PeacePrints The monthly newsletter for Prince of Peace Episcopal Church April 2007 FROM THE RECTOR Evangelism In this Issue: here is an interesting buzz From “evangel” also comes the often EVANGELISM these days around the term misunderstood and much-maligned From the Rector .. 1 “evangelical.” To some it leaves a “evangelical.” Richard J. Mouw, bad taste in their mouths because president of Fuller Theological DISCIPLESHIP they associate the term with a Seminary in Pasadena and one of Children & Families Ministry. 5 particular Christian leader they the nation’s leading evangelicals, Youth Ministry ... 6 don’t like. To others the term is a believes that many people don’t badge of courage to be worn in the know what the word really means. WORSHIP culture wars. The following is my “Typically, ‘evangelical’ was used Worship Calendar 3 “cut and paste from a Los Angeles as a ‘scare word,’” he recalled, “as Easter Brass ...... 6 Times Article of December 2 last though evangelicals want to impose Altar Guild ....... 6 year. I commend it to you and their theocracy and have a right- Organ Project .... 7 pray that you may be evangelical in wing agenda.” FELLOWHIP the true sense of the word. Parish Family ... 10 Mouw has conservative Marriage Course .. 9 From “evangel” comes the word leanings on such issues as ECW ........... 10 “evangelist.” Evangelists abortion but is a social activist Annual Dinner . 10 proclaim the good news. from the 1960s. He is MOPS .......... 11 That promise of salvation committed to eradicating Parish Events ... 11 is at the heart of poverty and injustice, Advent, the holy season stopping genocide in the SERVICE of reflection that starts Darfur region of Sudan Sr. Warden ....... 8 Sunday and leads up to and solving the AIDS Quilts for Vets .... 7 Christmas. crisis and global warming. Revlon Walk ...... 7 continued on page 2 Thank you ..... 11 Prince of Peace, 5700 Rudnick Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367 Tel: 818-346-6968 Fax: 818-346-3349 Web: www.popwh.org E-mail: [email protected] continued from page 2 highlight the criteria, and we’re willing to What is an evangelical? What does it mean argue about them a lot. At the heart of it is to be an evangelical Christian? the combination of biblical authority and To be an evangelical is to take seriously the that sense of having a personal relationship cross of Jesus Christ as the only solution to with Christ and the atoning work of Christ. the fundamental issues of the human life. We Why has the term “evangelical” become so are sinners who need to come to the cross in unflattering in the popular culture? order to get right with God. That’s what it means to be an evangelical. In the 19th century, evangelicals were social activists. They considered their faith as very Four criteria, enunciated by British much tied to concerns with antislavery, evangelical historian David Bebbington, poverty, women’s rights. But that changed in are widely accepted as necessary to be an the 20th century, with the rise of secularism. evangelical: Evangelicals became disillusioned with • Conversion — the belief that lives need American culture. to be transformed through a personal “You can’t rearrange the deck chairs on the relationship with Jesus Christ. Titanic,” was the talk. When evangelicals lost • Belief in the Bible as the supreme the evolution debate, it was, “Well, it’s all authority. over. We no longer control the culture. Our main job then is to get as many individuals • Cruci-centricism — the emphasis on the saved as possible — get them ready for Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross. heaven.” For most of the 20th century, evangelicals were pretty withdrawn from • Activism — living out one’s faith through American life. But in the 1980s, it took witnessing to others, social action such as a very political form and especially a very serving the poor and disenfranchised, and conservative, moral right-wing kind. Much developing a holy life. of that came into being because of the sexual revolution. A lot of people have this image Whenever I have used the criteria in secular that around 1980 evangelicals said, “Let’s get and [nonevangelical settings], there’ll always involved with politics and try to impose our be somebody who stands up and says: “I am view on everybody.” What really happened an Episcopalian and I believe all those things, in the 1960s was that Hugh Hefner and the but I don’t consider myself an evangelical.” “Playboy philosophy” came along, as well The point about evangelicals is that we as the birth control pill. Suddenly there was continued on page 4 2 PeacePrints Chapel (combined service with Shepherd of the Valley) Worship 7:30pm – Good Friday Liturgy in the Sanctuary-Seven Last Words from the Schedule Cross April 2007 Saturday, April 7 – Holy Saturday 8pm – Easter Vigil: Service of Light, Wednesdays: Lessons, Christian Initiation/Renewal of 6:30am – Holy Communion in the Baptismal Vows and Holy Communion Chapel Sunday, April 8 – Feast of the Sunday, April 1 – Palm/Passion Sunday Resurrection/Easter Sunday 8 and 10am – Blessing of the Palms, Holy 8 and 10am – Festal Communion/ Communion and Reading of the Passion Flowering of the Cross Gospel Easter Egg Hunts follow both services 10am – Service begins outside with the Reminder: The two services are identical. Palm Sunday Procession Seating is easier to find at 8am. Thursday, April 5 – Maundy Sunday, April 15 – Second Sunday of (Command) Thursday Easter Noon – Holy Communion at Shepherd 8 and 10am – Holy Communion of the Valley Lutheran Church 23838 Kittridge Street, West Hills 91307 Sunday, April 22 – Third Sunday of (Just west of Platt Avenue) Easter 7:30pm – Foot washing, Holy 8 and 10am – Holy Communion Communion and Stripping of the Altar 5pm – Evening Communion in the in the Sanctuary. “Watch With Me Vigil” Family Center (Water to Wine leads begins in the Chapel worship) Friday, April 6 – Good Friday April 29 – Fourth Sunday of Easter Noon – Good Friday Liturgy in the 8 and 10am – Holy Communion PeacePrints 3 continued from page 2 What are the important issues for this emphasis on sexual freedom, and many evangelicals to be arguing about today? evangelicals got very worried about the rise Who is Jesus Christ and how do we of pornography, the gay rights movement understand the Bible’s authority? These are the and sex education. It was this that got a lot two basic questions. The real issue is how does of evangelical involvement in politics going. a human being get right with God? Who is Ten years ago Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell Jesus? Can we trust biblical authority, or do we may have set the agenda for evangelicals. look to the culture to tell us what to believe? But today, I think it’s Rick Warren and Bill Hybels who are more visible in setting the Is it time to get a new label for evangelicals? agenda for the evangelicals. It’s an important label. I am not ready to give it up. The mainline denominations these Warren is senior pastor of Saddleback days are dominated by liberalism. Even if Community Church in Lake Forest, and people don’t like it very much, we need some Hybels is senior pastor of Willow Creek kind of a label that points to an alternative Community Church near Chicago. What theological and ethical agenda. are they doing that’s so new? Rick Warren is very concerned about the AIDS crisis. He has * * * * * been willing to speak about torture and global May we be evangelical in the true sense of warming. And Bill Hybels is very concerned the word and bring good news, God’s Good about urban injustice and race relations. So, News to the world. we’re beginning to see a shift, not away from In Christ, those important moral and social concerns, Rand Reasoner ✞ but also a broadening out of the agenda. PeacePrints Editorial Info More recently, this has something to do Submissions for May 2007 with a growing disillusionment with the Bush administration because of the Iraq war. The submission deadline for the May issue of PeacePrints is April 8. Please e-mail items to Evangelicals — some of the leaders at least Katherine Geeslin at [email protected] or put — are beginning to say maybe we’ve had too articles on a disk and leave them in the “Office narrow an agenda, and we have to address Administrator’s” box in the Church office. Make issues like global warming, torture, Darfur, sure to include a printed copy of your article. Please call Katherine at (818) 346-6968 with the AIDS crisis in Africa, maybe even speak questions. PeacePrints welcomes expressions of all out on behalf of immigrants and the rights of views. Articles should be brief and are subject to immigrants — many of whom are our kind editing. The author must be identified. Thanks! of Christians. Editor: Katherine Geeslin • Layout: Mike Adams 4 PeacePrints Children & Families MINISTRY [email protected] (818) 346-6968 Little Ones at Prince of Peace by throwing her arms around his knee (Mike It is never too early to share the love of is at least 6’ tall) and saying, “I’ve been God with our children. In fact, it is now waiting to see you Church Mike!” widely known that we must “invest early... while they are young, or they may miss If you were lucky enough to peek in our knowing Jesus altogether.” (Elise Morgan, preschool recently, you would have seen the MOPS International) George Barna, best children creating and waving palms as they selling author who specializes in research for learned about Palm Sunday, and sharing in Christian ministries, stresses that a child’s pita bread and “wine” grape juice as they moral foundation is set in place by age 9 and learned about the Last Supper.