20—Cleveland Daily Banner—Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Wright Way
Religious services down — Why?
By WILLIAM WRIGHT
Lifestyles Editor
The Public Religion Research
Institute published a study
showing that Americans want
their fellow citizens to think they
are more religiously observant
than they really are.
The study, “I Know What You
Did Last Sunday: Measuring
Social Des irability Bias in SelfReported Religious Behavior,
Belief, and Belonging,” asked
random samples of Americans
identical questions about religious attendance, affiliation and
belief in God on two surveys —
one via telephone and the other
online — then compared the
results.
When asked by a real person
over the phone, respondents
were more likely to say they
attend religious services frequently. When filling out the
online survey, however, they were
more likely to admit that they do
not. The 2014 study revealed
that young adults, Catholics and
white mainline Protestants were
more likely to exaggerate the frequency of their attendance.
“Even among Americans who
claim no religious affiliation, the
social pressure to report at least
nominal religious engagement is
still quite strong,” said Daniel
Cox, co-author of the study and
PRRI’s Director of Research.
“Very few people are willing to
admit that they never attend religious services, even though many
of us don’t.”
The nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization is dedicated to the
research of religion, values and
public life in America, often conducting high quality public opinion surveys and research.
How about you? How would
you have answered if you took
that survey? Are you ashame of
your religious attendance?
Perhaps you feel that it’s all your
fault, but experts say it is not.
Something else is happening.
According to Steve McSwain,
ambassador to the Council on
the Parliament for the World’s
Religions, there are seven
“changing trends” affecting
church-going in America.
In his online article, “Why
Nobody Wants to Go to Church
Anymore,”
McSwain
said,
“According to the Hartford
Institute of Religion Research,
more than 40 percent of
Americans ‘say’ they go to church
weekly. As it turns out, however,
less than 20 percent are actually
in church. Furthermore, somewhere between 4,000 and 7,000
churches close their doors every
year. Between the years 2010
and 2012, more than half of all
churches in America added not
one new member.”
Why? Among the reasons,
McSwain said, “Enough has been
written about this in the past.
But you can be sure, clergy
abuse, the cover-up by the
Church, and fundamentalist
preachers and congregations
have been driving people away
from the Church, and continue to
drive people away, faster than
any other causes combined.”
He added that “people have
more choices on weekends than
simply going to church. Further,
the feelings of shame and guilt
many people used to feel and
church leaders used to promote
for not attending church every
week is gone.”
Another reason he gave is the
fact that “people today meet other
people today of entirely different
faith traditions and, if they are
discovering anything at all, it is
that there are scores of people
who live as much, if not more,
like Christ than many of the
Christians they used to sit beside
in church.”
Hypocrisy has been the enemy
and even death of many religious
movements over the past century
as history has documented.
“There’s one more trend I’ll
mention I believe is having devastating impact on the Church and
most certainly contributing to its
decline,” McSwain said. “You
cannot tell Millennials that your
church welcomes everybody —
that all can come to Jesus — and
then, when they come, what they
find are few mixed races or no
mixed couples.”
In my own conversations with
people who no longer attend religious services I hear these same
complaints. Have you? Others
have also mentioned too much
emphasis on taking up donations, preaching politics in the
pulpit, having a fashion show
competition atmosphere, a reluctance to use the latest technology
and little respect or discussion
regarding the Holy Bible.
McSwain pointed out, “There
are scores of people who have
left, not to abandon their faith,
but precisely because they wish
to preserve it.” Would that
include you or someone you
know? Many still want to worship
God as a caring congregation,
but in “spirit and truth,” as John
4:23-24 says.
Did you know God’s Word
actually condemns many things
going on in the name of religion,
according to Micah 3:11-12,
Matthew 7:21-23, Matthew 23:228, 1Timothy 4:1-3, Titus 1:16
and James 4:4? Because He can
read hearts, Almighty God knows
those who truly love Him but
might be embarrassed to admit
they find it difficult to attend religious services that does not
reflect His ways. If that is you or
someone you know, rest assured
God has a place for you. In this
place, God’s faithful sheep are
considered “jewels” or a “treasured possession” (Malachi 3:1618, John 10:14-16).
Ask God to invite you to this
place. If you leave everything in
His hands He will make sure that
you get a special invitation, one
that will not feel like a chance
meeting, but the way to worship.
Earls
From Page 19
to know Earls, the more they
like him as a person. Thanks to
Facebook and good word-ofmouth, his popularity has
increased
so
much
at
Volkswagen car shows and festivals that Earls has included
stickers, buttons and magnetic
pads with his picture and the
phrase, “I know Elmer” on them.
People
from
New
York,
California, Florida, Georgia and
Ohio have purchased his products and taken photos with a
man who is on his way to
becoming a “brand.”
Although his colorful appearance may alarm some social
conservatives, beneath it all is
one of the least violent, most
lighthearted individuals you’ll
likely meet. People visit his shop
in McDonald and stay for hours
because socializing is part of
what’s so popular about visiting
Hip-E-Beads where Earls and
his wife never meet a stranger.
“They knew it was a hippie
shop when they came in the
door but they didn’t know it was
also therapy,” Earls said.
“Because laughing and cutting
up is therapy! Somebody at a
Volkswagen show said, ‘Elmer,
with you it’s all about the laughter, ain’t it?’ I said, ‘Dude, if I
can get you to laugh, it makes
my day!’ If you’re a little down or
a little depressed — laughter
drives it away.”
Ask him anything, but don’t
be surprised by his answers.
Inquire about the strange
emb lem around his neck and
Earls will tell you with a straight
face, “This is the key to my
spaceship.” He’ll look at you
Banner photo, WILLIAM WRIGHT
THE PEACE SIGN is always on display at the home-based music, merchandise and gift shop of Elmer
Earls in McDonald. The man who likes to “tell it like it is” and make 1960s gestures of peace, caters to
a culture of society that still seeks a wide variety of psychedelic attire, novelty ties, nostalgic handbags,
dashikis, custom-made jewelry, 1960s and 70s music as well as other hard-to-find “hippie” memorabilia.
quite seriously for as long as he
can hold it, then burst into
laughter. Nothing seems to give
him as much pleasure as making someone laugh.
Those who experience the
world of Earls, the longtime husband of an admiring wife, father
to an adult son and grandfather
to two grandchildren, knows he
is not a long-haired hippie out to
offend anyone. He is a person
who enjoys a laugh with kind,
friendly people.
“The ones who know me come
up to me with smiles on their
faces and say, ‘Elmer! It’s so
good to see you!’” he said. “I just
wish everyone could be nice.
That’s the hippie state of mind.”
He may not be what everyone
expects, but he is living up to
his own expectations as an original being in pursuit of peace.
Although some may view his
appearance as an assault to the
senses, listen for a moment and
see if he makes sense. A mes-
sage of peace, love and harmony
is never outdated.
Look beyond the words and the
wardrobe at a man who loves
people, who loves peace, who
loves making others laugh and
living a life devoted to his family.
Perhaps Earls brought the best of
the hippie movement into the
modern era, where these attributes have become priceless in
value and timeless in making
him, and each one of us, an experience worth getting to know.
With a few tricks, baked egg rolls can be as good as fried
By MELISSA ‘D ARABIAN
Associated Press
Alice was our au pair from
China, and when she joined our
family she brought with her a
slew of tasty dishes.
Our family fell in love with her
complex fried rice, dumplings
with juicy meat fillings, and her
crispy egg rolls with garlickymeaty-mushroom fillings. The
tricky thing was that Alice was
one of those cooks who worked
her magic without a recipe. I
would watch, taking mental
notes of the ingredients and
quantities (writing it down felt,
well, wrong), but replicating her
dishes proved similar to me trying to capture the exact taste of
my grandma’s cooking — impossible.
Though we loved all of her
cooking (well, except for her take
on chocolate muffins, but that’s
another story), her egg rolls were
the family favorite. And why not?
Minced up goodies wrapped in
delicate, fried (essentially) pasta?
Yes, please!
So I took the liberty (since I
was missing the mark anyway)
to create my own version, one
that managed to get most of the
crispy goodness with far less fat.
After experimenting with a variety of methods — from spraying
the eggrolls with an oil mister or
cooking spray as well as drybaking — the clear winner was
the pastry brush method combined with a hot oven while also
using a baking rack to allow for
full air circulation during cooking.
knowledge has gone up and on
So what if these egg rolls are
the business side as well. So I
think we’re seeing a variety of different programs look for ways
that they can capitalize on that,”
NEW YORK (AP) — A scandal
he said.
is roiling the world of fancy
Portland State University in
chocolate: Did two brothers misOregon started an online busileadingly sell remelted chocolate
ness of craft brewing program in
and sprout beards to cultivate a
2013, with the first cohort filling
hipster appeal?
up in the first week with around
The headlines began after a
40 people. It’s become one of the
site called DallasFood.org pubschool’s most successful profeslished a series about Rick and
sional certificate programs, drawMichael Mast, who have been
ing people from around the
toasted in food circles for their
world, said Scott Gallagher, the
stylishly wrapped chocolate bars
university’s director of communithat can cost $10 a piece. The
cations.
problem is that the brothers
“We discovered that there’s a
described their company as
huge need for people who wanted
“bean-to-bar,” or chocolate made
to get a certificate. They didn’t
from scratch.
necessarily want to go to college
In the “Mast Brothers: What
or already had a college degree
Lies Beneath the Beards,”
and wanted to open up a brew
DallasFood.org outlined how the
pub,” Gallagher said. They needpair initially used melted indused some basic and more
trial chocolate, referred to as
advanced knowledge, such as in
couverture. The series concluded
marketing, he said.
by calling the brothers the “Milli
The demand is so high that
Vanilli of chocolate,” a reference
PSU is looking at how to develop
to the pop duo who lip synced
and expand the program,
their way to fame.
Gallagher said.
In response, the Mast Brothers
“The truth is ... it’s not all
acknowledged using couverture
about brewing and drinking beer.
in the past, but said they were
There’s a lot of business behind it
open about the practice at the
as well and that’s usually what
time. They say they haven’t used
they’re lacking,” he said.
remelted chocolate since 2009.
University of Portland and San
The brothers say they always
Diego State University’s College
considered themselves “bean-toof Extended Studies also have
bar” because they were making
business of craft beer certificate
at least some chocolate that way
programs.
Universities tap into craft beer
growth by offering classes
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — With
an explosion in growth in the
craft beer industry over the last
decade, it’s not enough to simply
have a passion for brewing and
beer when it comes to starting a
brewery or working for one as the
industry gets more competitive.
Recognizing that, some universities are now offering online programs on the business of craft
beer.
In the last decade, the number
of craft breweries has grown to
more than 4,000 in the U.S.
today, from more than 1,400 in
2005, according to the Brewers
Association.
A lot of breweries started out
five or 10 years ago with a focus
on beer, said Gregory Dunkling,
director of the University of
Vermont’s new online business of
craft beer certificate program,
which starts in February. Back
then, a home brewer may have
been able to create some great
recipes but didn’t have the business acumen so along the way
hired staff to cover marketing,
sales, the business operation, he
said. It’s harder to pull that off
today.
As the industry has grown and
become more competitive, the
bar has been raised for those
starting a brewery or working for
one, said Bart Watson, chief
economist with the Brewers
Association.
“Certainly the demand for people with a high level of brewing
www.clevelandbanner.com
not completely traditional. I did
capture the essence of Alice’s
cooking, and when the girls are
missing her I know fond memories are only an egg roll away.
And by the way, my experimenting also proved that quickly
sauteed bananas sprinkled with
a little orange juice and a dark
chocolate chip or two also make
for a perfect dessert egg roll filling! Brush with coconut oil and
dip cooked eggrolls in tangy
Greek yogurt. Yum!
———
BAKED EGG ROLLS
Start to finish: 1 hour 20 minutes (1 hour active)
Makes 15 eggrolls
1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus
1 tablespoon
1 link spicy turkey sausage
(about 1/5 pound), casing
removed
8 ounces button mushrooms,
finely chopped (or pulsed in a
food processor)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
(about 2 medium stalks)
3/4 cup shredded carrot
(about 1 medium carrot)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh
ginger
3 scallions, white and green
parts, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 cups finely chopped Napa
cabbage (or regular cabbage)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy
sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
15 large (5- or 6-inch) egg roll
(wonton) wrappers
Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a
baking sheet with foil, then set a
AP photo
THIS PHOTO shows baked egg rolls with sesame-soy dipping
sauce in Concord, N.H.
wire rack over it. Mist the rack
with cooking spray.
In a large saute pan over
medium-high, heat 1 teaspoon of
vegetable oil. Add the sausage
and cook, breaking it up with a
wooden spoon. Once cooked,
transfer the sausage to a plate
and set aside, leaving the residual oil in the pan.
Return the pan to the heat
and add the mushrooms, celery
and carrot. Cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and scallions, then cook until fragrant,
about 1 minute. Add the peas,
cabbage and sesame oil and
cook until the cabbage softens,
another 2 or 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl
mix together the soy sauce and
cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of
water. Pour the mixture into the
pan with the vegetables, then
add the sausage. Stir, then cover
and cook for 2 minutes. Remove
the pan from the heat and allow
to cool just until easily handled.
Set a wonton wrapper on the
work surface. Spoon a couple
tablespoons of the vegetable
mixture onto the wrapper. Start
with one side and roll up the
wrapper over the filling, folding
in the sides as you go. As you
finish rolling, use a finger to
spread a little water on the edge
to help create a seal. Repeat with
remaining wontons and filling.
Place the egg rolls on the rack
on the prepared baking sheet.
Use the remaining 1 tablespoon
of oil to brush the egg rolls. Bake
until golden and crispy, about
20 minutes. If you do not have a
baking rack, place the egg rolls
directly on the baking sheet and
turn the egg rolls over halfway
through the cook time.
Chocolate maker: We were honest about remelted chocolate
from the start.
Fueling the controversy are
photographs showing the transformation of the brothers’
appearance. The before shots
show them clean shaven. In the
after photos, they’re bearded
with Amish overtones.
Here’s what Rick Mast had to
say at the brothers’ Brooklyn factory:
Q: What is extent to which you
used remelted chocolate, and
when did that stop?
A: First and foremost, we’re
100 percent a bean-to-bar chocolate company. That’s important
because the public has been disserved by the media and sensationalist headlines to promote
this idea that we’re not that.
Q: But you’ve said in response
to the stories that you did use
remelted chocolate in the past.
A: Right, absolutely. In the
first year or so, we would purchase couverture for all sorts of
experiments, which is something
we have always been honest and
open about. That’s gotten so out
of proportion, that we were hiding it.
We told chefs, we told competitors, we told colleagues, we told
the press that we were using
couverture for all sorts of different stuff we were working on.
Q: Did that include using
remelted chocolate in the bars
you were selling?
A: We have never, ever remelted chocolate and sold it as beanto-bar chocolate.
Q: Were bars that were made
bean-to-bar labeled as “bean-tobar”?
A: If people would ask, ‘Did
you make these bars bean-tobar?’ We would say yes.
Q: But if it’s not labeled which
ones are bean-to-bar, how would
people know which is which,
unless you told them?
A: We weren’t even labeling
bean-to-bar as “bean-to-bar.” I
understand if we put a chocolate
bar out there that said “bean-tobar,” and it wasn’t — that is 100
percent misleading. But if you’re
not doing that and you are telling
people that this is not bean-tobar, I don’t know what else to do.
Q: Another part of what fueled
the story is the transformation of
your image.
A: Before I had a beard, I didn’t
have a beard. I know, it’s a big
scandal. I like to dress like I
dress. We grew beards because
my brother and I made a bet that
once we sold X amount of bars,
we wouldn’t shave. And we stuck
with it.
Q: Have you thought of chang-
ing your look as a result of all
this?
A: No. I think people might
underestimate my ability to focus
on just what we need to do,
which is make great chocolate
and grow a beautiful business.
Q: Looking back, is there anything you would do differently in
the early days?
A: No. You’re talking about a
nearl y decade ago. You’re talking
about something I was open
about then, and I’m telling you
now. We never lied about using
couverture.
Q: Have any clients called and
said they want to rethink their
orders?
A: No, absolutely not. That is
the amazing thing out of all of
this. If anything it’s just reaffirmed our relationships even
more. The silver lining is that
sales are great.
If anything, this is going to create a lot of great awareness.
People do read
small ads.
You are reading
one now.
Call The Banner
472-5041