Week of June 20, 2005
Guilty plea
Two years after the death of Patrick Dennehy, his former Baylor
University basketball teammate Carlton Dotson had pled guilty to his
murder. Dotson, 22, surprised prosecutors and even his family by
submitting an open plea – which carries no deal for leniency – just two
days before jury selection was scheduled to begin in his trial. Dotson
was sentenced to 35 years in prison – and will not be eligible for
parole until he has served 17 years. Dennehy disappeared from the Waco
campus in June 2003. Six weeks later, his remains were found in a field
a few miles from Baylor. On September 3, 2003, Dotson was indicted for
murder. He spent two months in a mental hospital on a judge’s order.
The motive behind the killing is still unknown. Dennehy’s death led to
an investigation of the men’s basketball team and NCAA probation after
investigators found that Baylor men’s coach Dave Bliss had given
Dennehy and another team member tuition money and that drug use by some
players had not been reported. Bliss and Athletic Director Tom Stanton
ultimately resigned.
Louisiana smoking
Despite anti-smoking efforts, Louisiana continues to own one of the
highest smoking rates in the nation. Overall, 26.6 percent of Louisiana
adults smoke regularly – at a tune of about 30 million packs a month.
That rate is 18 percent higher than the national average and higher for
all but three other states Missouri, West Virginia and Kentucky. The
national average is 22.5 percent of adults who are smokers. The lowest
rate in the nation is found in Utah, where only 12 percent of adults
are regular smokers. Smoking is a costly habit. The Center for Disease
Control reports that each pack of cigarettes sold in the nation costs
about $7.18 in terms of medical care and lost productivity. Also,
smoking kills about 6,400 Louisiana residents a year. Even so, about
one-fourth of Louisiana young people smoke – and 12,300 more join the
ranks each year. And officials with the Louisiana Center for
Tobacco-Free Living recently suggested a three-pronged attack on the
problem – a statewide program to keep people from smoking and to help
those who do to stop, laws requiring smoke-free surroundings and a
higher sales tax on cigarettes.
Court victory
A New Jersey appeals court panel has refused to strike down the state’s
laws banning same-sex marriage, setting up a much-anticipated appeal to
the state Supreme Court – one of the most liberal high courts in the
nation. The 2-1 ruling gave pro-family groups a victory in the case,
although it could be short-lived if the New Jersey Supreme Court
eventually legalizes same-sex marriages. The New Jersey Supreme Court
previously has sided with homosexual activists. In 1999, it ruled that
the Boy Scouts could not prevent homosexuals from becoming troop
leaders – a decision that eventually was overturned by the U.S. Supreme
Court. Leaders of the homosexual activist group Lambda Legal has
announced it will appeal the appeals court ruling to the state Supreme
Court.
India unrest
Two ministers have been murdered in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh
since mid-May in what an All India Christian Council official has
called “a very planned way of terrorizing the Christian community.” On
June 2, police found the body of Isaac Raju just outside the state
capital of Hyderabad in southern India. The independent church pastor
had been missing since May 24. On May 21, the body of K. Daniel, a
preacher from Kummarvadi, also was found on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
“We don’t know what is happening, but we are scared,” said Sam Paul,
national secretary of the All India Christian Council. In both cases,
police were informed where to find the body by anonymous calls. “It’s a
very planned way of terrorizing the Christian community,” Paul said.
The murders come at a time when All India Christian Council leaders are
voicing opposition to a recommendation by the U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom that India be removed from the list of
countries of particular concern. Christian observers say a climate of
religious hostility persists, primarily because of the militant
ideology spread by a Hindu extremist organization in the nation.
New Orleans Seminary
Four new faculty members have been approved as additions to the faculty
of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. President Chuck Kelley
recently reported that Benjamin Harlan had been named professor of
church music. Harlan served on the New Orleans faculty from 1989-95
before becoming dean of the school of church music at Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Members of the
seminary executive committee also approved the appointment of extension
center directors David Lema Jr., John Robson and Johnny Bley to the
ministry-based faculty at Leavell College. Each will hold the title of
associate professor of Christian ministry. The ministry-based faculty
category is designed for instructors who serve in other ministries to
bring their practical experience into the classroom. Lema serves as
director of the seminary’s Center for the Americas in Miami. Robson
serves as Baton Rouge extension center director and also as a chaplain
and director of the seminary’s undergraduate program at the Louisiana
State Penitentiary in Angola. Bley is a former adjunct professor with
the Angola Prison education program and is working to create a program
like it in the Mississippi State Penitentiary. Trustees also approved
the appointment of Reggie Ogea as associate dean of professional
doctoral programs. Ogea also serves as director of the doctor of
ministry program at the seminary.
Bible-study lawsuit
A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Knoxville, Tenn.,
student who allegedly was told he could not hold an informal Bible club
during recess. The suit was filed by the Alliance Defense Fund on
behalf of 10-year-old student Luke Whitson, a fourth-grader at Karns
Elementary School. “The Constitution says ‘yes’ to Bible reading and
discussion outside of class time,” attorney Nate Kellum noted. “Recess
is non-instructional time regardless of how the school system tries to
characterize it after the fact.” The Alliance Defense Fund said it was
unable to resolve the issue with school officials, forcing the suit. It
was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Tennessee. School officials have said recess is not “free time” and
that Bible study is allowed “outside the classroom environment.”
Canadian intent
Barring a political miracle for social conservatives, Canada this
summer will become the third country to legalize same-sex marriages.
Governing Liberal Party officials said they plan on putting the
same-sex marriage bill on a fast track for passage. Although the House
of Commons is scheduled to begin its summer break June 23, Prime
Minister Paul Martin recently said Parliament will stay longer if
needed. Belgium and the Netherlands currently are the only countries
that have legalized same-sex marriages. “There’s no doubt that … it’s
legislation that must pass,” Martin said of the Canadian measure. “And
we want it to pass. And parliamentarians are here to do the job.” The
news is a significant blow to the bill’s opponents, who thought they
were going to be able to hold extended committee hearings on the bill
for the rest of the session. That would have delayed a vote until this
fall. Now, a vote appears to be just weeks away. The bill also must
pass the Senate, where it likely would have little opposition. The most
significant opposition remains in the House of Commons.
‘The Da Vinci Code’
Audio recordings of “The Da Vinci Code” Workshop at Midwestern Baptist
Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., have been posted to the
seminary’s Web site. The conference was organized to help equip
Christians to respond to the best-selling book, which claims that Jesus
was married to Mary Magdalene and promotes the Gnostic gospels – or the
“gospels” that were not included in the canon of Scripture. All 10
sessions of the two-day workshop held earlier this spring are available
online. They may be found at
www.mbts.edu/Resources/workshop_davincicode.htm.