Theologian Offers New Views on Purpose
Professor Kirk Byron Jones

 
Is it wise to challenge traditional Christian understanding, especially when that understanding has helped to sell over 30 million copies of The Purpose Driven Life, pastor Rick Warren's best-selling book about finding your true calling?  Wise or not, a challenge is being waged by Kirk Byron Jones, a professor at Andover Newton Theological School.   

Jones sees the runaway success of Warren's book as an indication of how many people hunger for a definitive spiritual road map. But the purpose driven life notion of a divine plan for every human may not satisfy everyone. Jones says, “Many are either stuck not knowing their true purpose or stifled by a purpose that does not bring them genuine fulfillment because they believe God’s will is something other than their wholesome dreams and aspirations.” Jones offers, “Purpose was never meant to be secretive, mysterious, or drudgery. Your purpose has to do with the wholesome aspirations and dreams God is constantly inspiring in you. We must be less hesitant and afraid about playing those holy inspirations.”

Award-winning gospel twosome, BeBe and CeCe Winans, are gearing up for a much-anticipated reunion album and tour after more than 13 years apart. The brother and sister team officially kicked off their reunion with a performance with Melinda Doolittle on American Idol's sixth season finale. They are the first gospel artists to perform 'Idol.'

BeBe and CeCe, two of ten siblings of one of gospel music's first families, began their careers in 1987.  Over the years, they have won five Grammy Awards, eight Dove Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, one Soul Train Award and over a dozen Stellar Awards.  In 1994, BeBe & CeCe parted ways to pursue successful solo careers. 

BeBe pursued his musical passions with a number of solo albums and added acting to his repertoire with appearances on stage and in films. Of this newest chapter in their career BeBe says, "I'm grateful for BeBe & CeCe's past accomplishments.  But I'm so excited about coming back together and blazing new trails of hope into the hearts of people all around the world." 

CeCe, who released seven award-winning platinum and gold certified albums, states, "I'm very excited that the time has finally come for BeBe and I to reunite and encourage the world with uplifting, soul-changing music."

Bishop Charles E. Blake, presiding bishop of the Church Of God In Christ (COGIC) has appointed a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) to the international Pentecostal denomination. Bishop Charles E. Brown of New Orleans, Louisiana will manage the day-to-day activities of the denomination as the COO.

Brown will act on behalf of the presiding bishop to conduct business for the Church Of God In Christ. In the absence of the presiding bishop, Brown will negotiate contracts, execute documents, direct national church staff, and manage operations for the denomination.

Brown is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Church Of God In Christ headquartered in New Orleans with an additional campus in Houston, Texas. He has also been an executive board member of the Church Of God In Christ since 1984. Brown is the president and founder of Church Growth Fellowship Conference USA, the coordinator of the National Leadership Conference for the Church Of God In Christ and is a board member for Save Africa's Children, a private, non-profit relief and development organization working in African nations to deliver aid and assistance to needy children.

He also serves as chaplain for the New Orleans Police Department and Spiritual Advisor for New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin.

Donald Lawrence's music is soaring on the charts. Of Billboard's current Top 5 gospel songs, the accomplished producer-songwriter produced four of them. The chart-topping songs currently on Billboard's Top 5 are:

#1 Encourage Yourself (Tri-City Singers – written & produced by Donald Lawrence);
#2 Faithful Is Our God (Hezekiah Walker & LFC – produced by Donald Lawrence);
#3 Blessed and Highly Favored (The Clark Sisters – produced by Donald Lawrence);
#4 Let Go (DeWayne Woods – executive produced by Donald Lawrence).

In addition to his production success, Lawrence is currently in talks to score the film adaptation of "Mama I Want to Sing" as well as contributing to Stevie Wonder's upcoming inspirational CD.

Lawrence is a multiple Grammy nominee and recipient of more than 15 Stellar Awards. He founded Quiet Water Entertainment, home to DeWayne Woods and The Murrills, in 2001.

Book, music and lyrics written by Miami Vice star Philip Michael Thomas and Sandi Morais

Sacha on Broadway is an original musical fairy-tale about a young girl's dream to become a Broadway star but she battles with the demons of fear and self-doubt. Sacha has the chance of a lifetime when she auditioned for a Broadway show. Overpowered by fear she messed up the routine and was thrown out. Feeling crushed she decided to quit and give up on her dream. Her mother Olive Goodman who gave up on her dream of becoming a prima ballerina is determined to stop Sacha from continuing on with the cycle of broken dreams.

Sacha on Broadway is a family musical that sends a positive message about love, hope, courage and the power within. The show is being produced in collaboration with Dr. Ruth Joyce Colbert Barnes Principal/CEO and cheif consultant for the Colbert Group.

Sacha on Broadway opens June 1st @ 8:00pm, June 2nd @ 8:00pm, June 3rd @ 3:00pm.

Venue: Jones High School Auditorium, 801 South Rio Grande Avenue.

For more information visit www.sandimorais.net

Tickets can be purchased online at www.peoplestheatre.org

Yolanda Denise King, daughter and eldest child of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has died, said Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center.

King died late Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 51. Klein said the family did not know the cause of death but that relatives think it might have been a heart problem.

The actor, speaker and producer was the founder and head of Higher Ground Productions, billed as a "gateway for inner peace, unity and global transformation." On her company's Web site, King described her mission as encouraging personal growth and positive social change.

King was also an author and advocate for peace and nonviolence, and held memberships in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference — which her father co-founded in 1957 — and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Her death comes little more than a year after the death of her mother, Coretta Scott King.

She appeared in numerous films and played Rosa Parks in the 1978 miniseries King. She also appeared in Ghosts of Mississippi and founded a production company called Higher Ground Productions.

Born in 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., King was just an infant when her home was bombed during the turbulent civil rights era.

She was the most visible and outspoken among the Kings' four children during activities honoring this year's Martin Luther King Day in January, the first since Coretta Scott King's death.

At her father's former Atlanta church, Ebenezer Baptist, she performed a series of one-actor skits on King Day this year that told stories including a girl's first ride on a desegregated bus and a college student's recollection of the 1963 desegregation of Birmingham, Ala.

She also urged the audience at Ebenezer to be a force for peace and love, and to use the King holiday each year to ask tough questions about their own beliefs on prejudice.

"We must keep reaching across the table and, in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, feed each other," King said.

When asked then by The Associated Press how she was dealing with the loss of her mother, King responded: "I connected with her spirit so strongly. I am in direct contact with her spirit, and that has given me so much peace and so much strength."

A flag at The King Center, which King's mother founded in 1968 and where she was a board member, was lowered to half-staff on Wednesday.

Yolanda King is survived by her sister, the Rev. Bernice A. King; two brothers, Martin Luther King III and Dexter Scott King; and an extended family.

Arrangements were to be announced later, the family said in a statement.

— Associated Press

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, who died Tuesday at the age of 73, was a powerful and polarizing figure in both the religious and political arenas.

It was Jerry who led an entire wing of Christianity — the fundamentalist wing — away from isolation and into a direct confrontation with the culture. In the late 1970s, he began making it respectable for Christian pastors to talk from the pulpit about the evil of abortion, simply because he did so on his television program and in his printed communications. Until he led the way, the common response from conservative pastors was to say that abortion is a matter best left to a woman and her doctor.

Jerry also led the conservative church in grassroots organizing by starting the Moral Majority in 1979, as a means of putting wheels on his deeply held beliefs. The organization was key to Ronald Reagan winning the White House in 1980, and the Moral Majority suddenly came to the attention of the national press corps.

Because Jerry and his Moral Majority were the first ones out of the trenches in the culture war, they got shot at repeatedly by the national media and by liberal church leaders. But he always weathered the onslaught, permanently stamping the conservative American church with respectability on social action.

It was my honor to share the front lines with him in the battle for righteousness in our nation. We will continue that fight, in his honor, until our mutual goals are achieved."

Below are reactions to Falwell's death from religious and political leaders.

President Bush

Laura and I are deeply saddened by the death of Jerry Falwell, a man who cherished faith, family, and freedom. As the founder of the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, Jerry lived a life of faith and called upon men and women of all backgrounds to believe in God and serve their communities. One of his lasting contributions was the establishment of Liberty University, where he taught young people to remain true to their convictions and rely upon God's word throughout each stage of their lives.

Today, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Macel, and the rest of the Falwell family.

Hustler Magazine Founder Larry Flynt — Falwell brought a landmark libel case against Flynt

"My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. … I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling."

The Rev. Al Sharpton:

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Rev. Jerry Falwell. Though he and I debated much and disagreed often, we shared a very cordial and warm friendship. I visited him in Lynchburg, dined with him, and even talked with him during personal crises. Though we were as politically opposite as two people could be, I truly respected his commitment to his beliefs and our mutual belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I stated to my nationally syndicated radio show, I pray for the Falwell family and join the nation in mourning the passing of this religious leader."

The Rev. Billy Graham:

"Jerry Falwell was a close personal friend for many years. We did not always agree on everything, but I knew him to be a man of God. His accomplishments went beyond most clergy of his generation. Some of my grandchildren have attended, and are attending, Liberty University. He leaves a gigantic vacuum in the evangelical world.

I am praying for his family, and especially the university that he headed."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

"We regret his passing. He's certainly been a prominent figure in American religion and politics for the last 20 years. And I know he'll be greatly, greatly missed."

Former Sen. Fred D. Thompson

"America has lost a man of great faith, and a leader dedicated to defending the rights of all Americans to express their faith in the public square. Jeri and I wish to extend out deepest condolences to the Falwell family, and we will keep them in our prayers."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"I never met Rev. Falwell. I'm certainly sorry about his death. I extend my condolences to his family and his parishioners and those people around the country who care so much about him."

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.:

"I join the students, faculty, and staff of Liberty University and Americans of all faiths in mourning the loss of Rev. Jerry Falwell.

"Dr. Falwell was a man of distinguished accomplishment who devoted his life to serving his faith and country.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Falwell's family at this difficult time."

Christian evangelical leader and chairman of Focus on the Family, James Dobson

"Our hearts and prayers go out to Jerry's wife Macel, his children Jerry, Jonathan and Jeannie, and his church. This is a tragic loss for them — and for all Americans. Jerry's passions and convictions changed the course of our country for the better over the last 20 years — and I was proud to call him my friend.

Muhammad Ali, Angela Bassett, Jamie Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kerry Washington and Former Mayor David Dinkins Named Host Committee Members; Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Named Artistic Directors

All-Star Line Up at Legendary Radio City Music Hall on September 18, 2007

(Washington, DC, May 15, 2007) The Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. announced today that Tommy Hilfiger, Russell Simmons, Quincy Jones, Joel Horowitz, David Stern and Edgar Bronfman, Jr. will spearhead a one-night only concert to benefit the building of Dr. King’s Memorial on the National Mall. The Dream Concert will be an historic gathering of all-star musicians to be announced in the near future. Music icons and Grammy Award winning songwriters and record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have come on board as artistic directors, while Muhammad Ali, Angela Bassett, Jamie Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kerry Washington and former Mayor David Dinkins are lending their support to the concert’s Host Committee. The Dream Concert will be held at the iconic Radio City Music Hall on September 18, 2007, with tickets available to the general public this summer.

The Dream Concert will embody the ideals of hope, love, democracy, and justice for which Dr. King stood. The concert will capture the essence of his lasting teaching by joining together musicians from across genre lines, featuring unique musical combinations not usually found on the same stage. The Memorial Foundation has already raised $79 million of the $100 million needed to complete and maintain the memorial, and this event will help secure the additional funds.

“I’m honored that such a diverse and committed group of leaders have come together for a concert to help raise the remaining funds,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr. President and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project, Inc. “I am pleased to add our dedicated co-chairs to the growing list of citizens who already support the memorial.”

Last November, a series of national icons joined the Memorial Foundation to participate in the Ceremonial Groundbreaking. This distinguished group of individuals included: President George H. Bush, President William Jefferson Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Senator Barack Obama, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Congressman John Lewis, Former United Nations Ambassador Andy Young, and Dorothy Height.

Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
A memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Memorial will be situated adjacent to the F.D.R. Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a memorial honoring Dr. King to be built in Washington, DC. The Ceremonial Groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006 and the Memorial is scheduled to be completed in 2008.