The decision by local conservative pastors Joe Wright and Terry Fox to end their talk radio program, “Answering the Call,” is the latest setback for Fox in his aim of reaching a larger audience with his fire-and-brimstone political message.
The duo say their top-rated weekly radio program, launched two years ago, can’t find enough financial supporters willing to underwrite the $10,000 monthly needed to stay on the air.
The cancellation seems to be yet more fallout from Fox’s departure from Immanuel Baptist Church, where he was blamed, among other things, for diverting mission money to the radio program.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview with The Eagle editorial board last week that she was discouraged by the persistent backward image of Kansas held by some outsiders — and pointed to funeral picket Fred Phelps as a major contributor to that negative image.
But she’s chosen not to speak out against Phelps, she said, because she doesn’t want to give him what he thrives on — publicity. Still, she sounded a note of frustration. “I don’t know what to do about Fred,” she said. “I’ve never known what to do about Fred.”
Meanwhile, one of Fred’s daughters, Margie, had a Reader Views letter in The Eagle Tuesday complaining about how the family’s funeral protests have been portrayed. She vowed that her clan would never be silenced, “because the prophets of God can’t be shut up.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
When the Rev. Terry Fox resigned as pastor of Wichita’s Immanuel Baptist Church, he said it was because some church members thought he traveled too much, and that any other explanations were just rumors. Getting a top leader at Immanuel to talk about the abrupt departure has been almost impossible. But this week the church released a statement that Fox’s use of church funds to support his radio program was a factor in the resignation. It also said that testimony from many witnesses “reflected negatively on the Scriptural qualifications expected of a pastor” — whatever that means. And it said that Fox threatened to sue “individuals who might say anything negatively” about him.
Earlier, two Immanuel deacons told The Eagle that, in addition to the travel issue, other church concerns were Fox’s “arrogant” attitude toward the congregation, “the appearance of integrity failures,” and his constant references to political and social issues, such as abortion, from the pulpit. Fox denied that he did anything wrong by using church mission money to support his radio program, and he said that he didn’t threaten to sue anyone when he met with church officials.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
A photo in Monday’s Eagle of the Phelps clan picketing a rainbow flag in Meade offered the sad sight of children standing next to signs saying “Soldiers Die God Laughs” and “Fags Eat Poop.”
It underscores how bigotry and hate are perpetuated — through stunted, ignorant parents indoctrinating their children.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Who among us has not run up a $700 hotel bill in the mistaken assumption that we were browsing, not buying, the entire selection of tawdry movies on the in-room porn channel?
You haven’t? Neither have I, of course. And a coalition of conservative groups wants to make sure we’re spared that misfortune in the future. The group took out full-page ads in some editions of USA Today earlier this month, urging the Justice Department and FBI to investigate whether some of the pay-per-view movies in hotels violate federal and state obscenity laws.
What do you think? Menace to America, or First Amendment battleground? We might not be having this discussion, except the hotel chains say it’s a pretty good revenue stream.
Posted by Dave Knadler
Democrats will have about as much luck attracting evangelical voters as Republicans have had wooing African-Americans, Peter Brown argued in an op-ed piece in Tuesday’s Opinion pages. This despite the fact that evangelicals may be more in line with Democrats on the environment and some other issues.
His reason: “Voters — regardless of race, ethnicity or religion — make their political choices based on their overall comfort level with the views and values of a candidate. And evangelical Christians favor traditional social values, tend to be skeptical of government and fond of the military. That is why they vote Republican.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
A Christian news service quotesState Board of Education member Connie Morris as blaming the "lying liberal media" for her primary defeat. "The media assassinated me," she said. "They did everything they could to ruin my character, my reputation." She also described those who campaigned against her and the other anti-evolution candidates, which likely includes much of the state’s scientific community, as "a lot of well-funded, loud, obnoxious, rude people who have no ethics and morals, and they don’t bat an eye at lying and manipulating the truth." And she said, "I feel bad for them when they face God on Judgment Day."
Agape Press also stated that "four born-again Christians remain on the State Board of Education" — meaning that it apparently doesn’t consider the other six members to be Christians. And Morris said that the new board majority likely would pass new science standards that "let government schools teach children that we are no more than chaotic, random mutants."
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
It was nice that the Patriot Guard and fallen U.S. soldiers were honoredat the Mulvane American Legion Sunday. The motorcycle group evolved from the Mulvane chapter of the American Legion Riders, a group from Post 136 that started in 2002. The Patriot Guard now has about 40,000 members nationwide. Its main mission is to attend the funeral services of American soldiers, as invited guests of the family, to show respect and to shield the mourners from protests from the Fred Phelps clan. Keep up the good work.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The surprises continue in the ongoing saga of the Rev. Terry Fox. The former Immanuel Baptist Church pastor and social conservative firebrand announced Sunday his intention to form a new church at Wild West World — of course, where else? — as long as the congregation understands that he will often be out of town.
Got that? For all the well wishes on both sides, Fox’s move looks like a direct challenge to Immanuel, since he reportedly would take part of that church’s flock with him. It’s also coming just days after Fox suggested he wants to be involved in the culture wars and might never serve as a pastor again.
You can’t blame people for scratching their heads and wondering what’s going on.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
