Front Page

Ecumenical Advocacy Days Participants Urge End to Torture, Spotlight Child Poverty

May 3, 2007 – "We know that the United States has tortured to death 30 people – these we've documented. There are probably hundreds more." Linda Gustitus, chair of the Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT), wanted her audience at Ecumenical Advocacy Days to recoil from such a reality. She had some hard facts to present at the event that drew more than 1,000 Christians, Muslims and Jews to Washington, D.C., in March. She wanted them to speak up, to just say "No." She gave them ammunition. "We know that the United States operates numerous secret prisons around the world. There is only one reason to operate secret prisons and that is to torture people." "These are deeply disappointing facts," she said, "but they are real. There are 400 detainees at Quantanamo. Some of them are being tortured. Many have been held for five years without a trial."

"Recognise That We Belong to Each Other" Is Kobia's Message in Dublin, Belfast

May 1, 2007 – Healing wounded memories is an essential feature of the search for Christian unity, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia told participants at a public seminar in Dublin, Ireland on Monday 30 April. A day earlier, in a sermon preached in Edinburgh, Scotland, he affirmed that churches are recognizing that "without each other, none of them is being fully church." Having just been through the most violent century in human history, humanity is entering the third millennium with lots of wounded memories. That is why, Kobia explained, "Christian unity will become meaningful both to Christians and non-Christians alike if the church takes the lead in healing and reconciling memories."

May Day Immigration Rallies Keep Pressure on U.S. Congress

May 3, 2007 – Immigrant-rights groups around the United States marched on May 1 to urge Congress to pass legislation that will make the immigration system one that balances enforcement with acknowledgment of the need for an expanded program to permit foreign workers to enter the country legally. Immigrant-rights and faith-based advocates of reform, including the Episcopal Church, have consistently pressed for allowing those immigrants without documentation the chance to earn credit toward permanent status if they are employed and meet certain additional requirements. "The Episcopal Church has solid, far reaching policies which embrace an immigration system that does not separate families, respects the dignity of workers by giving them access to legal membership in our society, and which balances a reasonable regard for enforcement with a recognition that the U.S. needs foreign workers and therefore should give them a legal means of offering their labor," said Richard Parkins, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM).

Nigerian Primate Responds to Letter from Presiding Bishop

May 3, 2007 – Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola has responded publicly to an April 30 emailed letter from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, asking him to reconsider plans to install Nigerian Bishop Martyn Minns as head of the Nigerian-based Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). The installation service is set for May 5 at the Hylton Memorial Chapel, a nondenominational Christian event center in Woodbridge, Virginia. Jefferts Schori said the installation "would violate the ancient customs of the church" and would "not help the efforts of reconciliation." Such action, she said, "would display to the world division and disunity that are not part of the mind of Christ." After it was sent to Akinola, her letter was released to Episcopal News Service.

General News

Agency Plans More Advocacy Against Racism

May 2, 2007, WASHINGTON – The agency that monitors and promotes racial/ethnic inclusiveness in The United Methodist Church wants to mobilize more members -especially white people – to challenge racism in the denomination and throughout the world. The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race approved a six-year strategic plan at its spring board of directors meeting. The plan includes goals to increase the participation of the church's white majority in efforts to eradicate racism and to increase the presence of racial/ethnic minority leaders in the church. The denomination is about 92 percent white. "The goals we approved are not new to the work of this agency," said Bishop Linda Lee, board president and episcopal leader of the Wisconsin Area.

United Methodist Journalists Receive ACP Honors

May 4, 2007, CHICAGO – Writers, editors, photographers and publications with ties to The United Methodist Church garnered 13 awards as the Associated Church Press honored the "Best of the Christian Press" for 2006. Awards were announced during the association's April 22-25 meeting in Chicago.

Grants to Aid Ethnic Minority Ministries

May 3, 2007, WASHINGTON – Minority college students will intern in areas of mercy and justice under one of four programs receiving funding from The United Methodist Church's social advocacy agency. The United Methodist Board of Church and Society, meeting April 26-29, approved four grants totaling $104,700 to help programs serving ethnic minorities reach their ministry goals in 2007. The Ethnic Local Church Fund was created to help the denomination's program boards support local church and annual conference ministries in each board's area of focus.

United Methodists Enlist Community Workers, Others

April 30, 2007, STAMFORD, Conn. – Nine new missionaries have been commissioned by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. All nine are church and community workers, a mission category devoted to uplifting the poor and disenfranchised in rural and urban areas of the United States. The April 24 service also included the commissioning of 10 deaconesses and a home missioner. Three of the new missionaries are assigned to Justice for Our Neighbors, church-based legal clinics for immigrants related to the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The others will serve ministries with women and children, housing and economic development, community services and Native Americans.

Ecumenical News

Germans Agree on Mutual Recognition of Baptism

May 3, 2007 – The United Methodist Church is one of 11 denominations in Germany that have agreed to mutual recognition of Christian baptism. The parties involved include the Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches. "The agreement is a big step forward in the ecumenical fellowship in Germany," said Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, the United Methodist bishop in Germany.

Rediscovering Christ's Call to Unity Is 21st Century Church Challenge, Kobia Says

May 3, 2007 – Churches rediscovering the biblical call to unity and caring for life together is the World Council of Churches' vision for re-invigorating ecumenism in the 21st century, according to Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, the general secretary of the WCC. Speaking to leaders of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) in Birmingham on 2 May, Kobia outlined his understanding of what faces the global ecumenical movement in the 21st century, and how the World Council of Churches intends to respond. In the contemporary ecumenical landscape, it seems that the original "vigour, energy and commitment to ecumenism got lost," Kobia observed. "The search for visible unity of the church is no longer a priority for churches and Christian World Communions who centre on their particular identities," he said. Nevertheless, he argued, "We cannot compromise or hide our conviction that Christ himself wants the churches to be one so that the world may believe."

Spanish News

A Casi Cien Años De La Conferencia Misionera Que Puso En Marcha El Movimiento Ecuménico,
Kobia Pide Una Evangelización Ecuménicamente Responsable

30 abril 2007 – Con motivo de los preparativos del centenario de la Conferencia Misionera Mundial de Edimburgo, celebrada en 1910 y considerada por muchos el punto de partida simbólico del movimiento ecuménico moderno, el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias (CMI), pastor Dr. Samuel Kobia, ofreció un sobrio análisis de los logros y fracasos del pasado siglo, y pidió una "evangelización ecuménicamente responsable." Hablando el 27 de abril en Edimburgo, Escocia, en una reunión preparatoria de la conmemoración del centenario de ese acontecimiento histórico, Kobia afirmó: "Necesitamos un nuevo Edimburgo, y sólo podemos esperar que la celebración que prevemos para el año 2010 sea un paso en esa dirección."

El Consejo De La ELCA Recomienda Un Mayor Compromiso En Relación Al VIH Y El SIDA

2 mayo 2007, CHICAGO – El Consejo de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en Estados Unidos (ELCA por su sigla en inglés) recomendó que la Asamblea Nacional de esa iglesia en el año 2007 adopte una resolución que comprometa a la iglesia en un más profundo compromiso en relación con la pandemia del sida al desarrollar una acción estratégica para toda la iglesia en la próxima década. El Consejo de la ELCA está compuesto por directores y sirve como autoridad legislativa de la iglesia entre dos asambleas nacionales. El Consejo se reunió en esta ciudad, entre el 14 y 16 de abril.

Iglesias Del CLAI Elaboran Propuestas Para El Tema Medioambiental En La Región

4 mayo 2007, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Líderes de las iglesias miembros del CLAI, se reunieron esta mañana en las oficinas de CLAI en esta ciudad, convocados por el secretario regional reverendo Juan Gattinoni. El comunicado de prensa que dieron a conocer subraya la preocupación por el continuo deterioro del medio ambiente en la región y por la angustia y tensiones que esta situación y sus consecuencias generan en las poblaciones.

Marcha Por Una Niñez Sin Hambre Y Con Derechos

4 mayo 2007, PUERTO IGUAZÚ, Argentina – El 7 de mayo cientos de niños y educadores comienzan en esta ciudad de Misiones, al noreste del país, una marcha que recorrerá 4600 kilómetros para amanecer pueblos "labrados como la tierra." Llegarán a Plaza de Mayo el viernes 18, buscando hacer visible la terrible realidad de una sociedad donde la pobreza se infantiliza cada día más. "Sin una infancia sana, amasada y entera es impensable una Argentina mejor. Porque un país que mutila a sus niños es un país que se condena a sí mismo," dice la convocatoria de los organizadores.

El CMI Insta Al Gobierno Turco a Que Garantice El Imperio De La Ley Y Proteja
a Todos Los Ciudadanos Tras El Asesinato De Cristianos

3 mayo 2007 – Los "brutales asesinatos" de tres cristianos en Malatya, Turquía, el pasado 18 de abril son "la última tragedia" de una serie de "asesinatos y otras amenazas dirigidas a miembros y líderes de minorías religiosas" en el país, que son motivo de "seria preocupación" y causan "una profunda repulsa" y "consternación," según ha comunicado el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, a las autoridades turcas.

El CMI Insta Al Gobierno Turco a Garantizar La Seguridad De Todas Las Minorías Religiosas

3 mayo 2007, GINEBRA, Suiza – Los "brutales asesinatos" de tres cristianos en Malatya, Turquía, el pasado 18 de abril son "la última tragedia" de una serie de "asesinatos y otras amenazas dirigidas a miembros y líderes de minorías religiosas" en el país, que son motivo de "seria preocupación" y causan "una profunda repulsa" y "consternación," según ha comunicado el secretario general del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias, Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia, a las autoridades turcas.

Delegados Metodistas Se Reunieron Con La Central Sindical

3 mayo 2007, MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – Una delegación de la Iglesia Metodista del Uruguay (IMU), presidida por el pastor Oscar Bolioli, fue recibida por el Secretario General del PIT-CNT, la central sindical del Uruguay, Juan Castillo, el pasado 27 de abril. Segín informan desde el Departamento de Comunicaciones de la IMU, la reunión fue solicitada por la Iglesia en cumplimiento del mandato de la última Asamblea General en cuanto a relacionarse con los organismos preocupados por la búsqueda de la verdad del destino de los ciudadanos y ciudadanas Detenidos y Desaparecidos durante la Dictadura militar.

National News

Lawsuit Filed Against Ohio Church in Teen's Death

April 30, 2007, COLUMBUS, Ohio – The family of a teenager who died during a 2006 church youth retreat has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the congregation, alleging foul play in the reported suicide of James McCoy III. The lawsuit also says racial factors may have led to the death of McCoy, who is black and attended the primarily white Church of the Messiah, a United Methodist congregation in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus. The suit was filed April 23 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus, one day after the congregation held a memorial service in McCoy's memory on what would have been his 19th birthday. McCoy was active in the church youth group and a member of the congregation's praise band.

Religious Voice Needed for Workers' Rights

May 2, 2007, WASHINGTON – People want to work. That simple message was delivered by three women during a presentation on workers' rights to the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the denomination's social action agency, at its April 26-29 spring meeting. They called for greater involvement on the issue by the religious community.

International News

Judicial Council Hears about Violence in Philippines

May 1, 2007, MANILA, Philippines – Human rights violations and violence against both Filipinos and Westerners remain key problems facing the Philippines, a United Methodist bishop told members of the denomination's "supreme court." "We need justice in the Philippines," said Bishop Solito K. Toquero, who leads The United Methodist Church's Manila Area. "Those who speak out against the government and who work for the poor are being killed." Toquero spoke to eight members of the Judicial Council who were attending the court's April 25-28 meeting, its first outside American soil.

WCC Asks Turkish Government to Ensure Rule of Law,
Safeguard All Citizens after Murder of Christians

May 2, 2007 – The "savage murders" of three Christians in Malatya, Turkey, on 18 April are "the latest tragedy" in a series of "killings and other threats directed at members and leaders of religious minorities" in the country that are of "serious concern" and cause "deep revulsion" and "dismay," the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has told Turkish authorities. In a letter dated 1 May 2007 addressed to the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Switzerland, Kobia affirms that "churches and citizens are watching the authorities in the case [of the three murdered Christians] to see that justice is done and that further crimes are prevented."

Reviews

How Does God Act in History?

April 30, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – In the weeks after September 11, 2001, some conservative evangelists spoke of the terrorist attacks as God's judgment on the United States. Such comments appalled other Christians, who insisted the U.S. was an innocent victim of an act of pure evil. In his latest book, Divine Justice, Divine Judgment: Rethinking the Judgment of a Nation, distinguished biblical scholar Dan Via discusses the ancient Greek and Hebrew conceptions of justice as the context for speaking of divine judgment in the present. While he rejects the belief (of Jerry Falwell and others) that the 9/11 terror attacks were "God's judgment" on an America that permitted homosexuality and abortion, Via does not wish to abandon the deeper biblical understanding of divine judgment on unjust nations, and asks what that understanding might mean for us today.

New Book Explores Theology's Future Through its Roots in Liberal Thought

May 2, 2007 MINNEAPOLIS – In the brief but programmatic Liberal Theology: A Radical Vision, distinguished theologian Peter Hodgson reflects on the precarious yet vital role of theology today and its nearly lost and sometimes discredited tradition of liberal thought, especially liberal theology. Liberal theology has been the main thread of Christian thinking over the last 200 years, but it threatens to be obscured by a rising tide of conservative and even fundamentalist Christianity, on the one hand, and a secular materialism, on the other. Hodgson's sure-footed work offers a way of seeing our religious and political situations together.

ELCA Addresses AIDS Pandemic

Minneapolis (May 1, 2007)-The worst health crisis in the world in 700 years, the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is overwhelming in scale: 40 million people are infected worldwide (75% of them in Africa); 7,000 people die daily; each day 1,600 people are infected. Some 26 million people have already died. More than twenty years into the global AIDS pandemic, the efforts of Christian congregations and denominations have been less than minimal. John Brooks of the ELCA News Service reported yesterday that the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recently recommended that the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopt a resolution that commits the church to a "deeper engagement" in addressing the AIDS pandemic through development of a churchwide strategy for action in the coming decade.