Raising a voice about homosexuality

Bible believers approach the topic of homosexuality in varied and cautious ways, but for two different churches in Spokane, Wash., their answers to whether gays and lesbians can be a part of the church community are simple.

Dan Jarms has been the pastor of Faith Bible Church for seven years. Born and raised in Cheney, Wash. by an atheist father and a Catholic mother, Jarms grew up with unsure about faith, he said. At 19, Jarms attended a Christian basketball camp where he heard the gospel being preached.

“I heard that Jesus died to pay for my sin in my place,” Jarms said. “That was the first time I heard that. Even I had gone to church plenty before that, but I finally understood the idea.”

Jarms overcame his struggle with certain personal sins he committed, motivated by conviction he felt from the Lord to turn over his life to Him, he said.

Ever since, Jarms has been involved with Bible teaching and joined a church he felt taught the scriptures as God’s Word. Turning to 1 Corinthians 6:9, the Bible’s teaching about homosexuality is clear, he said.

“Our [the church’s] stance is that homosexuality is a sin, like adultery or sex before marriage. We treat it as a sin common to man,” Jarms said.

Instead of turning away the homosexual people who occasionally attend Faith Bible Church, Jarms said they welcome them just as they would an alcoholic.

“When they come to Christ, Christ changes their hearts; they can have victory over those temptations and struggles,” Jarms said.

Three miles away in the bustling downtown of Spokane, Westminster Congregational United Church has different views as to who a person is as an individual.

Andrea CastroLang, raised in a warm and loving Catholic family has pastored there since 2002, and enjoys the rare and beautiful community, she said.

After moving to Spokane with her husband and attending the church in 1990, the inclusive Protestant members supported her and prompted her to attend the San Francisco Theological Seminary for three and a half years in 1995, she said. Their support has influenced her efforts in public service as well as adopting an open and welcoming environment for new people, she said.

“At Westminster, we don’t believe that your sexual orientation is a cause for judgment,” she said. “We extend the welcome to all people as children of God.”

Focusing on God’s acceptance, she wonders why people spend so much energy condemning those who are different, she said.

“In the three short years of His ministry, the only people Jesus fought with were self-righteous, condemning, judgmental and cruel,” she said. “It’s not hate that is going to heal this world.”

Welcoming anyone to participate in all aspects of the church is important in order to support them and make them feel safe, Westminster church member Shelby Rothstrom said.

“I think it’s the foundation of Christianity,” she said. “It’s the way Jesus did it.”

Jarms view is similar in that Faith Bible Church welcomes people of all different backgrounds to attend church services as well, he said. The only difference would take place when they want to become members of the church, in which case, members would agree to uphold the principles of the church, he said.

Westminster Congregational allows permission to its members to disagree on certain topics and encourages dialogue among members to discuss important issues, like a rescheduling of early Sunday morning services.

“Every person matters; this church is invested in making sure that everybody is OK. I think people need to get past this right and wrong stuff,” said Anne Marie Floch, a lesbian member of Westminster and author of three books on spirituality. One of her books, “The Soul of a Woman,” describes different types of women in a poetic style.

Andrew Copley, a freshman at Eastern University and a member of Faith Bible Church, believes the issue has become a taboo topic among churches, he said.

“I just hear a lot that Christians hate gay people. We don’t. At the same time, it’s important to submit to what God says about gender roles and who we are,” Copley said.

Benjamin Harkrider, who is in his third year at Moody Bible Institute in the aviation program as well as a member of Faith Bible Church, also has the feeling that the secular world thinks that the church hates homosexuals.

“I think the proper biblical approach is to hate the sin but to love the person. We shouldn’t brush their sin aside but continue to love them, just as Christ loved us,” Harkrider said.

At Westminster, finding one’s identity and calling is important to all the members.

“In the society that I lived in (60s), you were never taught to be authentically who you were. You just did what the generations in front of you did,” Floch said. “Silence kills the ones who have to be silent.”

Public broadcasting wins federal funding battle, but the war for the 2012 budget still looms ahead

Lede: Despite escaping the budget ax from Congress, public broadcasting in Spokane still fears federal funding cuts in the future.

The federal battle

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) will receive $445 million from Congress to fund public radio and TV stations for the rest of the fiscal year ending in September. For public broadcasting television station KSPS, federal funding will only cover 20 percent of its income, leaving the responsibility to raise the remaining deficit with other outside sources.

The budget for 2012 has yet to be determined, leaving public stations to consider other methods of generating funding.

“Right now, [public broadcasting] as a whole is like everyone else, waiting to see what is going to happen next,” said Patty Starkey, executive director of KSPS, the Spokane-based PBS station. “Public broadcasting is too important not to fight hard for the funding. I cannot imagine a world without public television.”

The fight continues locally for public radio and television broadcasting, including Friends of KSPS, the fundraising arm of the KSPS station where $1,058,600 out of the total income of $5,360,255 comes from CPB, according to its on-air budget for 2010-2011.

Without federal funding, many stations may shut their doors permanently, said Dawn Bayman, Friends of KSPS membership director.

Additionally, television broadcasters’ collective “pool” of programs shared with PBS stations around the globe may be threatened if stations begin to collapse, Starkey said.

“We have to say no to good programming because of the cost increase,” Bayman said. “We have had to cut back our staff to the bare bones. We are no longer cutting fat, we are cutting our essentials.”

A KSPS operator watches the live stream in the control room. KSPS has been serving their local region for 40 years.

With the ongoing economic crisis, KSPS cut four positions in the last two years, leaving the station with 30 employees on the KSPS and Friends of KSPS staff combined.

Alongside the decreasing job market, federal funding calls into question fears of suffering funds and available programming for KSPS. That fear also affects public broadcasting stations around the nation.

“Many stations can’t live without federal dollars,” Starkey said. “The real odious specter down the road is when stations go in the dark and the stations that remain will have to step up to the plate and cover the losses.”

KSPS’ reaction

To combat federal cuts, KSPS banded together with PBS and CPB to support the national online campaign titled “170 million Americans for public broadcasting” (see sidebar for details).

Coinciding with online marketing tactics, KSPS recently completed its latest pledge drive, raising $393,065 for the March 2011 campaign, a $45,871 increase from the spring pledge drive last year, according to the March 2010 and 2011 pledge statistics.

For KSPS, pledge campaigns combined with other methods of donor giving generated 72 percent of the Friends of KSPS income, totaling $3,851,000 for the 2010-2011 budget years according to this year’s on-air budget.

Unlike commercial broadcasting, public television and radio stations must rely on viewers, members and volunteers to maintain a self-sustaining source of income, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by regular supporters of public broadcasting.

Viewers like you

Growing up watching “Sesame Street” and “Mr. Rogers” prompted professor of music and Whitworth University Wind Symphony Director Richard Strauch to continue the tradition with his own family. When his children want to watch something, they look for KSPS, Strauch said. Wanting to give back, Strauch and his family have contributed to KSPS.

“PBS is in a similar position to the arts,” Strauch said. “It can’t be supported through commercial means alone. We [the symphony] depend on sponsors and donors, not only ticket sales.”

Strauch has also used programs like “Rick Steves’ Europe” to help plan his Jan term trip in previous years titled “Power in Politics in Art.”

“His guided tours are really terrific,” Strauch said. “I’ve used his tour books because his traveling approach to visiting different cultures is such a good one. I’ve liked his travel programs the best.”

For Tara Lambert, mother and senior accountant at Whitworth’ Registrar office, KSPS has provided educational, commercial free and kid-friendly programs to her young children.

“I would say that we used it more as a tool to provide them a safe place to watch a show that is educational … it supports what they are doing in school, too,” Lambert said. “I don’t worry about my kids when they are watching that channel. I just know that they are not going to be exposed to something that they are not supposed to.”

A final call to response

One of every 10 viewers is a member of KSPS. In order to ensure its survival, KSPS will target the other nine out of 10 viewers in its future campaigns, Starkey said.

“Stations are telling you now, if you are a viewer, it’s funded by one call at a time; make it now,” Starkey said. “And hopefully that message will resonate with them.”

Viewers can pledge online on the KSPS website, submit a donation via mail or call in during the upcoming pledge drive in June. KSPS also offers opportunities in becoming regular donators by joining the Sustainers or Leadership Circle programs.

“If you like what you see, and you know how it’s funded now more than ever, pledge now, Starkey said. “It’s easy. It’s simple. The programming that we have will enrich your life and feed your spirit.”