Front Page

International Human Rights Day: Call to Churches to Assert Support for Human Dignity – LWF General Secretary Says "War Against Terrorism" Threatens Hard-won Guarantees

December 10, 2004, GENEVA - As International Human Rights Day is celebrated worldwide today, the general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko calls for a re-examination of the churchesí role in the teaching and promotion of human rights. In a statement issued today, Noko points out that hard-won human rights guarantees are being questioned and challenged again in the name of national security and the ëwar against terrorismí. He asks churches to resume their historic support for the legal protection of human dignity. In the context of Advent, the LWF General Secretary calls for recommitment to act in solidarity with victims of oppression, as this day is a reminder of the "continued conflict and division in our world and its brutal contrast to the peace and reconciliation that Christ came to bring."

MRTI Takes on Violent Video Games Christmas Shopping Campaign to Deter Shoppers

December 3, 2004, NEW YORK CITY - In what it has affectionately dubbed its "grandmother campaign," the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s committee on socially responsible investing will be using its stock as leverage to develop a better ratings system for graphic video games that will prevent their sale to young children. The Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) Committee opted at its recent meeting here to take a four-pronged approach in its campaign to end the sale of violent video games to kids by working both with manufacturers and retailers.

United Church of Christ Files Petition with FCC over Networks' Refusal of Church Advertisement

December 9, 2004, CLEVELAND - The United Church of Christ today (Dec. 9) is filing two petitions with the Federal Communications Commission, asking that two network owned-and-operated television stations in Miami be denied license renewals for failing to provide viewers "suitable access" to a full array of "social, political, esthetic, moral and other ideas and experiences." WFOR-TV (a CBS station) and WJVT-TV (an NBC station) - whose operating licenses are currently up for FCC review - are being challenged because "there is substantial and material question" as to whether the stations' parent companies, Viacom, Inc., and the General Electric Company, have operated the stations in the public interest, the petitions state. The action stems from a much-publicized decision by both networks to deny an advertisement that makes clear the church's welcome of diverse, even marginalized, segments of the population. CBS and NBC have said the all-inclusive ads are "controversial" and, therefore, amount to "issue advocacy," something the networks have said they do not allow.

General News

New 'Davey and Goliath' Special to Air on Hallmark Channel

December 7, 2004, CHICAGO - Hallmark Channel will broadcast "Davey and Goliath's Snowboard Christmas" - a new one-hour, stop-motion animation television special from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) - on Dec. 19 at noon (ET/PT), with an encore broadcast on Dec. 26 at the same time slot. The program is the first new Davey and Goliath production in 30 years. "Through the magic of stop-motion animation, we follow Davey and Goliath on an exciting snowboarding adventure. During this adventure, Davey learns some dazzling snowboard maneuvers and some very important lessons about the real meaning of Christmas, and about understanding and respect for people who are different than he is," said Kristi S. Bangert, director for marketing and interpretation, ELCA Department for Communication. Davey and Goliath is a classic television series starring Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath. Aired on commercial television in the 1960s and 1970s, Davey and Goliath is a property of the ELCA. The church's mission with Davey and Goliath is to bring "moral and religious faith-based values to a new generation of children in lively and engaging ways."

Fortress Press Presents New Teaching Awards

December 9, 2004, MINNEAPOLIS - Fortress Press presented two new teaching awards at this year's annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature conference in San Antonio, Texas, on November 21. Two scholars-one teaching undergraduates, the other teaching graduates or seminarians-received awards in recognition of their innovative teaching, their approaches to subject areas, or their communication with today's students in biblical studies, religious studies, theology, ethics, or ministry. Candidates were nominated by peers and chosen by independent judges.

Colombian Nun Holds onto Advent Hope
Government Detains Another Church Worker

December 6, 2004, LOUISVILLE - Every morning at five o'clock, Sister Crisanta Corvero prays. She isn't alone. Three other nuns in her order, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, are with her. For one and a half hours every morning they gather in the hospital chapel near the partitioned section of the building where the women live. There is much to pray about. About eight hospitals have closed along Colombia's northern coast - out of money and out of resources.

Call to Sing the Angels' Song of Hope in Trembling and Weeping World
Christmas Message from LWF President Mark S. Hanson

December 6, 2004, GENEVA - This Christmas season, the Lutheran communion offers a gift of renewed commitment "to sing the song of hope for people everywhere," says the President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Bishop Mark S. Hanson in his Christmas Message. The LWF President's message, addressed to members of the worldwide Lutheran communion invites people to listen to the angels' song announcing the birth of a Savior in a world that trembles and weeps over many acts of humanity including genocide and environmental degradation, separation walls and warring people, as well as exploitation and domination. The LWF President reiterates the angels' song and God's love for the world "as we bring water to the thirsty, food to the hungry, justice to those treated unfairly, dignity to the victims, and hope for all creation through the transforming message of salvation."

It's Never Too Late to Save a Marriage

December 9, 2004 – Charlotte just wanted out. After more than 20 years of marriage, her husband, Bob, had confessed to having a two-year affair with a co-worker. "I was devastated. I felt totally victimized," the 56-year-old says. "I just wanted out. I knew it was going to be too hard ... it was going to take too much to try to piece our marriage back together again." Instead, she stayed. "It wasn't easy," the mother of two says. "I constantly questioned myself. Would this be an everlasting scar? Would I ever be able to forgive? Would I ever be able to trust Bob again?"

Marriage Is Better the Second Time Around

December 9, 2004 – It took divorce for Anthony and Mitchie Stewart to discover that giving up on their marriage was a mistake. The couple divorced in 2000 after almost 10 years of marriage. Why? Because Anthony, then 38, put his career and social life ahead of his family. "I thought that providing for my family was enough," he says. "We had a nice house; there was food on the table. That's what my father did and I thought it was what I was supposed to do." Mitchie, now 41, says she had had enough. "What was the point of being married if he was never there and didn't have time for us?"

Worship Well Offers to Quench Liturgical Thirsts

December 7, 2004 – Running dry on creative liturgical ideas? Take a quick dip from the Episcopal Church's new Worship Well. The Worship Well, launched December 1 as a collaboration between Church Publishing Incorporated (CPI), the Episcopal Church's Office of Liturgy and Music, The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts (ECVA), and the All Saints Company (affiliated with St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco), serves as an online home for conversation, collaboration, education, and copyright-protected sharing of liturgies, images, music, multimedia resources, scripture tools, wisdom, and more. The site features sections devoted to various aspects of liturgy and liturgical planning, divided into the categories "Word," "Image," "Sound," and "Wisdom," highlighting particular resources for the current liturgical season. Since the premiere coincides with the beginning of Advent, materials in the current "This Season" section focus on Advent and Christmas.

'Undocumented Virgin': Guadalupe Narrative Crosses Borders for New Understanding

December 10, 2004 – Both the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times have in recent years interviewed Lydia Lopez, an Episcopal lay leader from Pasadena, California, about why Christians of many denominations are increasingly finding meaning in the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe - whose traditional feast day is December 12. Indeed, artistic renderings of "La Morenita," as the Virgin is also known, are displayed in a growing number of churches, Episcopal included. While not all Mexican Anglicans share the same views about the Virgin, she remains a symbol of cultural and religious significance that reaches beyond Roman Catholic origins, says Lopez, who is communications associate in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and an honorary canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul. To draw meaning from the story of the Virgin is not to worry whether it is fact or legend, says Lopez.

Ecumenical News

Christmas Message 2004 from the World Council of Churches General Secretary

December 9, 2004 – "In him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it." John 1:4-5. The good news of Christmas shines forth upon the world like the summer sun in the southern hemisphere, like a sparkling star in the wintry northern sky. It shines brightly as "good news of great joy" in a world that surrounds us with disturbing news. It renews our faith in the promise of peace on earth, and calls us once again to praise God whose glory extends to the highest heavens. For centuries, the hope of peace inherent in Christmas has been a central affirmation of the church's faith. Each time that we celebrate the birth of Christ, we commit ourselves to live out this hope. We celebrate the hope of Christmas as the promise of peace. We recall the birth of Jesus who came to us as a child threatened by violence, as a refugee whose family fled due to the ambitions of the powerful. In this season, in this world, we offer our thanks and praise to God for the hope we have in Jesus Christ, for the gift of God's love revealed in human vulnerability.

A Call to Go Beyond Institutions: Consultation on Ecumenism in the 21st Century

December 7, 2004 – "The table is big enough for all of us" said the World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia at a 30 November-3 December unprecedented meeting near Geneva, affirming the World Council of Churches' (WCC) role of "facilitating the further and deeper participation of all those involved in the ecumenical movement, including those that are not members of the WCC." More than 100 participants from WCC member churches, from the Roman Catholic Church and from Pentecostal churches as well as from ecumenical organizations, Christian World Communions (CWCs) and church-related agencies came together to share their visions of ecumenism and to seek more effective ways for the churches to work together in today's changing global context.

Spanish News

Llamamiento a Superar El Marco Institucional: Consulta Sobre Ecumenismo En El Siglo XXI

7 diciembre 2004 – "La mesa es bastante grande para todos nosotros," decía el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia en una reunión extraordinaria de 30 de noviembre a 3 de diciembre cerca de Ginebra, al afirmar el papel del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI) de "facilitar la participación más continuada y más profunda de todos los implicados en el movimiento ecuménico, incluidos los que no son miembros del CMI." Más de 100 participantes de las iglesias miembros, de la Iglesia Católica Romana y de las iglesias pentecostales, así como de organizaciones ecuménicas, Comuniones Cristianas Mundiales (CCM) y organismos relacionados con las iglesias se congregaron para cotejar sus puntos de vista sobre el ecumenismo y buscan maneras más efectivas para la colaboración de las iglesias en el actual contexto mundial cambiante.

Mensaje De Navidad 2004 Del Secretario General Del Consejo Mundial De Iglesias

9 diciembre 2004 – "Sen él estaba la vida, y la vida era la luz de los seres humanos. La luz resplandece en las tinieblas, y las tinieblas no la dominaron." Juan 1:4-5. La buena noticia de Navidad brilla sobre el mundo como el sol de verano en el hemisferio sur, como una estrella refulgente en el firmamento invernal del norte. Brilla con fuerza como "buena noticia de gran alegría" en un mundo que nos rodea con noticias dolorosas. Renueva nuestra fe en la promesa de paz en la tierra, y nos convoca una vez más a alabar a Dios, cuya gloria se extiende al más alto cielo. Durante siglos, la esperanza de paz propia de la Navidad ha sido una afirmación central de la fe de la iglesia. Cada vez que celebramos el nacimiento de Cristo, nos comprometemos a dar vida a esta esperanza.

Mensaje Navideno De 2004 Del Obispo Presidente De La IELA

10 diciembre 2004 – Cuando los angeles se volvieron al cielo, los pastores comenzaron a decirse unos a otros: "Vamos, pues, a Belen a ver esto que ha sucedido y que el Senor nos ha anunciado. Fueron de prisa y encontraron a Maria y Jose, y al nino acostado en el establo. Cuando lo vieron, se pusieron a contar lo que el angel les habia dicho acerca del nino, y todos los que lo oyeron se admiraban de lo que decian los pastores. Maria guardaba todo esto en su corazon, y lo tenia muy presente. Los pastores, por su parte, regresaron dando gloria y alabanza a Dios por todo lo que habian visto y oido, pues todo sucedio como se les habia dicho. Lucas 2:15-18, (Version Popular Dios Habla Hoy). Los pastores estaban maravillados con los mensajeros de Dios - -para luego convertirse ellos mismos en mensajeros! Y no es que nadie en Belen pudiera confundir al polvoriento grupo con la gloriosa corte celestial, pero los pastores llevaban el mensaje de los angeles cuando partieron del pesebre: la maravillosa noticia del nacimiento del Mesias y el sorprendente anuncio de la paz en la Tierra. A lo largo y ancho de su mundo, los aparentemente insignificantes pastores declararon las mismas gloriosas palabras que el angel Gabriel. Si, todavia estaban en el mundo con todo su sufrimiento y ambigueedad, toda su division e injusticia. Si, todavia podian ser presa de todas las debilidades y errores humanos. Pero ahora tenian un papel claro en la historia de Dios. Tenian algo espectacular que contar. Sus voces se unieron a un coro mayor; un coro celestial.

¿Habrían Pasado María Y José Un Puesto De Control?

8 diciembre 2004 – Algunos turistas, suficientemente afortunados para hacer el viaje, descienden a Belén para celebrar la Navidad en el lugar donde todo comenzó hace dos mil años. Pero el simple hecho de que exista la posibilidad de ir a Belén para los visitantes internacionales y no para la mayoría de los palestinos es una de las más amargas ironías que nos trae este tiempo del año. Esta verdad fue puesta de manifiesto mediante una escenificación realizada por una agrupación civil en la aldea palestina de Sawahreh el año pasado. La escenificación trataba de responder a una pregunta sencilla: ¿Habrían podido María y José llegar a Belén para el nacimiento de Jesús si hubieran viajado en nuestros días?

Movimiento Ecuménico Necesita Un Nuevo Paradigma, Dice Batista

6 diciembre 2004, CARACAS, Venezuela - Al movimiento ecuménico le hace falta un paradigma que nos cohesione y nos impulse con fuerzas renovadas, más allá de la agenda de la cotidianidad," afirmó el pastor Israel Batista, secretario general del Consejo Latinomericano de Iglesias (CLAI). Esta observación fue formulada por Batista al analizar el tiempo actual del movimiento ecuménico, agregando que la misma no resta importancia a lo que se ha andado hasta este momento. El Secretario General del CLAI hizo estas declaraciones durante la reunión del Foro del Compartir Ecuménico de Recursos (FOCER), que se realiza en la capital venezolana del 3 al 7 del corriente mes.

Líderes Neopentecostales Se Acercan a Mesa De Diálogo Ecumenico

6 diciembre 2004, CARACAS, Venezuela - Hemos visto cómo algunos líderes de iglesias neopentecostales se han acercado a las mesas de diálogo ecuménico para dar pasos significativos, declaró Noemí Espinoza, dirigente de la Iglesia Reformada de Honduras y primera vicepresidenta del Consejo Latinomericano de Iglesias (CLAI). "La llegada del movimiento pentecostal ha fortalecido el trabajo y la extensión de la labor ecuménica en América Latina," dijo Espinoza y citó el caso de Nicaragua.

Middle East News

How Would Mary and Joseph Have Fared at a Checkpoint?

December 7, 2004 – Christmas time evokes many images associated with the season, both religious and secular. Christmas trees and Santa Claus compete for time with nativity scenes throughout the world. And of course Bethlehem, a tiny town in the West Bank, becomes the focus of international attention every year because of the blessed event commemorated in the Christmas celebration. Tourists fortunate enough to make the trip descend on Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas in the place where it all began over 2,000 years ago. But the simple fact that the possibility exists for international visitors to go to Bethlehem and not for most Palestinians is one of the most bitter ironies associated with this time of year. This point was made clear through a demonstration staged by the Civil Committee in the Palestinian village of Sawahreh last year. The demonstration emanated from a simple question: would Mary and Joseph have been able to get to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus had they been traveling today?

Syrian and Lebanese Church Upset by PCUSA Firings
Detterick Says PCUSA Is Not Caving into Jewish Pressure

December 7, 2004, LOUISVILLE - The Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon sent a message to the Presbyterian Church (USA) warning that churches abroad are interpreting a decision to fire two top officials as buckling to appease the U.S. Jewish community that is already angered by a General Assembly action. At least two Jewish organizations are working to find backers in PC(USA) presbyteries and congregations to overturn a church decision to divest its $8 billion portfolio from corporations who profit from Israeli or Palestinian violence - unless those businesses reform their practices. Both political entities - the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League - hope to derail the church's action when the Assembly re-convenes in Birmingham, AL, in 2006, according to spokespersons for the organizations.

Reviews

Readers Can Count on Brueggemann

December 8, 2004, MINNEAPOLIS - Walter Brueggemann contests the deepest issues in biblical theology in The Book That Breathes New Life: Scriptural Authority and Biblical Theology from Fortress Press. "The purpose of this collection of Brueggemann's essays is to bring to the fore a much more extensive critical engagement on his part with the current discussion about the Old Testament, its character, its authority, its theology, and especially its God. . . . Readers of these essays who think they may have grasped what Brueggemann has to say about the theology of the Old Testament from reading his magnum opus will find that he is still thinking, still listening, and still helping us understand the scriptures of Israel and the church at an ever deeper level."

Rediscovering the Triune God

December 6, 2004, MINNEAPOLIS - In Rediscovering the Triune God, theologian Stanley Grenz tells the story of Trinitarian theology in the last century. He analyzes the remarkable ferment in the discipline and discusses key theologians-such as Karl Rahner, Jürgen Moltmann, Wolfhart Pannenberg, Robert Jenson, Elizabeth Johnson, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, Leonardo Boff, John Zizioulas, Hans Urs von Balthasar, and Thomas F. Torrance-on such issues as God's inner life versus God's relationship to creation (immanent and economic trinity), social versus psychological analogies for the relationships within God, the relationship between trinity and Christology, the feminist critique of classical categories, and how God's Trinitarian life figures in evolution, social justice, and spirituality.