2002 Ad

Christian Century, Dec 18, 2002

"I believe in God and I believe in free markets."

--Kenneth Lay, former CEO of scandal-ridden Enron (San Diego Union-Tribune).

"Islam was founded by Muhammad, a demon-possessed pedophile who had 12 wives, and his last one was a nine-year-old girl. And I will tell you, Allah is not Jehovah, either."

--Jerry Vines, former Southern Baptist Convention president.

"The terrorists who attack us hate the very idea of human freedom. They cannot stand the thought of freedom of religion. It must make them nervous to know that a Methodist is standing next to His Eminence in a free society, in a society that welcomes people to worship freely, and as they so choose."

--President George W. Bush, at a Greek Independence Day ceremony attended by Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (RNS).

"The Catholic community is ... angry, and their anger is directed at the hierarchy, not at their faith."

--William P. Leahy, Boston College president (Boston Globe).

"It's not my church anymore. I don't claim it as my church. I don't practice the faith. Someone asked me, `Has your faith been shaken?' and I said no. My faith has been shattered. And I will never trust the church again."

--Christopher Dixon, who was sexually abused 25 years ago by former Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell of Palm Beach, Florida (RNS).

"We accept that women and Jews and blacks and Irish are equal and have equal opportunities, but we don't really believe that for the rest of the world, because if we did, we would not be letting two-and-a-half million Africans die next year [of AIDs]."

--Bono of the rock group U2, speaking about World AIDs Day, on Larry King Weekend.

"Karl [Rove] told us to use the war against them--he didn't say which one!"

--Ralph Reed, referring to the White House political director and the Georgia Republican Party's promise to bring back the Confederate flag (New Republic).

"Besides the tax cut ... and the education bill, which was really a Ted Kennedy bill, the [Bush] administration has not done much ... on domestic policy. There is a virtual absence as yet of any policy accomplishments that might, to a fair-minded nonpartisan, count as the flesh on the bones of the so-called compassionate conservatism."

--John DiIulio, who served about eight months as the chief of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, in a letter sent to Esquire.

"Those who are looking for a link to Christ need not hope to build their faith by caressing a stone box or laying eyes on a bone fragment. They need to look no further than to the Christian. A relic, while it is a link to the past, is a memorial or testimony to the power of the individual to whom it belonged or belongs. That is precisely what Christians are--living relies."

--Gregory Tomlin, writing in a Baptist Press column regarding the recent announcement by researchers about a historical artifact that could be linked to Jesus (RNS).