Front Page

U.S. Muslim Religious Council Issues Fatwa Against Terrorism

August 3, 2005 – The Fiqh Council of North America wishes to reaffirm Islam's absolute condemnation of terrorism and religious extremism. Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives. There is no justification in Islam for extremism or terrorism. Targeting civilians' life and property through suicide bombings or any other method of attack is haram – or forbidden – and those who commit these barbaric acts are criminals, not "martyrs."

WCC Message on 60th Anniversary of Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings

August 4, 2005 – "The unfinished business of banning nuclear weapons has been derailed and urgently needs to be put back on track" is the central point of a message sent 4 August by the World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) acting director Clement John to WCC member churches and the national council of churches in Japan. Sixty years after the first atomic bombings in 1945, "nine states – not one – now possess nuclear arms," while "proven remedies against the use of nuclear weapons are being eroded," the message warns.

Food Stamps: Action Urged to Protect Children's Nutrition
Public Policy Network Asks Episcopalians to Contact Lawmakers

July 29, 2005 – Noting that more than half of U.S. Food Stamp recipients are children, the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN) is calling on Americans to urge lawmakers to protect this program in the face of upcoming federal budget cuts. The Congressional Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2006 passed in May requires the House and Senate Agriculture Committees to cut $3 billion from programs under their jurisdiction by September 16, EPPN reports. Food Stamps is one of those programs.

General News

Communion Ware Journeys from Bethlehem to Orlando ELCA Assembly

August 5, 2005, CHICAGO – Communion ware made in the Holy Land will be used during the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly's worship services Aug. 8-14 in Orlando, Fla. Using communion ware from Bethlehem is "to remind people that God's desire for the whole world includes justice and peace, even in the Holy Land," said the Rev. Michael L. Burk, director for worship, ELCA Division for Congregational Ministries.

Lutherans to Celebrate Global Mission in Baltimore Aug. 25-28

August 5, 2005, CHICAGO – Hundreds of Lutherans will come to the Baltimore Convention Center to learn more about what's happening in the world and how Lutherans are active in it. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will host a Global Mission Event (GME) Aug. 25-28. Offered every summer by the ELCA, these events create a four- day global community in which missionaries, international church leaders, special guests and ELCA members encounter the world together. Plenary sessions, Global University sessions, worship, prayer, song, art activities and fellowship will explore the theme, "Gathered by God's grace for the sake of the world."

Campolo: Jesus' Mission Statement Proclaims Kingdom

July 30, 2005, BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom – The Rev. Dr. Tony Campolo, well-known American Baptist sociologist, professor, author and preacher, addressed "Jesus' Mission Statement" during a focus group here July 28 at the Baptist World Centenary Congress. "The Kingdom of God is at hand" is the short summation of Jesus' ministry, Campolo maintained. He noted that the marks of that Kingdom (as outlined in Scripture) include: children do not die in infancy; the elderly will live in health and well being; decent housing and jobs would be a reality; children would not be born for (later) calamity; the environment would be protected.

Building Community with Children, Focus of Conference

August 1, 2005, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Leaders of children's ministries must ensure that children know themselves as members of God's beloved community. During the July 26-29 Focus event at Brentwood (Tenn.) United Methodist Church, speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of raising the quality of the care for children in the church and raising the vision of what it can mean to be in ministry with children in the truest sense. The 2005 Focus conference was designed to show those who teach and care for children how they can build community with children, both collectively and individually.

Lutherans in Black Ministry Attending ‘Mini-Convos'

August 2, 2005 – Ten regional Black ministry convocations are being held this summer and fall to give Lutherans involved in Black ministry opportunities to discuss local issues and hear about the "vision" of the Synod's Board for Black Ministry Services. The local events also are designed to promote attendance at the next national Black ministry convocation, according to Dr. Phillip Campbell, executive director of the Black ministry board.

Agreement Resolves Complaint Against Longtime Kentucky Pastor

Aug. 1, 2005, WILMORE, Ky. – The Rev. David A. Seamands, retired former pastor of Wilmore United Methodist Church, and a noted author, seminary professor and preacher, has publicly apologized and accepted responsibility for "a breach of trust and moral failure" involving an allegation of sexual misconduct. Seamands read a statement to a congregation of nearly 200 people at Wilmore United Methodist Church following the July 31 worship service. He served as pastor there from 1962-84 and is professor emeritus at Asbury Theological Seminary, where he was a professor and dean of the chapel until his retirement in 1992.

Multimedia and Podcast: Episcopal Youth Event

August 4, 2005 – More than 1,000 young Episcopalians representing almost every diocese in the Episcopal Church gathered at Berea College in Kentucky July 26-31 for the 2005 Episcopal Youth Event. The program included a variety of music, worship, public forums and workshops, all helping to capture the week's theme: "Can you catch the spirit off the beaten path?" Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and more than 50 other bishops also participated in the week's activities. A photo gallery, video story and reflections from the Presiding Bishop can be found online.

ELCA's Radio Ministries Available via ‘Podcasting'

August 4, 2005, CHICAGO – Radio ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are now available via "podcasting." The ELCA's radio ministry program, Grace Matters, and radio news stories can be subscribed to automatically through cost-free podcast subscriptions. Podcasting is a form of publishing files to the Internet allowing users to subscribe to a feed and automatically receive new files. Syncing a podcast to Apple's iPod or another MP3 player, users can automatically receive the new ELCA radio ministry programs, or podcasts, as they are produced.

Editorial Page

The Truth about Islam?

August 3, 2005 – Recently several friends have forwarded to me an Internet story that purports to tell "the truth about Islam," claiming that nearly all Muslim leaders have declared a jihad against Christians as "infidels." I do not claim to be an expert in Islam by any stretch of the imagination but there are several clear clues that this message is a fraud: 1) This email doesn't even have the names of the player right: the followers of Mohammed are called "Muslims," not "Islamists," and their faith is called "Islam," not "Islamism" – pretty strong clues that this story is fake. 2) "Jihad" in the Qu'ran primarily means to struggle to become a better person and only the terrorists and nut cases use the term in the sense of "holy war" against the West. Those who attempt to hijack Islam for their own purposes may call themselves something such as "Islamic Jihad," but they are no more representative of most Muslims that the KKK is of most Christians.

Spanish News

Kobia En Cuba: Por Igualdad Religiosa Y Contra El Bloqueo

4 agosto 2005 – Las iglesias cubanas deben recibir un trato igualitario de parte del estado para hacer frente a las demandas que su ministerio pastoral les impone. Esta preocupación fue manifestada por el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, durante su reunión con el presidente Fidel Castro, que tuvo lugar el 3 de agosto al término de una visita de cuatro días llevada a cabo por una delegación ecuménica a la isla del Caribe. Formaron parte de la misma la pastora Dra.

"Otra Teología Es Posible" Sostienen En Encuentro De Teólogas

4 agosto 2005, MATANZAS, Cuba –"Otra teología es posible y la estamos haciendo las mujeres," afirmó la doctora Ofelia Miriam Ortega al concluir un Encuentro de Teólogas del Tercer Mundo en el Seminario Evangélico de Teología de Matanzas (SET). Una veintena de jóvenes teólogas latinoamericanas se reunió esta semana en Matanzas, 100 kilómetros al este de La Habana, para debatir si "Otra Teología es Posible"?. La brasileña Silvia Regina de Lima Silva, coordinadora de la Comisión de Mujeres de la Asociación de Teólogos del Tercer Mundo, en representación de América Latina, expresó que la cita sobrepasó sus espectativas en tanto que "uno de los objetivos era percibir si una teología feminista es posible en nuestro contexto y dentro del amplio espectro de otras teologías que a veces dominan el espacio del pensamiento teológico.

Evangélicos Piden Ayuda Divina Para Nicaragua

1 agosto 2005, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Unos 8 mil evangélicos elevaron el sábado sus oraciones a Dios para que alumbre a los políticos del país el camino acertado de la salvación nacional. "Nicaragua está muy enferma," dijo Augusto Cesar Marenco, pastor general del Ministerio Apostolar Centro Cristiano, organización promotora del singular acto.. En su opinión, todos los problemas económicos, sociales y políticos que confronta el país, revierten contra la sociedad.

National News

United Methodist Women Advocate for Improvement in Schools

August 2, 2005, NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Democracy and economic well-being in the United States depend on education, the foundation on which many possibilities are built, said a former college professor and leader of United Methodist Women. Jan Love, chief executive of the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, was among the speakers focusing on education and improving America's schools during a July 29-31 summit in Nashville, Tenn. One hundred-fifty women from rural, urban and suburban settings, with various experiences in the education system, engaged in conversations to set direction for the 1 million United Methodist Women in the United States and to give them tools to advocate for public education.

International News

Afro-Anglicans from Around the World Gathered in Toronto at Third International Conference

August 1, 2005 – Diverse in their languages, yet united by their faith, more than 250 Black Anglicans from Africa and the Diaspora met in Toronto, Ontario July 20-27 for the third international Conference on Afro- Anglicanism. "History drew me to this conference, and its relevance for black Anglicans the world over," said the Rev. Vernon LaFleur, a Guyanan in the diocese of Toronto. "I came to learn and participate in a way that would have some impact on the final communiqué of the conference."

Lutherans Address Food Crisis in Niger, Africa

August 4, 2005, CHICAGO – Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are participating in international relief efforts to address the food crisis in Niger, a country in western Africa. An estimated 3.6 million people – about 30 percent of the population of Niger – are in critical need of food, said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Division for Global Mission. The United Nations reported that more than 800,000 children in Niger are suffering from hunger and many others show signs of severe malnutrition, Deressa said.

Kobia in Cuba: for Religious Equality and Against the Blockade

August 5, 2005 – All Cuban churches should receive equal treatment on the part of the state in order to meet the challenges raised by their pastoral ministry. This concern was voiced by the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, during a meeting with Cuban President Fidel Castro on 3 August at the end of an ecumenical delegation's four-day visit to the Cuban island.

Moscow Seminary Dedication Set for Sept. 10

August 2, 2005, NEW YORK – The dedication of a United Methodist theological seminary building in Moscow has been set for Sept. 10. Originally planned for May, the dedication had been postponed last winter because of a lack of funds. But with new donations and loans, the project has progressed, according to the Rev. Sam Dixon, an executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

Tsunami Relief Shifts to Rebuilding Phase

July 30, 2005 – Six months after the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami killed hundreds of thousands and leveled entire villages along the Indian Ocean coastline, relief and mission leaders say that the generosity of Synod donors has accomplished much to help meet the immediate needs of those affected. Now, following extensive appraisals of the long-term situation, efforts are shifting to help people rebuild their homes and entire villages.