All creatures great and small ... and everyone in between!

It was the annual "Blessing of the Animals" Day at All Saints Church this morning. Here's just a sampling of the wonderfulness:

War of the Worldviews: Science versus Spirituality @ All Saints Church

KCET, Live Talks Los Angeles, with co-presenting media sponsors KCET & KPCC, presents bestselling authors Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow ... who first met in a televised Caltech debate on "the future of God." One is an articulate advocate for spirituality, the other a prominent physicist. Their book War of the Worldviews: Science versus Spirituality is the product of that serendipitous encounter and the contentious-but-respectful clash that grew into the friendship between these two great thinkers.

See them live as they probe the fundamental questions that define the human experience:

• How did the universe emerge?
• What is the nature of time?
• What is life?
• What makes us human?
• What is the connection between mind and brain?

Journalist Patt Morrison moderates.
More information here, and $20 tickets here.

"Preachers, choose your words wisely" [L.A. Times Editorial]

On 'Pulpit Freedom Sunday,' churches should remember that their tax-exempt status prohibits them from politicking. And the IRS should enforce that law.

September 29, 2011

On Sunday, hundreds of preachers are expected to celebrate something called "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" by sermonizing about the moral qualifications of candidates for public office. The event is organized by the Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal organization. The alliance is offering legal representation to clergy whose remarks might run afoul of the prohibition of politicking by churches. It's a challenge the Internal Revenue Service should take seriously.

Under the law, not only churches but other so-called 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations must not "participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office." The restriction, which dates back to the 1950s, is based on a sound principle: that organizations characterizing themselves as charitable and receiving a government benefit should refrain from election activity.

For some religious conservatives, this policy isn't just unwise; it's unconstitutional. But tax exemption isn't a constitutional right. It's the creation of Congress, which has the right to attach conditions to that benefit. Put another way, churches may have a 1st Amendment right to comment on elections, but they don't have the right to a tax exemption.

Two other criticisms concern the way the IRS enforces the restriction on politics in the pulpit. One is that the agency's policing of political preaching is so lackadaisical that the effort isn't worthwhile. But that picture is belied by statistics provided by the IRS. In the 2006 election cycle, the last for which the agency has published data, it received 237 referrals and selected 100 (44 churches, 56 non-churches) for examination, finding political activity in 26 cases.

The other criticism is that IRS enforcement has been subjective and sometimes politically motivated. Consider the inquiry into an antiwar sermon preached in 2004 at the All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena. In the sermon, the church's former rector presented a scenario in which Jesus participates in a debate with George W. Bush and John F. Kerry. The preacher didn't endorse either candidate but said that Jesus would have told Bush that his war strategy in Iraq "has led to disaster." In 2005, the IRS wrote the church that its tax exemption was in jeopardy; in 2007, the agency closed the investigation but continued to maintain that the sermon was illegal.

The ambiguous outcome of the Pasadena case suggests that the IRS needs to be more precise in its criteria for continuing with an investigation. The sermon in that instance may have gone right up to the line, but there is a line, and it divides criticism of candidates' policies from opposition to their election.

With the 2012 election season already in progress, the IRS needs to remind the participants in "Pulpit Freedom Sunday" that the law will be enforced — in a measured and consistent way.

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

When Religion Becomes Lethal

with Professor Charles Kimball

We are delighted to welcome Professor Charles Kimball to the All Saints Rector's Forum. An ordained Baptist minister and Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma, Dr. Kimball holds a PhD in Comparative Religious Studies from Harvard with a specialization in Islamic Studies.

For the last 25 years he has consulted with Congress, the White House and the State Department and blogged for the Huffington Post. His latest book, When Religion Becomes Lethal: The Explosive Mix of Politics and Religion in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, examines the ways in which religion can bring out the best and the worst in us.

Kimball’s life-long commitment is to helping find constructive ways to move forward in our interconnected, interdependent world community. His message is both timely and compelling -- come be informed and inspired!

Copies of his book will be available.
Sunday | October 2nd | 10:15 a.m.| in the All Saints Forum
For more information contact The Rector's Office or call 626.583.2711

October 2nd is Blessing of the Animals Day @ All Saints Church!

Bring Your Pets to Church for a Blessing! 9:00 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 2. Please bring your pets, photos of your pets, or even a stuffed animal. All pets are invited to process in the Church and then adjourn to the outdoor worship service on the quad lawn -- including a blessing of animals -- for our annual celebration of St. Francis Day.

Please arrive no later than 8:45 a.m. if you would like to participate in the procession.

[Here's a look at last year's fabulous St. Francis Day Celebration!]

Celebration of Ministries 2011: THE BEST EVER!

Some photos from Sunday's Celebration of Ministries -- and tribute to Anne Breck Peterson on her retirement after 33 years on staff at All Saints Church. (You can watch her sermon -- Finding Fearlessness and Fun on Life's Journey -- on the All Saints website.) With thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this year's celebration such a success!

A foretaste of the heavenly Celebration of Ministries Banquet

Tomorrow the lawn at All Saints Church will be teaming with energy, color, banners, brochures and ministry leaders for the annual Celebration of Ministries Sunday -- where forty-six tables representing over sixty ministries will be outward and visible signs of the many ways All Saints works to make God's love tangible 24/7.

This is what it looked like "backstage" at All Saints Church today as our amazing custodial team worked to set up the infrastructure for the tomorrow's celebration.

Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith there's a ministry with YOUR name on it at All Saints Church! And tomorrow is the day to come find out what it is!