 January 27, 1999
National Notes
___ Falwell says Antichrist here. Television evangelist Jerry Falwell told a conference on the millennium Jan. 14 that the Antichrist may well be alive and, as a "counterfeit" of Jesus, must be a male Jew. The Antichrist is "probably" alive today because the Second Coming of Christ is near, and at that time, the Antichrist "will be a full-grown counterfeit of Christ," he said. Falwell's comments, which follow a line of biblical prophecy known as premillennial dispensationalism, outraged leaders of the American Jewish community, although Falwell said he did not intend for his remarks to be considered anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic.
___ Bauer names replacement. Michael Reagan has been named to replace conservative religious activist Gary Bauer as head of the Campaign for Working Families in advance of Bauer's expected run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. Bauer, who served in the White House under Reagan's father, President Ronald Reagan, has yet to make his bid official. But he is expected to do so in February.
___ Clergy defy same-sex union ban. More than 90 United Methodist clergy defied church law Jan. 16 by jointly officiating at a union ceremony for two lesbians. The event was organized by Don Fado for two of his congregants at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Sacramento, Calif.
___ Court nixes Operation Rescue suit. The Supreme Court has rejected a request to revive a 1994 lawsuit filed by Operation Rescue and three of its leaders against Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and the federal government. The suit alleged that Kennedy defamed Operation Rescue and three leaders of the militant anti-abortion group when he linked them to anti-abortion violence. Lower courts had turned aside the suit, saying federal law protects the speech of certain governmental employees, including members of Congress, when speaking on official duties.
___ Gospel music sales increase. The gospel music industry saw a slight increase in album sales and a big jump in video sales in 1998. Sales figures for contemporary Christian and gospel music rose by 1.4 percent, from 43.9 million units sold in 1997 to 44.6 million units sold in 1998, based on sales reported by SoundScan. Christian music videos showed a growth of 68.1 percent in 1998, with the majority of the growth attributed to Bill Gaither's "Homecoming" series and two children's video series, Cedarmott Kids and Veggie Tales.
___ You've got no mail. The Mormon church has told its missionaries around the world they may not use e-mail and faxes to communicate with families and friends. The church always has tightly controlled com-munication between missionaries--typically young men in their early 20s--and their families as a means of keeping the missionaries focused on work. Missionaries are allowed to phone home twice a year--on Christmas and Mother's Day--and are not supposed to write more than once a week.
___ New York smut battle upheld. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's battle against smut won a key legal battle Jan. 11, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from sex-shop owners. The Supreme Court's action upheld a 1998 state Supreme Court ruling affirming the constitutionality of New York City's anti-pornography zoning law. The city law prohibits "adult-use establishments" from operating within 500 feet of a residential district.
___ Robertson concedes to Clinton. Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, a harsh critic of President Clinton who has long called for his removal from office, said Jan. 20 that Clinton "hit a home run" with his State of the Union address and "the matter of impeachment is over." Speaking on his "700 Club" cable television show, Robertson added: "Whatever happens to the agenda doesn't really matter. From a public relations standpoint, he's won. ... Clinton's won. They might as well dismiss the impeachment hearing and get on with something else, because it's over as far as I'm concerned."
___ Freedom panel members named. Congressional leaders have appointed four of the six members of a new panel on religious freedom overseas. Outgoing Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich named Nina Shea, director of the Washington-based Center for Religious Freedom, and Elliott Abrams, a former assistant secretary of State, to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott named Bill Armstrong, a former U.S. senator from Colorado, and John Bolton, a former assistant secretary of State.
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