Front Page

Sense of Danger, Hope Mark Opening of CWS/NCC-led Korea Consultation

June 16, 2003, WASHINGTON - This is a "terribly dangerous time" in U.S.-North Korean relations, speakers said during the opening hours of an ecumenical consultation on the Korea crisis June 16-18 in Washington, D.C. Yet there is cause for hope for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, agreed these leading policy experts. "If the United States were to take the lead in effecting a peaceful settlement, it would get universal support," asserted Maurice Strong, advisor on Korea issues to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. What's more, he and other speakers said, the Church may well be the institution best positioned to help tip the balance toward peace."

Korean and U.S. Religious Leaders Join to Address Korea Crisis

June 18, 2003, WASHINGTON - In the face of mounting tensions between the United States and North Korea, religious leaders from South Korea and the United States joined humanitarian experts today in calling for the U.S. government to promote a peaceful solution to the crisis. They pressed for the prompt reconvening of talks with North Korea and an end to the threat of preemptive force. At the same time as those talks address North Korea's nuclear program, they also must address the North's security concerns, economic and humanitarian needs, the religious leaders said. "A clear statement from the White House that North Korea will not be attacked will establish a political climate for progress in negotiations," they said.

General News

The Presiding Bishop of ECUSA Writes to the Bishops Before General Convention

June 12, 2003, For all bishops – Dear brothers and sisters: General Convention is almost here and its theme, Engage God's Mission, draws upon energies and commitment evident around our church. We will be building on work in which we as a House of Bishops have been engaged for some time, particularly since our fall meeting in 2001 in Burlington, Vermont immediately following the events of September 11. Over these last three years, we have explored mission as our participation in God's work of reconciling all things to himself in Christ. I have every expectation that our forthcoming Convention will take us deeper into that work as we draw upon the grace of Christ and the wisdom of the Spirit. Everything that happens in the life of the church is an invitation to reveal more fully the reconciling power of the gospel: this is something I have been made freshly aware of by my recent visit to my brothers and sisters in the Church of Uganda.

Health and Biotech Issues Raise New Issues for Convention

June 13, 2003 – A new topic on the agenda for General Convention is consideration of the ethics of the new genetics. Rapidly expanding genetic capabilities and sophisticated technologies give patients and clinicians powerful tools with which to address genetic disorders. Ethical use of these tools, however, carries considerable responsibility. The scope and complexity of the HIV/AIDS pandemic continue to increase, both nationally and internationally. Life-extending drug therapies have been developed but are not available to many of the most needy HIV/AIDS patients, especially in the developing world. The Task Force on Ethics and the New Genetics was created by the Executive Council after General Convention 2000 to address concerns raised by the new genetics .

World Mission's New Vision: Companions in Transformation

June 13, 2003 – Develop exciting missionary education programs. Crank up the young adult service corps and send more missionaries out to other countries. Include more missionaries from ethnic minority groups. Increase seminary internships, improve short-term mission pilgrimages, and expand mission networking. Those are a few recommendations included in "Companions in Transformation: The Episcopal Church's World Mission in a New Century," a vision statement that the Standing Commission on World Mission (SCWM) developed over the past three years.

Van Kuiken Expelled from Ministry
Presbytery Says Defiance Amounts to a 'Renunciation' of PC(USA)

June 17, 2003, CINCINNATI - The Rev. Steven Van Kuiken, the Cincinnati minister who defied a church court's order to stop performing "marriages" of same-sex couples, was expelled from the ministry and from membership in the Presbyterian Church (USA) Monday night. By a vote of 119-45, the elders and ministers of Cincinnati Presbytery agreed with the presbytery's Committee on Ministry (COM) that Van Kuiken had "renounced jurisdiction" of the denomination by refusing to be bound by its orders. They therefore removed him as pastor of Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati and directed the stated clerk to strike his name from the presbytery's roll.

Mission and Evangelism Proposes Road Map for 21st Century Church

June 13, 2003 – The largest number of resolutions from a standing commission directly related to the theme of the General Convention, "Engage God's Mission," come from the work of the Standing Commission on Domestic Mission and Evangelism (SCDME). Each of those resolutions challenges the church to awake from its dormant status quo and move boldly into a swirling world. "We need to be standing at the intersection of our communities, not hiding out in the corner," says Sarah Lawton, vice chair of the commission and chair of its 20/20 Strategy Group responsible for hammering out the resolutions coming before convention.

ELCA Conducts Consultation on Workplace Ministries

June 19, 2003, CHICAGO - Ministry happens in workplaces across the United States, and it happens in ways that are almost unique to each setting, according to about 20 participants in a workplace ministries consultation here June 6-8. The Division for Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) hosted the consultation as part of a project to define and support workplace ministries. "We were interested in what is going on and what is possible, creative and faithful for future involvement by the ELCA in the workplace," said Sally A. Simmel, director for ministry in daily life, ELCA Division for Ministry. "Insights, learnings and stories will be gathered into a position paper for presentation to the wider church," she said.

Diversity and Multiculturalism Key Factors for Church Growth

June 13, 2003 – In an effort to address the expanding diversity in American and its implications for the church, the General Convention's agenda will continue dealing with issues of multiculturalism, anti-racism, and evangelism in an ever-changing demographic landscape, both in the church and society at large. According to the Blue Book (available in a Spanish edition for the first time), the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) will propose the inclusion of new liturgies and musical resources that suit the cultural milieu in which the missionary work takes place.

ELCA's 'Davey' Documentary to Begin Airing in September

June 17, 2003, CHICAGO - On Sept. 14 the ABC television network will begin airing "Oh Davey ... History of the 'Davey and Goliath' Television Series," a documentary featuring Davey and Goliath, a value-based children's program that aired on commercial television networks from 1960 through the mid-1980s. ABC-TV affiliates will show the documentary beginning Sept. 14. Affiliates will determine local broadcast times.

Agency Invites Church Members to Online Dialogue July 8

June 19, 2003 – United Methodists are being encouraged to participate in an online conversation July 8 about the future of the denomination and what it means to be a global church. The "Forum on the Future" webcast will be at 8 p.m. Eastern time at www.gcom-umc.org/future. Denominational leaders and scholars, meeting in Detroit, will be in dialogue with one another and listeners around the world. The United Methodist General Council on Ministries and the denomination's Inter-Agency Research Task Force are sponsoring the two-hour event. The webcast follows an initial "Forum on the Future" dialogue Feb. 26, which originated in Nashville, Tenn. Both share the same theme, "What in the World Are We Talking About? Strengthening our Global Connection and Ecumenical Relationships."

Ecumenical News

Scottish Episcopal Church Backs Inter-Church Relations Plans

June 14, 2003 – Members of the Scottish Episcopal Church's annual General Synod, meeting 12-14 June, voted today to press on with plans for a Scottish 'super-church', despite the Church of Scotland's decision to back out of the discussions last month. Talks will now continue over a possible merger with the Scottish branches of the Methodist Church and the United Reformed Church (URC). The proposals drawn up by the Scottish Church Initiative for Union (SCIFU) will now go out to the church's seven dioceses for further debate and a final vote will be cast at next year's General Synod.

Orthodox Participation in WCC: Reaffirming the Vision of Common Prayer

May 28, 2003 – The assumption that the report of the Special Commission on Orthodox Participation in the World Council of Churches (WCC) forbids Christians from different ecclesial traditions from worshiping together is simply not valid. An effort to clarify that potential misunderstanding, and reaffirm the vision of common prayer as a way of enabling WCC member churches to stay and to pray together within the fellowship of the Council, was one of the main outcomes of a 4-7 June 2003 meeting of the Steering Committee of the Special Commission.

'Understanding Islam' Theme of Summer 2003 MOSAIC

June 16, 2003, CHICAGO - The summer 2003 issue of MOSAIC, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) focuses on Islam, its history and its relationship with the ELCA. The 30-minute program includes information on the Prophet Mohammed, the rise of Islam and the five pillars of Islam. Also included in the program are visits to two mosques located in the United States and interviews with Islamic scholars and Christian theologians. The theme of the program originated because of growing interest in Islam, said Timothy Frakes, associate director for interpretation, ELCA Department for Communication, and MOSAIC producer. "There is a lot of interest in Islam today, particularly following September 11," he said. "Lutherans are finding that their neighbors are Muslim."

New Chair of Anglican Studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary

June 14, 2003 – The gift to the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania from the late Anna Werner, who lived modestly in Philadelphia's Rhawnhurst section before her death a year ago at age 92, has led to the appointment of the Rt. Rev. Frederick Houk Borsch, retired bishop of Los Angeles, as first holder of a Chair of Anglican Studies at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Werner, a shy woman who was thought to be far from wealthy, attended church for 20 years at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Rhawnhurst. A published poet and strict grammarian, Werner was also known to be concerned broadly about the future of education in general and theological education in particular. She amassed the legacy after her husband died in 1980 by saving social security and pension payments and much of her retirement income.

Articulating a Common Vision

June 16, 2003 – A Communiqué of the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission, meeting in Northern Ireland, June 10th-14th 2003: The members of the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) gathered at Dromantine in Northern Ireland between 10th and 14th June, 2003, for their third meeting at the kind invitation of the Most Revd Anthony Farquhar, Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor, and as guests of the Society of African Missions. The meeting was held in the context of common prayer, and the due sacramental celebration of both traditions.

Al Azhar-Anglican Communion Dialogue to be held in New York

June 16, 2003 – Arrangements are well under way for the Al Azhar-Anglican Communion Dialogue which will take place in New York 10-11 September 2003. A small team of scholars and churchpeople, nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, will be meeting with key representatives of Al Azhar in Cairo - which has a critical and authoritative position within the Muslim world. On the Anglican side, this year the dialogue will be administered on behalf of the Archbishop by NIFCON, the Anglican Communion's Inter Faith Network.

Spanish News

Participacisn ortodoxa en el CMI: reafirmacisn de la idea del culto en comzn

28 de Mayo de 2003 – La suposicisn de que el informe de la Comisisn Especial sobre Participacisn Ortodoxa en el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) prohmbe a cristianos de distintas tradiciones eclesiales rendir juntos culto a Dios simplemente no es valida. El esfuerzo por aclarar este potencial malentendido y reafirmar la idea del culto en comzn como medio para que las iglesias miembros del CMI puedan permanecer y orar juntas dentro de la comunidad del Consejo fue uno de los principales resultados de la reunisn que el Comiti Directivo de la Comisisn Especial llevs a cabo del 4 al 7 de junio de 2003.

Religious & Civil Liberty

Minnesota Annual Conference Calls Gun Law Unconstitutional

June 17, 2003, MINNEAPOLIS - Religious groups, including the United Methodist Minnesota Annual Conference, are challenging a recent law passed by the state of Minnesota that will allow licensed residents to carry concealed firearms wherever they wish-including church and school parking lots. The law even allows people to carry guns into a house of worship without penalty if the house of worship does not follow an elaborate notification system. Edina (Minn.) Community Lutheran Church was the first church to challenge the law on constitutional grounds. The church says the new Minnesota Citizens' Personal Protection Act - commonly called the "conceal and carry law" - tramples on their freedom of religious expression.

Iowa's Top Court Allows Lawsuit Against Church to Continue

June 19, 2003, DES MOINES, Iowa - A couple who filed a defamation lawsuit in 1999 against the United Methodist Iowa Annual Conference and a local church will now have a chance to bring their suit to trial because of a ruling by the state Supreme Court. The suit revolves around a letter written by then-District Superintendent Jerrold Swinton, in which he warned "the spirit of Satan" was at work in Shell Rock (Iowa) United Methodist Church. The letter was prompted after Swinton visited the church, and Jane Kliebenstein, then a member of the church, made comments to him about the church pastor.

New York Metropolitan Area

Atlantic District Re-Elects David Benke

June 17, 2003 – Dr. David Benke was re-elected to his fifth term as president of the Atlantic District of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod at the district's 55th convention, June 6-7 in Bronxville, N.Y. Benke, 57, was elected on the first ballot. Benke had been suspended from his position for over a year. He was reinstated earlier this year after a church tribunal exonerated him of charges of "syncretism" and "unionism" which were brought by some mid-western pastors following his participation in the Yankee Stadium service following the 9/11 attack.

National News

Economist Says Recession Over, Church Giving to Increase

June 19, 2003, WASHINGTON - Don House has good news for the United Methodist Church. An economist, not an evangelist, he believes the economy is improving. Everyone knows there is a connection between the state of the economy and the dollars - or lack of them - in Sunday's collection plate. Few people, with the exception of professional fund-raisers - are as aware of that connection as House, a United Methodist and economic consultant from Bryan, Texas.

Human Cloning, Food Security and TV Ads on Convention Agenda

June 13, 2003 – Episcopalians will be asked to consider the moral and ethical implications of genetic research, a bio-engineered food supply, as well as whether to take their church's message into the national marketplace of television and the Internet among proposed resolutions dealing with science and technology and communications. "Reproductive cloning is not morally acceptable at this time as it endangers the safety of children who might be conceived and threatens their dignity as unique individuals," states the report of the Ethics and New Genetics Task Force of the Church's Executive Council. "Its use departs from accepted social and ethical values," the report adds.

International News

Tearfund Appeals for Funds as Food Crisis Grips Ethiopia

June 14, 2003 – Christian relief and development agency Tearfund is launching an emergency appeal for funds as many thousands of Ethiopians face starvation while waiting for crops that will not mature for several months. Each week there are reports of children dying from hunger in villages in the south of the country as food shortages tighten their grip. Currently 12.6 million Ethiopians are facing a desperate 'food gap' until their next harvest is due later in the year. Governments and aid agencies are racing against time to prevent a catastrophe unfolding.

Kenya to Host 13th International Conference on HIV/AIDS
and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa

June 14, 2003 – In September 2003, more than 8,000 delegates from all over the world will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the AIDS pandemic. The Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) has been given an opportunity to present a paper at the historic International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA) which will run from 21-26 September.

Consultation Seeks Peace, Humanitarian Aid in North Korea

June 19, 2003, WASHINGTON - Participants in a consultation on the Korean crisis have called for immediate negotiations to find a peaceful solution. Religious leaders from South Korea and the United States joined with humanitarian workers June 16-18 to seek immediate, international conversation focusing on a nonviolent resolution of the crisis with North Korea - a crisis fueled both by that country's pursuit of nuclear weapons and by the need of its people for humanitarian aid. "A clear statement from the White House that North Korea will not be attacked will establish a political climate for progress in negotiations," the group said in the consultation's message.

ELCA Pastor Naw-Karl Mua Detained in Laos

June 13, 2003, CHICAGO - The Rev. Naw-Karl Mua, Light of Life Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn., a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has been detained by the government of Laos since June 3. Mua is reported to have accompanied two European journalists into the Xieng Khouang province of Laos to help them research a story on human rights violations and persecution of Hmong people by the Communist government in Laos. Mua went to neighboring Thailand on May 12 for a missionary project, something he has done frequently in the past because he has family and a relationship with a Hmong congregation there. While in Thailand he met two journalists - Thierry Falise of Belgium and Vincent Reynaud of France - and entered Laos legally on May 23 as their translator.

Episcopal Convention Will Wrestle with Many Global Issues

June 13, 2003 – The war with Iraq is not the only international issue awaiting delegates to the 74th General Convention. The Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns is bringing a number of concerns to Minneapolis, ranging from AIDS, poverty and injustice in African nations to criticism of American policy statements about North Korea. The commission's Blue Book report is especially critical the Bush administration. "The Cold War has not ended." declares the commission report. "The damage done by President Bush's 'axis of evil' rhetoric is extensive and regrettable. Diplomacy is the way to handle ongoing tensions and concerns in North-East Asia. Confrontation, patronizing and demonizing do not solve any existing problems but rather exacerbate them."

Anglicans in Uganda Live Their Faith in Difficult Circumstances

June 18, 2003 – "In the midst of devastating situations of poverty, HIV/AIDS with all its attendant consequences, armed conflict and the abduction of children, this heroic church remains faithful and perseveres," said Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold in a letter to bishops following a week-long visit to Anglicans in Uganda. The visit came at the invitation of Archbishop Livingston Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo, primate of the Church of the Province of Uganda, and was timed to coincide with the celebration of the Feast of the Martyrs of Uganda on June 3, a national holiday. A crowd estimated at 800,000 people flowed like a human river to the site of the martyrdom at the Roman Catholic and Anglican shrines at Numugongo east of the capital city of Kampala.

Nepal: Bhutanese Refugees Rendered Stateless
Leading Global NGOs Criticize Screening Process

June 19, 2003, GENEVA - The announcement by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal that only a handful of Bhutanese refugees will be allowed to return to their country with full citizenship rights could render thousands of refugees stateless, six international humanitarian and rights groups have said. The remaining refugees will have just 15 days to appeal their categorization in a screening process that the two governments have been conducting since March 2001. In a joint statement, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Refugees International, the U.S. Committee for Refugees, and the Bhutanese Refugee Support Group, are calling on donor governments and governments in the region to increase pressure on the governments of Bhutan and Nepal to find a just and fair solution to this long-standing refugee crisis.

Translucent Temple to Be Built in Chile

June 13, 2003, HAIFA, Israel - A temple of light is to grace the continent of South America. The Universal House of Justice, the international governing body of the worldwide Baha'i community, has selected the luminous and organic design of Toronto architect Siamak Hariri for the next Baha'i House of Worship, which will be built near Santiago Chile. There are now seven Baha'i Temples: in Australia, Germany, India, Panama, Uganda, United States, and Western Samoa. The House of Worship in the United States was the first one of these to be dedicated, in 1953. The most recently completed was the Indian Temple, in 1986.

Middle East News

Scholars Defend Authenticity of Biblical-Era Artifact

June 19, 2003 – A United Methodist pastor and prominent biblical scholar defends the authenticity of an inscribed, first-century ossuary believed to provide the oldest archaeological evidence of Jesus Christ, after claims by Israel's Antiquities Authority that the box is a fake. "What you have here is a case of dueling scholars," said the Rev. Ben Witherington III, New Testament professor at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky., and a United Methodist pastor in the Kentucky Annual Conference. Officials with Israel's Antiquities Authority announced June 18 that the Aramaic inscription reading "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus" on the ossuary is a forgery.

War and Peace Issues Important on General Convention Agenda

June 13, 2003 – As a post-war Iraq emerges, church leaders at this summer's General Convention will tackle a resolution that attempts to define when war can be justified and may offer some advice to the Bush administration on how to handle one of the world's other hot spots: North Korea. The church has taken a stand against armed conflict as early as 1931, when the convention passed a resolution stating that "war as a method of settling international disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of our Lord Jesus Christ." Indeed, two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church issued a pastoral letter urging Christians to "wage reconciliation" by calling church members to "open our hearts and give room to God's compassion," striving to be instruments of God's peace in a troubled world. Before the recent war in Iraq, the Episcopal Church joined other mainstream Christian denominations in on-the-record opposition to war in general, and to war in Iraq in particular.

People in the News

Vagley Directs Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs

June 19, 2003, CHICAGO - Karen S. Vagley became director of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), Washington, D.C., on June 16. LOGA is the federal public policy advocacy office of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a program of the ELCA Division for Church in Society. "I am very delighted that Karen Vagley has joined our staff," said the Rev. Rebecca S. Larson, executive director, ELCA Division for Church in Society. "She brings to the work of our church a wealth of experience in government service across the political spectrum as well as a deep commitment as a layperson to social justice and equality," she said.

Reviews

International Ministries Staff Author New Books

June 17, 2003, Valley Forge, Pa. - American Baptist International Ministries has announced the publication of new books by two of its executive staff members, Dr. David M. Brown and Dr. Stanley D. Slade. Transformational Preaching: Theory and Practice by Dr. David M. Brown is a comprehensive textbook that offers a challenging look at all aspects of the preaching ministry. Designed for the beginning student of preaching, the graduate student in pulpit discourse or the seasoned preacher, the book is both practical and theoretical. Drawing from a wide range of disciplines, it offers a model for biblical preaching that encourages students to apply general principles within their own contexts of ministry. God in the Lead: Meditations on Mission from Genesis and Acts by Dr. Stan Slade invites readers to look with new eyes at such biblical figures as Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brothers, and Peter and Cornelius. God in the Lead shows how the God of mission often surprises us by working not only through those who are called and sent, but also within and among them. Communicating biblical truth in clear and compelling ways, the book asks timeless questions that invite readers to consider applications for their own lives.