The question about Barack Obama’s religious identity has been asked and answered before, but not to a lot of people’s satisfaction.

By Rev. Rob Schenck, Missionary to Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

“I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful. I didn’t ‘fall out in church’ as they say, but there was a very strong awakening in me of the importance of these issues in my life. I didn’t want to walk alone on this journey. Accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and my values and my ideals.” – Barack Obama

From Q&A: Barack Obama, Christianity Today Online, January 23, 2008

A recent survey by the renowned Pew Research Center published last week re-ignited the public conversation about Barack Obama and his religious beliefs. That report, from as close to a neutral source as I can think of, indicated, “A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim.” The controversy over a planned Islamic center and mosque near the Ground Zero site in New York has added considerable interest to the question of Mr. Obama’s religious sensibilities and sensitivities.

As I travel the country speaking in churches, conferences and conventions, I am frequently asked this question. While it’s not really possible for me to answer (because only Mr. Obama truly knows what he believes), I do venture my best opinion based on what I know of him publicly and privately. I’ll reiterate that opinion after I give you some background on how I arrive at it.

First, I took a great interest in Barack Obama’s religious beliefs, opinions and attitudes before he even indicated his interest in running for president. I knew him as a US Senator and had explored his background during his US Senate race. In the interest of full disclosure, I backed Alan Keyes in that contest, so I viewed Obama as I would any challenger to a favored candidate. Still, I found his personal story interesting, complicated and even intriguing.

The Muslim part of Mr. Obama’s background was what first grabbed my attention, because even before his senate race, I had already actively engaged Muslims on a religious and cultural level. Just four months after the September 11 attacks, I had hosted a C-SPAN televised panel on Christian Muslim Relations. Three years before Mr. Obama announced his presidential candidacy, I was a delegate to a formal dialogue with Muslim leaders in the North African nation of Morocco. I also hosted a series of reciprocal visits from Moroccan Muslim leaders to the United States. I have traveled to several Islamic countries and I maintain a close friendship with a high-level diplomat from an Islamic Kingdom. Through my work on the board of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy (IRPP), I have met the ambassadors and other diplomats of nearly all the Islamic countries represented in Washington. (On a side note, my identical twin brother, the Reverend Paul Schenck, personally knows the primary organizer of the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque,” Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, and we have talked frequently about the Islamic cleric.) Finally, on a very personal note, I have a Muslim married into my own immediate family. All this is to say that Islam, in its varied forms, is of far more than academic interest to me.

Back to Mr. Obama: Not only was—and is—his Muslim history of interest to me, but his Christian history is even more so. As soon as his presidential candidacy was rumored in the media, I sent a paid research assistant to Chicago to explore Mr. Obama’s then church of membership, The Trinity United Church of Christ, and its pastor at the time, the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah Wright. I would later talk personally with Dr. Wright when he addressed the National Press Club in Washington. While my researcher was doing her work, I read both of Mr. Obama’s books, Dreams of My Father and The Audacity of Hope (the title of which was borrowed from a sermon by Dr. Wright.) What I discovered through all of this was fascinating and helped me to form what I believe is a well-considered opinion on Mr. Obama’s religious identity.

A final note before I tell you what I think. As most of my readers know, I am an Evangelical Christian by personal faith, by training and by my professional credentials as a member of the clergy. I hold degrees in Bible, theology and Christian ministry and I’m currently in a doctoral program in strategic church leadership. I sit on the board of the Evangelical Church Alliance International and serve as chairman of its Committee on Church and Society. All this will factor, too, into my assessment.

Here is my opinion in brief: Mr. Obama is not a Muslim, but he is also not a “devout Christian.”

I’ll explain my assertions more completely.

I don’t think Mr. Obama is a Muslim because a Muslim could never—and would never—make public statements that he is a Christian. Saying so would violate not only cultural practice and / or personal religious compunction, it is forbidden by Islamic tenets of faith and by religious law. For a Muslim to proclaim himself a Christian for political or any other reasons, would not only alienate him from virtually all fellow Muslims, but would likely garner him a death warrant from the tiny minority of violent extremists in the Muslim world. A Muslim of any kind—including the odd notion of a “secret Muslim” –would certainly not speak to the media of accepting “Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior,” as Mr. Obama has done.

There are other good reasons for determining that Mr. Obama is not a Muslim: Neither his mother, who was the dominant biological parent to him, nor her parents, who were his surrogate parents, were ever Muslim. In fact, for the most part, they were completely non-religious and perhaps even anti-religious. (His mother, though baptized as an infant in a Christian church, rejected organized religion as an adult and adhered to an idiosyncratic “New-Age-like” spirituality.) The young Obama’s biological father was, for most of his life, a non-practicing Muslim, and his short-term stepfather was mostly a nominal Muslim whose revolutionary political motivations appear to have been far greater than any religious impulses he may have had.

From everything I can determine, Barack Obama’s young life was shaped inside a mélange of religious beliefs, practices, cultures and opinions, most of them superficial and skeptical. As he matured, he seems to have developed a disinterested “universalism” that allowed for an impersonal God or spiritual force of some kind, but one that didn’t command much need for attention, at least from him. Then, when he entered politics, he discovered the Black Church and its importance in social organization. He was witnessed to by Black preachers, lectured a few times by them and finally adjured by them to join a church if he was going to get anything done in Chicago. This led him to the Trinity United Church of Christ and to his eventual tempestuous relationship to Dr. Wright. In a speech given in Hartford, Connecticut in 2007, Mr. Obama spoke about hearing the pastor preach,

“[H]e introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. I learned that those things I was too weak to accomplish myself, He would accomplish with me if I placed my trust in Him. And in time, I came to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death, but rather as an active, palpable agent in the world and in my own life. It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. It came about as a choice, and not an epiphany. I didn’t fall out in church, as folks sometimes do. The questions I had didn’t magically disappear. The skeptical bent of my mind didn’t suddenly vanish. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt I heard God’s spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works.”

These are not the words of a Muslim—even a duplicitous one. Neither, though, are they necessarily the words of a born-again, Bible-believer—nor even of a convinced and well-initiated convert to another Orthodox expression of Christianity. What this “testimony” is to me is a sincere conveyance of a “spiritual” or perhaps more “emotional” awakening to religious sensibilities, but, very importantly, within a definite “liberal” Christian context. The United Church of Christ is a classically liberal denomination that eschews the idea that the Bible, or indeed any doctrinal or dogmatic authority, is final or absolute in any way. Religious beliefs are never rigid, but are instead fungible; they may be freely questioned, rejected, modified, exchanged or replaced at any time. Of course, no religious group is absolutely without their absolutes, and that’s certainly true of the pastor under whom Barack Obama made his decision to become a Christian and to join a church. Dr. Wright confided in me one of his own apparent absolutes. In doing so, he also indicated Barack Obama had broken this rule, leading to at least the pastor’s exasperation with the President, if not a measure of disdain for him. (Our conversation, which took place in a very public setting, still had a sort of implied confidentiality, so I’ll keep the details to myself!)

All this is to say that while the President continues to self-identify as a Christian, he does so in the loosest way. He retains an air of skepticism about religion; he holds a universalist philosophy (there are many roads to God and to salvation); his church attendance is sporadic (though on Easter Sunday this year he did kneel with his family at the altar of a Bible-preaching church to receive Holy Communion—something a Muslim would never, ever do!); and he still appears ill-at-ease in religious settings, as I witnessed at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast.

What is Barack Obama religiously? The answer is a bit difficult to nail down because, I believe, the President wants it to be somewhat ambiguous. He does have a Muslim history and Muslim family members; he does have a Muslim name and he wants to build strong relationships with the Muslim world. He does not believe that Christianity is the only way to God and to salvation, and he is by nature a religious skeptic. He does not believe America is a “Christian nation,” but instead a religiously neutral country open to all religions and that disfavors none. In a sense, he is keeping all his options open.

Barring a miracle (and I certainly believe in miracles), don’t expect Barack Obama to stand up to the microphone and say, “Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior and is the only way to heaven. I urge every American to repent of your sins, surrender your life to Jesus and put your trust only in Him.” That would not describe the President’s concept of Christianity.

Barring an even more bizarre turn of events, don’t expect him to stand up and declare “Allah akbar” either. Mr. Obama’s embrace of homosexuality as a morally legitimate lifestyle is enough to preclude that, and his advocacy of full and equal rights for women would be a huge problem in most of the Islamic world, to say nothing of the abortion question, which would also be problematic. Islam, and its absolutes, including many moral tenets it shares with much of Christianity and Judaism, are huge problems for the liberal ex-United Church of Christ member.

I don’t believe Mr. Obama is a Muslim, but I don’t think he’s a seriously devout Christian either–in that way, he fits in with so many other world leaders. The rare head of state that stands up and unequivocally declares Jesus Christ as the only hope of humanity and repentance and faith toward Him as the only way to heaven is a rare leader indeed, and remains one of those elusive miracles we all pray will happen—maybe even here in America!

As an itinerate preacher (without a local church assignment), I have traveled preaching in other ministers’ pulpits for over 25 years. I stopped counting after I had visited over 1000 different congregations–that was a long time ago. These days I’m out about two Sundays a month–sometimes more–bringing a message consistent with our mission here in Washington, DC. During the last six weeks, I spoke in six very different churches, in six very different cities, in four very different states. And that doesn’t count addressing soon-to-be ministers at the commencement of my own alma mater, Faith Seminary, in Tacoma, Washington–and hundreds of pastors, ministry directors and chaplains at the annual conference of the Evangelical Church Alliance in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky. Our own National Clergy Council, a component of Faith and Action in the Nation’s Capital, includes member clergy from Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. So, in the course of any year, I’m in churches and with ministers from every denomination and no denomination at all.

This is one of the side benefits of what I do, and it’s a magnificent one. I get to see and experience the Church in all it’s shapes and forms; the Body of Christ “at large” in all of its varied expressions. There was a time when some would not keep company with others. A Baptist minister once told me there was a time in his life when, if he walked into a restaurant and saw a Catholic priest sitting in there, he would walk out. He didn’t even want to be seen in the same place with a “papist.” Today, that same Baptist minister regularly prays with and works alongside one of the most prominent Catholic priests in America. Why? Because he discovered that he needed the priest and the priest needed him. These are terribly challenging days for Christians–as all of time has really been since the Day of Pentecost, when very different kinds of people first discovered something very important:

“Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!’” (Acts 2:5-11)

When the focus was on God, the cultural and language differences melted away. They heard them “declaring the wonders of God” in their own languages. It was a miracle–and one that taught a lesson. These very different people were united by their acknowledgement of the One, True God. When our focus is in the right place, the differences aren’t so important. In fact, our unlikely unity in “declaring the wonders of God” is a miracle that proves His reality.

When I’m out in the churches–humble little country churches and sophisticated mega-churches–elaborate cathedrals and simple auditoriums–quiet and reserved, loud and raucous–very poor and very wealthy–my faith in the wonder-working power of God is strengthened and my resolve to do His work is reset.

Here’s to ALL our churches–God bless, use and multiply each one!

Rob +

"appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions”

In addition to the backyard BBQ, the touch football game and the
spectacular fireworks show, here’s another way to celebrate the Fourth
of July: Do a reading of the Declaration of Independence. (Reading the
entire Declaration out loud takes less than eight minutes.) More
importantly, join in its prayer at the end.

I’ll get to the prayer part in a minute, but first, let me make a case
for the reading: Not only does the Declaration state clearly the reasons our nation exists, but it also details the philosophy that underlies that existence. Most importantly, the Declaration demonstrates how God and His will are at the center of that philosophy.

For me, the best part of the Declaration is one phrase toward the end,
“appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our
intentions”. This is what I call, The Prayer of the Declaration. According to the
Oxford Dictionary (the best source we have for the meaning of English
words as they were defined when the American Founders employed them),
“to appeal” means, among other things, “a serious or urgent request.”

The Founders were making a serious and urgent request to whom? “The
Supreme Judge of the World.” Is there anything ambiguous about who
this “Supreme Judge” might be? It’s obvious on it’s face; this was a
serious and urgent request to God, and for what? “For the rectitude of
our intentions.” This clause, “rectitude of our intentions” means,
again according to the Oxford, “morally correct behavior or thinking;
righteousness.” In other words, the writers and intended signers of
the instrument that would bring the United States of America into
existence ended their monumental Declaration with a prayer. They asked
God to help them do what was morally correct and righteous.

That’s pretty powerful stuff! When the Signers put pen to paper, they
were saying “Amen” to this prayer. On this July 4th, I hope and pray
all Americans will join in this great foundational prayer of our
Nation. Perhaps we could express it this way: Holy God, may all we do
as a people be morally correct and righteous in Your sight; You who
are the One, Supreme Judge of the World.

“God is a righteous judge” Psalm 7:11a, ESV.

She could have been my cousin!

Elena Kagan, President Obama’s most recent nominee to the Supreme Court, looks and sounds like anyone of my cousins. Maybe that makes her less scary to me. She’s so familiar—from the mild pinch in her voice, to the soft r’s in her speech, to her facial features and even to her body morph. Even more so, it’s Miss Kagan’s worldview—her philosophy of life—that pervaded my own upbringing. So, in that way, she’s definitely one of my “peeps.” For me, the only thing that is unusual about her is that her idiosyncrasies—unlike those of my cousins—could, very soon, become the law of the land.

What I learned about Elena Kagan this week was, well, at the same time a lot—and nothing at all. What I learned was, again, oh so familiar. She’s the quintessential Northeastern liberal–make that, the epitome of the New England liberal, cast in an ethnically Jewish personality. (During my growing up years, my father’s side was almost entirely in Connecticut.) At the same time, on the legal front, none of us really learned anything at all. What people saw was a likable and unflappable personality (she stuttered in only a couple of exchanges), but she largely deflected the pointed questions and gave only bland and ambiguous answers on the really salient subjects.

One certainty I think anyone one of us could take away from the committee inquiry is that Miss Kagan engaged, at least at one time, in pro-abortion activism. This point is quite significant. We haven’t really had an unapologetic, politically oriented abortion activist on the Court since the late Harry Blackmun, the author of Roe v. Wade. (And he didn’t start out his professional career that way, as Miss Kagan apparently did.)  So, Miss Kagan, as “Justice Kagan,” could turn out to be Harry Blackmun revivified on the High Bench—and then some. That would be a bad thing. Having said that, though, let me tell you what I harbor in my heart for the likely and near-future Justice Kagan.

Although (we’re told), Miss Kagan had a falling out with the Orthodox Judaism of her childhood, she still has a Jewish conscience in her soul. (There is no indication she has utterly repudiated her Jewish roots—culturally or religiously.) This is hopeful. The Great Apostle Paul (and former Rabbi Saul) wrote of those who may not apparently know God, “the work of the law [is] written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness” (see Romans 2:15). A seed of conscience can always be nurtured. I’m convinced for most of us, the older we get, the richer is the soil of our hearts and, therefore, the better are the chances the seed of conscience can sprout—and even grow.

Should the Judiciary Committee vote this month to recommend Miss Kagan to the full Senate for a vote; and should she subsequently receive a majority of “Yea” votes in August (both outcomes are a virtual fait accompli), she will be sworn in as the next sitting associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. That’s when our work begins. Faith and Action will call the people of God to pray for Justice Kagan, and we will do everything God enables us to do to persuade her to return to the roots of her conscience, which are found in God’s Word, and epitomized in the Great Commandments.

The success of this endeavor is predicated on building an amicable relationship with Miss Kagan, starting now. So, at the expense of criticism from our friends and allies, we will continue to treat Nominee Kagan (the presumptive Justice Kagan) with all due respect, deference and generosity. For those who think we are compromising by doing so, I would hope they would consult the entirety of God’s Word on the treatment of others—including enemies—before rendering a final verdict on us.

To review or catch up with the Kagan confirmation, be sure to go to http://www.c-span.org/Special/Supreme-Court-Kagan-Senate-Confirmation-Hearing.aspx.

Rob +

I am monitoring the last hours of questioning for President Obama’s nominee to the US Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elena Kagan. Hope you’re watching and praying with me. I highly recommend watching at http://www.c-span.org/Special/Supreme-Court-Kagan-Senate-Confirmation-Hearing.aspx. Today will be the last day for questions to be posed to the nominee. Tomorrow will be witnesses speaking mostly in support of her. A committee vote will be taken sometime before the end of next week, and a vote by the full Senate is expected in late July.

Tonight I’ll post my full appraisal of General Kagan as an individual, a nominee and a prospective Supreme Court justice. It will be my take as a missionary to elected and appointed officials and a chaplain on Capitol Hill. It will not be a legal or constitutional analysis. That perspective is better left to other experts and our allied ministries.

Back later . . .

Rob +

While monitoring the proceedings and praying inside the hearing room, Faith and Action’s Peggy Nienaber had this view of Nominee Kagan.

Our Faith & Action chief of program, Peggy Nienaber, has been inside the hearing room throughout the beginning of the confirmation process for President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Look, I know these things can appear very boring–but I hope you are watching it, at least from time to time. While nothing substantive is really said by the nominee (for fear of inviting trouble), you can still get a sense for who the nominee is, at least in terms of style, personality, etc. Her body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, demeanor, all say a lot. Watching also reminds you to pray for her, for the senators asking questions, and for the entire US Senate as each of the 100 members consider how they will vote once the Judiciary Committee is done and makes it’s recommendation.

BTW: The confirmation process begins with as many senators as care to do so looking through her dossier. She also paid courtesy visits to many of them for brief chats. The members of the Judiciary Committee (12 Democrats and 7 Republicans) do the more serious work of examining her record. It’s these committee members that are now asking questions of the nominee in the hearing that will generally last a few days. Later on, witnesses will be called to say good or bad things about the nominee. The Committee will then vote whether to “report out” to the whole Senate and either recommend to vote on her confirmation or not. It’s a virtual fait accompli that Miss Kagan will be recommended to the Senate for a vote. The majority leader will then schedule that vote, likely within a few weeks. If the nominee receives a majority of Yea votes, she will be sworn-in immediately, but will likely have a more formal, quasi-public investiture within a few weeks or certainly before the new High Court term that always begins the first Monday of October.

Please take this seriously. Supreme Court justices are not only critically important in how major decisions are made on our way of life in America, but they are the longest serving members of our federal government.

Rob  +

As you well know by now, the US Senate confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan, is underway. At this hour “General Kagan” (as her title has her after her service us US Solicitor General) is seated at the chair and desk I anointed with oil during our prayer service last week. You may have also seen the members of the Judiciary Committee up on the dais making their opening remarks. Chairman Patrick Leahy is in the chair I paused to pray over a little longer, asking God to help the committee conduct a hearing marked by “Truth.”

Faith and Action chief of program, Peggy Nienaber, is in that room while I’m out on the West Coast beginning an extensive speaking tour. This is the first hearing in recent times that I haven’t been in the room praying and observing. This time I’m monitoring from afar while Peggy E-mails, texts and tweets her observations to me. Together we will file reports for you each day and pass along other information that will help you to pray, evaluate and inform your senators about what you think of our prospective next top judge–who will likely serve for 30 or more years.

I trust you’re taking all this very seriously.

Before I sign off, let me just say that the US Senate has lost an extraordinary member in 92-year old Robert Byrd. He was one-of-kind. A faithful Baptist who taught Sunday school virtually all his adult life, he had also memorized the entire US Constitution. In fact, he was one of the few members of either house of Congress who actually daily carried in his coat pocket both a Constitution AND a Declaration of Independence. Senator Byrd could also be an enigma, though. He would often rail against an issue and even flail his pocket-edition Constitution in the air, but then go ahead and vote for what he was denouncing. Of course, there are no perfect politicians, but I’d sure take another Robert Byrd over many others. May God rest his soul.

Rob +

This two-word verse from John 11:35 is for me one of the most profound in the Bible. It says our Lord felt emotion as much as any of us. That’s why when news reached me that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had lost her beloved husband of 56 years, I knew our Lord wept for her, too. I know some people will struggle with that, because they mix up their feelings about her judicial philosophy with the person behind it.

Somehow we get the impression that these powerful people in government are not humans like the rest of us. I would argue that reducing public figures we don’t care for to something other than just people is to deny them their humanity. That’s the same sin that abortion commits against the unborn child. I can tell you from my muerous encounters with Justice Ginsburg that she is every bit as human as you and me, and she feels the same pain anyone of us would experience losing a loved one.

Frankly, I don’t care whether we agree with Justice Ginsburg or not, we’re equally obligated to pray for her and demonstrate to her God’s love. I hope you’ll do that by first praying for her and her family in their grief. You can also send her a personal message through our office at info@faithandaction.org. We’ll make sure it’s hand-delivered to her.

In His great Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” If you were in Justice Ginsburg’s place, you would want and need the love of God’s people. Let’s give it to her lavishly during her time of grief.

More later on the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee and prospective colleague to Justice Ginsburg, Elena Kagan.

Rob +

During a visit this week to my precious mother at the St. Francis nursing home in Buffalo, New York, I had an unexpected reunion with Beryl Kinney, the first person to clearly share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with my twin brother, Paul, and me, when we were teenagers. She had come to visit Mom, too. Beryl was also the one to lead my mother to the stage at a conference center where the famed Dale Evans Rogers had just shared her testimony of faith in Christ. That night, in 1977, Mom gave her heart to the Lord.

Beryl is as vivacious in early 80’s as she was when Paul and I first met her 37 years ago. A devout Catholic, she is also one of the most multi-denominational Christians I’ve ever known. She’s as comfortable with Baptists as she is with Pentecostals, Presbyterians or Methodists. To Beryl, if you confess Jesus as Lord, you’re a member of the same family.

This generosity of spirit–that is, accepting and affirming all of God’s people–is what the word “ecumenical” means. I know it’s a bad word in some circles, but it never has been to me. As Beryl introduced my brother and me to Jesus, she also introduced us to His household–Christians of every label, tradition and style.

After making our public professions of faith in Christ at Emmanuel United Methodist Church, we learned quickly how to enjoy everything “the church” had to offer. We went to Sunday morning service with these original “Holy Rollers” and learned about John Wesley and his circuit riding preachers. We went to midnight mass at the local Jesuit university where we came to appreciate the majesty of God through liturgy, incense and Gregorian chants. On Sunday nights we learned the importance of Bible study at a little independent Baptist church–and we felt the power of the Holy Spirit at midweek service with an Assembly of God congregation.

All of this came together, though, at “Monday Night Prayer Group.” This gathering was an eclectic blend of Christians from nearly enough denominations to represent the whole alphabet. Along with the Catholics that hosted us, there were . . .

Adventists, Baptists, Congregationalists, Disciples, Episcopalians, Free Methodists, Holiness, Independents, Jews (Paul and I were two of them!), Lutherans, Mennonites, Orthodox, Presbyterians, Quakers, Reformed, Salvationists (of the Army brand, that is) and Wesleyans.

This is what the word “ecumenical” means. It comes from the Greek, oikoumenikós, the same word from which we get “economy.” It referred to the “household,” meaning everything that revolved around the functioning of a family within their domicile. Through Beryl’s role modeling, this is how we came to know the Body of Christ, as our brothers and sisters regardless of what label they wore.

Paul and I would later come to appreciate the importance of every member of God’s family through the most intense years of the pro-life movement. We were often in jail with Christians of every variety. When you’re in prison clothes, all you have is your love for the Lord and each other–no denominational membership cards allowed!

It’s this history that led my brother “back to Bethel” this weekend. After 33 years of being a Protestant Evangelical minister, Paul was ordained on Saturday as one of the few married priests in the Catholic church. It was a beautiful service, and the message preached by the visiting bishop, Victor Galeone of St. Augustine, Florida, would have been just as well received in any of the churches I routinely preach in as it was at St. Joseph’s in York, Pennsylvania, where the service took place.

“Fr. Paul” will continue the work he has always done through our sister organization, the National Pro-Life Center, as well as take up part-time pastoral duties at a largely Vietnamese parish in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Oh, and of course, he remains happily married to his wife of 33 years, Becky, and continues to be “the other kind of father” to his eight children.

God often takes us back to where we started our spiritual journeys. I’m very happy that my brother has found his Bethel in this new–well, make that old–place.

Rob +

Paul Schenck kneels to be ordained a priest.

This past Monday I received a great honor: I was officially recognized as “chaplain” of the Capitol Hill Executive Service Club, a unique private association that has met inside the US Capitol for almost 40 years. I’ve been a member for ten of those years, and I”m grateful to God for it.

The “Club,” as we affectionately know it, is made up of some of the most interesting–and I might add, kind and thoughtful–people in Washington. They are mostly retired now, but from distinguished careers in the White House, the Congress, the courts, and the military (we have both generals and admirals among us). Some made history–like our much beloved and late General Milnor Roberts, for whom, not long ago, I had the bitter-sweet honor of presiding at his funeral. General Roberts was a true American hero. He stormed the beaches Normandy, fought his way up a bluff under direct enemy fire, penetrated behind lines and went on the fight at the Battle of the Bulge. OK, I digress–but it’s easy to get carried away about this crowd!

Back to being named Chaplain . . .

Receiving this honor was humbling and long-awaited. I’ve come to love these folks with whom I have breakfast almost every Monday morning. They are people much like my late father. Though we do have newer and younger members, for the most part the demographic places the average member somewhere in the seventh and eighth decades of life. They came up at another time and at another place in the world–with strong values centered on duty, devotion and service. That’s a lot of experience–and knowledge–and I draw on it routinely.

As demonstrated by the wide array of speakers we host each week, our members not only have an insatiable thirst for more knowledge, they can effectively engage any subject. One week it will be a Supreme Court justice addressing some nuance of constitutional jurisprudence; the next week the chief engineer in charge of protecting spacecrafts from space debris. It may even be–well, a newly appointed chaplain talking about the importance of “body, soul and spirit.” (They were extraordinarily attentive during my acceptance speech on Monday!)

Of course, becoming the “official chaplain” to these very, very interesting and interested people leaves me with a big challenge. Pastors will always find the needs and demands of their congregations unique–but this one, well . . . it goes on ad infinitum!  Having said that, on Monday I told my new “parishioners” that come the beginning of each week, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else–or be anything else, but their chaplain.

“I’m grateful for what I’ve experienced on Capitol Hill,” I said. “For ministry moments with presidents, leaders of Congress and with Supreme Court justices. Yet, I’m equally grateful for having come to know each of you–and for the way you’ve invited me into your lives.”

I meant every word of it.

Just call me Chappy . . .

Rob +