Posted on 04/25/2005 7:59:46 AM PDT by NotchJohnson
Cites concerns about Roman Catholics, other faiths
KEN GARFIELD Staff Writer
One of Charlotte's best-known churches has withdrawn support for a food pantry that serves the needy because the pantry works with Roman Catholics.
Central Church of God explained its decision in a letter March 1 from minister of evangelism Shannon Burton to Loaves & Fishes in Charlotte: "As a Christian church, we feel it is our responsibility to follow closely the (principles) and commands of Scripture. To do this best, we feel we should abstain from any ministry that partners with or promotes Catholicism, or for that matter, any other denomination promoting a works-based salvation."
Loaves & Fishes isn't the only ministry with which the Sardis Road mega-church has cut ties, and Catholics have not been the only reason they've given.
The Rev. Tony Marciano, executive director of Charlotte Rescue Mission, said Burton told him the church could no longer support the agency after it allowed three Muslim students from UNC Charlotte to help serve a meal at the uptown ministry in November. Founded in 1938 by eight businessmen, including Charlotte-born evangelist Billy Graham's father, Charlotte Rescue Mission offers Christ-centered residential care for people fighting drugs and alcohol.
Doug Hartjes, director of development for Crisis Assistance Ministry in Charlotte, said Central Church of God told them it will not provide financial support this year. Crisis Assistance provides emergency financial aid and other help to people. Hartjes said 200 congregations representing Christian, Jewish and other faiths donate money and volunteer time, as do people with no religious affiliation.
The church also ended funding for Love Inc., which provides services for the poor, elderly and disabled in Mecklenburg County.
The decision by Central Church of God isn't likely to cripple the ministries. Loaves & Fishes executive director Beverly Howard said the church has donated a total of $36,000 the past 11 years, plus volunteers and food. Marciano said the church gave Charlotte Rescue Mission $5,500 in 2004 -- a small part of the mission's annual budget of $3 million. Hartjes declined comment, citing the policy of honoring the privacy of donors.
But whatever its practical impact, the Central Church decision is likely to provoke debate over ecumenical cooperation, or the lack of it, in a city that prides itself on its many vibrant congregations -- and the notion that they generally get along.
Anna Burton, a spokesperson for Central Church of God and the minister's wife, said church leaders decline comment, letting the letter speak for itself. She said there was no animosity toward any of the organizations.
Howard said Loaves & Fishes receives support from 100 to 150 congregations each year, and that Central Church of God is the only one to pull out over the food pantry's partnership with other congregations. Jewish and Muslim congregations help, as do 10 to 15 Catholic parishes to which Central objected.
"It absolutely did shock us," Howard said. "We had no idea Central Church felt that way about ecumenical ministry."
Howard said Loaves & Fishes last year gave away a week's worth of food to 70,000 recipients. She said that's a mission all people should embrace.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte released a statement to the Observer Friday, saying, "This apparent attempt to divide the faith community is most unfortunate."
The statement sought to explain the Catholic position on what it means to be saved:
"As Catholics we firmly believe that Salvation for the world came through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through his Passion, Jesus Christ has already completed the work of salvation. Jesus calls us to love one another and that love must demonstrate itself in good works. Engaging in good works is putting your faith into action. We earnestly hope that we can sit down with fellow Christians at the Central Church of God and clarify our mutual understanding of God's word as put forth in the Scriptures."
The Rev. Conrad Hoover of St. Ann Catholic Church in Charlotte stressed that you are not saved solely by good works.
"Catholics believe it is indeed by faith in Jesus Christ," Hoover said. "We really are biblically grounded."
With some 6,000 members -- and often more than that packing Sunday morning services -- Central Church of God on Sardis Road is known for its huge crowds and electrifying sermons by the Rev. Loran Livingston. Crowds are so big at one of the nation's largest Church of God congregations that buses drive people to worship from the parking lot at Providence Day School and Charlotte Country Day.
In the letter to Loaves & Fishes, obtained by the Observer, Central's Burton tried to end on a positive note:
"I hope and pray you receive this as intended -- in love," Burton wrote. "Thank you in advance for your understanding in this matter, and if you should have any questions, feel free to give me a call."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reach Ken Garfield at (704) 358-5094.
Slander is also misquoting things. I hope you someday gain a true knowledge of the Savior and the Father's plan.
If you are a follower of Christ you must attend Church. The body of Jesus is missing one of its parts without you. Your Christian brothers and sisters need you.
when your decisions are guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Exactly! And no one can make a better call than that.
It's not for us to decide if they or anyone should or shouldn't. When you allow yourself to be directed by the Holy Spirit it may not even make sense to you, yet it should make sense to someone else? We just step out in faith and follow where the Holy Spirit leads.
No one can make another believe or not believe - that conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and then it is their own choice to listen to the conviction or not.
or get him locked into hell, for that matter.
No one locks another into hell - it's only happens by their own choice.
unbelievers will make it into the kingdom of God, long before some of these supposed 'believers' will.
Not sure what you mean by 'supposed' believers mean - no riding the fence - one either believes TOTALLY what God says in His Word or they don't. God doesn't take kindly to lukewarm. Why would unbelievers even want to be in the Kingdom of God - they wouldn't be happy if they don't believe. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
Ha!...What seems fair to us may not make much difference to God...Would seem that Esau and Ishmael didn't think God was too fair...
I'm not too big on Calvinism...Seems there's too much evidence in the Bible that we ALL have the choice to call on the Lord and get saved...I believe it was the church that was predestinated, not the individual....
Not according to Protestant theology.
You're sidestepping the argument by declaring God to be whimsical, capricious and unpredictable.
I hope you someday gain a true knowledge of the Savior and the Father's plan.
I have it, would you like me to share it with you?
There is a book all about it. IT is THE ONLY BOOK that has the correct information.
"What is your opinion of the Coptics, the Gnostics, and the lost sea scrolls, in relation to the assertion that the bible has never been tampered with or edited by man?"
Thanks for your long, thoughtful post. We seem to have taken similar paths, with somewhat different results.
As for your questions about writings not in the Canon of the New Testament, I really don't have any answers, except to point out that at the time the Canon was set, it's valuable to examine the political and social landscape of that time.
Decisions were made to include and exclude writings. If you examine some of the material that wasn't included, it's often easy to see why it was not. Further, since new writings from the period of the early church have appeared, long after the canon was set, those are also interesting to examine.
It's a credit to the power of faith that so much exists from those early days. The current canon is an assembly of such documents, along with some oral tradition, no doubt, but is not necessarily based on accurate material.
Nothing in the current New Testament was written by any contemporary of Jesus. Indeed, we don't even know the original authors of most of the New Testament. Paul's letters, perhaps, represent the most authentic of the writings included. The gospels have always seemed like an assembly from fragments to me. Where they have things in common, they probably come closest to providing Jesus' words.
Christians accept the New Testament as accurate on faith. I'm not as willing to do so, and continue to study all the available documents from the early days. Some have very different viewpoints from the Canon.
It's all fascinating.
Your statement is based on the presumption that non-Christian Biblical scholars study the Bible in order to disprove it. Some might, but others would simply approach it like a historian might approach any other historical document. You're assuming that every non-Christian has an axe to grind with the Bible.
Someone who accepts the Bible will see the same two passages, and say: That's interesting. Are there other passages or an explanation that will reconcile them?
A non-Christian Biblical scholar can do the same.
"we ask how much of our donations are going to the needy individuals."
I salute your charitable works and want to point out that the above question is a good one for ALL charities, not just religious ones.
The United Way, for example, only sends about 50% of your donations directly to the needy. The rest is used for overhead. That's just one example...
"What would be the point of discussing things with only peole who share your viewpoint?"
Agreed...yet I think it's called "The Rush Limbaugh Show"...
"They weren't insults , they were observations."
No, calling someone's comments "moronic" isn't an observation, but an insult.
Talk about piety...
Or sometimes a guy named Smitty makes up a whole bunch of stuff in his spare time and proclaims that God told him to do it. Then some other gullible people swallow the whole fantasy, hook , line and sinker. Then they go out and tell other people that they are the one truth.
They used to put people like that in insane asylums. Thank goodness they don't do that anymore.
It's an observation of a fact.
"They'd still have Left Behind. ;)"
How LeHay and the other author of this horribly-written, use-of-the-Bible-for-profit have avoided the criticism leveled at Dan Brown is interesting.
Although 'DaVinci Code' is nothing more than a beach read, it's technically far better written than the elementary tripe of "Left Behind".
And then there's the movie version...[shudders]
Ok, I'll play for a minute...
I hadn't thought about it but I suppose it is...We can chose, or chose not to chose salvation...Just as Adam could have chosen not to disobey God...
And then you said, You're sidestepping the argument by declaring God to be whimsical, capricious and unpredictable.
I can't imagine where you got that from...I'm sure God knows what he's doing...And I'm sure that whether we think God is fair or not is of little consequence to God...
Thinkin maybe Rev. Tony's didn't take the first time.
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