Front Page

Church Leaders Praise Supreme Court Ban of Juvenile Executions

March 2, 2005 – Welcoming new opportunities for justice that seek restoration over vengeance, United Methodist leaders lauded the U.S. Supreme Court for outlawing the execution of juvenile criminals. The March 1 ruling, they said, reflects a shift in both public and judicial sentiment about the fairness of capital punishment in general. Noting the United Methodist Church strongly opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, they called on the court to ban all executions in the United States. "I thank God that the Supreme Court ... has at long last ruled against the execution of persons under the age of 18," said the Rev. R. Randy Day, the top mission executive of the United Methodist Church.

United Church of Christ Lauds End of Juvenile Executions

March 1, 2005 – The United Church of Christ's Justice and Witness Ministries is celebrating today's (March 1) decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to abolish the death penalty for juveniles. By a narrow 5-4 decision, the high court ruled it unconstitutional for courts to impose capital punishment on those who were juveniles at the time they committed their crimes. As many as 70 death row inmates are expected to be affected by the decision, news reports indicate. The decision was hailed immediately by many faith groups – including the UCC, which has long opposed capital punishment as immoral and inhumane.

Documentary Highlights the Leadership and Progress of Rwandan Women

March 2, 2005 – Anglican women joined other participants in the 49th session of the UN's Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) gathered at the United Nations Church Center for a screening of Ladies First, a film highlighting the new roles of Rwandan women in government, business, education and reconciliation. The 50-minute documentary profiled Rwandan women on the forefront of change and showcased the challenges facing them and their country as Rwanda struggles to build a sustainable peace between the Hutus and Tutsis.

General News

Bread for World Challenges ‘Make Hunger History'

March 4, 2005, VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – Bread for the World, the Christian anti-hunger organization supported by many American Baptist individuals and churches, has launched its 2005 campaign "Make Hunger History." The current focus, like all of Bread for the World's campaigns over the past 30 years, asks individuals and their churches to participate in an "Offering of Letters" in which correspondence advocating action is sent to congressional representatives. The 2005 campaign is being coordinated with America's Second Harvest, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the End Hunger Network and other organizations. Bread for the World also is one of 11 inaugural members of the ONE Campaign, a coalition committed to addressing AIDS, extreme poverty and hunger.

Court of Appeals Overturns Price Case at DePauw

March 1, 2005 – A case involving a United Methodist-related university and a college instructor who claims she was unjustly removed from her part-time teaching position is entering another round of legal proceedings. In January, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in favor of DePauw University and overturned a jury's verdict in favor of Janis Price, a DePauw employee who has worked in the education department for more than 15 years. Price has filed an appeal.

UMCom Adopts Plan to Lead Church into Digital Age

February 28, 2005, MARLBORO, Mass. – Using the latest technology, United Methodist Communications is embarking on a new course to better serve the church around the world. The agency's governing directors, meeting Feb. 23-26, voted to enter into a $1.2 million partnership with Kintera Inc., a San Diego-based provider of technology services to nonprofit organizations. The move will allow UMCom to build a technology infrastructure for meeting the growing expectations of a multimedia world.

Chicago Episcopal Diocese Mourns Death of Federal Judge's Husband and Mother

March 2, 2005 – Michael F. Lefkow, secretary of the Diocese of Chicago's Standing Committee and member of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Evanston, Illinois, was found shot to death with his mother-in-law in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood on Monday evening. Lefkow's wife, Joan, a U.S. District judge, discovered the bodies of her husband and mother in the basement study of the couple's home on North Lakewood Avenue on Chicago's North Side around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, February 28 when she returned home from work. According to the Cook County medical examiners office, Lefkow, 64, and his mother-in-law, Donna Grace Humphrey, 89, both died from multiple gunshot wounds. The Chicago Police Department has been joined by FBI and U.S. Marshals Service investigators in investigating the deaths. A protective detail has been assigned to the family. Judge Lefkow had been under the protection of the Marshals Service last year because of death threats following her rulings against white supremacist Matt Hale in a 2003 civil suit.

Parents Who Want Good Kids Must Set Example

February 28, 2005 – One reason 16-year-old Aaron Holland volunteers at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church's child care center is to set a good example for his younger brother-the kind of example his own parents set for them both. The teen from Rapid City, S.D., says his dad is honest to a fault, and Aaron chuckles over his mom's story of the fast-food restaurant worker giving Jim Holland too much change at the drive-in window one day. His dad returned the extra money. "He's just a great example of what to do," the 16-year-old says. "If you know something is wrong, then you should just do what's right and fix the problems."

North America's Oldest Orthodox Monastery Marks Centennial

March 2, 2005, SOUTH CANAAN, PA – While it is estimated by some observers of the American scene that many churches and religious institutions have a life-span of less than a century, North America's oldest Orthodox Christian monastery has not only survived for a century, but continues to expand its work and witness. His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, primate of the Orthodox Church in America [OCA], will preside at the centennial celebration of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery, South Canaan, PA, at a pilgrimage to be held Memorial Day weekend.

Black Clergy: October Conferences Set as History Month Concludes

February 28, 2005 – African American clergy in the Episcopal Church are invited to attend the 7th Triennial Black Clergy Conference, October 23-26, 2005, in Atlanta, and a Convocation for the Newly Ordained (10 years and younger) October 26-27, the New York-based Office of Black Ministries has announced. Announcement of the conferences, to be held at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, comes at the conclusion of a full calendar of events marking February as Black History Month and affirming the ministry of Black Episcopalians across the church, including the February 24 dedication of a new archival collection at the Virginia Theological Seminary.

NOMADS Travel Far, Wide to Help Those in Need

March 2, 2005, FALFURRIAS, Texas – Nomads are, by definition, wanderers. But some nomads have a purpose in their wandering: reaching out to help communities and families along the way. About 1,100 members of the United Methodist Church's NOMADS (Nomads on a Mission Active in Divine Service) travel across the United States, repairing homes for needy families and doing renovation at churches, schools and community centers. Most are retirees who travel in their recreational vehicles.

United Methodist Agency Distributes Sex Harassment Survey

March 3, 2005 – A sexual harassment survey is being sent to women involved in various areas of the United Methodist Church. Mailing of the survey, through the denomination's Commission on the Status and Role of Women, was to be completed by early March, according to Elaine Moy, COSROW staff executive. The deadline for returning the survey is the end of March. The sampling of 6,300 women includes all female employees of the church's general agencies, female employees of annual (regional) conferences, and 1,000 clergywomen. Copies for distribution to other women were sent to bishops, district superintendents, seminaries and 1,000 chairpersons of staff-parish committees at local churches.

17 Theologians Urge ELCA to Reject Proposal on Homosexuality

March 3, 2005, CHICAGO – Seventeen theologians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued "A Statement of Pastoral and Theological Concern" March 1, warning their church against accepting three recommendations on homosexuality that a task force for the ELCA Studies on Sexuality developed for the 2005 Churchwide Assembly in August. "We urge that all three recommendations of the task force be rejected since, if adopted, they would alter fundamentally the ecclesiology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and that, in turn, would threaten not only the unity and stability of this church but, as a consequence, its ability to proclaim the truth of the gospel," the theologians said.

Seminary Leaders Explore Spiritual Formation Initiatives

March 3, 2005, Valley Forge, Pa. – Presidents, deans and other representatives of nine of the ten American Baptist related-seminaries, meeting Feb. 11-13 for the annual gathering of The American Baptist Association of Seminary Administrators (ABASA), shared how their schools implement spiritual formation with and for their students and faculty. The seminary representatives also reported on developments on their campuses, and discussed such topics as required formation for ministry courses, integrative and interdisciplinary junior colloquium courses, evidence of ability to assess one's own gifts, talents and weaknesses, and elective courses such as the practice of forgiveness. Dr. Guillermo Ramorez Munoz, dean of Seminario Evangelico de Puerto Rico, stated that students who come to the school are looking for more than an individualistic, capitalistic approach to Christianity.

The Changing Face of Women

February 28, 2005 – This is the text of an address delivered by Jane Williams during the 110th annual meeting of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Los Angeles, 25 February, 2005, in Glendale, California.

Ecumenical News

World Alliance of Reformed Churches' Officers Begin Priority Setting

March 1, 2005 – The Officers of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) have just ended a four-day meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, February 23-26. This was their first meeting after they were elected in the 24th General Council held in Accra, Ghana, August 2004. The Officers began the process of formulating priorities based on the many mandated actions set by WARC's 24th General Council.

Spanish News

Políticos De Nuremberg Visitarán San Carlos Para Reforzar El Hermanamiento Entre Ambas Ciudades

3 mar 2005, NUREMBERG, Alemania – Una delegación de 17 personas representantes de la ciudad alemana de Nuremberg, presidida por el alcalde mayor doctor Ulrich Maly, y el director del Departamento de Relaciones Internacionales, doctor Norbert Schuergers visitará la ciudad de San Carlos, Nicaragua, entre los días 5 al 12 de marzo. La delegación está integrada también, entre otros, por el socialdemócrata Gebhard Schoenfelder, el social cristiano, Max Hoefkes, la política Verde Brigitte Wellhoefer y el liberal Utz Ulrich, miembros del Parlamento Municipal de Nuremberg.

Obispos Anglicanos Aceptan El Informe Windsor

28 feb 2005, LONDRES, Gran Bretaña – Los obispos primados y moderadores de las iglesias integrantes de la Comunión Anglicana en todo el mundo, se reunieron en Newry, Irlanda del Norte, del 20 al 25 de febrero, y aceptaron las recomendaciones del Informe Windsor, que, en octubre pasado, exhortó a la Iglesia Episcopal de Estados Unidos (ECUSA por su siglas en inglés) a que se disculpe ante la comunión por haber ordenado obispo a un homosexual practicante. El Informe Windsor fue elaborado por una comisión nombrada por el Arzobispo de Canterbury, líder anglicano mundial, a pedido de la reunion de los primados realizada en el Palacio de Lambeth, en Londres, en octubre del 2003.

Iglesia Católica Le Complica El Escenario a Gutiérrez

1 mar 2005, QUITO, Ecuador – En un contexto de frágiles alianzas y creciente oposición, el presidente ecuatoriano acaba de descubrir, muy a su pesar, que la siempre influyente Iglesia Católica, después de un prolongado silencio, acabó por sumarse a sus críticos. "El ambiente de confusión política puede terminar en una dictadura," señaló un comunicado de la Conferencia Episcopal Ecuatoriana el viernes 25 de febrero, haciéndose eco de las acusaciones que diversos sectores de oposición han levantado contra el poder ejecutivo.

Iglesia Unida Argumenta a Favor Del Matrimonio De Personas Del Mismo Sexo

1 mar 2005, OTTAWA, Canada – El matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo no es algo que tenga que ver con los derechos humanos o con la libertad religiosa, declaró el moderador de la Iglesia Unida de Canadá, reverendo Peter Short. No he venido a Ottawa a decirles a los miembros del parlamento que todos en la Iglesia Unida de Canadá están de acuerdo y apoyan los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo. Eso no es el caso, declaró.

Evangélicos Piden Enfoque Global De Lucha Contra La Pobreza

28 feb 2005, LIMA, Peru – Ante los planes del gobierno peruano de poner en marcha un programa de ayuda a los más pobres del país, los evangélicos de la Campaña Desafío Miqueas expresaron su acuerdo pero siempre que forme parte de una estrategia global de desarrollo integral. El presidente Alejandro Toledo anunció hace algunos días el propósito gubernamental de otorgar un subsidio en efectivo de 100 soles mensuales (alrededor de 30 dólares) a las familias más pobres del Perú. Ese programa se empezará a aplicar, gradualmente, en las zonas del país donde el índice de miseria es gravísimo.

Religious/Civil Liberty News

Supreme Court Considers Ten Commandments Displays

March 2, 2005 – The U.S. Supreme Court sparred March 2 with lawyers in two cases involving public displays of the Ten Commandments that center on the proper relationship between church and state. The justices heard oral arguments for two consecutive hours in the cases, which differed factually though both were about Ten Commandments displays on government property. During the first hour, representatives of both the state of Texas and the U.S. Department of Justice argued that a stand-alone monument on the state capitol grounds in Austin is constitutional. In the second hour, the DOJ joined religious liberty lawyer Mathew Staver in urging the high court to validate the inclusion of the Ten Commandments in a display of historical documents in two Kentucky county courthouses. The justices are expected to rule on both cases in either a consolidated opinion or separate decisions before they adjourn this summer. They listened to the arguments with the recognition that the Ten Commandments are displayed in thousands of government settings throughout the country, including inside and outside their own chamber, though the high court's sculptures do not include the English text.

National News

United Church of Christ Welcomes Taco Bell Boycott Tour to Cleveland

March 1, 2005 – The Cleveland-based United Church of Christ will welcome more than 100 Florida farm workers and student allies to the UCC's national offices on Thursday, March 3, when the "2005 Taco Bell Truth Tour" rolls into town. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) will hold a teach-in at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday at the UCC's Church House (700 Prospect Ave. in downtown Cleveland) before leading a "colorful, peaceful protest march and rally" at 5:30 p.m. at a nearby Taco Bell, according to Edith Rasell, the UCC's minister for labor relations and community economic development. The Cleveland stop is part of a 13-city educational tour, originating on Feb. 28 in Immokalee, Fla., where participants hope to "spread the truth about the exploitation behind Taco Bell's products," Rasell said.

International News

Bolivian Combines Faith with Fight for Rights of Household Workers

February 25, 2005, NEW YORK – In her long fight for the legal rights of household workers in Bolivia, Casimira Rodriguez Romero has never separated her faith from her work. The 38-year-old activist calls her word-of-mouth campaign to educate domestic workers an "evangelical fever." When Rodriguez started attending Emmanuel Methodist Church in Cochabamba, she realized "social justice and the gospels go hand-in-hand"-a realization that "gave me a lot of peace, a lot of comfort and a lot of confidence."

LCMS Ministries Act on Tsunami Recommendations

February 28, 2005 – As soon as LCMS mission-assessment teams recommended efforts for continuing relief work in tsunami-ravaged countries, LCMS World Relief/Human Care and LCMS World Mission began working to turn some key proposals into action. Dennis Denow, an LCMS World Mission education specialist, has relocated from Papua Province, Indonesia, to Jakarta, to help develop and coordinate relief efforts in that country. By Feb. 20, Michelle Hoeppner, an LCMS World Mission community-development worker in China, is expected to begin serving a short-term assignment in Sri Lanka.

U.S. Lutherans' Giving for Tsunami Relief Hits Record Amounts

Synod members and other Lutherans continue to give in record amounts for South Asia tsunami relief. Through Feb. 14 – the latest figures available – tsunami-relief donations to LCMS World Relief/Human Care totaled $4.1 million. By early February, gifts to Lutheran World Relief's (LWR) "Wave of Giving" tsunami-related campaign stood at a reported $11.3 million. "The level of generosity and the rate at which the gifts are coming in to LCMS World Relief is absolutely phenomenal," said Hans Springer, an LCMS Foundation vice president responsible for LCMS World Relief fund development.

Suspect Arrested in 2004 Murder of Brazilian Lutheran Missionary
Noko: "Cause of Further Distress" That Accused Is a Pastor

March 2, 2005, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has welcomed the Mozambican authorities' arrest of a suspect in the murder of a Brazilian Lutheran missionary a year ago. Deaconess Doraci J. Edinger, a missionary from the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil (IECLB) to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Mozambique (ELCM) was murdered on 21 February 2004 in Nampula, Mozambique.

Reviews

Books Address African American Men, Care-giving for the Dying

February 27, 2005, VALLEY FORGE, Pa. – Judson Press, of American Baptist National Ministries, has introduced two new releases, Sound the Trumpet Again! More Messages to Empower African American Men and More Than a Parting Prayer: Lessons in Care-giving for the Dying.

Historians Present Interreligous Significance of Mary

February 25, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – In Mary: Images of the Mother of Jesus in Jewish and Christian Perspective three preeminent historians, Jaroslav Pelikan, the late David Flusser, and Justin Lang provide an ecumenical portrait of Mary by exploring the varied ways in which the mother of Jesus is perceived. For Pelikan, Mary is the focal point for spirited theological discussion and dogma. For Flusser, Mary is a symbol for myriad Jewish mothers who suffer and endure – the mater dolorosa in a world of total inhumanity. For Lang, Mary is the wife and mother through whom flows the love and devotion of centuries of faithful Roman Catholics.

New Book Showcases Work of Religion News Writers

February 25, 2005, LOUISVILLE – The editor of a new book just on the market says its existence will help "validate" the role of religion news writers as journalists. "We are not just propaganda writers," says Debra A. Wagner, editor of Changing Boundaries, The Best Religion News Writing. "We are holding to standards of truth and accuracy in our reporting," she says. "We're presenting it (the news) with journalism standards." Changing Boundaries, published by Seabury Books, an imprint of Church Publishing Inc., was released to the public in early February. A compilation of the top religion newswriting in 2003 as chosen by the Associated Church Press, the book includes the work of reporters from the Presbyterian News Service, the United Methodist Reporter, U.S. Catholic, the Episcopal News Service and Baptist Peacemaker, among others.

Scholars Present Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective

February 25, 2005, MINNEAPOLIS – Of all the writings of the New Testament, the Book of Revelation has the most comprehensive critique of the Roman Empire and the most global vision of a new world in the worship and service of God. In From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective a diverse group of biblical scholars and theologians gathers in one volume perspectives from many cultural and social locations in a quest to illuminate this powerful book and to promote a vision of justice and peace.