Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 331, Ed. 1 Friday, June 29, 2018 Page: 9 of 20
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GOOD LIVING/RELIGION
Denton Record-Chronicle
Friday, June 29, 2018
9A
God knows America’s ‘flyover’ churches
eading one of the lists
of disciples recently,
one name jumped olf
the page at me: James the son
of Alphaeus. The church has
traditionally referred to him as
“James the Less.” Not a favor-
able nickname by American
standards.
The reason for the name
is the adjective used in Mark
15:40 to describe him: “micro.”
Sometimes that Greek word
means “small.” Sometimes it
means “young.” Newer trans-
lations make the decision for
us and call him “James the
younger.”
Whatever the exact mean-
ing might have been, it’s clear
that his nickname was given to
differentiate this James from
the other James in the group of
disciples. That James, the son
of Zebedee and brother of John,
was one of the more important
disciples and a part of Jesus’ in-
ner circle. That was “James the
leader,” “big James.” This was
“little James” or “young James.”
In the four Gospels, “little
James” doesn’t ask Jesus a
question. He doesn’t answer a
question. He doesn’t get into
arguments with any of the other
disciples. In fact, he doesn’t do
anything. He’s like an extra in
the crowd scene of a movie. He’s
there. You can find him as the
“flyover country.” It’s in the way.
Farmland is easy to ignore, easy
to dismiss. It just makes your
flight longer and gives you time
for one more cocktail.
The people who five in
flyover country are quiet,
steady, tax-paying workers.
They are patriotic. They tend to
be resistant to change. Because
they don’t crave the limelight,
they’re often ignored. But they
can be riled.
For years, political types
have underestimated flyover
types to their own detriment
(they are either “bitter, cling-
ing to their guns and religion”
or “baskets of deplorables”).
Sometimes the flyovers get mad
enough to vote.
George Bailey might have
described these folks to Mr. Pot-
ter: “This rabble you’re talking
about, they do most of the
working and paying and living
and dying in this community.”
James the Less was one of
these guys. We know next to
nothing about him. He didn’t
make the headlines — his nick-
name is “Less!” Nevertheless,
the Bible tells us that he was
one of the foundational pillars
of the church (Ephesians 2:20),
and one of the foundation
stones of heaven itself bears his
name (Revelations 21:14).
Jesus was right: the first
will be last and the last will be
first. Less is more in a biblical
standing with the Am Ha’aretz.
Jesus, though he had royalty
in his bloodline, was bom in
a stable. You can’t get more
Am Ha’aretz than that. The
12 disciples Jesus chose — all
Am Ha’aretz. The people who
flocked to him and responded
to his message: Am Ha’aretz.
Mary, in her Magnificat,
reminds us of the Am Ha’aretz
nature of Jesus’ ministry: “He
has brought down rulers from
their thrones but has lifted up
the humble. He has filled the
hungry with good things but
has sent the rich away empty
(Luke 1:52-53).”
Paul was one of the Am
Ha’aretz ignorers until he met
Jesus. That moment produced
quite a sea change in his theol-
ogy: “Where is the wise man?
Where is the scholar? Where
is the philosopher of this age?
Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of the world? ...
Brothers, think of what you
were when you were called.
Not many of you were wise by
human standards; not many
were influential; not many were
of noble birth.
“But God chose the foolish
things of the world to shame
the wise; God chose the weak
things of the world to shame
the strong. He chose the lowly
things of this world and the
despised things — and the
things that are not — to nullify
the things that are, so that no
one may boast before him (1
Corinthians 1:20,26-29).”
Paul’s describing you and
me. He’s describing James
the Less in a pew of a flyover
church. We quietly attend
church week in, week out. We
give sacrifieiafly, we serve at
vacation Bible school and youth
camps. We five the gospel as
best we can at home, work and
our communities. We pray to-
gether, worship together, work
together.
Like James the Less, the
world may never hear of us,
but heaven has. And as he did
with James, God can use us to
change the world.
Much is made in the media
of the shrinking American
church. But perhaps, like water
receding before a wave, God is
about to visit on the America
church another great awaken-
ing. I believe this will start in
flyover churches. May the Lord
grant it; may we be prepared.
JAMES A. MANN, PhD.,
is a Denton native and the
lead pastor of New Life Church
of Denton. He is an assistant
professor of New Testament at
Liberty University School of
Divinity located in Lynchburg,
Virginia.
R
economy.
In a similar way, the Amer-
ican church is predominantly
flyover. But you might not know
this from the media. The media
covers “religion” as a necessity,
but their research tends to
go no deeper than the mega-
churches. We’re kept abreast
of“religion in America” by the
media’s faithful consultation
with about 10 or so pastors who
supposedly speak for the rest
of us.
__k
James Mann
COMMENTARY
camera pans the multitude, but
you have to pause the movie to
catch a glimpse of him. In other
words, he’s easy to miss.
I’m not sure when the pe-
jorative idiom “flyover coun-
try” replaced the heretofore
preferred ‘American heartland.”
“Flyover” reminds us of our
place — not so much physically,
but our place within the Ameri-
can caste system.
The important people, the
opinion-makers, the ones every-
one should follow, all live on the
Eastern and Western seaboards.
They are the politicians and
lobbyists, the industrialists, the
media, Wall Street and Madi-
son Avenue, the Ivy League, the
wealthy, the movie stars. They
speak to themselves in echo
chambers. They give themselves
standing ovations.
Everything and everyone
in between these important
places and people is called
Because of this, the church
has found her own equivalent
to Hollywood “stars” to be fol-
lowed. We read their books and
blogs, listen to their podcasts
and buy their accompanying
swag.
In the Second Temple period
(the several centuries before
Jesus’ birth), rabbis had a word
for these flyover people: Am
Ha’aretz. The Hebrew phrase
literally means “people of the
land.” But the meaning behind
the words was something like
“uncivilized, ignorant or uned-
ucated.”
The political parties forming
during this time (the Sadducees
and Pharisees) found it easy to
ignore “the people of the land.”
Then came John the Baptist
— he was a member in good
BRIEFLY
Texas Master Naturalist
training class coming up
IN RELIGION
Vatican City
Pop says to defend
dignity of the poor
Pope Francis gave the Cath-
olic Church 14 new cardinals
Thursday, exhorting them to
resist any temptation toward
haughtiness and instead em-
brace “the greatest promotion”
they could hope to obtain: tend-
ing to those neglected or cast
aside by society.
Among those receiving the
cardinals’ biretta — a crim-
son-red square cap with three
ridges — was his point man for
helping Rome’s homeless and
poor. Polish Monsignor Konrad
Krajewski has handed out sleep-
ing bags to those spending cold
nights on the Italian capital’s
streets and driven vans taking
the poor on seaside daytrips ar-
ranged by the Vatican.
The choices of many of the
new cardinals reflected Francis’
determination that the church
be known for tireless attention
to those on society’s margins.
He also turned his attention to
countries located far from the
Vatican after centuries of Euro-
pean dominance of the ranks of
cardinals, honoring churchmen
from Peru, Madagascar and Ja-
pan, which has a tiny minority of
Catholics.
With Thursday’s ceremony,
there are now 226 cardinals
worldwide, 74 of them named
by Francis during his 5-year-old
papacy.
Of that total, 125 cardinals
are younger than 80 and can
vote in a conclave for the next
pope.
The next training class
begins Aug. 28 and goes
through Nov. 13, meeting every
Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This course is an intensive 60-
hour training on the region’s
natural features and the impact
that people have on nature.
It features presentations by
biologists, geologists, naturalists
and others from local, state and
federal agencies and universi-
ties.
he Texas Master Natural-
ists program was created
to develop well-informed
volunteers to provide education,
outreach and service dedicated
to the beneficial management
of natural resources and natural
areas within their communities.
Many communities and or-
ganizations rely on such citizen
volunteers for implementing
youth education programs,
for operating parks, nature
centers and natural areas and
for providing leadership in local
natural resource conservation
efforts.
In fact, a short supply of
dedicated and well-informed
volunteers is often cited as a
limiting factor for communi-
ty-based conservation efforts.
The Master Naturalist program
is a partnership between the
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension
Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife
Department and other local
partners.
The Elm Fork Chapter is the
local volunteer organization of
the Texas Master Naturalists.
The chapter serves Denton,
Cooke and Wise counties. Proj-
ects of the chapter involve trail
building and prairie restoration
at Lewisville Lake Environmen-
tal Learning Area, working at
the interpretation center at Ray
Roberts Lake State Park and
leading hikes for the Trophy
Club Nature Trails, Bob Jones
Nature Center and Fumeaux
Creek.
T
JANET LAMINACK
HORTICULTURE
COMMENTARY
— The Associated Press
( CHURCH DIRECTORY ~)
To become a certified Master
Naturalist, you must complete
a minimum of 40 hours of vol-
unteer service and eight hours
of advanced training during
the first 12 months following
the completion of the course
(to be completed before your
course’s graduation anniversary
date). Applications are available
online or at the open house and
are due by July 29. The course
fee is $150.
For more information about
the program, visit https://bit.
ly/2Kq7jQE or call 940-349-
2883. We will seek to provide
reasonable accommodation for
all persons with disabilities for
this program. Please contact the
Denton County Extension office
as soon as possible to advise us
of the auxiliary aid or service
that will be required.
Naturalists organized learning
centers and guided tours for 23
elementary schools in Denton
ISD. There were more than
2,300 fourth-graders who were
able to learn about wildlife,
native plants and geology with
hands-on activities at Clear
Creek Natural Heritage Center
led by their own teachers and
Master Naturalists.
Don’t worry, some projects
don’t require working with
children. There’s bluebird box
monitoring, water quality
monitoring and educational
presentations for adults. Come
learn more at an open house set
for 10 a.m. July 19 at the Den-
ton County Elections Adminis-
tration, 701 Kimberly Drive in
Denton.
The open house is an oppor-
tunity to talk to Master Natu-
ralists and ask questions as they
recruit for their newest training
class. Come for lunch and learn
more about this volunteer
program and view displays of
the ongoing Elm Fork Chapter
community projects.
ASSEMBLY OF GOD
BIBLE CHURCH
EPISCOPAL
METHODIST
MT. PILGRIM CHRISTIAN
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
339 Robertson Street
Denton, Texas 76205
DENTON BIBLE CHURCH
2300 East University Drive
Denton, TX 76209 (940) 297-6700
Senior Pastor: Tommy Nelson
SUNDAY:
Worship & Sunday School
Worship & Sunday School ...,11:00 AM
Sign Interpretation -11:00 AM service
Evening Worship at 6:00 PM
Childcare (4-42 mo)
Awana Available.....
WEBSITE: www.dentonbible.org
Or call for any particular
information needed.
ST. BARNABAS
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
1200 North Elm
(940)382-2748
The Rev. Donald K. Johnson, Rector
Lifeline
- ^ Church
Keaton R. Fuller, Pastor
,9:00 AM
SUNDAY
......Holy Eucharist Rite I
................Sunday School
........Holy Eucharist Rite II
With Music
(940) 387-5452
8:30 a.m...
10::00 a.m.
11:00 a.m...
2800 Pennsylvania Drive
Denton, TX 76205
940-535-5560
SUNDAY:
Sunday School.
Worship Service
5:30 PM
5:30 PM
..9:00 a.m.
.10:30 a.m.
www.lifelinechurch.net
WEDNESDAY:
Prayer Meeting.
Bible Study.......
.6:00 p.m.
..6:30 p.m
Jerry Reagan, Pastor
TUESDAY
CATHOLIC
Sunday
10:30am
Nursery and Children’s Church
available
.Morning Prayer
.. Holy Eucharist
8:30a.m..
9:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY
ST. MARK CATHOLIC CHURCH
DENTON
Join Us At Our New Address
6500 Crawford Road
Argyle, TX 76226
PRESBYTERIAN
Sunday - Spanish -language
Service......3:00
.Evening Prayer
.. Holy Eucharist
6:00 p.m
6:20 p.m.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
1114 W. University, Denton, TX 76201
(940) 387-3894
Wednesday
LifeGroups for adults, youth
and kids
7:00pm
THURSDAY
.Morning Prayer
8:30 a.m.
940-387-6223
Fax: 940-464-7808
E-mail: jgodfrey@stmarkdenton.org
www.stmarkdenton.org
Fr. George, Pastor
Weekday Mass Schedule
Rev. Debbie H. Spangler .Pastor
SATURDAY
.Morning Prayer
8:30 a.m.
Coffee Fellowship 10;:30 a.m.
BAPTIST
Sunday Worship Service....11:00 a.m.
Nursery Available
Wednesday Evening Prayer
Meeting.....7:00 p.m.
SOUTHMONT
LUTHERAN
Mon, Tues, Thurs and Fri 7:30 am
Wed 12pm
JANET LAMINACK is the
horticulture county extension
agent with Texas AgriLife
Extension. She can be reached at
940-349-2883 or via email at
jelaminack@ag.tamu.edu.
2801 Pennsylvania Dr
940-566-3313
www.southmont.org
aul
Saturday
Vigil Mass - 5:00pm
Spanish Mass - 7:00pm
Sunday
Mass - 7:00, 9:00 & 11:30am
Life Teen Mass - 4:00pm
Adoration
Mon, Tues ,and Wed 8:00am-8:00pm
Fri 8::00&-11:30AM
Reconciliation
Sat 3:00-4:00pm
vA
OFFICE HOURS
Mon & Fri 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Tues, Wed & Th 9:00 a.m. - Noon
Lutheran Church
SUNDAY SCHEDULE
LCMS
Traditional Worship.....
Smaill Groups...............
Contemporary Worship
Service
.9:30 a.m.
703 North Elm
940-387-1575
Christian Learning Center
940-387-6651
Website: www.splcdenton.org
Website: www.fpcdenton.org
.10:30 a.m.
This spring, the Master
11:30a.m
WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
Pastor: Russell W. Tieken
DCE: Ron DuPree
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Philippine president: God’s 'stupid’
Dinner
.5:15 p.m.
DENTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH
3130 North Elm 382-4115
Denton, TX 76201
Sunday Worship.....8:15 and 10:45 a.m
9:30 a.m
Adult Bible
Sunday School
Study.
.6:00 p.m.
Nursery Provided
Bible School
..9:30 a.m
10:30 a.m.
..7:00 p.m
Youth..................
Chikdren’s Choir.
Adult Choir..........
,6:00p.m.
,6:00p.m.
,7:00p.m.
Morning Worship
Midweek Study..
ed as president of our civilized
and Christian nation,” Bastes
said.
By Jim Gomez
Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines —
The Philippine president, noto-
rious for having cursed the pope
and world leaders like former
U.S. President Barack Obama,
has sparked new outrage by call-
ing God “stupid” in Asia’s largest
Catholic country.
Opposition Sen. Antonio
Trillanes IV shot back Monday
by describing President Rodrigo
Duterte as “one evil man” and
his remarks as “very much con-
sistent with the deceitfulness,
heartlessness and ruthlessness
of his policies.” Even some of
Duterte’s political allies were
critical.
A Catholic Bishop, Arturo
Bastes, called the president a
“madman” and urged Filipinos
to pray for an end to Duterte’s
“blasphemous utterances and
dictatorial tendencies.”
“Duterte’s tirade against God
and the Bible reveals again that
he is a psychological freak, a
psychopath, an abnormal mind
who should have not been elect-
ances against God “to whom I
pray every single day and with
whom I’ve found solace and
comfort in all my difficult times,
I don’t even have to think of my
choice.”
METHODIST
Tom Marsh, Minister
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
2200 North Bell, Denton
940.382.8815
Craig L. Hunter, Pastor
Beth Peak Thompson,
Director of Christian Education
A
FlfMC
Another bishop, Ruperto
Santos, said the president had
crossed a fine.
Duterte questioned in a tele-
vised speech Friday the bibli-
cal story of man’s creation and
asked why God created Adam
and Eve only to allow them to
succumb to temptation that de-
stroyed their purity.
“Who is this stupid God?,”
said the 73-year-old leader,
known for his rambling public
statements. “How can you ratio-
nalize a God? Do you believe?”
Duterte lamented that Adam
and Eve’s sin in Christian the-
ology resulted in all the faithful
falling from divine grace. “You
were not involved but now
you’re stained with an original
sins.... What kind of a religion is
that? That’s what I can’t accept,
very stupid proposition,” he said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, a former
national police chief, said he has
often backed Duterte’s policies,
but after the president’s utter-
n ATE WAY
V_J CHURCH OF DENTON
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(Disciples of Christ)
Inviting all to worship,
fellowship and serve.
Rev. Jack Mullins, Minister
1203 N. Fulton Street
(Just South of Hwy. 380)
(940) 566-4990
www.fccdenton.org
SUNDAY
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
940-382-5478
201 S. Locust
www.fumc-denton.com
Gateway United Baptist Church
BELL AVENUE CHURCH
2401 N. Bell Avenue
Denton, TX 76209
(940) 382-9367
Pastor - Charles C. "Buddy" Owens
SUNDAY SERVICES
Morning Worship ..8:30 a.m., 10:55 a.m
9:45 a.m
6:00 p.m
Sunday School....
Coffee Fellowship
Worship...............
...9:30 a.m.
.10:30 a.m.
.11:00 a.m.
“May my God forgive him
and make him atone for all his
sins,” Lacson said.
Duterte’s spokesman defend-
ed his remarks, saying the presi-
dent has the right to express his
opinion on religion and cited his
previous disclosure that he was
once sexually abused as a stu-
dent by a priest.
Duterte stressed that right in
another speech Monday. “Why
do you bind me with something
very stupid? I was given my own
mind by God.”
Duterte shocked Filipi-
no Catholics in 2015 when he
cursed visiting Pope Francis for
having triggered a monstrous
traffic jam in Manila. He later
apologized, but has repeated-
ly lashed out at bishops and
the dominant Catholic church,
which has criticized his bloody
crackdown on illegal drugs.
Don Lee, Lead Pastor
Child Care Provided
SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
Traditional Worship
(Sanctuary)........8:30 a.m.
Sunday School........9:40 a.m.
Visit us at
http://tpcdenton.org
Sunday School .
Sunday Worship
(Handicapped Accessible.
Nursery Provided)
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday Night Live
Youth Groups..............
...9:30 a.m.
.10:50 a.m.
Sunday School..
Evening Worship
WEDNESDAY ACTIVITIES
Morning Bible Study......
Children/Youth Activities
Prayer/Bible Study.........
SENIOR ADULT ACTIVITIES
I.Q. Breakfast (1st Tuesday) ...8:30 a.m
JOY Lunch (3rd Thursday)... 11:30 a.m.
Mosaic Worship (Monroe Fellowship
9:45 a.m.
10:00 a.m
. 7:00 p.m.
..7:00 p.m
Building)
*
.6:00 p.m.
.7:00 p.m.
Celebration Worship (Sanctuary) (Also
televised on channels Charter 191 and
Verizon 39).
~3
X
T3
fr.
.11:00 a.m.
u
CHURCH OF CHRIST
ii
<$•
Open Worship
(Flinn Hall)......11:00 a.m.
Bilingual (Flinn Hall).
XN
HIGHLAND BAPTIST CHURCH
600 Thomas Street
Brandon McCarroll, Pastor
NORTHPOINT CHURCH OF CHRIST
Philip Smith, Preacher
4224 N. I-35 - 940.220.9931
Greenway Plaza - Past Cracker Barrel
www.northpointcoc.com
northpointcoc@hotmail.com
Sun. Morning.
Sun. Evening.
Wed. Evening
£r.iaV c
387-1745
,12:30 p.m.
SUNDAY:
Bible Study..........
Morning Worship.
Sanctuary Choir..
Evening Worship
WEDNESDAY:
Wednesday Bible Study 6:30 p.m.
www.saint-andrew.com
3rd Day Family Service (3rd Sunday of
every month) (Monroe Fellowship
11:15 a.m.
...9:30 a.m.
.10:45 a.m.
...5:00 p.m.
...6:00 p.m.
Sunday School.
Worship Service.
..9:30am
,10:30am
Building)
9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
......................1:00 p.m
......................7:00 p.m
Our mission: To make disciples of
Jesus Christ for the transformation
of the world.
300 W. Oak Street, Denton TX 76201
940.387.3897
SHERMAN DRIVE
CHURCH OF CHRIST
Preacher Weylan Deaver
SUNDAY
www.highlanddenton.org
email:
highlanddenton@highlanddenton.org
Televised Live each Sunday, 11 a.m.
on Cable Channels
191 &39
Senior Pastor: Richard B. Culp
Classes.
Worship.
Worship.
...9:00 a.m.
.10:00 a.m.
...5:00 p.m.
Associate Pastor: Lisa Patterson
TOWNE NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH
Pastor, Ken Gray
526 Hercules Lane
Denton, TX 76209
(940) 565-9218
Sunday Services:
Bible Study for all ages............
Worship Services
10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m
Wednesday Evening Services
RA's & GA's......
Youth Activities...
Adult Bible Study
TUESDAY
List Your Church In This Directory.
$15 Per Week
Ladies’ Class.
.10:00 a.m.
WEDNESDAY
Classes.
.7:00 p.m.
phone: 940-387-3531
Call Shelly
940-566-6807
9:30 a.m
email:
office@shermandrivechurchofchrist.org
www.shermandrivechurchofchrist.org
2321 E. Sherman Dr.
Denton, TX 76209
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McCrory, Sean. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 331, Ed. 1 Friday, June 29, 2018, newspaper, June 29, 2018; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1138507/m1/9/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .