A new book examines the history and significance of a 12-word prayer that is believed to have been prayed by the apostles.

Dr. Norris J. Chumley and the Very Rev. Dr. John McGuckin wrote the book, Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer: Experiencing the Presence of God and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of an Ancient Spirituality, as a companion piece to their first PBS documentary, Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer, according to PR Web.

The prayer is simply, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is believed to date back to the time of the apostles, and remains a popular prayer of hermits and ascetics today in desert monasteries in Eastern Europe and other areas, PR Web said.

Chumley and McGuckin visited the holy sites of the ancient Christians, visited monasteries and photographed their voyage, including rare pictures of holy places that photographers are rarely allowed to take, PR Web said.

According to its website, “Never before has there been this kind of access to ancient caves, monasteries and convents in Egypt, Greece, Eastern Europe and Russia.”

The website says that the authors met Christian monks and nuns who turned their backs on the world so that they could search for their eternal salvation. “For the first time, they speak of their private prayers of the heart on film.”

In the PBS documentary, The Jesus Prayer, Chumley and McGuckin looked into the history of the prayer, which is largely unknown in the U.S. In his blog with the Huffington Post, Chumley wrote that the ascetic or hermit life began as a social movement among ancient Christians who left behind their worldly relationships, personal crises and responsibilities to commune with God in the desert.

Chumley wrote in The Huffington Post that hermits lived completely alone in the desert but others formed tiny communities of  ascetics in desert areas. St. Paul first mentioned asceticism in the New Testament (2 Tim. 4:7).

According to Chumley, asceticism became popular in the mid third to fourth centuries when it became an organized movement in the Christian faith, he wrote in the Huffington Post.

Though still practiced today, it is not widely acknowledged in light of the Reformation. Chumley wrote in Huffington Post that “There are many contemporary hermits, monks and nuns, some of them highly educated and accomplished.”

The Jesus Prayer is a cornerstone of their prayer life, Chumley and McGuckin said in their new book, according to PR Web. It was transformative and imminent to their history and practices including reflection, humility and feeling constantly connected to God by moving through the stages of the prayer, the website said.

The monasteries the authors visited include St. Anthony’s Monastery in Egypt’s desert, St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, and convents and monasteries in Russia, Transylvania, Greece and the Ukraine, the website said.

Shane Claiborne of the Common Prayer website commented, “This isn’t just a book about prayer. It is a full-on plunge into a prayer-filled adventure. Chumley takes you on a pilgrimage to some of the most enchanted places, and all you have to take with you is a one-line prayer that has been changing the world for centuries. Dive in.”

Diana Butler Bass of the website A People’s History of Christianity said of the book, “[Chumley] discovers a way of peace open to those who seek a deeper connection with God,” the website reported.

Chumley is an Emmy awardee whose work has appeared on various television networks including NBC, ABC and A&E, among others. He is executive producer and director of media for the Columbia University Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life, PR Web said.

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A new book raises questions about the pros and cons, truths and falsities of the prosperity gospel, even as others try to define it.

The book, Will Jesus Buy Me A Double-Wide? (‘Cause I Need More Room For My Plasma TV), penned by Karen Spears Zacharias, skewers the prosperity gospel even as she presents her idea of what true faith should be, The Huffington Post said.

The Huffington Post quoted Zacharias on The 700 Club saying of Joel Osteen, “When you go before the masses and tell them that their ‘best life now’ is tied up into the things that they own, the size of their garage or anything materially oriented, I think you’re missing it.”

Megachurches are not just popular in the U.S., but also in Latin America and Africa, The Christian Century said, to the point of overwhelming “more traditional charismatic or Pentecostal doctrines.” Understanding the prosperity gospel is primary to defining what shapes global Christianity.

The Herald noted a report by Kudzai Biri of the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophy, which was presented at a seminar held by the Zimbabwe Faith Ethics and Philosophy Association.

Biri said the prosperity gospel is popular in Africa because the continent is afflicted with poverty, disease and the like, The Herald said.

Prosperity gospel defined

The Herald said Biri described the prosperity gospel as a belief that God has met all human needs through Jesus’ death on the cross. Christians therefore share in Jesus’ victory over sin, illness and poverty.

The prosperity gospel says a believer can access health and wealth by claiming it in faith, Biri said, quoting one preacher who said that while God is “in the business of addition and multiplication, satan is in the business of subtraction and division,” The Herald reported.

Pros and cons

Biri said the prosperity gospel has beneficially raised a yearning among church members to have a personal relationship with God, and has led to renewal programs, prayer ministries, and a love for the bible, The Herald reported.

Also, lay men participate more in church because of the prosperity gospel, and those who remain with mainline churches but also go to churches with the prosperity gospel experience an enriched faith, The Herald said.

On the negative side, church members may become materialistic, and may deny the reality of suffering and failure, and may stigmatize poverty as a sign of a lack of faith, The Herald said.

Biri also said illness may be seen as a sign of sin, citing incidents when people chose not to take medication for illnesses and chose instead to fast and pray, according to The Herald.

Finally, Biri cited exaggerated dependence on the bible, exaggerated reliance on faith, personality cults around saints, both living and dead, and a “spiritual dictatorship among Christians,” The Herald reported.

Overall, The Herald said that Biri concludes the prosperity gospel does more harm than good, and the problem is more in the attitude of most Christians to prosperity, rather than the actual preaching of prosperity.

A part of a whole

The Christian Century counters, saying the prosperity gospel is part of a larger whole. Most prosperity churches go beyond saying “tithe, have faith, stand back,” and back this up with an urging of church members to help each other.

For example, Matthew Ashimolowo, who heads a transnational church based in London, urges faithful to employ other church members in their businesses, and teaches church members habits of thrift and restraint, The Christian Century said.

Church members learn to stay debt free and save before they buy. The Christian Century said these basic lessons are “vital for people moving suddenly from a rural setting into an overwhelming metropolis, with all the consumerist blandishments of­fered to the poor.”

A church offers, too, supportive social networks, mutual help, and the teaching of  survival skills. Peer pressure helps church members to avoid social traps like substance abuse, The Christian Century reported.

In this way, while members of a church that preaches the prosperity gospel may not be drowned in riches, their life chances are enhanced. Furthermore, the prosperity gospel need not be a negation of Christian faith, but may raise a controversial question as to whether or not one seriously believes that prayer can impact the material world, The Christian Century said.

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The dailies and the blogs have made much ado over Tim Tebow’s new hair style.

Tebow, the popular rookie of the Denver Broncos, had a haircut which is part of a hazing ritual of the team. Known for his evangelical Christian faith, The Washington Post wondered if his tonsure-styled do was a play on his religious beliefs.

The Huffington Post, which simply called Tebow’s hair a friar’s cut, said the sheer celebrity of Tebow turned it into a media frenzy. They did not speculate, however, if the star athlete’s fame was strong enough to start a new hair trend.

The cut was done to “build [team] chemistry,” and is done on all Denver Bronco rookies. The style of the cut varies per rookie however, The Washington Post said.

Tebow earned stature as a first-round draft pick and has earned big buck endorsement contracts, but he said he was glad to sport the haircut for the team. Tebow said, “I just took it, tried to be a good sport with it. It was fun, you know? I think all the rookies had a good time with it,” The Denver Post said.

The tonsure is famously known because it was worn by the Catholic St. Francis of Assisi. It also shares tradition with Hinduism and Buddhism. The Hindus consider the remaining locks around the crown as a sacrifice to show humility. Buddhists see it as a release from attachments. Orthodox Christians see the tonsure as a signal of willingness to serve sacrificially in the Army of Christ, The Washington Post said.

Other Bronco rookies who had haircuts were Eric Decker who had an “odd Mohawk,” Nathan Overbay who was half shaved, J.D. Walton and Zane Beadles who had bald patches, and Eric Olsen who was given some large bald spots and a long thick ponytail in back, The Denver Post said.

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Claiming on their website that they are “a new testament church, based on the bible,” the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., tends to attract media attention by engaging in activities that rank high in shock effect.

On Monday, the group plans on holding a protest against Gainesville’s first gay mayor. In the past, they had held up signs saying, “No homo mayor,” The Huffington Post said.

On the ninth anniversary of 9/11, the church plans on celebrating the tragedy by burning the Quran.

Last year on its front lawn they put up signs that said “Islam is of the devil,” which left residents aghast, causing some to say the message is hateful, The Christian Post said.

A number of Christians question the methods of this church believing it conveys more hate than love, but Dove’s senior pastor Terry Jones is nonplussed.

He says Christian critics should “stop criticizing and find another way to raise awareness about Islam or to share the Gospel,” The Christian Post said.

Jones authored a book called “Islam is of the Devil” and admits that protests are one of the key missions for his church. He says the goal is to warn, and help Muslims to convert, the Religious News Service said.

Jones said people have been giving him Qurans to burn. The idea for burning Qurans, he added, partly came from a Facebook page which called for an “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day,” RNS said.

On Sept. 11, Muslims will celebrate their Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan. Ramzy Kilic, communications director of the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the organization does not wish to be reactive in how they will commemorate the holiday. They hope to share Islamic traditions and Qurans with churchgoers and the community.

A LifeWay Research survey that was released in April discovered that six out of 10 pastors believe that Christianity and Islam should attempt to live together peacefully in the United States, The Christian Post said.

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In a move that has upset the sensitivities of many people including the Playboy group itself, the Portuguese edition of Playboy came out recently with a cover showing  a model made to look like Jesus Christ and a half nude female model lying on a bed.

The issue also had a photo spread with the same male model surrounded by nude women.

Playboy Portugal said it was a tribute to Nobel Prize winning author Jose Saramago, who wrote The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, the Huffington Post said.

In Saramago’s fictional novel Christ is depicted as a flawed human being. The book upset the Roman Catholic Church, who accused Saramago of depicting a “substantially anti-religious vision,” the Daily Mail said.

The Portuguese group had not cleared the cover with Playboy which is a violation of their agreement. As a result, Playboy has decided to pull out of its agreement with Portugal, Time Newsfeed said.

Theresa Hennessy who is vice president of public relations for Playboy Enterprises said, “We did not see or approve the cover and pictorial in the July issue of Playboy Portugal.

“It is a shocking breach of our standards and we would have not allowed it to be published if we had seen it in advance.

“We are in the process of terminating our agreement with the Portuguese publisher,” The Daily Mail said.

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Atheist lawyer Michael Newdow said recently that he will appeal a court decision that called his bid to halt prayers and the words “so help me God” in presidential inaugurations “moot,” according to the Huffington Post.

“We will be petitioning for a rehearing,” said Newdow, who represented himself and other atheists in the case.

The May 7 ruling, issued by Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the issues are “Not a live controversy that can avail itself of the judicial powers of the federal courts,” the Huffington Post reported.

The appeals court said the plaintiffs lack standing to pursue an injunction against individuals who are invited to deliver the presidential oath, and those who lead a prayer.

However, the appeals court said relief could be sought in legislation, as they have the power to do so, according to Law.Com.

In a concurring opinion Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh said neither “so help me God” in a presidential oath nor the inaugural prayers could be considered proselytizing or exploitative.

He said they were deeply rooted in the nation’s history and tradition, according to Law.com.

The decision also said the plaintiffs do not have standing to challenge the 2013 and 2017 inaugurations.

In her decision Brown wrote, “The named defendants are powerless to direct, say no to, or otherwise stop the future president if he wishes to have his ceremony contain the offending elements,” according to Law.com.

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New voices, including an ex-Muslim, have come to the defense of Franklin Graham recently, after the Pentagon disinvited him from appearing on the National Day of Prayer.

Franklin Graham at the podium and on the big screen at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash. in 2007. Credit:Flikr-publicjill

According to the Christian Post Sabatina James, the granddaughter of a Mullah and a well-known Pakistani convert to Christianity, said there is a difference between criticizing Islam and Muslims.

“Don’t say that every Muslim is a terrorist and every Muslim is bad because that is just not true. But there are definitely things that need to be changed in Islam or else you can’t live in a democracy,” James said.

James is living under police protection and is constantly on the move because of death threats against her.  She said, “…they are teaching the same Quran where it is written ‘beat your wife if she is not obedient.’ They are teaching the same Quran where it is written ‘the Christians and Jewish people are evil.’”

James added, “It is written in the Surah Al-Maidah… ‘don’t take Jewish and Christian people as your friend.’  That is what you are taught in the Quran schools.”  James said in the Christian Post story.

Meanwhile, Republican congressman from Georgia Jack Kingston called for a congressional investigation into possible “clerical censorship” involving Graham’s being disinvited to speak at the Pentagon, the Huffington Post reported.

Another publication, The Dallas News, took a poll.  Among the comments they garnered was that of Darrell Bock, research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.  Bock said, “The way to respond to Graham’s claims is not to wall off who can pray or be asked to do so, but to engage in a discussion of the issues he raises to show whether or not he is correct.”

Another respondent, Lillian Pinkus, executive committee member of the Anti-Defamation League of Dallas said, “…what bothers me is that while members of the Islamic faith are quick to take offense at perceived slights against Islam, in countries where Islam is the law of the land, there is not that same sensibility for others.  How is it that they demand fair treatment and practice of their faith, while in Islamic countries where the Koran is their constitution, there is no freedom of worship for people of other faiths?  You might say that it’s different in America, but I don’t believe there is a Koran for America and one for Islamic countries.”

Franklin Graham was disinvited by the Pentagon last week because after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Graham called Islam a “very evil and wicked religion.”

In a CNN interview Graham said, “True Islam cannot be practiced in this country. You can’t beat your wife. You cannot murder your children if you think they’ve committed adultery or something like that, which they do practice in these other countries.”

Graham said he has Muslim friends and the humanitarian group he heads, Samaritan’s Purse, works in several predominantly Muslim countries.  But he told CNN, “…I certainly disagree with their teaching.”

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