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Christ Lutheran Church
23425 Davis Mill Road
Germantown, MD 20876

Views of the News That You May Not Hear Elsewhere (Excerpted with permission from Focus on the Family's "Pastor's Weekly Briefing" dated June 11, 2010 ©2010 Focus on the Family.)   Newlyweds Marrying Out A dramatic increase in "marrying out" has taken place in the United States, according to analysis by the Pew Research Center and the new U.S. Census Bureau data. In 2008, a record 14.6 percent of all new marriages were between spouses of a different race or ethnicity from each other — an estimated six times the intermarriage rate among newlyweds in 1960 and more than double the rate in 1980. This record rate includes marriages between a Hispanic and non-Hispanic (Hispanics are an ethnic group, not a race), as well as marriages between spouses of different races — be they white, black, Asian, American Indian or those who identify as being of multiple races or "some other" race. However, different groups experienced different trends: rates more than doubled among whites and nearly tripled among blacks; but, for both Hispanics and Asians, rates were nearly identical in 2008 and 1980. But, this attitudinal and behavioral change did not come overnight. As of 1987 — two decades after the Supreme Court ruled anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional — just 48 percent of the public said it was "OK for whites and blacks to date each other." By 2009, that share had grown to 83 percent. Acceptance is highest among young adults. Among adults ages 18 to 32, 93 percent approve; among adults ages 64 and older, 68 percent approve. The Pew Research survey in 2009 posed the question: "How do you think you would react if a member of your family told you they were going to marry a [white American/African-American/Hispanic-American/Asian-American]? Would you be fine with it, would it bother you but you would come to accept it, or would you not be able to accept it?" When respondents revealed their attitudes about interracial marriage, 63 percent said it would be fine with them if a family member married "out" to all three other major racial and ethnic groups tested in the survey, and 80 percent said they would be fine with a new member of their family who came from at least one of the "out" groups. In fact, according to the census data, more than a third of adults (35%) say they have a family member who is married to someone of a different race. This 2009 survey found that acceptance of out-marriage to whites (81%) is somewhat higher than is acceptance of out-marriage to Asians (75%), Hispanics (73%) or blacks (66%). The survey also showed the flip side of the same coin: Black respondents are somewhat more accepting of all forms of intermarriage than are white or Hispanic respondents. Visit the Pew Research site or click here for the full report. • Gulf Coast Churches Pray for Intervention Last Sunday, local churches in the Gulf Coast region banded together for an Oil Spill Day of Prayer, asking God to stop the flow of oil. "Men have tried for weeks to stop the flow of oil and, to date, all has failed," said Dr. Dan Berry, the South Coastal district superintendent of the Wesleyan Church. "We need to call on God to stop the flow now. Our God stopped the flow of water for Israel to cross the Red Sea and He can cease the flow from this ruptured well." Participants included the Wesleyan Church, the Church of the Nazarene and Southern Baptists. [ChristianPost.com] • Protest Against Mosque by Ground Zero Thousands of protestors gathered around the corner of Liberty and Church Streets in New York City last Sunday to voice their opposition to a proposed "mega mosque" near Ground Zero. A New York community board had voted 29-1 last month in favor of the plans to build the center. Opponents of the Muslim-led project say building an Islamic center so close to Ground Zero would be demeaning to the 2,976 victims and offensive to their family members of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The new Islamic mosque plans to open its doors on Sept. 11, 2011 — the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack. [WorldNetDaily.com, OneNewsNow.com] • Christian Rock Singer Dies At the age of 56, Christian rock pioneer, Dana Key, died from a ruptured blood clot Sunday night. Key was co-founder of the rock band "DeGarmo and Key," and was serving as senior pastor of The Love of Christ (TLC) Church in Cordova, Tenn., at the time of his death. Key and longtime friend Eddie DeGarmo founded their band over 30 years ago, wanting to "communicate a clear, honest Christian message through straight-ahead rock 'n roll." Together they recorded 17 albums, and picked up seven Grammy nominations and 17 Dove Award nominations. They also wrote major hits for other artists, including Amy Grant and Sandi Patty. DeGarmo had been friends with Key since they were seven-year-olds and led Key to Christ at the age of 15. Key is survived by his wife, Anita, and their three children. [ChristianPost.com] • Pro-Life Measure on Alaska Ballot The Alaska Supreme Court ruled this week that a ballot initiative requiring parental involvement for minors seeking abortions can appear on the primary ballot in August. The measure, which was challenged by Planned Parenthood, requires doctors to personally call parents to notify them of their daughter's pending abortion. [LifeNews.com, CitizenLink.com] • Methodist Seminary to Add Muslim, Hindu and Jewish Curriculum Claremont School of Theology in Claremont, California, plans to launch a new program this fall called The University Project " as a means to rethink classical models of theological education in an effort to promote inter-religious cooperation and ethical integrity in the training of religious leaders for a variety of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and others." The new approach is intended to create leaders who not only preach tolerance, but have lived it themselves by interacting with those of other faiths. [FoxNews.com] School Board Will Resume Church Graduation Battle (4/14/10, 6/4/10): • Days after voting not to appeal a federal judge's ruling barring two Conn. high schools from holding graduation at First Cathedral in Bloomfield, the Enfield Board of Education decided Tuesday night to rescind its previous action and re-enter the court battle. U.S. District Court Judge Janet C. Hall has ruled that the schools could not use the megachurch for their graduation ceremonies because she felt it was an unconstitutional endorsement of religion. Greg Stokes, chairman of the board, said, "If we don't appeal it, we're somewhat saying we acknowledge or validate that opinion." [Christianpost.com]   [return to top]