Front Page

Institute Denounces Planned US Arms Sales Package to Saudi Arabia

August 2, 2007, WASHINGTON, DC – The Institute on Religion and Public Policy opposes an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia that is expected to total $20 billion over the next decade. "Saudi Arabia has repeatedly demonstrated that it is not interested in a relationship with the United States based on mutual values and concerns," stated Joseph K. Grieboski, President of the Institute on Religion and Public Policy. "Instead, the Saudi regime uses its immense resources to export terrorism, religious extremism, intolerance, and instability."

Korean Hostages in Afghanistan: Renewed Call to Prayer

July 31, 2007 – The killing of a second Korean Christian hostage in Afghanistan has led the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) to make an urgent call for prayer among the "entire ecumenical community around the world [...] that the killings of innocent people may stop and that these hostages may safely return to their families." "We urge the global community to work for true peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan," wrote PCK general secretary Rev. Yoon Kil Soo in a letter today. "We sincerely request the governments of both Afghanistan and the US to lead the negotiations with the Taliban for the sake of the safe return of the hostages."

Commentary: God Has a Plan for Afghans, Koreans

August 2, 2007 – When I returned home July 25, I found my wife sobbing. Her tears told me that something had happened. My daughter ran and hugged me. They told me that one of the 23 Koreans being held hostage in Afghanistan had been killed by the Taliban that day. It was the Rev. Bae Hyung-kyu, leader of the team of mission volunteers from Saem-mul (Spring Water) Church in Korea. Many critical comments in news reports followed the capture of the volunteers: "They were so careless."

Young Muslims, Jews and Christians Share "Spiritual Free-Diving" Experience

August 2, 2007 – The chapel at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, near Geneva, in which young adults from five continents have gathered for an early morning meditation is quite an unusual place of worship. The light shining through the stained glass windows designed by the Taizé community in France shines on a set of religious symbols as disparate as Orthodox icons, a Lutheran cross and a drum from an African Christian community. Even if you listened to the songs, the bible text read by a participant from the USA and its interpretation by her fellow Christian from Hungary, you would not link the worship to one denominational tradition.

General News

Lutheran Uses Athletic, Musical Abilities to Raise Money for Ending Hunger

August 1, 2007, CHICAGO – On June 24, Kris Litman swam 2.4 miles, rode his bicycle 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles, consecutively, with a distinct mission in mind – "to raise money for the World Hunger Appeal" of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said Litman, 27. With the help of others, Litman raised $31,000 for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal in 2007. "I've always felt that the needs of (people who are) hungry are something that Jesus calls us to attend to," said Litman.

ELCA Churchwide Assembly to Worship, Hear Bible Studies

July 31, 2007, CHICAGO – Under the theme "Living in God's Amazing Grace: Thanks be to God!" the voting members and guests of the 2007 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly will have the opportunity to participate in daily worship and Bible study. The assembly is Aug. 6-11 here at Navy Pier. On Aug. 6 the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop and president of the Lutheran World Federation, will preside at worship and preach.

LWF Invites Online Donations an Opportunity
to Support the Communion's Worldwide Activities

July 27, 2007, GENEVA – It is now possible to donate directly online to the humanitarian and development work of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), as well as to its general programs. A new donation portal with the slogan "Get Involved – Make a Difference – A Better World is Possible," invites Internet users to support the communion's worldwide activities. An opportunity is offered to enter into partnership with the LWF and accompany its work on a long-term basis. As described by LWF Office for Communication Services Director, Ms Karin Achtelstetter, the portal allows LWF Web site visitors to "go on a voyage of discovery, find out about the LWF's many different programs and projects, be surprised, return, and tell others about it."

Preachers Save Gas, Promote Environmental Stewardship

August 1, 2007, EMPORIA, Kan. – A symbol of environmental stewardship, the Rev. Mic McGuire's bright yellow Beetle glides to a stop in front of Grace United Methodist Church. "I think a lot of people are really tired of putting three-dollar-a-gallon gasoline into their car," says McGuire, who turned a used, rusty car into a model of efficiency that runs off an electric motor instead of a gasoline engine. Now, instead of stopping at the pump to fill up, McGuire plugs in the car at his home to recharge overnight. He's able to reach a top speed of more than 50 miles an hour but finds the 30-mph range sufficient for making rounds in his small town.

Network Delegates Seek End to Property Litigation
Moderator Duncan's Remarks Prompt a Founder's Resignation

August 1, 2007 – Delegates to the Annual Council of the dissident Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (NACDP) – also known as the Anglican Communion Network (ACN) – have resolved "unconditional commitment" to the Anglican Primates' February request that litigation between the Episcopal Church (TEC) and those who have attempted to leave with its property be suspended. Recent decisions in California appellate courts have favored the Episcopal Church and its dioceses over breakaway congregations, reversing a trend of the past few decades. Courts in other states have consistently favored the Episcopal Church.

Names of Derision Deny God, Youth Told

July 31, 2007, GREENSBORO, N.C. – "You are stupid." "You are a failure." "You will never amount to anything in life." Young people often hear such messages from others – to the point that they begin to believe these words and feel that way about themselves, according to Ray Buckley, a Native American storyteller and United Methodist layperson from Palmer, Alaska. "I meet many young people across the world who describe themselves this way, and the sense of some youth in our communities is one of despair," Buckley said during a workshop focusing on both "names of derision" and how names are sacred during Youth 2007, a July 11-15 event sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship.

Lutheran Music Association Moves to Valparaiso

August 3, 2007 – The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM), a professional organization dedicated to strengthening the ministry of music in the Lutheran church, will move its headquarters to Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., in August. Valparaiso University is an independent Lutheran institution. David Eicher, interim executive director of ALCM, said Valparaiso is a good fit for the organization and will add a great deal of energy to its work.

Small Church Takes Huge Risk, Goes Buildingless
Congregation Moves to Retirement Home, Invests Proceeds in Mission

August 1, 2007, LOUISVILLE – Just call it the little church that could. And did. Faced with declining membership, dwindling revenues, and an aging, non-handicapped accessible building, the Buechel Presbyterian Church here joyfully embraced what it saw as its only viable option for survival. Rather than close its doors to future generations, the congregation voted in August 2006 to sell its building and make its new home across the street at Westminster Terrace, a neighboring independent living home. The congregation held its first service at the retirement facility in late September 2006, the same time that the church building was put up for sale.

Remains of Lutheran Camp Worker Found

July 31, 2007 – On the evening of July 23, 2006, the family of Jon Francis, youth ministry director, Ascension Lutheran Church, Ogden, Utah, decided to call off the search for Francis, who went missing July 15, 2006, after reaching the peak of Grand Mogul in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains. The remains of Francis were found one year later.

Study: Clergy Changes Parallel Membership Decline

July 31, 2007 – The number of elders in The United Methodist Church dropped 2.25 percent from 2000 to 2005, even as the number of local pastors and deacons increased, according to a new study by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry. An analysis of church membership numbers and clergy data shows 754 fewer elders, while the number of deacons increased 28 percent from 964 to 1,237, and the number of local pastors rose 31 percent from 5,088 to 6,660. "The study shows the dramatic changes that have taken place in The United Methodist Church in its clergy leadership," said the Rev. Mary Ann Moman, an executive with the Division of Ordained Ministry of the Board of Higher Education and Ministry.

Ecumenical News

United Methodists Help Honor Ecumenical Movement

August 1, 2007 – When Mark Calhoun decided to change careers and pursue the ministry, he had his first major ecumenical experience. Needing to complete a bachelor's degree, the Wichita, Kan., resident attended a Mennonite college. He found himself the only United Methodist in a small group of students who were Pentecostal, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian and Mennonite. The professors also represented a variety of denominations. Recently, Calhoun learned more about the roots of the modern U.S. ecumenical movement when he and other United Methodists attended a conference at Oberlin College in Ohio marking the 50th anniversary of discussions between Roman Catholics and other Christians called "Faith and Order."

Spanish News

Jóvenes Musulmanes, Judíos Y Cristianos Comparten
Una Experiencia De "Buceo Libre Espiritual"

2 agosto 2007 – La capilla del Instituto Ecuménico de Bossey, cerca de Ginebra, Suiza, en la que jóvenes de cinco continentes se han reunido para hacer meditación por la mañana temprano es un lugar de culto bastante inusual. La tenue luz que atraviesa las vidrieras diseñadas por la comunidad monástica de Taizé en Francia ilumina una serie de símbolos religiosos tan diferentes como íconos ortodoxos, una cruz luterana y un tambor de la comunidad cristiana africana.

Un Accidente En Una Iglesia Cristiana, En Pleno Acto De Oración, Dejó Catorce Heridos

2 agosto 2007, CALI, Colombia – Aunque no se conoce a ciencia cierta las causas del hecho, el pastor de la congregación dijo que pudo haberse producido por exceso de fibra de vidrio en la estructura. El Presidente de Sociedad de Ingenieros cree que hubo mala construcción del mismo. Una sobrecarga de fibra de vidrio, utilizada para aislar el ruido en el cielo raso de la iglesia cristiana del Nazareno, sería la causante del desplome de esa parte del techo, que el miércoles pasado causó pánico y dejó heridas a catorce personas.

Te Deum Evangélico En Perú: Aclaraciones

2 agosto 2007, LIMA, Perú – El obispo Jorge Bravo de la Iglesia Evangélica Metodista del Perú envió una aclaración a la redacción de ALC acerca de la nota emitida el 31 de Julio con el titular "PERÚ-Sector evangélico carismático respalda a Alan García." Según el obispo Jorge Bravo el Te Deum evangélico "no es solo con la participación de un grupo de iglesias evangélicas cercanas al neopentecostalismo y al movimiento carismático, sino que es la participación del pueblo evangélico que es convocado para orar por el país y por nuestras autoridades de gobierno.

Sri Lanka Recibirá La Primera Misión De Solidaridad Ecuménica
Con Iglesias En Situaciones De Conflicto

31 julio 2007 – Sri Lanka, país desgarrado por la guerra, va a recibir al primero de una serie de equipos de "cartas vivas" ecuménicas, que visitarán comunidades cristianas enfrentadas a situaciones de violencia en diferentes regiones del mundo, como preparación para la Convocatoria Ecuménica Internacional por la Paz que en 2011 llevará a cabo el Consejo Mundial de Iglesias. El equipo ecuménico estará en Sri Lanka del 4 al 12 de agosto. "Cartas vivas" es una misión de representantes de iglesias que tiene la finalidad de expresar solidaridad con los esfuerzos de construcción de paz que realizan las iglesias locales y de aprender de ellos.

Reacciones Religiosas Ante El Discurso De Ortega
Que Llamó a La Unidad Latinoamericana Trinidad Vázquez

30 julio 2007, MANAGUA, Nicaragua – El pastor de la Iglesia Centro Apostolar Cristiano. Cesar Augusto Marenco,llamó al presidente Daniel Ortega a fortalecer la unión y la democracia dentro de los parámetros de la Carta Magna, "porque la democracia es el alma de un pueblo; si hay democracia hay vida, si hay dictadura hay muerte, hambre, dolor y confusión," aseguró. También lo exhortó a no dividir a la sociedad porque la gente quiere paz, justicia, trabajo y educación y estabilidad ´para que vengan mas inversionistas; lo que no deseamos nunca es la división comentó el pastor al analizar el discurso del mandatario, el pasado 19 de julio, fecha del 28 aniversario de la revolución.

Los Cristianos Orarán Por La Paz En Todo El Mundo El Día 21 De Septiembre

7 julio 2007 – El próximo 21 de septiembre, los cristianos de todo el mundo, desde el Congo hasta los EE-UU., desde Colombia hasta Suiza o Corea del Sur, se unirán en sus oraciones durante el Día de Oración por la Paz. En ese día, las mujeres de la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Socopao Limete en el Congo – país en el que se calcula que cinco años de guerra se han cobrado tres millones de vidas humanas – se reunirán en oración y ayuno. No estarán solas.

Human Rights News

Convocation Addresses Human Rights in Philippines

August 2, 2007, VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists has approved a resolution urging the U.S. government to condition continued foreign aid to the Philippines based on that country's compliance in addressing growing concerns about human rights abuses. A human rights monitoring agency in the Philippines has documented 869 deaths and 180 enforced disappearances, mostly of social activists, including many religious leaders critical of government policies. A major complaint has been the refusal of the government to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

Religious Liberty News

Amendments to Moldovan Religion Law
Further Restrict, Rather than Improve, Religious Freedom

August 2, 2007, WASHINGTON, DC – The Institute on Religion and Public Policy remains concerned that a draft religion law in Moldova will serve only to restrict overall religious freedom and religious pluralism while offering special privileges and protections of the predominant faith. According to the amendments, "the state recognizes special significance and primary role of the Orthodox Christian religion and the Orthodox Church in life, history and culture of the people of Moldova." President Vladimir Voronin refused to sign the first draft of the law passed by Parliament in June, returning it to the MPs for further revision.

Paper on Religious Freedom and the Ecumenical Patriarchate Presented at Oxford University

August 2, 2007, OXFORD, UK – The Rev. Dr. Frank Marangos, Executive Director of Communications for the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, presented a paper entitled "Resolving the Religious Freedom Issue of the Ecumenical Patriarchate" at Oxford University on July 23, 2007. The presentation was one of several topics discussed among 35 theologians and political scholars from the United States invited to participate in the Oxford Round Table held at Oxford University from July 22-27 on the topic of "Separation of Church and State: The Decline and Fall?"

International News

Lutherans Support People in Africa, Asia and Middle East

August 2, 2007, CHICAGO – Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are working to help meet the basic needs of people affected by unrest, war and natural disasters overseas. Through ELCA International Disaster Response, Lutherans provided a total of $270,000 to support the needs of people in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Coordinated by ELCA Global Mission, International Disaster Response channels its funds through international church organizations and relief agencies. Funds provide for food, medicine, drinking water, emergency shelter and other materials for survivors of disasters.

Christians Around the World to Pray for Peace on 21 September

July 30, 2007 – This coming 21 September Christians from Congo to the US, and from Colombia to Switzerland to South Korea will join in prayers during the International Day of Prayer for Peace. On that day, women at the Socopao Limete Presbyterian Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo – a country where a five-year war has claimed an estimated three million lives – will meet for fasting and prayer. They will not be alone.

Festival Celebration – A Big Party for Perth Anglicans

August 1, 2007, AUSTRALIA – Anglican churches in Western Australia proved they are not small and struggling when over 4000 Anglicans from all over the Diocese of Perth gathered for a ‘Celebration Eucharist' at Challenge Stadium in the Perth suburb of Mt Claremont. The service held on Sunday 29 July was a highlight of two weeks of special events marking the 150th anniversary of the Perth Diocese.

Sri Lanka to Receive First Ecumenical Solidarity Mission with Churches Facing Conflict Situations

July 31, 2007 – War-torn Sri Lanka is to receive the first of a series of ecumenical "living letters" teams which will visit Christian communities facing situations of violence in different regions of the world in the run up to the 2011 International Ecumenical Peace Convocation being organized by the World Council of Churches. The ecumenical team will be in Sri Lanka from 4-12 August. "Living letters" is a mission by church representatives to express solidarity with and learn from the peacemaking efforts of local churches.

Presiding Bishop Urges Advocacy, Prayers for Peace in Southern Sudan

July 31, 2007 – In response to an urgent appeal from the Episcopal Church of Sudan, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a statement calling on all U.S. Episcopalians to pray and advocate for the people of Sudan, amid "fears that open warfare could resume within months, producing a humanitarian disaster of tremendous proportion." Jefferts Schori noted that, in the coming weeks, she will be announcing a series of responses to that request, adding that the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C., will be coordinating grassroots advocacy through the Episcopal Public Policy Network.

Middle East News

Chrysostomos II Visits Egypt

July 28, 2007 – His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II, the Archbishop of Cyprus visited Egypt for the first time after his consecration on 12 November 2006. The historical visit of the Archbishop of Cyprus to Egypt (22 – 27 July 2007) aimed at strengthening the relationships between the Church of Cyprus and the Churches in Egypt. The visit came after 41 years of THE LATE Archbishop Makarios' last visit to Egypt. Hosted by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, he welcomed the Archbishop on the 23rd of July very warmly and stressed on the "unique relations between the two churches" and called for "further strengthening this relation."

Churches Meet on Regional Migration

July 30, 2007 – In view of current events of migration across the Mediterranean region affecting particularly Africa, Europe and the Middle East, the Churches Commission for Migrants' in Europe (CCME) and World Council of Churches (WCC) Social Justice and Migration program in consultation with All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) Unit on Life and Service, held the Amman process – Inter Regional Meeting on Migration and Development from 6 -9 July 2007 in Brussels.

Mothers' Union Baghdad Addresses Humanitarian Crisis

August 1, 2007 – The Mothers' Union revealed today that it has been distributing emergency food aid to people in Baghdad through its 400 member-strong branch in the city. Utilizing its Emergency Relief Fund, which enables Mothers' Union branches all over the world to facilitate work in times of crises, Mothers' Union has sent £5,000 through Canon Andrew White, vicar of St. George's Baghdad, enabling the members at the church to provide food, and where necessary blankets and medicine, to hundreds of people displaced or impoverished throughout the city.

People in the News

International Jewish Interreligious Body Welcomes New Officers

August 1, 2007, NEW YORK – The International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) announced the recent election results appointing its officers for the next two years.

ELCA Pastor to Preach on ‘Day 1'

August 2, 2007, CHICAGO – The Rev. Michael W. Foss, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Atlanta, will preach Aug. 12 and 19 on "Day 1," a nationally broadcast radio program. Foss' first sermon, "Wishful Thinking, Optimism and Hope," is based on Hebrews 11 and will address the differences between wishful thinking, optimism and biblical hope. The Aug. 19 sermon is titled "Deep Footings, Wide Support" and will explore faith as an antidote for fear.

Reviews

Fortress Press Offers the Best of Martin Luther in Keepsake Edition

July 31, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – Initially selected forty years ago by Luther master Theodore G. Tappert, Selected Writings of Martin Luther makes available again a superb collection, in an attractive and affordable edition of four volumes, now beautifully presented as a boxed set, an ideal gift for celebrating seminary graduation, ordination, clergy anniversaries, and more.

The Science and Ethics of Stem Cell Use

August 2, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – The worldwide debate about stem cells involves religion, ethics, politics, and medicine. It calls for people of faith to learn deeply, think carefully, and contribute fully. In the newly released The Stem Cell Debate from the Facets series from Fortress Press, Ted Peters brings a lucid and penetrating message that reliably and accessibly relates the science of stem cells and regenerative medicine in lay terms.

Rethinking the "Parting of the Ways" Between Judaism and Christianity

July 31, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – For the last two decades historians have sought the decisive point in Roman antiquity at which the "parting of the ways" between early Judaism and Christianity was complete. The essays gathered in the newly released The Ways That Never Parted: Jews and Christians in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages challenge the assumption that any "parting" took place, arguing for ongoing relationships between Jews and Christians, in different and complex ways, for the first few centuries of the common era.