en t pitch black. P ow er
o u tag e. W orsh ip ers b o lted fo r th e ir cars to fin d fla sh
lights w hile the nervous snake handlers rem ained in the
terrifying blackness, arm s extended to the m ax, shouting
out th eir positions lest som eone back into a pair o f fangs.
By and by, the snakes w ere returned to th eir boxes by
flashlight.
C andleholders now adorn the c h u rc h ’s w alls.
A t R ay J o h n so n ’s funeral, the line o f m ourners w ho
filed past his open casket included his w ife; his m other,
L eu B lan k en sh ip ; and his 12-year-old son, Je rry Ray,
w ho knelt and p laced in his d a d ’s shirt pocket a folded
piece o f paper.
W hen the coffin w as closed, the last things to d isap
p ea r from view (or m ore precisely, the tw o things you
rem em bered the longest), w ere the w hite glove that had
been placed over Jo h n so n ’s purpled snakebit hand, and
the tattered, dog-eared B ible that rested on his chest. ^
13
Snakes, Faith, and the Word of God
by Daniel B. Spross, associate professor of New Testament
language and literature, Trevccca Nazarene College
ay Johnson died a pathetic
and tragic exam ple o f re li
g io n g o n e w ro n g . W h a t
m akes his death tragic is the
fact that he died needlessly,
due to a misplaced faith in a
m isunderstood Bible. W hat
he believed killed him, yet his
did nothing to advance the cause for
which he died. In fact, his death raises
questions about the credibility o f both
the B ible and those C h ristian s w ho
b a se th e ir fa ith in the G od o f the
Bible.
R
thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover.”
This proof text for snake handling
as a sign o f faith is found in the midst
o f a larger text that is extrem ely prob
lematic, M ark 16:9-20. The oldest and
bdeath
e st G re e k m a n u sc rip ts o f M a rk ’s
G ospel end with verse 8 o f the 16th
ch ap ter. Som e a n cie n t m a n u sc rip ts
provide a short ending after verse 8
th a t re a d s: “ A nd all th a t had been
com m anded them they told briefly to
those around Peter. And afterward Je
sus h im se lf sent out th ro u g h them ,
from east to west, the sacred and im
perishable proclam ation o f eternal sal
v a tio n ” (N R S V ). S till o th e r, la te r
m anu scrip ts delete the short ending
and add verses 9-20 immediately after
verse 8.
C ontext Counts
B eyond the problem with the text
itself is the larger problem of ignoring
the context— the setting and location
w ithin a sp ecific b ib lica l b o o k — of
any biblical passage. In M ark 16:9-20,
the entire passage stresses the im por
tance o f the gospel m essage and the
need for proclam ation; it is not a pre
scription for proving o n e's faith, nor
does it claim to provide an order of
w orship for the Sunday practices. Fur
therm ore, the statem ent on taking up
serpents has no disclaim er about harm
com ing to the handler; that statem ent
deals sp ecifically w ith d rinking any
deadly thing. All biblical texts should
be understood initially and prim arily
w ith in th e c o n te x t o f th e la rg e r
thought units o f which they are a part
in o rd er to be pro p erly u n d erstood.
A n yone th at se le c tiv e ly ch o o ses to
observe some parts o f the Bible, while
ig n o rin g the c le a r te a c h in g o f the
whole, will fall into errors and m isun
derstandings, regardless o f his sinceri
ty-
B rother ray died from
A FATAL MISUNDERSTANDING
OF THE NATURE OF THE
HOLY SCRIPTURES.
Proof-texting Is Hazardous
Snake handlers like the late Brother
Ray make only a portion of one verse
o f S c rip tu re th e p rim a ry b a s is fo r
dem onstrating their faith, which also
provides the central elem ent o f their
worship practices. M ark 16:17-18, in
the King Jam es Version of the Bible,
reads: “And these signs shall follow
them that believe; in my nam e shall
they cast out devils; they shall speak
with new tongues; they shall take up
serpents; and if they drink any deadly
14
E arly C hristian w riters in the sec
ond century frequently quote from and
refer to M a rk ’s G ospel in their w rit
ings, but never, not even once, do they
cite 16:9-20, suggesting that their texts
o f the Gospel did not include the pas
sage. The style, form , and content of
those verses indicate that they cam e
from a different author than the rest o f
the Gospel, probably a second-century
Christian.
The W hole M essage of
the W hole Bible
There is a further principle o f inter
pretation that might have saved B roth
er Ray from an untim ely end. All bib
lical texts need to be understood and
interpreted in the light o f the rest of
the Bible. If he had applied that prin
ciple to his ow n situation, he m ight
h a v e d is c o v e re d th a t m an y o f the
m iraculous signs m entioned in M ark
16:9-20 had in fact taken place as the
gospel spread in the first century. In
the Book o f A cts, dem ons w ere cast
out in the name o f Jesus (5:16; 16:1618); praying believers were gifted to
speak and p raise G od in lan g u a g es
and dialects that they had never stud
ied (2:1-11); Paul w as inadvertently
bitten by a viper, but survived without
harm (2 8 :1 -6 ); h an d s w ere laid on
H era ld of H oliness
many people suffering a variety o f ill
nesses and they w ere healed (3:1-10;
5 :1 4 -1 5 ; 1 4 :8 -1 0 ). B ut th e re is no
m en tio n o f C h ristia n s d rin k in g any
deadly poisons w ithout harm , nor is
there any indication that early C hris
tian s h a n d le d sn ak es to p ro v e th e ir
faith. Thus, this passage, as the Jolo,
W est Virginia, w orshipers interpreted
it, had no validation by a body o f oth
e r sc rip tu re s . T h e g e n e ra l te n o r o f
S cripture is still a b e tte r guide than
isolated, difficult texts.
Faith Does Not
Presum e U pon God
C lo se r e x a m in a tio n o f S c rip tu re
should call into question any and every
w orship practice that presum es upon
the goodness and graciousness o f God.
M atthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-12 detail
the tem ptation o f Jesus in the w ilder
ness. Jesus w as ch allen g ed to throw
him self off the pinnacle o f the Temple
to be rescued by God and thus prove
His faith that He was indeed the M essi
ah o f G od, the C hrist. H is resp o n se
fro m D e u te ro n o m y 6 :1 6 a p p lie s to
Brother Ray and all others who would
make any specific sign or miracle the
p ro o f o f th eir faith: “ D o not put the
Lord your God to the test” (NRSV).
U nderstanding the Bible
Brother Ray was not the first, nor is
he likely to be the last, person to m is
u n d erstand the p ro p er use o f S c rip
ture. M ost o f the problem s that arise
in an attem p t to interp ret and apply
the B ible to d ay sp rin g from fu n d a
m ental m isunderstandings o f the Bible
itself, the nature o f language and the
need for interpretation, and m isplaced
authority.
First o f all, the B ible is a Divinehum an e n te rp rise . T he c re a to r G od
has acted in hum an history; the story
o f His activity has been recorded and
preserved by those persons who have
seen, heard, and declared what He has
done. His Spirit has anim ated and in
spired m ortals to w rite about the d i
vine. Failure to recognize the elem ent
o f divine inspiration o f the Bible leads
to m issin g the p rim a ry p u rp o se for
which it was w ritten and for which it
h a s b e e n p r e s e r v e d . O n th e o th e r
hand, it m ust be a ffirm e d th at G od
chose to rev eal h im se lf through the
A ugu st 1994
m eans o f num erous human writers, all
subject to the lim itations com m on to
h u m an ity . D en ial o f the hu m an d i
m ension o f Scripture can lead to turn
ing the B ible itself into an object of
w orship, or worse, nothing more than
a book o f m agic form ulas that can en
able shrew d users to selectively m a
nipulate God into becom ing their ser
vant or spokesm an for their cause.
Second, all language is an attem pt
to express dynamic concepts in a con
crete or static form. Thus, words do
n o t h a v e u ltim a te m e a n in g w ith in
themselves; they are used dynamically,
and th e ir m ean in g is d e term in ed in
larg e m e a su re by the w ay they are
used and so understood within a par
ticular culture. As a result, ideas and
concepts once com m unicated in a par-
W hat KIND OF GOD
WOULD MAKE WORSHIP
A HAZARDOUS, POISONOUS,
TEST OF FAITH?
ticular group of words may, at a later
tim e , r e q u ire a d iffe r e n t g ro u p o f
words to express the same thought, es
p e c ia lly w h en the th o u g h t is to be
com m unicated to a people o f a differ
en t c u ltu re . T h e re fo re , th e ta sk o f
translation and interpretation is always
an ongoing and never finished process.
Finally, it m ust always be rem em
bered that the Bible does not advocate
w orship o f itself. Bibliolatry is a sin.
T he Bible has a derivative authority
that com es from divine inspiration; the
ultimate authority is God himself. The
B ible alw ays points beyond itself to
the G od who has spoken in the past,
w ho is sp eaking in the present, and
who will speak in the future. He will
co n tin u e to speak co n sisten tly w ith
w hat H e h as alrea d y sp o k en in the
Bible, and, through Scripture properly
interpreted, He will continue m aking
him self known to all humanity.
A proper understanding o f biblical
interpretation can help prevent future
tragedies not only for snake handlers
but for others w ho m ay be prone to
m isuse and m isunderstand the Bible.
In the W esleyan view, there are four
c o m p o n e n ts in u n d e rsta n d in g faith
that com prise the “W esleyan quadri
lateral.”
A t th e to p o f th e q u a d r ila te r a l
stands the Bible, the prim ary source
o f G o d ’s self-disclosure to humanity.
The principle of interpreting specific
texts in light o f the entire thrust o f the
total biblical record is as old as the
C hristian faith, and has been proven
sound in every succeeding generation.
B elow th at h ig h est level are tw o
p a ra lle l c o m p o n e n ts, tra d itio n and
reason. No one comes to the Bible to
tally apart from the traditional under
standing o f the Church, through which
the gospel has been and continues to
be p ro c la im e d and m ed iated . Any
practice of worship that has no tradi
tional antecedents would be carefully
co n sid ered , even though w e realize
that times and customs do change and
new form s to em body old truths are
constantly emerging.
Furtherm ore, if a worship practice
has no foundation at all in C hristian
trad itio n , it is both ap p ro p riate and
necessary to ask w hether or not it is
rea so n a b le. The G od o f the B ible,
who created hum anity in His image,
gave us the capacity to discern, think,
and reflect, and at the same time gave
us the responsibility to do so, even in
matters o f faith.
At the final level of the quadrilater
al stands experience, the personal and
c o r p o r a te e n c o u n te r w ith G o d in
everyday living. At the bottom line,
faith has to work in the personal and
practical areas of life.
In m a tte rs o f fa ith and w o rsh ip
practice, these four criteria can be rep
resented by the follow ing questions:
Is it consistent with the historic faith
o f the church down through the cen
turies? Is it reasonable and does it
make sense? Does experience, indi
vidually and collectively, tend to veri
fy its validity? A “N o” answer to any
o f these questions plants a big ques
tion m ark on the activity. M ultiple
negative answers reveal m ajor errors.
In B ro th e r R a y ’s c a s e , at all fo u r
points, the answ er was “N o,” and he
died in vain.
^
15
T
I he
Intermediate Church Initiative
a s tra te g y d e s ig n e d s p e c ific a lly
I fo r c h u rc h e s w ith 100 to 2 49 p e o p le , w ill c o n d u c t a N a t io n a l E q u ip p in g
C o n fe re n c e fro m October 20-22. 1994, a t th e C o lu m b u s N o rth R a d iss o n H otel
in C o lu m b u s , O hio.
S p e a k e rs w ill in clu d e Dr. Carl George D ire cto r of
th e C h a rle s E. F u lle r In s titu te and a re n o w n e d
C h u rch G ro w th c o n s u lta n t; Dr. Dwight “Ike
Reighard p a s to r of a fa s t g ro w in g
ch u rch w h ic h has p la n te d 3 o th e r
c h u rc h e s in th e last fe w y e a rs; Dr.
Conrad Lowe a g ifte d p a sto r
a nd te a c h e r; and Rev. Richard Bond
e va n g e list, a u th o r and se m in a r leader.
T h e re g istra tio n fe e is $ 95 fo r p astors
(a fte r S e p te m b e r 12 it w ill be $ 12 5 ),
and $ 50 fo r e ach a d d itio n a l sta ff
m e m b e r o r s p o u se .
This w ill he the
tra in in g e v e n t o f th e y e a r !
F o r r e g is t r a t io n in -fo rm a tio n c a ll C o n n ie 'R id d le a t (816) 333-1000 e x t. ZH 63.
Church Growth Division • Church of the Nazarene International Headquarters
by Weslcv Tracy and Tern’ Read
em em ber when the visiting m is
sionary w ould show slides at
your church? Som etim es, he or she
would project im ages o f those far
away and m ysterious creatures
called witch doctors. You would
stare in aw e at the still pictures of
these strange creatures dressed in
feathers, beads, and bones, spread
ing m agic powder, preparing a sac
rificial goat, or sprinkling potions
to drive the evil spirits from the
chest o f a pneum onia victim .
Things have changed now. The
pow ders and potions and sacrificial
anim als are the sam e. But the witch
doctor, the Santero priest, the
H oungan, is no longer far away. He
may live in your neighborhood, on
your block, or in your building.
Prim itive pagan religion is now an
Am erican reality.
W ith all its challenges and op
portunities, the m ission field has
com e to us!
R
Paula Burch
Traditional
African Religion
A Survey o f the History and Nature o f Prim itive African Religion
he remains o f 16 sacrificial animals found in
a Newark, N.J., park baffle police.
An Africa-born nurse in Atlanta botches a
ritual surgery on her three-year-old niece, a
procedu re req u ired by the A frican deity
Ogun. She is charged with child abuse.
The blood o f three lam bs and a dozen
chickens, sacrificed to an unknown deity, pours out
into a Santa Monica parking lot.
T rad itio n al A frican R elig io n (TA R) is flo u rish in g in
North A merica like algae on a pond in August. During two
c e n tu rie s o f d ia b o lic a l slav e tra d in g , som e 10 m illio n
Africans were brought in bondage to the Americas. The m a
jority o f them cam e from Yoruba and D ahom ey (m odern
Nigeria and Benin).
The first stop for slaves taken to the Caribbean was the
Catholic church. There, in a cerem ony and a language they
could not understand, they were declared Christians. They
were ordered to worship the images of the Catholic saints.
The Catholicism of the Caribbean at that time was C atholi
cism planted there before the Counter-Reform ation. That is
to say, the slaves were com m itted to the care o f the same
Catholicism against which M artin Luther rebelled.
Their new masters made the slaves kneel and pray before
the saints’ images, but in their hearts they were still praying
to the gods of the Traditional African Religion. Thus devel
oped one o f the m ost destructive syncretism s in history— a
pagan religion blended w ith unenlightened C atholicism .
This is the product that has now been imported into North
America from the Caribbean and Latin A m erica in the form
of Voodoo and Santeria.
The Deities of TAR
The emergence of the mysterious TAR strikes fear to the
hearts of many who encounter it unawares. Much of the fear
(and fascination) with TAR evaporates when one under
stands its prim itive origin and nature. It is a religion of
fierce deities and bloody sacrifices. Isaiah Oke. trained as a
juju priest in Nigeria and converted to Christianity when he
went to college, writes, “We cut ourselves and we cut oth
ers. We splash blood about. We even drink it. It’s part of our
cerem onies . . . part o f our everyday lives. M en, women,
and even children drink blood— human as well as anim al—
as casually as Am ericans drink cola.’’1
18
This bloody religion has been ruled over by hundreds of
bloodthirsty gods since a thousand years before Christ. In
addition to an estim ated 1,700 gods, a m ultitude o f lesser
“ancestor spirits” keeps tabs and takes toll on the road of
T A R ’s life. Add to this the spiritual savagery w rought by
m illions o f evil spirits w orking through w itches, and you
have in our world today m ore than 100 m illion people ter
rorized by a m alignant supernatural.
We can take time to merely glance at a few of the major
gods who rule TAR.
1. O batala and Yemonja. The Suprem e Being, Olodumare or Olorun, being rem ote and unreachable by hum ans,
designated O batala and Yemonja (Yemaya) who were gods
in the form o f flesh to p o p u late the earth w ith o rish a s
(gods). This pair parented 14 o f the m ajor gods of TAR.
O batala is the god of land. His wife, Yemonja, is the god
o f the sea. O batala is seen as O lo ru n ’s vice president in
charge o f running m ost things on earth. He helped create
man. His devotees are to abstain from alcohol and dress in
white, sym bolizing purity.
Yemonja sym bolizes the beauty and dangers of the sea.
She bore 14 orishas for her husband, although, according to
the myths, she left him at different times to be the wife of
three o f her sons.
Kenneth Kafoed shows on national television a
voodoo talisman made to protect Joe Montana from
being sacked in the Super Bowl. M ontana is not
sacked once. His team wins the game by the widest
margin in Super Bowl history.
A George Washington University Christian theolo
gy professor goes through the initiation rites, includ
ing a bath in herbal waters and sacrificial blood, to
become a joyful “child” o f Elleggua, the most popu
lar African god in North America.
2. O gun. The second son o f O batala and Yemonja was
Ogun. He is the most m acho o f the gods. He is the god of
metals (the discovery o f iron and sm ithing was very im por
tant in African life). He is the god o f tools, weapons, war.
and destruction. One of the songs, "A chant o f w orship,” of
ten sung at the annual, w eeklong Ogun festival in modern
Nigeria includes this stanza:
A bull that has been cleaned and perfumed by Ogun worshipers is about to be slaughtered by machete
Worshipers in Plaine du Nort, Haiti, then drank the anim al’s blood from gourds.
Carole Devillers
Where is Ogun to he fo u n d ? . . .
Ogun is fo u n d where there are torrents o f blood;
Torrents o f blood, the sight o f which nearly
strangles one.
Like the river A go in flo o d ?
A nother Ogun hymn declares that:
Ogun kills the husband before the fire.
He kills the wife in the foyer.
He kills the little ones as they fle e outside. . . .
With water in the house he washes with blood?
This terrible god not only sheds blood but is associated
with many kinds of reprehensible conduct. Ogun, even as a
boy, repeatedly raped his mother. No w onder another Ogun
hymn ends with, "O h. I am afraid o f Ogun . . . Save m e.”4
W ho could trust a god o f whom one must sing:
On the days when Ogun is angered,
There is alw ays disaster in the world.
The world is fu ll o f dead people going to heaven. . . .
I fe a r and respect m y orisha.
I have seen your bloody m errim ent?
In Tucson, 250 Cuban refugees are arrested fo r
brazen crimes, including ritual killing. The police say
that by offering a goat or a dog to Ogun they feel in
vincible and attempt the most daring crimes in broad
daylight.
In Virginia, a woman finds on her husband’s grave
a gutted chicken stuffed with a rubber doll.
A New York entrepreneur discovers that Santeria
paraphernalia is a growth industry.
Ogun is one of the most popular TAR gods in the A m eri
cas. In 1980, when Castro em ptied his prisons via the 1980
A u g is t
1994
U.S. worshipers of Ogun can purchase Ogun paraphernalia PauiaBurch
like this iron caldron and other symbols of this macho god of war,
destruction, bloodshed, tools, and weapons, at many botanicas in
New York, M iam i, New Orleans, and San Francisco. Inside the
caldrons, devotees put “orisha stones,” which must be given
herbal water to drink and sacrificial blood for food.
boatlift, many Ogun worshipers of the fundam entalist Sante
ria sect, Abaqua, ended up in Tucson. More than 250 were
soon arrested for all sorts of bizarre and violent crimes. D e
tective J. P. Law ton reported that “ if th ey ’re a believer in
Ogun . . . they’re into violent stuff, assaults, m urders.”6 He
echoes the statem ent o f Det. R oberto R odriquez, M iam i,
who pointed out that when the Santero criminals offer a sac
rifice to Ogun, “ It gives them a feeling that they ca n ’t be
touched, that th ey ’re somehow protected, like they were Su
perman. It m akes them that much more wild and reckless
19
and dangerous.”7 M issionary John Seam an says that thugs
in West Africa really believe that after an offering to Ogun
(or other deities), bullets cannot hurt them. Some even be
lieve they are invisible to police. The paraphernalia of Ogun
worship can now be purchased at hundreds o f botanicas in
the U.S.A.
3. Legba and Eshu. Legba (Elegba, Elleggua) was, ac
cording to Oba Ecun in M ythology o f the Yoruha People,
the fourth son o f O batala and Yemonja. He is the m essenger
o f the gods. He was the one who reported to O batala that
Ogun was regularly raping his mother. Therefore, Obatala
appointed Legba to keep watch on all his brother and sister
orishas and report to him. To this day, therefore, anyone of
fering a sacrifice to any god m ust assign part of the offering
to Legba or he simply will not carry the prayer of the w or
shiper on to the proper deity.
Prayers to him often request that he rem ove the barrier
betw een the supplicant and the gods, the spirits o f ances
tors, or even the barrier between the w orshiper and a good
job or a lo v er’s heart. Legba guards the entrance to homes
and cities. In the old times, it was said that the best way to
protect the seven gates o f a typical Yoruba city was to bury
alive, still kicking and scream ing, three enem ies by each
gate.8
If you walked into this room, as one Nazarene lady did,
GenevaSilvernail
would you recognize it as a shrine to the African deity Sango
(Shango)? Notice the wooden axes and swords of this warrior orisha,
the god of thunder and lightning. Behind the man, not visible, is an
image of John, whom the Bible calls a “son of thunder.”
as the python god. As such, he is said to represent the soul
o f Africa. His colors are green and yellow or orange, the
A local television station in Chicago carries the sto colors o f the tree python o f central and w est A frica. In
ry o f a man arrested fo r turning an apartment into a C a rib b e a n an d B ra z ilia n v o o d o o , th e s e rp e n t g o d is
holding pen fo r dogs, goats, chickens, and pigs, which Dam ballah, who holds up the sky with his tail, the rainbow.
he sold to jujumen fo r sacrifical purposes.
Did O runm ila make it into the pages o f the New Testa
m
ent?
In A cts 16, Paul and Silas encountered a fortuneThirteen bodies found in Matamores, Mexico, are
telling
slave
girl who was possessed by what is translated “a
determined to be the victims o f human sacrifice by
spirit
o
f
divination.”
Some Greek copies, however, say that r
Santerian fundamentalists.
she
was
possessed
by
the spirit of the "python god." Paul
Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn be
casts out the python spirit. Christ is more powerful than any
comes a noted book in the United States.
snake god.
5.
Shango. W orldwide, Shango may be the most honored
TAR
deity.
His dom ain extends from Africa to nearly all of
Through time and transitions, the mythology o f Legba be
Latin
A
m
erica
and now North America. His popularity may
came so entw ined with that o f Eshu (Esu) that it is hard to
have
to
do
with
the fact that he is so fierce that none dare
separate the tw o.1' Eshu is the trickster god w ho foils the
not
appease
him.
Lucas says that in Shango, the fear in reli
dreams and greed of men.
gion
is
“raised
to
the level o f dread or terror.” 11 Judith G lea
But Eshu is m ore than a jokester who gives people what
son
reports
that
“
Shango was the first o f those who found
they have com ing. Isaiah Oke calls him the king o f pride
that
Shango
was
uncontrollable.”
14
and says that he is “the orisha that most closely resem bles
He
was
a
handsom
e
king
w
ho
started too m any w ars,
Satan; all our Christian churches in A frica equate the tw o.” "1
slaughtered
too
m
any
people,
and
loved
too m any women.
Oke claim s that those possessed by Eshu com m it the foulest
Oba
Ecun,
a
Santero
him
self,
calls
Shango
“the perfect rep
o f d eed s. He c ite s the case o f an A fric a n w o m an w ho
resentation
o
f
the
m
ale
sex
.”
1
5
His
spiritual
children are
gouged out the eyes of a group o f school children.11 J. Olu“bom
with
war
in
their
heads.”
1
6
mide Lucas simply calls Eshu “the devil.” 12
Shango was not born to O batala and Yem onja like the
4. Orunmila. The father o f priests, diviners, and fortune
other
m ajor orishas were. He was sent from heaven in a ball
tellers is Orunmila. He is a brother to Legba and Ogun. As
o
f
fire
to w reak vengeance on m isbehaving o rishas and
the priest, he offers sacrifice, working with Ogun, the god of
men.
The
first thing he did was to punish Ogun. Thus, the
metals, including the knife the priest uses to kill sacrificial
disciples
o
f these two orishas do not get along to this day.
animals. As diviner, he ascertains what the orishas want the
This
w
arrior
god is the lord o f thunder and lightning and
worshiper to sacrifice.
fire.
He
may
smite
anyone with lightning who tells a lie,
O runm ila is the fountain o f w isdom , secret know ledge,
cheats,
or
deceives.
He
is rude and ruthless and will put up
cunning, and knowledge o f the future. He, too, lived as hus
with no excuses from those who deal hypocritically.
band with his mother, Yemonja, for a time.
This fierce god taught the people the art o f “ scarificaHe is often referred to as the serpent god, m ore precisely
20
H era ld o f H oliness
the serpent and rescued the woman. And there are hundreds
more. Any o f them can be bribed by an enemy to curse you,
or, if you come up with a bigger offering, they will leave
you alone.
Religious Practices
For the D ahom ey and Yoruba people, the nations from
w hich m ost slaves in the A m ericas cam e, religion dom i
nates life from birth to death. On the third day after birth,
the babalaw o (priest) conducts a cerem ony that tells the
fam ily w hich orisha (god) the new baby is to follow. At
every stage o f life from then on, certain sacrifices, vows,
disciplines, and acts of obedience are required.
At an early age the child is taught to participate in family
worship. Each home has a mud block that holds the idol of
the fam ily orisha. The mud block is usually red and white.
If Esu (Elegbara) is the fam ily deity, the idol is made of
stone. If it is Ogun, an iron idol rules the house from the red
and white block. M ost other idols are made from w ood or
clay.
Prayer is an important function in TAR. There are literal
ly sw arm s o f orishas, w itches, evil spirits, and ancestor
spirits that must be appeased, obeyed, or avoided. Thus, a
Yoruba person will pray many times a day. Each day of the
8-, 9-, or 16-day weeks observed at different periods in his
tory has a presiding orisha. The first day o f the week is sa
cred to Esu, the second to Obatala, the third to Ogun, etc.
Thus, one must pray to the “god of the day” each day.
Corporate worship is very important. Worship takes place
in several settings: the hom e, sacred groves containing
A New Orleans botanica displays the wooden ax of Shango
and other items peculiar to the worship of this orisha,
including the customary red and white beads.
tion” o f their bodies, which he told them gave them more
sex appeal.17
In New Orleans, workers fin d a box buried in a
grave. It contains several undergarments and a hu
man tooth.
A Los A ngeles fin a n cia l w riter reports that she
could not fin d peace until a young Haitian voodoo
priest offered a chicken in her behalf.
In Hialeah, Fla., the courts rule that the Church of
Lukimi Babalu must stop animal sacrifices as part of
worship. The leaders o f the 60,000-member church
appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court sides with the Santeros. Animal sacrifice proceeds under the fu ll protec
tion o f the law.
The orisha Alukan (Alucan) presides over this urn of good fortune.
She is the voodoo version of Yemaya and Yemonja, goddess of the
sea. The various symbols seen at the foot of the urn are kept inside
it by the devotee wishing for health and fortune.
PauiaBurch
6.
O shun. The river Oshun in N igeria gives its name to
this goddess o f fresh water, beauty, and love. She is happy
and joyous and not as m alevolent as the w arrior gods. She
is the legal wife o f O runm ila, the m istress o f Shango, and
the patroness o f illicit love affairs. Needless to say, she has
a large follow ing both in A frica and the Americas.
Time w ould fail me to tell you o f the others— o f Oba,
who served her ear “encaserole” to prove her love for her
h u s b a n d — o f O y a , th e g o d d e s s o f th e c e m e te r y — o f
O duduw a, founder o f the sacred city o f Ifa, of O risa-oko,
god o f the farm and the harvest— o f Sopanno, the goddess
o f sm allpox— o f Babaluaye, the god o f sickness and m is
ery— o f O shosi who, with his wife, faced the giant serpent
in the prim ordial forest garden at the front edge o f history.
He did better than Adam. A ccording to the tale, he whipped
A ugu st 1994
In Florida, a farmer scolds a tenant. The next day,
he discovers an altar that the tenant has made invok
ing curses on him. It includes a goat skull, a blooddrenched human skull, and a drawing o f Saint Bar
bara.
May 28, 1994, police raid a three-story house in
Chicago and discover 200 animals destined fo r Santeria sacrifices.
In N ew O rlean s, the g rave o f M arie L aveau ,
voodoo queen, is treated like a shrine and decked with
flowers and food—every night.
shrines, tem ples, and on the occasion o f important festivals.
The liturgy includes a wide variety o f cerem onies accom pa
nied by prayer, songs and chants, drum m usic, sacrifice,
d an cin g , p o sse ssio n by the o rish a s, and so m etim es by
drinking (inebriated ecstasy). All these elem ents have been
handed dow n for cen tu ries alm ost u n changed, and “ the
drum m ing, dancing, and singing com bine to create an in
tense atmosphere [of] ecstatic em otion.”111 In the tem ples or
at the grove shrines, worship leaders often “chant songs of
two or three notes until they work them selves into a fren
zy.” 19 The apex of this ecstatic w orship com es when some
o f the worshipers are possessed by the gods. The possessed
worshipers speak with a voice not their own, have unusual
strength, prophesy things to com e, rebuke perso n s w ho
have been violating the m oral codes, and som etim es b e
come violent and uncontrollable. Awolalu notes that if the
possessing spirit is one of the w arrior orishas, such as Ogun
or Shango, “there is the absolute need for strong men to be
in attendance to help hold down the [worshiper] when he is
possessed and in a state o f ecstasy, as he may be very vio
lent.”20 At least in the old days a possessed person was not
held morally or legally responsible for any crime or m iscon
duct com m itted while possessed (the devil made him do it).
On the occasion o f the annual festivals, w orship can be
com e licentious. Lucas notes that “the em otions are given
free reign. Intoxication, rude dem onstrations o f the phallus,
. . . immoral songs, [and] shameless d a n c e s . . . prevail.”21
One o f the annual festivals widely celebrated is the festi
val o f new yams. In some places it is com bined with the
seven-day Ogun festival. Usually, the civic leaders preside
o v er the sa c rific e o f sev eral d o g s, O g u n ’s sa c rific e o f
choice. Licentious celebrations often characterize this festi
val. Awolalu cites the practice of having the newly pubes
cent girls dance with a sugar stick and sing a song that has
this stanza:
/ go to the m arket
A nd obtain immortality;
I bring back fro m there a new baby.22
The annual Egungun festival is another occasion for li
centiousness in the name of the spirits. That night, the spirits
o f the ancestors are invoked to return and possess their de
scendants. M uch palm wine is consum ed. The men o f the
village or town dress in masks and fancy disguises. They are
supposed to be the ancestors in disguise. Again, the unm ar
ried women o f the village are to dance. M any sexual en22
R efugees fro m Som alia and other A frican and
Asian nations repeatedly offer to pay American doc
tors up to $3,000 to have their daughters excised or
infibulated.
Portland, Oreg.: Lydia Olurolo goes to court to
keep fro m being d ep o rted to h er native N igeria.
There, she claims, the culture and the religion would
require her two daughters to submit to excision and
infibulation. Sexual mutilation happened to her there,
and she wants something better fo r her daughters.
October 1993, two U.S. congresswomen, Pat Shroeder o f Colorado and Barbara-Rose Collins o f Michi
gan, introduce legislation that would outlaw excision
and infibulation of girls under 18 in this country.
counters occur, and some of the young women becom e preg
nant. In the past, they were still regarded as virgins because
they were not impregnated by a man but by a spirit disguised
as a man. The children bom of these unions becom e "throw
away babies.” Isaiah Oke, in his 1989 book, insists that these
throwaway babies provide the juju priests with a steady sup
ply of infants to use for hum an sacrifice, which he insists
goes on at a steady pace in several African countries, includ
ing his native Nigeria. He names several Christian ministries
that focus on rescuing throwaway babies.23
A nother annual festival that has gone on for centuries is
the Tele Festival. It is practiced in several forms in different
regions, but the aim is the same everyw here. Tele is the hu
m an scap eg o at, and he is to carry aw ay the sins o f the
w hole com m unity. Based on the Egyptian religion (m ost
TAR practices are), the person designated by the priest to be
the sacrifice is paraded through the streets. Everyone in the
H era l d o f H oliness
clerk waits on
customer at La
itanique de
lint Jacques
ajeur on
atbush Avenue,
iw York.
Miriam Chamani, voodoo
priestess, came to New
Orleans from Chicago and
Belize to offer snake rituals.
“ Times are hard. We are just
trying to help people,” she
says. Her snake represents
Damballa, the god whose tail
is the rainbow that holds up
the sky. Notice the images of
Christian saints in the
background.
crow d tries to touch him to be sure that their sins will die
with him. During his last two or three days, the Tele is treat
ed with great honor. He is told that he will return in his next
life as a king. W omen pray that he will be reborn to them.
On the fatal day, the Tele is taken to the grove or shrine
where he is to be sacrificed. A com plicated cerem ony en
sues. A ccording to Bishop Jam es Johnson, near the end, the
victim is to start his “ last song w hich is taken up by the
large assem bly o f the people who have been w aiting to hear
his last song, or his last groan, [then] his head is taken off
and his blood offered to the gods." The last groan is a signal
"for joy and thanksgiving and for drum beating and dancing
. . . because their sacrifice has been accepted, the divine
wrath is appeased."24
The scapegoat cerem ony is still carried out in Ife. The
Tele is not killed. He leads a goat as his substitute. It is sac
rificed and Tele returns from the sacred grove with its right
In the Midwest, a Christian counselor heard that
we were preparing this feature and arranged a con
sultation with us on behalf o f clients involved in prim
itive religion rituals.
On a San Francisco street, a police officer who can
speak Spanish is asked to question a Santeria priest
suspected o f possible involvem ent in ritual human
sacrifice. Three minutes into the interrogation, the
Hispanic officer drops to his knees before the priest
and begs fo r mercy.
From Miami, daily radio and television programs
teach the beliefs and practices o f Santeria and other
form s o f primitive spiritism.
A ugust 1994
leg. W hoever Tele meets first must accept the gift goat leg.
The receiver of the gift will “inescapably die with the year.”
If Tele m eets no one and cannot give the gift away, the or
isha sees to it that he will die before the sacrifice next year.
Human sacrifice has been against the law for more than
100 years, but m any insist th at if the fam ine is intense
enough, the drought long enough, the lust for pow er strong
enough, the threat o f invasion clear enough, that secret hu
man sacrifices are likely. Be that as it may, the deities to
whom human sacrifice was m ost often made include several
w ho are now very p o p u la r in A m erica: O gun, S hango,
Eshu, Elegba.25
In 1851, the Ibadan people sacrificed 70 human victims in
order to appease their god’s anger after their king died.26 In
1892, the Ijebu people offered 200 persons to a deity (proba
bly Ogun) to get him to defeat the British army. Ogun re
mained aloof, the Ijebu people lost, and since their god had
failed them, many turned to the religion of their conquerors.27
Before we Americans shake our heads in horror, it would
be good to remember that the ancestors of Western civiliza
tion also practiced human sacrifice. Take the lofty Greek cul
ture. Remember how Adonis died? Gored by a wild boar. For
centuries the Greeks reenacted this drama. A young boy was
selected, prom ised a trip straight to paradise, and given a
golden apple as his ticket to heaven. Then a wild boar was set
upon him to kill him . Som etim es the boar was not m ean
enough, so after a while a priestess dressed as a boar attacked
the child, stabbing him w ith a scythe. The chosen child
clutched his golden apple and bled to death while the wor
shipers cheered. The point is that pagan primitive religion is
pagan primitive religion in whatever ethnic group it appears.
“Nobody comes forw ard to worship without bringing an
offering [or sacrifice] of some kind.”28
23
Santeria Moves North
No one seems to know how m any Santeros there are in
undreds of shiploads o f slaves from Yorubaland
North
Am erica. But they abound in New York, Florida, A ri
w ere dum ped in Cuba. Even before they were
zona,
and C alifo rn ia. T he C h urch o f L ukim i B ubalu in
given over to the savage forem en o f the sugar
Hialeah,
Fla., has 60,000 m em bers. Som e 300,000 live in
p la n ta tio n s, they w ere m ass b ap tiz e d and d e
New
York
City.
clared Christians. They were forced to w orship
So,
what
are the Santeros up to? How do they practice their
the im ages o f pre-Counter-Reform ation C atholi
religion?
This
fascinating religion appears to be growing by
cism . F o rb id d en to open ly w o rsh ip th e ir ow n
leaps and bounds among U.S. intellectuals who are searching
gods, the slaves learned to code the new Christian saint im
for something beyond technology, science, and ho-hum tradi
ages to represent their old gods. At the end o f a 12-hour day
tional Christianity to satisfy the deep hunger of the soul.
in the cane fields, a hom esick and weary w orker would light
L et’s take a look at the four basic practices o f Santeria:
a candle before the im age o f St. John or St. B arbara and
initiation, divination, sacrifice, and possession.
chant his prayers to Shango. Images of Jesus and St. Peter
Initiation
becam e co n d u its fo r p ray ers to E leggua. S tatu es o f St.
Jam es and St. Peter presided over prayers to Ogun.
W hile S an te ria is n o t a m issio n a ry re lig io n the way
C hristianity is, it does have a very effective m entoring pro
As tw o centuries passed, prim itive Catholicism and Tra
gram . In the fam ilies, children are carefu lly trained and
ditional African Religion becam e so blended that it is hard
taught about the pow er o f the saints and the orishas. When
to tell where one ends and the other begins. Santeria (w or
the child has studied and learned enough, he will “m ake”
ship o f the saints) and the M arxism of m odem Cuba have
Eleggua or Ogun or Oshun or Obatala. This includes initia
not melded well. Refugees have left Cuba by the hundreds
tion
as a devotee o f a particular orisha.
of thousands over the past three decades. They have taken
Orula
(Orunm ila) reveals to the Santero priest which or
Santeria with them to many countries, including the United
isha
the
child
should “m ake.” O ften this is determ ined at
States.
birth, just as it has been done for centuries. But a convert
such as Joseph M. Murphy, G eorgetow n U niversity theolo
gian, can, as an adult, discover through the Santero priest,
to which orisha he should be initiated.2"
Full initiation into the religion often takes the form of an
asiento cerem ony through which the devotee "m akes” the
ELEGGUA
“basic constellation of the m ost im portant orishas.'"'" Mur
p h y ’s initiation in New York included a cerem onial cleans
ing bath in omiero, a solution o f water, herbs, and sacrificial
blood— in the name o f Oshun. This was follow ed by anoint
ing various parts o f the body with cocoa butter and cascarilla (a chalk made from dried egg w hite) in the name of
Obatala, in whose honor he was dressed in w hite garments.
N ext, he knelt and received bead necklaces, w hich he
kissed before they were put around his neck by priestesses.
E ach n e c k la c e w as c o lo r co d e d to re p re s e n t E leggua.
Obatala, Yemaya, Shango, and O shun.31
Initiation may occur with only a few persons present, or
it may be the highlight o f a bem be, a religious gathering and
dance. W henever initiation occurs, it becom es o n e ’s birth
day in en santo.
H
Divination
Divination directs the life o f the Santero from the cradle
to the grave. Every problem and decision is brought to the
Many North American Santeros pray and offer sacrifices to Elleggua
regularly. He is the god who holds the key to the spirit world. He
also is believed to have the power to remove barriers between the
worshiper and a good job, good health, and success.
H e r a l d o f H o liness
On St. Joseph’s day 1994, this
Santeria healing service
transpired in New Orleans. The
Santero touched various parts
of this woman’s body with a
piece of fruit. He offered
several incantations. Soon the
woman was possessed by a
spirit and trembled violently.
Cigar smoke was puffed on her
and rum spewed on her.
Afterward she was asked to
throw the fruit (which had
allegedly absorbed her disease)
as far as she could. This was
repeated with several other
devotees.
Paula Burch
priest. Problem s o f love, m arriage, money, health, and voca
tion bring the Santero to the p riest’s divination cham ber—
fee in hand. The priest consults the o rish a s who reveal the
cause o f the problem or the proper choice to make. Often,
the o rish a reveals that an enem y has invoked a hex or curse
on the worshiper. Unless this is countered by the proper cer
emony, no m atter how expensive, one could die.
The principal tools for div in atio n are Ifa and coconut
meat. In Africa, kola nut shells or cowrie shells are used, but
in North Am erica, chunks o f coconut meat, brow n on one
side and w hite on the other, are used. For routine divina
tions, four pieces of coconut are held chest high by the priest
or priestess. They are dropped on the floor. If they land with
all four dark sides up, there may be little hope. You are in
grave danger and may lose your fortune or your life. Three
dark and one w hite usually m eans additional offerings of
cash or herbs or anim als are required. Two white, two dark,
is good, and only an additional candle or other small offering
or act of devotion is required to obtain the o r is h a s blessing
or approval. Four white is cause for rejoicing.
In complicated matters, as many as 16 pieces o f coconut
are used, and every pattern o f dark and w hite has its own
m eaning and requirem ents. For each pattern, the priest can
pull up a myth of ancient Africa in which one or more of the
original orishas had an identical problem and an identical div
ination pattern. What the gods did in that case, you must do.
A nother powerful instrum ent o f divination is the Ifa. This
is a long chain that each priest w ears around his neck. It
contains beads and other charm s as well as up to 16 con
cave/convex disks, often m ade from tortoise shells. The
chain is tossed and the num b er o f d isks that land u p or
d o w n reveals the will of the orishas.
Through these processes, the Santero discovers his des
tiny as well as the causes o f present problem s and how to
make decisions, large and small.
To an outsider, it looks as if one gives up his freedom and
initiative to a "flip o f the coin.” But the Santeros believe
A u g u s t 19 9 4
that the gods direct the Ifa and the coconut chunks— their
decisions are not to be questioned or flaunted. Divination
has as much control of the devotee’s life as the doctrine of
pred estination had on the early follow ers o f L uther and
Calvin. M urphy’s priest, whom he called Padrino, declared,
“I have been a ha b a la w o for nearly 40 years, and Ifa has
never been w rong.’”2
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the aspect of Santeria that most offends North
A m erican sensitivities. The idea o f bankers, professors,
com puter scientists, bus drivers, secretaries, and children
gathered to offer the blood of goats (and perhaps drink o f it)
to a concrete, iron, or w ooden idol is repulsive to many.
Thus, this part of Santeria is clandestine. Our photographers
in New York and New Orleans tried to photograph sacrifi
cial cerem onies but were denied permission.
Santeros would not dare face life without the protection
o f the o rish a s, w hich they purchase through sacrifice. In
Santero hom es, a closed cabinet (ca n a stillero ) houses the
parap h ern alia o f the patron o ris h a s of the family. T heir
C atholic saint counterparts are usually in plain sight. The
sacred objects o f the orish a s include their symbols and their
sacred stones. On special occasions, the sacred stones are
taken to sacrificial rituals o f the congregation. The sacred
stones are given herbal w ater to keep the thirsty o rish a s
“cool" and not hot and angry. The o rish a s also must have
food— the blood o f sacrificial animals and birds.
The Santeros believe that without the food and drink the
disciples bring, the o rish a s would die. “ Blood for the o r
ish a ; food for the Santero” is an axiom. The flesh of the
sacrificial anim al is ordinarily eaten by the w orshipers at
meals that alm ost always accompany Santero meetings.
“Vida p a ra vid a ” (life for life) is another common phrase
that bespeaks the soul of Santeria sacrifice. You come to the
orish a with a problem. You are sick, you have lost your job,
or someone has invoked a deadly curse on you. You offer
25
the life o f the animal as a substitute for your own life. The
Santeros are painstakingly careful to offer the precisely cor
rect sacrifice at precisely the right time in hopes that the o r
isha will accept the life o f the goat, pig, dog, sheep, chick
en, or pigeon (see Table 1 for the preferred sacrifices o f the
principal Santeria and voodoo orishas) in the place o f their
own life. Confidence, peace, even a sense o f invincibility
comes to the devotee when he or she “know s” that the sacri
fice has been accepted.
Possession
One surely “know s” that the sacrifice has been accepted
and the god appeased if the orisha sum m oned possesses the
devotee and/or other worshipers.
Possession is the goal o f the gathered worshipers. It is the
evidence that the gods are with you. O f course, not every
body at the service is possessed. But, if several persons are
“ridden” by an orisha, the service, or bembe, is considered a
success.
Drumm ing, chanting, singing certain songs, invokes cer
tain deities to possess their waiting devotees. The key in
strum ents o f invocation are the bata drum s. W ondering if
such ritual music is available in m iddle Am erica, I walked
into a record shop and found tw o cassettes o f African ritual
music, including two songs used for the ritual sexual m uti
lation o f young girls in Africa. At the library in my neigh
borhood I picked up a book of Santeria sheet m usic for the
bata drums. Among other things, it had three songs used to
invoke possession by the three w arrior o rishas, Elleggua,
Ogun, and Oshosi, as well as Obatala, the creator deity.
To the music o f the bata drum s, the people chant, sing,
and dance. It is not just wild action— every song, every or
isha, has a precise step, m ovem ent, and posture. W hen a
dancer is possessed by the invoked orisha, it is said that the
deity has “m ounted” the devotee. The m etaphor is that of
m ounting and riding a horse. The possessed worshiper takes
on the posture, m annerism s, and voice o f the deity. If Ogun
possesses a devotee, he lets out the loud, guttural yells o f a
w arrior in com bat, m arches about belligerently, w aving a
m achete or saber. His eyes turn red, he experiences super
hum an strength, speaks with a voice not his own, and, on
occasion, can pick up a red-hot iron in his bare hands. If
Oshun, the goddess o f love and sensuality, possesses a per
son, the activity will likely be sensual, vulgar, flirtatious, or
rom antic (see Table 1).
One o f the great values that the Santeros claim in the
possession encounters is the advice the group gets straight
from the gods. W hen an orisha takes over a worshiper, the
Santeros believe that it speaks directly in its own voice to
the group through the mouth o f the possessed. He m ay re
buke an evil person, curse an adulterer, point out a thief, or
der a devotee to recruit a new initiate, tell a person to take
or quit a job or get a divorce, or the orisha may foretell a
coming event. Afterward, the possessed person rem em bers
nothing that he or she said or did.
In a world that is out o f control, characterized by chaos,
the Santeros seek to accept this rigid way o f life to bring or
der to their lives through initiation, divination, sacrifice, and
spirit possession.
^
26
After the
Dance the
Drums Are
Heavy: Voodoo
in North
America
any A m ericans regard voodoo as a sort o f H al
low een party entertainm ent not to be taken seri
ously. But it is a weighty religion to millions. O n
ly careful attention to its rituals and sacrifices can
save one in this world and the next. It requires a
lifetime o f appeasing dozens o f gods and a host of
evil spirits that hound the steps o f everyone alive.
Voodoo is the popular term for Vodun, the religious cult
o f the W est A fric a k in g d o m o f D ah o m ey (p re se n t-d a y
Benin). Slaves from D ahom ey and other countries o f w est
ern and central A frica w ere sh ip p ed to the W est Indies
shortly after the discovery o f the new world. Many o f these
unfortunates found their way to Haiti. The slaves brought
with them their pantheon o f gods (loas) and com bined them
with still other gods o f other nations. They were from all
stations in life, so they brought with them a variety o f tradi
tions, values, worship systems, and attitudes toward nature,
hum ankind, and the supernatural.
Upon arriving in the new world, the slaves were forced to
accept the rituals o f Catholicism . The syncretistic form of
b elief that resulted com bined the pantheon o f gods from
A frica, the saints from C atholicism , and French medieval
witchcraft.” There are hundreds o f TAR gods, some linked
to Catholic saints through sim ilarities in characteristics or
physical appeareance or colors associated with the particu
lar patron saint; thus white vestm ents sym bolize both the
A frican goddess, E rzulie, and O ur Lady o f Sorrow s. The
se rp e n ts o f D am b a lla h , the snake god, m ay be p ain te d
M
A new initiate is carried by a voodoo priest into the sacred design (veve) in Haiti. Each orisha has its own veve, design
around a print o f St. Patrick. Baron Sam edi, patron o f the
dead, is a purely H aitian invention, but he has a cross for a
sym bol.34
Voodoo was the glue that held the fabric o f the culture to
gether. It b o n d ed the slav es, p ro v id e d a lin k w ith th eir
hom eland, provided an em otional and spiritual release, and
helped them forget the horrors o f a brutal slave system.
The voodoo priest is called a H oungan; a fem ale priest
ess is c a lle d a M a m b o . E ach p ra c titio n e r is to ta lly a u
to n o m o u s. T he H o u n g a n is “ at one and the sam e tim e,
priest, healer, soothsayer, exorciser, organizer o f public en
te rtain m en ts, and c h o irm a ste r.”33 T he tem p le is called a
hum fort. Voodoo lacks any form al theology. N o school ex
ists for the training o f priests or priestesses. There are no
scriptures, no catechism for the young, no books. O ne is
generally an apprentice to an older priest for a num ber of
years. In m any cases, the vocation is handed dow n from fa
ther to son. The degree o f the know ledge o f the Houngan
determ ines his status in the hierarchy. The price that must
be paid for the services o f a H oungan or M am bo is com
m ensurate w ith the ability to bring about results. The priests
of voodoo may launch out upon a career only w hen they
have been possessed by a loa and participated in the appro
priate cerem onies. O ften, these priests are the w ealthiest
people in the community.
A voodoo priest or priestess is the m ost influential person
in the neighborhood for those under its sway. One always
tries to secure the services o f the m ost pow erful and effec
A ugust 1994
Carole Devillers
tive m edium that one can afford. The pow er brokers act at
several different levels, including divining, sorcery, herbal
cures, and even black magic. The powers o f these diviners
range from know ledge of what has caused the problem to
counteracting the agent with offsetting power.36 Harmonious
relations with fam ily and com m unity are im portant. Sick
ness o r even death m ay o ccu r w hen these relatio n sh ip s
break down. If one comes under a curse or is attacked by
black magic, the cost and bother o f securing someone even
more pow erful to counteract the ounga is considered well
worth the effort.
Voodoo has been a powerful force in shaping the country
o f Haiti. It has shaped political fortunes. In August o f 1791,
a slave nam ed B oukm an led a voodoo cerem ony in the
m ountains of northern Haiti, offering a sacrifice to Ogoun,
god o f war, strength, m aleness, blood, fire, lightning, and
sw ords. He is identified with St. Jacques M ajeur, patron
saint of H aiti.37 The occasion was a slave revolt that pitted a
num ber o f runaw ay slaves against the best French troops
Napoleon could muster. The Haitians called upon Ogoun to
protect them from their enemies. They believed they were
impervious to the French bullets if Ogoun went with them.
The freedom fighters prevailed. It was a great day for Haiti
and for Ogoun. He had kept his part of the bargain. But the
populace now had to keep their part, since they had pledged
the c o u n try to O goun if he h e lp e d them d riv e out the
French. H aiti becam e the first black republic in the New
W orld, and in d ependence w as pro claim ed in 1804. The
27
price exacted by the gods was absolute obedience. As D un
ham notes, “There is a limit to patience am ong the gods,
and an unlim ited capacity for vengeance.”1*
Two hundred years later, the Duvaliers (1957-86) faced a
popular uprising by the Haitian people. They knew all too
well the powers of voodoo to overthrow entrenched rulers.
In her book, Haiti: The D uvaliers and Their Legacy, Eliza
beth A bbott claim s that shortly before Jean C laude and
M ichele D uvalier fled to France for refuge in 1986, they
arranged for an ounga a m ort— a blood sacrifice— at the na
tional palace in Port-au-Prince. The resident H oungan con
ducted ritual m urders o f babies, Abbott reports, as the Du
v aliers looked on. The cerem ony enabled them to leave
Haiti “secure in the know ledge that they had doom ed any
one trying to usurp the place that was rightfully theirs.” A c
cording to Abbott, it was necessary for the H oungan to ac
AFRICAN DEITIES N
T R A D IT IO N A L
A FRIC AN DEITY
SA N T ER IA
CATHOLIC S A IN T
COUNTERPART
VO O D O O
CATHOLIC S A IN T
COUNTERPART
ID EN TITY
OBATALA
Obatala
Our Lady of Mer
cedes
Obatala
Resurrected Jesus
Creator, firs t orisf
god of land
YEMONJA
Yemaya
Our Lady of Regia
Alukan (Alucan)
Mary
Goddess of the sea, w
of Obatala, co-creator,
m other of orishas
OGUN
Ogun
St. James
St. Peter
Ogu, Ogoun
St. Peter, St. James
God of metals, too
war, destruction,
bloodshed
LEGBA/ESHU
Elleggua
Jesus, St. Peter, St.
Anthony
Elegba
St. Peter, Jesus
SHANGO
Sango, Shango
St. Barbara
Chango, Xango
St. John
God of thunder ar
lightning
BABALU-AYE
Babaluaye
St. Lazarus
Bakulu-baka
St. Lazarus
God of disease,
m isery, pestilenci
Orula
St. Francis
SERPENT GODS
1. ORUNMILA
(Yoruba)
2. DAMBALLAH
(Dahom ey)
LOVE DEITIES
1 . OSHUN
(Yoruba)
2. EZILI
(Dahom ey)
28
God of secret wisdt
which he reveals tc
priests and diviner:
Damballah, Damballah-wedo
Oshun, Osun
Son of Obatala an'
Yemonja; holds ke
to spiritual w orttff
St. Patrick
Virgin of Caridad
M ost popular
voodoo deity, goi
of luck, wealth
Goddess of the ri
Oshun in Nigeri^
Erzulie-Freda (rada)
Our Lady of Sor
rows
Goddess of love
and sex
Erzulie-Dantor
(petro)
Black Madonna
Angry side of lov
H e r a l d oh H o l i n e s s
quire unbaptized babies at a hospital nursery. “As long as
they w eren’t baptized, God w ouldn’t m ind!”39
Voodoo D rum s in N orth A m erica
D u rin g th e p a st 20 y e a rs, h u n d re d s o f th o u sa n d s o f
Haitians have fled their native land as refugees o f politics
and poverty. The im pact upon the receiving countries in th e '
A m ericas has been g reater than anyone could have fo re
seen. The refugees from Haiti brought with them a rem ark
able zeal and belief in their religious system.
Intellectually, the W estern world has little time for ac
counts o f zombies, pins stuck in voodoo dolls, curses, and
hexes. However, no one would question the assertion that
th ere has b een a d ra m a tic in c re a se in the o u tb rea k o f
spiritism o f a bew ildering variety in the W estern world. The
continued on page 40
DVING TO AMERICA
P R IN C IP L E ,
POWERS,
F U N C TIO N S
C H A R A C T E R IS T IC S ,
A PPE A R A N C E
C O LO R S,
NUMBER
P R EFER RED
SA C R IFIC ES
PO S SE SSIO N
C H A R A C TE R IS TIC S
Clarity, govern
ment
Fatherly, wise, hates
alcohol
W hite, 8
Pigeons, goats
Calm, aloof, distin
guished, in charge
paternity, fertility
Dignity, beauty
Blue and white, 7
Ducks, turtles,
goats
Calm: like the sea at
rest; Raging: like
storm at sea
Invoked fo r pro
tection in any sort
|if battle
Belligerent, fierce,
m ilitary demeanor
Green and black, 7
Dogs, roosters,
alcohol
Gutteral yells, red
eyes, waves sword,
violent, sensual, su
perhuman strength
Red and black, 3
White chickens,
opossum, cigars,
rum
Clowns, buffoonery
(Santeria), limps and
carries a cane (voodoo)
tosenger to the orishas.
iBckster. guardian of
n p d doorw ays, and
priers to the gods
Santeria: handsome old
man with flowing beard;
voodoo: ragged old man
SYMBOL
Whiteness, white
' flyw hisk
Fan-shaped seashell
Saber or machete,
iron caldron, soldier
Hooked staff
force, honesty
Handsome, virile,
sensual, w arrior
Red and white,
4 or 6
Roosters (red or
white), sheep, pigs,
goats, bulls
Combative, violent,
forceful, acrobatic
Illness
Crippled old man
with crutch
Black or light blue,
13 or 17
Tobacco, rum,
doves, hens
Limping, infirm
(Santeria); in voodoo
possesses no one
Crutch, cowrie
shells, reeds
lestiny, foretelling
Priestly
Green and y ellow .
16
Alcohol, pork, goat
meat
Posseses the devo
tees of Oshun, god
dess of love
Python, diviners
rod, cowrie shells,
kola nuts
Serpentine
W hite and silver
Chic kens, liq u o r
Darting tongues, serpentine
writhing on the ground,
climbs beams and rafters
Serpent on a staff or tree
Beautiful, flirtatious
Yellow, 5
White hens, goats,
sheep
Lovely, brown
woman
Red and white
nvoked to bring
uck and proslerity
Iros, fem inity,
>ve, beauty, illicit
afairs
Eros, seduction
Sensual dancing,
coquettish, seduc
tive
Wooden axe
Fan, gold, peacock
feather
Gifts, perfume,
liquor
Sensual dancing,
swinging hips, ogles,
caresses, kisses men
Hearts (valentine
shape)
Pigs, chickens,
liquor
Seductive behavior
Heart with dagger
through it
f
Scandalous
behavior
Black Madonna,
with heavy make-up
Black
K
A ugu st 1994
29
COME TO THE WATER
The First International Conference fo r Wesleyan/Holiness Clergywomen
hey cam e to the water. Som e 375 strong, they
cam e to the water. Clergy w om en from 14 denom
inations and m ovem ents, from several countries,
cam e to the first-ever International W esleyan/H o
liness W omen C lergy C onference, A pril 14-17,
1994, convened at G lorieta, New M exico.
They came to join a celebration o f their call to
m inistry— a call that is as old as G o d ’s call on M iriam in
Exodus, according to keynote speaker. Rev. Dr. Susie Stan
ley; a call that has been recognized throughout biblical and
Christian history, a call to overcom e a "m an fearing spirit”;
a call as clear as G alatians 3:28 that points out that in the
Christian fellow ship “there is neither Jew nor G reek . . .
slave nor free . . . male nor fem ale; for you are all one in
C hrist” (RSV ). They cam e to celebrate their call, w hich
Rev. Dr. N ina Gunter, director o f the N azarene W orld M is
sion Society, declared was not from the church, the bishop,
the m oderator, the district superintendent, but from God.
Rev. Dr. Addie W yatt, copastor o f the Vernon Park Church
o f G od, C hicago, rem inded the co n ferees that th eir call
m ust be carried out in obedience. “ If they d o n ’t let you
preach in the church, rem em ber every city block in this
country has approxim ately four com ers.”
They cam e to the water in power, the pow er that com es
from shared struggle. These w om en, called by G od, have
been tested by resistance, pressure, and even rejection from
churches, adm inistrators, board m em bers, and often their
own fam ilies. But there was very little com plaining. One of
the h a lf dozen m ale participants (m en w ere invited too)
said, “Frankly, I expected a lot o f m ale bashing. I ’ve been
in an educational setting where the badge o f true spirituali
ty is clubbing men and destroying the patriarchy. That spir
it was alm ost totally absent in this conference.”
In the term s o f E cclesiastes, one sensed in this m eeting
that it was “a tim e to build,” not "a tim e to tear dow n." To
be sure, there was a healthy spirit o f biblical fem inism . At
a press conference. Dr. Stanley said she w anted holiness
clergyw om en to be “flam ing fem inists— w ith that flam e
being the H oly S p irit.” Dr. W yatt counseled the c lerg y
w om en about w hat to say if th e ir m inistry th reaten ed a
m ale m inister. “Tell him that he should get his security
from G od and not from a w om an." But the m ajor em phasis
was on building, not tearing dow n. A nd in the unity and
strength that shared struggle bestow s, these w om en joined
hands in an urgency to preach the gospel.
T heir story rem inds one o f the story o f the early H oli
ness M ovem ent’s own struggle to gain respect and accep
tance. In the early days, w hen our churches were tents and
abandoned storefronts, our people poor, our clergy not very
well trained, our presence in the religious com m unity trivi
a liz e d , o u r m o v em e n t look dow n u p o n , o u r sta n d a rd s
continued on page 32
One hundred three
Nazarenes attended
the conference for
clergywomen.
Rev. Dr. Susie Stanley delivered the
keynote address.
Rev. Bonnie Brann, assistant pastor, Seattle,
W ash., First Free Methodist Church,
addresses the conferees.
Rev. Dr. Nina Gunter, director of the Nazarene
World Mission Society, preached on God’s cal'j
to the ministry.
I
LOOK WHO’S 5 0
Nazarene Theological Seminary:
a Half Century of Distinctive Service
o t e v e n G o d c a n c h a n g e th e p a s t,” w ro te A rc h i
b a ld M a c L e is h in A r s P o e tic a . B u t G o d su re ly
w o u ld n 't w a n t to w h e n it c o m e s to w h a t H e h as
w ro u g h t th ro u g h N a z a re n e T h e o lo g ic a l S e m in a ry .
T h ro u g h th e C h u rc h o f th e N a z a re n e , G o d m a d e a
fiv e -ta le n t in v e s tm e n t in a fiv e -ta le n t s c h o o l. A n d th a t
in v e s tm e n t h a s re s u lte d in a le g io n o f p a s to rs, te a c h
ers, a d m in is tra to rs , a n d m is s io n a rie s m a rc h in g o u t in
to th e rip e n e d h a rv e s t fie ld s o f th e w o rld .
T h e F a u lk n e re s q u e c o n c e p t, “th e p a st is p ro lo g u e ,”
c e rta in ly fits N T S at 50. T h e c h u rc h an d o u r w o rld
n e ed N T S n o w m o re th a n ever. A n d th e sch o o l h a s re
d e sig n e d its e d u c a tio n a l p ro g ra m s to m e e t th e c h a n g in g
n e ed s o f cle rg y p re p a ra tio n in th e se g ra n d a n d aw fu l
tim es. A t 50 , th e se m in a ry h a s m o re fu tu re th a n p ast.
D u rin g th e c o m in g sc h o o l y ear, th e fo lk s at N T S in
vite y o u to jo in th e m in c e le b ra tin g th e p a st a n d a c c e p t
in g the v isio n o f th e y e a rs th a t are a b o u t to be. You can
c lip the c o u p o n o n th is p a g e an d th e n e x t an d k e e p th e
an n iv e rsa ry y e a r c a le n d a r at h a n d fo r e a sy re fe re n ce .
N
.Wilbur Brannon, director of
itoral M inistries, Church of the
arene, addressed the group in
opening service
Phyllis Perkins, dean of Nazarene
le College, conducted a workshop
leadership.
DATE
EVENT
Sept. 26, 1994
Sept. 27, 1994
Board of T rustees a n d Faculty
B anquet
j C onvocation
LOCATIO N
TBA
N TS C hapel
N ov 15-18,1994
D a rd e n Lectures on Practics—
Dr. Jam es W hite
N TS C hapel
Dec. 7,1994
C hapel D edication C erem ony
N TS C hapel
G ilb e rt Lectures on C hristian
P sychiatry— Dr. Jam es H am ilton
N TS C hapel
"P reacher of the Year" Serm ons
NTS C hapel
A pr. 18
Dr. R euben Welch
(Representing the First Decade)
NTS C hapel
A pr. 19
Dr. C. S. C ow les
(Representing the Second Decade)
NTS C hapel
A pr. 20
Dr. Jesse M id d en d o rf
(Representing the Third Decade)
NTS C hapel
Apr. 21
: Dr. S tep h en G reen
(Representing the Fourth Decade)
NTS C hapel
— The Editor
Feb. 2 8 M ar. 3,1995
Apr. 18-21,1995
.
Herald o f Holiness columnist Rev.
Rebecca Laird led two crowded
workshops on communication.
Rev. Dr. Addie Wyatt challenged the
conferees to preach the gospel not
just in pulpits but on every street
corner in the country.
I
M ay 20,1995
A ll S em inary B anquet
"C eleb ratin g the Future of N TS"
M ay 21,1995
C orlett H o liness Serm on
(Representing the F ifth Decade)
K ansas C ity
| First C hurch
M ay 21,1995
C om m encem ent
O lathe
; College
C hurch
TBA
31
I
V, X ifty years ago through the providence of God and
the wisdom of its leaders the Church of the Nazarene
> founded Nazarene Theological Seminary. These have
. A been 50 years of quality graduate theological educa,, tion; 50 years of m olding the lives of ministers to be
V and ministers in practice; 50 years of influencing the ,
theological direction of the Holiness M ovement; and
; \ 50 years of actively participating in moving the Church ' .
y of the Nazarene and like-minded denom inations into
■v the forefront of evangelical Christianity. We pause this
anniversary year to CELEBRATE THE VISION and to
; thank God for faculty, staff, adm inistrators, and stu
dents w ho have graced these hallowed halls.
, ,■
v
■p.
.s
N O W M ORE T H A N EVER th e S em in ary s ta n d s
p o ised to e d u c a te m in iste rs to ca rry th e C h u rc h
through the 21st century. Committed faculty, expanded
course offerings, m aster's and doctoral degrees, certificate programs, flexible hours, m odular curriculum, and
state-of-the-art technology reside w ith in its w alls.
NOW MORE THAN EVER the Seminary resides at the
heart of theological discussions w ithin the H oliness
Movement. NOW MORE THAN EVER the Seminary
engages the evangelical w orld w ith solid, biblically
based, Wesleyan perspectives.
0
V;
'
./
V
’’
:
.'
•
' The Seminary needs your support to pursue its purposes. Please use this calendar highlighting the an- *
niversary year events as a prayer rem inder or Bible
. bookmark. W henever you look at the calendar, pray
1 ,V for the Seminary. In addition to praying, w hy not plan
to attend som e or all of the anniversary celebration A
. events. Help us CELEBRATE THE VISION during this
50th anniversary year w hen we recall that the Church
• needs NTS NOW MORE THAN EVER.
•:
32
Joyful worship and celebration of God’s call to ministry
characterized the meetings.
Student ministers attending the conference. Several institutions,
including five Nazarene schools, provided scholarships to help
women students participate.
snickered at, w e w ere bound together by a shared struggle.
It was a shared struggle that produced a shared vision that
so energized the m ovem ent that strong churches, pow erft^
m issionary netw orks, extensive com passionate ministries,
effective evangelism , and first-class ed u catio n al institu
tions sprang up. Though m any details are different (these
clerg y w o m e n are w ell ed u cate d , fo r ex a m p le), there is
som ething in the com m on struggle o f our clergyw om en
th at is co rrelativ e w ith the shared adversity o f the early
H oliness M ovem ent.
One denom inational executive noted that if “instead of
assigning our w om en preachers only to tiny churches al
ready under a death sentence, we w ould set their spiritual
vitality loose in the m ainstream o f the faith com m unity, we
ju s t m ight see a sig n ifica n t ren ew al o f the m ovem ent.”
Professor Jo A nne Lyon o f The W esleyan C hurch observed
th a t se v e ra l m a in lin e d e n o m in a tio n s are sn a p p in g up
w o m en p a sto rs fro m the W e sle y a n /H o lin e ss tradition.
"N urtured in the W esleyan m ovem ent, these w om en minis
ters have hearts that are set on fire," Lyon said, "but when
we c a n 't place them , the U nited M ethodists and Presbyteri
ans are glad to have them .” Lyon told the w om en that they
m ust go where God leads, but she urged them “to stay at
hom e in the W esleyan/H oliness m ovem ent. We need you.”
They cam e to the water. T hey cam e to w orship— and
w orship they did. The Holy Spirit m oved across denom ina
tional and ethnic lines, dem onstrating that G od can speak
through Q uaker silence, through a Salvation A rm y band,
through the glorious songs o f deliverance com m on to the
Black A m erican C hristian experience, as w ell as through
prayer m eetings, sm all groups, trad itio n al serm ons, and
testim onies.
H e r a l d o f H o liness
They cam e to the water. They cam e to sharpen m inistry
sk ills. T h e y c ro w d e d out the w o rk sh o p ro o m s to learn
m ore about ch u rch g ro w th , lead ersh ip , co m m u n icatio n ,
cross-cultural m inistry, m entoring, m issions, w orship, and
clergy ethics— all taught by w om en specialists.
They cam e to the w ater to encourage one another. "I
serve in a small church in a small tow n. I'm supposed to be
a copastor along w ith m y husband. I’m ordained, but the
people just c a n 't get used to the idea o f a wom an minister.
I had just about given up hope, but this m eeting has given
me the strength to keep going," one w om an said.
A nother said, “This was ju st w hat I needed. I know that
I'm not alone. The problem s I face, my sisters are facing
too."
“ 1 had high expectations for this conference, and it sur
passed my expectations," another said.
“ No m eeting that I have been to in 15 y ears— not re
vivals, not even G eneral A ssem bly— has helped me spiritu
ally as m uch as this conference,” another participant said.
The conference organized itself for ongoing encourage
m ent. The conferees w ere divided into geographical sup
port groups d esig n ed to function across d en o m in atio nal
and ethnic lines.
They cam e to the water, and they left to carry the w ater
o f life to a hurting w orld. Dr. A ddie W yatt challenged the
group in the final service to carry the w ater o f life to a
w orld w ithout hope. “ It's late,” she said. “ If I live to be
100, 1 o n ly h a v e 30 y e a rs le f t.” S he a d d e d , “ T h e r e ’s
enough o f the w ater o f life here for kids on dope, for alco
hol addicts, for w ayw ard husbands, for abused children, for
single m others, for lost children, for high school dropouts,
for poverty-stricken fam ilies. They have no hope— you can
take them the one thing they d o n 't have— hope. Hope in
Jesus, the w ater o f life.”
They left praying, as Jo A nne Lyon had called them to
do, that the day w ould soon com e w hen “we will not be
known because o f our gender or our ethnicity but because
we are m inisters, that is, servants o f Jesus C hrist.”
This successful conference has historical roots and was
built on the foundation o f careful planning. Several years
ago. The W esleyan Church had a conference for its clergy
w om en. Soon after, the Church o f G od, A nderson, did the
sam e thing. Dr. Susie Stanley o f the C hurch o f G od had
dream s o f an international conference for clergyw om en in
the W esleyan/H oliness m ovem ent. She and Dr. Stan Ingersol, archivist for the C hurch o f the N azarene. had several
conversations with Rev. W ilbur Brannon, director o f Pas
toral M inistries, C hurch G row th D ivision, C hurch o f the
N azarene. Rev. Brannon contacted six W esleyan/H oliness
d en o m in atio n s, inviting them to p articip ate and help fi
nan ce an in te rn a tio n a l c o n fe re n c e fo r h o lin e ss c le rg y
w om en. Five o f those denom inations responded with con
sensus and cash. The Church o f the N azarene; the Church
o f G o d , A n d e r s o n ; T h e W e s le y a n C h u r c h , th e F ree
M ethodists C hurch, and the E vangelical Friends becam e
sponsoring denom inations. A C onference Planning C om
m ittee was o rganized w ith rep resen tativ es from the five
sponsoring denom inations: Susie Stanley, convener; Bon
nie Brann, Free M ethodist; Shirley Cathie, Church o f God,
A nderson; N ina G unter, C hurch o f the N azarene; R etha
M cC utchen, E vangelical Friends, International; and Lois
W atkins, The W esleyan Church.
The W esleyan C hurch, the C hristian H oliness A ssocia
A ugu st 1994
tion, the Church o f G od, and N azarene Pastoral M inistries
provided advertising space in various publications. T hir
teen educational institutions, including Nazarene T heologi
cal Seminary, N azarene Bible College, Southern Nazarene
U niversity, M ount Vernon N azarene C ollege, and O livet
N azarene University, provided scholarships for women stu
dents. In addition, a num ber of persons and organizations
provided scholarship funds.
The plenary session speakers were Nina Gunter, general
director NW M S; Delia N eusch-O lver, senior pastor. New
Hope C hurch (Free M ethodist), Rochester, New York; Jo
Anne Lyon, a therapist, M issouri Health D epartm ent, and
adjunct professor, A sbury T heological S em inary; Susie
Stanley, professor o f church history and w om en’s studies,
Western Evangelical Sem inary; and Addie Wyatt, copastor,
Vernon Park Church o f God, Chicago, and founder of the
coalition o f Labor Union Women.
The w orkshop leaders included these Nazarene women:
R e b e c c a L a ird , P h y llis P e rk in s, S u san D o w n s, Ja n e t
W illiam s, and Nita Ridley.
D e n o m in a tio n s w ith the m ost p erso n s in atten d an ce
were:
Salvation Arm y
107
N azarene
103
Church o f G od, A nderson
39
W esleyan Church
32
Free M ethodist
24
Evangelical Friends
12
By co n sen su s, the body v igorously endorsed another
such conference, perhaps in two years.
— Robert Edge
‘TMusA y<uc ovene &&ie!
T h e je w e l of the C a n a d ia n
R ockies. Lake L ouise w ith
the luxurious Chateau framed
by the shim m ering em erald
lake and glaciers. N1R0G
O ctober 10-14,1994
For m ore inform a tion
o r registratio n
*
*
j T ^ r e a t O f G o ld e n A 9 « s
i» , , r c n e i n t e r n a t i o n a l K e t r e a
! brochures w rite or call.
1QGA
N a z a r e n e in
M
' ( ■ « * tk* f oed
Ot the Nazarene
\
816-333-7000, Ext. 2364
W & 1& • • •
•
•
•
•
•
•
Colorado Springs, Colo., NIR0GA— June 13-17,1994
Glorieta, N.Mex., NIR0GA— September 12-17,1994
Schroon Lake, N.Y., NIR0GA— September 2 6 -30 ,19 94
St. Sim ons Island, Ga., NIR0GA— October 31— November 4 ,1 9 9 4
Eureka Springs, Ark., NIR0GA— May 1-5 ,19 95
Heritage, USA, S.C., NIR0GA— June 5 -9 ,19 95
An eight-minute NIROGA promotional video is available at
no charge to churches and districts through our oftice.
33
int
But, than k s to Ind ian ap o lis P ro j
ect ’93 and the in volvem ent o f som e
1,600 te e n s an d s p o n so rs o f N Y I,
these child ren and th eir fam ilies are
no w e n jo y in g th e g re a t o u td o o rs .
T h e o n ly c o n c e rn w h e n p la n n in g
o u td o o r a c tiv itie s th is y e a r is th e
w ea th erm a n ’s forecast.
The children and th eir parents re
m em ber too w ell the days w hen the
parks w ere filled w ith broken glass,
g a n g a c t i v i t i e s , a n d p la y g r o u n d
equipm ent that w as broken and use
less. T he 1993 renovation by N a z a
rene teenagers has m ade the n eig h
b o rh o o d s b e tte r p la c e s to live and
h a s b ro u g h t s m ile s to so m e v e ry
nice faces.
Keith Lackey, 16, thinks it’s great
that a group o f teens w ould w ant to
clean up W illard Park.
“ B efore, m y friends and I d id n ’t
even go to the p ark ,” says K eith. It
was all run dow n and there w as b ro
ken g la ss and used n e e d le s e v e ry
w here. It looked real bad. T here w as
a lot o f prostitution and gang a c tiv i
ty.” K e ith ’s parents nod their heads
in agreem ent.
“ B ut th in g s are d iffe re n t n o w ,”
a g re e s D on, the fa th e r o f D o n n ie ,
J r., a n d K e ith . “ N o w w e h a v e a
place to go as a fam ily w ithout feel
ing like w e ’re on top o f each other
at the house. We go to W illard Park
to cook out, sw im , and spend tim e
w ith o u r frie n d s. We d o n ’t h av e a
y a rd , so th e p a rk h a s b e c o m e o u r
‘tim e o u t' place.”
W hen asked how they felt about
te e n a g e r s fro m th e N a z a r e n e
C hurch com ing to clean up W illard
P ark, C o n n ie and D on C h ild s said
th e y lo o k a t th e C h u r c h o f th e
N a z a re n e in a p o s itiv e lig h t now .
T hey said the N azarenes d id n ’t ask
fo r m o n e y o r m ak e th em feel b ad
about the condition o f the park.
“ W hat they did w as very e n c o u r
a g in g to u s , ” s a y s D o n . “ T h e
C h u rc h o f th e N a z a re n e m a d e us
feel im portant and lo v ed .”
34
Nazarene teens paint the surface of a basketball court in
one of the city parks in Indianapolis.
Don and Connie Childs holding Donnie, Jr., as a baby
D onnie, Jr. (now three years old),
s m ile s h is a p p ro v a l. H is fa v o rite
playg ro u n d toy, the “rocky horsey,”
is n ’t b roken anym ore.
N ow that H ighland Park has been
c le a n e d u p , J e r m a in e W h ite an d
R y a n J a c k s o n a re g la d to h a v e a
p lace to p lay b ask etb a ll w ith th e ir
friends.
“ I c o u ld n ’t b e liev e it!” ex c la im s
J e r m a in e . “ T h e re w e re te e n a g e r s
ev ery w h ere last sum m er, ju st to fix
the park up for u s.”
“ It m a d e us fe e l g o o d ,” a g re e s
L a t o n y a W h ite , “ b e c a u s e th e y
se e m e d to c a re a b o u t us a n d o u r
park. T h ey w anted us to have nice
th in g s. We e v e n h a v e new sw in g s
and a slide n o w !”
C y n th ia W h ite , m o th e r o f J e r
m aine, L atonya, R yan, and Y olanda,
c o u ld n ’t agree m ore. “ People really
d o care. T his park w as dead for so
lo n g th at w e all fo rg o t how nice a
decent city park could be. I w orried
all the tim e about m y kids playing
on the sidew alks and in the streets.
N ow I d o n ’t w orry so m uch; I can
e v e n go to the p a rk a n d h a v e fun
w ith th e m .”
W hite is a single m o th er w ho has
o v ercom e hom elessn ess, abuse, and
tim e spent in shelters. She is w o rk
ing hard to raise h e r fa m ily in the
b e st p o s s ib le a tm o s p h e re sh e can
p ro v id e . S h e c a m e to k n o w Je su s
C hrist through the m inistry o f S h ep
h e r d C o m m u n ity C h u r c h o f th e
N azarene in In d ian ap o lis and is takH er a l d o f H oliness
t
NYI
is looking for a
few good
teens!
Announcing!
The Next General NYI
Service Project
at NYC ’95
ing co lleg e c la sse s to p rep are fo r a
jo b in social w ork.
"It w as such a b lessin g to see all
those y o u n g p eo p le w o rk in g in the
p ark s last su m m e r,’’ W h ite sh ared .
“T h o se y o u n g ste rs sh o w ed m e and
m y c h ild re n a ta n g ib le e x a m p le o f
C h ris tia n s h e lp in g o th e rs . T h e y
w e r e d o in g s o c i a l w o r k . T h a t ’s
w here G od is callin g m e .”
“ M y m om likes the p ark now that
it’s cleaned u p ,” interru p ts Y olanda,
“ so she lets m e go there m ore often.
I get to go there and sw im !”
Today, W illard P ark has new p ic
nic tables, co o k o u t g rills, a repaired
and p ainted b a sk etb all co u rt, and a
c le a n s w im m in g p o o l. T h e tra s h ,
graffiti, bro k en e q u ip m en t, and b o t
tle s a re g o n e . D e n v e r P a r k w a s
la n d s c a p e d w ith p ru n e d s h ru b s , a
r e s to r e d b a s k e t b a l l c o u r t , a n d a
b ra n d -n e w p la y s tru c tu re fo r c h il
dren to clim b on.
H ig h la n d P a rk — n ow free o f d e
b ris— b o asts a new b ask etb all court
A ugu st 1994
and freshly painted and repaired play
g ro u n d e q u ip m e n t, as w ell as new
landscaping. M cC arty Park has taken
on a w hole new look with a sandbox,
b a sk e tb a ll c o u rt, picn ic tab les, and
new ly painted playground equipm ent.
E a c h o f th e se p a rk s— o n ce b ro
k e n an d u n s a fe — is now re g u la rly
filled w ith the delightful squeals and
lau g h ter o f happy children and their
fa m ilie s. F a m ilie s fin d th e m se lv e s
s p e n d i n g m o r e tim e t o g e t h e r —
w a lk in g , s w im m in g , c o o k in g o ut.
T h e h ard w ork the N az are n e teens
and th eir sponsors took upon th em
se lv e s last su m m e r in In d ia n a p o lis
has m ade a positive difference in the
liv e s o f K e ith , D o n n ie , J r ., J e r
m aine, R yan, L atonya, Y olanda, and
m any others.
N Y I’s im p act on In d ia n a p o lis is
b e s t su m m e d up b y f iv e -y e a r-o ld
Y olanda: “ N ow w e ’re h av in g a lot
o f fu n in m y p a rk !” T h e sm ile on
h e r face is the best “th a n k -y o u ” o f
all.
tu
Phoenix, Arizona
July 25-30,1995
In k eep in g w ith the trad itio n
o f N a z a re n e y o u n g p e o p le in
v esting them selves in service to
o th e rs, N Y I M in istries is lo o k
ing fo r te e n a g e rs , g ra d e s 9 -1 2
(13 in C an ad a), to be a p art o f
N Y C ’95 and the n ex t G en eral
N Y I S ervice Project in P hoenix
next sum m er.
F o r a b ro c h u re ab o u t how
you can get in volved in the lives
o f p e rso n s lik e K e ith , D o n n ie ,
J u n io r, J e rm a in e , R y an , L a
tonya, and Y olanda, contact:
NYC ’95
NYI Ministries
6401 The Paseo
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 333-7000, ext. 2215
(816) 333-4315
35
IRATION
PROFILE
The Upward Call:
Spiritual Formation and the Holy Life
NAM E:
ByE. Dee Freeborn, JanineTartaglia, Wesley Tracy,
Morris Weigelt. Many Christians today hear the
upward call of God to Hoi iness—but do not know
how to answer that call. Here is a fresh, compelling,
and practical description of what it means to respond
to that hunger of the soul. Separate leader’s guide for
13 small-group sessions.
Robert V. Shipps
EDU CATION:
1973, Labette Junior College, A.A.
1978, Kansas State University, B.S.
1994, Nazarene Theological Seminary,
M.A.
HH083-411-5166
$10.95
Leader’s Guide HHLG-44 S5.95
CURRENT M INISTRY ASSIGNM ENT:
Was It Not I? And Other Questions
God Asks
Business m anager, A frican N a za
rene U niverity, N airobi, Kenya
By W. E. McCumber. God asked Adam, “Where are
you?” and He’s been asking men and women
questions ever since. With wit andinsight the author
leads the reader through almost 200 questions posed
by an all-knowing God. In the answering, we discover
something profound about God—and ourselves.
HH083-411-4852
PREVIOUS MINISTRY ASSIGNM ENTS:
Singles m inister, First C hurch of
the N azarene, W ichita, Kansas
$11.95
O N MINISTRY:
Letters Dropt from God
By Ruth Vaughn. Countless messages from a gracious
God can be found in the believer’s everyday life. The
author shares a number of poignant personal crises
that shook the foundations of her life and explains the
process by which she allowed God to restore her to
wholeness.
HH083-411-4976
$7.95
And Some
p^xe W a l k e d
Home
And Some Are Walked Home:
Stories of Grace
By Linda Quanstrom. The author gives us fresh
insights into Jesus’ stories of grace—by placing them
in contemporary settings. In the telling, we experience
the wonder that gripped shepherds and scribes,
sinners and clergy, old men and young girls, and all
who heard the Master Storyteller.
H H 0 8 3 4 1 1 -4 7 8 X
$4.95
Orderfrom Your Nazarene Publishing House
1 800 877-0700
-
-
Ask fo ra copy o f our NEW 1 9 9 4 /1 9 9 5 Beacon H ill Books Catalog
36
The experience I gained by attending
Nazarene Theological Seminary helped
broaden my understanding of servanthood as well as my responsibility to
K ingdom w ork. NTS not only chal
lenged me intellectually but also pro
vided a greater appreciation for the
continued need of missionaries around
the world. I will be forever indebted to
all of my professors at NTS, especially
Drs. Gailey, Read, and Shaver, who
h elped sh ape m y u n d e rsta n d in g of
"mission" during my days at the semi
nary.
To invest in the lives of those called into
m inistry in the Church of the Nazarene,
please contact: Development Office, 1700
E. M eyer Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64131
(816-333-6254; FAX: 816-333-6271).
NAZARENE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
H er a l d oe H oliness
Midsummer Life’s
Scheme
C. Ellen Watts is a freelance writer living
in Nampa, Idaho.
i s out to
shovel m e under. T he pitch goes
so m eth in g like this:
“ H ello, m y nam e is F ritzie. W e’re
all g o ing to die som eday, rig h t?"
T hus, F ritzie is off, try in g to sell
m e a fu n eral plan g u aran teed to
m ak e m e 10 tim es sn u g g er than any
o th e r o ld geezer.
B ut before in term en t co m es re
tirem en t, rig h t?
W ell, yes. O u r p lan s for leisure
years, in fact, begin early. We jo in
sav in g s plan s, co llect road m aps,
and dream o f en d le ss fish in g and
k n ittin g and p ro p p in g o f feet. We
C h ristian s e v en d isc u ss hav in g
m ore tim e to serve oth ers. W h at w e
d o n 't like to th in k ab o u t are those
years w hen h an d s g et too g n arled to
knit and w e can n o lo n g er lift a foot
to prop.
I learned ab o u t this d iscrep an cy
w hile attem p tin g to ease the lives o f
folks w hose m in d -se ts no lo n g er a l
low them the luxury o f sim p le c o m
fort. W ithout ex cep tio n , th o se fo u r
knew h o w they w an te d to spend
th eir glo rio u s sen io r years. T he
tro u b le is, in a p hysical sense, at
least, the last h a lf o f th o se years
T e le p h o n e a d v e r tis in g
A u gu st 1994
yo u r choice. If you think you m ay
need to live w ith a son or a d a u g h
ter, discuss th at fact w hile there is
still tim e to co n sid er alternatives,
should it not fit in w ith th eir plans.
W h atev er any o f us decides, we
need to keep in m ind that, “ M any
are the plans in m a n 's heart, but it is
the L o rd ’s purpose that p re v ails’’
(P roverbs 19:21, N IV ). T he advice
is to “C om m it to the L ord w hatever
you do, and yo u r plans will [not o n
ly! su c ce ed ” (P roverbs 16:3, N IV )
but w ill also probably be best for
you.
A ttending to the needs o f m y
loved ones has left m e w ith a truck
load o f food for thought. L ast year,
w hen w e built o u r sm all retirem ent
hom e, although both N orm and I
can still hike up a hill, we opted for
no steps, a show er seat, and lift-type
faucets. A nd I'll have no problem
w ith hiring m y housew ork done the
m inute I glim pse a possible excuse.
A lthough it is painful to w atch
o u r dear ones go on in discom fort,
w e thought w e 'd done pretty w ell at
taking care o f those later retirem ent
years fo r ourselves.
have not b een g lorious, and hardly
an y th in g has turned out the w ay m y
lo v ed ones h ad an ticipated. A l
th o u g h all had the m eans to do so,
not one had co n sid ered a retirem ent
b ey o n d the ideal: Live h ap p ily ev er
after, e x p ect a short stay in a n u rs
ing hom e, and die.
In stead o f the ideal, old age has
tu rn ed into an ordeal fo r them , and
a n ig h tm are for caregivers. T heir
h eartb reak in g needs have to do w ith
h ealth and safety, h u n g e r and
squalor, m ed icatio n s, m obility, and
disrepair.
It is m ore appropriate, I think, to
co n sid er w in ter w hile one is still in
the su m m er o f life. To explore o p
tions and an sw er questions w hile
one can still m ake objective choices.
F o r in stan ce, if I should opt to re
m ain in m y p resent hom e no m atter
w hat, is it a suitable place in w hich
to grow old? W ill funds
be av ailab le fo r m y care
and its ev en tu al upkeep?
H ow clo se are health fa
cilities? Is m y n eig h b o r
“Many are the plans in
hood safe? W hat are m y
man's heart, but it is the
o p tio n s fo r o b taining
b alan ced m eals? Should
Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
I arran g e fo r a loved one
to m ak e d ecisio n s if I
can n o t?
N ow that m ore folks
T hen, after a particularly bad
are living long en ough to becom e a
w eek, I said to our daughter, “ If I
p ro b lem to th eir children, re tire
ev er grow stubborn w hen I get old
m en t h o m es— w here even the b o o k
and refuse to do w h a t’s best fo r m e,
m o b ile co m es to y o u r door— are
will you please m ake m e do it an y
m u sh ro o m in g . If health and safety
h o w ?”
and freedom from care are im p o r
She handed m e a piece o f paper.
tant, this o p tio n is w ell w orth e x
“C an I get that in w riting?"
ploring.
I w rote.
Perh ap s ap artm en t living or a
She pointed. “ N ow sign it."
tq
sm aller hom e w ill turn out to be
37
Will Someone You
Know Be Going Away
To
School
This
Year?
■
*—^ C all CARE-Line and someone from
a local church can invite your loved
one to find a new church home.
1 8 0 0 821-2154
-
38
-
H e r a l d o f H o l in e s s
W h en Y o u P r a y
Living with the
Lord’s Prayer
E. DEE FREEBORN
E. Dee Freeborn teaches practical theol
ogy and spiritual formation at Nazarene
Theological Seminary.
I n t h e q u i e t n e s s o f m y b e d r o o m at
the age o f seven or eight, m y m other
taught me the L ord's Prayer. She
knew I needed to m ove on from
"N ow I lay me dow n to sleep." That
prayer has affected m y life to this day.
I invite you to spend the next few
issues w ith me in this m ost profound
pattern for prayer, found in M atthew
6:9-13. Through the ordinariness of
life, let the prayer be on your lips,
m ove through your m ind, and sink
deeply into your heart.
Jesus taught His disciples to begin
with "O ur F ather"— tw o w ords b urst
ing with m eaning. For Father, Jesus
used the A ram aic w ord Ahha, proper
ly understood as papa or daddy. It is
the loving address o f a daughter or
son. We can im agine the discip les’
confusion at hearing Jesus use such a
com m on, endearing title for the
A lm ighty, Sovereign God!
It is clear that this w as not sloppy
sentim entalism . Jesus was revealing a
possible intim acy with G od that w ent
beyond the com m on understanding o f
the day. T hough G od was seen as lov
ing and caring o f His people, this was
som ething new, and m uch deeper.
The use o f Ahha also indicated a
level of trust, the trust o f a child for a
parent. In the w ords o f Jan Lochm an,
A ugu st 1994
“We are to understand Abba in the
ther Today).
sense of covenant faithfulness and
Following the opening words is the
trust. In the witness o f Jesus, this reve
petition, "H allowed be your nam e,”
lation binds the Father unconditionally
or, as some translate it, “let your name
to his children, come what m ay” (The
be hallow ed." What does it mean to
Lord’s Prayer, Eerdmans, 1990, 19).
hallow the name o f God, or to make it
This truth cam e home to me when
holy? The m eaning o f name is crucial
our son, Dan, was about two years
here. In biblical times, a person's
old. As I w alked by the staircase
name was all significant for it was
leading to the second floor, he called
part o f the reality o f the person, it held
out “Hey, D ad!” and w ithout hesitat
the person’s identity.
ing, leaped into the air and landed in
Similarly, G o d ’s nam e contains His
m y arms. I was not a little surprised,
character; He is His name. Repeated
but he totally trusted me to catch him.
ly in the Old Testament, G o d ’s name
So it is with our covenant Father, who
is not just a word but is an expression
stays with us “com e what may.”
o f the Divine nature. And in the New
To pray O ur Father adds another
Testam ent, it is Im m anuel, God with
dim ension. Have you ever considered
us, fulfilled in the life, death, and res
how strange it is to pray "O ur" when
urrection of Jesus Christ.
you are alone in your prayer time? Je
W hen we grasp the full m eaning of
sus is not going to let us settle for
name as signifying the personality of
the bearer, we get a glim pse of the se
some privatized religious practice.
W hile the culture may declare that our
riousness o f taking the L ord’s name
spiritual lives are nobody’s business,
in vain. It is more than a curse word.
the Lord m akes it clear
that we are m em bers o f a
com munity. I am connect
ed to all other Christians
when I pray “O ur Father.”
When you pray, ask, “Lord,
I belong to you, and you
belong to me!
how can I hallow your
G od, our Father, inti
m ate, caring, and tender,
name today?”
is, nevertheless, not a hu
man parent. He is our Fa
ther in heaven. This is not
to say that He is distanced
It is the sin o f living in contradiction
from us, but to say that He is unique,
to that holy name. To profane His
different, and not identical to my own
name is to live in such a way that oth
father. This could be helpful to those
ers are unable to know G od as He re
who have never experienced such
ally is.
love and find G o d ’s love hard to un
W hen we pray “hallow ed be your
derstand. As Brother John o f Taize
nam e,” we pray people everyw here
graciously points out, “It is essential
will com e to know G o d ’s true identity
to realize that G o d ’s love goes far be
and that our lives will be used to let
yond any hum an relationship, all the
that glorious identity shine through.
m ore so if our hum an experience of
W hen you pray, ask, “Lord, how
fatherhood has been incom plete or
can I hallow Your nam e today?”
^
even negative” (Praying the O ur F a
39
o f hoodoo. Here, actual harm to other people is planned and
perpetrated for a price.
continued fro m page 29
Voodoo dolls (juju dolls) are sold as fast as the fabrica
tors can provide them in some areas. The dolls are sold for
vacuum created by a departure from biblical teachings and
the specific purpose o f protection against evil, fertility in
standards has opened the door for a num ber o f religions to
marriage, or to m aintain the affections o f lover or spouse.4'
m ove in next door. T hese religions have surfaced with a
Rituals are available for a price. Higher prices supposedly
new appeal and new respectability.
bring a greater willingness to obey the specific directions of
In New O rleans, voodoo has been around for a while.
the priest. Some seances can cost as much as $2,000. But it
M arie Laveau, who died in 1881, was called the voodoo
is a small price to pay if the result is inside information that
queen o f New Orleans. For years, she was the most feared
leads one to unlim ited success. The hope here is that one
and most talked about person in the city. Slaves requested
will have an edge, additional
ch arm s from her to co n tro l
in sig h t into b u sin e ss or the
their masters. No situation or
stock m arket, or the shifting
problem seem ed beyond her
w orld o f love relatio n sh ip s.
powers to control. She became
A re not these new neighbors of
There is no morality associat
wealthy due to her enormous
OURS THE NEIGHBORS THAT JESUS CALLS
ed with the rites o f voodoo—
influence and popularity. At
it is less concerned with belief
times, she would dance with a
US TO LOVE AS WE LOVE OURSELVES?
than it is with successful rela
huge snake nam ed Z o m b ie,
tionships.
which she kept in honor of the
In New York, where an es
Haitian deity, Damballah (the
tim ated 450,000 Haitians now
snake god). A dynasty was es
reside, voodoo provides the searching and the needy with
tablished that w ent on for tw o m ore generations. A uthor
functional and hom ey solutions. Practitioners have reshaped
Khephra Bums reports that “more than a hundred years after
the rituals o f voodoo to fit the social and material needs of
her death, the name o f Marie Laveau still resonates in the
the culture. The appeal cro sses race, class, and cultural
soul of New Orleans.”4" Her followers still place flowers and
boundaries. Everyone is welcome.
food at her grave every night.41
T he recen t v o lu m e by K aren B row n. M am a L o la : A
More recently, it appears that voodoo is enjoying a resur
Vodoa Priestess in Brooklyn, carries the account of a Haitian
gence in N ew O rlean s. A d v en tu ro u s, q u e stio n in g baby
m igrant to New York. Here she reworks her understanding
boom ers, alw ays ready to learn w ays to m ove one step
o f rituals that provide for healing and success in life. Alourahead o f com petitors, and African A m ericans, w anting to
des, the priestess, tells how the loas (spirits), which possess
research their roots, have provided a bustling m arket for
her at formal ceremonies, provide for her the necessary in
voodoo practitioners. New Orleans is the capital of voodoo
formation to pass on to those seeking her counsel. Either in
in the U.S.A. According to one source, 15% o f the popula
her dreams or daily thought process, the essential informa
tion practices voodoo.42
tion com es to her to pass on to those desperate to receive
Contextualization o f the Caribbean religion has rem oved
some response to their cries for help: health problems, loss
some of the grossness and excesses found in Haiti, leading
o f jobs, straying spouses or lovers, and the various misfor
to a kind o f respectability. This new resurgent voodoo has
tunes o f marginalized immigrants in a new country.44
no curses, no hexes, no black magic. These are the domain
VOODOO IN NORTH AMERICA
Brooklyn Santero Gene
Bailly and his Madrina
(mother in the faith)
observe the images
and orisha symbols in
her canastillero.
Wide World/Mario Cabrera
40
The loas appear to possess other w orshipers as well. Dur
ing the rituals, and while possessed, they often call out an
swers to those who participate in the seance. These rituals
include invocation, song, dance, and anim al sacrifice. The
greater the need, the larger the sacrifice, appears to be a rule
o f thumb. And they alw ays include the beating and throb
bing in frenzied rhythm o f the several kinds o f drums.
A Haitian proverb says, “apre das tam bou lou,” meaning
“after the dance the drums are heavy.” The heavy financial
cost, the dread and fear o f the unknow n, the intim idation of
entire com m unities by pow er-obsessed voodoo priests, the
shifting fortunes o f those who depend upon the capricious
deities, have been a heavy price to pay for the dance. M er
cer Cook records the haunting cry o f a young Haitian m oth
er, unconsolable at the loss o f her boy. At the funeral, this
was her prayer:
Hail M ary, G racio u s V irgin! M ake that day com e!
M ake it com e tomorrow! Make it come today even! Oh
my saints; oh my loas, com e and help me! Papa Legba, 1
call you! St. Joseph, papa, I call you! D am bala Siligoue,
1 call you! O goun Shango, 1 call you! St. Jam es the elder,
I call you! Ah! Loko Atisou, papa! Ay, Guede Hounsou, 1
call you! A goueta Royo Doka A gaoue, I call on you! My
boy is dead. H e ’s going across the sea. H e ’s going to
G uinea [A frica]. A dieu, adieu, I say adieu to my boy.
H e'll never com e back. H e’s gone forever. Ah, my sad
ness! My heartbreak! My grief!45
We may not like their non-Christian religion, but perhaps
our attitude toward them should be that o f God who, in Isa
iah 16:1-13, responds to the sins o f the land of Moab. The
prophet lists and bewails the horrible sins o f this nation. But
then God speaks, “My soul moans like a lyre for Moab . . .
he wearies him self upon the high place” (vv. 11-12, RSV).
That is, he wears him self out worshiping false gods.
Can our souls moan with the mournful tone of the lyre
for those people who are now wearing themselves out w or
shiping the dreaded gods o f Traditional African Religion?
Will we do w hatever it takes to lead them to the liberating
freedom o f God in Christ? Can we find effective ways to
tell them about a loving God who is not willing that any
should perish?
W e s le y D. T ra cy,
D .M in ., S .T .D ., a
fo rm e r p a s to r a n d
p ro fe s s o r, is e d ito r
o f th e H e ra ld o f H o
liness.
T e rry R ead, D .M is.,
s e rv e d a s a m is
s io n a ry in B ra zil a n d
H aiti. H e n o w
te a c h e s m is s io n s a t
N a za re n e T h e o lo g i
c a l S em inary.
Reference Notes
1. Isaiah Oke, as told to Joe Wright, Blood Secrets (New York: Berkeley Books, 1989), 238.
2. Sandra T. Barnes, ed., Africa's Ogun (Bloomington, Ind.: University of Indianapolis Press,
1989), 164.
3. Ibid., 205.
4. Ibid., 106.
5. Ibid., 129.
6. Larry Kahaner, Cults That Kill (New York: Warner Books, 1988), 126.
“A fter the dance the drum s are heavy.”
7. Ibid., 125.
8. Oke, 27-28.
W hat Do We Do Now?
G ood, churchgoing A m ericans do not want to hear sto
ries about pagan priestesses with eight-foot snakes around
their necks. They do not want to hear about ritual killings.
They do not hunger to learn about the cerem ony o f 200 cuts
in which a skillful priest can inflict 200 wounds on a goat
before killing it. The longer and louder the b east’s bleats of
suffering, the more attention the sacrifice gets from the gods
in the world above. They cringe at the thought o f P h.D .’s
sprinkling chicken blood in order to discover the will of the
orishas.
W hen A m ericans bum p into TAR, they often respond
with fear. A few respond with fascination. But when you in
vestigate TAR and see it for what it is, both fear and fascina
tion are disarm ed. It is a simplistic religion that has no pow
er over anyone except the unfortunate persons who subjegate
them selves to its bondage. And being a religion of malignant
bondage, it holds no fascination for outsiders who under
stand it. Rather, a deep hum anitarian pity wells up in the
heart o f the Christian. Prayer for these people oppressed by
primitive religion takes the place o f fear or fascination.
T hus, we bring this feature— not to bash its follow ers,
nor to advertise TAR— but to inform our readers, to disarm
the fear or fascination that may confront them when they
encounter TAR in the m edia or in their community.
W hat shall we do about these people who have come to
our com m unity with their strange religion? Shall we slander
them? Shun them ? Try to pass laws to make their religion
illegal?
A u d i's I 1994
9. Oba Ecun, ITA: The Mythology o f the Yoruba People (Miami: Obaecun Books, 1989), 28.
10. Oke, 77.
11. Ibid.
12. J . Olumide Lucas, The Religion o f the Yorubas (Lagos, Nigeria: CMS Bookshop, 1949), 51.
13. Ibid., 103.
14. Judith Gleason, Orisha: the Gods o f Yorubaland (New York: Atheneum, 1971), 64.
15. Ecun, 37.
16. Ibid., 38.
17. Ulli Beier, Yoruba Myths (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1980), 25.
18. F. Omosaid Awolalu, Yoruba Beliefs and Sacrifical Rites (London, Longman, 1979), 112.
19. Lucas, 204.
20. Awolalu, 164.
21. Lucas, 205.
22. Awolalu, 149.
23. Oke.
24. Bishop James Johnson, quoted by Lucas, 216.
25. Lucas, 217.
26. Awolalu, 188-89.
27. Ibid., 189.
28. Ibid., 108.
29. See Joseph M. Murphy, Santeria: An African Religion in America (Boston: Beacon Press,
1988).
30. Ibid., 141.
31. Ibid., 78-83.
32. Ibid., 67.
33. Paul Orjala, This Is Haiti (Kansas City: Nazarene Publishing House, 1961), 51
34. Rayford W. Logan, Haiti and the Dominican Republic (New York: Oxford University Press,
1968), 176.
35. Douglas Hill and Pat Williams, The Supernatural (New York: Hawthorne, 1965), 246.
36. James F. Lewis and William G. Travis, Religious Traditions o f the World (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 86.
37. Sal Scolara, “A Salute to the Spirits," Americas, 45:2, March 1993, 30.
38. Katherine Dunham, Island Possessed (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday and Co., 1969), 88.
39. Elizabeth Abbott, Haiti: The Duvaliers and Their Legacy (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988),
116.
40. Khephra Burns, “The Oueen of Voodoo,” Essence 269:8576, 1992, 80.
41. Julia Reed, "Hex Appeal,” Vogue 183:3, March 1993, 416.
42. Liz Scott, "Voodoo to Do." New Orleans Magazine, June 1993, 50.
43. Scott, 51.
44. Karen McCarthy Brown, Mama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn (Berkeley, Calif.: Uni
versity of California Press, 1991).
45. Mercer Cook, An Introduction to Haiti (Washington, D.C.: Pan American Union, 1951), 4647.
41
Close to Home
News About Nazarenes
BY BRYAN M ERRILL
E u g e n e M.
C h ild r ess,
m em ber of
the S h ie ld s
C h u r c h in
O k lah o m a
City, Okla.,
c e le b ra ted
0 0 t h b ir t h d a y e a r l i e r
this summer. Childress, who
liv e s a l o n e , still r e g u la r l y
attends all Sunday and m id
w ee k se rv ic e s . T h e ch u rc h
sponsored a special celebra
tion for the centenarian, who
has atte n d e d the C h u rc h o f
th e N a z a r e n e m o s t o f h is
life.
A1 Jones, 24, and Ron Ford.
23, are the second and third
college graduates of the Bresee Y o uth s c h o la r sh ip p r o
g r a m o f th e P. F. B r e s e e
F o u n d a t i o n in p a r t n e r s h i p
w ith C o m p a s s i o n I n te r n a -
tional. T he in n o v a tiv e p r o
gram, founded by Jeff Carr,
g iv e s in n e r - c i t y y o u th the
opportunity to pursue a sec
o n d a r y e d u c a t i o n at a d i s
tinctly Christian college.
Jones and Ford, raised on
the r o u g h s tr e e ts o f S o u th
Central L.A., both completed
degrees in social work. Jones
is t h i n k i n g o f g o i n g in to
child welfare. Ford is pursu
ing a c a r e e r as a p ro b atio n
officer.
“ I never dreamed I’d grad
uate from c o l le g e " Jo n e s
s a id . “ So m a n y p e o p l e
h e l p e d m e ; I j u s t w a n t to
reach out to other people.”
(L. to r.) Al Jones, Jeff Carr, and
Ron Ford pose during graduation
exercises at NNC last spring.
The 1994 Washington Pacific
D istrict ordinand class (I. to
r.): G eneral S u p e rin te n d e n t
James H. Diehl, Rev. Jerry and
Linda B e c k , R ev. M ic h e lle
M o rris o n , R ev. C a lv in and
Kandy G ilb e rt, Rev. C harlie
and M e lin d a Lummus, Rev.
Jerome and Julie Beers, Rev.
Jonathan and Sue Ellen Cub
ing, Rev. Dana and B everly
H ic k s , R ev. K en n e th and
Donna R ow ley, and D is tric t
Superintendent Hugh L. Smith.
The 1994 Canada Atlantic Dis
tric t ordinand class (I. to r.):
fro n t ro w — R ev. and M rs .
Clifton Queale, General Super
in te n d e n t Paul G. C un n in g
ham, Rev. and Mrs. Gary Cowper, D is tric t S uperintendent
W illiam Stew art; back row—
Rev. and Mrs. Eugene Morrell,
Rev. and M rs. Ray H inchey,
and R ev. and M rs . P h ilip
Green.
42
C h u ck D o w n in g , Sunday
S c h o o l c h a irm a n a t San
Diego, Calif., M ission V al
ley C h u rch , w as the 1993
C alifo rn ia recip ie n t o f the
P re s id e n tia l A w a rd fo r
E xcellence in Science and
M a th e m a tic s T e a c h in g .
Downing teaches science at
Monte Vista high school.
The award, sponsored by
the National Science Foun
d a tio n , p ro v id e s a $ 7 ,5 0 0
grant for use at the teacher's
sch o o l. A lso in c lu d ed are
several gifts from corporate
sponsors.
As a highlight, Downing
received an all-expense paid
trip for two to Washington,
D .C . A c tiv itie s in c lu d e d
b re a k fa s t at th e N a tio n al
P re ss C lu b , d in n e r at the
S ta te D e p a rtm e n t, and a
re c e p tio n at the N atio n al
Science Foundation.
Myrtie Cooley. 94, a m e m
ber o f the McAlester, Okla.,
C h u r c h , has s u b s c r i b e d to
the H e r a ld o f H o lin e s s for
57 c o n s e c u tiv e years. S u b
scribing since she joined the
C h u rc h o f the N a z a r e n e at
Buffalo Valley, Okla., C o o
ley has also received W orld
M is s io n m a g a z i n e f o r the
same period o f time.
The 1994 Northwestern Ohio District ordinand class (I. to r.) Gener
al Superintendent W illiam J. and Evelyn Prince, Rev. and Mrs.
Oscar Clark, Rev. Anthony Branch, Rev. and Mrs. Brian Grimm, Dis
trict Superintendent Jack E. and Celina Shankel.
The 1994 M etro New York District ordinand class (I. to r.): front
row— D istrict Superintendent Dallas D. and Sandra M ucci, Rev.
Jean Estyl, Rev. and Mrs. David Cade, Rev. and Mrs. Enos Brown,
Revs. Roy and Denise Shaffer, Rev. and Mrs. Cecil C larke, and
General Superintendent Donald D. Owens; middle— Rev. and Mrs.
Ramon Tanon; back— Rev. and Mrs. Pierre Heurtelou.
V ita l S tatistics
Deaths
M AR Y AR N O LD , f o r
m e r dean o f w o m e n at
Eastern Nazarene College,
W hite Stone, V a„ Apr. 24.
Survivors: daughter, Elea
n o r J a c k s o n ; 6 g ra n d
children; 12 great-grand
children.
PETER BOURKE, 70,
lo n g tim e N ew Z ea la nd
D is tric t A d v is o ry Board
m e m b e r,
A p r.
2.
S urvivo rs: w ife , G ladys;
d a u g h te r, N ancy; sons,
Peter, David; tw o grand
children.
M ARIE LEONA BR UNING , 94, W rig h t
City, Mo., Apr. 25. Survivors: sons, Floyd,
Lloyd: tw o sisters; six grandchildren; eight
great-grandchildren.
W ILLIE MAE COONS, 86, Duncan, Okla.,
Apr. 12. Survivors: daughter, D orothy Mae
Bond; tw o grandchildren; three great-grand
children.
REV. OLIVE F. CRANE, 96, form er pastor
and m issionary, Pasadena, Calif., Apr. 22.
S u rv iv o rs : n ie c e s and n e p h e w s , A lp in
Bowes, G erald Bowes, Eunice King, Lois
Hoppe, Ethel Hutcheson, W il Spaite.
FLOY
G IL L IL A N D ,
B etha ny, O kla., w ife o f
fo rm e r S o u th e rn N aza
rene University president,
Ponder Gilliland, May 17.
Survivors: husband, Pon
der; daughters, Glaphre,
M a rs h a , S h e ri; so n ,
R onald; three siste rs; tw o b ro th e rs; tw o
granddaughters.
HELEN A. HILL, 69, Crystal Falls, Mich.,
Apr. 30. Survivors: husband, Albert; daugh
ters. Linda, Carol, Edie, Josephine; foster
m o th e r, E dith; 2 b ro th e rs; 3 siste rs; 22
grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren.
M. JUNE (McGUIRE) LIDDELL, registered
e v a n g e list and fo rm e r m u sic te a ch e r at
O liv e t N azare ne U n iv e rs ity , M ay 12.
S u r v iv o r s : h u s b a n d , P. L.; d a u g h te r,
Lavonne.
BERNEASE F. (ELLIOTT) PEED, 74, Mesa,
A riz .. Dec. 1. S urvivo rs: husband, John;
sons, Mark, Robert; one brother; tw o sis
ters; five grandchildren.
M YR TLE E. R IS H E L, 90 , S c o tt C ity ,
Kans., Apr, 27. Survivors: husband, Paul D.;
daughters, Lesta Lange, Pauline Hillary; five
g ra nd childre n; eight g reat-g ra ndch ildren;
thrpp cictpr*;
W AVY E. ROGERS. 86, O rlan do, Fla.,
Sept. 13. Survivors: husband, Rev. Lelan;
two sisters; one brother.
J. GEORGE TAYLO RSON, 89, pastor of many
y e a rs , C a th e d ra l C ity ,
Calif., Dec. 9. Survivors:
w ife , Eldred Mae; sons,
George, Glenn; daughter,
P a tric ia ; s ix g ra n d c h il
dren; fo u r g re a t-g ra n d
children; one sister; one brother.
REV. ROY VAUGHN, 80, pastor of many
years, Ocoee, Fla., Jan. 20. Survivors: wife,
L u c ille ; d a u g h te rs , J e a n e tte D o rfm a n ,
Naomi Vaughn; three brothers; fo u r grand
children; four great-grandchildren.
Births
to DW ANE AN D D EANNE A R N O LD ,
Olathe, Kans., a boy, Dustin Nicholas, Jan. 8
to DON AND TERESA (ZALETA) BIRDW ELL, Oklahoma City, Okla., a boy, Joshua
A ugust
1994
Don, Oct. 5
to REV. DAN AND DEBBIE BRAATEN,
Lee's S um m it, Mo., a g irl, Ashley Nicole,
born Dec. 20, adopted Jan. 13.
to CARY AND SARAH BETH (BOWLES)
GOM ER, P a lm e r, T e n n ., a bo y, Jam es
Cullen, Nov. 14
to MICHAEL AND BONNIE (HARTMAN)
HOGAN, S elinsgrove, Pa., a boy, Jordan
Lee, Feb. 2
to M IC H A E L AND BAR BAR A (H E RB STER) HOCKENBROCK, Selinsgrove, Pa., a
boy, Cody Allan, Feb. 17
to JA S O N AN D M E LO D I (M O Y E R )
M cW ILLIAM S, Oklahoma City, Okla., a girl,
Malori Danae, Jan. 4
to BRYAN AND TERESA (W ARD) MER
RILL, O lathe, Kans., a g irl, A ndria Jane,
May 6
to STEVEN AND KELLY (KOEHN) PARK
ER, C o lo ra d o S p rin g s , C o lo ., a g ir l,
Rebekah Leigh, May 8
to JEFFREY AND ROBIN (W ITHERITE)
SCHLU M PF, C olorado S p rin g s, C olo., a
boy, Cameron Handschy, Feb. 16
to LO N N IE AND LAU R A (H O FFM A N )
SCHOLL, Selinsgrove, Pa., a boy, Lorenz
Anthony, Mar. 28
to STEPHEN AND STACEY STRANGE,
Lakeland Fla., a girl, Kaitlyn Diana, Mar. 30
Marriages
ANGELA KELLY and STEPHEN HEITZ,
Mar. 12
N IC H O LE LEA S M IT H an d H ARO LD
ALFRED LERCH, JR., at Selinsgrove, Pa.,
May 7
DAVID P. KING, fro m student, Nazarene
Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo.,
to pastor, W arrensburg, Mo.
MAX S. MURPHY, from pastor, Morehead
City (N.C.) Crystal City, to evangelism
JA M E S E. NASH, fro m F ra n k fo rt (K y.)
Capital, to Apache Junction, Ariz.
A. GARY PETTIGREW, from Cisco, Tex., to
Bay City, Tex.
T IM O T H Y G. PITZER , fro m a s s o c ia te ,
Denver (Colo.) Lakewood, to associate,
Bucyrus, Ohio
R O BERT (B U D ) PR EN TIC E, fro m
Springfield (M o.) Grace, to Great Bend,
Kans.
H ARRY A. RICH, fro m s u p e rin te n d e n t,
Canada Quebec, to d istrict assignm ent,
Zaire/Rwanda
BYRON C. SCHORTINGHOUSE, from m is
s io n a ry to s u p e rin te n d e n t, S o u th e rn
Florida D istrict
WALTER F. SHEETS, fro m Royalton (III.)
First, to Pana (III.) First
LINDA STARGEL, from student, Nazarene
Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Mo.,
to associate, Montreal (Quebec) Grace
WOODIE STEVENS, from pastor, Colorado
Springs (Colo.) First, to superintendent,
New M exico District
C LIFFO R D
E. W A TT, J R ., fro m
W arrensburg, Mo., to Gladstone, Oreg.
Recommendations
FOR THE RECORD
Moving Ministers
The follo w ing have been recom m ended
by their respective district superintendents:
RO N ALD L. REAG LE, e v a n g e lis t, 9
M onroe St., Franklin, PA 16323, by J. Roy
Fuller, Pittsburgh District
KEITH GILLIAM , evangelist, 101 Adrian
D r., H u n ts v ille , AL 3 5 8 1 1 , by Leon F.
W yss, Colorado District
TIM YOUNG, evangelist, 712 N. Pawnee,
Taylorville, IL 62568 (217-824-5580), by E.
Keith Bottles, Chicago Central D istrict
RON SCRUGGS, e vange list, 11827 E,
153rd Terr., Olathe, KS 66062 (913-7803 9 9 3 ), by K e ith W rig h t, K an sas C ity
District
KEITH CARNES, from Rockford (III.) First,
to Anderson (Ind.) First
MAHLON COCHRAN, fro m Palco (Kans.)
Canaan Hill, to Banner, Mo,
R IC H A R D J. C O M ER , fro m p a s to r,
Owensville, Ind., to evangelism
DAVID B. CRAIG, from associate, Junction
C ity (K ans.) First, to associate, O kla
homa City (Okla.) Pennsylvania Avenue
JA M E S D. FOX, fro m p a s to r, B e v e rly ,
M a ss ., to a s s o c ia te , Q u in c y (M a s s .)
W ollaston
PA U L R. G ATES, fro m D ale, In d ., to
Owensville, Ind.
FRANKLIN W. GOFF, from Dunbar, W.Va.,
to Clendenin, W.Va.
R O N ALD G. GREENO , fro m p a s to r,
Redding (Calif.) First, to superintendent,
Sacram ento D istrict
EDWARD H. HECK, from Vicksburg (M ich.)
Chapman M em orial, to Vandalia, Ohio
M A R K E. H O LC O M B , fro m a s s o c ia te ,
V icksburg (M ich .) Chapman M em orial,
to associate, Vandalia, Ohio
JO N ATH AN M. H U N T, fro m a s s o c ia te ,
V icksburg (M ich .) Chapm an M em orial,
to associate, Vandalia, Ohio
GREGORY H. JO HNSO N, fro m stu d e n t,
N a z a re n e B ib le C o lle g e , C o lo ra d o
Springs, Colo., to pastor, W hitney, Tex.
W. TALMADGE JOHNSON, fro m su perin
tendent, Tennessee D istrict, to general
assignm ent. Sunday School M inistries,
Kansas City, Mo,
ROBERT C. KILLEN, from pastor, Kaneoho,
Hawaii, to superintendent, Hawaii Pacific
D istrict
ADAM S, MR. BRIAN and BERYL, Brazil,
Field Address: Caixa Postal 6585, Agenda
B. Geraldo, 13082-970 Cam pinas, SP,
BRAZIL
BAJOYO, DR. NORMA, Sw aziland, Field
A d d re s s : P.O. Box 1 4 6 0 , M a n z in i,
SWAZILAND
BATY, REV. DUANE and SUE, Cambodia,
Field Address: Church of the Nazarene,
P hnom Penh, G.P.O . 24 20, B angkok
10501. THAILAND
BENSCOTER, M R. DANA and M IR T ZA ,
Honduras, Field Address: Apartado 3356,
Tegucigalpa, HONDURAS
BIESENBACH, MR. HAROLD and HELEN,
A fric a O utre ach M in is trie s , F urlough
Address: W ism a rer Strasse 16, 63110
Rodgau 3, GERMANY
BOYES, MR. RUSSELL and PATTIE, Papua
New G uinea, F u rlo u g h A d d re s s: 625
W arsaw Ave., W innipeg, MB R3M 184.
CANADA
BRACY, REV. ROBERT and LORI, Papua
New Guinea, New Furlough Address: 220
Dean St., West Chester, PA 19382
BRUNSON, REV. ROBERT and NORMA,
C osta R ica, Field A d d re s s: A p a rta d o
3977-1000, San Jose, COSTA RICA
BUCHANAN, MR. JAMES and ARLA, Africa
Outreach M in istries, Furlough Address:
c /o C h u rch o f th e N azarene, 3 2 8 S.
Broadway, Havana, IL 62644
C A M P B E LL, M R . ROY and C ARO LIN E,
R ussia, F u rlo u g h A d d re s s : P.O. Box
Anniversaries
RALPH AND JERALINE CRAIG. Bethany,
O kla .. c e le b ra te d th e ir 5 0 th w e d d in g
an n iversary June 12 w ith a re cep tion in
their home. They have five children.
Moving Missionaries
28534, Gladstone, MO 64118
CARNEY, REV. KEN and RUTH, Dominican
Republic, Field Address: c/o Lynx A ir—
SD/RD, P.O. Box 5600, Fort Lauderdale,
FL 33340-5600
CAROLE, REV. GEORGES and SUSAN, Cote
d’Ivoire, Permanent Address: 3 Greystone
W alk Dr., Suite 831, Scarborough, ON
M 1K5J4, CANADA
C LAR K, DR. D A N IE L and M AR G ARET,
Bolivia, Field Address: Apartado 1-453B,
Callao 01, PERU
COUEY, REV. R AYM O N D and DONNA,
In d o n e s ia , F ield A d d re s s : c /o D alat
School, Tanjung Bunga, 11200 Penang,
MALAYSIA
COX, REV. DON and C H ER YL, SAM
Regional Office, Ecuador, New Furlough
Address: c/o Mrs. Ruth Stock, 3311 W.
Kiva Ct., F-2, Peoria, IL 61604
CRENSHAW, REV. DON and LUCY, Domin
ican Republic, Furlough Address: 15021
John Tatum PI., Fort Smith, AR 72916
FIRESTO NE, M R. BRAD and NANCY,
Dom inican Republic, Field Address: c/o
Lynx A ir— SD/RD, P.O. Box 5600, Fort
Lauderdale, FL 33340-5600
GARDE, MISS ARLENE, Costa Rica, Field
Address: Apartado 3977-1000, San Jose,
COSTA RICA
GARMAN, DR. LARRY and ADDIE, Peru,
New Furlough Address: c/o Rev. Greg
Garman, 23857 The Old Road, Newhall,
CA 91321
G O O DELL, DR. GARY and JAN IC E,
S w aziland, Field Address: P.O. Box 3,
Siteki, SWAZILAND
HALL, MRS. DORIS, Japan Christian Junior
College, Furlough Address: 18647 Hinton
Street, Hesperia, CA 92345
HALL, MISS JANICE, Japan Christian Junior
College, Furlough Address: c/o 18647
Hinton St., Hesperia, CA 92345
HENCK, REV. ROY and G LO R IA , Cape
Verde, Furlough Address: RD 1, Box 723,
Chester, WV 26034
HO LLE NB ER G , M R. GREG and M AR Y
BETH, Papua New Guinea, Field Address:
Box 456, Mt. Hagen, WHP, PAPUA NEW
GUINEA
JACKSON, REV. KEITH and RUTH, Zambia,
Furlough Address: 310 S inging Brook
Cir., Santa Rosa, CA 95409
JOHN, DRS. FLOYD and MARTHA, Kenya,
Field Address: P.O. Box 20025, Nairobi,
KENYA, EAST AFRICA
JO HNSTO N, REV. TREVOR and M ARY,
France, Field A dd ress: c/o Rev. Dave
F raley, 19 Rue R o s s in i, 3 4 0 7 0
Montpellier, FRANCE
K A R A H A D IA N , REV. M ILTO N and
MICHELLE, Russia, Furlough Address:
1006 Stratford R d„ Olathe, KS 66062
K ELLERER, REV. ERIC and PAULA,
Thailand, New Field Address: 88/2 Moo 4
Soi W ang Sing Kham, Tam bon Patan,
A m p h e r M uan g, C h iang M ai 5 0 3 0 0 ,
THAILAND
KETCHUM. REV. TERRY and KATHIE, Haiti,
Field Address: c/o MFI, P.O. Box 15665,
West Palm Beach, FL 33416
KROMER, DR. LARRY and LARK, European
Nazarene Bible College, Field Address:
P o s tfa c h 1 0 9 , 8201 S c h a ffh a u s e n ,
SWITZERLAND
LOWRY, DR. THOMAS and ETHEL, Malawi,
Field Address: P.O. Box 5566, Lim be,
MALAWI
LUDWIG, REV. REX and EDITH, Brazil, New
Field A dd ress: C.P. 9202, 8 0 6 1 1 -9 7 0
Curitiba, PR, BRAZIL
McCROSKEY, REV. ROBERT and ROSA,
Indonesia, C orrect Furlough Address:
6907 N.W. 41st, Bethany, OK 73008
McKELLIPS, REV. BRUCE and CINDA, SAM
Regional Office, Ecuador, Field Address:
Casilla 17-11-04964, Quito, ECUADOR
43
MERCER, REV. T IM O T H Y and M AR Y,
Korea, Field A d d re ss: K u k -d o n g Apt.
Bldg. 104, A pt. 1402, 20 9 C ho ng-su
Dong, Chonan 330-190, KOREA
M O W R Y, M R , JO N ATH A N and REV.
KATHRYN, R ussia, Furlough Address:
15 06 S econd A ve., Los A n g e le s, CA
90019
PELTON, REV. KENT and KATHLEEN, Papua
New Guinea, Field Address: P.O. Box 376,
Mt. Hagen, WHP, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Q U IR A M , REV. R UDY and NANCY,
Switzerland, Furlough Address: 1800 N.E.
61st Ave., Portland, OR 97206
R IC H, REV. D W IG H T and C AR O LYN .
Ecuador, Field Address: Casilla 17-1105027, Quito. ECUADOR
RICHEY, REV. R IC HA RD and RONNIE,
A fric a S o u th Field C e n tra l, F u rlo u g h
Address: 1558 W. Crescent, Mesa, AZ
85202
RYAN, REV. M AR K and KR IS, MAC
R e g io n a l O ffic e , G u a te m a la , Field
Address: c/o 1375 N.W. 97th Ave., Suite
10, Box 551, Miami, FL 33172
SANDERS. MR. TERRY and JANE, AsiaP a c ific NTS, Field A d d re s s : O rtig a s
Avenue E xtension, K aytikling, Taytay,
1920 Rizal, PHILIPPINES
SAXON, DR. RUTH, C aribbean Nazarene
Theological College, Field Address: P.O.
Box 1245, P ort o f S pa in , TR IN ID A D ,
WEST INDIES
SC HO R TIN G HO U SE , REV. BYRON and
LEANNA, Papua New Guinea, Stateside
Address: P.O. Box N, Boca Raton, FL
33429
SEAM AN, REV. JOHN and LIN D A, Cote
d 'Iv o ire , Field A d d re ss: 22 B.P 623,
A b id ja n 22 , COTE D ’ IVO IR E, W EST
AFRICA
D o Y ou H a v e
SHIPPS. REV. BOB and KELLY, Kenya, Field
A d d re s s : P.O. B ox 2 0 0 2 5 , N a iro b i,
KENYA, EAST AFRICA
S ILV E R N A IL, REV. KEITH and GENEVA,
Caribbean Nazarene Theological College,
Field A dd ress: CNTC, P.O. Box 3781,
Cantaro, Santa Cruz, TRINIDAD, WEST
INDIES
SKINNER, REV. ROBERT and COLLEEN,
Philippines, Furlough Address: P.O. Box
218. Canyon City, OR 97820
STEVENSON, REV. C LA U D IA , N ig e ria ,
F u rlo u g h A d d re s s : c /o M rs . W ilm a
Stevenson, 8975 Lawrence Welk Dr., No.
132, Escondido, CA 92026
SUNBERG, REV. JAY and TEANNA, Russia,
Field Address: Church of the Nazarene,
c/o Post In te rn a tio n a l, Inc., 666 Fifth
Ave., Suite 572, New York, NY 10103
WARD, REV. VERNE and NATALIE, Papua
New G uinea, New Field A dd ress: Box
4 5 6 , M t. H agen, W H P, PAPUA NEW
GUINEA
WESLEY, REV. DAVID and GLYNDA, SAM
R e g io n a l O ffic e , E c u a d o r, F u rlo u g h
Address: c/o 1716 Algodones St., N.E ,
Albuquerque, NM 87112
WIENS. MISS EVELYN, Papua New Guinea,
F u rlo u g h A d d re s s: c/o 0 . W ie n s, 67
Laurier Ave., M ilton, ON L9T 4T1. CANA
DA
ZICKEFO O SE, M R . CR AIG and G A IL,
Venezuela, New Field Address: Apartado
132, San Antonio de los Altos, 1204-A,
VENEZUELA
ZURCHER. REV. NORM AN and CAROL,
A fric a O utre ach M in is trie s , F u rlo u g h
A d d re s s : c /o N o rth e a s te rn In d ia n a
District Office, 1950 S. 350 E„ Marion, IN
46953
F r ie n d or L o v ed
O n e S e r v in g in t h e M il it a r y ?
a
D o n ’ t L e t Y o u r S e r v ic e m e m b e r
“ F a l l T h r o u g h t h e C r a c k s .”
Call 1-800-233-8962
to report new names and addresses
and changes of address. We will send
our quarterly newsletter, UNDER
ORDERS, and notify a nearby pas
tor and/or chaplain for follow up.
HELP US STAY IN TOUCH BY
KEEPING US INFORMED.
Announcements
HUNTINGTON (IN D .) FIRST CHURCH
w ill celebrate its 75th anniversary Sept. 18.
All form e r m em bers are invited. For more
inform ation, phone the church at 219-3561614.
KALAMAZOO (M IC H .) FIRST CHURCH
w ill celebrate its 70th anniversary, Sept. 25
beginning w ith a coffee fellow ship at 9:30
a . m ., Sunday School at 9:45 a . m ., and m orn
ing w orship at 10:50 a . m . Previous pastors
w ill speak at 4 p . m . For m ore inform ation,
phone 616-327-3151.
PRESCOTT (ARIZ.) FIRST CHURCH w ill
celebrate its 70th anniversary Oct. 29-30.
Special services are planned. Form er pas
tors, m em bers, and friends are invited to
attend or send greetings, photographs, etc.
For furthe r inform ation, contact the church
at 21 10 W illo w Creek Rd , P re sc o tt, AZ
86309, or phone 602-445-1136.
SANTE FE (N.MEX.) FIRST CHURCH will
celebrate its 45th anniversary Sept. 10-11.
Special services are planned fo r Saturday
evening and Sunday m orning, w ith dinner
on the grounds follo w ing . All fo rm e r pas
tors, m em bers, and friend s are invited to
attend o r send greetings. For m ore in fo r
m ation, phone 505-983-8738.
DIRECTORY
B O A R D O F G E N E R A L S U P E R IN T E N D E N T S
Office: 6401 The Paseo, Kansas City. MO
6 4 1 3 1 . D o n a ld D. O w e n s , c h a irm a n ;
W illiam J. Prince, vice-chairm an; James H.
Diehl, secretary; Jerald D. Johnson, John
A. Knight, Paul G. Cunningham.
TITHING
%
%
S is Seena/m do/t/oat It/c
CSAoaldn
, ,,
I UAe a p a d o /yo a t estate?
You’ve spent the best p art of your life serving the
Lord and giving to His church. Now th a t it’s tim e to
think about estate planning, you w ant th a t testim ony
to continue after you’ve gone.
W ho better to discuss these issues with th an a
trained professional who shares and understands your
com m itm ent to C hristian stew ardship? You can find
such a professional in your Planned Giving represen
tative. To contact him , call the Planned G iving office
at International H eadquarters of the C h u rch of the
N azarene, or clip the coupon below and send it to us.
W e’ll put you in touch.
Write today for estate planning assistance.
Rev.
Mr.
Mrs.
Miss.
Address
Citv
State
Telephone (
ZiD
)
Birth Date
(Month)
(Year)
(Day)
Spouses Birth Date______
Please send information on DWriting a Will
□Gift Annuities
QTrusts
CHAPLAINCY MINISTRIES
6401 The Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131
"tm
fy*— "i'm "jN f
Lm11'. Tm
ri> y
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1- 80 0 - 544-8413
44
P VANNED
GIVING
NEWS OF RELIGION
Belief in Devil
Strong in France
B e l i e f in G o d in F ra n c e is
f a d in g but not b e lie f in the
devil. A poll for the new spa
per L e M o n d e, sh o w e d that
61 p e r c e n t o f th e F r e n c h
more or less believe in God,
com pared with 66 percent in
a su rv ey ta k en years ago.
W hen asked if they believed
in the devil, 34 percent said
yes. T h a t ’s up from 24 p e r
cent in 1986. A bout 56 p er
cent said they believe Jesus
w as the Son o f G o d (d o w n
from 64 percent in 1986).
Murderer Baptized
Serial murderer Jeffrey Dahmer was baptized because he
“ w a n t e d h is s i n s w a s h e d
aw ay." according to Ray Rat
cliff, a Church o f Christ m in
ister. R atcliff baptized Dahm er in a whirlpool at C olum
bia. Wis., C orrectional C e n
ter where D ahm er is serving
16 consecutive life sentences
f o r k i l l i n g 17 y o u n g m e n .
The 33-year-old Dahmer dis
m e m b e r e d so m e o f his v ic
tims.
D ahm er reportedly gained
i n t e r e s t in r e l i g i o n a f t e r
receiving information about a
B ib le s tu d y c o u r s e fro m a
Virginia woman. Ratcliff said
he met with D ahm er to assess
his commitment. He said the
i n m a t e a p p e a r e d to be at
p e a c e w ith h i m s e l f a n d
"w anted G od in his life.”
tio n s . C a th o li c le a d e rs say
th a t s e x u a l o r i e n t a t i o n o f
board and staff members is a
p r iv a te m a tte r and that the
c h a r ity a d h e r e s to a “ d o n 't
ask, d o n 't tell” policy.
The city council is holding
up r e n e w a l o f a $ 4 1 2 , 0 0 0
contract for a residential pro
g ram for d e s titu te A ID S
patients.
Cutting Off Nose
Clinton Budget Cuts
Funds for Chastity/
Adoption Programs
C a t h o l i c C h a r i t i e s o f S an
Francisco may lose $1.5 m il
lio n in A I D S c o n t r a c t s
because board directors will
not disclose their sexual ori
entation, as required by city
g o v e r n m e n t . T h e city sa y s
the rule is to guarantee that
service providers are sym pa
thetic to their target p op ula
T he C linton A d m in istration
e lim in a te d fu n d in g for teen
c h a s ti ty an d a d o p t io n p r o
grams from its 1995 budget,
according to the W ashington
T im es. A lth o u g h it revok es
funding of the Title XX A do
lescent Family Life program,
the budget allocates $6.8 mil
lion for a new Office of A do
lescent Health.
A s p o k e s p e r s o n f o r th e
office of Health and Human
S erv ices S ecre tary D onna
Shalala said abstinence p ro
g r a m s w ill be e l i g i b l e to
c o m p e te for f u n d in g u n d er
the new h e a lth o ffic e . T he
O A H is to f u n d p r o g r a m s
th a t c o m b a t teen v io le n c e ,
d rugs, se x u ally tra n sm itte d
d ise a se s, p re g n a n c y , and
mental health problems. The
o ffic e also is to e n c o u r a g e
health education and contra
ceptive inform ation and ser
vic es fo r te en s. U n lik e the
F a m i l y L if e P r o g r a m , the
O AH has no mandate to fund
p r o g ra m s h e lp in g p re g n a n t
teens choose adoption. Absti
nence is “not in their vocabu
lary and it's not in their bud
get," said Sen. Don Nickles
(R -O kla.), a m e m b e r o f the
Senate Appropriations C o m
mittee.
Menas
CLASSICAL CAROLS II
For the Advanced Pianist
Christmas arrangements by CaroiyneM. Taylor.
Each of the 11 arrangements is a synthesis of a
traditional carol with a standard classical piece.
Solo piano, advanced. Titles include: “Joy to the
World” (with Haydn’s Sonata in D); ‘The First Noel”
(with Tchaikovsky’s Bb Minor Piano Concerto);
“Some Children See Him” (with Chopin’s Nocturne
in E Minor); and more. Also available is Classical
Carols (HHMC-275, $7.95), the first book in the series.
AND HANDS
HHMC-278
HHMB-688
$7.95
PRAISE IMPROVISATIONS
Incredibly Interesting Piano Arrangements
of Some Very Special Songs
B y Teresa W ihelm i. Teresa’s inimitable style lends
a lively, light jazz flavor to these hymns and con
temporary favorites. Contains 13 songs in 11 full
arrangements with 10 short improvisations that
can serve as transitions between pieces or as
extended introductions. Solo piano, moderate.
Sample titles: W e Bow Down”; W e Will Glorify’;
W hat a Friend”; “Awesome God”; “How Majestic
Is Your Name”; “0 Come, All Ye Faithful.”
HHMB-689
$7.95
Hymns for the Worshiping Organist
By Ross Root. A very practical collection of 17
hymns, gospel songs, and contemporary chorus
es for church organists. Includes several pieces
for Lent/Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving.
Solo organ, moderately easy. Titles include: “Holy,
Holy, Holy”; “Gentle Shepherd”; “0 Little Town of
Bethlehem”; ‘The Bond of Love”; ‘Worthy Is the
Lamb”; and more.
$7.95
UNENDING COMFORT
A Fabric of Favorite Hymns
B y Tim Doran. Program material for memorial or
worship services. Optional interludes connect
each of the 21 songs with the one that follows,
allowing the organist to start at any point in the
book and continue as long as needed. Solo
organ, moderate. Part of the Unending Organ
Series. Sample titles: “Nearer, My God, to
Thee”; “Abide with Me”; “My Jesus, I Love Thee”;
“ Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"; “In the
Garden.”
HHMB-687
$7.95
To order these and other keyboard works call 1-
-8 7 7 -0 7 0 0 .
O b s er v er at La r g e
“Above All Else”
John C. Bowling is president o f Olivet
Nazarene University.
she
was blind, but very wise. One day,
she was visited by some young peo
ple intent on testing her wisdom.
Standing before her, one o f them
said:
“Old w om an, I hold in m y hand a
bird. Tell me, is it living or dead?"
She hesitates. She cannot see her
visitors, let alone what is in their
hands.
She senses that the bird is alive, but
if she says, “The bird is alive,” one
would only have to squeeze a little
harder and the bird w ould be dead.
Finally, she speaks. “I d o n ’t know ,”
she says. “ I d o n 't know w hether the
bird you are holding is dead or alive,
but what I do know is that it is in
your hands. It is your responsibility.”
The "bird in the hand” can repre
sent m any things over which one has
the pow er o f life and death, o f flight
or decay. O ur faith, our future, our
talents and abilities are all blessings
that G od has placed in our hands.
As we m ake choices concerning
our responses to these gifts o f grace,
we m ust rem em ber that the governing
of the hand begins with the heart—
that doing is prim arily a result o f be
ing. A life of m eaning and purpose is
not a garm ent that one puts on or a
O n ce, th e re w as a n o ld w om an;
46
m ethodology that one learns, but a
com m itm ent o f the heart that finds
expression in the head and the hand.
The counsel o f Scripture is,
“Above all else, guard your heart, for
it is the w ellspring o f life” (Proverbs
4:23, NIV).
Three observations:
First, this is a com m and: “G uard
your heart.” It is in the im perative be
cause it is im perative.
F or a couple o f years, I drove a car
that had a security system. W hen it
was bum ped, or if som eone tried to
pry open a door or window, the horn
w ould sound and the lights would
flash.
As far as I know, the only tim e the
alarm w ent off was one night as I
clim bed into the car in the W al-M art
parking lot. Sure enough, the horn be
gan to blow, the lights began to flash,
and a crow d gathered ’round.
We put elaborate energy and re
sources into guarding that w hich rusts
and decays and that which
can be stolen. Oh, that we
w ould guard our hearts
w ith the sam e fervor.
How do we guard our
hearts?
• “I have hidden your
w ord in m y heart that I
m ight not sin against you”
(Psalm 119:11, NIV).
• “ I seek you with all
m y heart; do not let me
stray from your com
m ands” (Psalm 119:10, NIV).
• “Turn my heart tow ard your
statutes and not tow ard selfish gain”
(Psalm 119:36, NIV).
• “Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will w alk in your truth; give me
an undivided heart, that I may fear
your nam e” (Psalm 86:11, NIV).
• “Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own un
derstanding” (Proverbs 3:5, NIV).
Second, there is an intense priority
here: “A bove all else.” Som eone has
said, “The main thing in life is to
keep the m ain thing the m ain thing.”
In a life filled with m any options,
there are som e overriding priorities
that m ust take precedence. G uarding
the heart is surely one o f those.
Third, we are given the reason for
the com m and: “for it is the w ellspring
o f life.”
Every person has an inner being
from w hich all o f life flows. O ur
thoughts, deeds, and attitudes are all
m anifestations o f this inner self— the
heart.
“As a m an thinketh in his heart,"
the Bible says, “ so is he.”
W hen the heart is pure, all that
flow s from it is pure, but if the heart
is bitter or sour or soiled, that which
flow s forth is the same. Life is lived
inside out.
D avid prayed it well, as he said,
“C reate in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within
m e” (Psalm 51:10, N IV). That prayer
is answ ered in C hrist w ho can cleanse
the heart through sanctifying grace.
Then, from that w ellspring, will flow
forth the joys o f life.
Life is lived inside out.
O nce, visitors asked an old woman
a question: “Is it alive or is it dead?”
W hat did these visitors m ake o f the
w om an’s w ise response, “ It's in your
hands”? W hat do you m ake o f it?
W hat shall you do with what God
has placed in your hands? Rem ember,
the hand is only an expression o f the
heart, so, “A bove all else, guard your
heart, for it is the w ellspring o f life."
m
a r k e d ^ o p y ^
N o te s fro m a n e d ito r’s jo u rn a l
August 1994
•
Whole No. 3558
•
by Mark Graham, Managing Editor
Vol. 83, No. 8
Where Do I Go to Complain?
Editor, Wesley D. Tracy
Managing Editor, Mark Graham
Administrative Secretary
Judith Perry
Director
Division of Communications
Paul Skiles
General Superintendents
Jerald D. Johnson
John A. Knight
William J. Prince
Donald D. Owens
James H. Diehl
Paul G. Cunningham
Bible quotations in this issue: Unidentified quota
tions are fro m the KJV. Q uotations from the fo llo w
ing translations are used by perm ission:
(NIV) From the H oly Bible, New International
Version• (NIV®). C opyright © 1 9 7 3 ,1 9 7 8 ,1 9 8 4 by
International Bible Society. Used by perm ission of
Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
(NRSV) From the N ew Revised Standard Version,
co pyrig ht © 1989, by the D ivision of Christian Edu
cation of the National Council o f the Churches of
Christ. Published by Thom as Nelson, Inc.
(RSV) From the Revised Standard Version o f the
Bible, copyrighted 19 46 ,1 9 5 2 , © 1 9 71,197 3.
(NEB) From the N ew English Bible, © The Dele
gates of the O xford U niversity Press and The Syn
dics of the C am bridge U niversity Press, 1961,
1970.
(NASB) From the New Am erican Standard Bible, ©
The Lockm an Foundation, 1 9 6 0 ,1 9 6 2 ,1 9 6 3 ,1 9 6 8 ,
1 9 7 1 ,1 9 7 2 ,1 9 7 3 ,1 9 7 5 ,1 9 7 7
Herald of Holiness (USPS 241-400) is pub
lished m onthly by the NAZARENE PUBLISH
ING HOUSE, 2923 Troost Ave., Kansas City,
MO 64109. Editorial offices at 6401 The
Paseo, Kansas City, MO 64131. Address all
correspondence concerning subscriptions to
Nazarene Publishing House. Copyright 1994
by Nazarene Publishing House. POSTMAS
TER: Please send change of address to Her
ald of Holiness, P.O. Box 419527, Kansas
City, MO 64141. Second-class postage paid
in Kansas City, Mo. Canadian GST No.
R129017471.
I
received a letter from a writer who
someone else to visit with. Invite them
over for Sunday dinner or for a snack af
attends a large church. She is a sin
ter evening worship. Get acquainted with
gle parent who said she needed to
vent her frustrations. She was hurt
others to the point that you know what
their needs are and can pray for them in
by the fact that she— a third-generation
Nazarene— and her son could be invisible
an informed way. Especially look to in
amid a large body of believers. Here is
clude persons within your social group
who may have gone through divorce or
her letter.
who may be bringing up children as sin
D e a r C h u r c h o f th e N a z a r e n e :
There are a fe w things I would like to say
gle parents. Offer to baby-sit for free or
include your new friends on an outing
to yo u a b o u t the way yo u have “w e l
with your own family.
comed" my son and me into
yo u r church. Thanks: . . .
Try to meet new people
There are lonely who come to your church
fo r the tim es I have called
m e m b e r s o f th e p a s to r a l
persons in every to show them that you real
ly care.
s ta ff a nd p o u re d out my
crowd— even in
A n d for you p e r s o n s
h e a rt a n d n eed s— o n ly to
who arc lonely in churches.
fe e l that my concerns were
the church.
Here arc my u n so lic ite d
ig n o r e d : . . . f o r a ll the
tips: Sit near the front of
tim es / m issed church, b e
your church or Sunday School class. It
cause I couldn't stand the loneliness or
will take you longer to get out of the
had a sick child— and no one bothered to
room after the service or class, thus al
fin d out why / w asn't there: . . .f o r the
times I have sat in church by myself, even
lowing you time to greet and be greeted.
Be optim istic. When som eone asks
after asking someone to sit with me: . . .
you how things are going, don't depress
fo r all the invitations—NOTI— for Sunday
din n e r, d e s se rt a t S h o n e y ’s, o r ju s t a
them to the point of suicide by telling
them every problem that you faced this
“come over tonight after ch u rch "; . . .fo r
not being there fo r me during my divorce,
week. It’s OK to share such things, but
don't dwell on them.
or after it: . . . fo r patronizing me by ask
Be honest with the leaders in your
ing others to greet m e during w orship
se rv ic e s ; . . . f o r o ffe rin g m e S u n d a y
church. If you feel that members of your
pastoral staff or Sunday School are ig
School classes where members don t even
noring your needs, tell them so (after
speak to me; . . . fo r ignoring my needs
thoroughly praying about it). Sometimes
a n d th o se o f m y so n ; . . . f o r m aking
those of us in the church don’t know that
G o d 's house the lo n eliest p la ce on the
we are being neglectful.
fa c e o f the earth.
Attend church and class outings and
There it is. How did it make you feel?
small-group Bible studies. Invite a friend
Were you shocked because you have nev
er known of anyone at your church re
to attend with you.
Find out the needs of others in your
ce iv in g such tr e a tm e n t? P e r h a p s you
wanted to ask the writer, “What are you
church or Sunday School class. T ake
someone a pie from the grocery bakery or
doing to make friends at church ?" Or,
part of a casserole that you prepared for
maybe you said. "I know exactly how this
your family. Helping others is a great way
person feels.”
to open doors to developing friendships.
You don't have to be a single parent to
Also, check your attitude. The reason
experience such feelngs. Some churches
others may not be warming up to you
are so large that it takes extra effort to get
acquainted. Many of us are shy or don't
might be because of an attitude that seems
know the art of initiating and maintaining
to say, “I don’t want your friendship."
conversations with strangers. Still, there
A church should never be the “ loneli
est place on the face of the earth" for
are lonely persons in every crowd— even
anyone. Let’s work at making our houses
in the church.
of worship homes for hurting and lonely
What can we do to encircle the lonely
and the hurting in our folds? I'm no ex
people.
pert. but here are a few ideas.
Break out of that com fortable clique
that you hang with in church and find
ftuM
A ug u st 1994
47
La t e N ews
Missionaries Withdraw from Haiti
Louisiana Tops Herald Campaign
All N a z a r e n e m is s io n a r ie s
serving in Haiti recently re
tu rn e d to the U nited States
ju st hours befo re the U .S.im posed ban on commercial
air trav el w e n t into e f fe c t,
a c c o r d i n g to J o h n S m e e ,
Caribbean regional director.
The State D epartm ent o r
der is part of the current in
ternational em b arg o against
th e m i l i t a r y l e a d e r s w h o
o u ste d fo rm e r P resid en t
Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
T e r r y K e tc h u m , m is sio n
director in Haiti, reports that
two Nazarene pastors' wives
r e c e n tly died d u rin g c h i l d
birth, because they had been
w ithout food for m ore than
tw o days. T h re e p a s t o r s ’
children have died of malnu-
L o u is ia n a led all o th e r d i s
tricts in the 1993-94 H era ld
s u b s c rip tio n c a m p a ig n , a c
cording to Wesley Tracy, edi
tor of the H erald o f H oliness.
L o u is ia n a rea ch ed 122 p e r
cent o f its district goal— the
highest percentage of any dis
trict in years. This is also the
f o u r t h y e a r in a ro w th a t
L o u is ia n a has led all o th e r
districts in the annual H erald
subscription drive.
D istric ts in the U.S. and
C a n a d a w e r e d i v i d e d in to
three groups, group one (with
m ore than 7,50 0 in av erage
Sunday morning attendance),
group tw o (4,501 to 7,500),
and group three (up to 4,500).
Goals were based on average
1992 S unday m o r n in g w o r
ship a t te n d a n c e d iv id e d by
2.75.
Illinois was the top district
in group two, reaching 72.8
percent of its goal. Southwest
Indiana, with 66.2 percent of
its g o a l, w a s the l e a d e r in
group one. Louisiana was the
leading district in group three.
R e v . D a n ie l J. M a p p u s ,
p a s t o r o f th e F r i e n d s h i p
Church in Robeline, La., d i
rected the c a m p a ig n for the
L o u isia n a D istric t (R alph
trition since the em bargo b e
gan.
" I t ’s r e a l l y a t i m e f o r
p r a y e r f o r N a z a r e n e s in
H a iti,” said S m ee. " T h is is
not just another international
happening. This is a desper
ate time for those who are a
part of our Nazarene church
family.”
T h e c o u n t r y o f H a it i is
s e c o n d o n ly to th e U n ite d
S t a t e s in t o t a l n u m b e r o f
N azarenes, b o astin g 54,313
m em bers in 1993. The N az
arene Bible College in Haiti
changed the date for its grad
uation c e r e m o n ie s to allow
p articip ation by the d e p a r t
ing missionaries. More than
600 Haitians gathered for the
emotional event.
Harvey Appointed to Canada Quebec
C arlton
F.
H a r v e y , 38,
has b e e n a p
pointed super
in t e n d e n t o f
th e C a n a d a
Q uebec D is
trict, a c c o r d
ing to General
Superintendent Paul G. C un
ningham. Cunningham made
the appointm ent with unani
m ous approval of the Board
o f G eneral S up erin te n d en ts
and in consultation with the
C a n a d a Q u e b e c D i s tr ic t
Council. Harvey will assume
his new responsibilities im
mediately.
H a r v e y r e p l a c e s H a rry
Rich, 66, who resigned at the
1994 district assem bly after
10 years as sup e rin ten d e n t.
Rich has accepted a special
ized missionary assignment to
R w a n d a / Z a i r e . H e a n d his
wife, M arion, will reside in
Kenya.
Harvey, the son-in-law o f
Rich, moves to the post from
Bradford, Pa., First Church,
where he was senior pastor.
He earlier pastored churches
on the Canada Quebec, North
west Oklahoma, San Antonio,
and Kansas City districts.
He is a graduate of North
w est N a z aren e C o lleg e and
O k la h o m a State U niversity.
H e also a tte n d e d N a z a r e n e
Theological Seminary.
H a r v e y a n d h is w if e ,
S h aro n , hav e tw o c h ild re n ,
Lyndon and Lauren.
Porter Has Recurrence of Cancer
A m y P o rter, d a u g h te r o f
Washington District Superin
tendent Jerry Porter and wife,
T o n i, u n d e rw e n t su rg ery .
May 26, w hich rev ealed an
inoperable tumor in the right
lung, along with many small
er tum ors. T he 19-year-old
48
began chemotherapy June 6.
P o r t e r , a s o p h o m o r e at
Southern Nazarene Universi
ty, underwent surgery to a m
putate her arm at the elbow
in January 1992 after cancer
cells were discovered in her
left hand.
West, superintendent). Debbie
B r e w e r , a p a s t o r ' s w ife in
Fairview Heights, 111., was the
c o o rd in a to r o f the drive for
the I llin o i s D is tr ic t (Allan
Dace, superin tendent). Rev.
G ary W illia m so n , pasto r of
th e O a k l a n d C i t y , Ind.,
C h u rch was the coordinator
f o r th e S o u t h w e s t I n d ian a
District (M. V. " B u d ” Scutt,
superintendent).
M a p p u s , B r e w e r , and
W illia m so n each received a
gift certificate from Nazarene
Publishing House for their ef
forts.
“ L o u is ia n a , Illin o is , and
Southwest Indiana helped us
carry out o u r th em e to ‘Put
the H erald in Its Place . . .’ on
th e ir d is t r ic ts ," said Tracy.
"W e appreciate the dedication
o f these district coordinators,
their superintendents, and the
many local coordinators who
assisted them. W ithout these
individuals and their counter
parts on the other districts, the
H erald would have no way of
reaching our readers. We are
grateful for their assistance.”
The theme for the 1994-95
campaign is "A Real Family
V alu e— the H e ra ld o f Holiness.
Gales Succeeds Follis in Canada West
Daniel R. Gales, 54, has been
elected superintendent of the
Canada West District, accord
ing to General Superintendent
Paul G. C unn in g h am . G ales
was elected on the fifth ballot
by the C anada W est District
Assembly June 24. He accept
ed the call.
The previous day, William
E. Stewart, superintendent of
the C anada Atlantic District,
had been elected to the post.
A fter consideration, Stew art
declined the call.
Gales replaces G lenn Follis. 61, who resigned from the
superintendency at the 1994
assembly. Follis said he plans
to take a brief sabbatical be-
fore returning to the pastorate.
Follis had served as superin
te ndent o f the district since
1986.
G a l e s h a d p a s t o r e d the
W innipeg Fort Garry Church
since 1991. Prior to this, he
pastored Calgary First Church
(1984-91) and Medicine Hat
(1972-84), both on the Cana
da West District.
G a l e s is a g r a d u a te of
C a n ad ian N azarene College
a n d h o ld s b oth the M.Div.
a n d D .M i n . d e g r e e s from
N azarene Theological Semi
nary. He and his wife, Bon
n ie , h a v e tw o d au g h ters,
Shannon Novak and Andrea;
and a son, Kevin.
Grow Stronger in the Lord Through Music
PERSONAL
PRAISE 1
Songs from the Sermon on the Mount
A flexible resource of great new songs, for use by congregations,
choirs, soloists, or worship teams. These mostly new selections are
highly singable with strong texts and fit equally well in public services,
small-group Bible studies, or personal devotions. The songbook offers
basic arrangements plus scriptural and devotional readings that pro
vide introductions for your choir or congregation. The recording is
filled with colorful performances by contemporary artists.
Cassette
$10.88
HHDC-4016
Com pact Disc
$14.88
HHMB-696
Songbook w ith Devotional
Readings
$4.95
Accom panim ent Cassette $19.88
HHDC-4016S
Compact Disc
$22.88
(Split-channel; instru m ents on left
channel, background vocals on right.
Lyrics included.)
HHOR-4016
Perform ance Charts
$95.00
(Side 1, split-channel; Side 2, stereo
vocal demo. Lyrics included.}
FREE SONGBOOK! Buy either the cassette or the CD and get the
songbook (a $ 4 .9 5 value) absolutely free!
HHMD-167 Cassette with FREE Songbook $10.88
f \
HHMD-168 Compact Disc with FREE Songbook $14.88
BEACON HILL PRESS OF KANSAS CITY
Janette Oke says—
“Ruth Glover has a style all her own as she shares the
lives o f the hardy people that opened up the Canadian
prairies. Only a deep faith in their personal God could
have seen them through some o f the heavy heartbreaks.
Ruth has captured the history and the spirit o f these
people. I enjoyed sharing their experience in the pages
o f THE SHINING LIGHT. ”
The Shining Light
By Ruth Glover. The promise of land and a new life in the West
was a shining light that beckoned, illum inating hearts and
imaginations. Worth and Abbie knew well that it would be a
struggle to carve out a new existence in the Saskatchewan
Territory. Together they could overcome any adversity. But can
Abbie hold on to the dream alone? Where is God’s light when
everything seems so dark?
HH083411 514X
$8.95

Herald of Holiness Volume 83 Number 08 (1994)

Transcription

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