Welcome to the nation/s capital, Ryan Church.

This is not Edmonton, or Lompoc.

As the season ended, Church 7 Lompoc/s only current major leaguer 7 found himself caught up in one of Washington/s inside-the-beltway media tempests.

The Washington Nationals outfielder even ended up quoted, not in Sports Illustrated, but in Newsweek.

Church participates in Baseball Chapel Christian ministry which was profiled by the Washington Post in a Sept. 18 front page story.

In a chapel meeting, Church asked chaplain Jon Moeller a question when reporter Laura Blumenfeld happened by.

Blumenfeld wrote, &#8221Church was concerned because his former girlfriend was Jewish. He turned to Moeller saying, >Like Jewish people, they don/t believe in Jesus. Does that mean they/re doomed?/B

Moeller 7 who according to the Washington Post is also an FBI agent 7 apparently nodded yes, at which Church drew a conclusion. &#8221If they only knew. Other religions don/t know any better. It/s up to us to spread the word.B

The next day Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, a prominent Orthodox Jewish leader in Washington, objected, saying, &#8221It appears the locker room of the Nationals is being used to preach hatred,B and urged the ballclub to disavow Church/s comment.

On Tuesday Nationals president Tony Tavares did so, and barred Moeller from the locker room for the remainder of the season.

In conjunction with Tavares/ action, Church issued a statement saying, &#8221Those who know me on a personal level understand that I am not the type of person who would call into question the religious beliefs of others. I sincerely regret if the quote attributed to me in Sunday/s Washington Post article offended anyone.B

That didn/t stop Post columnist Tony Kornheiser, who is also co-host of ESPN/s PTI (Pardon The Interruption) sports talk show, from ridiculing Church/s comments, as well as his apology, nor keep Newsweek, a Post publication, from printing the words Blumenfeld quoted.

Church/s views were defended by the Rev. Bernie Federmann of Lompoc Foursquare Church Friday.

&#8221The sad part is that the rabbi would turn this into a statement of hatred. No true Christian can be anti-Semitic because Jesus was a Jew himself. The Jews are God/s chosen people.

&#8221However, it/s God/s desire that the Jewish people receive Jesus as the messiah He sent.B

The feeling is not unanimous among Christians however.

&#8221The universal Christ is indeed the way,B said the Rev. Charles Arnold of the Valley of the Flowers United Church of Christ in Lompoc. &#8221But for me the Christ is found in people of good will whatever their religious beliefs. The loving God is the God of all people not excluding the two-thirds of the world/s people who are not Christian.B

In the latest development, the American Family Association has announced a nationwide petition drive to baseball commissioner Bud Selig defending Moeller and Church.

Sports writer John McReynolds can be reached at 736-2313, Ext. 106, or jmcreynolds@lompocrecord.com

October 11, 2005