Elevation to launch new satellites

Starting Sunday, Elevation Church will be in six locations -- including, for the first time, Rock Hill and University City.

The two new satellite sites for the fast-growing Southern Baptist church:

• Northwestern High School, 2503 W. Main St., in Rock Hill, S.C.
  


• YMCA University City, 8100 Old Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte.

Sunday services at both will begin at 9:30 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

Live worship teams will be at all six sites every Sunday. And Pastor Steven Furtick's sermon will either be delivered in person or shown live on a big screen, via simulcast technology.

Besides the new sites, the church's four current ones are at Blakeney and Matthews and, on Sundays only, at Providence High School and McGlohon Theatre in uptown Charlotte.

Elevation had earlier announced that its University City site would be Vance High School. But that was premature, said Elevation spokeswoman Tonia Bendickson. "The YMCA turns out to be a better location for us than Vance," she said in an email. "We're super-excited about it!"

What about a statue of Billy Graham in Washington?

It's been noted that the new statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the first on the National Mall honoring a non-U.S. president and the first honoring an African American.

I would add that it's also the first time a religious figure -- a man of the cloth -- has been so honored.

And that got me thinking: Should Billy Graham get a statue in Washington, too?

Not now. Graham, who will turn 93 in November, is still very much with us.

But someday, I think a statue of this Charlotte-born evangelist -- pastor to presidents -- would be a popular addition to Our Nation's Capital.

I'm not suggesting it go on the National Mall. That's reserved for titans who profoundly changed America: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR and MLK.

Graham's influence was big, but more sectarian: He's a beloved evangelist.

So here's where they might want to put his statue: In the U.S. Capitol.

If you've toured this domed home to the legislative branch, you know that each state gets to donate likenesses of two of its favorite sons or daughters to be among the Capitol's statuary.

Right now, two long-ago N.C. governors -- Zebulon Vance and Charles Aycock -- represent the Tar Heel State.

I say they've had their time.

At some future date, maybe the state could replace one of the governors with a statue of Billy Graham preaching the Gospel. (And maybe the other could be replaced, also someday, by a statue of Andy Griffith of Mayberry, er, Mount Airy. But that's another, later blog post).

Now, for those of you who think separation of church and state should extend to statues in public buildings, you might want to tell that to Hawaii . . . or California . . . or Utah . . . or Illinois.

Those are among the 12 states (by my count) that are represented by at least one religious figure.

Hawaii donated a statue of Father Damien, the 19th century Catholic priest who pastored lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Two years ago, he was canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

California, too, is represented by a Catholic priest: Father Junipero Serra was a Spanish missionary who founded a series of missions named for saints -- including San Diego, Santa Clara and San Francisco.

One of Utah's two statues is of Brigham Young. Yes, he was the first governor of the Utah territory. But he was also a historic president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- also known as the Mormons.

The first woman added to the National Statuary: Frances Willard of Illinois, a 19th century Christian crusader against drink. She started the Prohibition Party and was affiliated with evangelist Dwight Moody -- the Billy Graham of his day.

Certainly Billy Graham is a major figure not just in North Carolina. He is known all over the country -- and around the world.

Just like humorist Will Rogers was. His statue is in the Capitol representing his native Oklahoma.

And swapping one statue for another would not be unprecedented.

In 2009, the state of California did it. It replaced the statue of Thomas Starr King -- a Civil War-era Unitarian minister -- with one honoring a Hollywood actor whose star shone even brighter in the field of politics.

Maybe you've heard of him: Ronald Reagan.

For a complete list -- with cool photos and bios -- of the states' statues in the Capitol, check out the Web site for the National Statuary Hall collection.

Belmont Abbey College offers different take on Thomas More

On stage and screen, he's known less by his name than by this moniker: A man for all seasons.

But Belmont Abbey College is about to offer a different take on Sir Thomas More -- the 16th century British lawyer who was beheaded for his refusal to back King Henry VIII in the rotund royal's battle with the Roman Catholic Church.

"More," a one-man play written and performed by Simon Donoghue, will debut Thursday night at the college's Haid Theatre. You can also see it Friday and Saturday. All three performances will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets: $10.

Donoghue, director of theater at Belmont Abbey College for 37 years, offers high praise for "A Man for All Seasons," the Robert Bolt play about More that was made into an Oscar-winning 1966 film starring Paul Scofield.

In fact, he's staged it twice over the years at Belmont Abbey.

But O'Donoghue says he has a different view than Bolt, who portrays More as strictly a man of conscience.

The real reason for More's refusal to back the king was more religious, O'Donoghue says.

Even though More worked for Henry VIII -- running his government as Lord Chancellor -- he considered the king's actions "an attack on God and the church," says O'Donoghue.

As you may recall, Henry wanted the Catholic Church to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could wed Anne Boleyn. And amid signs that then-Pope Clement VII would not go along, the king bolted from the Roman church and got a compliant Parliament to dub him Supreme Head of the Church of England.

More felt that what the king was doing was "flying in the face of 1,500 years of what (More) calls tradition," Donoghue says.

In fact -- and you won't get this in "A Man for All Seasons" -- More was so committed to the church's official line that, ironically, he had some so-called heretics burned at the stake for fear they would poison the faith of others.

Donoghue says the play opens in the wee hours of the morning on the day More is to be executed at the Tower of London. As the play continues, he reflects back on his life and how he got to this place.

More, who was later canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, was said to have remarked before the axe fell: "Let me arrange my beard so it doesn't get cut. It didn't commit treason."

He also reportedly said this in his final minutes: "I die the King's good servant, but God's first."

Thomas More was 57 -- Donoghue's current age -- when he faced his end in 1535.

By the way: This is the second one-man play Donoghue has performed at Belmont Abbey College in recent years. In 2009, he was "Damien," the Catholic priest and saint who pastored lepers on the Hawaiian island 0f Molokai.

Learn about Islam this Ramadan

Got a question about Islam? Why not bypass all those anti-Islamic hate screeds on the Internet and actually ask a Muslim?

The Islamic Circle of North America is making it easy. Answers about the Five Pillars of Islam, the holy month of Ramadan, the Prophet Muhammad, the Quran and more are now only a phone call away.

As part of its "Why Islam" campaign, the group has put up 50 billboards around the country inviting those curious about Islam to call its toll-free hot line.

The phone number: 877-949-4752.

There's also a Web site.

"We invite people to come hear it from the horse's mouth," Asim Khan, a member of the Islamic Circle's New Jersey chapter told Religion News Service, which did a good story on the info campaign. "There is a lot of curiosity about Islam, but also a lot of misinformation, uncertainty and a sense of fear in approaching us."

And, he adds, "We're not here to convert people. We're here to educate people."

Islam is a religion of 1.5 billion people, and Muslims are now in the final week or so of Ramadan -- a time of fasting and repentence and the holiest month on the Islamic calendar.

What better time to raise your IQ about the world's second largest religion?

You might also check out the popular Web site, http://www.islamicity.com/.

And for a personal take on Ramadan, read Kari Ansari, co-founder of America's Muslim Family Magazine, on "Ramadan Lessons From My Kids."

Coming to Charlotte: Jesuit priest who's 'chaplain' of Colbert's satiric news show

The Rev. James Martin, who's brought a religious perspective to U.S. pop culture in recent years, will be in Charlotte on Oct. 1 to help St. Peter Catholic Church celebrate its 25th anniversary as a Jesuit-run parish.


(Full disclosure up front: I attend the uptown church, which was founded in 1851, making it the oldest Roman Catholic parish in Charlotte).


Martin, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1999, is probably the country's most famous Jesuit -- a worldwide Catholic religious order that was founded nearly 500 years ago by Ignatius of Loyola in Spain. The order's more formal name: The Society of Jesus.


Martin has turned up frequently on CNN, Fox and NPR, a self-deprecating but soulful talking head who's served up compassionate and sometimes funny commentary on everything from Lindsay Lohan dressing as Jesus for a fashion magazine to Mother Teresa's admitting the presence of doubt in her prayer life.


But Martin has made perhaps his biggest pop culture splash via his appearances on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Host Stephen Colbert -- who grew up in an Irish Catholic family in South Carolina -- now introduces Father Martin as chaplain of the faux news show.


This month, Martin was back on Colbert's week-nightly satire to talk about God's job performance and poll numbers. Before becoming a priest, Martin graduated from the Wharton business school in Pennsylvania and worked in finance at General Electric.


Besides appearing on TV, Martin blogs for the Huffington Post and America, a Catholic magazine, and writes books -- including "My Life with the Saints" (2006) and "The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything" (2010).


USA Today profiled him last year. And St. Peter has more information on Martin's "Jesuit 25th Anniversary Lecture" on its Web site.

Charlotte pastor is candidate to lead N.C. Baptist State Convention

The Rev. Mark Harris, senior pastor at Charlotte's First Baptist Church, says he'll be a candidate for president when the N.C. Baptist State Convention meets in November.

Southern Baptists make up the largest Protestant denomination in the state, with about 1.4 million members. More than 4,200 N.C. churches are associated with the Baptist State Convention.

Harris, 45, is now the group's first vice president and he's been in the forefront of a push in recent years to move the convention further to the right.

The most prominent example: In 2006, the convention adopted a policy crafted by a committee chaired by Harris. It said Baptist churches that "knowingly act to affirm, approved, endorse, promote, support or bless homosexual behavior" would henceforth be considered "not in friendly cooperation" with the convention.

Among the gay-friendly churches that have since left or been kicked out of the convention includes Charlotte's Myers Park Baptist.

Harris, whose uptown church attracts 1,000 worshipers most Sundays, told the Observer that he would "use the bully pulpit to continue that (conservative) vision" if elected president of the convention.

But mostly, Harris said, he wants to have Southern Baptist churches in the state work together to fulfill the Great Commission -- Jesus' command in the Gospel of Matthew to baptize and teach the Word to people around the world.

Harris said he'd also push for the state convention to closely align itself with mission boards and seminaries of the national Southern Baptist Convention, which has also grown more conservative in recent decades.

Nominating Harris at the November meeting in Greensboro will be the Rev. Marty Jacumin, senior pastor at Bay Leaf Baptist Church in Raleigh. He said Harris is the best person to lead the group at a time when some Baptist churches in North Carolina are closing.

"I've really seen Mark's heart for people and for the Gospel, lived out in leadership," he said. "And I've seen him drive from one end of the state to the other for Baptist causes."

Jacumin said Harris understands the need to plant more Baptist churches around the state and help existing churches struggling in this sour economy.

"Right now, more (Baptist) churches are closing each year than are opening," he said.

He also expects Harris to help the state convention become more diverse.

"When you think of Southern Baptist now, you probably think of white churches," Jacumin said. "We need to have more and more Southern Baptist churches that are Hispanic, African American, Chinese."

Harris' decision to run f0r the top job also comes at a time when an increasing number of churches are dropping the word "Baptist" from their names in hopes of attracting people who might be turned off by denominations.

"Over the years, the word 'Baptist' has, to some, been more associated with controversies than a lot of us would like," Harris said. "What I can do (as president) is see that the word 'Baptist' is more associated with the positive impact we are making on the culture, on families, on government."

Neither Harris nor Jacumin said they had heard of any other pastors planning to have their names placed into nomination for president when the "messengers," or delegates, meet Nov. 7-8 in Greensboro.

"No one (else) has announced," said Harris.

If elected, Harris would serve a one-year term, with the option of running for a second one-year term in 2012. There’s a two-term limit.

Newest issue in 2012 race: Religion

With the rapid rise of Michele Bachmann and the splashy entry of Rick Perry, faith has suddenly taken center stage in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Both have advertised their own evangelical credentials. And in the coming months, the Minnesota congresswoman and the Texas governor are expected to battle each other for the hearts -- and votes -- of conservative Christian churchgoers in Iowa. The Christian Broadcasting Network is already calling it a "holy war." 

If they both survive that Midwestern caucus, look for Bachmann and Perry to show up in white evangelical churches all over South Carolina -- the site of the first Southern primary.

On the Sunday morning talk shows, Bachmann -- winner of Saturday's straw poll in Ames, Iowa -- was asked about several of her faith-based comments: her condemnation of homosexual behavior, her belief that God told her to enter politics, and her decision to "submit" to her husband by agreeing to becoming a tax lawyer.

The most intense back-and-forth happened between her and "Meet the Press" anchor David Gregory.

Perry, meanwhile, sent a clear signal to evanglicals that he was one of them when he headlined a recent prayer rally in Houston.

In TV interviews that reach a broader national audience, Bachmann and Perry will prefer to talk about jobs, the federal debt and President Obama's record.

But as they compete to become the more conservative alternative to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney -- still the nominal front-runner in the GOP contest -- Bachmann and Perry will also find ways to communicate to evangelicals that the best way to promote conservative moral and social issues is to back them.