Front Page

NCC Leaders Say Congress and the President ‘Failed Our Children'

October 18, 2007, WASHINGTON, DC – "We have failed our children today." So said the Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell upon learning of the failure of Congress to override President Bush's veto of the state children's health care insurance program (SCHIP). "We will continue to pray and work until our nation and its leaders are more responsible about taking care of God's precious trust to us – our children," said Mitchell, the associate general secretary for justice and advocacy at the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC).

WCC Welcomes Letter from Muslim Leaders

October 15, 2007 – "This letter is most welcome," said World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, especially at a time when "all of humanity is looking to religious leaders for guidance as to how to respond to the situation of violence in the world." Kobia was commenting on the letter "A Common Word between Us and You," saying that it "gives a lot of hope." With the signature of some 140 Muslim leaders, the letter was addressed to a number of world Christian leaders including Kobia last week, and arrived on the occasion of "Eid al-Fitr al-Mubarak," the festivity that marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslims' holiest month.

NCC Execs Welcome Muslim Leaders' Letter

October 18, 2007, NEW YORK – "We welcome the letter of these Islamic leaders and scholars," said the Rev. Michael Livingston, president of the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), in response to a document, "A Common Word between Us and You," released by 138 moderate Muslim leaders on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr, the concluding day of Ramadan, the month-long season of fasting and prayer. "It is a sign of hope in a violent world," he added. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, associate general secretary for Interfaith Relations added his gratitude for what he called "a deliberate and thoughtful" document.

World Food Day: CWS Program Yields
More than Fruit and Vegetables in the Dominican Republic

October 15, 2007 – When Eloy Ramirez brought in his last crop, the harvest yielded a triple bounty: Food, income, and a better standard of living. "I sold a value of RD$30,000 (about $900.00), in addition to what we were able to consume at home. We even gave some to neighbors and friends," Ramirez says. This, in an area of the Dominican Republic where many people live on the verge of hunger and are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters like drought, flooding and hurricanes. A community leader in the Yabacao community in the southwest region of the country, Ramirez is the head of one of nearly a thousand households participating in a Church World Service-sponsored program to improve food security.

Global Trading System – a Weapon of Mass Destruction

October 11, 2007 The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) has joined activists around the globe in calling for fair, equitable and just trade while urging churches to join the Trade Week of Action 14 to 21 October. "We call on churches, especially those in wealthy, powerful countries, to join in the Trade Week of Action campaign," said Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth, WARC's executive secretary for the Office of Church Renewal, Justice and Partnership. "Show your solidarity through awareness raising, lobbying and demanding life-giving alternatives which give preferential treatment to those for whom life is at stake.

General News

No More Ho-hum Gifts: Want to Buy a Water Buffalo?
Church World Service Offers Gift Giving Alternatives

October 15, 2007 NEW YORK – Alternative giving is an increasing phenomenon nationwide. Even so, year after year of trying to come up with meaningful and attractive gifts for friends and relatives can test the creativity of anyone. A look at some of the alternative gifts on the market this year could be an answer to the gifting dilemma. If it's meaning plus novelty that you're looking for, you could be the first person on your block to purchase a water buffalo or a share of one at $200 or $50 respectively.

LWF General Secretary Lauds Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for Focus on Climate Change
Challenges Noko Underlines LWF Assembly Commitment to Further Action

October 15, 2007, GENEVA – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has congratulated former US Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for being jointly awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. In a statement issued today, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko, commends both the IPCC and Gore for "increasing public awareness about the gravity of climate change and promoting political commitment to addressing the challenge it represents."

Commentary: Finding a Kingdom in Heaven in Manila

October 19, 2007 – God sent me to the Philippines twice this summer. I think there was a plan. Manila, a city of about 11 million people, is jam-packed. Two-lane streets become three, four, five lanes or more as taxis, cars, buses, jeepneys, tricycles and miserable-looking horses pulling heavy carts full of passengers fight for a piece of the road. As one of the most densely populated places on the planet, there is not enough room or jobs for everyone to scrape together a living to put food on the table every day or a roof over their heads every night.

Kentucky Conference Wins Lawsuit with Foundation

October 17, 2007 – A seven-year legal battle between the United Methodist Kentucky Annual (regional) Conference and an affiliated foundation has ended in favor of the conference. The outcome also upholds the United Methodist "trust clause" pertaining to local church property. The conference and the board of trustees of the Good Samaritan Foundation were battling for control of $20 million in assets resulting from the 1995 sale of Good Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, Ky. Good Samaritan was one of dozens of hospitals built by the Methodist church in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to provide care for the poor and indigent.

NCC Health Task Force Endorses Policy Reform Effort

October 18, 2007, NEW YORK – The newly formed Health Task Force of the National Council of Churches (NCC) has joined with AARP and others in promoting a campaign to urge all Americans to seek policies that will better address the unmet needs of the poor and those who lack adequate health care coverage. The NCC recently completed a study in which over 6000 congregations reported their own health ministries with the majority of the programs reported serving community members as well as congregants.

NCC Group Urges Observance of Domestic Violence Month

October 16, 2007, NEW YORK – The National Council of Churches' (NCC) Justice for Women Working Group has called upon people of faith to observe October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. "October is the month to break the silence that isolates God's children who are caught in the pain of domestic violence," said the Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, NCC program director for Women's Ministry. "This is the time when our churches can publicly speak about the value of all God's children and how violence against any person – young or old – dishonors our relationship with each other and God."

Movie to Feature Wiley College Historic Debate Team

October 19, 2007 – It is not every day that Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey do a movie together about a historically black college with fewer than 1,000 students. But that's what happened when the pair learned about a David and Goliath matchup in which Wiley College's 1935 debate team won a national championship against Harvard University and also beat other perennial oratorical powerhouses. In 2004, the United Methodist-related college in Marshall, Texas, began to receive inquiries from Hollywood about Melvin B. Tolson, leader of Wiley's first debate team.

Stewardship of Wealth – Overcoming Poverty Is the Focus of LWF Sunday 2007
Special LWI Edition on Stewardship of Wealth

October 3, 2007, GENEVA – "How do we within the Lutheran communion live out our relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ in a world divided by unshared bread?" Bishop Mark S. Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) poses this question in his greeting to members of the Lutheran communion on the occasion of LWF Sunday commemorated on or around Reformation Sunday in October each year. Hanson's words and the accompanying liturgy for the 2007 LWF Sunday publication focus on the subject "Stewardship of Wealth – Overcoming Poverty."

Travel to Africa with American Baptist Leaders

October 17, 2007, VALLEY FORGE, PA – Today, American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) unveils a new blog that will follow American Baptist leaders through a two-week visit to Africa. The blog will provide on-the-spot reflections, experiences and images as the group visits with International Ministries (IM) missionaries serving as Christ's hands and feet to some of the poorest parts of the world. The group will meet as well with their national counterparts, congregations and government leaders to see first-hand the faces of our neighbors, of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who live in economic jeopardy.

Street Children Find Safe Haven at United Methodist Center

October 15, 2007, MANILA, Philippines – It's nearly noon. More than 100 hungry children struggle to stay still in their small, green plastic chairs. When someone walks within range, they pop up and race for a hug, grab a hand and press it to their foreheads or do elaborate jigs to gain attention. It is safe here. Everyone who walks in is a friend. For an afternoon, the harsh realities of life on the streets are forgotten as the children eat, sing, draw, play and learn about Jesus Christ. Pag-aruga (which means "to care" in the Filipino language of Tagalog) is a ministry for street families run by The United Methodist Church in the Philippines. The ministry takes place in the back parking lot of the church's conference office.

Ecumenical News

ELCA Bishops Hear Presiding Bishop's Concerns about Ecumenism

October 18, 2007, CHICAGO – In remarks to the Conference of Bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, said he is "most concerned" about the church's strategic direction to build global, ecumenical and interfaith relationships because of what he termed the "unsettled, changing landscape globally and nationally." The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church that includes the ELCA's 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary.

LWF President Hanson Responds to Letter from Muslim Leaders
Call to Work More Closely for Peace

October 15, 2007, CHICAGO, USA/GENEVA – The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), responded to an 11 October letter sent to him and several global Christian leaders by 138 Muslim leaders from throughout the world. The 29-page open letter, "A Common Word Between You and Us," calls for Muslims and Christians to work more closely together for peace.

The WCC and Pentecostals Deepen Their Conversation

October 17, 2007 – A second round of dialogue between World Council of Churches (WCC) members and Pentecostals was inaugurated last week in Baar, Switzerland. A group of seventeen Protestant, Orthodox and Pentecostal Christians met to re-launch the work begun by the first Joint Consultative Group between the WCC and Pentecostals from 2000 to 2005. In reflecting on the importance of this meeting, Cecil M. Robeck Jr., professor of church history and ecumenics at Fuller Theological Seminary, who returns as the Pentecostal co-moderator of the group, said "this meeting has given us a very good start on the next five years of our work together."

Spanish News

Editorial – Que Alguien Me Explique:
¿Con Qué Criterios Mide La Iglesia Católica Las Acciones Y Sanciones De Sus Sacerdotes?

18 octubre 2007, BUENOS AIRES – La Iglesia Católica Romana decidió abrir una investigación y analizar la posible expulsión de un prelado que habría admitido en un programa de Tv, que es homosexual. "Las autoridades vaticanas tienen que intervenir con decisión y severidad ante un comportamiento no compatible con el servicio sacerdotal y la misión de la Santa Sede," dijo a la prensa el portavoz del Vaticano, Federico Lombardi.

La Religión, El Ecumenismo Y La Globalización Serán Temas De Posgrado En Historia

19 octubre 2007, LA HABANA, Cuba – Dado el gran interés despertado por el curso de posgrado "Introducción a la Historia del Cristianismo," como parte del currículo de la Maestría en Historia General en la Facultad de Filosofía e Historia de la Universidad de la Habana, y a sugerencias de sus alumnos y del coordinador de la Maestría, se decidió convocar a un nuevo curso de posgrado antes de finalizar este año.

Encuentro Nacional Ecuménico De Jóvenes Celebra La "Fiesta De La Vida"

17 octubre 2007, EZEIZA, Argentina – En el fin de semana del 13, 14 y 15 de Octubre de 2007 se realizó, en el partido de Ezeiza, provincia de Buenos Aires, el XV Encuentro Nacional Ecuménico de Jóvenes, organizado por el equipo de jóvenes de Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias de Argentina y el Centro Ecuménico Cristiano de Córdoba (CECC). Con la intención de continuar las positivas experiencias del encuentro pasado, se trabajó arduamente con el apoyo incondicional de la Secretaría Regional de CLAI, logrando la participación de alrededor de 130 jóvenes provenientes de todo el país, y representando a las iglesias Metodista, del Río de la Plata, Valdense, Reformada, Cristiana Bíblica y Luterana.

Opinión – Amar a Dios "En Tierra De Indios" Es Una Bendición.
Reacción a Un Texto De Joel Santana Leopoldo Cervantes-Ortiz

17 octubre 2007 – Bajo el título "Amar a Dios en tierra de indios," Joel Santana López Araiza expone en la revista presbiteriana mexicana El Faro una concepción muy peculiar de la misión cristiana. Como pórtico de su artículo, se refiere a San Lorenzo Tezonco, barrio del oriente de la Ciudad de México en que creció y adonde escuchó por primera vez, de labios de su madre, el refrán al que alude el título de su texto como anuncio de una reprimenda por jugar con una cebolla en el asiento trasero del coche familiar.

Opinión – Teología De La Liberación Y Reforma Constitucional

18 octubre 2007, CARACAS – La Asamblea Nacional inicia la discusión final de una reforma de la Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, única en su historia avalada por un referéndum popular. Lo que al principio fue exclusiva propuesta del Presidente deriva, en una discusión nacional con inclusión de nuevos artículos a someter a la Asamblea y a referéndum popular mediante el Consejo Nacional Electoral. Desde la perspectiva ecuménica de las comunidades inspiradas en la teología de la liberación, su valoración asume el punto de vista del oprimido: la superación de la pobreza, la promoción de la paz interna e internacional, de los derechos humanos, de la cultura de la solidaridad, la inclusión sobre toda forma de discriminación, el cuidado de los recursos de la Creación, la formación espiritual en función de la comunidad.

Católicos Cuestionan Pregunta Sobre Opción Religiosa En Censo

15 octubre 2007, LIMA, Perú – La Conferencia Episcopal Peruana (CEP) expresó, por medio de un comunicado, su preocupación por la formulación de una de las preguntas, referida a la opción religiosa, que se realizará a los ciudadanos el próximo 21 de octubre en el marco del Censo Nacional XI de Población y VI de Vivienda. Se trata de la pregunta número 20 de la quinta cédula censal, en la que se consulta a las personas mayores de 12 años acerca de la religión que profesan, dándole cuatro opciones en este orden: Católica, Cristiana / Evangélica, Otra, o Ninguna.

International News

South Korea to Host Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference

October 18, 2007 Peace initiatives and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula will be the foci of a worldwide Anglican peace conference November 14-20 when more than 150 Anglican leaders, ecumenical guests and other participants will travel to South Korea for TOPIK (Towards Peace in Korea). The conference will begin with a three-day peace trip to Geumgangsan in North Korea, where delegates will meet employees of the Hyundai Asan Company and hear about its programs of development and economic support for projects in North Korea, including flood-relief aid.

Lutherans Support Recovery Efforts in Bangladesh

October 16, 2007, CHICAGO – Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), through its International Disaster Response, provided $75,000 to support recovery efforts in Bangladesh, where heavy rains produced floods in 39 districts. The onset of flooding by Himalayan-fed rivers affected an estimated 9 million people according to the government of Bangladesh, said Dr. Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Global Mission.

People in the News

Sorensen Named to Head UCC's Washington Office

October 15, 2007 – A veteran public policy advocate has been named to head the UCC's Washington, D.C., office. Sandy Sorensen, who has served various capacities during her 17 years with the UCC's national setting, has been named minister and team leader for Justice and Witness Ministries in Washington. The UCC's District of Columbia office is located within the historic Methodist Building, an ecumenical office situated just behind the U.S. Capitol and next door to the U.S. Supreme Court. Sorensen most recently served as JWM's acting minister for communications, dividing her time between Cleveland and Washington.

Reviews

Reading the Christian Theological Legacy for a New Day

October 19, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – The radically altered situation today in religion, politics, and global communication-what can broadly be characterized as postmodern and postcolonial-necessitates close rereading of Christianity's classical sources, especially its theologians. In a groundbreaking textbook anthology from Fortress Press, Empire and The Christian Tradition: New Readings of Classical Theologians, twenty-nine distinguished scholars scrutinize the relationship between empire and Christianity from Paul to the liberation theologians of our time.

Reading Scripture Responsibly in an Imperial Age

October 18, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – What kind of power does the scripture exercise? In The Power of the Word: Scripture and the Rhetoric of Empire Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, the premier scholar of feminist biblical interpretation and early Christian history, explores the difficult hermeneutical question. Because Christian scriptures were formulated in the context of Roman imperial power, they have functioned-and still do so-in the service of empire, legitimating colonialist expansion, racist exploitation, and heterosexist discrimination.

Praying When the Well Runs Dry

October 15, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – In Contemplative Prayer: Praying When the Well Runs Dry, spiritual director Joann Nesser invites readers to journey into that silence where God is known in love. Contemplative Prayer: Praying When the Well Runs Dry speaks to the faithful, praying, serving Christian who seems to have lost all energy and desire for spiritual life. It gives the reader hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It encourages the person to see this as a time of spiritual deepening and an invitation from God to deeper love and a more contemplative way of prayer and life.

Wrestling with the Meaning of Evil

October 16, 2007, MINNEAPOLIS – Evil seems palpable today. From natural catastrophes to horrific human violence to death-dealing social systems, evil calls out ever more dramatically for explanation and understanding. Yet despite millennia of reflection, no consensus has developed on the character and dynamics of evil. In a masterful new survey volume, Dimensions of Evil: Contemporary Perspectives, author Terry Cooper composes a framework for analysis of the many dimensions and aspects of the question of evil.