Front Page

Good News and Bad News on Climate Change

November 18, 2009 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) United Nations Advocacy Week came with a bit of good news and bad news on climate change. First, the bad news: A United Nations (UN) official told some 80 participants gathered for the annual global advocacy week that it appears there will be no binding agreement on climate change signed by world governments at the upcoming Copenhagen climate change meetings in December. This means "climate disruption" will continue unabated "unless governments can ramp up the courage to address it," Olav Kjorven, assistant secretary-general and director of the Bureau for Development Policy at the UN Development Programme, told the group in an opening keynote address on Monday, 16 November.

WCC Calls for Investigation of Gaza War Crimes

November 18, 2009 – The World Council of Churches (WCC) has asked the United Nations secretary-general to make sure that recommendations of a key report about war crimes committed during the conflict between Israeli and Palestinian armed forces in Gaza at the beginning of 2009 are properly followed up. In an 18 November letter, the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia urged the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to take steps in order to press both Israel and Hamas to "unconditionally concede the need for complete and credible investigations into their actions during the war." In his letter, Kobia cited "growing anxiety" amongst members of the international community that at the UN Security Council "there could be a resolution that dilutes the intent and scope of the Goldstone report."

Healing and Holiness: Christian Perspectives on Stem Cell Research

November 18, 2009 – The rapidly developing field of stem cell research mobilizes immense amounts of money in private and public grants. But it also raises deep ethical questions regarding health justice and the dignity of human life. Stem cells have the ability to evolve into a diverse range of specialized cell types. They can be cultivated so as to produce cells identical to those of various tissues such as muscles or nerves. Research in this field is oriented mainly towards finding therapies for a number of diseases, from cancer to Parkinson's disease. Embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of human embryos to obtain the cells.

Washington Prayer Vigil Rallies Senate Support for Affordable Heath-Care Reform

November 19, 2009 – Shortly before Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid held a press conference Nov. 19 to celebrate the long-awaited health reform legislation unveiled Nov. 18, pastors and lay leaders from states with senators whose votes are seen as crucial to the outcome of reform gathered outside the Capitol Building to pray for continued progress on legislation to extend affordable coverage to families. "Today we mark another key moment in this historic debate for families," said the Rev. Claudia Hollinger, a deacon at St. Jude's Episcopal Church and clergy leader with Flint Area Congregations Together in Flint, Michigan. "The legislation that Senator Reid announced would extend coverage to 31 million, ban insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and help small businesses deal with rising health care costs, all while reducing the deficit by $127 billion.”

Faith Leaders Launch Campaign for Immigration Reform

November 18, 2009, WASHINGTON – Houses of worship in Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio and Texas are holding special prayer services in November and December to press Congress to pass immigration reform that keeps families together. The personal effort is part of a larger campaign sponsored by the Interfaith Immigration Coalition that organizers hope will deliver 250,000 postcards to members of Congress by Jan. 4. The Rev. Dean Reed, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Stephenville, Texas, and co-founder of the Welcoming Immigrants Network, and the Rev. Steven Copley, director of Justice for Our Neighbors, Little Rock, Ark., joined other faith leaders in a news conference to announce the "Home for the Holidays" postcard campaign.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day – November 26, 2009

November 21, 2009 – To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America – Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As we gather together again with family and friends on this day of Thanksgiving, we offer our gratitude to God for His abundant grace and assuring presence which fill our hearts with joy and bring meaning and salvation to our lives. This holiday, a traditional American day of thanksgiving to God, has been celebrated for generations, through times of peace and security and in times of great crisis and tragedy.

General News

Calvin Bust Unveiled in Cuba

November 19, 2009 – A bust of Protestant reformer John Calvin was recently unveiled in a park in Havana, Cuba, as a way to cap a year-long celebration of Calvin's 500th birthday. Calvinism plays a role in the religious life of Cuba in part because of the more-than-25-year work of the Cuban Christian Reformed Church. The Calvin celebrations were part of a Jubilee Year organized by the Presbyterian-Reformed Church of Cuba. "More than being a set of historical and culture values, Protestantism continues basically to be commitment, faithfulness and a presence before the face of God in the world," said Dr. Isabelle Graessle, director of the International Museum of the Reformation in Geneva, Switzerland, at the unveiling of the bust. "We've unveiled Calvin's bust, but let us continue our happy duty to recapture spirituality in our time, to respond courageously to today's large theological issues," Graessle said.

A Place for All: Faith and Community for People with Disabilities – ABC Documentary

November 19, 2009 – Making faith communities more accessible to persons with disabilities is the topic of a unique interfaith documentary that will air on ABC-TV affiliates nationwide beginning December 6. A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities is presented by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC), a coalition of Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic faith groups, as part of ABC's 2009 Vision and Values series. The issue addressed by the program is critical, as it is estimated that 1 out of 5 Americans has a disability, says The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches. In the documentary, Kinnamon notes that both the faith community and the persons with disabilities lose when special needs aren't properly addressed.

Reinstatement Process Revision Adopted by ELCA Church Council

November 16, 2009, CHICAGO – The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) adopted a revision to the reinstatement process for former clergy and other professional leaders who were removed from the church's official rosters for disciplinary reasons or resigned in lieu of discipline – solely because they were in a lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationship. The change, adopted Nov. 15, applies to former ELCA associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers and ordained ministers.

New Perspectives on Faith and Development

November 13, 2009 – In a lecture on 12th November, the RSA, Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, set out the principles by which development agencies and faith communities can engage in dialogue to build trust and mutual understanding of their distinctive motivations in order to collaborate more effectively in tackling issues of justice and global poverty. Presenting a broader agenda for development, which seeks to define human flourishing as more than just material well-being, Dr Williams suggests that all engaged in the process would benefit by rediscovering their own humanity in the humanity of the other.

Liberation Theology Is Alive and Well

November 16, 2009 – Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, twenty years ago, many critics have been quick to sign liberation theology's death certificate. Most of them did so because they understood it to be an apology of bygone Soviet-style socialism. It seems, though, that this death certificate has been issued prematurely. It is true that liberation theologians – some more than others – used Marxist categories for socioeconomic analysis and for a critique of capitalism's evils. However, the core of liberation theology has never been Marxism. It is rather the compassionate identification with the poor and their struggle for justice, inspired by the life and teachings of Jesus himself, which is at its heart. Instead of on social analysis, which was seen as a methodological tool, from the outset liberation theology placed greater emphasis on the crucial role of God's people committed praxis – or, in other words, the Christian communities' action inspired by faith and informed by theological reflection.

‘All Our Children:' Church World Service Sharpens Focus on next Generation

November 19, 2009, NEW YORK CITY/PREAH VIHEAR, CAMBODIA – In tribute to Universal Children's Day (November 20) international humanitarian agency Church World Service says it is intensifying its focus on the world's most vulnerable children, under the banner "All Our Children." The relief, development and refugee assistance agency efforts aim first to further shape and expand its existing child-centered programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, with concentration on small child and maternal nutrition and health, access to education, greater school safety, especially for girls, and protection for children and their rights. The initiative recreates the spirit of the agency's original All Our Children campaign, a campaign spearheaded by CWS in the early months following the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

ELCA Presiding Bishop Sends Open Letter to Members, Announces Online Forum

November 20, 2009, CHICAGO – Declaring that "God's mission is serious work that calls for serious commitment," the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) spelled out priorities for the ELCA churchwide organization in an open letter to members released Nov. 19. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson also invited them to join him in an online "town hall forum" Dec. 6 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time (4:30 p.m. CST). Hanson also recorded a video, posted with the open letter on the Web. The presiding bishop quoted Romans 5: 1-2a in his open letter: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand."

Methodists Mark Defining Moment in Church History

November 16, 2009, FREDERICA, Del. – On a bright November Sunday, 125 United Methodists gathered to thank and praise God at the spot where, 225 years earlier, the course of American Methodism took shape. The setting was Barratt's Chapel at Frederica, Del., the oldest Methodist Church in the United States originally built as a church. The Nov. 8, 2009, observance marked an occasion on Nov. 14, 1784, that pointed the way toward forming a distinct denomination in a lineage that has became The United Methodist Church. Bishop Peggy A. Johnson of the Philadelphia area preached at the special service commemorating a meeting between two early leaders, Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke, who together laid the organizational foundations and gave U.S. Methodism its strong emphasis on mission. Asbury is considered the "father of American Methodism" and Coke the "father of Methodist missions."

Ecumenical News

Archbishop of Canterbury's Address at a Willebrands Symposium in Rome

November 19, 2009 – The Archbishop of Canterbury today gave an address in Rome, as the guest of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The address is part of a symposium being held at the Gregorian University, to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Cardinal Willebrands, the first president of the Council. The Archbishop says in his introduction: "Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, the Roman Catholic Church has been involved in a number of dialogues with other churches – including with the Anglican Communion – which have produced a very considerable number of agreed statements. This legacy has been brought together in a recent publication by the Vatican department to promote Christian Unity, whose first President during and after Vatican II, Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, is justly and happily celebrated in today's centenary conference.

Christian Unity Will Facilitate Evangelisation

November 16, 2009, VATICAN CITY – Made public today was a Message from the Holy Father to Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, for the plenary assembly of that dicastery, currently being held on the theme: "St. Paul and the new areopaghi." The reference to the Areopagus in Athens where St. Paul announced the Gospel "represents a pressing call to make good use of today's ‘areopaghi,' where the great challenges of evangelisation are to be found," the Pope writes. He also highlights how "the missionary activity of the Church must be oriented towards these nerve centres of society in the third millennium. Nor should we undervalue the influence of a widespread relativist culture, usually lacking values, which enters into the sanctuary of the family infiltrating the field of education and other areas of society, contaminating them and manipulating consciences, especially among the young.

Spanish News

Secretaría De Cultos De Argentina Reconoce a Líderes Religiosos

20 noviembre 2009, BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – La Cancillería argentina dependiente del Gobierno Nacional conmemoró el "Día de la Libertad Religiosa y de la Conciencia en la Argentina"- el cual se celebra el 25 de noviembre de cada año-, el miércoles próximo pasado, con un acto de reconocimiento a diversos actores del escenario religioso entre los cuales se destacaron tres pastores evangélicos. Presidido por el Embajador Guillermo Oliveri, Secretario de Cultos de la Nación, los pastores Carlos Caramutti, Rubén Proietti y Bruno Knoblauch recibieron sendas placas por la trayectoria de servicio a la comunidad y al diálogo interreligioso.

Voluntariado En Foro Regional Sobre VIH/SIDA E ITS Se Hace Presente

20 noviembre 2009, LIMA, Perú – Trescientos jóvenes voluntarios, en su mayoría mujeres, se han unido a diferentes tareas con vistas al V Foro Latinoamericano y del Caribe en VIH/ Sida e ITS, que se realizará aquí, del 21 al 23 de noviembre. "Me siento contento de estar participando en este evento, hoy me integré y sabemos que las tareas serán bastante," dijo Alfonso Campos, un joven voluntario, destacado en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Perú. Según el Ministerio de Salud (MINSA) de este país, se esperan más de 4 mil personas en este certamen, que promete abordar los temas relacionados con políticas públicas y sociales de la Región, así como la participación comunitaria y el compromiso multisectorial para dar respuesta de manera eficaz y multisectorial a la epidemia del Síndrome de Inmune Deficiencia Adquirida (SIDA).

Mensaje De Navidad 2009 Del Secretario General Del Consejo Mundial De Iglesias

17 noviembre 2009 – Cristo es la imagen del Dios invisible, el primogénito de toda creación, porque en él fueron creadas todas las cosas, las que hay en los cielos y las que hay en la tierra, visibles e invisibles; sean tronos, sean dominios, sean principados, sean potestades; todo fue creado por medio de él y para él.

Perspectivas Cristianas En La Investigación Sobre Células Madre

18 noviembre 2009 – El sector de la investigación sobre células madre, en rápido desarrollo, moviliza inmensas cantidades de dinero de fondos públicos y privados. Pero plantea también profundas cuestiones éticas relacionadas con la dignidad de la vida humana y la justicia en la atención de la salud. Las células madre tienen la capacidad de desarrollarse y producir una amplia gama de tipos de células especializadas. También pueden ser cultivadas para producir células idénticas a las de varios tejidos, como músculos o nervios.

La Teología De La Liberación Está Viva Y Goza De Buena Salud

16 noviembre 2009 – Desde la caída del Muro de Berlín, han sido muchos los críticos que se precipitaron a declarar la muerte de la teología de la liberación. La mayoría lo hizo porque vio en ella apenas una apología del socialismo de caduco estilo soviético. Sin embargo, ese certificado de defunción parece haber sido emitido prematuramente. Si bien es cierto que los teólogos de la liberación -algunos más que otros- utilizaron categorías marxistas para el análisis socioeconómico y la crítica de los males del capitalismo, el marxismo nunca fue el elemento central de la teología de la liberación.

Human Rights News

UN Resolution on Iran Sends Powerful Message on Human Rights

November 20, 2009, UNITED NATIONS – The approval today of a strongly worded resolution on human rights in Iran sends a powerful signal to the Iranian government that the world is gravely concerned about how Iran treats its citizens, said the Baha'i International Community. The resolution, approved by a vote of 74 to 48 by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, expressed "deep concern at serious ongoing and recurring human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran." The list of violations included oppressive measures taken after the June presidential election and "increasing discrimination" against minority groups, including Baha'is.

Religious Liberty News

Church Challenges Ruling Banning Homeless Ministry

November 18, 2009, PHOENIX – A United Methodist church ordered to stop feeding the homeless on Saturday mornings is not giving up. Members of CrossRoads United Methodist Church on Nov. 15 decided to appeal a ruling earlier in November from retired Arizona Supreme Court Justice Robert Corcoran that the ministry violated city zoning codes. The church understands community concerns about the homeless ministry, but decided it needed to continue to work for justice, leaders said.

National News

U.S. Hunger Report Contains Troubling Information, Say ELCA Hunger Leaders

November 18, 2009, CHICAGO – As people throughout the United States prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report this week that shows a significant increase in hunger in U.S. households. That's not surprising, said Nancy D. Arnison, director of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) World Hunger Program. But the extent of the increase is surprising, particularly the statistics for children, said Arnison. USDA's Economic Research Service released its annual report Nov. 16 on Household Food Security.

LCMS Chaplains, World Relief Respond to Fort Hood Shootings

November 19, 2009 – "It's been an awful week." These are the words of Chaplain Dann Ettner, one of four Missouri Synod chaplains assigned to Fort Hood, in the wake of the Nov. 5 shootings there. Ettner, an active duty reservist, lost five members of his division during the rampage that left eight others dead and 42 wounded. Because all five of the dead in his division were from other states, chaplains in their home areas were responsible for notifying their families. Ettner's duty "turned to comforting the living." In an e-mail, he wrote, "I spent the first night in the ICU with four of my [injured] soldiers. On Friday morning I attended the military ramp ceremony where they loaded the 13 caskets into a military aircraft bound for Dover Air Force Base, Delaware."

Supreme Court Refuses Suit over ‘Redskins'

November 16, 2009, WASHINGTON – United Methodist leaders are disappointed the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal challenging the National Football League's use of the mascot and term "Redskins." But they have vowed to continue the church's struggle opposing team names and symbols that demean and offend Native Americans. "This is a very disappointing development, but we stand with Native Americans, especially Native American children, across the country who are continually confronted by racially offensive sports mascots," said Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. "We oppose any and all uses of racial sports mascots as contrary to The United Methodist Church's position condemning racism and recognizing it as a sin."

ELCA Council Approves Social Policy Resolution on Immigration

November 16, 2009, CHICAGO – In response to a need for specific policy language to address current immigration matters, the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved a social policy resolution on immigration Nov. 14. The resolution, "Toward Compassionate, Just and Wise Immigration Reform," addresses family and workplace issues, enforcement of immigration laws, protection of refugees and forced migration. The council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between churchwide assemblies.

International News

CRC Urges Action on Euthanasia Bill

November 19, 2009 – The Christian Reformed Church in North America's Disability Concerns office has issued an action alert, asking church members in Canada to contact lawmakers to register their protests against a bill legalizing euthanasia that is now making its way through the Canadian Parliament. If passed, this law could pose "danger to people with disabilities," says Rev. Mark Stephenson, director of Disability Concerns. People with disabilities could be pressured, if this passes, to seek a legal end to their lives. They might also receive the message that disabilities are to be wiped away instead of embraced and dealt with compassionately.

Uganda's Proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill Causes Concern and Caution

November 20, 2009 – A proposed bill currently before the Ugandan Parliament that, if passed, would extend prison sentences for homosexuals and introduce the death penalty in certain cases has generated outrage from a number of religious groups while some Anglican leaders are being more cautious with their responses. "The Episcopal Church, like the Anglican Communion as a whole, is very clear in its support for the human rights of all people, including gay and lesbian persons," said Alexander Baumgarten, director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations.

United Methodist Bishops Launch Appeal for Philippines

November 19, 2009 The United Methodist Council of Bishops has issued a Churchwide Appeal for Philippines Disasters in response to the multiple typhoons that have struck the country. The appeal, which was announced Nov. 19, will provide humanitarian relief and support for the ministries of The United Methodist Church in the Philippines. In late September and October, four typhoons – Ketsana, Parma, Lupit and Mirinae – hit the Philippines, leaving more than a thousand dead and an estimated 1.3 million people displaced. Causing drowning, landslides and electrocutions, the storms also had a disastrous impact on farmlands, houses and infrastructure. The country faces a public health emergency and is struggling to fight outbreaks of infection.

Middle East News

Israeli Settlement Decision "Deplorable," Says WCC

November 19, 2009 – Churches and other ecumenical partners of the World Council of Churches (WCC) have received an appeal to "mobilize their members and the public" in resistance to Israel's approval for the construction of 900 new housing units in the Gilo settlement on traditionally Palestinian land in East Jerusalem. The WCC general secretary, the Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, called on organizations related to the Council "to act with resolve, in concert," with the intention "to reverse this decision of the Israeli government and the settlement programme it represents." In a public statement, Kobia expressed "great disappointment" at this development and emphasized that the WCC "strongly condemns the decision of the government of Israel to expand the illegal Gilo settlement as we believe that this decision will hinder attempts now in process to restart the peace negotiations."

ELCJHL Supports CRIHL Demand for Respect for All Religious Sites

November 19, 2009, JERUSALEM – Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, today affirmed the statement of a Jerusalem interfaith organization calling for respect for the city's holy sites. "At the height of tensions in Jerusalem, Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders were able to come together to write a statement in order to bring peace and justice to Jerusalem," Younan said. The bishop of the Middle East's Lutheran church body is a founding member of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land, which issued the statement, and is comprised of local leaders of Jerusalem's Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities.

Christ School in Nazareth Expands its Service to Christian, Muslim Students

November 20, 2009 – The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem has announced that one of its institutions, Christ School in Nazareth, is expanding to serve the needs of the Palestinian youth in the city, at the request of the Ministry of Education of Israel. The addition of eight classrooms to the upper school program "reduces overcrowding and allows for added enrollment from the waiting list," according to a Nov. 18 press release from the diocese. The school has been at the center of a legal dispute after the former diocesan bishop, the Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, claimed ownership of the property immediately after his retirement on March 31, 2007.